Hakuren was walking back to his quarters in the Barsburg Palace when a servant tapped him on the shoulder. "Master Hakuren, there's a bishop waiting for you in the West Evening Room," he informed the blonde and Hakuren nodded as he raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Did this Bishop give you a name?"

"No, but he insisted on seeing you tonight." Hakuren narrowed his eyes in thought as he gave his thanks to the servant and headed for the West Evening Room. What bishop would want to see him after so many years? Bishop Castor perhaps, as that was who he'd been apprenticed to before being offered the position of being Princess Ouka's tutor. Hakuren dearly wished to sigh; he was exhausted from his day, but sighing didn't befit his position as the Queen's Advisor, and his upbringing made him doubly aware of his appearance to others. If a busybody servant saw him sigh, there'd be rumours that he was tired of working for the Queen, and then he'd be the talk of the court, and Hakuren didn't want that. Queen Ouka would be forced by her court to dismiss him immediately, as loath she would be to lose his guidance. Although, Hakuren supposed, if that did happen he could finally complete his training to become a bishop. He barely realised when he'd reached the West Evening Room, so deep he was in his musing.

"Bishop Frau!" Hakuren exclaimed, for once shocked out of his 'palace face' as he liked to call the mask he wore to protect himself from gossips. The blonde bishop grinned at the reaction he'd sparked from the younger male.

"That's my name; don't wear it out," he teased lightly and Hakuren regained his composure, thinking rapidly. Frau was rumoured to stay with Teito – no, Hakuren corrected himself, King Teito, all of the time. If so, what was he doing here? Surely he'd be better off using his influence as a bishop to further rebuild the broken Raggs kingdom.

"Frau… why are you here?" Hakuren asked and Frau smirked.

"Straight to the point are we? Perhaps working in the palace has been good for you," Frau teased, but upon seeing the mulish look on Hakuren's face rolled his eyes. "He sent me to give you this," Frau explained as he held out an envelope to Hakuren. Hakuren's eyes met Frau's. Hakuren didn't need to ask who 'he' was. He already knew that it was Teito.

"Why now of all times?" Hakuren asked. It had been three years since Teito had journeyed to the Land of Seele and won back the Raggs Kingdom from the Imperial Empire and two years since Ouka had been crowned as queen. Teito had attended the ceremony, but that was it; times had still been too turbulent for him to risk staying any longer. Hakuren hadn't even glimpsed him during his short visit.

"Things are going better now; Raggs is stable, and so are relations with the Barsburg Empire. So he sent me here," Frau said, eyes boring into Hakuren. He could see the conflict in Hakuren's own violet eyes. "He wanted to come himself, but, that's not really convenient at the moment, due to him only being a relatively new king."

Hakuren hesitantly reached out and took the letter from Frau. He glanced at the zaiphon imprinted into the thick paper only used by kings and recognised it instantly. How couldn't he? After all, he'd wished for this moment to come for three years. Hakuren glanced up at Frau, who merely gave him an encouraging nod as the tall bishop lent back against a wall. With a sudden burst of courage, Hakuren opened the letter.

Hakuren, please go with Frau when he leaves to return to the Raggs kingdom. Your absence from court has already been arranged with Queen Ouka.

- Teito

Hakuren closed his eyes. Teito was summoning him… A small ember at the bottom of his heart rekindled a flame that had nearly burnt out. He looked directly up at Frau, who'd been watching him closely.

"When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning." The lanky bishop pushed himself off the wall and went to leave the room. He paused at the door, glancing back at the young man who stood on the opposite side of the wall and hesitate. "Hakuren… he missed you, more than he'd ever admit." With that Frau swept out of the West Evening Room, white bishop's robes billowing in the wind from his movements. Hakuren slipped the letter back into its envelope; he had much to think about.

…

It had been two days since he'd left the Barsburg Palace, and now Hakuren was about to be reunited with his dear friend. His dear friend who was now nineteen, a king, and probably much changed since their days together as exam candidates. "You may enter now," a youngish page boy told Hakuren as he waited outside the King's private study. He nodded hesitantly before pushing open the door and making his way in.

It was a magnificent room; bookshelves lined the walls and there was a massive bay window on the eastern wall. Two guards stood beside the door and there was a large couch in front of a fireplace. And then there was a massive oak desk, behind which sat the person whom Hakuren had not seen for three years.

Hakuren had spent the journey to Raggs planning what to say to the boy who had become his dearest friend, but now that they were actually together, words failed him. It seemed that Teito also didn't know what to say, so the pair alternated between gazing around the room and sneaking brief looks at the other.

"Hakuren…" Teito broke the silence at last. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Hakuren nodded his agreement.

"It has, Your Majesty." To say the atmosphere in the room was tense would be a severe understatement. Suddenly Teito sighed.

"Screw this formality," he muttered. "Guards, you're dismissed," Teito said softly and the guards saluted before leaving, brushing against Hakuren who hadn't moved out of the way quite fast enough. Teito meanwhile, stood up and peeled off his royal robes, leaving him in a more casual outfit of loose dark pants and simple white shirt. He then proceeded to walk over to the couch and flop onto it tiredly. Hakuren wasn't quite sure how to react. In the past he would've teased his friend about being lazy, but he hadn't seen Teito in three years, and his friend was now a king. And that made their reunion all the more difficult; Hakuren didn't know how to deal with Teito as a king. Teito spoke again.

"I told you once, that I'd tell you everything one day. It's taken longer than I thought it would, but I've finally gotten to it," he said and Hakuren could barely conceal his surprise. Teito had remembered that? It dawned on him that he may not have given the younger boy enough credit. Hadn't Teito proved time and time again that he shouldn't be underestimated?

"You did, Your Majesty," Hakuren agreed as he walked to where he could see Teito more easily. He stopped, and swayed slightly, uncertain as what to say next. Finally, his heart won out over his mind. He tackled Teito in a tight hug, which was eagerly returned. "I missed you," he told the brunette, who held him just as tightly.

"I missed you too. And please stop calling me 'Your Majesty'. I hear it enough from everyone else; I don't need to hear it from my best friend too," Teito said, and Hakuren smiled innocently as they finally released their holds on each other and sat at opposite ends of the couch to face each other.

"Of course, pipsqueak."

"Hey!"

"What did you expect?" Hakuren smirked and Teito smiled. It dawned on Hakuren that perhaps being a king hadn't changed Teito too much, if he still reacted like that to his jibing. Hakuren decided to just treat Teito as he'd treated him before everything all began. Teito became serious again.

"I do want to tell you the truth about everything," the jade-eyed teenager said and Hakuren nodded. He'd waited a long time for an explanation. And so Teito spoke long into the evening of everything that had occurred since his birth. Teito told him about the Eye of Mikhail, Pandora's Box, the three royal siblings, the seven ghosts, the Land of Seele, Mikage, Ayanami, Capella, everything. Hakuren listened silently throughout his entire story.

"That's not all though," he said softly once Teito had stopped speaking. During that time they'd edged nearer to each other until they were sitting side by side, and Hakuren was avidly aware of how small the distance was between them. Teito furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"What did I miss?"

"You missed the part about how you feel now that it's over. There's no way you went through that and are perfectly fine, even three years later. I talked to Bishop Labrador earlier; he said that there are times when you just go off into your thoughts, and they can't get you back for hours. I'm worried about you, Teito," Hakuren said gently, not wanting to trigger an angry response from Teito, or even the Eye of Mikhail. But it seemed that Teito had matured in the three years that had passed.

"That's why it took me so long to send for you," Teito said so quietly that Hakuren could barely hear. "I was scared that you'd be able to see right into my soul and realise that it's damaged."

"Teito, your soul isn't broken. Sure, it's a little beaten up, but it can heal in time," Hakuren said, and not knowing what else to do, he hugged Teito again, content knowing that he really was with Teito and not dreaming about being reunited, as he so often did. Teito latched onto him, sobbing, and Hakuren was startled, not expecting such a reaction from the person whom he'd always seen as so strong.

"Hakuren… How do I even begin to heal? I've tried so many different things, like hobbies, or looking after children, or visiting the sick, but nothing helps for long," Teito whimpered into Hakuren's shirt and Hakuren felt a sudden burst of confidence, although he restrained himself from saying what he truly wanted to.

"Did you try finding someone to love?" Teito was nearly shocked into stopping crying, but silent tears still ran down his cheeks at irregular intervals.

"The person who I loved lives in the Barsburg Palace." Hakuren swallowed, sure that Teito was talking about Ouka; after all, they'd met several times, and it was certainly possible. Besides, wouldn't that be a perfect way to salvage the damaged relations between the two countries?

"I'm sure if you told them," Hakuren broke off as his voice cracked. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I'm sure if you told them they would be able to work something out." Teito twisted suddenly, so that he could look Hakuren straight in the eyes.

"Could you?"

"Could I what?" Hakuren asked in confusion and Teito gazed up at him with level green eyes. Teito didn't allow his fear to show on his face; he was asking a big thing of a person whom he hadn't seen in years.

"Could you work something out?" Hakuren finally understood what Teito was saying and his purple eyes widened in shock.

"Teito…" Teito pulled away and walked to the window. He gazed out, hating how he'd become so vulnerable around the blonde youth. Hakuren watched him for a moment before standing up and walking over to him. Teito turned away from him, but he gently put his hand on his shoulder. "Teito, I could make something work if you could."

Hakuren felt Teito tense, and the brunette stumbled slightly in surprise. Teito had been sure that Hakuren would reject his advances, but here he was returning them. Hakuren caught Teito before he could fall and large green eyes stared up at serious purple ones.

"Do you mean that?"

"Of course; I rarely say something that I don't mean with all my heart." Teito's eyes suddenly lit up.

"I'm glad you haven't changed too much, Hakuren," Teito told him and Hakuren smiled as he helped Teito stand on his own.

"The same to you. I don't know how I'd react if you were suddenly a big and proper king instead of the insolent pipsqueak you are," Hakuren said dryly and Teito immediately whacked him on the arm, triggering a soft chuckle from the blonde. For the time being, everything was perfect in their worlds. Sorting out their relationship could wait, as could their respective duties; for now, Hakuren and Teito simply took pleasure in sharing each other's company.