There will be magic, chapter 63, RukixKai, RukaxYomi, AoixReita, UruhaxAsa
Title: There will be magic
Author: yukigafuru
Chapters: 63/?
Pairings: RukaxYomi, KaixRuki, AoixReita, UruhaxAsagi for now
Bands: Gazette, Naitomea, D... (and a surprise)
Rating: PG-15-PG-17 overall
Warnings: will be angst, yaoi, a bit of gore here and there, light mpreg
Genre: AU, Angst, Romance
Disclaimer: I am not connected to the real persons. This is just a figment of my imagination and I don't make any money nor profit in any way out of this (well, except gathering your love that is).
Summary: The age of magic and mystery is coming towards its end. But what if someone that has the gift to see the future can join forces with others who have the power to stop it? What will be born then? What will be found?
Chapter 63
“Ruki, I’m going to need your help.” Asagi launched into what could be considered the boldest move he had ever made, defying destiny.
“What can I do, Asagi?” Ruki replied, ready to face whatever it was, for the only reason that he understood and felt the determination radiating off the seer, off his friend.
“This vision... not only do I wish it not happen, I am intent on stopping it. I’m not sure how much I can reveal, lest I forward the sequence of events, but I don’t need to tell much anyway. Not with you.” Asagi paused, wanting to make sure that Ruki got his drift. “I want you to read my mind.” He put in plainer words although he doubted not the fact that Ruki knew by then.
With what else could Ruki have been of assistance to Asagi? Ruki indeed knew. But the fact of the matter was that excepting Kai, with whom he had an intimate connection, he found it hard to visualise other people’s thoughts.
“Most of the time I can only pick up feelings.” He explained.
“I’ll make sure to keep the images to the front of my mind.”
Ruki nodded. It could not hurt to try. However, at the moment, they were supposed to pick up the couple from their lovers’ nest.
“Should we go to them first, or do you want to do this straight away?” Ruki asked.
“Straight away, for the feelings are fresh. Am I correct in assuming it would be easier for you to tap first into those?”
Ruki agreed. They resolved to sit down at a safe distance from the inn, facing the direction they had been heading for, just in case someone wanted to check on why they were slow in returning. There was also the slight possibility that Ruka and Yomi decided to return to the inn. They sat on the luscious green grass, glittering with the sun, points of yellow cowslip littering across the plain.
Ruki slowed down his breathing and instructed Asagi to do the same, to relax all muscles and achieve a dream-like state. Once both the gales of anxiety calmed down and their inner world was as peaceful as the cowslip-tainted field, Ruki tried to shuffle between the emotions Asagi’s. He knew that was his way into Asagi’s mind and memories but though one knew the house and knocked at the door, the key was still needed.
For no matter how hard he tried - choosing different feelings, adjusting his degree of focus, trying to connect to the simple emotions, sending his own feelings in hope of establishing a connection- nothing worked. Despite his pushes and kicks, tugs and shakes, cries and pleas, the door would not grant entrance.
“Asagi, I can’t. Your defences are too strong after all these years protecting them and because of that, even your feelings come out diluted, less intense.”
Years of hiding his feelings and thoughts from others, as well as from himself, left deep marks, scars that one could not heal away so easily, with a simple try and Asagi’s effort to lower his defences had ended up in failure. For this to work, he needed to go around those same defences that had once protected him but were now the very reason they might all fall into danger’s hands, he needed something else, new, something that he hadn’t tried to erase or hide. And he knew just what that was.
“The important thing is to get in, right? After that, you can jump from one image to another?” He asked just before he exposed this new idea he had had.
“More or less. Everyone’s mind is different. Yours is like a strong-built fortress. Even if I get in, there might still be traps, secret corridors, guards... There really is no way to know whether I’ll be able to access the information I’m searching for. But the first thing is getting me in.” Ruki explained as best he could.
Another idea occurred out of the blue and wouldn’t let the seer off the hook. “This is not putting you in danger, is it?” He remembered all too well the dangers Ruki had faced when trying to get Aoi and Reita together, in Dred, while Reita had been unconscious.
“No, not grave danger anyway. Maybe a bit of a headache, temporary loss of magic, fatigue, things like that.” Ruki’s words helped reduce the worry Asagi was feeling. He nodded and tried to relax again, in preparation for their second attempt.
This time, Ruki could feel the change in Asagi from the first moment, when perceiving his emotions: his focus on only one emotion, one image, stronger than anything else, just one emotion that gave him an entirely different state of mind. That one thing made the difference between a cold rock fortress and a rustic peaceful inn, for it was easy to find, to grab hold of, and to dare venture inside.
Getting past the entryway, the first image the panther saw that of Asagi and a honey-blond man - the one named Uruha- embracing under the sun’s soft warming light, in an open field, much like the real one forced upon Asagi and Ruki at the moment. It was plain to see the way Uruha’s arm wrapped the seer in a protective embrace, to take note of Asagi’s soft breathing and relaxed posture, to wonder at Uruha’s eyes sparkling with happiness... all slight details, yet every single one telling the same story of deep, shared love.
Moving on from that image to another, while trying not to stumble over the wrong memories and thoughts was as easy as steering a ship through a hurricane, without compass, stars and lacking half of the veil: almost impossible. But Ruki was a stubborn and determined captain.
It is the interconnectedness of memories and feelings that makes us who we are, much like the walls create home spaces and Ruki knew this too well, thus he focussed on Uruha’s presence in Asagi’s mind, on his protective desires that one could read from the first glance taken of the couple, the will to shield the one he loved from any type of pain or danger. There could be no doubt that Uruha would, if possible, stand by Asagi’s side the moment the vision was put into motion.
Clouded and unstable were the contours at first, like a ghost one happens to glance through a hole in the wall or at a distance, a mass of white mist that might be overlooked if not for the darkness that seems to surround that bright cold point. Catching a sliver of a ghost’s immaterial shroud was no easy feat, but with perseverance and more than a little amount of magic, Ruki managed and the vision cleared.
Minutes passed.
…...............................................
In the meantime, the dragon and the naga found themselves shrouded in the same silence that had been their companion since leaving the inn. Cold blooded creatures, when between themselves, often try to gauge the other’s reactions, ascertain friend from foe, and if no danger looms within the other’s eyes, get used to his presence, establishing some form of common ground. At last, Ni~ya stopped, in front of a rock formation, amidst which a large, flat surface had been levelled by ages of wind and rain. He sat down and motioned for the dragon to join him.
“If there’s one thing everyone knows about me is that I’m proud, stubborn as a mule and absolutely hate losing.” The dragon cleared the air and after a few moments of consideration and watching the other’s eyelashes blink, he added. “Or waiting.” Ni~ya’s expression turned interested for he sensed there was something else following that statement. “Yet I find myself on what now seems to be an endless search for a tease of a mate I have never properly seen or spoken to. I get constantly attacked, find trouble winning in most cases and haven’t had a fluffy pillow and bed in ages.” Ni~ya almost chuckled at the pouty look on the other’s face. “And yet, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.” The dragon cheerfully added. It had been said in a light, playful tone, but there was no mistaking the seriousness of the statement.
Naga nodded. He was grateful for the other’s words, so laden with meaning.
“It’s not just Reita.” Ni~ya tried to explain himself. “Or the torture. Although of course both of those play a part.”
“You can’t turn back time. Well, at least not everyone can. I have it on good authority that there is some sort of magic thingy that could do that.” His deep eyes sparkled with mischief. There was something about the dragon that made the naga be at ease and it surely had something to do with the way he constructed the deepest statements around jokes.
“Careful now, I could tell the others we actually had a serious, deep conversation.”
“Good forbid. The dullness of that!” The dragon stared and Ni~ya eyed him back. And then, they both bust laughing. It left Ni~ya feeling as if some great weight had been lifted off his back, and he could finally breathe and walk straight again.
“I needed that.” He admitted, once his gasps for breaths ended and he regained his calm. The dragon nodded his understanding and let a friendlier silence settle between them.
“I’ve been spoiled rotten.” Ni~ya started. “But never got the chance to quite appreciate everything, not until it was taken from me. Now, I find that not even being able to want it back hurts.” He admitted, in a straight, firm voice. “And I’m not a good loser either. I can accept that I have lost, but will not be happy about it. And the lack of movement is getting to me. That and being surrounded by strangers.”
“Well, we don’t have to be strangers. We could always compile lists of what the other’s favourite colours are.” The dragon said and grinned. Ni~ya shook his head. It was time he got used to having very serious and difficult conversation in light tones.
“Amber. But I get the feeling it’s going to change.”
The dragon mutely acknowledged the statement and added: “And I have always felt that you get to truly know others through their actions and not words or stories.”
Ni~ya smiled sheepishly. “I’d like that.” He replied and it sounded like a promise.
“Welcome aboard. The official version of this little backpacking trip is saving the word and finding the loves of our lives.”
“What’s the unofficial one?” The naga asked.
“Why, mischief of course. The castle really is too dull this time of year.”
Laughter ensued.
….............................
“Should I tell the others?” Ruki questioned once regaining his breath and managing to calm his frightened heart. Seeing what Asagi saw on a constant basis, was not an easy thing to do.
“I’m not sure. Sometimes, I think he watches us, so if we look prepared for what is to come, he might change his plans, attack in a different manner, perhaps at some other time. My visions might not catch up with that.” Ruki nodded.
“What if he’s been watching us right now?”
“It’s a chance we’ll have to take.” He determined.
“Right. So then, we don’t tell the others but find a way to protect the middle.”
“Yomi and Reita’s barrier should work and if we’re tightly knit together, it might even cover everyone, not just the middle of the file.” Asagi reasoned.
“So we would have to make sure two of the most impulsive people I have ever met think clearly in those moments, without giving them a clear idea of what to expect.” Was the resume. “What about the earth sucking you in?”
“Perhaps Aoi could be able to help with that. He would be close to Reita anyway.”
“So now, the challenge is to make them act exactly as we want them too, without actually telling them anyway.” Ruki looked wearily at the seer, who bit his lip. This was not going to be easy...
….............
While they were trying to come up with a plan, the newly bonded couple were playing on the soft feathery carpet, bundling happily in each other’s arms. Yomi’s eyes shined and Ruka had a soft contented smile on his face.
“I wonder how come they’re not here for us yet. We’re supposed to be leaving today and it will be noon soon.”
Yomi’s visage turned cloudy at the mention of their approaching departure.
“Ruka, how easily will I be to kill now?” Yomi softly asked and Ruka’s happy smile disappeared completely, gauging Yomi’s state of mind.
“Is this about that feeling you had, of us being in danger?” Ruka didn’t even need a reply to read the affirmative answer in the kitsune’s eyes.
“You will not die of sickness, nor bleed to death. Wounds heal quickly, sometimes extremely so. Fire does not burn your flesh fast enough and you do not feel cold or heat as strongly. You have increased strength and agility, and I’d say, quite a bit of magical power to defend yourself, thanks to your kitsune magic. ”
“Do I die from lack of air? Do I drown?” Yomi asked.
“You have to understand. You’re not a vampire, Yomi, not really.” The answer therefore was positive, and Yomi had a feeling that did not bring good tidings. He did not want to go to a harbour, but they had little choice. He was determined on one thing though: stay as far away from the water as possible.
A/N: A bit more character development, just before some new characters and action pick up - I have this from long-eared official sources. I liked writing this chapter, for it gave me the opportunity to experiment with a few things. Hope you did too, and will tell my furry friends what you thought about it. Squishes to all.
Author: yukigafuru
Chapters: 63/?
Pairings: RukaxYomi, KaixRuki, AoixReita, UruhaxAsagi for now
Bands: Gazette, Naitomea, D... (and a surprise)
Rating: PG-15-PG-17 overall
Warnings: will be angst, yaoi, a bit of gore here and there, light mpreg
Genre: AU, Angst, Romance
Disclaimer: I am not connected to the real persons. This is just a figment of my imagination and I don't make any money nor profit in any way out of this (well, except gathering your love that is).
Summary: The age of magic and mystery is coming towards its end. But what if someone that has the gift to see the future can join forces with others who have the power to stop it? What will be born then? What will be found?
Chapter 63
“Ruki, I’m going to need your help.” Asagi launched into what could be considered the boldest move he had ever made, defying destiny.
“What can I do, Asagi?” Ruki replied, ready to face whatever it was, for the only reason that he understood and felt the determination radiating off the seer, off his friend.
“This vision... not only do I wish it not happen, I am intent on stopping it. I’m not sure how much I can reveal, lest I forward the sequence of events, but I don’t need to tell much anyway. Not with you.” Asagi paused, wanting to make sure that Ruki got his drift. “I want you to read my mind.” He put in plainer words although he doubted not the fact that Ruki knew by then.
With what else could Ruki have been of assistance to Asagi? Ruki indeed knew. But the fact of the matter was that excepting Kai, with whom he had an intimate connection, he found it hard to visualise other people’s thoughts.
“Most of the time I can only pick up feelings.” He explained.
“I’ll make sure to keep the images to the front of my mind.”
Ruki nodded. It could not hurt to try. However, at the moment, they were supposed to pick up the couple from their lovers’ nest.
“Should we go to them first, or do you want to do this straight away?” Ruki asked.
“Straight away, for the feelings are fresh. Am I correct in assuming it would be easier for you to tap first into those?”
Ruki agreed. They resolved to sit down at a safe distance from the inn, facing the direction they had been heading for, just in case someone wanted to check on why they were slow in returning. There was also the slight possibility that Ruka and Yomi decided to return to the inn. They sat on the luscious green grass, glittering with the sun, points of yellow cowslip littering across the plain.
Ruki slowed down his breathing and instructed Asagi to do the same, to relax all muscles and achieve a dream-like state. Once both the gales of anxiety calmed down and their inner world was as peaceful as the cowslip-tainted field, Ruki tried to shuffle between the emotions Asagi’s. He knew that was his way into Asagi’s mind and memories but though one knew the house and knocked at the door, the key was still needed.
For no matter how hard he tried - choosing different feelings, adjusting his degree of focus, trying to connect to the simple emotions, sending his own feelings in hope of establishing a connection- nothing worked. Despite his pushes and kicks, tugs and shakes, cries and pleas, the door would not grant entrance.
“Asagi, I can’t. Your defences are too strong after all these years protecting them and because of that, even your feelings come out diluted, less intense.”
Years of hiding his feelings and thoughts from others, as well as from himself, left deep marks, scars that one could not heal away so easily, with a simple try and Asagi’s effort to lower his defences had ended up in failure. For this to work, he needed to go around those same defences that had once protected him but were now the very reason they might all fall into danger’s hands, he needed something else, new, something that he hadn’t tried to erase or hide. And he knew just what that was.
“The important thing is to get in, right? After that, you can jump from one image to another?” He asked just before he exposed this new idea he had had.
“More or less. Everyone’s mind is different. Yours is like a strong-built fortress. Even if I get in, there might still be traps, secret corridors, guards... There really is no way to know whether I’ll be able to access the information I’m searching for. But the first thing is getting me in.” Ruki explained as best he could.
Another idea occurred out of the blue and wouldn’t let the seer off the hook. “This is not putting you in danger, is it?” He remembered all too well the dangers Ruki had faced when trying to get Aoi and Reita together, in Dred, while Reita had been unconscious.
“No, not grave danger anyway. Maybe a bit of a headache, temporary loss of magic, fatigue, things like that.” Ruki’s words helped reduce the worry Asagi was feeling. He nodded and tried to relax again, in preparation for their second attempt.
This time, Ruki could feel the change in Asagi from the first moment, when perceiving his emotions: his focus on only one emotion, one image, stronger than anything else, just one emotion that gave him an entirely different state of mind. That one thing made the difference between a cold rock fortress and a rustic peaceful inn, for it was easy to find, to grab hold of, and to dare venture inside.
Getting past the entryway, the first image the panther saw that of Asagi and a honey-blond man - the one named Uruha- embracing under the sun’s soft warming light, in an open field, much like the real one forced upon Asagi and Ruki at the moment. It was plain to see the way Uruha’s arm wrapped the seer in a protective embrace, to take note of Asagi’s soft breathing and relaxed posture, to wonder at Uruha’s eyes sparkling with happiness... all slight details, yet every single one telling the same story of deep, shared love.
Moving on from that image to another, while trying not to stumble over the wrong memories and thoughts was as easy as steering a ship through a hurricane, without compass, stars and lacking half of the veil: almost impossible. But Ruki was a stubborn and determined captain.
It is the interconnectedness of memories and feelings that makes us who we are, much like the walls create home spaces and Ruki knew this too well, thus he focussed on Uruha’s presence in Asagi’s mind, on his protective desires that one could read from the first glance taken of the couple, the will to shield the one he loved from any type of pain or danger. There could be no doubt that Uruha would, if possible, stand by Asagi’s side the moment the vision was put into motion.
Clouded and unstable were the contours at first, like a ghost one happens to glance through a hole in the wall or at a distance, a mass of white mist that might be overlooked if not for the darkness that seems to surround that bright cold point. Catching a sliver of a ghost’s immaterial shroud was no easy feat, but with perseverance and more than a little amount of magic, Ruki managed and the vision cleared.
Minutes passed.
…...............................................
In the meantime, the dragon and the naga found themselves shrouded in the same silence that had been their companion since leaving the inn. Cold blooded creatures, when between themselves, often try to gauge the other’s reactions, ascertain friend from foe, and if no danger looms within the other’s eyes, get used to his presence, establishing some form of common ground. At last, Ni~ya stopped, in front of a rock formation, amidst which a large, flat surface had been levelled by ages of wind and rain. He sat down and motioned for the dragon to join him.
“If there’s one thing everyone knows about me is that I’m proud, stubborn as a mule and absolutely hate losing.” The dragon cleared the air and after a few moments of consideration and watching the other’s eyelashes blink, he added. “Or waiting.” Ni~ya’s expression turned interested for he sensed there was something else following that statement. “Yet I find myself on what now seems to be an endless search for a tease of a mate I have never properly seen or spoken to. I get constantly attacked, find trouble winning in most cases and haven’t had a fluffy pillow and bed in ages.” Ni~ya almost chuckled at the pouty look on the other’s face. “And yet, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.” The dragon cheerfully added. It had been said in a light, playful tone, but there was no mistaking the seriousness of the statement.
Naga nodded. He was grateful for the other’s words, so laden with meaning.
“It’s not just Reita.” Ni~ya tried to explain himself. “Or the torture. Although of course both of those play a part.”
“You can’t turn back time. Well, at least not everyone can. I have it on good authority that there is some sort of magic thingy that could do that.” His deep eyes sparkled with mischief. There was something about the dragon that made the naga be at ease and it surely had something to do with the way he constructed the deepest statements around jokes.
“Careful now, I could tell the others we actually had a serious, deep conversation.”
“Good forbid. The dullness of that!” The dragon stared and Ni~ya eyed him back. And then, they both bust laughing. It left Ni~ya feeling as if some great weight had been lifted off his back, and he could finally breathe and walk straight again.
“I needed that.” He admitted, once his gasps for breaths ended and he regained his calm. The dragon nodded his understanding and let a friendlier silence settle between them.
“I’ve been spoiled rotten.” Ni~ya started. “But never got the chance to quite appreciate everything, not until it was taken from me. Now, I find that not even being able to want it back hurts.” He admitted, in a straight, firm voice. “And I’m not a good loser either. I can accept that I have lost, but will not be happy about it. And the lack of movement is getting to me. That and being surrounded by strangers.”
“Well, we don’t have to be strangers. We could always compile lists of what the other’s favourite colours are.” The dragon said and grinned. Ni~ya shook his head. It was time he got used to having very serious and difficult conversation in light tones.
“Amber. But I get the feeling it’s going to change.”
The dragon mutely acknowledged the statement and added: “And I have always felt that you get to truly know others through their actions and not words or stories.”
Ni~ya smiled sheepishly. “I’d like that.” He replied and it sounded like a promise.
“Welcome aboard. The official version of this little backpacking trip is saving the word and finding the loves of our lives.”
“What’s the unofficial one?” The naga asked.
“Why, mischief of course. The castle really is too dull this time of year.”
Laughter ensued.
….............................
“Should I tell the others?” Ruki questioned once regaining his breath and managing to calm his frightened heart. Seeing what Asagi saw on a constant basis, was not an easy thing to do.
“I’m not sure. Sometimes, I think he watches us, so if we look prepared for what is to come, he might change his plans, attack in a different manner, perhaps at some other time. My visions might not catch up with that.” Ruki nodded.
“What if he’s been watching us right now?”
“It’s a chance we’ll have to take.” He determined.
“Right. So then, we don’t tell the others but find a way to protect the middle.”
“Yomi and Reita’s barrier should work and if we’re tightly knit together, it might even cover everyone, not just the middle of the file.” Asagi reasoned.
“So we would have to make sure two of the most impulsive people I have ever met think clearly in those moments, without giving them a clear idea of what to expect.” Was the resume. “What about the earth sucking you in?”
“Perhaps Aoi could be able to help with that. He would be close to Reita anyway.”
“So now, the challenge is to make them act exactly as we want them too, without actually telling them anyway.” Ruki looked wearily at the seer, who bit his lip. This was not going to be easy...
….............
While they were trying to come up with a plan, the newly bonded couple were playing on the soft feathery carpet, bundling happily in each other’s arms. Yomi’s eyes shined and Ruka had a soft contented smile on his face.
“I wonder how come they’re not here for us yet. We’re supposed to be leaving today and it will be noon soon.”
Yomi’s visage turned cloudy at the mention of their approaching departure.
“Ruka, how easily will I be to kill now?” Yomi softly asked and Ruka’s happy smile disappeared completely, gauging Yomi’s state of mind.
“Is this about that feeling you had, of us being in danger?” Ruka didn’t even need a reply to read the affirmative answer in the kitsune’s eyes.
“You will not die of sickness, nor bleed to death. Wounds heal quickly, sometimes extremely so. Fire does not burn your flesh fast enough and you do not feel cold or heat as strongly. You have increased strength and agility, and I’d say, quite a bit of magical power to defend yourself, thanks to your kitsune magic. ”
“Do I die from lack of air? Do I drown?” Yomi asked.
“You have to understand. You’re not a vampire, Yomi, not really.” The answer therefore was positive, and Yomi had a feeling that did not bring good tidings. He did not want to go to a harbour, but they had little choice. He was determined on one thing though: stay as far away from the water as possible.
A/N: A bit more character development, just before some new characters and action pick up - I have this from long-eared official sources. I liked writing this chapter, for it gave me the opportunity to experiment with a few things. Hope you did too, and will tell my furry friends what you thought about it. Squishes to all.