Fuji sucked in a breath before slowly looking up to see narrow brown eyes staring down at him. He watched the eyes constricted and a frown appeared to enhance the strict feature that was already evident on his face. The hand gripping him suddenly tightened and he winced, whimpering softly and he tried to pull away with great effort but to no prevail.

"Sanada-san!"

Fuji's head turned side way to the voice of a newcomer. As the man that was holding him loosened the grip as he turned side way, Fuji quickly pulled away and held his bruised arm to his chest.

"Oishi-san." The man, now Fuji knew to be Sanada, replied in a deep, low voice.

And the other one, Fuji noticed, had quite a strange hair style that reminded him of a cute cockroach from the front. He blinked as the man named Oishi ran over and stood right in front of him. "What are you doing out here? When did you wake up? Are you hurt anywhere? You shouldn't be out here! You're not fully recovered yet. Let's get you back inside."

Oishi's incessant fret over him made him confused. The man looked nice while Sanada looked the opposite. Did they know the ones who pursued him?

Who were there people and where was he?

The, a soft chuckle came from behind Sanada, reminding him the sound of the soft wind charms Tetsuya used to make to hang around their home. A person, smaller and much frailer looking than Sanada stepped out to stand in front, but to the side of Sanada.

This person had the bluest hair he had ever seen and a gentle smile that made him feel nostalgic of his sister. But that wasn't what made him stood out from Sanada and Oishi, it was the way the held himself, back straight and relaxed. Eyes sharp, yet soft with mirth. There was no weapon visible on him like how Sanada had a long sword in one hand while Oishi had something similar across his back.

"How many times have I told you to smile when you meet new people? You're scaring him." The chastisement was directed at Sanada, who bowed with much annoyance thrown at Fuji.

"My apology." Sanada said without conviction and distantly, as if he wasn't sorry at all.

The blunette laughed again. "I was teasing you. Don't take it too seriously."

When Sanada looked up, now with a bland expression instead of a glare that he initially gave Fuji, his gaze turned and landed on Fuji. "I'm Yukimura Seiichi, and who might you be?"

Fuji darted confused looks between Oishi and Yukimura. Names meant nothing if he didn't know who they actually were, and it wouldn't be smart to reveal who he was to people who he didn't know.

It took Oishi a while, but he finally understood that Fuji most highly did not harbor any trust for him to reveal his identity.

Oishi cleared his throat and took it upon himself to make the introduction. "Lord Yukimura is the nephew of His Majesty, King Tezuka. Sanada-san is Lieutenant General, second-in-command of the Royal Guard as well as Lord Yukimura's appointed protector. And I'm Oishi, bodyguard to the His Highness, Prince Tezuka."

At Fuji's continual silence, Oishi began to think that Fuji might be mute since he hadn't heard a word from Fuji's mouth yet.

"It seems like we've unintentionally frightened you." Yukimura said, eyes softened in empathy.

When Fuji looked into the Lord's eyes, he could see wisdom. For some reasons, those eyes made him feel bare, like there wasn't anything he could hide, making him more afraid to speak up and reluctant about telling a lie of who he was.

Oishi tentatively put a hand on Fuji's shoulder and smiled. "I think you've had enough for now. Let's get you back inside." Without waiting for a reply from Fuji, he steered the smaller one into the room, mindful of Yukimura's eyes following him. As expected, Yukimura was still outside after he tucked Fuji back into bed. That could only mean one thing.

Yukimura walked away from the door and beckoned the other two to follow. His eyes were no longer soft, but serious. "Who is he?"

Oishi's heart was thumping anxiously as he mulled over his response. Tezuka did say not to let anyone know about the stranger, but Yukimura just so happened to walk by right when the stranger decided to flee, or so Oishi thought. It wasn't his fault, right? To say or not to say the truth? Well, it's not like Lord Yukimura can tell if I'm lying, even though he gave off the impression that he could…a dream seer doesn't have that kind of ability…right? Oh screw it! "I found him unconscious at the front."

Yukimura stopped suddenly on his track, but didn't turn around. "You found him?" The emphasis caught Oishi like a deer in a head light.

Oishi gulped inwardly. "Yes, my Lord." Thankfully, he didn't stutter.

"Then make sure he's to recover in full health. I would hate to see him leaving your home in that state." Yukimura's head turned slightly towards the side where Sanada stood. "Come. We are due to be back. And no need to send us off, Oishi."

Oishi inclined his head, only looking up when Yukimura was out of sight. "Whew!" He let out a sigh that he didn't know he was holding. Turning on his heels, he went back to his private quarter to see Fuji sitting on the edge of the bed with legs dangling on the side and face seemed to be far off and deep in thoughts.

Oishi cleared his throat to make his appearance known, noticing how Fuji flinch and immediately stood up and backed away. He held out his hands in peace. "You don't need to be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you."

But that didn't convince the stranger at all, so Oishi stood fixed on the spot in the middle of the room. "I promise I won't do anything to frighten you. I'm just going to stand right here and talk, is that okay?"

It took a while to receive a response, a nod of the head, but Oishi was patient. He smiled, happy that he got at least a response. "My young master found you by the Mogami River. Do you remember where that is?"

Fuji frowned. Mogami? He didn't know names of any natural name marks. The mountain was his home. There were too many rivers.

"It's a large river that runs deep in the woods."

Ah. He remembered jumping down a cliff into a torrent river, but lost consciousness soon after, so he didn't know where he ended up.

"He brought you here and told me to take care of you. It's been 3 days."

"3 days?" Fuji murmured softly, meaning to speak to himself.

But Oishi heard it. He smiled. "Ah! So you can talk." The way Fuji flinched made Oishi realized that he might have surprised the stranger with his loud voice. "Gomen, I didn't mean to surprise you."

Fuji refused to speak again after that, so Oishi took over and did what he thought would make his guest comfortable, like bringing in food and drink. Over the course of the day, he managed to send a messenger to Tezuka about the awakening of a certain someone.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sanada tapped his horse to come trot in parallel of Yukimura. "Don't you think it strange?" He remarked.

Yukimura flashed Sanada a clueless smile. "Hmm?"

The lieutenant general sighed, only to generate a soft giggle from his charge. "My, loosen up that demeanor that precedes your reputation while you're with me, won't you?"

Sanada glared, but Yukimura knew it meant nothing. "…"

"Then, what are you referring to as strange?"

"The fact that Oishi was trying to hide that person, or getting him away from us, at least that's how I saw it."

"It's not just us, Gen. I doubt anyone in Oishi's household knew about his presence at all."

"Who could he be to make Oishi act in a suspicious manner?"

Yukimura laughed suddenly, catching Sanada a bit off guard. "Why are you laughing?" He scowled.

"You can be so cute when you're curious and confused." Yukimura stopped his horse and tilted his head to look over to Sanada, who also stopped but was glaring back. "Come here." He beckoned Sanada over. The horses stood side by side, touching. Yukimura leaned over and ghost a hand over Sanada's right cheek before placing a kiss on the other cheek.

The sun made the heat that was rising to Sanada's face worst. He jerked away, feeling embarrassed as his eyes darted around. "We're in public's eyes." He chastised in a whisper.

"But there are no public's eyes at this moment."

At the corner of his eyes, Sanada saw Yukimura putting on the horse reign and climbed over to his horse to sit right in front, making them face each other. His long yet thin arms came to circle around Sanada's neck. "My Lord! This is inappropriate!" Sanada gritted out in between his teeth, but Yukimura was not at all affected.

The Lord pouted and traced a finger on Sanada's throat. "Hardly, considering the position we managed in our little activity last night. Besides…" He looked up coyly and winked. "It's Seiichi, not My Lord."

Sanada blushed harder and felt dizzy from the heat rushing to his head.

"There's no need to act like a virgin. We're past that stage long ago." Yukimura smiled and leaned into Sanada' chest, taking in a swift of the taller's scent. "It was uncomfortable on horseback with my compromise backside. Would you deny me to ride with you?"

Sanada knew at that moment that he could never win or deny his secret lover of anything. Subjecting to his charge's determination, he steered the horse towards a desolate detour.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Tezuka left the palace as soon as he received the message. Now standing in Oishi's room, and once again looming over the sleeping stranger.

"He just went back to sleep after dinner." Oishi offered.

There was a moment of silence when Tezuka took notice of Oishi's unusual fidgeting self. "What's the matter?"

Oishi looked apologetic before spilling out the encounter earlier on. "Lord Yukimura and Lieutenant General Sanada came over today. He ran into them."

Tezuka's eyes widened and he gave Oishi full attention. "What did you tell them?"

Oishi felt weak every time he was subjected to Tezuka's infamous glare. "I lied and said I was the one that found him."

"They believed it?"

"I don't know…they might?" Oishi bit his lips, nervous about being unsure.

"Don't worry about it." Tezuka decided. Yukimura was as carefree of other people's business as he was of court matter. He lowered down and sat on the bed, by the figure's side. His right hand moved and hovered over Fuji's face, brushing away strands of hair from his forehead. His fever went down.

Fuji had run a high fever the night before, but under Oishi's watch, he was able to get better faster than expected.

Tezuka stood and silently beckoned Oishi to follow as both headed out of the room.

"Were you able to find out anything about him?"

Oishi sighed, rubbing his nape as he followed Tezuka halfway across the courtyard to the cherry blossom tree. "He refused to talk no matter how much I tried to assure him that he's safe and we're not the bad guys. A strange person though. It seemed as if he was afraid that something was going to happen to him, seeing how guarded even after spending almost the whole day with him doing nothing but talk, well, mostly one-sided on my part."

"He didn't give you his name, at least?" Tezuka's eyes flickered to the moon on the night sky. It was bright, just like the night he found the fallen angel. He smiled to himself at the thought of referring the stranger as such.

Oishi shook his head. "I only heard two words from him."

At this, Tezuka turned his gaze on Oishi, silently questioning his bodyguard 'what two words?'

"3 days."

3 days? Tezuka thought back to that night and recollected the conversation that he heard in the forest. He must be anxious to find his sister. But if he's anxious, then…. His eyes widened before a thought fell on him and without any warning, he ran back to Oishi's room.

Oishi was confused, bewildered. "Tezuka-sama?" He shouted and turned to run after his charge.

The door to Oishi's room burst opened, rattling the shelves lining the wall.

The bed was empty and the window was opened, leaving the curtains to flutter as the wind passed by.

"What?" Oishi ran over to the bed to make sure that the body was indeed missing while Tezuka stood frozen in his spot. "He was here just now sleeping!" He flipped the covers madly.

Tezuka's eyes narrowed. "He couldn't have gotten far. Find him!"

The moment the order was thrown at Oishi, Tezuka was gone.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Ah!"

Fuji felled to the ground, scraping his elbows and knees as he tripped over uneven pavement. It wasn't easy to move so quickly in his state, but he had to escape at the opportune moment after the two men left him in the room alone. All he knew was that he had to get out and find his sister.

He got up and let his gaze lingered shortly at the house that he ran away from. "Thank you." The words were left to be carried by the wind as he disappeared into the night.

How long he had been running, he wasn't sure. It was alleys after alleys, streets after streets. It was then that he realized he had not a clue about where he was or which direction he should take. Where am I?

It was late, but there were still a few people scattering about. He reached out and stopped a passerby. "Pardon me."

An elderly woman looked up from under her hooded cloak. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry to take up your time, but could you tell me where this is?" Fuji asked.

The woman nodded with a smile. "Of course. You're in the capitol city of the Alabaster Kingdom."

Alabaster Kingdom? Fuji's eyes widened in surprise, which he immediately realized that it was a mistake.

The woman's eyes froze. "Your eyes are blue." She reached up a small hand to caress his cheek. "I've never seen anything like."

Fuji pulled away, eyes now closed. "You're mistaken. They're gray."

"No. They are too clear and bright to be gray."

Fuji's breath hitched. "I'm sorry. I have to go."

"Wait!" The woman called out, but Fuji was already gone. She blinked. "They are blue."

Oh no! Nee-san told me not to show them to anyone! And the capitol city of Alabaster Kingdom? He had heard stories from the villagers. It was a place full of arogant and cunning aristocrats that took pleasure in taking advantage of the poor people and cheat them of wealth. He didn't want to be here and this place sounded like a far distance away from the village.

As he was panicking, he didn't look where he was going and ran into someone. Though this time, there was no hand to stop his fall.

A second of silence ensued as Fuji hissed in pain.

"Well well well. Look what we have here."

"Heh! Just our luck."

The two voices made him froze just a second before two men crouched down to his position on the ground and jutted their faces towards him, invading his personal space.

On instinct, Fuji shoved the faces away and made a run when one of the men that were reeking of alcohol fell on his butt.

"You wench!"

Fuji heard before he felt himself being grabbed by hand at his arm. A strong force tugged him from moving forward and spun him around to see the same men with smirks on their faces.

"Think you could run away after what you did?"

Fuji's face scrunched up into a frown before delivering a punch the man's face. He watched the man fall before the man's friend turned to him.

The friend made a move to hit him, but he dodged and kicked the man in the stomach, making the man to stumble back a few steps and cough.

"Don't touch me with your dirty hands." Fuji growled at them at the same time their faces twisted angrily.

One of them scoffed. "Who do you think you are wench? Who touched who first eh?" He spit saliva mixed with blood, a result from Fuji's blow to his face, on the ground. "Think throwing a few hits is gonna scare us?"

Fuji looked at them in disgust, mindful of how he was being circled now.

"Looks like we're gonna have to put up a good fight for a good lay."

The man behind him laughed mockingly. "You've never been so right!"

Fuji seethed. "Go find someone else to entertain you." Truthfully, he was scared, but he tried not to show it. At the same time, he was beyond angry.

The men smirked. "Why? We already found someone."

Fuji only had a fraction of a second to react to the man's attack from behind. He was able to dodge it but not slap that came from the other man. His face snapped to the side, momentarily made him feel a little dizzy on impact.

When he looked back up, another slap was coming his way…

…but it never came. The next thing he saw was the man flying backward, tumbling down the street and the other man's face paled at whoever that was standing behind him.

"Get lost." A deep, yet familiar voice came from over his shoulders.

The man that was still standing took off with his friend's unconscious body took off in a blink.

For some reasons, his heart thumped loudly and widely. It wasn't because of what he saw, but because of what he heard. The voice gave him a strange feeling of overwhelming. At the feeling of a hand on his shoulder, he jerked away and turned around to see a tall, broad young man with eyes sharp as a blade behind the glasses he wore.

The young man didn't move as he spoke. "Are you hurt?"

Fuji was sure he heard this voice before, but where? His hand came up to ghost over his cheek that became tender from the slap. He gingerly ran his fingers along his jaw to make sure that it wasn't bleeding. When he was sure that it wasn't, he dropped his hand to his side and returned a pointed gaze at the young man. "Who are you?"

The young man suddenly smiled, albeit a faint one, taking Fuji by suprise at how much charismatic that made the man looked. "Call me Kunimitsu."

A blush appeared on Fuji's face uncontrollably. "Um." He made an attempt to clear his throat but failed and it turned into a sound resembling a puppy sneezing. "Thank you, Kunimitsu-san, for helping me. Pardon my nuisance, but could you direct me to the Mogami River?"

"It's a long way from here."

Fuji shook his head and interjected quickly with strong reassurance. "It's not a problem. I just have to get there as soon as possible." He watched Kunimitsu standing still and quietly before the man regarded him in seriousness.

"It's dark, why don't you wait until sunrise?" The tone came out stricter and more finalized than Kunimitsu intended to let out.

"I've wasted enough time waiting." Fuji said solemnly, mind on his sister's safety and whereabout. "If I don't go now..."

"1 more night...is not going to make a difference."

Fuji looked at Kunimitsu squarely in his eyes. There was something in Kunimitsu's voice that made him think that Kunimitsu knew something. "What do you mean by that?"

They engaged in a silent moment of staring as Kunimitsu was reluctant to answer the prior question.

"You found him!"

A loud voice that Fuji recognized that belonged to Oishi came from behind, and he instantaneously froze, wincing internally at having been caught from someone who he was trying to run away from. His frown persisted on his face as Oishi ran over to stand in front of him, looking at him up and down before letting out a gasp.

"Oh no! You're hurt. What happened? Why is the left side of your face red and swollen? Are you hurt any where else on your body? Should we bring you to a healer?"

One thing that Fuji picked up from this man in the short time they knew each other was that he was a worrywort and had tons of questions that spilled out faster than leaking water. The strings of questions made him weary.

When Fuji refused to speak, Oishi turned around and regarded Kunimitsu with a questioning gaze that had a mix of worry. "Te-"

"He ran into some drunkards." Kunimitsu cut Oishi off rather fiercely, leaving no room for argument and stunned Oishi with a pinning gaze that seemed to order him to keep his silence.

Oishi slowly turned around, back to facing Fuji. "Let's go back to my house so that I can get you some ice for the swelling." He suggested eagerly.

Fuji sighed internally, not at all intending to go back to the place that he escaped from. He wondered what identity these two people had. To chase after a stranger, there must be a reason for them to do so and he could only hope they wouldn't make him indebted to them for saving him not once but twice. His suspicion sustained. One look at Kunimitsu, he nodded, now suddenly feel more burdened.

Oishi instantly brightened up and they walked back to his house.

After settling back on the bed in Oishi's private quarter, Oishi left to retrieve an ice pack, leaving him and Kunimitsu alone.

"Won't you tell me your name?" Kunimitsu asked from his spot on the other side of the room, sitting at Oishi's study desk.

Fuji stared blankly at the question before returning the question with another of his own. "Who are you really?"

Kunimitsu raised an eyebrow in challenge and leaned back. "Why do you want to know?"

Fuji's frown deepened before turning his gaze away and out the window, stubbornly refused to answer any more questions for the night. Because I have the right to know!

That was how Oishi saw the two when he returned. There was a still silence, yet it wasn't exactly uncomfortable or awkward. He walked over to the bed and gave Fuji the ice pack, who took it readily.

Oishi flicked his eyes to Kunimitsu to see the man standing up.

"I hope to see you tomorrow." Kunimitsu pinned a glare at Fuji, expecting the latter to get his message, which he assumed that Fuji did with a stiffening of the shoulders. "Good night." Without waiting for a reply he left the room with Oishi following and closing the door behind them.

Once they were outside of the room, Tezuka spoke. "From now on, refrain from addressing me by my name and title in front of him. I do not wish for him to know of who I am."

Oishi was confused by the decision but complied nonetheless. "I understand. Will young master do?"

Tezuka nodded. "I'll be back before noon."

Oishi bowed and saw Tezuka off. He sighed once he was alone, rubbing his nape as he stared at the door to his private quarter. "How did a bodyguard like me end up as a caretaker for a stranger? And gotten kicked out of my own room in the process?" He shook his head and let out a long heavy sigh. "And how is the only royal heir of this Kingdom so playful and carefree and doesn't have a smidgen of interest in matters of state?" He asked himself in bewilderment and went to retire for the night in a nearby guest quarter.

TBC

AN: 'Kunimitsu' is used to depict Fuji's obliviousness to Tezuka's identity.

Thank you for all of your reviews and love for this story! I was going to end with a cliff hanger, but thought it would be mean since update is dawdling...hope you all enjoyed this chapter though.

On last note, I want to especially thank I Love Fuji for drawing and sharing her spectacular fanart of the TeFu couple in setting of this story. It's lovely! If interested, please visit her blog for the picture in reference of AL.

Supremekikay24: Thank you! Updated!
Reinbowbox: No Yumiko yet...maybe next chapter?
Yukairi: Hahha sorry for the cliff hanger, that's why I refrain from ending it that way in this chapter. Thank you!
I Love Fuji: Aw~ Thank you! "huggle" you back
Fujiyuki: Thank you! Yes, I'm not abandoning this story. So rest assure. I'll try to update more often if possible.
Wara ningyo: You're certainly welcome. hope you enjoy this chapter as well?
Devi no kaze: Yup yup! Didn't take too long for the protagonists to meet.
Lazy Gaga: Thank you! I'm glad that you liked it.
Azab: Thank you! Sorry for not updating 'soon' but here it is.
DaphneHatake: haha I intended to portray Tezuka differently. I'm glad that you like it. Thank you!