"Hast thou courageous fire to thaw the ice?"

-Satyre John Donne

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Hello, it's Foolish Mortal! I'm trying to get this fic into the same style as my NakauraxAmou fic The Angel but you all know how intimidating a blank sheet of paper looks when you're trying to get the first chapter of your story typed out! The Angel is written in somewhat of the same rhythm of things as the manga, chronologically speaking. Courageous Fire is more of a AU Regency setting. But many characters from the JO manga shalt be revealed! (swoosh of ominous black cloak…that, for some reason, has sunflowers stitched on it…) Who did that?!

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Mana-san interrupts, "I did it."

FM starts "What?!"

Mana-san gets starry-eyed. "B-but, it's so cute!"

FM almost explodes but then melts instantly. "Aww, who can stay mad at you? You're so adorable!" Tousles her hair. "Besides, I can just take Lafayel's black cloak."

Mana-san looks curious. "Then what is he going to wear?"

Both look down slowly at FM's black cloak. Sunflowers look back.

FM begins to cackle maniacally. "Oh, I couldn't…but I will!! Bwahahaha!"

Nakaura walks in. "What's so funny?"

Mana-san, panicking, "I don't know! She just started laughing!"

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Pairing: Focused on ItsukixKusakabe at the moment. If this isn't your thing, turn back now.

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I know you're still here…

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Seriously, turn back….well, because I said so!….fine, same to you!

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Er, what was I talking about, again?

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I was going to do an extended summary here but at the last minute, I just said, "Eh, screw it. They're smart people; they'll figure it out." My other fanfiction was entirely based on one poem but I couldn't find one for this fic so I'm just using different poems by different poets. It feels strange, after working with two or three lines of poetry per chapter with the other fic.

Disclaimer: I own neither Juvenile Orion; Aquarian Age and its characters nor do I own "Satyre" by John Donne and "A Character" by William Wordsworth. Names of towns, cities, and other uncommon names that pop up in the story are wholly mine (taken from my own original fantasy-world series) unless otherwise noted. I do not own the JO TCG character Simon Magus, Harut, Kaoru Tendou or any other TCG characters.


"Lord Naoya of family Itsuki, Faction E.G.O," the herald pronounced as a slight young man descended the broad richly carpeted stairway and into the expansive hall.

The hall itself was like an ethereal ballroom; the glowing bluish lanterns were fastened into the walls silver brackets. Huge chandeliers hung like upside-down crystallised lilies from the ceiling and delicate lacy chains of decorations decorated the walls like tiny florets. It was dark outside and the moon danced gracefully from through the tall open windows, her dainty beribboned feet pausing and stepping upon the frosted white marble tiles as the drapes belled and billowed.

I marvel how Nature could ever find space

For so many strange contrasts in one human face:

For those new at Court, there was nothing remarkable about the young lord who had just been introduced; he was wearing the same dark suit favoured by many of his peers, though perhaps his was better-tailored and more flattering that the others. Boredom was in every line of his stance, from the slope of his shoulders to the casual way he had his hands in his pockets. He was convincing except for his eyes, which were constantly moving, never settling on one thing for too long a time. Beneath that, there was a tenseness about him, as if he were not arriving at a party, but a war.

There's thought and no thought, and there's paleness and bloom

And bustle and sluggishness, pleasure and gloom.

Itsuki stopped for a moment and looked about at the company. He pulled at the collar of his shirt and hissed, looking ruefully at his hand; a tiny bloom of red was showing against the white bandage. As if on cue, the long cut on his left forearm flared and a puncture wound at his side twinged in reply. "Damn," he muttered. "Well, that's what I get for underestimating an Arayashiki."

He held the bandage firmly against his hand until the blood clotted and then feretted out a roll of medical tape from his coat pocket to secure the ravelling gauze. He didn't seem to care that he was standing in the way of several other nobles who had been announced and were now trying to enter the ballroom through the staircase he was partially blocking. To hell with it; the stairs were broad enough. Like a book opening itself, the others just divided and walked around him. Some of them whispered among themselves and turned back to glare at him. His answering grin was just a touch too insolent. He finished at his own pace, stuck his hands back in his pockets, and went hunting for the servers with the huge tea platters.

When he was doing the family's accounts or working as the assistant to one of the delegates in the Assembly, Itsuki usually had tea brought to him by one of the servants. While he worked, it sat there looking at him and patiently grew tepid, untouched and- when he finally had time to drink it- unpleasant.

One day when he had finished work early, he had boiled water in a kettle on the stove and made the tea himself. It had been…relaxing, watching steam drift up towards the ceiling while thinking of nothing at all. Patiently waiting for the tea leaves to stew. No hurry whatsoever. When he had finally sipped the tea, he didn't think anything had tasted so good. And yet…

Damn. He would have to finish the pile of papers at his desk when he returned from the party. Life wasn't fair. Sometimes it felt like he was getting the years sucked out of him. He hadn't even planned on attending the party and could have been home right now tackling the stacks of papers crowding his desk like a fortress but a good friend of his had insisted that he come. Which meant that he would be staying up late working. Again. Itsuki wished he could get more sleep. Five hours a night was good enough, usually; seven, if he was lucky. But he would need all his strength for the Shadow Game scheduled for tomorrow.

There's weakness, and strength both redundant and vain;

Itsuki was a veteran of the Shadow Games, a perpetual set of duels that pitted the best of the five factions against each other for the sport of the kingdom. Itsuki had showed up years ago at the Consortium Dome's arena and no one had wagered on him; his slight build and vagely feminine looks did not make him a favoured contestant among those who knew only tall muscular fighters. All the fighters in the gymnasium had called him Girly. But after his first time in the arena, Naoya Itsuki had accumulated more victories than any other E.G.O fighter on Shadow Game record. He was called the Jackal, for his crafty strategies and quick reflexes. Lord Itsuki the Jackal. His family was very proud.

Itsuki saw groups of people already at the party; among the laughing faces and Court favourites were other nobles like himself who fought in the Shadow Games for the thrill of victory and the honour of their families. Here, among the powers of the kingdom bureaucrats and courtiers were other powers, greater beyond imagination.

There's indifference, alike when he fails or succeeds,

"Hoy, Jackal!" Li Mei advanced upon him, arms akimbo. "Never thought you'd be beaten, did you?" she taunted, a smirk playing at her mouth.

Itsuki shrugged his shoulders. "It happens," he replied mildly.

"I suppose you thought you would never lose to a girl."

"I only saw you as an opponent, nothing more."

"A better opponent."

"You've had your moments." Li Mei glowered and he offered her a polite smile. "If you've come here to gloat, I think you're mistaken. It was a good fight today and you have exceptional ability but don't think I'm staying down after I've been hit once."

The young woman's mouth compressed. "I never thought that you would."

"Yes, you're too intelligent to think anything less; it comes with the Arayashiki beauty, I suppose."

She laughed suddenly. "Charmer! I hear from all the Court ladies about you."

"And what have they said, do tell?"

"You're friends with all of them. You give them advice, tell them about the lords they're interested in, and even correct their love letters. They say that you must be a woman in the guise of a man."

Itsuki pretended to be outraged. "Bah, I should go and threaten them a bit for that! Go on, what else do those beldams say?"

Li Mei's eyes lost some more of their frigidness. "You're the 'only young man they've met who has all the charm and elegance to court any of them but wants to be a friend instead.' That's a direct quote."

"From whom?"

"I shan't tell. Is all of that true, though?"

"Of course. So, wouldn't it be wiser to be my friend?"

Li Mei's smile faded. "But you're an opponent."

"I've been in the Shadow Games for so long, I know everyone I fight against."

The words fell from her mouth like they had been drilled in. "But animosity is the best source of inner strength and determination."

"No form of hatred is ever good, Lady Li Mei."

She shook her head and stepped away. "No, I thank you for your offer but I must decline. Excuse me." She walked away quickly, long black coils of hair coming loose from the braids gathered high on her head.

Itsuki smiled a little; she was a young fighter with only two or three years at court; it was a pity that the bad lot had fallen to her and she had been pitted up against the Jackal. He had thought she deserved a chance to fight again, and he held back more than he usually did. But then again, it was known that the Jackal's powers would mysteriously grow exhausted whenever he had to fight a promising young opponent. 'You should have been called Lord Itsuki the Just,' his mother had told him once and she had laughed as he had winced.

His sister Haruna's powers were even greater than his; she could create a shield with a blink of an eye, inflict a thousand attacks with the same effort that it took her brother to create a dozen. Still, she chose to stay out of the Shadow Games and instead lived the quiet life of a noblewoman at court. 'Because you're the ruffian of the family,' she would tell him whenever he asked her why she did not fight instead. 'It would be depriving you of what you do best.'

And attention full ten times as much as there needs;

"Naoya!" she squealed in his ear and hugged him from behind. His wounds screamed but he ignored them.

Speak of the devil.

"Haruna! I was just thinking about you; I didn't know you were coming to the party." He de-tangled her from injuries that smarted too much to bear her embrace. "You should have told me. I've been standing around by myself like an idiot, looking for someone I know."

"You know everyone," she pointed out, latching onto the uninjured arm he proffered.

"Well then, I've been looking for people I like enough to talk to," he replied as they strolled through the hall. "Care for a drink?"

"Yes, thank you."

"So would I," said Kana Itsuki on the other side. Itsuki held out his other arm and his mother took it gingerly; unlike Haruna, she had seen her son's fight that day and knew his injuries. "So, Naoya, tell me; what did you do?"

"Not even a hello or good evening, Mother? If you two are going to ambush me like this, I would like some sort of greeting maybe. Or perhaps even an apology."

"I see no need for an apology. You're the gentleman; you're supposed to inquire after us," his mother retorted good-naturedly.

"I agree," said Haruna on the other side and then, "What does she mean by 'what did you do'?"

"I'd like to know the same thing," Itsuki remarked. He detached himself from his sister and mother to steal two glasses from one of hte servers. The two fragile brimming goblets gleamed as they caught the lamplight.

"You know exactly what I mean!" his mother admonished as she accepted the drink. Taking a sip, she continued, "I saw you talking with Lady Li Mei before."

"Li Mei "The Eura" of Arayashiki?" Haruna inquired, tapping the rim of her glass with a fingernail.

"Yes," replied Itsuki. "And I didn't think it was a crime to talk to someone," he told his mother sharply.

"What made her so upset that she had to break her conversation with you and leave the party?" she demanded.

"Oh. That." Itsuki shrugged and wore his best hell-may-care grin. "I only offered to be her friend."
"She was gloating over her victory today, wasn't she?" his sister replied.

"Bitch," her mother agreed.

"Mother!" Haruna protested, her eyes wheeling around to make sure no one had overheard. Itsuki barked out a laugh.

"She's not so bad," he admitted. "She's a bit young and hot-headed. It seems a grand thing when you beat a Shadow Game champion, I suppose."

Pride where there's no envy, there's so much of joy;

And mildness, and spirit both forward and coy.

"I'll wager she's wondering why no one else is congratulating her," his mother said. "She doesn't know your reputation yet."

Itsuki pretended to look affronted. "What reputation? I was just having a bad day and ended up losing."

"Yeh," said his sister without conviction then grinned. "She'll be furious with you after she finds out you let her win." Her brother grinned back unrepentantly. She returned the smile. "So, brother, why are you here?" she continued. "All I've heard from you this week is complaints about 'how much work' you have. Work work work."

"Complaints?! I draw the line there, Haruna," he answered. "Dithered and fretted, yes. Frayed my temper, obsessed, and kept to myself, to be sure! But never complained. And what did you expect after I saw the doubled stack at my work-desk?"

"Is that why you've been so moody?" Kana said. "I thought it was because Lord Kusakabe had left for a trip for Danaan."

Lord Kaname "Erebus" of family Kusakabe, Faction Darklore. "Nothing to do with it," Itsuki replied tersely.

"Oh ho, surly, are we? Then I suppose you wouldn't be interested in knowing that he arrived only just and is planning on coming to the party?"

"Really?" Itsuki demanded and craned about to see if he caught a glimpse of dark hair or a pair of white gloved hands marked with the Darklore symbol.

"Ah, that strikes a chord, does it?" Kana remarked wryly.

"Mother, stop teasing him!" Haruna admonished.

"What can I say? I'm glad my son has at least one good friend. Better than those other watery acquaintances he's collected, anyway."

"Watery? What a peculiar way of saying it," Itsuki said. He didn't see Kaname and settled back on his heels.

"You just meet them and charm them, Naoya. You don't get any closer than that, don't try to give them any of yourself."

"Life's much easier when fewer people have less of me," her son replied.

"It doesn't do to be so suspicious, brother."

"Suspicion is second instinct in the Shadow Games."

"Liar; you just don't like getting hurt." Itsuki held up his bandaged hands to his sister and laughed. She scowled for a second but then her expression softened. No one could stay angry with Itsuki for long. "Then tell me, why are you such good friends with Lord Kusakabe?"

Her brother hesitated and thought for a long moment. "He and I have a…oh, I can't describe it! A connection, maybe? No, that's not the right word. We don't connect at all; that's the point. We just…coexist very nicely. Bah, that makes us sound like plants. Er, we just…make sense," he finished weakly. "We balance."

Kana Itsuki looked amused. "And you don't consider him -like you find your other acquaintances- a threat to you? May I ask why not?"

Itsuki laughed. "Because he is impervious to charm; believe me, I've tried." He grew thoughtful. "There's just something about him I trust."

"You thoroughly analyse us all," Haruna commented dryly.

"Have you analysed my character as well, milord?" a soft musical voice inquired.

"Greetings, Lady Pyrrha," Kana said politely. Itsuki turned around.

"Ah, hello," he said and bowed to the red-haired girl. "Lady Pyrrha of family Bremynstae. You're new at court, aren't you? I was going to call on you or talk with you at one of these parties, but I haven't. It's inexcusable. I hope you'll forgive me."

Lady Pyrrha stared for a moment and a slow blush rose to her face, pink as her gown. "Nothing to forgive, milord," she said, smiling and plying her fan gently.

"Itsuki," he replied. "Just call me Itsuki."

She blushed redder still. "Itsuki-san," she said quietly then lifted her eyes to the two women. She thought –and rightly so- that all were so similar with their pale hair and catlike eyes. Her gaze lighted on one, with a quiet considerate look and a mouth softer and kinder than Kana and Naoya's sardonic self-mocking lips.

"Are you his sister?" Pyrrha asked.

She nodded. "Haruna Itsuki. I hope we'll become friends, Lady Pyrrha." She pressed the other girl's hand warmly.

"Lady Haruna," Pyrrha said but Itsuki's sister laughed merrily.

"No no, merely Haruna-san; such high honorifics fit me like a badly tailored shirt."

"But I, on the other hand, must demand that you call me Lady Kana," said Haruna's mother in a wry imperious tone. "And when I ask you your opinion of what I say, you shall say, 'yes lady, you are right, for justly are you the queen of the skies and earth and of all that was, is, and will be.'"

Pyrrha gave her a small appreciative smile. "Lady Kana, I will most certainly," she said and Kana barked out a short laugh. The herald tapped the marble banister twice to announce guests that had recently arrived. Itsuki turned quickly, his gaze intent.

"The Lord Hideaki and Lady Ariadne of family Jyd," he said. Itsuki's shoulders sagged slightly, but he looked away disinterestedly.

"Bah, Jyd is always late," Kana remarked then added, "I think your Lord Kusakabe may have changed his plans, Naoya. All the other party guests have already arrived."

"Lord Kusakabe?" inquired Pyrrha. "Lord Kaname Kusakabe of Faction Darklore? Why, he's already here; I saw him there at the other side of the room, not two minutes before I came to talk to you."

"Is he still there?" Damn you, Kaname. It would be your style to sneak in unannounced, wouldn't it?

"I suppose he is still here, yes," she replied. Itsuki considered this and then nodded decisively.

"Lady Pyrrha, if you would please accompany me?" he asked and held out an arm. Her previous blush returned with its full ferocity and she accepted his arm self-consciously. "I'll be back," he told Kana and Haruna.

"Well, we won't be waiting for you," his mother replied sarcastically. Haruna giggled.

"Don't be so jealous, Mother," Itsuki reprimanded. "You two should take this opportunity to meet new people instead of standing around huddled by yourselves like old women."

"Old woman, am I?" Kana demanded, trying not to smile. "Go on, Naoya Itsuki; get out of my sight before I have to remove you from it myself."

"I would never have you take such pains," he replied and waved jauntily, walking away with Lady Pyrrha to find Kaname Kusakabe on other side of the room.

"Let him have his fun," Haruna said. "He doesn't get the chance to act his age otherwise."

"Neither do I and shouting at him is how I have my fun," Kana told her. "So don't meddle in it."

Haruna laughed. "As you wish, Queen of the skies."

"And of the earth," her mother reminded her.

-

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"Did you hear of the public execution that happened today?" Pyrrha inquired as they walked.

"No, I didn't. Hmph, public execution. They must have done something awful. We don't usually give capitol punishment, especially not in public like barbarians."

"Two men should have been hanged but the one who let himself be captured went to great trouble to make sure the other escaped."

"There is honour among thieves," Itsuki observed, impressed. "But I am sure they could not have been thieves; that would not have brought the death sentence upon their heads, else. Who were they? Murderers?"

"No," said Pyrrha and seemed to grow uncomfortable. "I thought you had heard of the news. I wasn't…I didn't mean to…"

Itsuki shrugged. "All the news that happens in a day doesn't reach my ear at the same time. Moreover, I'm too wrapped up in my own work to notice. Please, I would be grateful if you enlightened me. Now, what crime did they commit? You said they weren't murderers… Were they traitors to their country, then?"

"No, nothing like that. They…they were…" Her cheeks flamed. "They were lovers," she whispered and bit off her sentence as if she thought the blasphemous words would taint the air around her.

Itsuki almost stopped dead. "What?"

Pyrrha obviously didn't want to repeat it again; the words seemed to embarrass her. "They were lovers. They were hanged for-" she turned her dark eyes to the ceiling, trying to remember what the magistrate in the square had said. "-for corrupting each other, sinning against the code of inherent morals, and sullying the very fabric with which love is wrought."

"But people who commit adultery could be charged with sinning against the code of inherent morals. Husbands who beat their wives could be charged with sullying the essence of love."

Pyrrha shook her head. "I don't think you understand, Itsuki-san. This is…different." She trailed off. Itsuki scowled.

I don't understand why it's different; many times after a man and a woman are bound together for life, horrible things happen to their marriage. Abuse, infidelity, they even stop loving each other, sometimes. And yet…and yet…he sent his lover away so that only one of them would be hanged. They were sentenced to death because of love…because of who they were. They were both men. And they loved each other. Those were their only 'crimes.' Something that was not in their power to decide or control.

For a moment, he missed having his mother with him; she would have had some choice words.

Pyrrha saw Itsuki's face and nudged him. When he looked up, she smiled cheerfully. "Don't worry about it, Itsuki-san. They were just commoners; we're all nobility here. We have better blood than that. This corruption will soon be dealt with and eradicated. It won't spread to us."

Itsuki smiled at her courteously but his emotions shifted beneath his eyes like murk swirls in a pool newly disturbed.

They came upon a group of people laughing over some anecdote; they turned and greeted Pyrrha with a "Ho!" and a "Welcome!" with a few "I see she beat you up impressively, Jackal" directed at Itsuki. But they were only teasing him, for all of them had been at court for a while and knew his reputation.

There's freedom, and sometimes a diffident stare

Of shame scarcely seeming to know that she's there,

Itsuki smiled absently but his mind wasn't on them; as the circle of nobles broke apart to include them, he saw a serious-looking Darklore standing between two other men, who were laughing loudly and trying to get him engaged in their conversation. The Darklore did not move, did not pay attention to them; he only stared coolly at the floor, his hands in the pockets of his dark jacket, and his expression unreadable.

"So, tell us, Kusakabe," said one of the men, who was called Proteus. "If you could have your pick of any of the ladies at court, who would you choose?"

"I'd choose Lady Chie," said his friend, who was on the other side of Kusakabe. "She's so lovely and delicate. Like a porcelain doll."

"Eh, that's not my type, Jin," Proteus replied. "Now Lady Satsu, she's someone I could really go for. She's so…" he sketched an hour-glass figure in the air with his hands.

"I'll have you know, Jin-san, that your porcelain doll wakes up every day at four to go to the soldier's gymnasium to practice with her naginata," Itsuki said. "And as for you," he said to Proteus. "I wouldn't take my chances with Lady Satsu; she thinks you're an idiot."

General laughter followed this. "We all think he's an idiot," said Simon Magus and the group laughed again.

"An idiot, yes," said Proteus, sighing and placing his hand on his heart. "Witless with love."

"Or just generally witless," drawled Harut. He was an Eraser and had his faction competed, their powers would have killed their opponents and posed a serious danger to spectators and royal property. Therefore, no Erasers were permitted to enter the tournament but they were eagerly called upon as judges.

"Itsuki, look now! You've played me as the fool in front of everyone!" Proteus exclaimed.

"I had no hand in it; you did that all on your own, friend," Itsuki jibed, but his gaze was elsewhere. As soon as Proteus had said his name, Kusakabe had looked up from his reverie.

"Itsuki," the Darklore said quietly. To anyone else, his black eyes must have seemed blank and emotionless but the E.G.O saw surprise and secret delight, for a good friend can read one's eyes easily enough.

Itsuki smiled carelessly. "Welcome back, Kaname." If he had bothered to notice Pyrrha beside him, if he had remembered that Pyrrha was beside him, he would have seen her blush again. Yes, so he was on a first-name basis with the most feared Darklore in the Shadow Games. So what? They were friends. And it wasn't as if Kusakabe called him Naoya. It wasn't as if Itsuki wanted him to. Naoya. The only people who called him that were his mother and sister. If Kusakabe ever started using it, Itsuki didn't think he would be able to stop laughing.

Kusakabe held out his hand and as Itsuki proffered his own, he thought the Darklore might have the presence of mind to notice the bandages on his hands, retract the handshake, and bow instead.

No such luck.

His friend seized his hand and shook it firmly. The bloody scabs cracked and flared. Itsuki flinched. Gods damn it, Kaname!

"It's good to see you again, Itsuki," Kusakabe said.

"Itsuki-san," Pyrrha whispered and tapped his shoulder. Itsuki did not seem to hear her. "I don't doubt it," he answered. "Being fawned over by Danaan ladies and forgetting all about me, I'm sure. How was your trip?"

"It was fine. Usual," Kusakabe said tersely.

"Hmph, dull and boring," Itsuki diagnosed. "What else?"

"We saw a lot of countryside. Not too many people around, even in the cities."

"Itsuki-san," Pyrrha said again, louder this time.

"Hey, Jackal, this Lady Pyrrha is addressing you; the least you could do is answer," someone reprimanded.

Itsuki nodded absently. "Because of the massive civil war, probably. It's been some time since then but they're still rebuilding. It was chaos there, before. Now, the forest seems to be taking over everything."

"Yes," Kusakabe answered. "I think I like it better now than when it was at the height of its power. I've seen pictures from before the war. Too many buildings and pollution. It's peaceful now."

"Itsuki-san, look at your hand!" Pyrrha said, unable to keep quiet any longer. Itsuki glanced towards her and looked for a moment as if he did not recognise her. Then he followed her gaze to his arm, which was still outstretched in a handshake. Blood was running across his fingers and down his wrist.

He quickly pulled away and Kusakabe did the same. Itsuki's was a mess of blood and bandages. "Damn!" he exclaimed and ripped the bandages off.

"Oh, Itsuki-san," Pyrrha cried and quickly wrapped her kerchief around his palm, knotting it securely. Itsuki clenched his hand experimentally then smiled at her.

"Thank you, Lady Pyrrha," he said and her cheeks grew warm again and she mumbled an incoherent reply. He smiled at her again and bowed gratefully; she brought her hand to her mouth to cover an embarrassed smile.

"Itsuki, the least you could do is take care of your injuries before you shake hands with people," Kaname said, looking distastefully at his red palm. Itsuki apologised and handed him his handkerchief. The Darklore cleaned up the blood efficiently then folded the cloth and put it in his pocket. "I'll return it when it's been washed."

The music from the consort started again and many groups around them separated into pairs and began to dance. One of the ladies from another group came to Itsuki and whispered something in his ear. He laughed and her cheeks grew rosy.

"Why, it's very simple," he said to her. "All you do is go up to him and ask, 'Lord Kusakabe, would you favour Lady Yomiko with dance?'"

Kusakabe scowled as Itsuki grinned at him pleadingly. "I…don't feel like dancing tonight, thank you for asking me," the Darklore replied, his voice rough.

"Oh," Lady Yomiko said and looked away, her hands clasped. Her black ringlets fell softly against her cheek.

There's virtue, the title it surely may claim,

Yet wants heaven knows what to be worthy the name.

"Bah, you don't deserve her," was Itsuki's opinion. He bowed artfully and said, "Lady Yomiko, would you perhaps favour me with a dance?" He did it in such a droll formal fashion that she giggled and the animation came back to her face.

"Yes, of course; I would be delighted," she replied and the two wheeled away. Just before they disappeared into the crowd, Itsuki looked over Lady Yomiko's shoulder and scowled at Kusakabe, who returned the sentiment. The music went on like a golden cascade and soon Itsuki and Lady Yomiko became just another pair in an ocean of dancers.

-

"Why the hell did you do that, Kaname?" the E.G.O shouted kicked the water viciously. The party was over and Itsuki and Kusakabe had retreated to the Consortium Dome's woodland grounds. This was a favourite place of theirs. A gnarled knotted up tree grew hunched over the grassy slope like an old woman, sending dark green leaves spinning into the water like little sailboats. The lake connected to a small stream with a wide footbridge arching across it further on in the orchards. The moonlight bleached Itsuki's shirt an unearthly white. His abandoned jacket was slung carelessly on a tree branch and his black trousers were rolled up to the knee. He sat by the shore, trailing his tired feet in the lake's cool illuminated depths.

"I mean, after she gathered up the courage to ask you to dance, you just turn her down?" He splashed his friend, who stood some distance away- his feet dry, his jacket buttoned, and his dignity intact. Kusakabe was the only one of the two that cared about things like that. Itsuki had consigned dignity to the devil a long time ago.

Itsuki belatedly remembered he had used the wrong hand to splash him and saw pink already spotting the sodden kerchief. Kusakabe crouched beside him.

"That's what you get for being so impulsive," he scolded. "Let me see that." He carefully unwrapped the bandage and inspected the wound.

"It'll heal," Itsuki said indifferently and washed his hand in the lake, letting the blood script unintelligible curlicues upon the water. Kusakabe soaked the lacy handkerchief and wrung it out. He inspected the initials stitched on the side- P. B.

"Who's is this?" he asked, folding it neatly and handing it back. Itsuki snatched it from him and crumpled it up, stuffing the sodden ball into his pocket.

"Lady Pyrrha," he said. "She's from the Bremynstae family. New at court, apparently; I just met her at the party today- but, that's not the point! The point is-" he watched light and shadow shift across his friend's face as clouds darted in front of the moon. He couldn't see his expression. "-the point is, you!" He jabbed a finger at Kusakabe. "You're so damn antisocial; I know you don't mean to do it but it makes other people feel so uncomfortable!"

The Darklore shoved the accusatory finger aside. "Keeping my own company is better than attaching myself to the kind of company you keep."

"You don't know them," Itsuki retorted hotly. He took his feet from the water and let them dry in the cool itchy grass.

"They're brainless," Kusakabe answered sharply. "Silly and lazy, and you have no business letting them attach to you like squid."

"Who are you to tell me what is my business and what isn't?" Itsuki demanded. "Just because they aren't on the same mental capacity you are doesn't mean they aren't decent people. Why, I've had more fun talking to Jin-san and his friends today than I have with our little elite circle of Shadow Game combatants in months!"

"Fun," Kusakabe said contemptuously. "They have no objectives."

"True," Itsuki agreed. "And I wouldn't be able to revert to that lifestyle if I wanted to, but they really enjoy life."

"Hmm," his friend replied doubtfully.

"And you're acting as if you never have any fun, Kaname!" Itsuki teased.

"I don't."

"Liar. You have plenty of fun arguing with me and trying to reform my ways."

"Reform you? You're incorrigible; I'm forced to go along with whatever delinquent scheme you come up with," was the reply, but it had no heat to it.

"Thus, having more fun," his friend pointed out and flopped down by the lakeshore, not caring that dirt and grass would be clinging in a mass to his hair when he sat up. "Now tell me why you really turned down Lady Yomiko." He grinned up at Kusakabe, who couldn't stand against the wry upside down smile directed at him.

"I…can't dance," he confessed. His friend stared at him for a long moment then began to laugh.

"You!"

"I knew you'd laugh."

"You can't dance!"

"And now you're going to tell me exactly why I'll never find a wife."

"You can't dance!"

"I believe that point has already been established, Itsuki!" Kusakabe snapped, already regretting bringing up the matter.

"Why don't you ask your sister to teach you?" he asked amiably.

"She's too busy with everything else. Besides, it would be strange asking her."

Itsuki had one last laugh and sat up. A wind blown flower cartwheeled past him and he snatched it up, putting the poor wilting torn thing behind his ear.

"That's it?" he demanded, grinning wickedly. "You're a klutz? A bumbler? Is that why you've broken the hearts of beautiful women everywhere?"

"I hardly think turning down one court lady is breaking the hearts of 'women everywhere.'" Kusakabe pointed out sensibly.

Itsuki waved it away. "She's just the first one to come and actually ask you. Women go for the brooding mysterious type; trust me, I'm the one who talks to them."

Kusakabe gave him a small smile. "I'm brooding and mysterious?"

"To them."

"And not to you, I suppose?"

"Naturally. I know you too well. I know that when you stay quiet and gloomy at these parties, you're actually contemplating changing into your Darklore form and killing us all."

"It's good to know you can foresee my intentions and save the lives of others, accordingly," Kusakabe replied dryly.

"It's how I always beat you when we're set against each other in the Shadow Games."

"You never beat me; it always comes out as a tie."

"One of these days," Itsuki murmured.

"Keep dreaming," Kusakabe advised. "It'll never happen. We're too evenly matched; one of us will ever win over the other."

This picture from nature may seem to depart,

Yet the Man would at once run away with your heart;

"Hmm," Itsuki replied and looked out over the lake. The moon reached out and touched the blossom behind his ear with her slender fingers; the edges of the petals became gilded with silver and light. When he turned to his friend, tines of starlight glinted from his hair. His grin had no malice. "Hey, why don't I teach you to dance?"

Kusakabe blinked. "What?"

"Yeah. I teach the court ladies; I have time to take on another pupil."

Kusakabe tried to hide a smile. "I don't think so, Itsuki. Even if I had the ability, I don't think I'd have the inclination."

"Not even if…Lady Kaoru asked you?" his friend slyly.

"Lady who?"

"You are not serious! She's only the heiress to the Tendou family fortune and the most courted woman here! And she likes you a lot."

Kusakabe snorted sceptically, then paused for a moment. "Itsuki."

"Hmm?"

"What…what do you think of…Lady Kirihara."

"She's a Mind Breaker, isn't she? Except, not like Titania; hell, Titania scares me! You know the other day she-

"-Itsuki!"

"Right, sorry. Er… she seems very nice. I think she's one of the noblewomen I could actually get to know very well and-…wait…why do you ask?"

"I…need your help." The Darklore's voice was low and uneasy. "I need help with…well, don't laugh at me about this; I know you will…and don't tell anyone else about it." Itsuki gave him a patient stare. Kusakabe sighed. "Alright. I need you to help me…court Lady Kirihara."

"What?!"

"I knew you'd laugh."

"I'm not laughing," his friend told him gravely. "Do you know her well?"

"We're childhood friends."

"Ah." Itsuki nodded sagely. "The basis for every romantic novel."

"Itsuki!"

"…are you serious about this? Do you really love her?" There was no doubt in Itsuki's voice, only curiosity. "No, don't look over there. Look me in the eyes."

Kusakabe forced himself to look into Itsuki's eyes. The cool night air died down to a heated buzzing in his ears and he felt faint. He couldn't pull his eyes away; Itsuki wouldn't let him look away.

"Yes," he said, his breath coming in too fast. When Itsuki was solemn, there was a strange electricity about him. He felt it, when they fought in the arena. A heavy drone of pure energy that threatened to wipe out the senses. He would have made a good interrogator.

Then, Itsuki smiled and Kusakabe was aware that he could feel the dusky air against his face again, could finally tear away his gaze.

"Well, we'll meet tomorrow and plan our strategy," Itsuki said and climbed to his feet. "Are you coming?"

"No, I think I'll stay here for a while."

Itsuki nodded and rescued his jacket from the clutches of the tree branch. "Well, I'll see you later then. It's good to have you back." He clambered up the bank and onto a path that vanished into a copse of trees.

Kusakabe's eyes caught a gleam of white and looked beside him to find the small white blossom Itsuki had snatched up. Carefully, the Darklore tucked it into one of the buttonholes of his jacket and turned to watch his friend's dark figure melt into the shadows of the woodland.

And I for five centuries right gladly would be

Such an odd such a kind happy creature as he.


Names, names, names…oh, where do I begin?

-

Well, my first original character is an Arayashiki and I gave her a Chinese name. Li Mei means plum blossom in Chinese. So cute! Her Shadow Arena nicknames is "The Eura" because in Latin, the east wind is called Eurus. The feminine form of that is, Eura. I don't think it's pronounced [YOO-rah]. Going with my Latin stuff, I think it's [EH-ooh-rah]. But then again, I could be wrong and I'm basing my pronunciation on classroom Latin, verses ecclesiastical Latin.

-

Kaname-kun's Shadow Arena name is Erebus, the Greek primordial god who personified darkness; you know how the stories start out dramatically with 'in the beginning, there was chaos'? Hmm,yeah. Erebus was the son of chaos and in some legends, a part of the underworld or a synonym for Hades, god of the underworld.

-

Pyrrha, because she has red hair and in Greek, Pyrrha means 'red-haired.' Bremynstae is a noble family name in my fantasy world, Icheothera.

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Hideaki and Ariadne. Well, I have no idea what to do for AU names so I'm going to fall back on a nice blend of Japanese and Greek/Latin and random JO card game names I find in the back of the manga. Because I am a desperate geek. Jyd is another family name of Icheothera.

The Consortium Dome is the general bulk of the palace, not really a specific domed building, per se.

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Anyway, to you reviewers, hello! Hope to get to know you better!

-

A sandwich to whoever correctly guesses the symbolism of the flower Itsuki tucks behind his ear.