Work Text:
Eiji Okumura is a coward. He knows this and has no intention of denying it. Being the prince of Izumo has never been something easy for him but lately his desire to run away and disappear are increasing. Because he will soon turn 19 and for his father that means he will be old enough to search for a consort to marry. He sighs for the umpteenth time observing the kingdom (his future kingdom) surrounding the castle. From his tower he could the residential areas, the market and even Cape Cod, the criminal side of the city according to Yut-Lung. The truth is that Eiji rarely leaves the castle and has never talked to anyone who is not part of its service. His father insists is to protect him from possible threats but Eiji does not understand who would want to murder a prince from a small kingdom.
If he was just a bit braver, he could flee from the castle and visit the city so he can know his own people, walk the streets he is destined to rule, understand the struggles of his city. But the only contact he has with the exterior are the photographs that his professor Ibe bring sometimes. Shunichi Ibe is one of the best magicians of the kingdom and Eiji’s personal tutor and friend. It is thanks to Ibe that his father has postponed his wedding plans for him insisting that the young prince still needs to learn a lot before marrying. Eiji is infinitely grateful but also knows this is just a matter of time. His father wants him married and with a crown on his head and there is nothing he could do to avoid it.
Occasionally he thinks about running away but that would not solve anything. His father would find him for sure and in the strange case he does escape his golden prison, his sister would have to face the consequences. And that is something Eiji would never do no matter what. So, he leans against the window and observes the city with a longing glance, imagining himself laughing with friends, being free. He plays with golden buttons that join his navy cape to his royal jacket trying to take his mind out of it. A knock on his door wakes him from his dream and he sees Yut-Lung smirking at him.
“The poor prince is feeling lonely again,” teases his friend.
Eiji tries to hide the smile on his face while he rolls his eyes. The first time he met Yut-Lung was when he was just five years old and the Chinese boy made him cry saying he was useless. Even though their first meeting was not the best, everything changed the day Eiji found Yut-Lung crying with blood in his face. After learning about his brothers’ abuse, Eiji made sure his father gave the boy a place in the castle so he could be away from them. The Lee family is too important for them to completely cut ties with them, but in this way, Yut-Lung does not have to live with them and fulfil their twisted orders. Yut-Lung and he have become best friends since that point and their dynamic work perfectly together, Eiji being showing mercy when is due and Yut-Lung distrusting everyone by mere instinct.
“Don’t mock me, Yut-Lung,” groans Eiji.
“Can’t help it,” Yut-Lung sits in a chair close to him. He is wearing a traditional white Chinese dress with flowers. Eiji knows that Yut-Lung prefers feminine clothes but that has never bothered him. “You are too easy to tease.”
“I thought you were having a meeting with counsellor Golzine.”
Yut-Lung pretends to gag to express his revulsion to the counsellor. Dino Golzine is, after his own father, the most powerful man in the kingdom. A merchant with too many strong influences outside and inside Izumo to be taken lightly. Eiji barely knows the man but Yut-Lung mostly describes him as a cruel and ruthless character. Rumours say he is the head that truly controls Cape Cod but until now no one has been able to prove it. Due to Yut-Lung being his personal spokesperson, his friend has to deal with Golzine on a daily basis. Eiji has insisted several times in meeting Golzine himself knowing Yut-Lung does not feel comfortable with him, but the other has completely refused. He would rather jump out of a window than letting Eiji alone with that man.
“Unfortunately,” this time is Yut-Lung time to groan. “He is such a pervert. I swear he was constantly checking my ass,” he shivers. “And again, he is insisting that you should find a consort soon.”
“Let me guess, he has taken the chance to remember everyone how rich and influential he is and how great would it be for the royal family to have a member like him.”
“Don’t worry, your mother left very clear in her inheritance that only you can choose the person you marry.”
“How am I ever going to find someone if I’m trapped here?”
His friend throws him a pitying look knowing well how Eiji feels. He was also trapped in his family ropes before Eiji freed him. And maybe is because he loves his friend so deeply and owes him his life that he opens his mouth and suggests something.
“Maybe you could leave.”
“What?”
“You know, just a few hours,” shrugs Yut-Lung. “I have connections, I can take you out of the castle.”
“They would notice.”
“No if I’m here,” suggests him.
“But… I cannot be alone outside the castle, I don’t know anything about the city.”
“Who said you would be alone?”
Eiji Okumura is a dumbass. A coward and a dumbass. It is the only logical explanation for his current situation. Yut-Lung has insisted that there will be a man called Shorter Wong waiting for him outside the castle but for the time being, Eiji is alone in his costume. He is wearing a red turban that covers the top of his head and part of his mouth only letting his eyes uncovered. The rest of the robe is wide enough so that his figure is not visible. The young prince scolds himself for his imprudence looking everywhere. Yut-Lung has promised to keep everyone distracted for at least two hours, but he has to return to the castle before midnight.
Maybe it would be better if I return now, he thinks about turning to get inside the castle again.
“Hey, the dude with the turban,” Eiji turned to see a Chinese boy with a purple mohawk with an orange vest with green decorations and dark baggy pants. He also wears a strange black glass in front of his eyes. “You are Yut-Lung’s friend, right? Eijirou Okumi?”
“Eh,” Eiji knows he must not reveal his real identity so he only nods. “Shorter Wong?”
“The one and only,” smiles the boy. “Yut-Lung told me you want to see the city for some project” Shorter starts walking expecting Eiji to follow him.
“Yes, I work as an assistant for Ibe-san,” Eiji repeats the story Yut-Lung made him learn. “He wants me to take some photographs to update our archive.”
“So, you are a wizard too, just like Ash.”
“Ash?”
If Shorter hears his question, he completely ignores it. Eiji does not take it personally, he might be a bit naïve but not stupid, he knows that Shorter is not a normal citizen. Most probably he is part of the Lee family or a gang member judging by his clothes. Because Yut-Lung would not let him with anyone dangerous he supposes Shorter is probably from the faction that is either neutral or favours his friend.
His father has always tried to keep him in the dark about the gangs in Cape Cod but Ibe thought the prince deserved to know the situation of the place. The gang that covers the narrow streets of Cape Cod are divided mostly into three sections: Black Sabbath, Chinatown and Lynx Gang. Black Sabbath is ruled by someone called Cain Blood who despite his name is the most peaceful. He takes care of his people and does not let anyone hurt them, but he does not get himself involved in any serious disturbance of the law. Chinatown is a bit more complicated. The Lee family controls a big part of the loading business in Izumo but also have their hands on a part of the drug trafficking hiding it behind their merchant enterprise. As the youngest and illegitimate brother, Yut-Lung took care of the street gang until the separation from his family. One would expect that the gangs divided or even revolted against them. But Chinatown has decided to part ways from the Lee family. Some of them still help Yut-Lung and the Lees in some business but mostly are ruled by their gang leader.
And then is the mysterious Lynx Gang whose rumours say it is ruled by a devil. A faction allegedly supported by Golzine, it is the most influential one but also the most violent. They traffic with weapons, drugs and even black magic and leave a trace of blood wherever they go. However, Eiji has always found this quite strange. Because according to his data it is the Lynx Gang the one that makes peace possible in Cape Cod having a good relationship with both Chinatown and Black Sabbath. The majority of the crimes in which the Lynx Gang is involved is strangely related to Golzine himself, which makes Eiji think that there more to the story.
His tour for the city takes his mind away from this issue with everything Shorter is showing him. The streets are livelier he imagined, and he sees with a sense of pride the prosperity of his kingdom. The market is probably his favourite place so far because is full of different stalls offering a wide range of objects. There are strange magic devices next to ancient text with yellow pages and even a small booth with herbs from other countries. Shorter tells him how the market is the place where everyone meets no matter from what part of Izumo you are. He talks about a reporter who could help him and leads him to a dark tavern.
“Hey, Max!” waves Shorter.
The man who answers has short blonde hair and a sharp look. He is currently speaking with another man, but he dismisses his friend in order to talk to them. Eiji notices the amount of gold and silver rings that adorn his fingers. According to his learning and judging for the number of rings, this man must be an almost as good magician as Ibe which automatically makes him wary. He kind of wants to ask this man about all the type of primal stones in his rings from which he takes magic energy to perform spells. Magic is a strange gift around Izumo especially with how weird prime stones are, but the royal family has always been said to have a special aura. He really expects his own magic does not reveal his identity, so he tugs his clothes a bit to hide the bracelet with his stone. Although taking into account he is not that good of a wizard maybe he could lay under the radar in front of this man.
“Hello, Shorter,” smiles the man. “What brings you here?”
“I owed one to Yut-Lung,” shrugs Shorter. “So I have to show the city to a friend of him.”
“Eijirou Okumi,” bows Eiji.
“Max Lobo at your service,” answers the man staring at him.
“Max Lobo?” Eiji looks at him in awe. “That Max Lobo? The writer of Charms for everyday life?”
“Well, looks like we have someone who finally admires my work,” Max still stares at him but seems a bit more relaxed.
“Of course, is one of my favourite guides to practical charms,” nods Eiji. “But I thought you lived on another kingdom with your wife and son.”
“We… had some problems,” Max scratches his head.
“Her wife kicked him out of their house because he is always disappearing to do some research,” whispers Shorter. “Anyway, Eijirou is Ibe’s assistant and wants to check the street or something like that.”
“I didn’t know Ibe had an assistant.”
Max throws a quick look at Eiji and again feels something off from the boy. There is some kind of ghostly aura that he swears has felt before. Maybe is because he is close to Ibe but there is something terribly familiar on the boy. However, before Max has time to ask him about it, they are interrupted by a small black boy who enters running the tavern.
“Shorter!” screams the boy. “We need your help!”
“Skip, I’m a bit busy right now, later I will…”
“It’s Ash!”
The mention of that name made his whole face change and without waiting for a second, he starts running guided by Skip. Eiji looks at Max who is just as puzzled as he is and after a short panic attack, he also follows Shorter. Without any other choice, Eiji joins them not wanting to be left alone in a city he barely knows. Apart from that, Yut-Lung made him promise to stay close to Shorter so he could keep him safe. It is a bit too late when he realises they are entering Cape Cod and questions himself about following a strange to such a dangerous place. But deep down he knows he cannot leave Shorter alone. The boy has been so kind showing him the city that he feels is only natural to try and help him if he is trouble.
In any other time, Eiji would have stopped to observe the curious architecture of the place. Cape Cod is basically a maze of narrow and dusty streets with a strange charm. Eiji finds himself liking the old houses filled with street art. But he does not have much time to admire everything because their race comes to an end when Skip enters a small building. Inside there are several teenagers, some of them with mild injuries. Suddenly it is quite obvious to him that he has just entered in the base of a gang.
“Eijirou?” Shorter suddenly notices him. “What are you doing here? This is too dangerous for you?”
“I don’t know how to return to the castle,” innocently says Eiji. “And it sounded like someone was in trouble. I’m not too good with magic but my healing spells can be of help.”
“Well, they cannot be worse than Max,” laughs a voice.
In the middle of the room, surrounded by several boys there is a boy who is staring at Eiji with interest. The prince has never seen anyone so beautiful in his life. His hair is golden with green eyes that makes him remember the emerald jewels his mother wore. His mere presence fills the whole room and Eiji can feel a huge amount of magic coming from this boy.
“Ash!” snarls Max. “What the hell have you done this time?”
“It wasn’t him, Max,” says Skip. “Arthur set a trap for us and Ash got injured.”
So this person is Ash. The boy has a really ugly cut on his side and for a moment Eiji questions himself why he does not use his magic to heal himself. Then he notices that no one else in the room is as badly injured like him, realising probably Ash has run out of magic using it on his friends. Smiling a bit, Eiji approaches Ash thinking that a person who puts his friends before his own well-being cannot be a bad person. Especially when everyone in the room is looking at him with such admiration. He puts his hands on the wound and lets his energy flow as little white sparks. His primal stone, the link that connects him with the magic energy in the world, starts shining from the bracelet on his right arm. The cut stops bleeding while Eiji closes his eyes to focus. When he opens them, he finds Ash gaping at him with a blush on his face.
“Thank you,” Ash composes himself. “You saved my life, how can I repay you?”
“Oh, there is no need for that,” smiles Eiji. “I’m happy I could be of help.”
“But… you must want something,” insists Ash.
“I had the chance of meeting you all, so that is already enough.”
“Who… who are you?” Ash is looking at him as if he has just said he can fly.
“Eijirou Okumi, Ibe’s assistant,” Shorter helps Ash to stand up. “Yut-Lung asked me to show him the city.”
“That snake?” frowns Ash.
“Yut-Lung is not a snake,” suddenly says Eiji. “He might be a bit… manipulative, but he is a good friend of mine,” he crosses his arms letting clear he is not going to accept any kind of insult to his friend.
“Maybe you don’t really know your friend much,” challenges Ash. The room is suddenly really quiet with a palpable tension. No one even dares to defy Ash like this boy is doing right now and even if he has healed the boss that does not give him the right to go against him.
“Maybe it is you the one who hasn’t given him a chance.”
“Ash, he didn’t mean…” quickly interrupts Shorter. But to his surprise, Ash smiles at the boy and chuckles.
“Who knows, maybe you are right.”
The whole room is gaping at his answer while Ash studies the boy in front of him. There a constant current of white magic around him which should not be surprising if he is an apprentice. But there is something else there that Ash finds intriguing, a calming aura that envelopes his anger and soothes it away. Only his dark eyes are visible through his clothes but they have such a warm spark that even if he is one of Yut-Lung friend Ash cannot find himself distrusting him.
“Shorter was showing you the city, right?” smiles Ash. “Let me go with you, I can be a better guide than him, mister Okumi.”
“Oh, please, call me Eiji.”
“Eiji?”
“Y-y-yes,” stutters Eiji realising his mistake. “It’s a shortening of Eijirou!”
Max Lobo stares at him even harder than before but soon Ash is leading the way after leaving Alex in charge for the day. Opposite to Shorter, who just let Eiji walk around the streets taking random pictures, Ash explains the history of each one of the places they visit and answers to every question the other boy asks. Shorter, Skip and Max follow them by a short distance.
Before he realises his time is running out even though he is spending such a great time. He would like to stay a bit more walking around the city with Ash and the others, but he knows if he does not come back soon Yut-Lung will have problems. He presses his magical camera against his chest thinking that at least he has the photographs he has taken. Touching one of the black crystals of the device, several images float in front of him letting him see what later Ibe will print in starfilm paper. It makes him a bit sad that he will probably not have another opportunity to visit the city. He cannot keep endangering his friend like that just because of his whim for freedom.
“Is that magic?” suddenly Skip approaches Eiji. “Woah! These are amazing!”
“You like them?” blushes Eiji. “I kind of like taking pictures but I rarely have the chance.”
“Why not?” asks Ash. “If you want to take pictures then take them. Don’t let anyone tell you what you have to do.”
He cannot see his face, but Ash believes he can see a trace of sadness on his eyes. His first instinct is to ask if he has said something wrong, but he does not have the time. Because suddenly there is a man taking Skip inside a carriage. Ash shouts to Shorter and Max to take Eiji away until he notices the boy is not with them. Taking another look, he sees Skip is not the only one who has gotten kidnapped as Eiji struggles to free himself from the people pushing him inside the carriage. Ash does not wait for a second and starts running after them stealing a horse from a bystander cursing under his breath. The last thing Eiji sees before someone hits his head is green eyes going after him.
It is Skip who wakes him up in some kind of abandoned building. Their hands are tied but thanks to him no one has checked his face or took his clothes off. He can hear some voice behind them, but he does not recognize any of them. Eiji knows this cannot be related to his identity which makes him wonder why someone would want to kidnap a child from a minor Cape Cod gang. He is about to ask Skip if he has any idea of what is happening when the door opens, and two men enter carrying a third one. Ash is tied just like them but apart from that he also has his cheek swollen due to a punch.
“You better not try anything funny or your friends would pay for it,” threats one of the men closing the door behind them.
“Are you two okay?” Ash sits next to them as if nothing wrong happens.
“They caught you too, boss?” asks Skip.
“They think they have caught me,” Ash smiles and then show his hands untied.
“Yeah! You are amazing, boss!”
“Boss?” Eiji is starting to be very confused.
“Of course, he is the boss,” Eiji keeps staring at Skip without truly understanding anything while Ash frees his hands. “You don’t know who he is? He is Ash Lynx! The leader of the Lynx Gang!”
“You are Ash Lynx?” wonders Eiji. “You are not like people say.”
“Because I’m worse?” jokes Ash releasing Skip.
“No, because you are nice,” answers Eiji.
“Oh,” Ash stops for a second staring at him, not expecting his answer. He then gets closer to him. “You already know who I am, but you still refuse to show yourself.”
“I-I-I don’t know…”
“Ibe doesn’t have an apprentice so you must be…,” cuts Ash dragging the cloth up until he can see his face. “Holy shit! You are…”
“Shhh,” Eiji puts his hands on his mouth. “Please, don’t.”
Ash stares at him, at those dark eyes and suddenly understands. He understands why Eiji knows Yut-Lung, why he hides behind his clothes, why he has that kind of magical aura. But what he does not understand is what the prince of Izumo is doing in the middle of Cape Cod. It is not a secret that the king is really protective of his son as he barely appears in a few public events. But the boy has his whole life solved, he could stay in his pretty tower with his pretty things and not having a single problem in his life. So, he needs to know, he needs to confirm if Eiji Okumura is the same as him.
“Why?” he simply asks looking at his eyes.
“Freedom,” Eiji answers in the same tone.
And then everything is clear to him. Because he understands so well what Eiji is trying to tell him, what he is trying to find. After all, is exactly the same Ash has been searching his whole life since Dino took him in. The opportunity to be himself, the chance to do what he wanted to do not what others imposed him. Maybe is because Eiji’s magic still have some kind of effect in his wound but he suddenly feels really connected to the young prince. A sudden urge of knowing Eiji better, of understanding how his mind works blooms inside him.
“Not to interrupt,” suddenly says Skip. “But… how are we going to get out of this? These are Golzine’s men, Ash.”
“Golzine? As in counsellor Golzine?” asks Eiji.
“Counsellor? More like a rat,” Ash spits. “He is the black hand behind all the mess in Cape Cod. Drugs, human trafficking, black magic, that guy is the worst.”
“He adopted Ash when he was little,” whispers Skip to Eiji. “But… he only used him to win some favours,” Eiji understands the meaning and for a moment he is watching little Yut-Lung crying in the dark. “Ash escaped and now Golzine is looking for him to take him back.”
Truth to be told Ash is not exactly sure how to get out of this situation. If they were Arthur’s men, he would not have any problem shooting magic at them. But these are professionals and probably would be able to resist his powerful fire shots. Apart from the number of mercenaries he also must watch over Eiji and Skip. He is currently thinking of the best way to distract Gozine’s men to give them a chance to escape when Eiji waves at him.
“We can use the window!” he says. “I know a wind spell that can help us. I’m not really good at it but is better than nothing.”
Ash looks outside and sees a fall of probably 20 metres down. He then turns to glare at Eiji who just shrugs. Even if he does have a point Ash is still unsure about taking the window as an option. But his plans change completely when he sees a golden carriage stopping next to the building. He pushes Skip and Eiji out of the window and waits until Golzine enters the place.
“Fuck,” curses Ash. “Golzine is here. We need to leave,” the takes Skip like a bag and grabs Eiji’s hand. “Now, Eiji.”
Without farther notice, Ash jumps out of the window with them. Eiji quickly sings the words of the spell and a soft wind appears under their foot boosting them away from the building. Ash mentally scolds himself for doubting Eiji because the feeling of soaring with him is amazing. A part of him does not want this to end. This sensation of no having ties with anything, only Eiji’s hand and Skip’s weight reminding him this is not a dream. Because they are flying, maybe not even too high to be considered flying, but is enough for him. The moment of epiphany does not last as the air starts to disappear and they fall barely a few streets away with a loud sound. And of course, Golzine and his men spot them from the window because that is just his luck.
“Skip, go search the others,” the little kid nods and disappears in the narrow streets. “Eiji, follow him.”
“No, I stay with you,” suddenly says the prince.
“What? No way! You are too important to…”
“I’m not going to let you alone,” cuts Eiji. “And you save my life back there, so it is just fair.”
“No, it’s not! You already save my life and that is not how…”
A fire shot flashes between them when Golzine’s men appear right after the corner. Ash does not waste more time and grabs the prince’s hand he starts running dodging as many bullets as he can. His jade earing shines while Ash activates his magic and summons a small shield along with some fire shots. Eiji admires how easily Ash can cast an offensive spell with such grace. His eyes go to the earing wondering what kind of primal stone it could be. They keep running but their chasers are hot on their heels. It does not help that they keep surrounding them using their number as the main advantage. Ahs is starting to run out of ideas when Eiji takes his hand and drags him out of the narrow streets to one of the frontier lines of Cape Cod with the rest of the city.
“What are you doing?” Ash tries to release himself. “We have more chances in Cape Cod. Here we have to hide from the royal guard.”
“No, we don’t have to,” there is a nervous smile on his face that Ash does not trust. “If we go to a royal guard, we still have some chances.”
Ash is about to say that is the most stupid thing he has heard when he notices how the prince is shaking. His hands are sweating profusely which makes Ash take a look at Eiji while they are running. What he is about to do is really dangerous because he is more than sure that Eiji was not supposed to be out of the castle. He is probably going to endanger his friend and what is worse, he will probably lose all chances to ever leave the castle. And he is doing all of that because he does not want Ash to get caught. He gives a squeeze to his hand and runs along with Eiji until they see a royal guard.
"Take me to my father right now,” orders Eiji taking away the turban.
“W-w-what? Prince Eiji!”
The surprised guard is still talking with Eiji when Ash spots Golzine’s men after them. They seem to have all the intention of taking Ash even in plain daylight when they realise who is next to them. It is not long until a royal carriage arrives to take them both to the castle.
As soon as he hears that prince Eiji has asked for an audience with his father after being found in the street with a young man, Ibe calls Max trying to understand what is happening. He rarely goes outside the castle and his friend has always been a reliable source of information. What he does not expect is for Max to know what has happened because he has been there. After a hurried Max explains everything to him, Ibe asks for his help in the audience. With a bit of luck, they can mellow the king’s fury to forgive Eiji but at any moment the king must know that the man with him is Ash Lynx or who knows what will happen. When they arrive at the throne room, Eiji is already waiting with Ash and Yut-Lung at each side of him. The prince politely bows in front of them but the other two are too busy glaring each other. Only the announcement of the king entrance can change their gaze.
King Eishi Okumura is almost the living image of prince Eiji but older. His black hair has the same style than his son, but his face is the exact opposite. While his son has a beautiful spark in his dark eyes from his mother, the king’s eyes have the same dark color but no light in them. The effects of ruling a country are evident on his wrinkles and heavy breathing. The king does not have good health anymore, the stress taking away his once healthy body. This is one of the reasons why he is so worried about Eiji finding a good consort. He wants to see his son married and ready to be the next king before he passes away. The man sits into his throne and throws a glare to his son.
“You asked to see me which I’m usually happy to hear” his voice is stern. “Except that you did that after running away from the castle.”
“Father, if I may…”
“Silence!” cuts the king. “How dare you disobey my orders!? Do you think you are an exception because you share my blood? I know your mother and I didn’t raise you to be like that. What would she say if she saw how her son disrespected his father in such a way?” Eiji flinches at the mention of his mother staring at his own feet. “Who let you out?”
“I-I can’t say it,” answers Eiji trying to hide the tremor of his voice.
“Eiji, I swear if you don’t tell me…”
“Mother and you always taught me you should not betray the people who help you,” Eiji raises his head. “The only offender of your orders is me. I was the one who asked to leave the castle.”
“Then, you better have a good reason.”
“I-I don’t,” Eiji shivers but does not avoid his father’s eyes. “I-I wanted to see the city myself. I wanted to meet my people on my own. I want to be a good king, such as you are. But how can I be a good king if I do leave the castle? If I don’t have the chance to know my country and love it like our citizens?”
“The outside world is not safe,” the tone of the king is still stern but softer. “I understand your reasons, but your safety should be the priority, you could have…”
“Being kidnapped,” interrupts Eiji. “I was. Not because they knew who I was but because I helped someone in need,” he says looking at Ash. “Father, the reason why I called you is not because of me. You can put chains in my tower if you wish so, but please listen to the struggles of your people.”
“You are just like your mother, always worrying about others,” sighs the king. “Fine, you may speak.”
“The situation in Cape Cod is always have been said to be irremediable because of a mysterious black hand moving the threats behind,” starts saying Eiji. “But I know who is being everything, I have seen him with my own eyes. I’m sure other people were scared of telling you because of his position but I know you will believe me,” his father nods. “The person behind the violence in Cape Cod is counsellor Golzine.”
“Dino Golzine? That cannot be,” says the king. “He is an old friend from the family. Are you sure, Eiji?”
“I have seen him,” reassures Eiji. “He took me and another boy only to lure Ash into a trap and he is…”
His voice gets interrupted by the appearance of a new member of the audience. Dino Golzine enters the throne room as if it is his own home. Ash glares at him cursing to himself knowing the old man was probably preparing something. He also sees Yut-Lung and Max tensing behind him while Eiji still keeps his eyes on his father, ignoring Golzine. The king is throwing glances between the two of them as if deciding who he should believe.
“Golzine, my son here claims that you are responsible for the disturbances in Cape Cod, is that true?”
“Of course not, your majesty,” smiles Golzine. “It actually hurts me prince Eiji could say such a thing.”
“It is the truth,” simply states Eiji refusing to look at him.
“Very well,” the king sighs. “Guards, please take counsellor Golzine to the dungeon and inspect…”
“Your majesty, if I may,” interrupts Golzine. “I believe I know what is happening here,” he then turns and points at Ash. “Ash Lynx is obviously behind all this.”
“What? Ash Lynx?” the king throws his glare to Ash who suddenly is surrounded by a hundred guards.
“I’m sure he has cast a spell on prince Eiji to make him believe I am the one behind everything,” continues Golzine. “He has always wanted to get rid of me because I’m the main benefactor against the violence in Cape Cod. I bet that when he saw prince Eiji he thought it would be a good opportunity to aim for the throne.”
“No one has cast a spell on me!” remarks Eiji. “He just made that up. Ash is not a bad person, he…”
“So you knew this boy was Ash Lynx,” cuts his father.
“Please, father, he hasn’t done…” Eiji is about to continue when a hand in his shoulder stops him. Yut-Lung bows in front of the king and the man waves to let him speak.
“With all honesty, your majesty. I have known your son for many years, and I can tell perfectly if he is enchanted or not,” Eiji smiles at him but then he notices how sad Yut-Lung looks. “That’s why I can assure you, your son has fallen from a spell by the infamous Ash Lynx.”
“What?” exclaims Ash.
“Guards, take Ash Lynx to the dungeon and put my son in his room,” orders the king.
Eiji gapes at the betrayal while Yut-Lung tries to stop him from talking to his father. He sees with horror how the guards take Ash with him. The boy only throws him a small smile as if he always expected this to happen. Yut-Lung drags Eiji out of the throne room while Ibe and Max try to talk to the king. The royal guards have to help him as Eiji tries to release himself from their hold. He pushes Eiji inside the room and closes the door behind them.
“Why have you done that?” screams Eiji visibly mad.
“You cannot defeat Golzine,” Yut-Lung simple states. “Your father would have registered his property, they wouldn’t have found anything, and you will lose his trust. Which is the only thing that is stopping him from forcing you to marry that pervert,” he tries to get close to Eiji but the boy retreats. “I’m just trying to protect you.”
“I don’t need you to protect me,” his eyes are shinning but he does not want to cry in front of Yut-Lung. “Please, leave. I need to be alone.”
Yut-Lung feels a pang in his chest seeing his friend acting so coldly, but he is sure it would be a temporary thing. Eiji would soon agree with him that this was the best way to be safe and tomorrow they would enjoy tea together like always. Surely, his meeting with Ash Lynx cannot be so significant to make him stay mad at his childhood friend for too long. Repeating these words in his head, Yut-Lung can notice there is something off about them. If it is his instinct telling him the bond between those two is stronger than he thinks, he does not listen to it.
Ash has to admit that his current prison is not that bad. The place is small but at least is clean and for the moment the guards have not tried to beat the shit out of him, which he is quite grateful for. However, that does not mean he is safe. The king probably wants him dead but Golzine would try to keep him at least alive. That creepy old man is the impersonation of the worst demon, but he wants Ash. Or rather he wants Ash’s magic. Their fight should have stayed in Cape Cod when they only hurt each other, but now the whole city is involved in their quarrel. Everyone in his gang thinks that his differences with Dino started because he was tired of being his boy toy, which was part of the reason, but not all of that.
The real reason was Banana Fish. An ancient spell that allowed the wizard to control someone’s mind. His brother Griffin found it when he was in an archaeological excavation along with Max but the later never knew what his friend had found. Not even Griffin knew until he was stupid enough to ask for advice to Golzine. And of course, the shitbag has wanted the spell since then. He clenches his fits remembering the dead body of his brother all because Golzine thought he could find Banana Fish by himself. But Griffin had hidden the spell in a secret location that only Ash knew. Which turned into Ash running away and rebelling against Golzine. So at least he knows the punishment would not be death. Thinking probably torture would be the result, with Golzine picking someone he cared about at the same time to pressure him. He has to find a way to escape from there before that happens. Which is going to be really difficult with his magic being blocked in his cell.
Studying the place, he sees the window is a bit old so maybe a good hit from the outside could open it. Although Shorter and Skip must already know he is a prisoner in the castle but there is no way they could get inside the building. Eiji is also out of the question after being involved in all that mess only because he wanted to help Ash. Yut-Lung is more a problem than a solution for what he has seen in the throne room. The only one who might be an option is Max, but he has a family to protect and Ash really hopes he stays quiet rather than putting Jessica and Michael in danger.
So alone it is. Not the first time and not the last. The window is out of the question but maybe the guards can also be a tool for him to get out of there. He does not have much time to think about it because the guards turn when they see someone and leave his cell. Golzine is right in front of him, a magic barrier the only thing preventing Ash from slicing his throat.
“I see you are enjoying your new home,” smiles Golzine.
“Cut the crap,” cuts Ash. “What you say back there was bullshit.”
“Does it really matter?” Golzine waves as if it is not important. “You might not have thrown a spell on prince Eiji but you did kill a lot of people.”
“What do you want?”
“What I have always wanted,” frowns Golzine. “Banana Fish.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Ash says with his sly smile.
“Don’t worry,” the easiness in which Golzine push his challenge makes Ash suspicious. Golzine has a trump card. “Actually, I should be thanking you. Thanks to you, the king now trusts me more than ever. He is even thinking about my proposal of joining our families,” the cruel smile makes his blood freeze. “Although he still wants to respect his wife desires.”
“So sorry for you,” Ash tries to mock him but Golzine is way too relaxed.
“You shouldn’t. You see, our king has weak health. If the poor man were to get suddenly sick, I’m sure he will accept my proposal just to make sure his son will be safe.”
“No,” the implications hit Ash like a wall. “You cannot poison the king.”
“Some people from the council and I agree that king Eishi is too old. It is time for a new way of ruling, a better way.”
“And the better way is crushing everyone who opposes you?”
“Something like that,” Golzine turns away. “Enjoy your time in prison, Ash Lynx. And don’t worry, once I’m king I will find a new place for you… maybe chained to my bed.”
A sudden arcade shakes his body at the mention of what Golzine is trying to do. He sees the man disappearing and a sudden coldness takes over him. Ash needs to leave his cell and soon. Eiji has saves his life not once but twice and he will be damned if he is going to let that pervert touch him.
Eiji knows this is a terrible idea but he is running out of time. The guards are blocking the door of his bedroom, but he is not going to stay there waiting for them to hurt someone innocent. In another situation, he will ask his sister’s help with some kind of telepathy spell, but she is actually visiting a neighbouring country. He also refuses to contact Yut-Lung after what he has done but thinking about his friend gives him an idea. Tying his sheets together, he makes a rope long enough to lead him to the roof of the servant’s residence. The wind is soft but while he is going down the rope there is a small breeze that swings the sheets. He almost falls several times until his feet touch the roof and sighs.
Carefully, he enters the residence picking a servant outfit and changing his clothes quickly before anyone recognizes him. Although he has a good relationship with the servants, he is not going to risk his cover. There is only one person who can help him right now. Eiji barely knows the boy but he has seen him several times with Yut-Lung working as a kind of informant between Cape Cod and the castle. Sing Soo-Ling is his only chance right now. The boy has always been nice to him even though they have barely talked three or four times. But he is the only link he has with Cape Cod and right now Eiji wants to believe there is a chance of this ending without anyone dead. He sees the boy talking with an old crystal ball. It must be an old model because the image is quite blurry but Eiji can see a woman talking with him. In another occasion, he would have let Sing finish his call, but he is on a tight schedule.
“Sing!” he boy turns to see him and gapes at him.
“Prince Eiji! I thought you were locked on your room,” Sing moves to hide the crystal ball behind him.
“I need your help,” he takes his hand. “You are my only hope,” Eiji is too busy to notice the slight blush on his face. “I need to contact someone called Shorter on the outside.”
“Shorter?” a voice cuts from behind. “Sing, let me talk with him.”
Sing stares at Eiji as if he was not sure if to let him see or not but finally moves showing the woman on the crystal. She has short dark hair and some familiar air around her.
“I’m Nadia, Shorter’s sister,” explains the woman. “What has happened?”
“They have Ash!” he screams. “I tried to stop it, but my father doesn’t believe me.”
The face of Nadia becomes serious in a second and she puts a finger on her chin thinking about the situation while Eiji explains to them what has happened. Sing does not look surprised with Yut-Lung action, but he does not appreciate them. He curses saying locking Ash will not help in anything and declares he is going to punch him next time he sees him, which kind of makes Eiji smile.
“I will contact Shorter,” finally says Nadia. “They will be waiting for you outside the castle. But you two need to take Ash out of there first.”
Eiji looks nervously to Sing expecting to see the same indecision in the young boy. But the other only nods, decision shinning in his eyes, and disconnect the crystal ball. Observing him, Eiji realises that probably is not the first time Sing gets involved in messy situations, which makes him reflect on how blind he has been until now. He always thought the case of Cape Cod was just a mere exception, but he is starting to notice the situation of the neighbourhood involved the whole kingdom, especially when Golzine is behind it.
He taps the barrier of his cell to catch the attention of the guards. The one on the right does not even move but the other on the left takes a quick look. Ash smiles to himself observing the man trying to hide his interest. Great, he already has his interest, this would be easier then. Passing his tongue over his lips he leans over the war showing a bit of his skin seeing how the guard gulps. For what he has heard, the change of turn will come soon, and Ash can use it to his own advantage. It is obvious to him that the other guard is not going to fall for his trick but the other one is already on his hands. When the disinterested one leaves, he will make his move on the pervert one. A few glances and sweet words should be enough to convince him to enter the cell and then take his chance to escape.
However, to his surprise a slight tap on the window catches his attention. Ash has to use all his self-control not to scream when he sees Sing and Eiji on the other side. They both take a finger to their mouth to keep him quiet while Ash tries to ask a million questions with his eyes. He is not so surprised about Sing, he might be a minion of Yut-Lung but his loyalty has always been more focused on Shorter, but Eiji is supposed to be in his tower. It does not take long for the window to open without the guards even noticing. Not waiting for a second, Ash jumps out of the cell just in the same moment the other guard is trying to check him out again.
“He is escaping!” he screams.
A hand takes his pulling him out of the cell and forcing him to run as fast as he can. Eiji does not let go of his hand until they arrive at the wall that protects the castle. Ash is about to ask what they are going to do now when Eiji moves a bush showing a hidden passage that should take them out of the castle. Even though the passage is completely straight, Eiji still takes his hand again but Ash does not complain. The warm feeling of the prince skin against him makes his heart beat in a really good way and he will be lying to himself if he said he wanted this to finish. Shorter and the rest of the gang is waiting outside along with Max who is frowning.
“Pick whatever you find necessary,” he simply states.
“What are we going to do now?” Eiji is just realising he has disobeyed his father in the worst way possible. Now he will never believe in him.
“Don’t worry, Eiji,” Ash smiles trying to ease him. “Alex, you take care of things here while I’m gone. Shorter, you and I will leave with Eiji, we are going to hide for a while.”
“I’m coming with you,” says Max.
“We don’t need a nanny.”
“I don’t care,” challenges Max. “Ibe is not stupid, he knows Golzine is going to try to pull something and I want to make sure Eiji is safe.”
“What are you talking about?” asks the prince at the mention of his father.
“Golzine has been waiting for a slip in your relationship with your father to get what he wants: the throne,” explains Max. “The only way he can do it with full support is marrying you.”
“I would rather jump off a bridge,” Eiji tries to repress his shivering. “But my mother let very clear I was the one to choose my consort.”
“Your father is the king,” cuts Ash. “He can do whatever he wants, especially if he thinks is for your own good. Adults are messed up like that.”
“Hey! Ash!” shouts Max.
“This discussion is taking too much,” Ash puts a bag on his shoulder. “Max, you can come with us but if you slow us down, I’m going to ditch you.”
“Sing, take care of everything while I’m gone,” the younger boy nods at Shorter’s words.
“If you see Yut-Lung,” Eiji gives him a small piece of paper. “Give him this.”
Sing observes the group disappearing in the middle of the city. He has a really bad feeling of what is about to happen but there is a still a spark of hope with Eiji being with Ash. He does not know how to express it but something inside him tells him those two are the answer. To which question, Sing does not know.
They have been travelling for three days, starting with a bright mood that went darker and darker as the news arrived. According to the information that the castle is spreading, dangerous delinquent Ash Lynx has thrown a spell on sweet prince Eiji. When brave merchant Golzine tried to help them, Ash kidnapped the prince and ran away with him. This has made the health of the king to decrease so much that he has trusted half of his power to Golzine until his son is returned to him. Following Ibe’s advice, the young princess is to prolong her visit to the neighbouring country. Eiji cannot express with words how grateful he is with Ibe for making sure his sister is fine. As long as she stays in the other country Golzine would not touch her in order to get the crown. Although his heart is happy about this, he cannot find a way of enjoying such an interesting trip knowing his father condition.
The others share a similar mood. Max is scared about his wife and son who are hiding on a port town too close with the border of Izumo. The moment Golzine knows he is involved in this, the sooner he will go after them. But after leaving Griffin to his luck, he needs to compensate it in some way and helping his brother to clear his name seems like a good option. Shorter tries to hide his concern about his family with light jokes. He knows Nadia can take care of herself and Sing would do a great job. But that does not mean he is not scared. The Lees could change their minds about helping their gang at any moment and then they would be an easy target in the Cape Cod jungle.
Ash barely talks at all during the trip. His guilt is consuming him every time he looks at the small prince a sees a trace of sadness. Because it is his fault. He should not have let Eiji heal him, he should have kicked him out of Cape Cod in the same moment he crossed his eyes with him and sensed that strange magic. But he had not and now he has to deal with the mess he has created. Eiji knows he is blaming himself, it is written all over his face. His attempts explaining Ash how none of this is his fault always end with Ash ignoring him and changing the topic to distract him. Which is really easy because, just as Eiji suspected, Ash is really smart and teaches him something new every day.
At the end of the third day, when they only have the moonlight to illuminate their path, they arrive at a small house in the middle of the country-side. Max recognises the place immediately. This is where Ash and Griffin used to life before Griffin was sent to explore the ruins and they took Ash away. It comes to him that this is probably the last place where Ash had ever felt safe which may be the reason why the boy has brought them there. Shorter and Eiji reach the same conclusion after watching the pictures on their walls.
“They are not as nice as yours,” simply says Ash with a deep sadness in his eyes. “I don’t have your magic technique.”
“I think they are beautiful.”
Ash stares at Eiji a bit confused by his words. He has seen the photographs the young prince produced with his magic and they are stunning. Compared to his boring family pictures it is obvious which one is better. But there is something in the way Eiji says that, as if he truly believes a small Ash smiling to the camera is way more beautiful than the dawn breaking over Izumo. He could almost feel the blush starting to grow in his cheeks, so he decides to stop looking at the prince. After letting them rest a bit, Ash assigns bedrooms with obvious tiredness in his face. The moment everything is left clear, the boy slams the door of his bedroom close throwing himself on the bed for a well-deserved sleep.
However, Eiji cannot bring himself to sleep just yet. There is energy crippling in the place that is keeping him wide awake. The images on the wall look at him as if hiding a secret his curiosity cannot leave behind. Shorter laughs mockingly watching Eiji walk around the house while Max is long sleep in the sofa.
“Careful, there are mice,” Eiji turns to glare at Shorter but the other only laughs again. “Don’t worry, Eiji. I’m sure Ash will protect you if a mean mouse attacks you.”
“Not funny, Shorter,” the prince sits next to him. During the travel, he has become quite close with Shorter. His easy humour and cheeky remarks always put a smile on his face.
“Just in cases you are asking yourself, he lived here with his brother,” answers Shorter to the unpronounced question.
“I-I-I wasn’t…” Eiji blushes trying to hide his face behind his hands.
“It’s fine, Eiji,” laughs Shorter nudging him on his side. “He is probably going to tell you himself at some point.”
Eiji is tempted to ask Shorter why he thinks such a thing because he is not that sure that Ash truly trusts him. It is true that most of the time of the travel they spent it together, talking about little things that hold no real importance. In a certain sense, it was almost a therapeutically experience for both of them, escaping from their inner demons to focus their attention into the silly things that surrounded them. But precisely that is it, just silly things. There was absolutely nothing serious in their conversation, they talk as if they were just two ordinary boys. Eiji must admit it was nice during the travel to have that kind of distraction, having someone who finally treats him like a person, not as a prince. But he does not know how Ash feels about it. With everything they have going on, he might think Eiji is just being childish and probably now the trip is over he does not want to deal with his stupid concerns anymore. He sighs later on his bed mulling over all of this feeling a bit miserable.
It takes a whole day for them to clean the house and fix it to be at least habitable. No sooner have they finished when Ash calls a meeting in the kitchen. They sit in a round table with Ash standing with a wooden box in his hands. He looks strangely confused as if he did not know where to start. Max seems to understand what he is trying to do and clear his throat taking everyone’s attention.
"Is that…?” Ash nods at his silent question. “Okay, I will try to explain the best I can. As you know Ash’s older brother, Griffin, and I were friends. We both worked as magical researchers in the war, but then Griffin found something.”
“Banana Fish,” Ash opened the box to show an old scroll. “It’s an ancient spell that allows the user to control someone’s mind. When Golzine found out about it he killed my brother hoping to find it, but Griffin already feared something like that and hid it here.”
“That’s why he has been chasing you all this time,” Ash nods at Shorter guessing.
“But why does he want… Oh!” Eiji suddenly realises what Golzine truly wants. “He could become king.”
“Not just king, if he masters Banana Fish, he could easily conquer the rest of the kingdoms,” explains Ash.
“Which is why we need to stop him,” agrees Max.
“But how?” Shorter seems to be ready to take anyone down despite his question.
“Evidence,” smiles Ash. “We are going to mug the Golzine Health Institute.”
“But… there are a lot of sick people there,” worries Eiji.
“We will not hurt them,” clarifies Ash quickly. “We only need to sneak inside and get the evidence that shows Golzine is not precisely a nice benefactor.”
“It’s going to be difficult,” says Max. “The place is guarded by Fox.”
“I and my gang can deal with him,” confidently states Shorter. “Just a bit of noise and the old man will come right after us.”
“Once we have enough evidence, he will need someone who unmasks him in front of the council,” Ash looks expectantly at Eiji. “Any advice?”
“Mmm… Counsellor Jenkins,” nods the prince. “Yut-Lung always says he is the only honest one.”
“He is also friends with Charlie,” supports Max. “And Nadia would not date him if his friends weren’t acceptable.”
“Hey! My sister can date whoever she wants,” frowns Shorter.
“Then in one month we will make our movement,” Ash then turns only to Eiji. “You will stay here meanwhile.”
“What? No! I want to help!”
“We cannot protect you during the assault,” calmly says Ash. He has expected Eiji to protest. “And you are too important, remember that Golzine needs you, we are not going to serve you in a silver plate to him.”
“But I can still help.”
“How? You only know healing spells, you will only be a nuisance.”
The moment the words leave his mouth he regrets them. Because Eiji is looking at him with his mouth open and hurt expression. He does not have time to fix his mistake because Eiji gets up and leaves the room. Max and Shorter shoot him a glare as if trying to force him to go after thing. The fact that he would have gone after him even without their warning does not need to be said according to Ash, so he just turns and follows Eiji leaving them alone in the kitchen. Shorter and Max exchange knowing looks like in the rest of the journey. The connection between Ash and Eiji have not gone unnoticed by them. Max suddenly remembers a strange legend he heard some time ago. Something about certain souls attracting each other, pulling their magic together forming an unbreakable bond. He knows it is just a legend but sometimes he feels Ash and Eiji have that kind of connection. If he is right or not only time could tell.
Ash finds Eiji alone in a small hill covered with grass and dry flowers. The young prince is looking at the horizon lost in the line that separated the sky from the land. His eyes are a bit puffy and red which makes Ash feel even more guilty. Eiji has been his strongest support during these days and he does not like the idea of making him cry. Slowly, he takes a seat next to him to check the waters. Eiji does not scream at him but he does not speak to him either. The minutes pass with Ash wishing he was better at this, but the only thing he knows is how to hurt people.
“I-I’m sorry,” he finally whispers. “But you really can’t come with us. It is too dangerous.”
“I know,” answers Eiji after a long pause. “I’m sorry too, it’s just…”
“What?”
“I thought… I thought you and I have become closer,” he confesses. “I thought I have finally found someone who sees me as Eiji, not as the prince. But… forget it, it’s stupid.”
“No, it’s not,” Ash cannot help but smile at him. “I feel the same way. It is the first time someone does something for me without waiting for anything in exchange. And to you… to you I’m not a gang leader or even a whore… to you, I’m just Ash… and that makes feel… amazing,” he blushes. “I have never… I have never felt like this with another person.”
“I feel the same,” this time it is Eiji’s turn to blush. “You are so nice, Ash. And smart. I’m not stupid, probably I would just slow you down if I go with you but… is it weird if I say I want to protect you?”
“Protect me?” it was the first time since his brother that anyone expressed that idea towards him. It makes his heart beat faster than ever before and he has a strange urge of hugging Eiji and never letting him go, caress his hair and kiss… Oh.
“Yes, protect you,” repeats Eiji, ignoring Ash current realization. “I know you don’t like hurting people, so I don’t want you to dirty your hands anymore. I guess… I want you to be happy.”
“Eiji,” the way Ash whispers his name makes butterflies flutter in his stomach. “Thank you, for worrying so much about me. But I cannot leave this life behind. My hands are too full of blood, and the boys need me.”
“We can help them, all of them,” Eiji takes his hand. “If we work together, we can find a way of improving Cape Cod. There is a way out of these, Ash. Please, believe me.”
“And what would I ever do?” Ash caresses his hand.
“Be my knight,” suddenly blurts Eiji.
“What?”
“Be my knight, Ash,” repeats Eiji. “Be my counsellor and my friend.”
“Doesn’t a knight have to fight?”
“Not really,” laughs Eiji. “Izumo is really peaceful so royal knights mostly just stay in the castle. Once you spent some years as my knight, he can convince the council to let you be a researcher, just like your brother.”
“I thought only noble people could become one after the war.”
“Well, I’m going to be the king so better use my power for the greater good.”
“Oh, King Eiji is so nice, using his political power to help me,” mocks Ash.
“If I don’t use my power to help the people I love, then what’s the point.”
The words linger in the air and suddenly Eiji is facing green eyes staring at him with disbelief. It is then when he realises how his words can be interpreted. His cheeks become redder than the poppies of the field while Ash puts a hand on his cheek. His whole body is currently aware of how cold is outside, shivering under Ash’s touch. A small part of him is concerned that his heart is beating so fast that Ash could hear it. But another one does not care about it at all because Ash is looking at him with the sweetest eyes and he is leaning in closer and…
The moment their lips meet, stars appear around them. The magic inside them draws lines of energy that intertwined with each other while their mouths melt to the touch. Ash is tasting sweet cinnamon on his tongue while Eiji has touches of fire on his that takes his soul to the moon. None of them wants to stop this moment, this precious second in which everything seems so right because they have one another. Ash gives a tentative bite to his lower lip and the sound that escapes Eiji mouth is like a heavenly choir for him. Eiji puts his hand on his blond hair, caressing the beautiful lock in the gentlest way nobody has ever touched him.
Eventually, they are forced to break their kiss in order to breather. For a second, a bit of panic flies between them doubts about the other answer crawling into their skull. But then Eiji’s hand in on Ash’s, feeling their pulse beating at the same melody under their skin. None of them knows yet what is exactly this, but they do not want to rush things. They want to take their time with each other, enjoying their time together.
After a month, Shorter and Max are practically tired of walking on the sweet couple doing something adorable. Max at the beginning is happy that Ash and Eiji have such a beautiful relationship but living hidden in such a small house with those two feels like he is stepping into something sacred. Shorter feels something similar with the exception that he thought this would be a great material to tease them both but after a week they both seem unfaced by his jokes. That morning, Ash prepares his bag slowly, trying to stretch the minutes he still has with Eiji. His gang is waiting at the outskirts of the city ready to help him with the raid. It should not be difficult, only entering and taking enough evidence of Golzine activities. But he has a bad feeling about all of this and only wants to go back to his bed so he can cuddle with Eiji.
“Everything would be okay,” Eiji hugs him from behind.
“How are you so sure?”
“Because is you Ash,” smiles the boy. “And you can do anything.”
Ash swears he fells in love more every time he is with Eiji, but he has heard Shorter and Max complaining about their cheesiness. Giving him a last kiss on his forehead, he goes down ready to leave. Max and Shorter wave Eiji goodbye while Ash only smiles with a secret promise of coming back. The prince stays on the door until their figures are not seen anymore. He closes the door behind him trying to think on a way of killing the time when he hears a sound on the top floor. A shiver runs through his spine and carefully approaches his room, where he has heard the sounds. Yut-Lung is seated on his bed reading one of the books Ash has given him.
“Yut-Lung!” even though he is still a bit angry with him, Eiji is happy to see his friend is alright. “What are you doing here?”
“Saving your life, as always,” only says Yut-Lung coldly.
“I don’t need you to save my life if it is at the cost of others.”
“Please, Eiji, let’s not argue,” he sighs. “I have come with a proposal.”
“From Golzine?”
“Yes,” Yut-Lung gives him a letter. “Here you have written how if you accept to marry him and give him the kingdom, he will let Ash and his friend leave the country with no harm coming to them.”
“And why would I ever accept such a thing?”
“Because Golzine and Fox are waiting for Ash and his friends at Golzine Health Institute,” Eiji feels his knees shaking. “You know better than anyone that there is no way they can defeat him like this. He is too powerful.”
“Why?” cries Eiji. “I thought you were my friend, why are you doing this?”
“Because I want you to be safe,” Yut-Lung offers his hand. “Please, Eiji.”
“What does safety matter if I am unhappy?” he ignores his hand.
“… Is that you answer?”
Eiji stops to think for a second. He knows Yut-Lung might be lying but the risk is too big to take it. At least he needs to play along for the moment, maybe giving Ash and the others enough time. A more pessimistic part of him tells him this is over, he is not going to see any of his friends again. He shuts his voice and pusses it deep inside him. That kind of discouragement is not needed now. Trying to put his bravest look, he turns to Yut-Lung and nods.
“Fine,” he says. “Take me to him.”
Golzine waits for him in the throne room, letting his finger room over the throne as if it is his. Eiji cannot stop to worry about not only Ash but his father too. Yut-Lung has not said anything about him which makes him suspect the worst. At least his friend stays next to him when Golzine asks everyone to leave the room. There is an obvious tension in the room while Golzine approaches Eiji with a smile. He is suddenly really happy Ash decided to hide Banana Fish in another place because he is sure Golzine has ordered to search in the house the moment they left it.
“It is a pleasure having you back, your majesty,” Golzine says.
“I’m not going to marry you,” even though his voice is a bit shaky his determination is obvious.
“Such harsh words,” he snaps his fingers, and someone brings a little box to him. “I think you should reconsider.”
Golzine offers him the box and Eiji takes it with curiosity. When he opens it, he sees a green jade shining in the middle with some drops of blood on it. The panic starts rising inside him the moment he recognises the stone. It still has some magic lingering there, just in the edges, and Eiji can only think of Ash trying to cast the last spell. The box falls on the floor along with his body whose legs cannot sustain his weight anymore.
“W-w-what have you done to him?” Eiji musters the courage to ask.
“Don’t be afraid,” Golzine answers while Yut-Lung helps him stand up. “His is more or less fine. But… the final decision depends on you.”
“If I accept… will you really let them go?”
“I give you my word.”
Eiji is tempted to express his word means nothing but he is too tired. Yut-Lung was right, they have Ash and the others. His brain cannot stop circling around the fact that his friends are suffering somewhere in the castle because of his stupid idea of leaving the castle. If he had stayed on his tower nothing would have happened. But a voice, kind of similar to Ash, reminds him that Golzine was not going to stop until he got the throne. Gulping, he lets Yut-Lung and Golzine take him to what looked like a small chapel with a holy man waiting for them. He feels sick and dizzy as if he was just a mere viewer on his own life. The only comfort is that probably Golzine would get rid of him soon after getting married. Yut-Lung does not have enough influence to keep him safe.
Then it hits him. Yut-Lung knows this. He knows Eiji is actually in more danger once Golzine gets the throne because then there would not be any reason to keep him alive. He turns his face to his friend, discovering a weird smile on his face. It is to later for when he realises the knife in Yut-Lung hand. The boy pusses Eiji to a side and tries to approach Golzine with his knife raised. Horrified, he sees how someone shoots Yut-Lung on his shoulder, making him fall.
“Yut-Lung!” a soldier catches him and drags him away from his friend.
“I knew you couldn’t be trusted,” smiles Golzine. “One can never trust a snake.”
“Let me go!” struggles Eiji.
“Continue,” orders Golzine to the holy man.
“And for the power that has been conceded to me…”
With the sudden change of events still present, things happen too fast for Eiji to realise what is happening after a few minutes before. Because suddenly he is on the floor with Shorter pushing him away while the rest of the gang is fighting against Golzine’s men. And what is more confusing, the royal guards are helping them. His eyes go directly to the blond figure shooting fire bullets against Golzine. Ash is right there, with a few bruises, but safe. In his ear, instead of the jade earing, there is a black gem. Sing drags Yut-Lung outside along with Shorter and Eiji.
“What is happening?” asks Eiji.
“Yut-Lung sent us a message that Golzine was waiting for us,” explains Shorter. “He does care about you.”
“Yut-Lung,” Eiji approaches his friend and starts healing him with his magic. “You should have told me.”
“No offence, Eiji. But you don’t know how to lie,” says his friend through the pain. “We needed enough time for them to convince the king to support us. Although I thought he would take more time to take you to the altar.”
“So, you tried to stab him to win time?” scolds Sing. “That is really intelligent.”
“Well, excuse me for trying to help my friend.”
“That’s not the point, the point is that you put yourself in danger too,” blushes Sing.
Shorter groans at the sight of yet another couple while Eiji takes that time to approach the chapel again. Ash is standing right there, smoke surrounding him while Golzine lies on the floor. For a moment he is still until he sees Ash has only shot him in his legs. With a smile in his face, he runs to his arms hugging him as strong as he can. A silent promise is made of never letting each other go.
“I was so scared,” cries Eiji.
“I’m sorry,” apologises Ash. “They took my earing while I was facing Fox. But I got a new one.”
“It’s an onyx, right?”
“Yes, it’s one of Max,” he shrugs. “It reminds me of you.”
If Ash is going to add something else, he does not have the time to say it because Eiji is kissing him again. The mere thought of almost losing him is enough for them to hold closer. They do not keep the kiss long because both know this is not the place for that. The timing is perfect because a few seconds after the king Eishi Okumura is running through the chapel to hug his son. The old king apologises with tears in his eyes and Ash cannot help but notice the resemblances. Eiji and his father talk in whispers while the others take Golzine away. For the moment, he decides to give Eiji some privacy with his father. After all, they have all the time in the world.
Eiji Okumura is a coward. Yut-Lung keeps saying he should stop saying that after defeating Golzine and Sing strongly agrees with him. Both of them have been a wonderful help in order to finally overthrow the Lee family. After the whole Golzine fiasco, his father has been more open to hearing the people of Cape Cod and decided to take action. The moment the last of his brother was locked on prison has been the happiest moment in the life of Yut-Lung. Along with Sing asking him on a date the day after. His father is also letting him more freedom although he still freaks out when he arrives late (mostly Shorter’s fault).
It has been a while since they heard of Max because he is enjoying his second honeymoon with his wife and soon. His sister came back only to leave again to another country. Eiji thinks she would be a great ambassador one day. The rest of the gang is improving Cape Cod little by little, helping with the building of schools and hospitals for the neighbourhood. Actually, the mention of that makes him remember that he has to get ready for a special event. He looks himself at the mirror again just to check everything is in order. A knock on the door takes his attention and he gives permission to the person to enter his room.
“This is supposed to be about me, Eiji,” says Ash voice behind me. “Aren’t you going to name me your knight today?”
“Yes, I am,” Eiji gives him a slight kiss on the cheek. “What’s the problem?”
“That you look too good,” Ash hugs him burying his head on his hair.
“We are going to be late, Ash.”
“So? You said you were going to use your power for the ones you love.”
“I’m still just a prince,” he knows he should be dragging Ash to the ceremony he does not want to interrupt this moment.
“You are not just a prince,” whispers Ash. “You are my light.”
“And you are mine,” Eiji hugs him closer. “But we really need to go.”
“I hate these parties.”
“I will not leave your side,” Eiji takes his head and looks directly into his eyes. “I will always be by your side; will you be with me?”
Ash smiles at him with that smile that can melt the coldest ice. Holding hands, they walk to the door where a new episode of their life is waiting for them. Ash gives him another look thinking how he is so lucky to have Eiji by his side knowing partially that Eiji is thinking exactly the same. He squeezes his hand letting his answer imply his true feelings.
“With you until the end.”