Golden eyes roamed the crying boy before them. The owner of the golden eyes was torn between enjoing the sight of the crying boy, he was really cute when he cried and wanting to hurt the one who had made him cry. He was the only one who should be able to make the tiny blond cry. He knelt beside the boy and placed a soothing hand on the tiny shoulder. "Hey why are you crying?" The boy turned to look at him with the most beautiful hazel eyes he had ever seen, full of tears. Those eyes took a hold of him and made them their captive. The boy's bottom lip poked out and trembled as the tears continued to fall. He was utterly adorable. "Why are you crying?" The little blond pointed to the ground before him. The poor boy's lunch was laying there. Someone had taken it, threw it onto the ground and stomped on it. Anger flooded his veins. He was not one to suffer bulling to anyone but especially not to one who was so precious and young.
"Who did this?" The boy shrugged his small delicate shoulders and shook his head. The little boy drew his knees tight to his chest and hugged them tightly as he looked up at the older boy. A gentle hand reached out and cupped a soft chubby cheek. "I haven't seen you here before. Are you knew?" The boy nodded. "Is this your first day?" A again a nod. The older boy stood and held out a hand to the tiny little blond. Hesitantly the little boy took it. The walked over to the edge of the lake and settled onto the blanket that had been laid out by two other boys. One was kinda chunky, not in a fat kinda way but in build that would lend itself to large muscles one day. He towered over all the other boys already and had blond hair that was darker then the crying boy's. The other was tall as well. He was bulky as well but in far leaner way then the other boy. He wore a pair of glasses with rim that was as thin as wire.
The golden eyed boy gestured to the tiny blond. "Kei, Kazumi, this is..." The blond pointed to the little bunny shaped name tag attached to his tunic. The older boy smiled. "Kei, Kazumi, this is Takaba Akihito. Today is his first day here. He will be joining us for lunch today and everyday afterwards. Akihito this is Kirishima Kei and Suoh Kazumi. My best friends and most trusted persons." The other two boys welcomed the young blond warmly and his tiny chubby cheeks flushed a cute pink color. Never letting go of the golden eyed boy's hand, Akihito sat and took whatever was handed to him. Kei found himself grateful that his intuition had the foresight to tell him that they would need extra food today. At first Akihito was hesitant, as if he expected it to be snatched from his little hands and mouth.
A dark brow raised at the sight of the cartons of chocolate milk. None of them drank the sweet stuff. Kei simply shrugged and handed it to little Akihito. Akihito took the milk happily and drank it in no time. When Kei handed him another, the boy took it with great enthusiasm.
A tug on his hand had him looking down at the small blond. Akihito pointed at his bunny name tag then up at him. "You want to know my name?" Akihito nodded. "I am Asami Ryuichi but you can call me Ryu."
After the food was gone the boys played a few games before diving into the water. Akihito stayed to the shallows were the water went no hire then his delicate ankles. Having decided that he wanted Akihito to join them in the deeper water, Asami set about teaching the boy how to swim. Akihito giggled and splashed but didn't make much headway in to being able to swim. When the bell rang, the boys climbed from the water and dressed for their return to class.
Asami & Akihito sitting in a tree.
"Takaba Akihito, age three. Orphan. No known relatives of any sort are known. He was left on the doorstep of the school and has been a ward of the School ever since. He just entered school this year after turning three like ever other Elf. His grades so far are straight A's. None of the teachers complain about him except for his lack of speech. Where most children never remain quiet, the boy never says a single word. Many believe that he may have a mental deformity but no proof of this has been discovered. Others are saying that it is because he does not have an Element."
Dark brows raised at that information. All Elves had an Element. It gave them strength and health. An Elf without an Element would perish.
Kei and Kazumi left Asami to his thoughts. They too were concerned about their new little friend. There were six Elements; Earth, Air, Water, Fire, Dark and Sun. Each Element gave strength and life. To have no Element was to parish. Earth was the most common Element. Earth Elves were steady and strong. Loyal and true. Kazumi was an Earth Elf. Water was the second most common. Water Elves were swift and ever changing. Most lived the life of a gypsy, never staying in one place, always on the move. The third most common were the Air Elves. Wise and unyielding, Air Elves immersed themselves in books and knowledge. Kei was most happy with his Air Element. Fire Elves were often short tempered with passions that ran deep. Passionate they were. They burned everything in their path should the one they care for be in danger or harmed. Fire Elves were extremely rare. Asami Ryuichi was the first Fire Elf to be born in over a hundred years. Dark Elves were not uncommon. In fact they were more common then one wished. Unlike the other five Elements, Dark was not one an Elf was born with. NO, Dark Elves were the ones who turned their backs on the Elements they were born with. They turned to the evil that existed in this world. They thrived on evil and spread despair wherever they went.
The last of the six Elements and the most rare was the Sun Element. Sun Elves were bright and caring. Great healers. It was said that they could even heal the dead, and were born from the Sun itself. Other than that, not much was known about them. No Sun Elf had been born in over two thousand years.
K-I-S-S-I-N-G
Akihito carefully made his way through the school halls. In his wee hands were four bento boxes. The boxes were nothing much but if one truly looked at them, they would see that the three top ones had been lovingly crafted by small and delicate hands. Each held food that Akihito had prepared himself with some help from the school cook. There was an oval shaped one that was a pale shade of blue. It was topped with the kanji 慧 painted in white. It meant wise and was how Kei spelt his name. Another was shaped like a hexagon. This one was painted a deep brown and in green were the kanji 和 美 , which meant harmonious beauty and was how Kazumi spelt his name. A third box was simply shaped as a square. It was painted black with wisps of red, orange and yellow that looked like fire. In Gold was the kanji for noble, 隆. It was the first part of Asami's name, Ryu.
Akihito smiled. Asami was very noble indeed. Just like a dragon. Sometimes he pictured smoke frothing from Asami's nostrils. If he had not been born Elf, Asami would have made a very beautiful dragon. Akihito's chubby cheeks flushed. Asami was a very handsome six year old with hair as dark as the midnight sky and eyes the color of gold. Asami was tall for his age. The six year old was quite strong too. Caught up in his thoughts, Akihito did not see the five year old blond that stood in his path. A grunt sounded and Akihito was knocked off his feet. Thankfully, the bentos were not ruined as the little boy was able to catch them before they fell to the floor.
"Hey watch where you-" Blue eyes widened. "Oh it's just you." Akihito got to his feet and looked over the other boy but he found no injuries to the boy. Thankful he had not harmed the other blond, Akihito handed the other boy a slip of paper. It read: I am sorry. The other boy's eyes narrowed and he crumbled the paper up and tossed it to the ground where he spat on it. "Dirty Elf!" He mumbled under his breath. Taking note of the boxes the boy held, he smirked nastily. "Oh what do you have there? Are those bentos? Did you make the food inside? Did you make the boxes too?" He looked closer at the boxes and noticed the kanji on them. Anger took a hold of him. He grabbed the boxes and threw them to the floor where he smashed both the food and the handmade boxes. Akihito silently cried out silently for the boy to stop. He then tried to move the boy away but he was shoved away instead. Akihito remained against the wall he had fallen against and watched as the boy destroyed all of his hard work. How was he supposed to show Kei, Kazumi and Ryu how much their friendship meant to him now?
The other blond took note of Akihito's tears. "Why do you cry when you should be thanking me? I could smell the toxic food from here. If you had given those bentos to your friends, then they would have died. You almost killed your friends." The five year old walked away, a delighted grin on his face that Akihito did not notice.
Toxic he had said. Killed he had said. Kei, Kazumi and Ryu had been so kind to him over the past few weeks. He had wanted to do something nice for them in return and in his selfish need he had almost killed them. He did not deserve their kindness. He was a dirty Elf just like all the other kids in his class called him. Just like that older boy had just called him. Sobbing silently, he knelt and began to clean up the mess. His poor little heart shattered as he found the pieces of the bunny bento box Asami had bought him just two days ago. It was a sign. A sign that he didn't deserve to breath the same air as the other boy. Nor the same air that anyone else breathed. He was just a lowly dirty Elf.
First comes love,
Laughter filled the corridor as three boys made their way to the lake the always had lunch by. Their sensitive noses twitched at the lovely smell of food. They were looking forward to their meal today in a way they had never done before. Akihito had promised them a tasty lunch. They turned the corner and spied the little blond keeling on the ground. Curious to see what had the boy's attention they move silently forward. Their eyes widened in horror at the sight before them. All over the hallway floor was smashed food and pieces of bento boxes. "Who did this?!" The little three year old spun around at Asami's shout. The golden eyed boy let out a fierce growl at the sight of Akihito's tear streaked face. He pulled the boy to him and cupped his chubby little cheeks in both hands. He tried to place a kiss to the blond's forehead but Akihito pulled away.
They watched as he went back to silently cleaning up the mess. Not really sure as to what else they could do, the three, six year olds knelt and began to help. Only to be shoved away by Akihito. The distraught little three year old shoved them with all of his might, which wasn't very much. Once the three older boys were far enough away, he returned to his clean up duties. Kei being the neat freak that he was, returned to Akihito's side but was stopped before he could do anything when a tiny hand reached out and smacked him across the face. Akihito then shoved Kei against the wall. Kei, Kazumi and Asami were held still by their shock. Akihito had never been violent before. Asami grabbed a hold Akihito and dragged him away from Kei. He gave the boy a slight shake. "What is wrong with you Akihito?! You don't hit other people, Akihito!" The little boy pouted and kicked out at Asami hitting him in the stomach. Thankfully the kick wasn't very hard and Asami recovered before Akihito could take more then two steps, Asami had him back in his grasp.
He motioned the other two boys to take care of the mess as he dragged Akihito into an empty classroom. He pulled out a desk chair, sitting he pulled a struggling Akihito across his lap. He pulled the blond's tunic up and his leggings down. Akihito stilled as the first smack across his bare little bottom. His struggles began a new after the second landed. He sobbed silently as the smacks continued. They weren't very hard and wouldn't leave a mark but his little bottom would deffeantly sting for awhile. By the time Asami was done, the boy was still and his sobbing had come to an end though tears still fell from his hazel eyes. Asami fixed Akihito's clothing and settled him into a sitting position on his lap. "Now would you like to tell me what that was all about out there?" Akihito shook his head no. Asami let out a sigh. "Akihito what you did was naughty. We were just trying to help you and you shoved us away, then you shoved and hit Kei. That was naughty behaviour, Akihito and I would have you tell me why you did what you did."
Akihito pulled out a slip of paper and after writing a few sentences, he handed it over to the older boy. Asami's eyes widened at what Akihito had written. He pulled the boy close and hugged him tight. Kei and Kazumi found them like that a few moments later. "Look, Akihito. Kei and Kazumi are perfectly fine." The blond turned to see Kei and Kazumi standing behind them. His eyes lit up and he ran to the other two boys and hugged them tight. He apologized for pushing them away and for hitting Kei. The two boys only laughed and hugged him tight. "You see Akihito wasn't trying to be mean. Someone told Akihito that the food in the bento boxes was toxic. They smashed everything and told him that had we eaten it, we would have died. He was just trying to protect us." Asami ruffled Akihito's blond hair.
Then Comes Marriage.
Asami, Kei and Kazumi watched in amazement as Akihito scarfed down a large burger and fries. Followed by a large chocolate sundaé with; whipped cream, sprinkles, crumbled cookies, caramel, butterscotch and strawberry syrup, nuts, hot fudge, and cherries. Asami had shuddered at the overly surgery sweet concoction. After the ordeal at the school, Asami had gotten permission to leave the school grounds and had treated his two friends and Akihito to lunch. The boy had been absolutely delighted with his first outing off of the school grounds. He had stared into the windows of every shop they had passed. He had been a good boy like he promised and never once let go of Asami's hand. On their way home, to Asami's home, Asami bought the little blond more food. Where he packed it all, was anyone's guess.
The group of four were unaware of the blue eyes that watched their every move. Rage was flowing through his veins as he watched that dirty Elf with the one that should be his. Asami Ryuichi was the most hansom and smartest boy at Elfling Elementary. He deserved to only have the best by his side and the dirty little Elf was not it! Plans to rid himself of his unworthy rival and those two coat tail riders that were always by Asami's side filtered through his head. One day he will have what was rightfully his.
Akihito ran through the halls of the Asami Manor. His giggles ringing off the walls. Asami's parents were delighted with this new boy their son had brought home. He was sweet and adorable. He had greeted them with hugs and kisses. Kei and Kazumi's parents were just as delighted with the boy. They hoped the boy would bring much joy to their sons' lives. They were all shocked by how much the three year old ate at dinner. Especially after hearing about the lunch he'd had. When getting ready for bed Akihito did his usual ruteen of bathing which Asami helped him with, brushing his teeth and going potty one last time. He snuggled in tight against Asami and was out like a light. Asami Chuckled at his little bed mate. He heard accompaning laughs and met Kei and Kazumi's eyes. The two boys were sleeping in the other two beds in the room. The three boys all slept in the same room even though the manor was big enough for each of them to have their own. Kei and Kazumi's parents worked for Asami's parents. The three boys had been born just months apart and had been unseperatable ever since.
Then comes Akihito with a baby carriage.
The boy wa crying again. This was becoming an everyday occurrence and Asami was quite frankly, getting tired of it. He knelt next to Akihito and wrapped his arms around the boy's shaking shoulders. "What happened this time?" There was no food on the ground this time. Since Akihito always ate with them, there was no need for him to bring a lunch but he always tried to contribute to their joint lunches none the less. And every time he tried, it never failed that someone would destroy it on him. That didn't seem to be the case today though. Akihito sniffed and turned to look at him with watery eyes. He handed him a note and Asami immediately recognized the hand writing as not being Akihito's. "Who gave this to you?" Akihito shrugged and wrote that he had found it in his locker.
"Is it true?" He wrote.
"No. Akihito you are not a stupid baby." The boy looked up at him with hope shinning bright in his hazel eyes. Asami smiled down at him. "Would you like to know a secret?" Akihito nodded. "I was once three years old too. So were Kei and Kazumi. What? Did you think that we were always big boys of six?" Akihito nodded. He brushed Akihito's blond hair away from his face. "Akihito you aren't a dirty Elf either." He could see the pain etched in those hazel eyes. "Akihito have you been called that before?" The blond nodded. "Well don't listen to anyone who calls you that. They are just jealous of you."
"Are you really the prince?" Akihito wrote.
"Yes Akihito, I am the Elven prince and future king of our people." The hazel eyes looked at him with horror. Akihito backed away then tried to run off. Asami caught him and pressed him against the wall. "Did you just try to run away from me?" The boy shook his head no. "Don't lie Akihito. Why did you run.
"I am not worthy of being in your presence." He wrote.
Asami's eyes narrowed in anger. He held Akihito's chin up so that he could not look away. His other hand wrapped around Akihito's delicate throat. A blistering fire burned Akihito's neck and the boy let out a silent cry. "Never back away or run from me again Akihito. You belong to me. You are mine." The fire faded and Asami drew his hand away. His fingers gently brushed the words his fire had etched into Akihito's pale skin. He dragged the boy into the bathroom and had him face the mirror. Asami pointed to the beautiful Elvish script. "Do you know what this is?" Akihito shook his head no. "It's a collar. It means that you belong to me and me alone." A possessive light shone in Asami's golden eyes. "YOU. ARE. MINE. AKIHITO. Remember that every time you see this mark. Remember that every time someone hurts you. You are not unworthy of me and this proves it." He turned Akihito to face him. He pressed a kiss to Akihito's forehead. "You are special to me. More so then Kei, Kazumi and my parents. Mine, Akihito. Mine."