Disclaimer: I do not own Magi.
Note:
... = a break between two times
A Story that is Neither Yours nor Mine
Chapter 1: Paralelling, Coinciding
Against the cloudlessly clear sky was a sea of profusely blooming pale red, dancing fragrant petals, and lush green grass stretching toward the thick forest and high moutain ahead.
...
"So, here is Gai's famous Plum Blossom Hill Village. Beautiful. Very beautiful indeed."
...
"Your Highness, the table has been set."
"Tell them don't wait for me and start eating first. I'll go join in a moment and, no, I don't need you or anyone following. Also, out here, we're normal people, so, what did I tell you about bowing and addressing me, hmm?"
A moment of hesitation. Then, softly, with a note of awkwardness and embarrassment, the young man murmured. "Hakuyuu...onii...san."
Hakuyuu smiled and turned to ruffle his cousin's hair affectionately.
"Very good," he said and pushed at the grimacing Kouen's back, urging him to the general direction of where everyone should be. "Go now. And tell them, especially Hakuren, not to eat all the sweets. And no one touches my ginger milk custard - make sure you guard it well for me."
...
An absent smile on his mouth, he strolled down one rough path, admiring the scenary around, drinking in the sight, scent and sound of glorious spring blessed upon this land.
"I should've brought some sake for this..." he sighed and stroked the jade flute regretfully.
"Meow..."
...
Hakuyuu blinked. "Now, where could you have come from?"
It couldn't be just an ordinary strayed cat if the fine red silk and silver bell was any indication at all. Other than Ren Koutoku, there was no other nobles around, so most likely this black cat belonged to one of his...ladies?
The animal meowed again and, in a way that only felines could do, sidled toward him, and rubbed its soft body to his legs.
He didn't like nor dislike animals in particular but when it looked up at him with those large amber eyes, he found himself smiling a little and even bending down to scratch its neck.
The cat let out low happy purrs.
Hakuyuu chuckled and was thinking of taking it back with him to find the owner when it turned around and, suddenly, ran away.
"Wait!"
...
"...Should be around here somewhere."
Looking left and right, up and down, and he still couldn't find where the sound came from. He was close, he knew, but he couldn't quite tell which direction in this thicket precisely...
"Meow... Meowww..." came the cat's complaining meowing.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," he said and used the flute to push away some low hanging branches of chuizhimei.
They certainly had quite a collection of species here, he mused, brushing a delicate flower with one finger. I wonder if they will let me have a few of saplings...
"Meow, meow, meow!"
He sighed and let go of one particularly beautiful branch of hongmei. "But of course I'm looking for you, your highness. Very seriously so. Although, it'd help very much if you'd be so kind as to tell me on which tree exactly that you've gotten yourself stuc-"
"Here!"
He froze.
That just now was...a voice?
The absurd idea that the cat could talk flitted across his mind for a second before he noticed a spot of crimson and gold among the red blossoms of one magnificant plum tree at the far end. The branch where that spot was perching on was shaking. He went in that direction.
"See, if I get us down to that branch then we can both get down..."
The brisk walk broke into a hurried stride.
"That hurts! Hey, no biting!"
The stride became a full run. He could now hear the restless rustles of branches and blossoms moving against each other and hushed whispers of silks...
"Meow, Meow, Meow!"
"Ah, no, if you move like that...!"
Crack, crack!
Before his eyes a broken branch of red flowers was falling, and, following it, a tightly curled ball of crimson and gold.
He dove.
...
"So, that's where you are."
Under an aged blossoming white tree was the black cat with red ribbon. It glanced up at him once before going back to licking its paw.
Smiling wryly, Hakuyuu wondered as he made his way toward that little trouble of a furball why he came after it in the first place. He had come far and he was sure his sudden disappearance must have made his brothers and sister and the retainers very worried.
But since I've come all this way here already, thought Hakuyuu, eyes trained on the animal, I might just as well catch it anyway and then retur-
"Kitty, you meanie!"
He froze, and shifted his gaze up to somewhere above the cat where white flowers bloomed in thick clusters and one particular branch of blossom was quivering strangely.
"Even though-even though I was-" hiccup "-trying to h-help you-" sob "-meanie, bad cat- Ranshou... Ka Koubun, help me..."
Hakuyuu felt cold sweat forming on his palms as he quietly walked toward the tree.
Don't move, he thought, eyes fixed on the red blot among the white latching on a rather thin branch. Don't move anymore...
Crack.
The child gave a sharp cry of fright and his brisk walk became hurried stride.
"Meow..." the cat, not moving an inch, stared at him with those large amber eyes.
Crack!
"Get lost!" he shouted at that thrice-damned animal - the same time as the child's shrill scream rang out - and broke into a dead run.
Before his eyes a broken branch of white flowers was falling, and, following it, a tightly curled ball of red and white.
He dove.
...
THUD!
...
Ba-thump.
Ba-thump.
Red...flower petals were flying, scattering from above and all around them. The sun was still warm and the wind was cool and fragrant. But their times seemed to have stopped for a moment, and continued on in a pace far different from before.
...
Ba-thump.
Ba-thump.
Coral red and Jade green eyes met.
Her small hand was pressed to his beating heart; his hand...slowly reached up to brush at the trail of tears over her pale cheek.
...
It was a cold night. The trees had lost all their blooms and there was not a light of even the faintest star in the vast dark sky above.
Her bloodied hand over his heart, his bloodied hand...reached up to brush at the trail of tears over her pale cheek.
"One day...surely...we will..."
...
The stopped time which was neither his nor hers, finally, began to move again.
Despite the fact that they have got so little scene times, I love both Hakuyuu and Hakuren. I chanced to read a few cute stories of Hakuyuu and Kougyoku and thought it would have been wonderful if the brothers were still alive. Kouen, Koumei and Kouha make great brothers for Kougyoku but when Kougyoku was young and those three were at that age, they couldn't have done much to take care of her, so it's just sort of my wistful wish to see Hakuyuu helping her out and all. Of course, that'd be for the future story.
For this one, no, this isn't going to become a Hakuyuu x Kougyoku story at all. I don't intend for this to be a re-incarnation fic. As the title says, this is their story and yet not quite their story also.
Again, reviews are much, much appreciated. Thank you for reading and do look forward to the next chapter!