It was odd how similar they were—the blonde hair that was always so carefully tousled for that no-really-I-don't-care-how-I-look look, the way they had of losing their temper, and even their way of being gentle when they thought no one was paying attention.
There were times when Murata would almost forget himself in Wolfram's presence. For just a moment, he was transported far into the past to his incarnation as the first great sage, and he was with his beloved doing some mundane task that never seemed mundane when he was with the Shinou. It was just...right.
And then Wolfram would look up at him with those sparkling, questioning eyes and in his half alert state Murata might smile back more warmly than normal, but then he would notice something was wrong. Those big, beautiful eyes were off somehow. They were emotional and knowing—that hadn't changed, but there was something...
Green.
Wolfram's eyes were green like the grass in early spring. Shinou's eyes had been indigo—the deepest of blues and the warmest of violets that could flash heatedly in battle or smolder lovingly in bed.
They weren't the same. Similar, but never the same. And just like that, the moment had fallen away. Instead of the Great Sage and Shinou sharing everyday duties, they were Murata and Wolfram going through the paperwork while the others were away on various business.
"Why are you staring at me?"
"Staring?" Murata laughed lightly and flashed his patented I'm-just-a-simple-high-school-boy smile. "Sorry, I must have zoned out from all these stacks of paperwork."
"If Yuuri wasn't such a wimp he'd be here, and we wouldn't have to do this!"
Murata felt a bead of sweat drop down the side of his forehead. "Yeah, well, he doesn't really have a choice in the matter when the Shinou calls him back."
Wolfram muttered dejectedly, "You managed to stay."
"Sometimes he gives me the choice." He knew he spoke in an even tone, but the "sometimes" was so loud it rang in his ears.
"Lucky," Wolfram said disinterestedly as he grabbed yet another stack of the seemingly endless amount of work. "That wimp better get back here soon. He probably just went home to be more of a cheater."
Murata's obsidian eyes watched the blonde whose beautiful, expressive eyes were so distant. And the great sage turned teenager couldn't help thinking Shinou and Wolfram were similar in this regard too—he couldn't be with either of them.
"Yeah, lucky."