Archive of Our Own ^beta

“It’s not too late to get dressed and join the festivities, you know.”

Kei scowled down at his book, and through gritted teeth, replied, “No, thank you.”

Akiteru, his older brother, sighed. It was a resigned sort of sigh, one that spoke to the hopelessness of the sigher’s task. “Kei, you really should spend more time with Saeko and Ryuu. They’re joining our family soon, and they’ve hardly seen you.”

“They don’t have to,” muttered Kei, childishly. He didn’t particularly like his brother’s choice of betrothed; she was loud, boisterous, and kind of wild. A strange match for a future King, and Kei made it no secret that he wanted to spend as little time around her as possible. She kept making jokes he didn’t get and then laughing loudly at them and smacking him on the back. He was pretty sure he had a small, hand-shaped bruise, but he wasn’t able to see it and none of his attendants would confirm its existence.

“The decision has been made.” Akiteru’s voice was firm. This had been discussed to death, and Kei’s objections had been noted, but in the end, he had very little say. “It’s happening. We’ve already signed the contract with her family. You’ll just have to get used to it.”

Kei made a noncommittal grunt, refusing to acknowledge his lack of control over the situation, but he didn’t reply further, and after a moment and another sigh, Akiteru left.

Good. The last thing Kei wanted was to attend some stupid ball and have to talk to a bunch of people he didn’t know. Or worse-- dance with them! He would end up lurking somewhere in the corner, looking awkward, or else being dragged around by his mother and enduring introductions to the eligible youth of the kingdom. Either way, he wouldn’t find it much fun.

Kei was not… a people person. He was fortunate in the fact that he was the younger son, because he was definitely not suited to making small talk with other royals or negotiating trade agreements or calmly discussing peace treaties. None of that came naturally to him, and after some failed attempts to force it into him, his mother had largely given up. After all, he wasn’t going to be the King, so he was allowed to be reclusive and anti-social. Eventually, his mother would increase the pressure and hound him to find a partner, but he figured he could put that off for a good long while by just being stubborn and unpleasant. He could out-unpleasant the best of them, and that usually resulted in him being left alone. Which was how he liked it.

Well, mostly. He was the tiniest bit lonely since Aki started courting Saeko. Akiteru was one of the few people who Kei enjoyed being around, who could handle his moodiness, who saw through his carefully constructed walls and liked Kei. That was another reason he couldn’t stand Saeko. She was taking his brother away from him. Kei had never been good at making friends, and his mother didn’t seem to understand that just pushing him into a group of people around his age would not magically give him friends. He might have been a little bit hopeful the first couple times, but these balls always ended with him by himself and watching everyone else have fun without him. And he’d just rather not, thank you very much.

Sighing, he rolled off his bed and walked over to the window. The summer was almost over, and the air was getting crisp in the evenings. Kei liked the colder weather; it was perfect for curling up by the fire with a book. Since it was not quite cold enough for that yet (and he would probably drown in a puddle of sweat if he tried to light a fire), he shuffled through some of the new books he had sent away for and settled down at his desk with an interesting looking volume about star positions.

***

A shrill scream in his ear woke him, and he bolted upright, nearly falling out of his chair. His spectacles were bent from where he had been lying with his face pressed against the open pages of the book, and they hung off one ear as he stared dazedly at his mother’s handmaiden.

“Oh, thank goodness, you’re alive!” she exclaimed.

“Er, yes… though I may be deaf now,” he replied. He rubbed at his ear with one hand and tried to straighten his glasses.

“Come quickly,” the handmaiden urged, pulling at his arm. “Oh, it’s just awful. Everyone’s in such a state!”

Yanking his arm away, he glared at the woman. “I’m not going anywhere until you stop babbling.” To his horror, the woman started sniffling, and tears looked imminent. “What? What is it?”

“Oh, sir,” she sniffled. “It’s the prince… your brother… He’s been poisoned.”

For a moment, Kei sat perfectly still, his body seized in shock as he tried to process the revelation. Then he was running through the corridor, ignoring everyone and everything around him, focusing only on reaching his brother’s quarters.

He burst into the room, and dozens of eyes turned to stare at him. But Kei’s gaze was locked onto the bed in the middle of the crowd. Akiteru lay there, pale and motionless, a shadow of the bright, vibrant young man Kei knew and loved. It was unthinkable. He couldn’t-- “Is… is he...?” he gasped, his chest squeezed tight in panic.

“He’s alive.” The quiet voice of their healer came from the bedside where he was perched. “Just.”

A collective sigh of relief echoed around the room. Kei edged closer and was able to expand his focus to the other worried faces surrounding his brother. His parents were there--his mother next to the healer--and many of Aki’s attendants, as well as some of the royal council members. And… Saeko. This was the quietest Kei had seen her. She knelt on the floor, across from the healer, holding Aki’s hand. Her eyes were rimmed with smeared dark makeup, almost as if she had been crying, which was just… impossible for Kei to fathom, so he ignored it.

The healer was speaking to his mother, and he leaned in to listen. “--unresponsive right now, and will likely remain so until an antidote is found. We can sustain him in this state for a while, but not forever, so the soonest we can treat him, the better.”

“Can’t you treat it now?” asked his mother, her voice a little watery.

Placing a gentle hand on her arm, the healer explained, “I can try some common antidotes, but I strongly suspect that the poison was magical, so the antidote must also be magical.” His smile was kind and sort of sad. “I have no magic, so I cannot help in that regard. But I know someone who might.”

“Who is it?” burst out Saeko, dropping Akiteru’s hand and standing upright. Her face was set and fierce, eyes blazing through the smears. “I’ll go.”

Immediately, several voices protested, overlapping reasons why that was impossible -- she was needed here to be a strong face in the wake of tragedy, it was far too dangerous, she would be recognized and possibly targeted, and more that Kei couldn’t make out in the cacophony. Saeko was grinding her teeth and clenching her fists and seriously looked like she was about to throw a punch at one of the council members. While Kei would love to see that (seriously, how was she going to be a queen?), he found himself raising his voice to volunteer instead. “I’ll do it.”

His mother stared at him in the sudden silence, and apparently the council members had no objection to possibly losing a spare prince in the quest to revive the important one, because no one protested. He still addressed some of the concerns he had heard a few moments ago: “Not many people would recognize me, and I doubt I’m much of a target.” Besides, he was probably too untrusting to be easily poisoned. “It’s the best option.” He reached for his mother’s hand and squeezed it before turning to the healer. “Who is this person?”

The candlelight glinted off his silvery hair and, despite the heavy sadness in the room, there was a sparkle in the healer’s eye. “His name is Yamaguchi.”

***

Kei rode out of the city walls, following the rather vague instructions he was given. He was to find a man named Yamaguchi, who was a witch and lived in the woods, and Kei was not sure that he wasn't being sent off on a wild goose chase. He had been right about not being recognized; no one had given him any trouble in the city. Of course, he wasn't all decked out in prince gear. He didn't tend to go for that anyway, but he had exchanged his finely stitched clothing for rougher hunter's garb. No one took any notice of a lone hunter riding off into the forest surrounding the fortified walls.

The trees quickly went from sparse and neat to a wild tangle of dark limbs and undergrowth that encroached on the rough path from both directions. The canopy overhead blocked most of the sunlight, and Kei slowed his horse reluctantly. He was feeling kind of urgent about finding the cure for his brother, but it wouldn't help anyone if his horse got hurt. After a while, the path wound around a corner, and a green glow was visible in the distance.

Hmm. Perhaps there was something to this 'witch' thing after all. He reigned in his horse at the edge of the large clearing, looking around in wonder. It was like a picture in a storybook. A little cottage was tucked in a copse of trees, a stream burbling merrily behind the house, and there was a caravan parked off to the side, the green fabric of the canvas nearly blending into the environment. The late summer sunlight filtered through many layers of leaves overhead, casting a chlorophyll blush over the whole scene.

The dreamy stillness was disturbed as a young woman burst out of the cottage, carrying a bundle of cloth. "Oh!" she exclaimed, stopping as she noticed Kei. "Oh, you're here earlier than we thought. We're not quite ready, you know."

"Er..." This was not the reception he had expected, and he dismounted cautiously, leading his horse closer. "I think you're mistaking me for someone else."

"No, no," she beamed, staring up at him. "You're the prince, of course. My, you are tall!"

"Ye-es," he confirmed, somewhat off balance. "I'm looking for a Mr. Yamaguchi." His skeptical gaze ran over the rather dainty woman, who did not appear to be a mister at first glance, but… it probably wasn't wise to speculate.

Her cheerful expression did not change. “Tadashi is just finishing up a few things.” Before Kei could reply, the strange woman skipped off towards the cottage door, calling, “Tadashi! He’s here!”

There was a faint whooshing noise, and the door opened to reveal a young man in ordinary, faded clothing. No pointy hat or star-spangled cloak, and there wasn’t a wart in sight. Despite this, there was something impressive about him. He had a presence or something. Dark, untamed hair looked almost green under the leaves, and his pale skin gave him an ethereal look, like he was some kind of forest spirit. His smile was friendly, if a bit timid. “Welcome, Your Highness,” he said.

Suddenly aware that he was staring, Kei snapped his mouth into a scowl. His voice was brusque as he inquired, “Mr. Yamaguchi, is it? I have need of your services.”

“Oh, yes.” Yamaguchi looked somewhat startled at the tone and took a step backwards. “I know. Suga-- er, the royal healer-- sent me a message with the symptoms. Um, I haven’t personally seen this, but it matches all the hallmarks of Sleeping Beauty Syndrome. Um.” He paused, wringing his hands at the hard look in Kei’s eyes. “It’s a silly name, but it’s serious. And not easy to cure.”

“What, no true love’s kiss?” asked Kei sarcastically.

“Er, no. I- I have most of the ingredients for the cure, but there are a few that are, um, more difficult. Dreamflower and chalcanthite and luna cordea and chlorella…”

“How long will it take you?” Kei demanded.

“Well, it shouldn’t take us more than a couple of days--”

“Us??” He looked from Yamaguchi to the woman. Was she a witch, too? Was she Mrs. Yamaguchi? Kei glared at her.

“No, er--” A hand was placed on his arm, and Kei looked back to Yamaguchi, who, despite his nervousness in the face of Kei’s strong personality, was firm in his touch and tone.

“You us,” he clarified. “I mean, you and me us.”

“What? Why do I have to be involved? I’m not magical. Why can’t you just mix it up or whatever and bring it to the castle?” That just seemed logical. And Kei had no desire to go traipsing around, collecting pond scum or whatever with this witch. He was giving Kei an uneasy feeling, like little prickles were coursing across his skin, and for some reason Kei kept staring at the way his long eyelashes brushed his cheeks when he blinked. It was very distracting.

“Well, it’s kind of complicated, but the dreamflower has to be picked by someone close to the person that needs it. It’s integral to the way it reacts with the other elements-- er,” he trailed off suddenly, perhaps sensing that a long, technical explanation would mean nothing to Kei. “I don’t know the prince personally, so I can’t guarantee that the antidote would be effective if I were to make it alone. It’s not ‘true love’s kiss’, but there is an element of love involved.”

“No!” The grip on Kei’s arm tightened, and he looked down at the hand clutching him.

Kei sighed. “Fine, I’ll just go gather some supplies and meet you back here.”

“We need to leave right away.” Yamaguchi looked up at the canopy of leaves, the sunlight weak and filtered, casting green shadows on his face. “We only have a short window of time to collect everything. Otherwise, we’ll have to wait weeks until the moon is back in the right position.”

“But I can’t just not return! My mother is worried enough about my brother,” Kei protested. “I would have been here last night, except it took me forever to convince her that nothing would happen to me.”

“I’ll let Suga know,” replied Yamaguchi, calmly. “He can assure her of your safety.” Making a clicking noise, the witch held up a hand, and Kei just barely stopped himself from jumping backwards as a black shadow detached itself from the roof of the cottage and swooped towards them. It was a crow, and it landed on Yamaguchi’s finger, ruffling its feathers and turning its beady eyes on Kei. Somehow he felt a sense of disapproval, which was ridiculous because it was just a stupid bird.

With a glance at Kei, Yamaguchi turned slightly as if to have some privacy, and he whispered something to the bird. He stroked a finger down the sleek black feathers and then lifted his hand sharply, the crow taking off through the trees before he finished the motion.

“If you can hitch your horse to the cart, I can fetch the rest of our supplies, and then we can be off in a few minutes.” The witch smiled at him brightly before disappearing back into the cottage, leaving Kei to figure out how to convince his horse to pull a wagon.

***

Spontaneity was not Kei’s strong suit. He liked to carefully ponder his options and consider the possible consequences of each and make a solid, logical decision before acting. Yet, somehow, here he was, off on some kind of quest to find a cure for his brother, walking through the woods with a man he had just met. It was awkward. Kei was painfully aware of the silence between them, and the longer it went on, the harder it seemed to be to break. Should he say something? What should he say? He had been quiet for far too long. His ears were filled with the soft rustling sounds of their footsteps, the heavier tread of the horse, and the squeaks of the wagon wheels.

"Are you worried?"

Kei jumped as his companion casually broke the mounting tension with a question. "What?"

Yamaguchi's eyes were on him, and he was smiling. "Are you worried?" he repeated. "You keep looking at me. Like you're worried I'm going to put a hex on you. I won't," he added.

"Oh." Kei hadn't even realized he had been looking. "I've never met a witch before. You're… not what I expected."

Laughing softly, Yamaguchi looked at him. "Let me guess: you thought I'd be an old woman with greasy hair and warts, right? Like a storybook?"

He was right, but Kei didn't want to admit it. "You look too young. How old are you, anyway?"

"Old enough. I'm twenty-two."

"Hmm. So am I."

"Awfully old for a prince," remarked Yamaguchi, though his tone was pleasant. "How come you haven't been married off yet? Surely there are plenty of beautiful young maidens in the kingdom."

"That's none of your concern," snapped Kei, scowling.

Yamaguchi shrugged. "Just trying to make conversation."

They lapsed into silence again.

Despite having started the personal questions, Kei did not appreciate them being turned back on him. It was difficult to have privacy in the royal family, being in the public eye and all. His personal life was the subject of much discussion, especially now that Akiteru was getting married. He hated people prying, especially people who had no right to know anything. His response was automatic, but… Yamaguchi hadn't been pushy. He had just sounded curious. Perhaps Kei had overreacted. Damn, he was terrible at this. This… socializing thing.

"My… my brother is getting married," he volunteered, hesitantly. What if Yamaguchi had decided that he was too sour and didn't want to talk to him anymore? That would make this journey rather unpleasant.

"I've heard," replied the witch, falling back into the conversation easily, as though nothing had happened. His eyes met Kei's again, and Kei felt rather bold as he held the contact.

"He is my prince, you know," continued Yamaguchi, when Kei didn't respond. "The news has been all over the kingdom." He paused for a moment, then added, "I suppose the bride is very upset."

Kei snorted, but he restrained himself and didn't reveal his thoughts about the bride.

"I'm sure we'll do our best to get the prince back to himself before the wedding." Yamaguchi seemed to need very little input from Kei to keep the conversation alive. It was a strange relief to have an interaction that wasn't full of traps and pitfalls and double entendres. Yamaguchi was a breath of fresh air in Kei's stale life, and his voice was melodious and pleasant to hear. Kei was happy to just listen to him chatter on and to occasionally interject an opinion.

When the conversation turned to witches, however, Kei couldn't resist asking a few questions. "So you're not the only witch in our kingdom?"

"Oh, no, there are a few of us. We all have different specialties."

"Oh. What do you do? Besides going on quests..."

Yamaguchi smiled. "Well, I'm mostly a plant witch. I grow all kinds of herbs and medicinal plants for healers, and I help growers if their crops are in danger. And I also do just like… general stuff no one else thinks to do, like check in on old people or people recovering from illnesses. Though, Yachi is better at that than I am."

"Yachi?"

"Yeah, the girl who was at my cottage? She's a cookery witch. She can make amazing food and can imbue her dishes with certain emotions, so that whoever eats it will feel happiness or joy or hope or whatever. Of course, she has to be careful not to make anything if she's feeling down so that she doesn't accidentally send the whole neighbourhood into a depression." He chuckled to himself.

Kei had to ask, even though he was kind of afraid to know the answer: "Is she your… your wife?"

Yamaguchi looked surprised. "Who, Yachi?? No! Definitely not." He laughed harder. "She's my friend. We've been friends since we were little, and once we discovered we both had magic, we've learned together and worked together ever since. She's probably the best friend I ever had."

Kei didn't say anything, but for some reason, he was glad Yamaguchi wasn't married to the little blonde woman. He wasn’t going to examine that right now, though. “My brother is probably my best friend.” His only friend, to be honest.

“Ah, you’re lucky. I always wished I had a brother, but I was an only child. I hung out with my grandma a lot when I was little,” said Yamaguchi, smiling at the memory. “Until I went to school and got some playmates my own age. Well, Yachi mostly. She’s almost like my sister, I guess.”

“You seem like someone who has a lot of friends now, though,” mused Kei, without thinking. Yamaguchi looked at him curiously, and he flushed a little. “I mean, you’re very friendly, right?” He had smiled at Kei when they met, even if it had been a bit nervous, and he had easily carried the conversation and made Kei feel more at ease. Perhaps that was part of his magic: soothing awkwardness. Embarrassed, Kei turned away and looked off into the shadowy trees off to the side of the path.

“I’m not as good at making friends,” he admitted, feeling that he should perhaps contribute something. It wasn’t very fair to make Yamaguchi reveal his whole life and then not give anything of himself. Not that he was pushing Yamaguchi that hard to do the revealing… but it still felt unbalanced. "Or… with people, in general."

"No?" asked Yamaguchi, grinning at him.

Kei gave him a sour look, but it was half-hearted. "Aki has always been around. But now… he's getting married."

"Ah," said Yamaguchi, with understanding. "And you're worried he won't be around as much anymore?"

"Not worried," he retorted. "I mean, he's clearly going to have to spend more time with his… wife… though, he's been spending plenty of time with her already," he grumbled. "And he's going to have more stuff to do with the council and preparing to become King when my father steps down. It's basically an inevitability."

There was silence for a few moments. Then Yamaguchi asked, "Did you ever wish it was you?" At Kei's questioning look, he added, "The first-born. In line to rule?"

Kei rubbed his face. "Well, maybe when I was little. I was sometimes jealous that he got extra attention from important people, but at some point, I also noticed that he had extra lessons and a lot more work to do than I did. And a lot more stress." He laughed to himself suddenly. "I remember one time he burst into my room in the middle of the night and demanded I quiz him on the personal details of the dignitaries who would be visiting the next day. I tried to say 'no', but he started crying, and it freaked me out so much that I got up and helped him." Kei's voice was fond, and he trailed off with a smile.

"I'm definitely not suited to be a ruler," he added, turning his smile on Yamaguchi, who looked stunned. "I'm not good with people, I have a temper, and I don't like the stupid formalities required by a lot of state events. It's better that it's Aki."

"Somehow, I think you'd do better than you think," said Yamaguchi, with a warm expression. Kei blushed and looked away. Yamaguchi moved away from the more sensitive subject of ruling suitability, and after a small silence, asked, "So what did you do with yourself, if you weren't out making friends?"

"Well, I had lessons of my own, both book learning and things like riding lessons and fencing. You know, normal nob stuff." He rolled his eyes and smiled. "But when I was deemed old enough to be done with lessons, I spent a lot of my time in the library."

"Oh, I bet the castle has a grand library!"

Kei looked at him in surprise. Most people were bored at just the thought of a library and jumped on the opportunity to tease Kei for being a bookworm. Yamaguchi seemed to be genuinely interested. "Oh, it does. I have been working on expanding it, too. There are new books being printed every day, and new discoveries, and I have nothing else to do but read."

"Gosh, that must be nice," said Yamaguchi, almost wistfully. "I never seem to have much time for myself. There's always so much to be done. And when I have spare time, I tend to spend it with the plants." He patted the horse absently, then looked over it at Kei. "Will you tell me about some of the things you've read?"

"What? Really?" Kei asked. Yamaguchi nodded. "Of course." His lips twisted in a wry smile. "Most people just want me to shut up about it."

Yamaguchi grinned back at him. "Oh, I'll let you know when I want you to shut up."

"Well, actually, I was just reading a fascinating new book about recent discoveries in astronomy..."

***

The clouds were gathering slowly over the course of the afternoon, and by nightfall, thunder was rolling in the distance and rain was steadily falling. They steered the horse to shelter underneath the thick foliage of a copse of trees which kept it mostly dry. But any wood that could be gathered was too wet to start a fire properly, and it was not an ideal place to camp.

Yamaguchi had climbed into the caravan and was rustling around, and Kei was huddled in the entrance, trying to keep himself as dry as possible. He was not very outdoorsy, preferring to spend time in the library or cozy in his room, next to the fire with a new book. There was just… nature everywhere. Was he supposed to sleep on the ground? In the rain? He was not adequately prepared for this. Was it really going to be several days of this?

He was getting used to-- and even enjoying-- Yamaguchi's company. So, that wasn't a problem, but he was pretty hungry, and he didn't particularly relish the idea of sleeping on the ground. He didn't want to come off all spoiled, princess and the pea, elite, but… he was used to a certain level of comfort. He reminded himself that he was doing it for his brother, but he didn't have to be happy about it.

"Here." He peered into the wagon to see that Yamaguchi had rearranged things, clearing a space in the middle, where a large fabric pallet covered the wooden floor. The witch was beckoning him into the wagon and holding out some dried meat. It wasn't anything fancy, but to Kei at that moment, it was a beautiful sight. He climbed in and stripped off his wet boots before crawling over to take the food.

"Sorry, it's kind of cramped," said Yamaguchi, gesturing around the small space. "But it's better than sleeping on the ground."

Kei stopped chewing, his mouth full of food, and looked around. He was meant to sleep… here? With Yamaguchi? Sure, it was better than the ground, but would he even fit? He was not a small man, and neither was Yamaguchi. Swallowing his mouthful, he asked, "Uh, both of us?"

"Yeah," replied Yamaguchi, with a grin. "Unless you'd like to camp out in the rain?" He raised an eyebrow, and while Kei was not sure about sharing the small space, he couldn't say that the other option was appealing.

They finished eating with light, meaningless chatter, and with some apprehension, Kei removed his damp outer clothes and huddled as close to the side of the wagon as he could, shivering in his undershirt and underpants. A blanket was dropped over him, and he clutched it gratefully. "Thanks, Yamaguchi."

The witch dropped next to him. "You can call me Tadashi," he said. "There's not much need for formalities here, right?"

Kei turned his face into the pallet to hide his blush. "Oh, er, okay. And you can call me Kei then." He didn't know why, but using their first names felt so much more intimate. Especially when they were lying so close together. He wasn't touching Yamaguchi. Er, Tadashi. But he could see every one of his eyelashes, even after he set his glasses carefully to the side. Tadashi extinguished the lamp, but even in the dark, Kei could still [i]sense[/i] his presence. His steady breathing, and the warmth emanating from him… He rolled over and faced the other way.

“Kei,” came the quiet voice behind him. It was like Ya--Tadashi was testing it out. “I think we’re friends now.” There was a hint of amusement in his voice as he added, “You’re not so bad at making friends as you said.”

Keeping his face mostly buried, he mumbled, “Or you’re just as good at it as I said.” His heart was racing for some reason, and he pressed a handful of blanket against his chest to try and muffle it. The dark was making him a little bolder, and he found himself saying, “I’m glad you made me be your friend.”

There was a huff of laughter from the dark shape of Tadashi, and he replied, “I’m glad, too.”

Then, all was quiet. Perhaps that was all that needed to be said.

The sound of the rain hitting the roof and Tadashi's soft snores lulled him to sleep.

***

"Ah, here we are," said Tadashi, pushing a branch out of the way, revealing a glen with a steep ravine and a small stream rushing past a small house. It was not nearly as neat as Tadashi's cottage, with vines creeping up the side and sprawling bushes and tall grass encroaching on the path. They left the horse at the end of the path and made their way to the house.

Tadashi knocked on the door and, after waiting for a few moments, went ahead and opened it, stepping inside. "Kenma," he called, wandering into the small house in a methodical manner, searching for the other witch. "It's hard to tell where he will be," he confided in Kei. "He and his partner do research, and they have all kinds of experimental areas set up."

They walked through a small, tidy kitchen area, a room with a lofted bed and tables covered in papers, a room with tables covered in various metal pieces and shelves of big fat books, and finally, returning to the entryway, Tadashi pulled open a large cellar door.

"Should we really be wandering around in someone else's house?" asked Kei, nervously. After all, he was a witch, so what if he, like, sent a fire ball at them or something? They were intruders. He probably had creative ways to protect himself.

"Oh, he's my friend," said Tadashi, dismissively, starting down the ladder into the cellar. Kei reluctantly followed, descending into a passageway with rooms leading off on both sides. This was… extensive. Definitely not what he had expected from the quaint appearance of the outside. Tadashi was moving down the hallway. "Kenma," he called again. "Are you down here?"

There was a pause, and then an answering, "Tadashi?" came from the rooms at the far end, and a slight figure emerged. He was dressed in casual, loose-fitting clothing, barefoot, and his blond hair was pulled back from his face and messily tied with a red ribbon. His face was mostly covered by a large pair of spectacles, but they were certainly not like any spectacles Kei had seen; they had two different coloured lenses in place over the eyes, and others on little arms that could be pulled down and positioned. He pushed these up onto his head, revealing large, golden eyes. These eyes swung over and looked Kei over, very thoroughly and very critically, before returning to Tadashi.

"Hi Kenma," he said, all friendly smiles that contrasted greatly with the other witch's impassive face. "You look well. We've come to ask you a favor."

"Is it your glamour?" asked Kenma. "Looks like it's working fine to me."

"Wha--?" asked Kei.

"No, no," interrupted Tadashi, blushing. "I need some ingredients from you."

"Hmm," said Kenma, noncommittally, moving past them to return to the main house area. Tadashi followed quickly, not concerned at all by the less-than-welcome greeting. Kei followed as well, though no one seemed to be waiting on him; he mostly didn't want to be alone in that basement with all those doors. He caught up to them in the kitchen.

"Chalcanthite?" Kenma was asking, looking sour. "You know that's hard to come by in these parts."

"Yes," said Tadashi patiently. "I also know that you have some."

Kenma grumbled under his breath. "What are you using it for?"

Something about Kenma was rubbing Kei the wrong way, and he only barely stopped himself from snapping that it was none of his business. "My brother's been poisoned," he said shortly. "I have gold to pay for it."

Kenma's stare remained steady, his blink slow and feline. "Witches don't take gold as pay."

"I also have some things you might be interested in trading," added Tadashi, smoothly. He had situated himself between Kei and Kenma, perhaps sensing an inevitable difference in opinion. "It's very important, Kenma."

"What kind of poison?" asked Kenma, washing his hands in a basin of water.

Tadashi filled in the other witch on the details as well as some of the other ingredients they would be needing, and Kenma perused the bundle of things Tadashi had brought to trade. Kei left them to it, having little interest in the details of their transactions. He wandered through the room, looking at things. He had been to the castle kitchens a few times, mostly when he was younger, following Akiteru in his missions to steal fresh pastries. This one was on a much smaller scale, but it looked remarkably… normal. Though, as he meandered farther from the two witches, he noticed that the high window had a lot of little jars on the ledge. Hmm.

Kei began to examine them, turning them round to see the labels, and he was looking at one labeled 'Glycyrrhiza' that seemed to contain some seeds in wet bits of paper, when a shadow surged forward and leapt onto the counter next to him. Startled, he nearly dropped the jar, but he caught it at the last second.

The large black cat settled itself on the counter and watched him, and it seemed to Kei as if it was smirking. He gave it a glare and carefully set the jar back on the ledge.

"--don't we, Kei?"

He tuned back into the conversation when he heard his name, and he looked up to see Tadashi and Kenma watching him. "Er, what?"

"We still have to collect the dreamflower, so Kenma doesn't have to supply the ingredients right now. We can pick them up on the way back through here." Kenma's expression seemed to say that he didn't have to supply the ingredients at all and that he hadn't agreed to anything. How were he and Tadashi friends? "Oh, Kenma! When did you get a cat?"

"It's Kuro. I turn him into a cat when he annoys me."

"Kenma! You don't!"

"Who's Kuro?" asked Kei, feeling like he was missing something.

"My boyfriend," replied Kenma, in his flat, expressionless voice.

Kei inched away from the smirking cat. "D--doesn't it hurt him?"

"Nah. Sometimes afterward, he's a bit… licky… but I don't mind it."

Kei looked hard at Kenma, but the witch was exceptionally difficult to read, and he couldn't tell if it was a joke or not. His face was so impassive, no hint of humor or guile. And with a witch, who could tell? Kei found it very irritating.

He followed Tadashi out the door, pausing to ask, "So everything is arranged?"

"Ah, well..."

"I've said I'll think about it," said Kenma, from the doorway.

"Wha--that's it??" exclaimed Kei, incredulous. He looked back and forth between Kenma and Tadashi. "He's told you it's urgent, that we've got a deadline, that my brother is… is dying! And you'll… think about it?"

Kenma's voice was calm and absolutely infuriating. "I work very hard for the materials I acquire and create. Don't you think I deserve adequate payment?"

"I offered you plenty of gold!"

"And I told you I don't take gold."

Kei was trying to quash down his rage at this infallible logic and the inscrutable eyes that watched him. He knew that yelling at Kenma would not make him any more likely to side with them. One could not fight logic with emotions, and Kei would ordinarily be very good at this type of argument, enjoy it even, but… this was his brother. Kenma was holding his brother hostage for… he didn't even know what. "So… so my brother's life is supposed to depend on your kindness?"

Kenma blinked at him and lifted one shoulder in a shrug. Then he shut the door.

Kei growled in frustration and turned on Tadashi. After all, it was he who had brought them here, instead of somewhere more helpful. "And what's this about a glamour?" he demanded, needing somewhere to release his anger. A glamour sounded an awful lot like Tadashi had lied to him. Was Tadashi more like Kenma than Kei had suspected? After all, how much did he really know about Tadashi? Just what the witch had told him. "What are you hiding? Who are you, really? Don't lie to me!" He was surprised at how strongly he felt about this. He felt… betrayed. The man he was growing to like was a lie, and he was angry at Yamaguchi and angry at himself for being so stupid. His hands were gripping Tadashi's shoulders, shaking him slightly in his frustration.

"I'm not! I-- I didn't!" Tadashi protested, looking a little frightened by Kei's sudden anger. "I do use a glamour, but I'm still me! It just, um, enhances my pro-professional image." He stumbled over the words, blushing. "It helps people take me more seriously."

"Take it off." Kei's voice was firm and calm, and it was absolutely the tone of someone who expected to be obeyed [i]or else[/i]. His gaze was intensely focused on Tadashi's face, and he would not be satisfied until he saw the proof.

Closing his eyes and sighing, Tadashi made a complicated gesture with his hand. There was a faint whoosh noise, and as Kei watched, hundreds of freckles appeared, cascading over Tadashi's nose and cheeks, down his throat, winding around each arm. And… that was all. Kei studied them for a moment with a confused expression, his anger dampened by the strangeness of this revelation. "Only that?"

Tadashi sighed again. "I can't get rid of them, so I hide them. For some reason, people have more confidence in a clear-skinned witch." He offered a sheepish smile. It disappeared into a surprised gasp as Kei took his chin in his hand, holding Tadashi's face steady so he could look at it more closely.

Their faces were mere inches apart, and Kei could count the tiny freckles that adorned Tadashi's cheeks, but who had time for that? He was more interested in his eyes, his true, unglamoured eyes; the same eyes he had caught yesterday, crinkling in the corners as Tadashi laughed; the same eyes that gleamed with golden flecks in the sunlight; the same eyes framed by long lashes that brushed his cheekbones when he was half asleep and offering him another blanket. This was his friend. His friend was beautiful.

"Beautiful," he whispered. Kei's thumb moved of its own accord and swept along the freckles on Tadashi's cheek. "Like stars." Tadashi's lips parted as if he was going to speak, but he said nothing, and Kei leaned closer.

And then bumped their foreheads together as something touched his leg and startled him. It was the damn cat, winding itself between his feet and looking smugly up at him. "Ow, sorry," he said, trying to resist the urge to kick the cat.

Tadashi was flushed and laughing in a somewhat hysterical manner, one hand pressed to his forehead. "Kenma, come collect your cat!" Turning back to Kei, he smiled. "We should probably get going."

His mood darkened again. "Yes, we should," he said, and adding in a mutter to himself, "before I strangle someone."

They left the clearing pretty quickly, and Tadashi turned the horse on a path up towards the mountains. Tadashi bumped his arm gently. "Don't worry about Kenma," he said. "He's just like that… he doesn't like new people, and I did rather spring you on him. But he always comes through!"

"Hmph," grumbled Kei, thinking some very unpleasant things about Kenma. His anger was cooling, and he was ashamed of acting out that way. "I'm… I'm sorry about yelling at you," he said. "I, um. I don't like being lied to, and I didn't like thinking that you had lied. I… I want to trust you."

Tadashi's fingers gripped Kei's sleeve for a moment. "You can," he promised. "Kei. You can."

Heaving a great sigh, Kei took longer strides, moving ahead slightly. "I guess we'd better find a good place to camp before nightfall."

***

The path led straight ahead, but Tadashi was urging the horse into the bracken off to the left. The trees in that direction were tangled and dark, and everything screamed ‘don’t leave the path’, and Kei hesitated, watching Tadashi struggle to get the wheels of the wagon over roots and brambles. Apparently Tadashi noticed that he was the only one struggling, and he called, “Come on! Help me.”

Reluctantly, Kei got behind the wagon and pushed. “Why do I feel like I’m being lured to my death?” he grumbled.

He could hear Tadashi’s laugh, but the caravan covering blocked his view. “Just trust me.”

Several minutes passed-- of pushing and grunting and swearing under his breath-- and they were emerging from the tangle and into a quiet glade. The horse had his priorities straight and immediately set to snacking on tufts of grass.

“Hmph,” said Kei, pushing his glasses back up his sweaty nose. “I guess it’s nice and all…”

“This isn’t it,” interrupted Tadashi. Tadashi pulled at his arm, leading him over to some large rocks and through them. The rush of the water was loud after the calm of the glade, and Kei stared out over a clear pool. The water was dark, but patches of sunlight illuminated the rocks far, far below, revealing the depth of the little pool.

“Wow,” said Kei. He had never seen anything like this, and Tadashi’s pleased grin was giving him an uncomfortable warm feeling, so he forced himself to turn back to the scenery. A current stirred the surface of the water, from the small waterfalls flowing down over the rocky cliffs to the stream that burbled off through the trees. When he turned back to Tadashi, he panicked to find the witch undressing. “What are you doing?” he demanded.

Tadashi turned, draping his outer clothes over some of the larger rocks. “Bathing? It’ll be cold, but there’s not many options for a bath out here.”

Swallowing hard, Kei couldn’t help but stare at the pale skin on display, freckles still prominent on the long limbs that were usually hidden. He wondered how they had gotten there; was Tadashi often sunbathing with no clothes-- no, that was a dangerous thought. Blushing, he looked away and started removing his own outer garments. His underclothes could probably do with a wash, anyway, and he wasn’t sure that he wanted to be completely revealed just yet. Especially if that water was as cold as Tadashi implied.

A splash had him looking back to the pool, and he saw Tadashi break the surface and sweep his wet hair back from his face. Kei almost choked, forgetting how to breathe for a moment. It was absolutely unfair that he had been dragged into this and that his companion was so attractive. His blush was still in full force, and he felt like he was overheating, so he carefully placed his glasses next to his clothes and jumped into the cold water.

Mother--! It was colder than he thought, and he gasped for breath as his head breached the surface. Tadashi was laughing again and swimming around him smoothly. “I-it’s c-cold,” shivered Kei, his legs working frantically under the water to keep him afloat. The rest of his muscles seemed to have seized, and while Tadashi was like a fish in the water, Kei felt clumsy and stiff. He slowly paddled over to the side and clutched a rock, wiping the dripping water off his face with his free hand. A blurry Tadashi was swimming closer.

"Can you see anything without your glasses?" he asked.

"Er, a bit. If it's close enough to me," replied Kei. "I can see where you are, but that's about it."

The water rippled gently against him as Tadashi moved. "Is this better?"

Perhaps it was the cold that made Kei brave. Possibly the logical part of his brain was numb. He said, "Come closer." He smiled as the blurriness started to give way to sharper details: the line of Tadashi's jaw, the curve of his neck, the large dark eyes. "Closer," he whispered, his heart beating so hard against his ribs that he was sure Tadashi could see it. As it was, he could see nothing but Tadashi, so close now that Kei could make out every drip of water on every eyelash.

Tadashi's legs moved slowly in the water, brushing against Kei's as he worked at keeping himself afloat. Their chests were nearly touching, and the water suddenly felt a lot warmer. "Is this close enough?" he asked, his eyes roaming over Kei's face, stopping for a fraction of a second on his mouth. That was enough for Kei.

"No," he said. Still clutching the rock, he wrapped his free arm around Tadashi and pulled him flush against his body, kissing him firmly, the intensity of feeling that had built up over the past few days pouring out of him. Tadashi was ready for the kiss, and he responded eagerly, throwing his arms around Kei and holding him tightly.

Kei couldn't get enough, and they kissed and kissed until he was lightheaded. "Tadashi," he murmured, kissing his jaw, his ear, his neck. "I can't feel my toes."

Tadashi giggled and reluctantly pulled back. "We should probably get out before we freeze to death."

Before Kei could protest that it wasn't that bad, Tadashi had hauled himself through a gap in the rocks and was collecting his clothes. With somewhat more difficulty, Kei followed.

It was clear that Tadashi had been to this little glade many times. He was setting up a fire in a ring of stones by the time Kei had collected himself, and he stood there shivering in his wet underpants, wondering what he should do and feeling very awkward after their passionate kissing.

Things that had happened over the past couple of days now had a remarkable clarity, but the future was extremely muddled. He had wanted to kiss Tadashi. He still wanted to kiss Tadashi. Tadashi was apparently fine with kissing him. But… now what? Kei had never seriously kissed anyone before; his previous kissing experience had been a couple times when he had been dragged into an alcove during a ball and kissed, and those times had not been anything like this. They had been awkward and wet and rather uncomfortable. Well, this time had also been kind of awkward and wet, but the fire that had rushed through him while Tadashi was pressed against him was the polar opposite of the queasiness he had felt with those unwanted kisses. He wanted to kiss Tadashi some more. Like, lots of times. All the time. He wanted to touch him and hold him and hear him laugh and talk to him about books and count all his freckles… and he didn’t know how to make that happen.

Tadashi seemed perfectly fine and was carrying on like nothing had happened, which puzzled Kei even more. "Here," he said, reaching into the back of the caravan and handing Kei a large blanket. "Take off your wet things and wear this while they dry."

“Oh, er, okay,” said Kei, eloquently. He draped the blanket over his shoulders and contorted into uncomfortable positions in order to remove his underpants without exposing himself. Not that Tadashi was looking, he noticed moodily. Maybe he just returned the kiss because Kei was the prince. He supposed that he did have the power to make life miserable for someone who didn’t behave like he wanted or accept his affections. But he would never do that to Tadashi, and he hoped Tadashi would know that. Stupid royal blood. It made everything difficult.

With the blanket wrapped around him, he flopped onto the ground in front of the fire. The fact that he was nude under the blanket made him feel more vulnerable, and he looked rather sulky as he stared into the flames and tried to organize his chaotic thoughts.

When Tadashi came over to the fire a few moments later, Kei childishly refused to look at him. But Tadashi barely hesitated before sitting down next to Kei, his naked knee poking out of the blanket he wore and pressing against Kei’s leg. He handed Kei some more dried meat and some terribly stale bread. And then. And then he leaned his head against Kei’s shoulder.

His initial reaction was to tense up and panic-- what was he supposed to do now? But he could feel the warmth of Tadashi’s body, the motion of his jaw as he chewed the food, his damp hair tickling against the side of Kei’s neck… and he relaxed a little. Maybe he didn’t need to figure everything out right now. Maybe it was enough that Tadashi was here with him.

***

There was no rain this evening, so there was really no reason they had to share the space inside the caravan. And yet, neither brought up the idea of sleeping outdoors. It was unthinkable to Kei to not have this time of closeness in the dark. He needed it. Logic was not a factor in his decisions at the moment; maybe he’d have time for it later. But now, his body (and what part of his mind could make itself heard above the chaos in his head) was entirely gravitating towards Tadashi. By unspoken agreement, they tangled up together as soon as the lamp was put out.

Kei shifted so that he was lying fully atop Tadashi, kissing him desperately. He was quickly getting addicted to the soft breaths in his ear, the little noises Tadashi made while Kei kissed his neck and his earlobes. He loved the way Tadashi tasted, and the way their bodies melded together so perfectly.

"Mmm, we really should sleep," murmured Tadashi, though his arms were wrapped tightly around Kei’s neck.

"Just a few more minutes." And Tadashi didn't protest much when Kei's lips found his again.

It was Kei who was panting when he finally came up for air again, not that he took in much air. He immediately buried his face in Tadashi's shoulder, nuzzling at the skin under his jaw, pressing soft kisses there. "God, I can't get enough of you," he muttered. "What kind of spell have you cast on me?"

He felt Tadashi go rigid beneath him, and he pulled back slightly to look at his face.

"I would never do such a thing," said Tadashi, softly but heatedly. He gave Kei a shove and rolled over as far as he could on the small pallet, his back to Kei.

Damn. Kei stared at him in shock, trying to catch up to the sudden change in atmosphere. One second they had been quite happily kissing, and now there was a wall between them. The wall was invisible, but it was there all the same. And it was clear that if Kei wanted to get to the other side of the wall, he'd be the one who had to climb.

He wasn't sure why his stupid joke had affected Tadashi so much, but it didn't really matter. It had, and he had to fix it. It was strange to think that a few days ago, he had been without Tadashi, but now that he had experienced being with him, he couldn't go back to being alone. Not without trying, at least. And he wanted to try.

Tadashi was important to him, and even more than getting back to that cozy atmosphere with all the kissing, he wanted to find out what it was that was upsetting Tadashi and take it away. He didn’t like the feeling of being someone who hurt Tadashi, and he was annoyed at himself for messing up this amazing thing he had discovered. What if Tadashi decided he wasn’t worth it? He had to prove that he was worth it and that he would do better in the future.

This was a new problem for him, though. Kei had never before had someone he cared to fight for, aside from his family, and they were all stuck together anyway, so it was less urgent to him to clear up grudges. Besides, it was usually his brother or his parents who extended the first olive branches of apology, and then he latched on, and they all apologized and were forgiven. He wasn't sure how to make the first move.

He lay there thinking for a long time, turning over possibilities in his head and then rejecting them. Finally, he decided to just be honest and keep it simple. He hoped Tadashi was still awake.

Reaching out, he gently touched Tadashi's arm. "Tadashi… I'm sorry." He paused a moment, fingers stroking the soft skin. "I-- it was a stupid joke. I didn't mean it, and I didn't mean to upset you."

There was silence for a few minutes, and Kei withdrew his arm, thinking that Tadashi must have been asleep after all. "It's… it's not your fault," said Tadashi softly, still facing away from Kei. "I probably overreacted, but… it just brought up some bad memories for me."

He reached out again and rested his hand against Tadashi's back, trying to silently convey that he was listening. It was still several minutes before Tadashi continued.

"It’s really stupid,” he began, with what sounded like half a laugh and half a sob. “I had a lot of freckles when I was younger, more than I have now, actually, and I was teased a lot. That-- that's part of why I hide them now. Because I can. I couldn't do anything then, and… and when I first started learning magic..." He paused, breathing heavily. "That's what they told me. That the only way I'd find someone to love me is if I cast a spell on them."

Kei sucked in a sharp breath, wounded on Tadashi's behalf. He didn't think this time, just acted. Scooting forward, he curled up behind Tadashi, wrapping his arms around him. "Tadashi, that's horrible. You're beautiful. Even with your freckles. Especially with your freckles. And I can see that even with my poor eyesight, so others definitely can. You'd never have to cast a spell to make people love you. I… I just said that because… well… that's kind of how I feel. I… I've never felt like this with anyone before, and suddenly I'm doing things and saying things and-- and kissing you like I'll die if I stop, and it feels like I'm under a spell. But it's not magic. It's you. You're the magic. Everything about you, everything you are. I--" His breath caught, and he stopped himself before rushing into saying something without fully considering it. "I like you so much, Tadashi."

He could feel Tadashi's shuddering breaths during his earnest confession, and now his hand was pulled up and pressed over Tadashi's chest, so that he could feel the pounding of his heart. "I like you, too, Kei," Tadashi whispered.

Kei pressed his lips chastely to Tadashi’s neck and nuzzled closer, holding him tightly.

***

The morning was slow and lazy, and they stayed curled together well past sunrise. When Kei asked why they weren’t moving along, Tadashi explained that they were not very far from the flowers they needed, but that they had to wait until that night to collect them. And it had to be that particular night because the moon would be full. He explained in more detail, but the magical reasoning was lost on Kei, and he was distracted by the way Tadashi’s eyes lit up when he spoke about his craft.

There were many more kisses, and Tadashi took another dip in the cold pool. Kei declined to join him, but he was enthusiastic about helping him dry off. They lay on the grass in the glade, watching clouds pass by overhead and eating dried fruit and nuts. They spoke of anything that came into their head, sharing more memories, trying to remember old rhymes they learned as children, laughing and holding hands.

Kei demonstrated his skill in courtly dancing, marveling at the way his normal embarrassment diminished to nothing when compared to how beautiful Tadashi looked spinning around with delighted laughter. They danced until they were breathless, and once they caught their breath, they kissed it away again.

It felt like they were outside of time; they spent forever in that glade, but it was no time at all before the sun was dipping lower and Tadashi pulled him to his feet and announced that they should get going. After all, acquiring these flowers was the point of them being out here, and they couldn’t miss the magical window.

Kei was silent as he followed Tadashi through the trees, up a steep, rocky trail. The mood had definitely shifted, and his heart was heavy, weighing down his whole body. He was ashamed to admit even to himself that he had not given his brother one thought while he lay there with Tadashi, and it was a struggle to stop himself from resenting Aki for the return to serious business and reminding him that they would have to return.

They had left the horse in the clearing, which was fortunate, because the path was difficult and narrow. Kei picked his way precariously over roots and tangled vines, through jutting rocks, and trying not to look down as they climbed higher and higher. Trickling streams formed waterfalls over the cliff face and made the path slippery. Kei reached out multiple times to steady Tadashi, feeling as though his heart was going to jump out of his chest any time he saw Tadashi slip. "Please be careful," he said.

"We're almost there," Tadashi replied, throwing a smile over his shoulder.

The trees were thinned out this high on the mountain, and the two men hoisted themselves up over a ledge and onto a plateau. Small shrubbery and wildflowers were growing in every nook and cranny. Tadashi took Kei's hand and led him over to a little alcove in the wall of the cliff, and in the shadows, Kei could see delicate pale purple flowers growing. "Those?" he asked.

Tadashi nodded. "They're what we call dreamflower." They didn't look very special, and Kei was kind of doubtful, but he reached out to collect them-- except Tadashi grabbed his hand. "Not yet! They have to be picked in the right conditions!"

Kei stared at him. "Are you sure this will work?"

"No," replied Tadashi, looking surprised. "I told you that before we started. But this is the best chance we have." He slid his hand down Kei's arm and laced their fingers together. "Trust me?"

"I do," said Kei immediately, squeezing Tadashi's hand.

Tadashi pulled him in closer, and their lips met in a slow, tender kiss.

"Okay," mumbled Kei against Tadashi's mouth. "So you tell me when the conditions are right."

Nodding, Tadashi kissed him again. "We have a little time. We have to wait until moonrise."

"Hmm. Whatever shall we do with ourselves til then?" He loved the way Tadashi's neck shivered against his mouth when he giggled. And he had to kiss him some more until the giggles turned into soft sighs. While it was tempting to spend the whole time making out, it was probably not very responsible. If they got too carried away, they might miss the right time to collect the flowers, and that could be disastrous for his brother.

Kei settled down on the ground, pulling Tadashi back against his chest; his long legs bracketed Tadashi's, and his shoulder was the perfect place for Tadashi to rest his head. They watched the sky melt from blue to purple and pink and orange in a spectacular sunset, and as the colors faded into night, it was easy to spot constellations appearing. The moon was rising, full and bright, and they watched it illuminate the kingdom spread out below them.

Well, Kei watched it illuminate Tadashi. Tadashi was looking up at the sky, moonbeams bathing his cheeks in pale luminescence, freckles spread out like stolen constellations. He had a soft smile on his face, and maybe he sensed Kei watching him because he turned and met his gaze. "When I was little," he began, his voice slow and melodic, "I thought the moon was lonely up in the sky. The stars had plenty of friends because there are so many of them. But there's only one moon. I remember crying about it to my grandma one night, and she told me that the moon wasn't lonely. The mountain was its friend. This mountain. We could see just the top of it from our village, and the moon came to visit it almost every night. And sometimes, if you watched carefully, you could see the moon kiss the mountain."

There was a moment of silence after his story, because Kei felt like it was something he wanted to preserve in his memory. "I like that," he whispered finally, pressing a kiss to Tadashi’s cheek.

“It’s almost time,” Tadashi whispered back. They untangled their limbs and returned to the crevice where the flowers were growing. Tadashi maneuvered Kei in front of him, standing to the side of the opening in the cliff wall. His hands were warm and supportive on Kei’s shoulders. “Just wait,” he breathed.

They stood there in silence while the moonlight spread slowly, creeping closer and closer to the shadowy petals. Kei’s heart was beating fast, somewhat nervous about being involved in this magic. As the light touched the flowers, the petals gleamed silver.

“It’s ready,” murmured Tadashi, peering over Kei’s shoulder. “But you’re not. You have to fill yourself with your desire to help your brother. Forget everything else.” Tadashi’s voice was melodic, hypnotic. “Bring up your memories of him when you were younger. Think of how he was always there for you. How he was always your friend. Think of how hard he works to be a good prince. Think of how much you love him. Think of how much you need to help him.”

Kei’s eyes were closed as he let Tadashi’s words roll over him, through him, wrap around him, and he let them carry him along the tide. He let his mind follow Tadashi, bringing up images of Akiteru: smiling at him excitedly when they saw the winter decorations being put up, handing him an extra fruit tart that he had swiped from the kitchen especially for Kei, studying hard by lamp light into the night, riding his horse around the ring in a tournament, smiling and waving to their subjects, winking at Kei while he skillfully shot down a ludicrous idea from an older council member… he had no shortage of memories; Akiteru had always been there. And Kei wanted him to always be there, even if he had to share him. He needed Aki to be well.

“Now take it,” Tadashi whispered.

Dreamily, Kei reached forward and plucked the bloom from the stem, cupping the delicate silver petals in his palm. He stood still, trance-like, staring at them, until Tadashi gently guided him back around and held up a small glass jar to receive the flower.

It took him several minutes to shake the hypnotic, magical feeling, and when he came back to himself, he was being carefully led back down the trail. Tadashi had him by the hand and was watching where he put his feet. "Let's keep going," said Tadashi, noticing he was more focused. "It'll be faster going back, because it's downhill, and the sooner we get this to Kenma, the better."

"Wait," said Kei, stopping and pulling Tadashi to a halt. "For just a minute." He kissed him softly, smoothing his hair back from his face. "Thanks for helping me with this."

Tadashi looked startled, but he smiled. "Of course."

They kept their fingers laced together until the path narrowed and forced them into single file. It was much faster, like Tadashi said, though there were some tricky places that had to be navigated carefully. When they reached the glade, they cleaned up their campsite and hitched the horse and kept going. The moon lit the path, and it was quite pleasant. They didn't talk as much as they did while traveling during the day, but the quietness was comfortable. When Tadashi started to stumble, Kei made him take a nap in the wagon. He could follow the path on his own for a while.

After sunrise, he pulled the wagon off to the side of the path, put the horse on a long lead, and crawled in the back with Tadashi. They shared some sleepy kisses before Kei nodded off, and it had to be at least midday when he finally awoke. The wagon was moving, and he stumbled out of it to find Tadashi leading the horse. He looked a lot perkier than Kei felt, but he looked like he had been awake for a while.

“Good morning, sunshine,” giggled Tadashi, looking at his hair. It was probably a wild tangle of curls, but Kei didn’t care. He yawned and dropped his face into the crook of Tadashi’s neck. “Maybe we should stop here and eat,” said Tadashi, kissing the side of Kei’s face. “But then we have to keep moving, okay?”

***

It was nearly dark when Tadashi knocked on the door of Kenma's odd little cottage. There was no reply.

"Perhaps he's out?" suggested Tadashi, looking uncertain.

"Out where? The local witch hangout? The lights are on," protested Kei, pointing at the windows, where light was indeed visible behind the curtains. "Maybe he's down in the cellar and didn't hear the knock. He banged on the door loudly. "If he doesn't answer this time, I say we just walk in. That's what we did last time, right?"

But there were footsteps, and Kenma appeared at the door, looking rather disheveled. He wore an oversized shirt that hung low off his shoulder, revealing pale, jutting collarbones, and reached nearly to his knees. He looked somewhat cross, but it was difficult to tell with Kenma. He always looked kind of cross, in Kei's opinion.

"Oh, Kenma," chirped Tadashi, cheerful as ever. "I'm sorry we're barging in so late, but we're trying to make haste. We've got the dreamflower." He held out the bundle containing the precious petals. "Have you got the other materials?"

Kenma sighed slightly, but opened the door wider and gestured Tadashi towards the cellar door. "Come on then."

Kei was left standing in the doorway, unsure as to whether he should follow or wait. He waited too long to follow, so he supposed he was stuck waiting. Until a loud voice shouted from one of the other rooms:

"Oi, Kenma! Can you even walk?"

Kei poked his head into the kitchen, and then, finding no one, wandered a bit farther. "Oh, God," he said, immediately stepping back out of the bedroom. There was a tall, very nude man lounging on the lofted bed. It was obvious that he and Kenma had been… in the middle of something. When he peeked back around the doorframe, the man, who had definitely seen him wander in, had made no move to cover himself. "Have you no sense of decency?" he asked, annoyed. Annoyed was his default reaction if he was taken by surprise.

"Me? Mate, I live here. I can be indecent in my own home if I like. You just invited yourself in. So which of us is really out of bounds here?"

Kei looked at the beams of the ceiling to avoid looking at anything else. That was true, and he couldn’t really refute it. But if he lived here… "Ah, you'd be the cat then?"

"That's me." The smirk on the man's face was distinctly feline. "Though I'm more usually in this form. I'm Kuroo."

"You'll forgive me if I don't shake your hand," said Kei, drily. "Kenma left the door open. I'm only waiting until he and Tadashi finish-- look, would you put on some trousers?!"

"Nah, Kenma'll be mad if he has to undress me again. Why're you so bothered?" he asked, his voice slow and lazy. "See something you like then?"

Deliberately, and with the coldest expression he could summon (which was quite cold indeed), he met the man's eyes. "I've seen better."

"Ah, your little plant witch?" continued the Kuroo, unperturbed by Kei's frigid stare. "How's that going then?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business."

"Hit a few snags then?" Kuroo stretched his arms over his head in a lazy gesture. "Look I'll give you some free advice. Don't give up on your little plant witch. And don't mess it up. In my experience, witches are generous lovers but not so generous with forgiveness."

Kei stared at him. "I'm sorry but I don't think I need advice from someone who gets turned into a cat when his boyfriend gets annoyed."

Laughing heartily, Kuroo propped his head up on an elbow. "He doesn't! Kenma just said that as a joke. We were just doing a little magical experiment. He is a research witch, you know."

"Ugh. I don't want to know anything more."

"Oh, we do all kinds of experiments," continued Kuroo, suggestively.

"Kuro," scolded Kenma, coming into the room. "Stop annoying people." He reached a hand up towards the bed and firmly gripped the hand Kuroo extended. He looked at Kei with a sense of territoriality. The 'mine' was unspoken, but clear. "Tadashi's waiting for you. He has the antidote."

"Then I'll be going." He turned to leave, but hesitated and looked over his shoulder. "Thank you. Kenma."

Kenma nodded once and then turned away, so Kei made his way back through the house towards Tadashi. The couple's banter was still clearly audible behind him.

"Awww, is little Kenma embarrassed?"

"Shut up, Kuro."

"Come here, you."

Kei shut the door firmly and pulled Tadashi away from it. "Let's go a little bit farther before we make camp," he suggested. He'd rather be out of earshot.

***

They had to stop for the night, though they did move along away from Kenma and Kuroo’s home. They had only napped the night before, and the antidote was stable enough to be less rushed. And perhaps there was also the desire to spend one more night together that subconsciously prompted them to make camp.

Despite his exhaustion, there was a desperation in the way Kei’s hands roamed Tadashi’s back, trying to map his body into memory. He felt like their time together was almost at an end, and there were so many things he didn’t know about Tadashi. He needed to memorize the way his breath sounded, how broad his shoulders were, the little knobs of his spine, the dimples below his hipbones, the taste of his lips, the flutter of his eyelashes when Kei kissed his neck… the list was endless. His fingers dug into Tadashi’s hips, trying to hold him closer.

Tadashi pulled back, his hand on Kei’s chest. “Wait, Kei. Slow down.” He was sitting on Kei’s lap, his knees on either side of him, and things were progressing rather quickly. He tilted his head to try and catch a glimpse of Kei’s face in the muted moonlight. “Are you okay?” he asked, carding gentle fingers through Kei’s blond hair.

Leaning forward and resting his head against Tadashi’s shoulder, he pried his fingers away from Tadashi’s hips and wrapped his arms around him in a hug. “Tadashi,” he murmured, enjoying the soft petting, letting it soothe him. “What happens next?”

Tadashi’s hand stilled abruptly. “Um,” he said, after a moment, “in what sense?”

“What?” Kei sat up to look at him.

“Like…” He made a vague gesture between them, kind of a circle over where their pelvises were not quite touching. “Here? Or… out there?”

“Oh, God, out there,” replied Kei, glad of the darkness that hid his ferocious blush. “With us, I mean.”

Slumping back against him, Tadashi sighed. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Obviously, we have to get this cure back to your brother and make sure that it works. But, um…” He paused for a moment, and then his gentle voice spoke the words that speared Kei in the chest. “We have very different lives.”

“Yeah,” he whispered, unable to get anything else out past the lump in his throat.

Tadashi kissed his ear and nuzzled into his neck. “Let’s not make any promises,” he suggested, almost certainly unaware that Kei was prepared to promise him the world if he asked for it. “Seeing the future is not my area of expertise, but…” He trailed off, and Kei’s heart leapt in hope. “I don’t want to give you up,” he whispered.

“You don’t have to!” Kei’s whisper was fierce, and so was his kiss, clinging tightly to Tadashi and taking heart in the return embrace. “You don’t know you’ll have to! You can’t see the future, you just said.”

“I know,” said Tadashi, somewhat breathless from the kiss. “But I… well, let’s not make any promises, okay? Then it’ll be easier either way, right?”

“Okay,” he said. He could feel the misery in Tadashi’s body, could feel that there was something he was leaving unsaid, but he didn’t want to push him any more at this point. He felt very protective of Tadashi, and without letting him go, loosened his embrace to something less desperate and more tender.

They stayed like that for a while, neither speaking, just holding each other and occasionally stroking each other’s hair or back or shoulders, reassuring themselves that the other was there with them. Kei was getting drowsy, and Tadashi kept jerking awake against him, so he shifted, encouraging Tadashi to move with him, until they were lying down. Tadashi fit perfectly against him, their bodies curled together, and he pressed several kisses against the back of Tadashi’s neck and shoulders. “Sleep,” he urged. “I’ve got you.”

They slept.

***

Somehow, probably because he wanted the last part of the trip to last forever, they reached Tadashi’s cottage in no time at all. Fortunately, Yachi didn’t seem to be there, so it was just the two of them. Kei dragged his feet in re-saddling the horse, not willing to part with Tadashi just yet. There was a small part of him that felt guilty in purposefully delaying and not getting the cure to his brother as fast as possible, but it was squashed by the larger part of him that was afraid that Tadashi might disappear if he left the clearing.

But no matter how slow he went, he couldn’t put it off forever. The horse was ready, and the cure was ready and secure in one of the saddlebags. Tadashi stood in front of him, looking like he was barely restraining himself from jumping into Kei’s arms. Hesitantly, he reached out and straightened Kei’s collar, smoothing his hand down his chest. “Good luck,” he said.

“Thanks,” replied Kei, hoarsely. “I… I guess I should…”

“Yeah.”

Kei turned and started leading his horse towards the dark path that led back to the city walls and the castle. He had only taken a few steps when he stopped, dropped the reins, and ran back to pull Tadashi into a deep kiss. “I’ll be back,” he said, kissing Tadashi again and again. “Soon. I promise.” With one last kiss, he wrenched himself away and mounted his horse.

Then he was gone.

***

Of course they heard about the miraculous recovery of Prince Akiteru, though no credit was given to Tadashi directly. It was rumored that a ‘magician healed him with an expensive potion’, which was probably close enough to the truth. Tadashi didn’t care about the credit, anyway, but… what he did care about was Kei, and he hadn’t seen Kei since they parted. He had even shown up to the city and joined the crowd to watch the Crown Prince paraded through the streets, just in case the younger prince was with him.

He was not.

It had been days. The days turned into a week. And then two weeks.

Tadashi was angrily slicing apples in their kitchen and complaining to Yachi about it. “See, this is why I didn’t want to have any promises,” he grumped. He had obviously told her all about it. "Because I wouldn't be expecting anything. But now he had to go and promise, and where is he?" A piece of apple flew across the room and was pounced upon by a crow.

"Be careful, Tadashi," scolded Yachi. "You're going to cut a finger off or something!" She took the slices of apples from him and added them to a large bowl. Her hands hovered over the bowl for a moment, and her eyes closed in concentration as she removed the negative energy from them. The last thing she wanted was to give people Tadashi's anger. Opening a jar of spices, she ventured. "He's probably just busy with… royal things. I don't know. But I did hear that they're working hard to prepare things for the royal wedding right now. They moved it forward so that it's all secured, in case someone tries to do something again. I don't think they've found out who did the poisoning." She turned to see Tadashi slumped at the kitchen table, his head in his hands. "Oh, Tadashi, I'm sure he just hasn't been able to get away."

"Or he's decided he has better options than a commoner like me," mumbled Tadashi.

Yachi hugged him. "If that's the case then he's definitely stupid," she stated firmly. "And I don't think you'd go for someone as dumb as that, so there has to be a better explanation."

"Hmph." He went back to depressively tracing the woodgrain on the table (and inadvertently causing new little green shoots to sprout), and Yachi continued working on her pies.

The pies had just been taken out of the oven and were cooling on the windowsill when there was a knock on the door. Tadashi sat up in a panic, and Yachi looked at him to see if he wanted to answer it. He shook his head frantically, so she went.

He heard some murmuring and rapidly tried to tidy his hair, in case Kei was about to walk into the room. He eagerly looked past Yachi when she came back, unable to wait to catch a glimpse of him, but… she was alone. There was a sharp ache in his chest when he realized Kei hadn't come after all, and he couldn't stop the tears from welling. "It… it wasn't--?"

"It was a delivery," said Yachi, placing a package down on the table. "For you."

Through somewhat blurry vision, he could see the gilt edging of the envelope attached to the package. His name was written in elegant script on the front. Blinking and wiping away the wetness on his cheeks, he pulled it towards him. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to go for the package first. He carefully tore the paper away, and he stared down at the book. It was beautiful, with a thick leather cover and embossed constellations, and obviously expensive. It was also familiar, though he had never seen it; it was the book Kei had told him about as they walked through the woods.

His hands were shaking when he picked up the envelope. He tried not to let himself hope that this meant Kei was still thinking of him, because even a tiny bit of hope was excruciating when it died. Maybe the book was a farewell present, a 'thank you' for helping his brother. The parchment of the envelope was thick, and it took some effort to break the seal. He pulled out a thin piece of paper and a heavy card. The card was an invitation to the royal wedding--an honor, but an anonymous one. There was no personalization to it, though he did note that it included both himself and Yachi.

The piece of paper, though, was light and written in a quick hand, very different from the careful calligraphy of the invitation. It was a short note, and Tadashi's pulse quickened when he glanced down and saw the signature.

Tadashi,
I'm sorry I haven't been back to see you. I've been dragged into this wedding planning nonsense. I know that's no excuse and I understand if you're angry with me for not keeping my promise, but please come to the wedding. I miss you.
Yours,
Kei

He had to read it several times, because his eyes kept jumping down to the word 'yours' and the phrase 'I miss you', and it took a while for the rest of the meaning to settle into his mind. With a gasping, sobbing laugh, he looked up at Yachi, who was waiting in inpatient anticipation to hear the verdict. "He misses me," declared Tadashi. "And we're invited to the wedding."

Yachi squealed and jumped at him, squeezing him in happiness. "I knew it," she exclaimed. They laughed and hugged some more, until Tadashi suddenly stiffened as a thought struck him.

"Oh, God, what am I going to wear?!"