Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, and I'm not making money with this (though I could really use it right now). The words and plot are, though.
Obviously, I made up the incantation in there, because I have no idea how something like that works. If someone has a nice source of information – please forward it to me! Also, English isn't my first language, so if you spot some mistakes or wrong word choices or really sloppy style, don't hesitate to let me know. I'm happy to learn (I love the English language 3).
Oh yeah, and this is the anime-verse, set after the series' end. (Though I've taken one event from the manga – but it's pretty trivial for the plot xD)
Some warnings: I'm a sap. So expect some fluff, then more fluff, and even more fluff. Certainly some OOC... uhm, and I still have some problems with the plot (still, after countless revisions _), but I just can't point my finger at what exactly it is.
The wind brushed through Kantarou's hair like a soft caress when Haruka landed in front of the Minamoto mansion. He jumped off his tengu's back and admired the orange-gold shimmer the setting sun cast on Haruka's black hair. He wished he could relish in the serene atmosphere and the quiet surrounding them like a bubble. If only it wasn't for none other but Minamoto who already awaited them in front of the gate to the enormous garden. Of course, he wasn't alone; Kantarou had sensed it even before they had landed as his chest began to hurt again. Ibaragi stood on Minamoto's right side, arms crossed and with a thin, angry smile playing around the corners of her mouth, distorting her otherwise pretty appearance.
The big grounds made for the perfect place for an epic fight. Which, of course, was still Minamoto's intention once he got Haruka to remember his past.
"What happened to your shoulder?," Minamoto asked, this time standing upright and mimicking Ibaragi with his crossed arms.
"Where is Youko-chan?" Kantarou asked, ignoring his question but unconsciously grasping his aching shoulder, hiding the small red stain that had stood out.
"Inside. Maybe." Minamoto smirked evilly. "You know, if you ever want to see your kitsune friend again, and if you don't want me to just finish the onikui off, you'd better release him from his name."
Kantarou took an involuntary step backwards. "You wouldn't ever just 'finish' Haruka 'off'. You want a real fight, don't you?"
Minamoto let out a dry, mocking, unpleasant laugh before answering. "So? If you don't take that name off him, I will never get my fight. Why should I leave him wandering about the place, then? You see, the only one who really has got something to lose is you."
Kantarou clenched his fists and lowered his head, effectively hiding his face behind his white locks of hair.
"Haruka..."
So this was the moment, then. Kantarou let out a shaky sigh before raising his head again and looking straight into Haruka's eyes.
"I... guess I have no other choice."
Haruka's face stayed as stony as ever, and Kantarou smiled at him in return, though his eyes watered with unshed tears.
When Kantarou turned away from Minamoto and towards Haruka and closed his eyes so that he wouldn't have to see the results of his actions, a single tear carved its way down his cheek, unnoticed by him.
Then he inhaled soundly.
"Hereby I release thee from thy name that I gave thee, from thy name that is Haruka, thy name that I put forth to be thy own; I release thee from its ropes, its restrictions and its bond that has been crafted between thy name and myself as thy master."
Kantarou murmured an incantation in an old language that Haruka couldn't understand, and then it was over. The rope was cut.
And when he opened his eyes again, the Haruka that stood in front of him didn't resembled the Haruka that he had known any longer.
They faced each other in the middle of a forest clearing, the tension between them palpable like fire eating away at your skin. They kept staring each other down until Haruka crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Why are we here?"
"Minamoto won't leave us alone, you know that," Kantarou said, ignoring Haruka's question, "He won't let it go until he gets his way."
"So?" Haruka spit out, annoyed at his master for doing his own thing like always.
"At this rate... if we don't find a way to take the wind out of his sails... I will eventually have to release you from your name, unprepared."
It rendered Haruka speechless. Not exactly the content of Kantarou's words, but the look he gave Haruka. This was one of the very rare occasions that Kantarou's eyes fixated his without a trace of masking his real emotions. The wind played with single locks of his white hair, made them whirl around softly, as if there was a deeper meaning behind it. That and his honesty had a deadly effect on Haruka.
But despite his knowledge of his master's sly schemes that frequently backfired, he trusted Kantarou to find a way out of this.
000000
Haruka's eyes flashed red and the instant they met Kantarou's, he didn't waste one second. The next moment, Haruka's face appeared right in front of Kantarou's, and suddenly, a hand clasped around his neck and squeezed.
"Well, well, how does it feel, Ichinomiya?"
Seeing - or rather feeling - that Haruka was still choking him, Kantarou didn't really have the breath left to reply, or for that matter, to make any sound but choked breathing. He desperately clutched at Harukas hand, but he was a mere human, while Haruka was a tengu and at least ten times stronger.
"So, Ichinomiya, I told you that I'd get my way," he heared Minamoto drawl in the back, "It's too bad you won't be here to see your precious tengu being torn to shreds by my sword."
Kantarou closed his eyes as he felt his muscles weaken, and remembered. He remembered all too well what got this all started.
"Mou, Haruka could have waited for me," Kantarou complained out loud into the bright blue sky above him, holding two bottles of lemonade in his hand, of which one was supposed to be for Haruka. It was really inconvenient that Haruka just disappeared again without telling him. So not fair.
Of course he knew that Haruka hated that lemonade, but it was so much fun teasing him! Well, that must be what you got for teasing your tengu one too many a time.
"Ichinomiya, long time no see," someone from behind him spoke and it sent cold shivers down his spine.
"Minamoto," Kantarou said before he turned around. Meeting the one person that always tried to destroy Kantarou's happiness wasn't exactly what Kantarou had wished for on a beautiful day like this.
"It is very convenient that we meet here," Minamoto drawled, his trademark sadistic smile perfectly painted across his face. His dark eyes made him look all the more evil. "As you probably already know, I will have my way, eventually. Don't let your guard down."
Kantarou's face fell. Minamoto telling him to watch out could only mean one thing. He would try something malicious again, and that very soon.
Haruka suddenly pushed forward fast, until Kantarou crashed into the stone wall and pain exploded in his back. He managed a moan when Haruka's grip grew lighter for a few moments. This certainly wasn't how he had imagined this day ending when he had woken up.
"It was your ancestor... he was the one who sealed me," Haruka growled quietly, in a way that could scare grown men away. "He stole my freedom."
Minamoto's laugh carried over to them. "What now, Ichinomiya?"
This was it, then. And so, Kantarou did what he could do. He raised his arms and hugged the tengu in front of him, as tightly as he could.
"You don't really believe that this kind of stunt will always work, do you?" Minamoto laughed, but Kantarou didn't move away. He hid his face in the crook of Haruka's neck and sighed.
Haruka's hand that had been squeezing Kantarou's neck released the pressure and wandered up into Kantarou's hair, ruffling it and making a mess, no doubt.
"What... How did you..." Minamoto's surprise dripped off every word he spoke.
They released each other and when Kantarou saw the affectionate smile that Haruka gave him, for the first time no less, he couldn't help but grow a bright smile himself.
"Apparently," Kantarou said and turned his head in Minamoto's direction, "it does work."
"That was too easy. What did you do?" Minamoto asked, seemingly having collected his cool again.
The leaves of the trees filtered the bright light of the sun and cast speckled patterns across Kantarou.
"I need to remove your name, Haruka," Kantarou said seriously, not one hint of his usual obnoxious, happy-go-lucky, eccentric self.
"Wait... you mean, right now?" Haruka needed to think this over. But no matter how hard he tried to get his brain working, he couldn't gather his twirling, confusing thoughts. Only one thing stood out clearly.
"You could die."
Kantarou smiled at him like at a child that just discovered what everyone else already knew all along.
"I know that."
"But... but why... and how... what?"
At that, Kantarou actually chuckled. "Very good questions. I have a plan. But it all depends on what will happen after I release you of this... bond." Kantarou began biting his bottom lip, and Haruka wasn't stupid. This wasn't as easy on Kantarou as he tried to make it look.
"You need to trust me, Haruka."
Haruka shook his head in an unfruitful attempt to shake off the stupor that had befallen him. "I... guess I do."
Another smile, another lip-biting. "Then... prepare yourself." And without further warning, Kantarou spoke the words and the incantation to erase the name that now defined Haruka. The name that bound him to Kantarou. The only thing protecting Kantarou from Haruka's wrath towards his ancestor.
And right in the second this fact registered, really registered with Haruka, the bond was broken, and memories and suppressed feelings of contempt flooded his head and soul.
And then it was like waking from a long, deep dream. And standing in front of him was the very image of the man who had taken his freedom away from him as if it had been his right to. And the hatred he held for that man flared up inside his chest and flooded his whole body, until he couldn't take it anymore, that man staring at him with those sad, red eyes.
He launched himself at him, claws extended, and landed a hit, right into the man's right shoulder. He ignored the pained gasp and pushed the man against a tree, trapping him and hovering his other clawed hand millimeters from the man's neck.
Then he looked into his eyes... and was spell-bound.
The man leaned forward, right into his claws that broke his skin and drew blood, but the only hint of the man acknowledging that fact was a brief twitch of his eyes, not even closing all the way down.
And then the man's arms closed around him and he softly pressed his forehead against Haruka's. And he realised that this wasn't just some man, or the man that had sealed him.
This was Kantarou. The one who had got him out of the cage he had been in. His obnoxious, tiresome, sly, principled, good-hearted, youkai-loving master.
"Kantarou..." He quickly retracted his hand from his master's neck, "You were ready to die for me."
He was met with the brightest smile he had ever seen on that face. "You look surprised. Didn't I tell you that I would die for you over a year ago?"
"I... never realised you meant it." But being willing to die for someone called for a strong emotional bond. One that was so strong that it surmounted all reservations and doubts.
His eyes grew wide with another realisation.
"You love me."
Kantarou's smile wavered only for a second. "I do."
"Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"I didn't want to upset you. You don't believe in love between humans and youkai."
Kantarou looked at him with watery eyes, their ruby shimmer clouded. But his smile still stayed on steadily.
"That... was then. This is now," Haruka replied, never breaking their eye contact. And Kantarous eyes widened, granting Haruka a better view of those beautiful reds, and his lips parted slightly, his pale skin almost white like perfect porcelain.
Haruka remembered how happy that one youkai had been to be able to stay with Reiko, even if she couldn't see him and didn't even know of his existence.
And he realised that he was a lucky bastard compared with that youkai, or Kantarou's little fairy friend that he met once on a mountain, and that had fallen in love with Hasumi, a human who also couldn't see youkai.
He fisted the hem of Kantarou's collar with his hand that he hadn't drawn back completely even now, pulled his now former master a bit towards him, and crashed his lips against Kantarou's, who managed to let out a surprised gasp.
Kantarou's lips felt dry and sore against his own; his fingers brushed over the wound on Kantarou's neck, and a brief wave of guilt rolled through his body, but it was completely overshadowed by the elation he felt about finally getting what he had wanted all along but had been too stubborn to admit to himself.
That feeling of being able to reach out and hold someone's heart in his hands, having the power to destroy it but choosing to protect it instead. And leaving his own heart in the open for the one person who made him realise what it meant to love - and feeling perfectly comfortable doing so; he wanted to treasure that feeling for all eternity.
"So you knew we would get that kitsune girl and already had removed the name, and this all here... was just show. Tche." Minamoto shook his head, smiling in defeat. "You really are something, aren't you?"
"Well..." Kantarou replied uncertainly, then turned to Haruka again, "You really didn't need to be that brute, you know?"
Haruka crossed his arms in front of his chest and rolled his eyes. "You told me to make it seem real."
"Not that real! Mou, it's like you don't care if you hurt me! And stop rolling your eyes already."
Haruka huffed. "You even cried."
"I really hate to interrupt your marital row, but let me remind you that your little kitsune friend is still inside, and not coming out."
Both Kantarou and Haruka smiled, and when Minamoto eyed them with surprise and scepticism, Kantarou even raised his hand in front of his mouth and laughed.
"Well, about that..." Kantarou said and pointed behind Minamoto, who instantly whirled around (Ibaragi following his example).
And there, from behind some bushes in the middle of the garden, appeared Sugino's head with his wife sitting nonchalantly on top of it, and Youko's brunet head followed suit. She held up her thumb and smiled broadly.
"We're ready to depart!" Sugino yelled and waved his arm.
"Are you crazy? You are crazy, aren't you? Onikui, tell me he's crazy." Sugino, frantic as always, threw his arms up in the air and restlessly paced his small home in the woods.
"You didn't really remove his name, did you? That's a joke, right?"
Haruka kept staring at Sugino with a frown upon his face while Kantarou actually managed to look abashed.
"He did," Haruka answered in Kantarou's stead. He would probably always identify as Haruka now, even if he currently didn't bear this name. It had never been easier to be Haruka.
"And now you want us to come with you and help Youko-san escape from Minamoto Raikou's clutches, while you distract him with that show? You really are batshit crazy."
"Sugino," Haruka said in a tone that made Sugino shut up immediately, "Will you help us or not?"
Muu instantly jumped into Kantarou's arms and muu-ed happily, obviously in agreement.
After some furious complaints from Sugino's side about Kantarou stealing his wife, the white tengu finally sighed in defeat. "Alright. I'll help you."
Strangely, Minamoto didn't seem fazed by this at all. He still had a smile on his lips and looked completely at ease. Only Ibaragi flashed Kantarou a furious glare.
"Seems you won again," Minamoto acknowledged with a sigh. "But you do know that we won't stop at this, right?"
"Of course. You'll never stop intruding in other people's lives. We know that much," Kantarou said, leaning against Haruka. His favourite tengu had done a thorough job of almost beating him into a pulp. And Kantarou didn't even find it strange that instead of feeling frustrated about that fact, he had to suppress a goofy smile.
"We'll be ready for the next round," Kantarou said and demonstratively turned towards Haruka, signalling the end of this discussion. "Let's go home," he whispered and pushed his face into the fabric of Haruka's suit, right at his shoulder.
Haruka wrapped Kantarou in his arms, careful to avoid putting pressure on Kantarou's injured shoulder, and sprouted his beautiful black wings just when the last rays of the sun flickered across their forms.
Neither Minamoto nor Ibaragi tried to stop them when they soared into the sky, all five of them.
It was funny how they had seamlessly gone from simple initial gratitude on Haruka's part and instant friendship on Kantarou's part, to what they had now. But it still unnerved Haruka how effortlessly Kantarou managed to manipulate him into… kissing that bastard master.
"I hope you don't expect me to say it," Haruka said quietly, looking stoically down into Kantarou's very red, very distracting eyes.
"Of course not," Kantarou answered, his smile morphing into a sly grin. Haruka moved backwards slightly, suddenly sceptical. But he didn't let go of Kantarou's arms and didn't quite step out of his personal space.
"I already knew that you love me too." There was a devious glint in Kantarou's eyes and he didn't manage to hide the twitches in his face that were obvious signs of hiding a smirk. Haruka knew that man too well already.
"You already knew? Wait…" Haruka dropped his hands as if Kantarou's robes burnt them. "You mean before you removed my name?"
Kantarou tilted his head to the side and the smirk he had held back burst through. "Maybe."
"You… sly bastard."
"Haruka, wait! Mou! Flying's unfair!"
"Use the ladder, then." Haruka smiled while he dropped down onto the roof, looking into the night sky and the sparkly stars up there. They should be red, like Kantarou's eyes.
"You're mean, Haruka." Kantarou scuttled over to him and leaned back on his hands right beside Haruka.
"I'm just me." He didn't need to explain what exactly he meant with this. He knew Kantarou would understand. He had always been supposed to be Haruka, ever since they had met.
Kantarou chuckled and his shoulder brushed against Haruka's, who turned his head towards his master, despite knowing he would certainly be lulled into his spell again.
Kantarou didn't even have to do anything but stare at him to make Haruka grab him, press him down against the rooftop and ravish his lips.
"You should stop manipulating everyone." Their breath mingled between them and Haruka felt unable to tear his gaze from Kantarou's eyes. Even in the darkness of the night, from this short distance, he could still see the ruby shimmer in them. He leaned down and kissed them.
Kantarou's genuinely happy laughter even made him forget how sappy that just was.
"I'm just being me," Kantarou replied, grabbed the collar of Haruka's suit and dragged him down again to kiss him.
Some things, Haruka knew, would never change between them, and about the others… well, he was quite happy with the course they were taking.