Most Precious Gem

By: Asagi Tsuki

Summary: in which Ureksa has just recovered and Sakuro is there to cheer him up

Warning: slight BL (boys' love) so don't like it, don't read it (though it could be interpreted as mere friendship, I guess). It may contain fluff or sap, but not too much

Pairing: SakuroxUreksa if it's not that clear already

Set after Parista is beaten and the tournament is won by the main character. In this story, I will use Cleru instead of Pratty

The Most Precious Gem to Me…

A pair of eyelids fluttered softly, revealing twin dark green orbs that stared right ahead, into the white ceiling of the room where the owner currently lied in. The blurry white image slowly focused as the owner blinked those eyes a few times, clearing away the sleep from them.

"You're finally awake," a calm yet deep sound sounded from beside and it seemed to echo softly in the white room, as if blending with the air in the closed room.

A young man with dual-colored hair half-closed his eyes, and turned his head so he could see who was sitting beside him—the owner of the calm yet deep voice. Who he saw there wasn't surprising him. In fact, it was soothing, in a way.

Another young man, a man with long light brown hair tied back in a low ponytail sighed softly and gently closed the book he had been reading as he waited for the young man to wake up. He then put the book on the bedside table. "Oh, that book was a present from Rumari. I'm sorry to have read it before you," he said.

The man with dual-colored hair nodded his head understandingly. It must be really boring, sitting beside someone who was out cold like a dead. He tried to get up, and nearly fell down again on the bed if not for the other man helping him up, putting his pillow behind him so he could lean on it.

"Thanks, Sakuro," the man whispered softly as he leaned on it, and looked outside of the window. The scenery was far better than the white-painted room.

Sakuro merely smiled at the sight of his best friend. "You're welcome," he said contentedly, knowing that his best friend had finally recovered enough. He had been out cold for about three days already.

The man looked at Sakuro, and though he attempted to glare at Sakuro accusingly, he could only look at him softly. "You're looking way too happy," he pointed out. He was still tired, so he didn't really mind the fact that he was saying that so softly.

"I am?" Sakuro merely asked back, the same contented smile still plastered on his face. "Aren't you just seeing things, Ureksa?" he asked again, and Ureksa merely shrugged, then looked out of the window again.

When Ureksa looked away, he smiled wistfully. He didn't think there would be a time when he would see his prideful friend looking so weak and fragile. As if just another blow from a Craftknight would hurt him so to the point of death.

"Are you thinking of something?" Ureksa asked suddenly, and Sakuro nearly jumped up from the stool he sat on. "Is it something so important that you spaced out?" he asked again, and fell silent for a while. "You never space out before."

"Really?" Sakuro asked, the smile still on his face. Ureksa wasn't supposed to know that he was thinking of him in that way. He would be very angry, and he'd have to leave Wystern as soon as Ureksa recovered if he still valued his dear life.

Ureksa stared at him blankly, and Sakuro stared back at him. They were engaged on a long staring contest, before Ureksa finally blinked, and said—or more like ordered, "Tell me, Sakuro."

"Tell you what?" Sakuro asked, trying to avoid the subject. "Ah, looks like the water in the vase needs to be changed. I'll do it now," he said as he got up and turned to get the vase.

Suddenly, long pale hands reached out to the vase and snatched it before he could get his hands on it. When the both of them looked to see who it was, they saw a woman with long blond hair.

"Sister…" Ureksa muttered.

"Rumari, I thought you went home," Sakuro said, letting his hands fall into place beside his body.

"I was going to," Rumari answered as she smiled lightly at the two men. "I'm fine now though, thanks to Cleru," she added.

"That's good…" Ureksa said as he forced a weak smile at his sister. "You seem to be doing great now."

Rumari smiled gently at him. "And thanks to you too," she said softly. "Thanks for thinking of me," she repeated to further emphasize her point. "And Tyram's fine."

Sakuro nodded in approval, and Ureksa merely smiled at her weakly, nodding.

"Well, I'll go change the water then," Rumari said happily as she walked over to the door, then motioned for Sakuro to come over.

Sakuro looked at Ureksa, and walked over when Ureksa nodded, and looked outside the window again. "What is it?" he asked as he bent a bit to be eye-level with Rumari.

"Take good care of my brother," Rumari said. "Only you can," she finished, and with that said and done, she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Sakuro looked at the closed door, and finally walked back to sit beside the bed silently. He was thinking of what Rumari said to him. Only he can? How come?

He merely shook his head and dismissed it when Ureksa asked him what Rumari had said to him. He was hoping Ureksa would let it slide. He wasn't expecting him to be angry instead.

"Go home," Ureksa stated coldly. "If you're not telling me anything, then go home."

Surprised was an underestimation to what he felt when he heard Ureksa said that. Was he that angry? But he couldn't possibly tell him what he was thinking.

"It was… a bit too personal," he murmured to himself. Of course he could lie to him, but Ureksa would be able to see through him. He did that plenty of times already.

Ureksa kept staring out of the window, ignoring Sakuro who was sitting beside him. Sakuro was about to get up and leave when Ureksa suddenly said something.

"Master Lubert," he started softly. "He always said that whenever I ask him what he was trying to do, or what he was thinking," he paused for a moment, as if thinking of what he should say next. "It was the reason I never knew anything he wanted from the start, and why I was still alongside him."

A pair of tentative hands reached out to him, and when he was about to turn around, Ureksa found himself embraced tightly by Sakuro.

"Sakuro?" he asked confusedly, blinking his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"You asked for this," Sakuro sighed. "Do you want to know what I was thinking that much?"

When Ureksa nodded his head determinedly, he sighed even louder. "Look, Rumari was only asking me to take care of you, and I was only thinking about how you look so… vulnerable," he paused a moment to look for the perfect word to avoid Ureksa's anger, "and that's all."

Ureksa held Sakuro at arm-length, and glared at him, though this time, it was a full-blown glare, unlike the one before that turned out to be a mere stare. "What do you mean, me looking vulnerable?" he demanded.

"See?" Sakuro asked as he walked back a few steps. "You're angry. I don't want you to be angry so I didn't tell you about it," he explained, "And maybe it applies to Master Lubert too."

Both of them fell silent for a while, until Ureksa finally nodded his head. "I… know," he said softly. "I knew what he was trying to do. I was helping him out of my own will."

Sakuro shook his head. "He didn't tell you the truth, Ureksa," he said softly, patting Ureksa's head. "Maybe he was trying to protect you by not telling you. Because he knew that even if he told you the truth, you'd still work for him anyway."

Ureksa kept silent for a moment, thinking over the fact Sakuro had said. It was true that even if Lubert had told him he was going to sell those swords to the Deigleyans, he would still work for him.

"Yeah, maybe it's better to not know some things," Ureksa said finally, sighing. "I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier," he apologized, pursing his lips.

Sakuro merely smiled and nodded. "It's even then," he said. "Ah… but, since you told me a secret, I'll tell you a secret of mine," he said, his usual smile coming back to his face.

"Your secret? You have another secret apart from the curry?" Ureksa asked, amusement clear in his expression and Sakuro had to restrain his lips and eye from twitching too much.

Even in this state of condition he was still able to be sarcastic.

"Yeah, I do," Sakuro finally said. "A long time ago, far before I met Master Shintetsu," he started his not-too-long tale, "My mother used to show me books of precious gems. She said that she'd buy me a ring with my favorite gem to give to my future-bride."

Ureksa kept silent, trying to process what Sakuro said through his light head, and finally nodded, asking him to continue what he was telling him.

"Back then, I thought that sapphires are the most beautiful. But my mother died before she even had the chance to buy me a sapphire ring," he continued, and stopped to see Ureksa's reaction. When Ureksa nodded, he continued his story. "There was the feeling of incompletion at that time, and that was why I asked to be entitled the Craftlord of Sapphire."

Ureksa nodded slightly. "I see, so it was the story behind your title?" he asked, and Sakuro nodded. "Too bad I only took this title from my sister, so there's no story behind the title."

Sakuro smiled his usual smile at him. "It wasn't my secret though," he said, and Ureksa frowned. "Lately, I no longer think that sapphires are the most beautiful. I think that jades are more beautiful. Especially second-hand jades. In fact, it's so beautiful that I want to kiss it," he finished with a grin.

"Kissing… a jade?" Ureksa raised an eyebrow at Sakuro. "So… your secret is… a fetish?" he asked tentatively, not completely sure of himself. How could his friend want to make out with a jade? A second-hand jade in fact.

"Maybe you can say that," Sakuro answered as he laughed a bit. "Remember, curiosity kills the cat. Don't be too curious," he warned jokingly.

"But… what is so special about jades? And second-hand jades even," Ureksa said, trying to figure out why would jade be so precious to Sakuro. He himself thought that sapphires are more beautiful than jades.

"Because it's beautiful," Sakuro repeated. Moments later, he himself started to frown. "Ureksa, tell me that you don't know what symbolism is."

"Err… what is that?" Ureksa asked, a bit embarrassed of himself for not knowing something like that.

"Thank Lord you don't know," Sakuro shook his head. "It's the use of something to symbolize other thing,"

"You mean, jade is only a symbolization?"

Sakuro nodded. "That's a smart boy," he said, and ducked down to dodge the hurled pillow. "Anyway, if you want to know, you have to promise that you won't kill me, whatever I do."

Ureksa looked at him, and, deciding that he wanted to know—despite Sakuro telling him that curiosity kills the cat—he approved of the request. "Fine."

Sakuro smiled, and walked over to where Ureksa was sitting.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Minutes later, when Rumari was walking back to Ureksa's room, a hurried Sakuro ran past her, almost knocking her over, followed by a big white pillow hurled at him.

In front of the room, stood a very angry and very embarrassed Ureksa.

Rumari merely smiled, and walked away from there.

Words do do wonders.

:: You owe me a kiss then ::

… is Second-hand Jade

For those who doesn't know how I format my story, the last line in those colons are the line said by Sakuro to Ureksa right after he walked over to him.

And for those who doesn't understand the last part, it's basically Sakuro telling him that the second-hand Jade is him, since he is the second Jade (the first is Rumari). And because he said that he wanted to kiss the jade, and Ureksa promised not to kill him whatever he does, he decided to do what he wanted. That is, kiss the second-hand jade.

Anyway, that's all! Hope you enjoyed it. Revisions would be coming up later, but the storyline won't change. I'll think about a sequel if this story is liked enough.

Review if you please.