Raphael was a 21 year old man, with black hair that went just past his shoulders with the bottom ends of his hair tipped in red, was lying on the couch, sore. The reason for this was earlier that day, he had run into a guy who he had fought, and lost. He had several bruises and gashes, and had collapsed, unconscious in the front hallway of his apartment. When he had awoken, this first thing he had seen was his roommate, Issrafael’s, worried face.

“Raph!” Issrafael exclaimed. Raph was the nickname that Issrafael had given him when they had been kids. Issrafael had short silver hair and blonde highlights. “You nearly gave me a heart attack when I found you in the hallway.”

“Mmmph, sorry.” Raphael said quietly, as he didn’t have the strength to talk any louder.

Issrafael sighed. “What happened?” He was sitting in front of the couch.

“Well, I was coming home when this guy attacked me. He was really strange though. He called me Dawn.”

“Maybe he had the wrong guy.”

“I don’t think so, because after he called me Dawn, he said, ‘oh, I forgot. You go by Raphael now, don’t you?’ It was really strange.”

“Did he say anything else to you?”

“Yeah, he said, ‘You have improved, but not near enough to beat me.’ That was after he had beaten me. After he said that, he left.”

“Hmmm. Well, for now why don’t you get some rest. We can figure this out once your feeling better.” Issrafael said, standing up.

“Right…”Raphael said as he fell asleep.

--

It’s not like he didn’t care, it’s just that he couldn’t.

It was his experience in his life, that his emotions were dangerous. Not just to him, either. Any emotion that was more then barely felt triggered the magic that held. As a child, he had had fits because he didn’t want this power, and in the process causing extreme damage to his surroundings. He didn’t always have the ability to shut off his emotions like he could now. In truth…he had almost accidentally killed his parents when he had been little when he had gotten frustrated with something that he couldn’t do. In his Fifth year of life, his parents had abandoned him. He remembered crying, huddled in a corner, lost and alone. Because he didn’t have any control over his power that young, it had started down poring shortly after he had begun crying. Living in the desert where rain wasn’t all that common, you can imagine was a pretty strange sight when it came out of no where. The next thing he remembered was a small hand on his shoulder, and a small voice asking if he was okay.

He looked up into the face of a boy with short silver hair and blonde highlights looking at him with a worried expression. “I’m Issrafael, what’s your name?” He was wearing extremely nice clothes and had an earring in his left ear that was shaped like a flat crown; he was probably someone of high status’s son.

“Raphael.” Was the boy’s quite reply.

Issrafael sat next to Raphael. “Why were you crying?”

Raphael sniffed. “I was abandoned by my parents.”

Issrafael looked shocked. “Well…why don’t you come with me? I could use a friend.”

At that, Raphael perked up and nodded. He’d never had a friend before, everyone had been too scared.

“C’mon!” Issrafael grabbed Raphael’s hand and pulled him along towards the Palace where the Emperor dwelt.

Raphael stopped when he saw this. “I’m not allowed in there.” He said quietly. The rain had gone to a light drizzle.

“When you’re with me you are! I’m the prince.”

Raphael was too shocked to answer and let himself get led off.

When they were in the palace, Issrafael took Raphael to the healer’s chambers. The healer had been shocked, but did as told when Issrafael asked if she could help Raphael get cleaned up and his wounds treated. Fore Raphael was indeed very dirty, he was covered in dirt and mud and had a few scrapes and bruises. The healer, whose name Raphael found out was Kana, had smiled at him and had given him a bath in the large bath that was in the palace. Issrafael had gone to tell his father about Raphael, or he would’ve been there, talking to his new friend.

After the bath, more was revealed about Raphael’s hair color. Before it had been grayish color, but now that the dirt and mud was all washed off, it turned out that he had pitch-black hair and the bottom ends were tipped with red. His eyes were an odd color, though; they were red, although it was a gentle red. The only other person around with an odd eye color was Issrafael, as he had gold eyes.

Soon, Issrafael came back with his father, the emperor. By now Raphael had be dressed in clean clothes. “Hmmm…” Was all the father would say for a time. After a few minutes, he sighed. “He’ll do.” He then left.

Raphael looked at Issrafael questioningly. Said prince smiled nervously. “Sorry, Raph, but my father said the only way you could stay was if you became my personal servant.”

Raphael blinked a few times. First at the ‘Raph’ and then, “Personal Servant?”

Issrafael looked a little sheepish. “Yeah, it just means that you would have to do whatever I ask and stuff. It wouldn’t be hard, I mean, we’d just play a lot and stuff.” Issrafael looked at the floor. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Raphael didn’t take much time to think. A friend would be nice…he smiled, happy. As he did so, the candles in the room got suddenly brighter.

“What…?” The healer looked around surprised.

Raphael’s smile left his face as he realized what he had done. He looked at the ground. “But you don’t want me, I’m a freak.”

Issrafael had a confused look on his face. “Why?” He came over to stand in front of Raphael.

Raphael wouldn’t look at him. “I have this…this strange power inside of me. Whenever I feel some sort of emotion it gets’s triggered.” He rubbed his arm nervously. “I won’t blame me if you never want to see me again.” The candles in the room had gone dim.

Issrafael placed a hand on Raphael’s shoulder. “I still want you around. After all, you’re my friend, right?” Raphael looked at him in shock. “We have a palace magician that can help you with your power if you want.”

“Really?” Raphael’s eyes were wide with disbelief.

Issrafael smiled. “Yep!”

“Thank you!” The red eyed youth said as he hugged his new friend.

--

Weeks later, the two boys had gotten rather close. “Hey, Issrafael?”

They were sitting on said prince’s bed, talking. “Yeah?”

“What if I started calling you Crown?”

“Crown?” Issrafael looked at his friend.

“Yeah, I mean, you’re the crown prince and all…”Raphael paused. “Once my mother told me that when people are good friends they give each other nicknames.”

Issrafael smiled. “Okay, how about I call you Dawn? After all that is when you get me up every day.”

--

“I can’t do this anymore Crown!” Dawn was standing on Crown’s balcony, a few hours after the sun had set. He punched the railing. They were now sixteen, and Crown had been the emperor for six years now.

Today, during a meeting with Crown’s counselors (which of course Dawn was present as well), Dawn had almost killed one of them with his magic on accident because the counselor had pushed him over the edge. Crown had had to calm him down. Dawn had, in the recent years gained better control over his emotions then when he had been little, but there were still times when he was unable to control his emotions, like today.

“Dawn, maybe you should just talk to the magician again. He’s helped you before, remember?” Crown said, coming over to his friend and putting a hand on his shoulder.

“It doesn’t help long enough. My emotions always find a way out.” Dawn replied, punching the railing again. “It’s not fair!” He punched it again, but this time it was powered by his magic and made a dent in it. Dawn groaned and hung his head. “Why me…?” He asked quietly.

“Dawn…”Crown said quietly, placing a hand on Dawn’s shoulder.

Dawn shook his head. “It’s time you went to bed. You’ve got a big day ahead of you.”

--

The next day when Dawn went to wake Crown up, he was surprised to find that said emperor was already up. Dawn raised an eyebrow. “And what are you doing up?”

Crown looked a little tired, but he smiled when he saw Dawn. He held out an earring to his friend. Dawn took it, and looked at the item that now rested in his palm. It was an odd shape; a black heart like shape outlined in red. But it wasn’t a normal heart; the top part was the same, but the middle curved inward and then spiked out, with one spike in the center of the two spikes

“Now you’ll have one too.” Crown said.

“Right.” Dawn put the earring on and instantly felt his emotions being put under more control.

“It’s to help you control your emotions. I did it after last night when I saw how much trouble you were having.” Crown explained.

Dawn smiled lightly. “Thanks.”

--

Raphael stirred awake on the couch and looked around. He was still on the couch in the living room, but there was no sign of Issrafael. He slowly got up, still sore for the earlier. What…exactly had that dream been about? Issrafael an Emperor? Impossible. But the people in his dreams had looked and acted just like they way he and his friend did.

Raphael sighed, and touched the earring he always remembered having. There wasn’t a time when he couldn’t remember wearing it. When he was ten, he had asked his parents about it, and that was when he had found out that he had been adopted as a baby. They said he had already had the earring then, and the adoption agency had advised against taking it off.

And why, for some strange reason, was Issrafael the only person he was able to show at least a little bit of emotion? For some reason, he wasn’t able to show or even really feel any emotion if it wasn’t Issrafael. Somehow, it all seemed to be because of the weird black and red somewhat of a heart shaped earring. The other strange thing was that Issrafael had an earring wore on the same ear, only it shaped like a flat crown.

He usually forgot it was there, but now he was curious. What would happen if he took it off? Slowly, he unclipped it from his ear, and instantly regretted it.

A wave of emotions swept over him, more powerful then he was used to, and it caused him to double over, gasping. Okay…that was stupid…But why had that happened? Why was it that that earring seemed to lock up his emotions?

As a pain almost too great to bear started in his forehead, images started flashing through his mind.

‘Dawn…we’re friends right?’

‘Why would I let anyone hurt my little brother?’

A confused look. ‘But I’m not your brother…’

‘You are to me.’

People and places from and ancient land were running painfully though his head.

An ally

A giant building where the ruler lived.

Hands covered in blood.

His hands.

As the pain spiked, Raphael couldn’t help the scream that escaped him, eyes clamped shut tight. Then Issrafael was there, pulling him into a tight hug.

‘Crown I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you…’

‘I-It’s okay, I know…that you were being controlled…’Blood coughed up from the broken body of the person that had become so much like a little brother to him. ‘I’m just glad…that I…was able to…’ more blood coughed up, voice becoming faint, and eyes growing dim. ‘…free you…’ eyes dead, the body slumping in his arms.

‘Crown? Crown?! Come on wake up this isn’t funny…’ Heart wrenching sobs that belonged to him.

He had walked slowly and miserably back to the palace. He handed over his best friend’s body and had admitted that it had been him to kill the ruler. He didn’t even try to defend himself by telling them that his mind had been controlled. Even if it wasn’t by his own will, he still felt guilty about what he had done. He had slain the person he had cared for the most. He didn’t struggle as he was taken to be hung. As they removed the support that kept the rope from strangling him, tears were streaming down his face, and thunder clapped through the sky as the last bit of life was taken from him.

Rafael’s eyes snapped open and as soon as he had realized what had happened he begun crying. “Crown…I’m sorry…I’m so sorry.” He whispered.

“Its okay, Dawn.” Crown whispered. He had been waiting for the day when his best friend would remember who he was. “I told you I knew you were being controlled, that it wasn’t your fault.”

“But I still did it!” Outside, the sky had grown dark and suddenly cloudy. Thunder could be heard. “It was still your blood on my hands!” His voice then grew somewhat quiet. “You should hate me.”

“I can’t, remember we’re brothers?” Crown said gently. “I know you would never hurt me willfully. Now, I’ve forgiven you, can’t you forgive yourself?”

Dawn sighed slightly. “I…guess…but I promise never to get myself controlled again.”

Crown laughed slightly. “Sounds like a good plan.” He let go of his adopted brother. “Now, you really should get some rest. You’ve had a big day, and your body needs to get its strength back.”

“What are you doing, trying to do my job?” Dawn said, laughing slightly. “I take care of you, not the other way around.”

“Today’s the exception.” Crown said, smiling slightly and gently making Dawn lay down. “Here, you should probably put this back on.” He handed Dawn the earring that controlled his emotions.

“Right.” Dawn said as he yawned and re-attached the earring. Shortly after he fell asleep.

Crown smiled as he watched Dawn sleep. He finally had his big brother back.