The last ethereal notes of the night's performance sang sweetly in the cold air, and as they died, the audience hall roared with applause. Sakuya stood up from the piano bench, accepting with barely repressed pride and joy as he accepted their approval. The audience didn't include his father; it never had, and it never would. It was a thorn that remained in his heart even now, though Hiyoko's love and stalwart companionship diminished the would-be pain into a mere occasional ache.

He'd been prepared from the beginning to lose everything when he chose the life of a pianist. Sakuya had chosen the life of a commoner, though the noblebird blood of the Le Bels still flowed through his veins.

Sakuya took his bows and included an encore, then left backstage to await Hiyoko. Though he'd never admit it, he was excited to see her-to hear what she thought of his first public performance. True, he practiced in front of her every day, the only person around whom he'd ever felt comfortable playing the piano, but that was different. Tonight had been such a release for him; it had felt almost like he'd died and been reborn. His tailfeathers, still immaculately groomed even after taking up in Tosaka's cave with her, quivered in anticipation.

So when she bounced up to him with another fantail, that fantail, in tow, Sakuya couldn't keep his feathers from fluffing in indignation.

"What," he demanded icily, "are you doing here?"

"Salutations to you too, little brother," Yuuya replied, his good cheer undaunted, as he held out a bouquet of fragrant white flowers. Spotting the way Sakuya eyed them, he added, "Mock-orange blossoms. Despite the name, they've got an entirely different meaning, I assure you. But never mind that - surely it's no surprise that I'd want to congratulate you for a successful performance?"

"Yuuya helped me get backstage!" Hiyoko chirped. "Everybirdie loved you so much they practically wept enough tears to fill the River Styx when you left the stage! I thought I'd have to go kayaking to get through!"

Sakuya ruffled his feathers again, but this time for a different reason. "...Well. Everybirdie, you say?"

"Yup! Everybirdie! Oh! That means everybirdie from class showed up too-well, almost everybirdie. The Doctor didn't come, and neither could Nageki, obviously. Me and Yuuya went on ahead; they're still trying to swim this way. Okosan's a little confused, I think, he was running every which way on top of the crowd to help Ryouta and Mister Nanaki, and Anghel was getting excited so I don't think that's going to help either... Gosh, you'd probably better leave before there's a hallucination-induced riot. I'll charge into battle twirling my blood-stained axe high over my head, save our friends, and hold them off." And to top it off, she gave him a double thumbs-up. "Great show, Sakuya!"

Yuuya laughed at the look on his brother's face. "Oui, congratulations on a smashing debut! Now are you going to accept this bouquet or not?"

"Why would I accept anything from you?" Sakuya sniffed. "Tosaka, that isn't necessary; let's let the guards handle security." He hadn't invited Yuuya, and though perhaps they were on the same level now in terms of social class, pride and the news of a potential riot kept him from forgetting their mixed past. He'd spent an entire lifetime hating him for his tainted blood, and that couldn't just change on a ten-yen coin. Except -

"Gosh, Sakuya, stop being a jerk and just take the flowers!" Hiyoko declared, planting her fists on her hips. "Yuuya said he made time just to see your first concert, you know! Enough with the tsun and make with the dere!"

"Ahh, I appreciate the kind thought, mon amie, but you don't really need to go that far," Yuuya protested airily, waving a wing. "But it would be a shame to let these beautiful flowers wither unfulfilled, so allow me to gift them unto you instead, my dear Hiyoko."

"No you shall not!" Sakuya counter-protested, all but grabbing the bouquet of mock-oranges out of his half-brother's wings. Oddly, Yuuya seemed satisfied if not happy about it, which just irritated the younger dove even more. "If you're quite done here, then I must ask you to leave! You're busy, aren't you?!"

Yuuya shrugged. "I managed to squeak into college and I'm on top of my course load, along with my... other duties. I'll survive if I stay a few moments longer, non?"

A loud THUD and the roar of the crowd outside made a pointed counter-argument. Sakuya jumped almost three feet.

"Ye gods! Have Higure's delusions affected those commoners so thoroughly?!"

"You're a commoner too, now," Hiyoko pointed out, making Sakuya flinch, "and those are your fans out there, so be nice," she added, making Sakuya flinch again. She thumped a fist on her chest. "Don't worry, you guys! Those birds are no match for my mad hunter-gatherer skills!"

"N-nonsense," the younger fantail declared, recovering. "I cannot possibly leave you to the tender mercies of that mob!"

"I have to agree, mon amie," Yuuya added, extending his wings in a placating gesture. "As a gentlebird, I can't let a delicate maiden put herself in danger. You take Sakuya and go on ahead; I'll -"

"- hold them off! No! No fair monopolizing the cool lines!" Hiyoko interrupted, stomping a foot. "I wanted to say that!" She smiled then, taking both Yuuya and Sakuya by the wings. "Besides, a delicate maiden's got to cut loose every once in a while or she'll grow dull and lazy. Now get hopping!" Without waiting for an argument, the young human turned, ripped open the door, and charged out. "NINGEN SMAAAAAASH!" she roared, crashing into the crowd and sending avians flying every which way.

Sakuya was left still holding out a wing after the human he loved, prepared to chase after her despite the insanity outside, but Yuuya grabbed him.

"A true gentlebird respects the wishes of a lady," he said solemnly before flashing him a wink. "C'mon, little brother; let's get you out of here. I'm sure Hiyoko will get everyone settled once she's calmed Anghel down."

"How could this happen at my debut?!" Sakuya half-demanded, half-wailed, as he let Yuuya pull him to the back exit. "This is a disaster!"

"Ahh, you shouldn't look at it like that. Think of it as... free publicity! And that's never a bad thing, non?"

"Only you would think of a riot as 'never a bad thing'!"

They bickered and bantered all the way outside, only stopping when Sakuya had to hold the bouquet in his beak while they flapped up to the rooftops to avoid the ground-level traffic. When he tossed it aside, barely noticing the way the elder bird winced, they peered over the edge at the crowd below. For what it was worth, it did look like it was already calming down, as a mob could only calm down after having an oversized mammal barrel through them. From the looks of them as they began to leave, it seemed like they were enthusiastic and excited, as if already anticipating the next heart-pounding concert. Sakuya didn't think so, though, and when Yuuya suggested otherwise, he almost kicked him off the roof.

The natural alternative was of course to change the subject. Or rather, it was for Yuuya, as Sakuya would have flown straight home had Yuuya not pointed out that they should at least wait to see if Hiyoko and the others were all right before leaving, now that they themselves were safe.

Though he didn't think of himself as owing Yuuya anything, especially not his life, Sakuya begrudgingly allowed him to take the lead and asked him what inane topic he wished to discuss. The topic he suggested made the younger bird immediately regret his offer.

"What concern of yours is that, Sakazaki?" he demanded icily. "You have nothing to do with the Le Bels."

"Perhaps not," Yuuya agreed, shrugging, "but they are a concern of yours, and you are a concern of mine. Of course I'd be worried about you after your father, ah, decided to re-shuffle the inheritance deck, as it were."

The thorn whose pain Hiyoko numbed dug in a little deeper, a lot sharper. "I will not discuss this with you."

"Why not?"

Yuuya's tone was gentle, and that made it that much more infuriating. To Sakuya, it sounded like he was talking down to him - him! "How dare you?" he demanded. "Do you mock me? Mock me for accepting the path of the commoners and casting off my noble blood? Or is this pity? I will not accept any of that from the likes of you!"

Yuuya's smile was just as gentle, which made the younger fantail almost burst with rage. If he said just one more thing, one more smarmy, lackadaisical, empty-headed thing, he'd -

"Sure, sure. I just thought you might want a confidant, mon frère."

- snap.

"You? A confidant?! How could you ever fulfill such a role?!" Sakuya roared, forgetting his pledge. "You couldn't possibly understand how it feels to be rejected by your own full-blood family! To have him look down on you from above, when once you were the same! To continue on in spite of that! To," and his voice hitched for half a second, "to love someone who hates you! So for once in your worthless, miserable, philandering life, be silent!"

As if granted his wish by a genie, the cool spring air rang with sudden quiet, punctuated by the sounds of active life below. Sakuya held his glare on his half-brother, who stared back mutely, before turning his back to face the crowds below with an aggravated harrumph. After a moment, Yuuya groomed his feathers for a short while, then faced the streets as well.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, very quietly. "I never wanted you to experience that pain."

Sakuya snorted.

After another stretch of city-sound silence, the older dove added, "Would you mind if I told you a story? I promise," he added before his brother could cut him off, "if you hear me out, I'll bow out graciously for the rest of the night."

The former Le Bel sighed irritably. "Very well. If it will make you leave, let's hear it."

Yuuya smiled, fluttering his wings gently and then resettling. His long neck stretched almost to the near-full moon as he gazed up at its pale yellow brilliance. He contemplated his words long enough for Sakuya to open his beak to snap at him to get on with it, and spoke just before he could.

"Once... there was this fantail dove, a lot like you or me. He lived with his mother and father, and though they were poor, they lived together happily. When he was but a year old, his mother laid an egg.

Yuuya spread his wings expansively, his scarf fluttering in the wind. "The fantail was thrilled! He couldn't wait to meet his new brother or sister. For a very brief time, everything was perfect - except then his father died."

Sakuya snorted again. "No doubt the result of one of the many vices of the poor," he remarked, but with none of the rancor he used to have.

"Sorry to say, little brother, but you guessed wrong." Yuuya settled his wings. "The fantail's father was murdered. It was carried out discreetly by a rich noblebird, because the fantail's mother had caught his eye. It turned out that not only was she a great and clever beauty, she was also the young miss of a wealthy family and had eloped with a working class bird. As soon as the fantail's father was dead, the noblebird demanded his mother's wing in marriage, and she didn't refuse. The noblebird hated her lowborn son, but he was already a full-grown chick, and one death was suspicious enough. But the egg had just been laid, so he wanted it gone. When the noblebird and the mother were wed, she gave the egg to the fantail and told him to smash it."

"What?!" Sakuya almost squawked, shocked by the twist. "That's horrible! What mother would do such a thing?! The woman doesn't deserve the name!"

"Haha... I agree that it's horrible, but you shouldn't judge her too harshly," Yuuya replied with quiet, affectionate good humor. "She couldn't defy her new husband, but she couldn't bear to smash the egg herself. Perhaps it was cruel of her to put the fantail in that position, but... well, she was also in pain. And even a young gentlebird should do whatever he can to alleviate a lady's suffering, non?"

Sakuya shot his half-brother a look of disgust, then shook his head. "I can't believe you."

Yuuya just smiled. "Well? What do you think happened next?"

"How should I know? I suppose he smashed the egg as ordered."

"Interesting. What makes you say that?"

"What do you mean, 'what'? What else could he do?"

"He could defy his instructions, hide the egg and keep it alive, which, as it so happens, was precisely what he did."

This revelation gave Sakuya pause. As much as he didn't want to play along with his half-brother's nonsense, he had to admit that the story had piqued his interest. "That's foolish. There's no way he could hide the chick once it was born. He did nothing but delay the inevitable."

"Ah, mon frère, you underestimate this fantail," Yuuya teased, waggling a flight feather. "He was the very determined, motivated sort. He was also a sharp young chick; he knew that once his mother and the murderous noblebird were wed, he would have her lay a new egg for him. To provide him an heir, of course."

"Of course," Sakuya echoed before he could stop himself.

Yuuya paused then and met the younger fantail's eyes. The moonlight that softly illuminated the town began to fade as thick clouds moved to veil it. "As it so happens, you aren't the only bird who underestimated him. The noblebird did too. He never expected that the fantail would protect the egg that should have been smashed. And..."

Shadow enveloped the elder dove, obscuring his expression. "...he never expected that the fantail would covertly switch it out for the new egg.

"That he'd ensure for his precious baby brother the life of a pureblood.

"A warm bed. Warm clothes. Warm food. A good home. A good life. A life, period.

"And when the fantail had successfully replaced the noblebird's egg with his little brother's...

"He smashed the new egg."

Something cold crept up Sakuya's spine like a spider. He shuddered as if to shake it off, opened his beak to heap abuse on the star of Yuuya's little farce, and then shut it. For some reason he couldn't put his feather on, this tale began to make him uneasy. Perhaps because he'd never realized just how barbaric the lower classes could be. Yes, the former Le Bel told himself, that must be it, and then said as much.

To his surprise, Yuuya laughed. "Do you think so? Well, you may be right, little brother. The fantail still murdered a defenseless egg, no matter what his reasons were, no matter who he wanted to protect. No..." he added, as if just realizing something. "Maybe he wanted to take revenge on the noblebird - but it's not like the noblebird would ever know. Nobirdie would know. Nobirdie could know. If anybirdie found out, then his little brother wouldn't be able to live that privileged, comfortable life. Not just that; his brother would be devastated. He put a lot of stock in being pure-blooded. To find out he wasn't, well... the fantail couldn't be that cruel. He loved his brother too much. Even if his brother hated him. So only the fantail would ever know what he'd done. So perhaps it was a bit of both, non?"

A beat.

"And that's my story. What do you think?" he added lightly, still shrouded in darkness.

"What do I think?" Sakuya repeated, tone a touch shaken. Even with the skies overcast, there was enough city light that he could see the glinting of Yuuya's eyes as he watched him closely. "I... I don't know. No, it's a ridiculous story, that's what I think," he added with sudden vehemence. "Ridiculous and completely incomprehensible. What does it have to do with anything? Why would you even tell me such a banal tale, Sakazaki?"

Yuuya didn't respond at first. Then he shook his head, chuckling affectionately. "God bless you, Sakuya. You're as dense as ever."

"What is that supposed to mean?!" the younger fantail demanded, but Yuuya had already closed the gap between them and wrapped his wings around him in a hug.

"I love you, little brother. No matter what." The college student squeezed a little tighter, encouraged by the fact that even if Sakuya didn't hug him back, he didn't immediately push him away. "And I'm proud of you, too. Your performance was magnificent. You'll be the world's top pianist in no time, I'm sure of it."

"A Le Bel is always magnificent," the other dove replied automatically, then in embarrassment added, "Even if I'm not a Le Bel any longer..."

"Yeah," Yuuya said, stepping back and tousling Sakuya's head feathers kindly, "even if you're not a Le Bel."

Sakuya remained silent. His brother, as cool as ever, glanced down at the roads. They'd cleared up and calmed down significantly, and far below, he spotted a human walking out of the music hall with several other pigeons and a wobbly partridge.

"Ah, it seems mon amie has managed to complete her crowd control! She really is quite the lady. You make sure you take good care of her, eh, Sakuya?" He winked. "Though I expect it's more that she takes good care of you."

"Hmph! Tosaka and I can take of each other just fine without you nosing in!" the younger fantail snapped, beak on automatic.

"True enough, true enough. Well, you listened to my story, so it's time for me to keep my end of the bargain." Yuuya flapped his wings, warming up for more flight. "I expect you've thrown them away since you always do, but Hiyoko's got my number and my college address, so if you ever decide you'd like to pop by for a visit, feel free. I'll give you a warm welcome anytime." He winked, then took flight. "Adieu, little brother~!"

As Sakuya watched him go, the clouds rolled back away from the slightly chipped full moon. The pale light shone silver off the older fantail's back for the several seconds he remained in sight; then he dipped down in front of a large building and vanished from sight.

Sakuya kept staring at the spot where he last saw his brother. The shiver that brushed up and down his back had nothing to do with the cool early spring air. Those words -

I love you, little brother. No matter what.

- he felt like he'd heard them a long, long time ago.

Then he shook his head violently as if to whip off the raindrops of the clear night sky, plucked up that stupid bouquet, and took to flight. A few seconds later, he joined his love and his former schoolmates and teacher below, but as much as he wanted to put the conversation with Yuuya out of mind, it clung fast like ivy to a towering oak. When he and Hiyoko arrived home, he looked up the meaning of mock-oranges in the language of flowers.

One week later, a feathered fist knocked on the door of a room on the northernmost end of a certain dorm house's top floor. When Yuuya opened it, he blinked to see Sakuya scowling on the other end.

"Well, this is a surprise!" he declared, a smile blooming on his beak. "A pleasant one, of course. Come in, come in! I've got a teakettle on the stove, so if you'd like a cup of tea -"

"I have just one question for you, Sakazaki," Sakuya interrupted tersely without budging a centimeter. "That egg in the story you told me. Was it mine?"

Yuuya stared. Then he began to laugh it off. "Really, little brother, of all the craziest things... Why would you even ask that?"

"Don't play games with me! Answer the damned question!"

The playbird's smile slowly faded. His eyes never left Sakuya's, though, and after a couple of seconds, he said quietly, "Yeah, it was yours." He paused to let his brother digest that semi-casually administered bitter pill. "For real, though - why would you ask? You didn't seem to get what I was driving at before."

"Do you think me an imbecile?" Sakuya demanded, but without his old loud, high-and-mighty outrage. "As outrageous a story as it at first seemed, it took only a little contemplation to comprehend your message. You were hardly subtle."

"Ah, was I...?" Yuuya mused ruefully. "But no, I don't think you're an imbecile. Just... stuck in your ways. Surely you won't fault me that one, Sakuya." He made a show of adjusting his non-prescription spectacles. "...Though perhaps you're here to fault me anyway?"

The younger fantail averted his eyes in spite of himself. "...No."

The college student studied his brother. "I see. Ah, not the change the subject, but how are those flowers I gave you doing?"

"The mock-oranges? They're fine." Sakuya grimaced, then added as if plucking his own feathers out, "I put them in a vase with water."

Yuuya raised an eyebrow. "Really? Don't you live with Hiyoko? I understand she lives in a cave. Doesn't seem like quite the place for a vase."

"All the more reason! How am I to live in a cave, of all places, without doing something to lend it some dignity?! Out of the question!" Sakuya forced himself to settle down, then added with the stiffness of a corpse, "Tosaka tried to eat them the other day, shouting something about 'food over flowers,' but I stopped her."

Yuuya laughed. "That does sound like her. I'm happy to hear you cut her antics short, though." Deeper in his apartment, a teakettle began to scream, and he cocked his head to one side. Then he stepped out of the way and gestured inwards with calculated casualty. "Ah, non, non - this is no time or place to hold a conversation! I must return to the kitchen, I'm afraid. But since you took the trouble to come and visit, mon frère, would you like a cup of tea before you go? Just to wet your throat."

Sakuya took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "...I suppose I may as well," he replied, then crossed the threshold. "Since you offered."

Yuuya's smile as he shut the door behind him was more brilliant than the full moon on the clearest of nights.