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“In the end nothing matters, yet while we’re here something should.”
Bittersweet
01
Winter Rebirth
He was numb, utterly numb. Legs once strong and agile were reduced to anchors of lead. Golden skin had grown pale. Crimson blood, warm and sticky, flowed from between his fingers to splatter onto the purest white of new fallen snow. The deep jagged gash in his side continued to leak away his precious lifeblood no matter how much he tried to stop it. There was no real hope of surviving. The young warrior took comfort in such a thought. Perhaps in death his suffering could at last end. Then for the first time in his life, there would be peace. His battered body crumpled, its puppet strings cut by and unseen hand. Liquid silver eyes gazed upward towards the endless heavens. The moon hung overhead large and full in the cloudless night sky, its rays shimmering majestically in the dark depths of space. What a wondrous sight for a dying man to behold. Kai-Yen focused on that orb until slowly the darkness began to overtake him.
Was this the end?
Kai-Yen felt as if he was being cradled within someone’s strong and warm embrace. Silky fingertips seemed to lightly caress his cool cheek. The warrior brushed the sensations aside. They were nothing, merely the final lingering touches of life bidding him farewell.
“Sayonara…”
)l(
Eyes of a piercing aqua hue traced the outline of the form of the man whose life he had saved from the grip of death. The young noble could not understand what drove him to use his divine gift to give this complete stranger a second chance at life. The jewel-like eyes closed as a soft sigh escaped him. Oh how much his own actions puzzled him.
“You did a good thing, Yuugure-sama.” A soft female voice whispered. Egan opened his eyes once more to glance at the cat-eared woman who had some to stand protectively at his left side. Her silky hair was a pale shade of pink and pulled away from her fine boned face into a high ponytail. To rogue strands hung down on either side of her face. Her large golden eyes glowed slightly in the darkness of the room.
“You believe that?” The raven haired man turned his head away from the wounded man to fix his gaze fully on her. “What makes you so certain, Shuupatsu-kun? Perhaps he truly wanted death? He might not take too kindly to me saving him.”
Kathrin heaved a heavy sigh at her lord’s use of formal speech. “Egan…” She growled, the use of his first name a clear indication of her annoyance. Her ears laid back against her skull. She absolutely hated it when Egan reverted back to being formal with her.
“Yes?” Egan replied nonchalantly. A smirk worked its way onto his androgynous face. Baiting the female warrior never got old.
The older woman sighed and dropped her gaze. Egan could be so childish sometimes! “You’re hopeless.”
“You’ve been here three years and you just noticed?” A young man of about 18 years or so leaned against the doorframe. His wavy hair was slightly spiked and a pale shade of ice blue that offset his navy bangs. One silvery violate eye was hidden behind a lock of hair. An elegant hand raised to pat the head of the small blue-white dragon that used his shoulder for a perch.
Egan flashed a smile at him. “Welcome back, Hinansho-kun. How did your visit with your parents go?”
“Dismally.” Reiyne replied, flopping down into a chair beside the young noble. “As normal, they think I’m a complete disappointment.”
“Have you ever thought, Reiyne, that they might actually have a point?” Reiyne cast a withering look at the woman. “Ouch, Kathrin. That really hurt, right here.” He tapped a hand over his heart.
“Oh don’t start.” Kathrin grumbled, though in truth she was happy to see him.
Reiyne looked over at were the sleeping man lay and raised an eyebrow “Hey Egan, who’s the stranger? Bringing home strays again?”
Egan heaved a heavy sigh and rested his forehead on his open palm. Suddenly he had a killer headache. The only thing that was worse than when he questioned his own actions was when others question them as well. “I have no idea who he is or why I brought him here.”
“He healed him.” Kathrin added. She grinned, showing off her pointed canines.
Reiyne’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Really? Our Egan used his divine gift on this guy? He must be quite important to pull that bit of magic out of you.” He glanced over at his lord and childhood friend and smirked. “Or maybe,” he added, eyes dancing, “you found him too attractive to let him die.”
“Reiyne…” Egan growled in warning. He did not like the direction this conversation was headed. Kathrin had a hand pressed against her mouth to stifle the giggles that welled up with her throat. Her golden eyes sparkled with amusement.
The other man ignored the protest and continued to observe the stranger. “He is fairly attractive if you’re into warrior types.” His grin was wider now. He looked over at Kathrin. “Oh Kathrin, our little Egan’s growing up!” That did it. Kathrin burst out laughing.
Egan felt heat racing up his neck. “Reiyne, one more word…” The young nobleman was at the end of his tolerance.
Reiyne laughed and patted the older man on the shoulder. “I promise not to say another word on the topic. I swear it.”
“Good.” Egan rose to his feet. He winced at the stiffness in his legs. Obviously, many hours of sitting in the same place had taken its toll. “Now if the two of you don’t kind, I have business that requires my attention.”
“Ah yes, the infamous stack of paper all waiting for his royal highness’ signature.” Kathrin smiled brightly. “I’m sure they won’t keep you long. Soon you’ll be back waiting with baited breath for your prince to awaken at last.”
Egan sighed once more. “I often wonder what life would be like without the two of you to torment me.”
The pair smiled broadly. “That’s easy.” Reiyne said throwing an arm around his lord’s shoulder.
Kathrin joined then and ruffled Egan’s hair. “It would be very boring, I’m sure.”
)l(
The first thing Kai-Yen noticed was that he was alive. The second thing was the scent of clean linen and sandalwood that wrapped around him like a comforting blanket. Silver eyes flickered open and he found himself lying on a feather bed wrapped in heavy blankets. The room was small but It was grand for al its tiny stature. Brilliant wood flooring glistened in the flickering candlelight. The walls were black stone worn smooth from many years. A throb of pain from his muscles alerted him to the fact that he had been out for a while. He let out a soft groan and tried to sit up but a firm hand pushed him back down. The smell of sandalwood grew stronger at the person’s presence and Kai-Yen knew that this was the one who had saved him. His eyes sought out those of his savior’s.
Egan smiled softly and removed his hand from the other man’s shoulder. “It would not be wise to get up just yet. Your body has been through much in a short period of time.” The young nobleman gave into temptation and brushed a few chocolate stands of hair from the angular face. He was happy when the Stanger didn’t turn away. “You truly are lucky to be alive.”
It took a moment for it all to sink in. Searching fingers looked for the wound in his side but all he found was unbroken skin that was slightly tender to the touch. His eyes could not hide the shock the discovery brought him. That wound should have killed him. He was sure of that. He had been dying out there in the cold, all alone. Now he was here, warm and safe and most important of all, healed. Vaguely he could remember the sensation of being held right before he completely blacked out. Silver eyes question the man at his bedside. Did he carry him here and somehow heal him? It didn’t seem likely to the young warrior but then again, he was alive when he should have been dead. “How…?” He tried to ask how he had survived but his throat was ore and his voice scratchy from disuse.
Gently as to not put pressure on the tender patches, Egan helped the man into a sitting position. He handed him a glass of water and watched as his charge guzzled the liquid down before taking it away again to set on a nearby table. Returning to Kai-Yen’s side he sat and studied the man thoughtfully. Kai-Yen waited for the man to speak, which was in itself odd for someone who had as much patience as a child half his age. Sensing the other man’s unease, Egan smiled. “If you are wondering as to how you are alive, I healed you. At great risk to myself, I might add. You find yourself in what was once my childhood room.” That explained why the blankets in which Kai-Yen was wrapped carried faint traces of the man’s scent. “As to exactly how I healed you I will not say at present. I would like, however, to know the name of the man I risked so much to save. “
From the man’s speech Kai-Yen gathered that his rescuer was a noble. That didn’t sit too well with him. He had bad history with nobles. It had become his habit to go out of his way to avoid them. Yet here he was, lying healed in one’s bed. The fates obviously enjoyed the irony of the situation. “Shouldn’t you give your own name first? I am not a servant of yours, my lord.”
Egan winced at the sharpness of his tone. “Was I too obvious? Forgive me, I often find myself the slave of such irritating formalities.” He let a smile slide onto his lips. Kai-Yen relaxed. His savior was much like himself, trapped by the rules of society. “My name is Yuugure Egan.”
Realization crashed into Kai-Yen like a tidal wave. He knew the name. Next to his bedside sat the Prince of the Moon, the Bright Goddess Amaterasu’s Chosen. Bitterness welled up within his chest. The Sun Prince, the Goddess’ Speaker, had declared Kai-Yen’s kind monsters and enslaved them. Once he told the young noble his name, he would no doubt realize his mistake and regret healing something that marred his brightness. “I am Konton Kai-Yen” His voice was barely audible. He turned his face away from Egan. He couldn’t bear to see the man’s reaction. Once again he was doomed to be judged by his ancestry alone.
Egan’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “That’s a Mavyrn name.” He saw the pain in Kai-Yen’s face. This man had lived a hard life, one full of struggle and sacrifice. Gently he turned the other man’s face back towards him. “You have been treated poorly by my kind in the past. For that, I am extremely sorry. Be comforted in the knowledge that I will not treat you that way. I care not of what race you are. None of that matters here.”
“How can you say that?” Kai-Yen was confused. He had expected hatred and violence not kindness and gentleness. “You are Amaterasu’s Chosen. Your Goddess hates my kind.”
Egan shook his head. “It was the Goddess’ power that healed you. She wanted you to live. She used me as her vessel and breathed life into you. You have been reborn, in a sense. Your past has been washed away. You now have the chance to make a new life for yourself here.”
The “with me” went unspoken. Egan was glad he had caught himself. He wasn’t sure what made him want to say such things. He didn’t even know the man. Still, it wasn’t just by the Goddess’ will that Egan had healed him. He couldn’t rightly deny the underlying attraction. He could ignore it, but it would still be there, lying dormant just beneath the surface.