Has anyone else noticed the size of the duel disks that they use in 5D's? Seriously—those things are about as large as a Roman shield! Not nearly as sturdy, I'd assume, but still just a big!

Anyways, here's to the long awaited ending to chapter 12. 24 pages! I'm so glad that I split the chapter into two, or this wouldn't have been digestible at all. This marks the end of the intro story arc, and we now move into the next phase of the story. Please enjoy!

Warnings: Minor fluffy crap. Lots of steam. (Sorry—the hardcore stuff comes waaaaaaaayyyyyyy later on.) If I could, I'd get to the really dirty stuff as fast as I can, but I think the whole story would fall apart if that happened. It's like Jack said—he has 100 days to make Yusei fall in love with him, and there are still many more left for him to attempt more…amorous overtures.

Yusei: I hate to think what that might entail.

Jack: You didn't feel that way last night.

Yusei: _

We go from Day 95 to Day 94 here. Regality—if you include the first 6 chapters done by the wonderful Selene Nightshade, is 90 pages long with 12 chapters.

Chapter 12—Part Two: Found

"JACK!"

The blonde king whipped Red Demon around at the horrible sound of Yusei wailing for help, his screams choked with agony of someone in a great amount of pain.

"Yusei? Yusei!" He was answered with another series of screams, each louder and more painful sounding than the last.

"Jack! Jack, help!"

He sounded so close, but Jack couldn't spot him anywhere amongst the surrounding trees. It was like he'd been replaced with a ghost—where was he?

Judai looked horrified. "Yusei doesn't scream, Jack."

"I'm coming, Yusei!" Jack cried in response, unsure of what else he could say. He could only pray that Yusei kept calling until he could find him.

Judai charged up besides him, his horse wildly tossing her head and stomping her feet. "He must be farther away! I can't find him anywhere around here!"

"Gather the group down that way," Jack ordered, pointing to the west, "They're the closest to us. Tell them Yusei's in the area!"

"Got it!" Judai said with hesitation, spurring Yubel into the direction he was told with as much haste as the two could manage. Jack spun Red Demon in circles as Yusei began to cry out again, hoping that he could pinpoint the location of the noise and head for it.

"Jack, help me!"

Where was he? It sounded as if his voice was coming from all sides of him! Sweat beaded at his forehead and stung his eyes with the ticking of the clock. Yusei didn't have time for him to be standing around, but he couldn't tell where he was! "Yusei! Yusei, where are you?"

"Jack!" A strangled cry followed the plea for help, and then a harsh yelp that sounded vaguely like someone falling.

"Yusei!"

Where the hell was he!?

.o.

Kicking the wolf in the damaged eye had a far different effect than what Yusei had planned for.

The wolf was supposed to let go, and then he'd propel himself up the tree and out of reach. Jack, wherever the bloody king was, would eventually come and solve Yusei's wolf dilemma. Then Yusei could come back down, they'd get him back to Neo Domino, and then he could get his dinner.

The carnivore's response to the kick was to rip Yusei down from the tree completely before letting go to bark wildly and shake its head at the pain. Standing up and getting away had been his only option, and he had nothing to mark the tree with to indicate that's where he had been.

Jack…why can't you find me

Fueled with adrenaline, Yusei tore off through the trees as fast as he could go, sparks of pain flying up his leg to his knee with every pounding step he took. His chest was sore with the pounding of his heart and the sharp fall he had taken, having fallen flat on his front when he lost his grip on the tree bough. He couldn't be sure, but it felt like a rib may have cracked. Or he bruised his sternum. Either way, the pain had spread quickly across his torso. His vision blurred incessantly with constant sweat, stinging his eyes and throwing off his balance when he tried to see. He was a wreck of person, running unsteadily wherever his legs could take him.

"Yusei!"

That sounded close—way close. Yusei couldn't believe his ears. He mistakenly turned his head to look back, tripping over a jutting root and sending himself flying through the air only to crash to the ground and rip small plants from their homes. The dirt got in his eyes and scratched the surface of it with fiery abandon, eliciting inhuman hissing as he pathetically tried to rub it from his face.

Growling alerted him to the wolf once more, the predator quickly closing the distance between them. Yusei stumbled as he tried to stand, pitching a few infinitesimal rocks in the wolf's direction in fleeting hopes of harming it before taking off again, their panting evenly synchronized as they ran.

One man, running from death.

One wolf, running for life.

"Yusei!"

He forced himself not to look around for Jack anymore, fearing any further distraction would slow him down more than he could afford. The noise seemed like enough to throw the wolf for a loop though, and it slowed briefly to catch the second scent of human. Yusei hopped a fallen tree and began to weave through the trees once more, desperate to try anything at that point. He was losing speed, and his lungs burned as if he had swallowed the embers of a fire.

Please, God, not like this…I don't want to die like this!

"Jack!"

The silence of the forest thrummed in his heartstrings, tearing at them with the strength of a merciless god. Why wouldn't he answer? Where was he?

He saw flashes of the dark ocean before his eyes, the dark spurts of blood ejecting from his head and vanishing into the sea. There was no hand before him now, no hand reaching out to save him, no voice to offer solace in what would be his final moments of life. He had tried to trust—he did! Yusei couldn't believe it, but he felt sorry for not trying harder to follow the commands of the man who held him that morning, asking him to trust a little and to have a little faith.

I'm so sorry…but I just can't keep doing this

"Yusei! Don't slow down now! Keep running!"

He couldn't begin to calculate the seconds it took for him to slam on the brakes and watch the wolf shoot past him blindly, or the time it took for him to turn in a different direction and take off once more, his entire leg on fire with the injury. He just couldn't. All he could do was watch out of his peripheral vision and see Jack keep racing after the wolf, brandished sword gleaming amber in the final rays of daylight as he hunted down the menace that was the sick wolf.

Jack glanced in his direction only briefly, but his words rang as sharp as his predator amethyst eyes. "Yusei, run!"

.o.

Somewhere else in the forest gathered a group of four men led by the Neospacian king, Judai Yuki. Their eyes scanned the trees for any sign of their king and the prince, but the area was desolate. No screams pierced the dusk and no orders echoed through the trees.

It was like both men had been snatched by a ghost.

.o.

The utter silence—save the rushing off the river—was the greatest blessing Yusei had ever received.

He sat limply on the edge, a few feet between him and the manic water crashing beneath him. Part of him wanted to simply fall forward into the water and never get up, and another part of him urged his mind to do something about his leg, which he kept neglecting to tend to. But he couldn't find the strength to move from that spot, or the concentration to break off the hypnotic spell of the water flowing past.

Right then, he just wanted to rest.

He could still hear the multiple voices calling his name, the only familiar tone belonging to the brunette king. Jack had yet to make a reappearance, but Yusei didn't want to rush him. He wanted that wolf dead. And judging by the look he had seen on Jack's face, so did he.

So he waited, giggling once to himself when the other continued to call his name and he didn't answer. He felt like a child again, hiding in the bowels of the castle while his parents and servants all frantically searched for him. Having all the people under his control like that had been sorely amusing to his adolescent mind, and he would've continued to play such games had his father not…tanned his hide. In all truth, he had deserved it, but looking back on it still brought a smile to his face, just like it was then, too.

Call him crazy, but it was probably due to a lack of water and too much adrenaline that he felt so hysterical. Jack would so mad if he found out…

"Yusei! Yusei, where are you?"

"King Jack! Your Highness!"

"Prince Yusei!"

"Jack!"

Their voices drifted off into his subconscious as he rubbed his eyes and yawned, wear finally having caught up with him. He wanted to lie down and sleep for a thousand years.

The sun had already begun to set, and the moon could be seen trying to get through the pink sky. He couldn't begin to hazard a guess as to what time it was, and his stomach was of little use to indicate anything. All he was truly aware of now was that hunger was tearing a hole in his gut, his eyes watered with lingering dirt, his hands stung with the various scrapes he had collected in his haste to flee, and his leg had ceased to hurt and was slowly falling numb.

I wonder if this is what dying feels like

"Yusei! Come on! Where are you?"

As a light breeze swept over him, chilling the sweat accumulated on his skin. It was like being pelted with icicles, stinging and cold. Yusei wrapped his arms around himself, but his weak attempts made the cold that much worse. He tried to avoid thinking about his coat, the beautiful thing now torn to pieces somewhere in the middle of the forest where no one would ever find it. He longingly hoped that a bird or some small animal might make a better home with it, because it would serve him no further good. Getting up and finding Judai was the quickest way to grab himself a cloak, but that required finding his purchase to rise and the energy to walk.

That man from before…he was warm.

Delirious and frightfully aware of it, Yusei's head suddenly shot up to find the warm man from before, tired eyes straining to find his form somewhere in the darkness and his lips poised to call for him. Surely he was around here somewhere, watching from afar and keeping an eye on him. He had shielded him earlier and kept him warm while he slept—would it be so difficult for him to find Yusei again?

He's not coming, Yusei. You know this

The wind gusted past again, the cold settling in his bones when he refused to move and keep himself warm. Yusei curled himself into the tightest ball he could manage, face buried in his arms and knees. It hurt…

Jack's warm, too

The raven prince urged himself to raise his heavy head off his knees and look around a second time, this time for the blonde king. Would it be so odd as to look for his company? For his protection from the cold? Was Jack even still here, or had he vanished like the man he came to look for, lost in the depths of the forest and playing hunter in the dead of night? The thought made him feel that much colder…

Some part of him, a small and diminutive piece, really wished that Jack would just come find him already and take the two of them back home.

Home

Suddenly he was on his feet, teetering on his injured ankle but otherwise stable. He started forward down the trail alongside the river, his mind blank and yet focused all at once. He didn't have to fight to pick up his feet, although the painful reminder of his injury had returned with every step he took. Jack had spent all day looking for him—now it was his turn to do the same. He limped along the path, ignoring the shouts for his name and instead listening for Jack's reply to his own summons.

Where are you, Jack?

The insane wolf leapt through the bushes and onto the path, its body a bloody and broken mess from where Jack had no doubt stabbed it. The king was right on its tail, utterly determined to catch the beast when he spotted Yusei up ahead staring blankly back at them. He shouted something to the prince but he didn't catch it, his eyes drawn towards the leaping wolf that knocked him over the edge and into the river.

.o.

"Yusei!"

He was plummeting through the depths of the oceans. All around him droned the water, bubbles hissing past his ears and leaving a discernable trail back up to the surface. When he glanced behind him, all he saw was black. When he looked up, a glimmer of sunlight shot through the volumes of water and illuminated his body.

"Yusei!"

He could feel himself sinking deeper and deeper into the water, but found it odd that the light did not begin to shrink in its glow the lower he sank. Instead, all that alerted him to his growing peril was the pressure of the water, the weight of it increasing with every inch that he fell. It wrapped around him like thick chains that slowly constricted his body. His arms grew heavier with the weight and could no longer propel him. His legs felt as if they were laden down with stones, dragging him down and into the abyss…

"Yusei, hold on!"

There was blood everywhere, this time not from his head but his body, seeping through his skin like the essence of tea leaves. It spiraled all around him, flowing with the force of the water as it sailed away with his body.

"YUSEI!"

A shadow fell across his face as a silhouette descended upon him. An outstretched hand, waiting for his returned grip.

"Who are you…"

The arm extended itself to him, buzzing with the beautiful warmth he remembered so well from before. It was right before him…right in his reach…

Jack…Jack's warmth

"Yusei!"

The sun flickered again, warning him of his descent. His heart stopped pounding as he stared at the outstretched hand, astonished at the declaration that the voice just made.

Yusei…that…that…that's me

"Jack…"

A firm hand wrenched him from the water. Yusei spluttered like a gasping fish trying to breathe. He had no sense of up or down, just cold, before he hit the dry ground so hard the wind was knocked out of him. He fought for his breath, ignoring the demands from above him to relax and let out some air first. The moment he relaxed his body was suddenly invaded by hands. It felt as if a million people were touching him at once, frantic and unforgiving as they felt everywhere on his body and turned and rolled him about like he was a rag doll instead of a flesh bag. He watched his hands fight the invading touch but they were promptly smacked away like they consisted of smoke, and both fell limp to either side of him without remorse for giving up.

He was tossed and turned several more times before someone settled him on his back and tore his tunic from his body. The damp clothing gave way to a warm shirt that was hastily pulled back around his shivering torso, this tunic far larger than what he usually wore and smelling strongly of another man. Muscular arms pulled at his body until he was sitting up, and then Jack further wrapped him in his embrace.

"God, Yusei…" He whispered, his voice tired. He pulled Yusei as close to his body as he dared without hurt him. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"

The raven prince was at a loss of something appropriate to say, and favored leaning in to the warm embrace instead. Familiar fingers pulled through his wet locks, lingering on the gold highlights and aimlessly twisting them. Jack smelled of sweat and water, his skin moist and sticky like Yusei's. He couldn't imagine that he smelled any better, but the blonde happily buried his face in Yusei's hair, pulling the smaller man to rest his head under his chin. Yusei accepted the gesture, returning the favor by cautiously bringing his arms up around Jack's back. The blonde sighed as Yusei's now ungloved hands ghosted over his bare skin, heart fluttering as weakly as Yusei's for a moment with the sensation.

The two sat there like that, lost in a moment of utter relief and exhaustion. The calls of the men and Judai went unheeded, the moment that these two men found themselves in too precious to interrupt. Yusei wanted to giggle at the term "spellbound" but couldn't find the energy to do something so obnoxious. Their haggard breathing slowly settled into more acceptable measures and their heartbeats began to level out into a more manageable pace. Yusei allowed his cold fingers the one-time privilege of feeling Jack's back much more intently, the pads running over thin ridges that he presumed were old scars. Even though Jack's breath was quiet compared to the grumbling river, Yusei found it fascinating to listen to his reactions as he moved from scar to scar, some garnering no reaction while others elicited a hitch in his breathing and caused him to briefly tighten his hold on the prince. Whether touching them brought back memories, made him ticklish, or were merely sensitive areas eluded his frazzled mind, but he found himself mapping out the scars and storing Jack's reaction away for another time.

The blonde had his own trouble keeping his hands to himself, and ran his hands over any bare flesh he could locate on Yusei's body. His skin was so cold that Jack's touch burned and tingled, provoking him to shiver and tremble uncontrollably—or was it simply the wind and water that was lowering his body temperature?

At one point Jack removed Yusei's hands from his back and brought them to his lips, warming the frozen appendages with his breath and his own hands. He looked Yusei in the eye the entire time, their gazes as locked into place as their seated positions had become. At some point Jack abandoned his attempts to warm Yusei's hands and laid them both flat on his naked pectorals, a small shiver crawling up the larger man's spine as his skin adjusted to the cold touch. Keeping constant eye contact he slid them slowly up to his collarbone, and then his shoulders, before adjusting them to lock behind his neck and hold on. So lost in the regal amethyst eyes before him Yusei let him, so tired and so hungry and in so much pain that he didn't find himself caring at the moment. Somewhere in the dark recesses of his mind screamed a voice, warning him of what he was letting the man he so openly called a pervert do to him, but the strength and will to agree with it had been drained a long time ago, wasted on a wolf that meant to kill him. Now all he was capable of was trusting this wolf to keep him safe.

"Yusei…" Jack murmured slowly, like speaking would break the spell. Yusei's eyes briefly flickered to the blonde's mouth before looking back into his eyes, their color so bold and fierce in the dying sunlight. Confident that Yusei would not move away Jack leaned in a little bit closer to him, his breath close enough for Yusei feel puffs across his neck. He closed his eyes to Jack and waited for any further movement, his mind straying back to the day they first met—Jack backing him up against a fountain, Yusei's hands splashing at the cold water when he lost his balance, the devious hands finding their way under his clothes and the blonde's hot breath steaming up his neck as he prepared to pounce.

Now, he realized, they were back in the same position again, with Yusei dripping wet and Jack's burning skin steaming up the air. The prince opened his eyes again but was curious to see Jack's head beneath his own. His curiosity was soon fulfilled as an incredibly warm, heavy tongue slid up his neck, from his thin collarbone to under his chin, setting the skin on ice when the dangerous heat withdrew. It was completely unconscious, but Yusei blushed anyway, and a wicked smile slowly spread across Jack's face when he caught the reaction. It was instinctive to look away, but a set of teeth on his shoulder and a growled "Don't" frightened him into obeying. A wolf was no creature to meddle with, be it insane or otherwise. Yusei just couldn't figure out what kind Jack was.

The king's hands roamed up and down his thighs, feeling the rises and falls with the precision of a cartographer, eager to find ever inch of land there was to see and not failing to do so, either. They curved under his knees and drew lines from there to his buttocks and back before taking better hold of Yusei's legs and inching him closer. Yusei's body was practically wrapped around the king's frame, but being caught in such a compromising position occurred to neither of them at the time. Jack stopped nibbling at Yusei's shoulder and turned his attention to the raven's face after a bit, his eyes burning like embers without the sun's help. Yusei's heart began to pick up a quicker pace, but under Jack's stare he was no more a lamb trapped by a wolf with no shepherd to intervene. Jack leaned in so close Yusei had to close his eyes, afraid to stare any further. He could hear Jack's smirk as the man's lips grazed his cheek, on hand carefully sliding up Yusei's back under his borrowed shirt while the other took a hold of a knee to keep him still. His mouth crept closer to Yusei's, teasing with his hot breath and close proximity. Yusei's furrowed his brow to keep his eyes shut tight when he knew Jack was about to kiss him, but the man's wandering hand brushed over a sensitive part of his leg that sent Yusei hissing in pain and Jack's face back a few inches.

"Damn it," Jack growled, more angry with himself than Yusei, the prince believed. Jack extricated their limbs from the tangle they formed and got to his knees. As soon as he was sure the pain had temporarily faded he scooped Yusei up into his arms bridal style, quickly rising to his feet and darting the few yards down the path to his horse.

Red Demon watched in interest as his owner approached him, and Yusei didn't miss the flaring of the creature's nostrils. When he left Neo Domino a few days prior, he had tried to befriend Red Demon before he departed (since the horse couldn't be blamed for its owner's disposition) and was surprised at how hostile the horse was to him. He hadn't dared to go near the animal again, but now he realized the situation had changed. Red Demon lowered his gaze from Yusei to stare at the ground, utterly submissive now. Jack didn't seem to take notice of it, but Yusei had seen similar things happen before. When the rider excreted enough pheromones that the horse might associate with the stallion of the herd, it mellowed out in submission to the one it considered superior. Yusei wouldn't have been surprised if Red Demon thought of him as a brood mare now, off limits to anyone outside of the king. It would be interesting gauging his reactions later on…

"I'll get you out of here, soon, Yusei. Just hang on for a little bit longer," Jack promised as he hoisted Yusei up onto the saddle and adjusted his legs so he was sitting astride. As soon as he got the prince to hang on to Red Demon's mane he began to fish out a cloak from a saddlebag, thrusting the garment up to him once it was free. "Pull this around you."

Yusei obeyed without question. The moment from before was gone, and Jack's head seemed to be back in the game. A wonderful occurrence, as Yusei's vision was beginning to go a little black. As Jack fished around in the saddlebags some more, Yusei contemplated checking for any food. He had been too distracted by imminent death to think about it, but now he realized he was starving.

Jack made a grunt of satisfaction as he pulled a small horn from the depths of a saddlebag, an item very reminiscent of the ones they used back in the Satellite in case people got lost. Not that Yusei or any other teenager bothered to carry one around, but some kept one on hand for luck. If you had one, you wouldn't get lost and would never need it—if you didn't, then losing your way was a very high risk. Jack faced the trees and gave two very ear splitting blasts with his horn, then waited. He was met with a similar response—two obnoxiously loud blasts—albeit far quieter with distance. Satisfied with his efforts, Jack began to put the horn away and shuffle things around in the saddlebag again.

Yusei drew the hood of the cloak up over his head as he watched the horizon, the sun almost gone and the sky a deep magenta color. He saw black clouds for a moment that drifted in from behind the tree line, and then realized it was his own vision going blurry blinked his eyes free of it. In the distance he spotted a small figure moving at a very languid pace with a discernable limp, but with the sun behind it all details were lost of what it was. Yusei opened his mouth to point it out, but Jack was too focused on swinging up onto the saddle behind him to notice the prince pointing vaguely to shape in front of them. His paler arms slipped in between Yusei's sides and his own arms to reach the reins, and he quickly turned them around in the opposite direction to gallop off into the forest.

He had never ridden like this before, and Yusei wasn't quite sure whether or not he found it fun. Having no control of the horse and being perched farther up on the seat of Red Demon's saddle was a little unnerving, to be honest, and he didn't enjoy the pommel digging in to his groin with the bouncy gait of the horse. He relented in his frustration after considering his own state of well being for a moment, and decided it best to just try and relax for the rest of the ride. His ankle burned, though, and it hurt trying to grip the sides of Red Demon in the effort to spare him the discomfort of having heels kicking his stomach. He attempted to close his eyes and take a few deep breaths, but the sensation reminded him too much of being lost in the river. He had briefly jerked in surprise when Red Demon cleared a small log when he eyes had been closed, and gripped one of Jack's arms to keep himself steady. After nearly giving the blonde a heart attack he let go and carefully leaned back into Jack's chest, the taller man adjusting his stance to accommodate him. It did little to alleviate his fear of falling off, however. Relaxing may have been a bit harder to achieve than he first thought.

"Yusei!"

The prince nearly cracked Jack's jaw with his head as he shot up straight to locate Judai in the darkness. His vision kept darkening on him and eliminating some of what he saw, but constant vigilance rewarded him with seeing Judai again, tired but happy.

There were other men gathered around Judai with matching sets of uniforms and body hugging armor, each silent but with relieved looks on their faces when Jack pulled up and to a halt. Yusei recognized none of them.

"Your Highness, Lenore's squad found fresh horse tracks a few hours back. He and his men went to go search for it," said a brawny man off to Judai's left. Jack's nod could be felt through Yusei's back.

"Very good. The prince didn't have anything on him, so the map must be with horse."

The same man spoke again. "How would you like us to proceed from here, sir?"

"You and I will go meet up with Lenore and his men. The rest of you," he ordered, "will return with King Judai and Prince Yusei to the palace."

Jack continued to speak, but Yusei ignored him in favor of greeting Judai, who pulled up besides Jack's horse. The shorter king eagerly leaned over and wrapped his arms around Yusei, his grip coming close to being painful. "Oh my God…" Judai whispered, his hold tightening, "I thought we were going to lose you."

Yusei's arms were trapped by both Jack and Judai's arms, so he settled for leaning in to the hug instead. "I'm okay, now, Judai. I promise." He sighed, deliriously happy to be within the bounds of his friend's scent again. Judai smelled different from Jack—who tended to carry the musky scent of roses—and smelled more of gingerbread and candies. He smells like kid, Yusei thought. A happy kid, if they can have a particular smellJack just smells like some gross adult trying to be romanticstupid rose scent

He hadn't been aware of his insane giggling, and couldn't understand why everyone was staring at him bizarrely. Judai had leaned away again and carried a very troubled look.

Yusei stared in return. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said quickly, "I just think that it's time we get you back to the palace."

The prince tilted his head up to look at Jack, who clearly hadn't been expecting it and jumped a little. "Why's everyone so quiet?"

The question threw Jack for a loop, and he didn't reply to his question. Yusei frowned at him. "It's rude not to answer people's questions, Jack."

"And I think princes shouldn't stay up this late at night," Jack retorted. He swung himself down from the saddle and then reached for Yusei's waist. "Come on; you're going to ride back with Judai."

"Why are you half naked, Jack?"

The king paused in his attempt to grab Yusei to stare incredulously at him while Judai snickered a bit to himself. He told Judai to shut up and reached for Yusei, dragging him down off the horse and onto the ground again. He leaned in real close to whisper. "I think you need to stop talking now, Prince Yusei."

Yusei giggled. "Silly, I'm not a prince—I'm a queen," a fact he demonstrated by trying to curtsey for Jack and nearly falling down. Jack wasted no time picking him up and tossing him on to Judai's horse, seating him on the back this time and using Judai's offer of belting the two of them together.

Jack gave Yusei another quick stare before moving on to Judai, "He was attacked a by very sick wolf before I got to him. His ankle is in need of attention. Have the doctors keep a close eye on him, too—I think dehydration may be the problem here, but we can't be sure that the wolf didn't have any extra diseases."

"Did you kill it?"

"I came close. It fell into the river with Yusei before I could, though—and I haven't seen it since."

Judai nodded firmly. "I'll let them know." He turned to the other men waiting. "Let's go."

Yusei grabbed Jack's shoulder as he passed, catching his attention. "If you want to know what the wolf's sickness is, she's standing right behind us."

Yusei's world then spun as he took a dive off the side of Yubel, Judai equally affected by the belt connecting them. He couldn't remember hitting the ground, but he did hear the shouts of the other men as they tried to get the wolf before it got them.

.o.

This time he was sure that he was dreaming. He could feel the sweat running down his face and the thick heat of being tangled up in too many bed sheets. The weight of the duvet was crushing in his unconscious state, and the temperature of the room almost unbearable. Someone was trying to speak to him as he thrashed about, but their words were mired in the intensity of what he was seeing before him.

Men in armor were shouting all around him, running for a shadowed figured hidden by the dusk and trees. He was stuck to the ground, half of his face buried in soil and dead leaves. The smell of the moist earth and decomposing plants was almost overwhelming, and he could feel himself growing nauseated with the stench. Behind him groaned a familiar voice, their body pressed closely up against his and equally stuck to the ground. It wasn't until someone kneeled besides them and starting fumbling with a belt around his waist that he realized he was lashed together with the person behind him, and quickly helped to free himself. The person who helped set him free tried to grab for his shoulders as he sat up, but a quick thrust of an elbow made the man let go.

He could see her in trees, racing with all her might straight for him. He ran for her as well, the two of them like star-crossed lovers in a novel desperately trying to bridge the gap between them and reunite their love. Horses and unfamiliar men blocked his path, but he ducked and dodged them easily, his desire to greet her overpowering his mind and helping him to focus on evading capture. The people tried to catch him, and he could feel every tingle as their fingers grasped at his shirt and skin for a tight hold and losing him every time. It was…exhilarating.

As she finally descended upon him and into his arms he took the top of her snout and steered her around in circles, her course always being altered and never sending her in the direction of his heart. She growled at the way he taunted her, sneering that she'd have to try harder for his affection. Silence fell over the forest and the cries of the strangers stopped as he danced with the she-wolf in their tribal ritual, their bodies glowing with their single-colored auras. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever witnessed, like a scene conjured up by a child's unrestricted imagination.

The tango carried on far into the night, the moon overhead casting light upon the duet of Man and Wolf. As the glowing orb in the sky reached the peak of its climb the dance concluded with the climax—a midnight sacrifice—and he spilled the she-wolf's blood upon the earth from which she originated. The skin of his hands were torn and cut as he savagely pried her jaws apart until they broke and he could rip the lower half from her head. As she fell to the ground, choking on her life force, she tried to howl her last notes as a proud she-wolf. The ghost of a silver horse appeared for the final rites of passage, weaving his magic over the two as they laid there on the Mother Nature's skin, whispering final goodbyes to each other. He looked into her eyes, one so hideously deformed it was hardly an eye and the other so beautiful and perfect it could have hardly belonged to any mortal creature. It shone a beautiful amethyst hue, like lilacs dusted with snow on the fringes of winter. She stared back into his own eyes, anger slowly fading into acceptance as she conceded the victory of the battle to him. He gave her a gentle smile in praise for her determination and unwillingness to give in, and stroked what remained of her face carefully.

"Now move on to a better life," he whispered, "Become the beautiful creature you were meant to be and live your life to the fullest."

She nodded minimally, her eyes beginning to roll back into her head in the slow throes of death. He kissed the space between her eyes in farewell, murmuring, "I love you," before his world faded into black.

.o.

Yusei couldn't fathom why his eyes felt so sore when he opened them up to see an off white ceiling, or why tears were spilling down his cheeks like he had been sobbing. Without reason he grasped at the remaining fragments of his dream, the horror of it too realistic to let it go like one might for any other dream. Bits and pieces still clung to his memory, but the rest was vanishing like smoke into thin air, forever out reach and out of mind. He fought hard to retain what was left in his head and make some sense of it, but fragments he was left holding were so random that they didn't fit into anything cohesive.

The prince sighed and gave up, body taking precedence over nightmares. Or could it be dream? He ached all over, from his neck to his ankles, stiff and throbbing after what were likely hours of idleness. It felt as though someone had been seriously clubbing him, although he could tell nothing serious was broken. His sternum was still sore from falling out of the tree and it hurt to breathe, but it wasn't broken and neither were his ribs. His neck was curiously stiff and sparks of pain went shooting up his spine whenever he tilted his head, but he was at a loss regarding how it happened. His ankle was what hurt the most, but pain resonating from limbs was easier to deal with than injuries dealt to the torso or head. Yusei resigned to the fact that he'd have to move to get the pain to go away, but decided it would be best to figure out where he was first before he got up.

A discreet—and painful—tilt of his head to the right revealed the short row of windows that he recognized from Jack's room. The shutters were all open and exposing the bitter night that lay outside. The moon was not yet high in the sky, but in an hour Yusei imagined it would be. He found it hard to believe that the dream he just had hadn't carried him through the night and to dawn, but decided that it was better be grateful it was over. After another quick glance out the window he gazed at the rest of the room, eyes falling upon the failing embers left in the fireplace on the other side. Even in the fading light he could make out the mysterious forms of knick knacks on the mantle piece, as well as the more discernable shape of books stacked on the floor and on bookshelves. There was another door at the end of one of the bookshelves, but it remained closed to his wandering eyes. He hadn't really seen much in Jack's room before, and curiosity was slowing getting the better of him. Yusei wanted to climb out of bed and just take a quick walk around, pain be damned, but a small snore alerted him to the second person in the room with him.

Jack was propped up by a pillow against the headboard, his eyes closed and mouth slightly open as he quietly snored. He had somehow managed to keep his head up semi-up right, and thus kept his reading glasses off his face, but his hands had let go of the book he was reading in favor of folding across his chest. The overall pose made him look like he was angry with someone and about to lecture them, but Yusei couldn't help but find it funny. Still, it spoke volumes about Jack if he was willing to fall asleep next to him and risk Yusei seeing him make a strange face. Despite having seen Jack when he was raging mad, this grumpy look made the obnoxious, regal king seem…normal.

Yusei slowly inched himself back so that he could lean against the head board, too, his head swimming with too many vivid memories of the day to get himself any decent rest. The pressure on his hands grew too be too much for one movement, though, and he whipped his hands out from under him in pain. To his horror, both hands and most of his fingers were bandaged, some bruising on his wrists left uncovered but quite dark. He curled his digits hesitantly to test for another painful reaction, but found than the most that hurt was his left hand's pinky and ring finger, which had been expertly taped together.

I'm surprised I didn't break more, but what could've damaged my hands so badly? That dream…it wasn't real, was it?

He was almost too scared to check for what other injuries he had inflicted upon himself, and decided it best not to look tonight. He knew he'd be up most of the night already thinking about the past day, and didn't need the shock of too many injuries to further impede him. He made sure to scoot back using his good hand this time, and adjusted his pillow to support his aching back. In the hopes calming his mind he watched the blonde king doze, chest gently rising and falling with sound sleep. He and Yusei were dressed in similar shirts, although Yusei found his to be a size too large for him, and Jack had left his collar wide open. The material was comfortable, though, and didn't pull across his wounds in a way that would irritate them. The raven surmised that he was wearing one of Jack's shirts, judging by how unlike Yusei it smelled, although his fresh pants seemed to be his own. It was a considerate thing to provide, and he made a mental note to thank Jack as soon as he awoke—his own clothing was comfortable, yes, but built more to be durable than pleasant to touch. Had he been back home, the easier thing to have done would have been to sleep naked.

Best not mention that to Jack

It felt so strange sitting next to the king without feeling worried. Every time he entered Jack's presence he was overcome with a fit of shaking and knot in his stomach so tight he thought he might faint. Whether or not Jack noticed was an entirely different story, but the intensity of the week had left him unable to swallow food without it tasting bland, or walk the hallways without fear of running into the king and not knowing what to say to him…again. He hated every moment of it, and the situation had been that much more unbearable knowing that he had caused some of the strife between them as well. The guilt was literally killing him, and hearing Jack's voice in the forest, calling his name, had felt like a slap across the face.

But Jack had done what Yusei could not, and now it was his turn to put the past aside and face the truth. The truth that while Jack was an insufferable and selfish and really needed someone to kick him in the pants—he saved Yusei's life. He didn't have to, and could've argued to his parents that Yusei had run away from the agreement and broken off the alliance with the Satellite. It wouldn't have been far from the truth, either. Yusei's motives for staying out so long weren't pure, and the price of running away had almost cost him his life. And now he was faced with a second chance to make things right—and he'd be damned if he didn't take it.

I won't marry you, King of Neo Domino, Jack Atlas. But I won't run from my obligations, anymore, either.

The candlelight was growing weak on Jack's side of the bed, so Yusei adjusted himself to light the fresh candle on his side. It took a few minutes to finally light the wick with his damaged fingers, but his efforts were rewarded with a burning candle that was sure to last several hours. When he turned back around, Jack's head had finally fallen to rest on his chest. His glasses frantically tried to hang on to his nose, but in the end slipped off and fell to his folded arms. In the stronger light, Yusei noticed that Jack's hair was still slightly damp, like he'd had a bath, as the spikes normally adorning his head were limp. The young look his spikes had given him temporarily faded, and he looked more mature with his blonde hair falling in his face and around his neck. Not like an adult (he was far from becoming that) but definitely more mature. His usual scent of roses fit his appearance far better now than it did before, too—before it made him look devious. Now it just made him a gentle giant.

Yusei was grateful that Jack couldn't hear his thoughts—he'd surely be executed for thinking that.

It was then that the prince remembered Jack had been reading, and his gaze lowered to the green book resting open across his stomach. He strained his neck trying to read the title, but a combination of bad light and faded lettering made it difficult to discern. He carefully picked up the book and brought one knee up to his chest to rest the small treasure on, finger in place of where Jack had been reading. The book was small and nothing remarkable, but it was clear from the looks of it that it was frequently read. Whatever letters had once adorned it were gold, telltale marks revealing that at one point the book did have a nice cover. The title remained unclear, though, so he opted for flipping through some of the pages to find clues.

Nothing jumped out at him that might suggest a theme, and he noticed that it wasn't so much a story but a long poem that went on for several pages at a time. Some pages talked of love while others of suffering, a few of war and one or two on contentment. Jack had been reading none of those, however. Instead, he had been reading a small story about a circus with performers that were utterly useless and not at all skilled at their trade. Yusei eagerly scanned the first few phrases, the simplicity of it responsible for making it truly witty. Vulgarity was not danced around and most of the words were lewd, but the raven haired prince found himself giggling slightly as he tried to picture the scenes in his head. That is, until he laughed a little harder than he should and his chest squeezed painfully.

It had him doubled over in silent groaning, book falling back to the bed, forgotten. He clenched his teeth and stared at his knees, wondering whether or not to regret reading something comedic when his body hurt so much. He decided that it wasn't when a familiar hand laid itself on his back and gently rubbed in circles, the owner patiently waiting for him to sit back up. When he could finally sit up, he met Jack's sad smile.

"You going to be all right?"

Yusei nodded. "I'm fine. I've had far worse injuries than this."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Jack said with a shake of his head. "When did you wake up?"

"I can't remember. I haven't been up long enough to brave getting out of bed, if that's what you're asking."

The king nodded but said nothing more, opting instead to take Yusei's left hand and inspect the bandages. Yusei let him without saying a word, absentmindedly observing Jack's expressions as the blonde checked the wrappings in silence. After a minute of scrutiny, Jack let go and got out of bed. "It needs to be rewrapped."

Yusei tried to glance at his hand without it looking too obvious, but Jack seemed to be aware that Yusei thought he was lying. Still, the prince decided for the time being it was best to let it go and let Jack do as he pleased. He had his suspicions that Jack was trying to find a casual way to bring up something important without causing any further awkwardness between them. His stomach felt a little queasy at the thought, but he appreciated the sentiment.

This is what I should have been trying to do all along

"You're probably going to hate me for this, but it's the only way to get this off without removing the rest of the bandages," Jack said, voice a little choked like he was having trouble speaking. Yusei turned his body so that he was facing Jack, legs dangling over his side of the bed. Jack grimaced when the prince offered him his hand, but he set out to undo the wrappings with as steady a hand he could manage. And he was right—Yusei did hate him for a second.

His fingers had been broken, and undoing the firm bandages holding them together hurt. Yusei couldn't fathom why kicks to the head or broken ribs didn't ever seem to stop him, but one hurt finger sent him over the edge. Jack eventually had to stop and take a firm hold of his wrist before he could continue, the urge to retract his hand greater than his mind could control.

"God," Yusei hissed once Jack released his wrist, "What on earth did I do to my hand?"

Jack looked stunned. "You don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

The king sighed as he retrieved a fresh roll of bandages from a small table at the foot of the bed, unrolling them as he talked. "This is what the doctors thought might happen." When Yusei shot him a confused look, he explained. "Judging by everything that has happened to you today, they believed that you might have repressed some of your memories to keep yourself sane."

Keep himself sane? Jack continued to talk, but Yusei couldn't keep his focus enough to finish listening. What on earth had happened to him out there? He remembered waking up on the ground and the sun being high in the sky, and he remembered walking to the river and being chased by the wolf. He had climbed a tree to evade the wolf but was caught anyways, and he remembered seeing Jack come charging after the wolf so that he could kill it…

And…a man. He remembered there being a strange man.

But really? Being chased by a wolf had certainly given him enough excitement to last him about a month, but for it to repress memories? That was insane. Unless…

…something else had happened.

"Yusei, Yusei."

The prince's broken but wrapped hand was resting on his lap once more, and Jack was staring straight at him, worry written all over his face. "Yusei?"

"What happened to me, Jack?" Yusei suddenly demanded. "What else went on yesterday that I can't remember?" The blonde sighed again and looked down like he was at a loss for words, but he would have none of it. He shook Jack's shoulder hard. "Answer me, Jack."

Jack nodded grimly and crawled back up onto the bed, one foot still dangling over the side. Yusei braced himself for bad news and mirrored the king's pose, albeit with more pain involved. Jack kept a reasonable distance between them, but touched Yusei's bare foot with his own by briefly, muttering an apology under his breath. The prince was at a loss for the respect the king was giving him, however, and let their feet continue to touch. It seemed at this point a method of comfort for Jack without full body contact.

"What's the last thing you remember, Yusei?" Asked the king after a dreadful amount of silence.

"I remember running. The wolf was right behind me, and I wasn't sure that I could get away," Yusei admitted. The look on Jack's face grew worse. "Then you called out to me and said to keep running. So I did. I turned in a different direction, the wolf overshot me, and then you came by on Red Demon, telling me to keep on running."

Jack, who had been nodding in confirmation of his words, stopped. "So you don't remember anything else? Nothing bizarre? Nothing scary?"

"Well, obviously the wolf chasing me was scary, but I knew you were going to kill it, so…" Oh, Yusei did not like the look on Jack's face one bit. "The wolf is dead, right?"

Jack visibly swallowed. "It is."

He looked into her eyes, one so hideously deformed it was hardly an eye and the other so beautiful and perfect it could have hardly belonged to any mortal creature. It shone a beautiful amethyst hue, like lilacs dusted with snow on the fringes of winter

Jack's eyes

The prince uncurled his fingers from their painful fists and raised them up to look at them. They stung like he'd cut them too many times on glass, or on a knife—something… "I killed it, didn't I?"

"Yes. You did," Jack affirmed. "You killed it with your bare hands, like all of those heroes you hear about in children's stories." He gave an empty laugh. "Of course, you've just shown us how terrible the procedure is. I never imagined it being so bloody, though. But you must've known that it would take a lot of blood and tears to kill it, because you pushed us all away and told us to keep back."

Horses and unfamiliar men blocked his path, but he ducked and dodged them easily, his desire to greet her overpowering his mind and helping him to focus on evading capture. The people tried to catch him, and he could feel every tingle as their fingers grasped at his shirt and skin for a tight hold and losing him every time. It was…exhilarating…

"You were so adamant about taking this wolf down on your own that you even did this," Jack said as he carefully lifted his shirt up. His right side was black and blue with bruises, each about the side of Yusei's fists. A chill ran down the prince's spine at the sight of the brutality—brutality committed by him, no less. His knuckles tingled as he stared at Jack's ribs, the feeling of his fist digging into the king's side echoing off his arm.

"I'm sorry…" Came his haunted whisper. But his apology didn't feel remotely adequate. The fact that he had enough power contained within him to incur that much damage was frightening. He smiled listlessly. "I guess being on an adrenaline rush does that to you. Who would've guessed? I'm sorry if I did anything else weird."

"It's all right, Yusei. If you hadn't been hyped up on adrenaline, I would've been extremely worried." Jack's face said that all was forgiven, but there was a thrum of pain in his voice Yusei hadn't missed. He could only figure that the experience had been upsetting for him, too.

"Did…anything else happen?"

"You fell into the river and I got to fish you out."

"Sounds fun."

Jack gave him another regretful smile. "Not nearly as much as you would think. I was just grateful you didn't stink like one, too."

The two burst out laughing, Yusei leaning so far forward his face was pressed into the bed sheets as he clutched his aching sides, body trembling with laughter. Jack fell backwards with hysteria, and the two lay there in their amusement, so tired and worn from the day that the effort left them gasping for air and unable to move for a moment. As the ecstasy wore off and reality crawled back into place, Yusei found he was finally tired and ready to sleep. He still winced as he forced himself to sit up, but for the first time in long time, smiling came naturally.

It had hurt. But it was worth it.

Jack eventually sat up with a groan and ruffled the hair on Yusei's head before sliding off the bed and ambling over to the fire. He stoked the flames, tossed another log on the hearth, and then watched for a moment. Satisfied that the fire would catch, Jack made his way back to the bed, Yusei already tucked under the duvet again. The candle on the king's side of the bed was already out, but Yusei's still had a good hour left in it. He asked to leave it burning and Jack nodded yes, scooting himself back onto the tall bed and drawing the covers over himself and then a little further over the prince's shoulders. Once he was happy he finally lay down on his side, facing the raven.

"You're like a mother hen, Jack."

Jack's brow furrowed in disagreement. "Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"What are you, five?"

"At heart."

Jack smirked. "You should be grateful that's not literal. You'd be the weakest man alive if you still had the heart of a five-year-old."

Yusei laughed again, managing to disguise his wince of pain this time. "Perhaps. But I'd take that over having the mind of a five-year-old."

"True. If you did, they'd throw you in an insane asylum."

"That's a weird name," Yusei said as he rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling again. "Because it's not an asylum. It's hell on earth."

"I thought that was doctor's?"

"I'd rather spend time there than at an insane asylum." The prince frowned at the ceiling for its lack of characteristic cracks. He felt the urge to throw paint onto the ceiling, just to give him something to look at. Jack would skin me alive if I did that. "If I ever get the opportunity, I think I'll change the name. Come up with something better than "asylum"."

"You mean when you become ruler?"

"Yeah," Yusei confirmed, momentarily forgetting the sensitive territory he was letting Jack draw him into. When he caught Jack making a face out of his peripheral vision, he realized his blunder, and brought up a new subject before Jack could start discussing them. "Speaking of which, where is everyone?"

Jack leaned over and began to absently toy with Yusei's hair, twisting the strands he caught between his fingers. For some reason, the motion felt familiar. "I sent them to bed. They wanted to wait all night for you to wake up, but I figured that if you didn't wake up now you'd be awake by morning." He shrugged to himself. "I saw no need in worrying. I was going to be with you the whole time if you needed help or started bleeding profusely, so they said they'd see you at breakfast."

That couldn't have been an easy conversation. He understood that as long as his parents and Judai were visiting, they took orders from their host king, but that still didn't make them any more compliant. His mother was ten times the mother hen that Jack was—she made him look apathetic in comparison. Had Yusei contracted so much as a cold she'd send him to bed and fuss over him all throughout the night. He didn't even want to begin thinking of the hell she raised when Jack ordered them to leave. If Jack hadn't been a king, Yusei was confident she would have wailed on him for even suggesting that she leave her child. And no, he didn't mean scream.

"How'd that go over?"

Jack exhaled loudly and sent a lock of hair floating up into the air for a moment. "Not well. Your mother went into histrionics about it, and it took your father almost ten minutes to calm her down and get her out of the room." Yusei smiled fondly to himself at the thought of Jack handling his distraught mother, but the king caught the look. "I take it that that's a familiar behavior."

"Like you wouldn't believe. I once sneezed and she locked me in my room like those fairytale princesses you hear about. My dad came and got me after an hour and I managed to convince my mother it was merely allergies, but good Lord…" Yusei propped himself up so he could look at Jack better. "Whatever you do," he warned, "do not tell her about an injury. You will regret it for the rest of your life."

Jack chuckled at the prince's misfortune, but it wasn't dark like Yusei's expected. "And just how will you handle tomorrow?"

"I won't. I think I might just stay here until I'm better."

"Uh-huh. And will his Highness require company to soothe his nerves as he hides from his own mother?"

Yusei shoved Jack's shoulder playfully. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"A chance to sleep in all day? After this week, I'd sleep for a year if you asked me."

"Lazy. Anyways, how's Judai? I hadn't thought of what happened to him since last night when I thought he'd been crushed by a tree. Obviously he hadn't been, or you would've mentioned it sooner."

The brunette king's name cast a shadow over Jack's eyes, and he retracted his arm from the middle of the bed. Yusei felt a ball drop in his stomach watching Jack, but there was no going back now. The other king's presence had been the dividing line between them ever since Yusei arrived, and he realized that he was actually getting sick of it.

Jack rolled onto his back, held angled away from Yusei. "He's fine."

It was suddenly there in the back of his head. The rage. The ever consuming need to start screaming ."Just fine? The storm didn't hurt him? Or the wolf?"

"No. He wasn't hurt." The king rolled onto his other side completely. "It's late. Perhaps you should try to—"

"No!"

Jack was completely taken aback when he found Yusei leaning over him after rolling him onto his back, nostrils flaring and eyes black like Death. Although he did not straddle him, his bandaged hands lay on either side of Jack's head, trapping him against the mattress. Yusei's mind felt like it had been replaced with that of an animal, wild and angry from being irritated far too often. He didn't pause to think of what words came from his mouth—they just did. And while he would feel embarrassed about them afterwards, he wouldn't come to regret them later on, either.

"I am tired of running, Jack! I am tired not being able to sleep! And I want it to stop right now. Ever since Judai arrived, you have been nothing but critical and mean towards me and my friend! Now I know that some of this is my fault, but it is just as much your fault, too! And if you want to have any chance of winning me over in this stupid game of yours, you will tell me right now why you attacked Judai!"

The urge to begin coughing arose in his throat, but Yusei held back his body's demand for deep breaths of oxygen. He couldn't breathe until he heard what he needed to hear.

He wasn't even sure what that was.

Jack didn't scream. He didn't yell. He didn't shout or push or throw Yusei off of him and threaten to beat him for speaking in such a way. He just stared, eyes glazed in distraction of a memory. Yusei realized, Jack was remembering the night he did this to him.

And then he said, "I can't think of any answer that wouldn't sound petty to you. Yusei, I'm sorry."

The prince felt like a crumbling wall, utterly incapable of holding himself up any longer on his aching, trembling arms. He dropped his head and let his hair fall over his face to hide the growing redness on his skin. "Apologize to Judai," he grumbled weakly, "not to me."

The body beneath him shifted its position and sat up. Yusei looked up meekly at the blonde man before him, eyes still clouded in anger but temper slowly retreating. Jack looked like he wanted to cry, but the man held it in. "I did, Yusei. I did. And do you know what he said to me?"

Yusei shook his head. Jack came close and faster than he could back up, but to his relief only laid his forehead against his. He bit his tongue to keep his tears in and stumbled over arithmetic equations in his head, but his pathetic efforts were all in vain when Jack cupped a cheek with a warm hand and whispered, "He said to apologize to you."

It…it's over…I can't believe it, it's over!

And for the first time in years, Yusei sobbed.

.o.

His eyes were open, of that he was sure, but he couldn't fathom why he saw nothing purple.

Oh, wait

Yusei found the piece of material blocking his view and pulled it off his face, revealing the rising sun of morning through the window. The curtains were not in place to shield his eyes from the full force of light, and so he was forced to squint until he scooted himself farther up on the bed and out of the direct ray. Behind him he could hear Jack groan and felt the semi-conscious man adjust himself as well, hiding his face in Yusei's hair to escape the light and readjusting his arms to rest around the prince's waist. Then he fell back into a deep slumber, snores echoing off the walls of the chamber.

He hadn't noticed it as much before when he slept with Judai—since the two of them kept their sides of the bed—but Neo Domino was warm. The Satellite of course had its warm days, too, but residing in the shadowy forest had definitely made the heat more tolerable. Now that Yusei was sleeping in a place that rested under the full force of the sun, he realized how hot it could get, even at night. He was someone who liked a lot of heavy blankets, and Jack was someone who liked to latch on to people and not let go. I'll need to discuss that with him… Combine the two factors, and it made for a very sweaty evening. At one point he recalled removing his shirt and throwing it on the floor, but then discovered that Jack had as well and was suddenly feeling very clingy. The somewhat red-in-the-face prince managed to hastily pull the covers up under his arms and over his chest before Jack had rolled over and grabbed him, but he still wasn't happy. It had taken forever to fall asleep after that, and he had spent another half hour of the night consoling Jack, who had shot out of bed with a nightmare that he refused to tell Yusei about. All in all, he felt exhausted.

The sky outside the windows was a light blue color, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen. As the day drew on, Yusei imagined that the sky would solidify into a deep azure color and blur the line between the heavens and sea. It was a pleasant thought, and he could already feel himself smiling at the idea. Staying in bed all day was beginning to sound tiresome. He decided that he would spend as much time as he could in the gardens today and see as much of the sun as he could tolerate. He loved looking at the sun through the branches of the trees, but today he needed to see it completely and without obstructions.

Yes…that sounds like a wonderful idea

A soft knock came at the door and made Yusei jump. His sudden movement was enough to stir Jack and the blonde sat up quickly, purple duvet pooling around his waist. He looked about as irritated as had been when Yusei held a sword to his face a few days ago, but managed to disguise his annoyance. "Who is it?"

"It's Mikage, milord."

"Enter."

Wait, what? Yusei garnered a strange look from Jack when he hastily pulled the covers up over his bare shoulders, but a quick glare kept him from commenting on it. Mikage walked in smoothly, her clothes all neat and orderly in manner that suited Neo Domino's wealthy status. Yusei wondered if he should say anything in greetings, but for Jack's sake decided to keep his mouth shut. Surely it wasn't proper for people outside of spouses and personal attendants to see the king so underdressed?

"How are you feeling today, milord?"

Jack nodded his head. "Much better than before, thank you."

"Lord Godwin thought that you might wish to take advantage of the weather and eat outside in the garden today. He told me to inform you of where everyone will be."

"I very much appreciate it, Mikage. Please tell him that both I and Prince Yusei will be attending."

"Very good, Your Highness." Mikage bowed and strode out of the room, closing the doors behind her.

The moment the latch clicked in to place Jack yanked the sheets off of Yusei, a questioning look on his face. "Are you shy around women?"

"No," Yusei grit as calmly as he could. "I just don't find it proper to be in such a state of undress around people I am not familiar with."

The look on Jack's face suggested that he was looking forward to tormenting Yusei for a very long time. "I suggest you get used to the servants seeing you, as you put it, "in such a state of undress". Most of them have seen me in far less than you have."

"That's improper for a monarch! Have you any class at all?"

"My home, Yusei," Jack grinned. "My rules."

Yusei rolled onto his front and dangled an arm over the side of the bed to fish for his lost shirt. As if it being his home had anything to do about indecency. Other people lived in the castle, too! "I don't care what you rules are," he grumbled, "I'm not strutting around naked just because your servants are used to it—"

A much longer arm reached down to swipe the shirt off the floor before Yusei could grab it. Jack's mouth was next to his ear, breath hot and sending shivers down the prince's spine. Yusei tried to move away, but Jack's entire body was lying across his. "Careful, Yusei. I'm known to be creative when it comes to punishments. I'd advise you not to give me any ideas."

"Get off me." Yusei glared at Jack as soon as he moved away, but the king retained his cheeky grin.

"Get dressed. I'm starving."

Jack hopped off the bed and disappeared through the door Yusei had been looking at the other night. He inched himself over to the foot of the bed to minimize the walking distance to his things, but was relieved to see that another set of clothes had been laid out at the foot of the bed on a blanket chest. He slipped them on as fast as he could in case Jack should come back out and get a glimpse at more than he needed to see—again—but stopped short of putting on his boots. He had another pair with him that were much older and softer with wear; putting on stiffer shoes would only serve to cause him more harm than he cared for. Unfortunately, the pair he wanted were on the other side of the room.

Great.

Getting it over with was the only way Yusei knew how to handle things, and so he slipped from the bed and to the floor with as much ease as he could. He put his good leg down first and then the other, teeth clenched in anticipation. He stood up and put his full weight on both feet, hands gripping the bed post should his leg collapse. With both feet on the ground, the pain was almost unnoticeable. Then he took a step.

That was a mistake.

Much like he had caught Jack when the man almost did a face plant on the ground, Jack's hands caught Yusei from under his arms, dragging him back up onto both feet. Yusei found himself looking at the remorseful Jack he'd met the night before, with a smile on his lips but sadness in his eyes. Jack wordlessly helped him to the chair besides his things and found the pair of boots he wanted before stepping back to let Yusei pull them on. Once he was set to go, Jack silently offered a hand out to the prince.

Yusei took it.

They walked the halls at a snail's pace, with Yusei's arm around Jack's shoulders and the king's arm wrapped around his waist. It didn't make Yusei feel unclean like it had once before when Jack first met him and ever so daringly wrapped himself around the prince whenever the mood struck. It made him feel…cared for. When they reached the long set of stairs that would take them to the first floor of the palace, Yusei groaned. Walking in a straight line was painful enough. He didn't even want to think of the stairs. He tried his hardest to keep from turning red, but he was aware that Jack would have to carry him. Turning towards him to ask for assistance, Yusei was met with a devilish look.

The king boosted him up onto the rail of the stairs without a word, but Yusei didn't know what to make of the situation. "Jack, what are you—"

Jack held a finger to his lips. "Swing your legs over the side so that your feet are hanging over the drop," he whispered. Once Yusei's back was to the stairs, he got up as well. "Now just keep your balance centered, and you'll be fine."

Yusei watched in amazement as Jack easily slid down the banister and hopped off at the end, bowing thereafter like he had just performed an incredible stunt. He took off after him, following the blonde's advice to stay centered. It felt incredible to fly down the rail, and by the time he reached the bottom he was full out laughing. Jack caught him and helped him down, grinning from ear to ear.

"That's how you tackle the stairs around here. Just don't let Godwin catch you doing it, or you'll never hear the end of it."

They then scurried as fast as they could out to the gardens, where a pristine white table was set up with fine pieces of silver cutlery and delicious looking food laid out for the meal. Everyone stood up as one when he and Jack appeared, swarming him from all sides and trying to hug him without jostling him too much. Jack laughed as Yusei struggled to breathe and everyone repeatedly gave thanks to no one in particular for bringing him back safely. After the thorough cuddling Jack helped him to his seat to the side of the king's chair, the place normally reserved for the queen. Yusei didn't feel ashamed to sit there and just smiled at everyone as they told him they were glad to have him back. The meal commenced shortly thereafter and the meal was quite lively with discussion. Questions were shot back and forth about how Yusei got back and what he ate in the forest and how long Judai and Jack were out looking for him.

When Yusei finished his meal he asked to be excused to go see Stardust. In the panic and excitement of waking up in the forest and running from the wolf, Yusei had completely forgotten about his wonderful steed who had weathered the storm as much as he had. Judai offered to help walk him to the stables and Yusei eagerly scooted out his chair, but before he could rise a hand clamped down on his.

"I'll let you go visit him under one condition," Jack said sternly, the former merriment gone from his eyes. Yusei felt his heart begin to race a little in concern of this sudden mood change when Jack suddenly grinned and gently squeezed his hand. "You have to tell me if you plan on getting lost again so I know to look for you."

Yusei smiled, although he wouldn't deny that he almost had a heart attack, and nodded in concession. "Very well."

No, he didn't believe that this happiness would last forever. He and Jack were bound to hit more roadblocks and their temporary truce would not hold up for long. He didn't look forward to the end of the hundred days when Jack would have to concede to the fact he lost the game and didn't convince Yusei to marry him—not like he did before. It would be a stressful day likely to be full of awkward encounters and an upset parting.

But then again, he wasn't omnipotent. Who knew what the future might hold? Maybe, just maybe, he and Jack could leave on good terms. He'd never met someone like Jack before. It wouldn't be so bad to have a guy like him for a friend.

Yes, he would like that a lot.

.o.

Jack leaned over the edge of the stone hedge to watch Yusei. He was being helped up onto Stardust's back by Judai, who stood patiently for his rider like he was aware of his injuries. Stardust was equally torn up, although the majority of his scratches originated from branches and bushes scratching him than a wolf attack. He had arrived upon the scene of Yusei killing the wolf, but instead of tearing off at the smell of blood, circled the two until the wolf was dead and then stood over the prince like a watch dog when he collapsed from exhaustion. It was an admirable beast, he'd give it that much. A small part of him wanted to breed the silver horse with a few of his broodmares—Red Demon had already fathered many champion war horses himself, but Stardust came from a different stock of horse that was better suited for traversing the mountains and living off of less food. It would make for a good variety in breeds.

Yusei laughed at some immature quip Judai had made, directing the king's attention back to the boys. Stardust's lead was no longer attached to his halter and Yusei was now guiding him on his own with just some locks of his mane and simple nudges. Stardust was a fair bit younger than Red Demon, a green four years old to Red Demon's seven. At that age, Jack never would've considered riding him bareback—he was too wild. There were still days now when Jack wasn't entirely confident that he could control him, although he kept such fears to himself. It was a pleasant change to watch Yusei on his calm horse walk in lazy circles around the courtyard. Red Demon would've been too bored with that and would've wanted to race about with reckless abandon if possible. He had too much pride as a mature stallion to want to bond in the passive manner that Yusei and Stardust seemed to be doing. He liked to fight with the colts, offspring or not, and he flaunted his handsome body to the mares in other pastures.

This is starting to feel a little too familiar

All the same, he hoped that Stardust didn't turn out the same way. Not to say that Red Demon was a terrible horse—he was far from it. But like his master, he reserved his respect for a small few, and that didn't bode well for the groomers and stable hands that looked after him. Stardust, like his owner, seemed to be of a gentler disposition. As long as you treated him right, he would act accordingly.

There was only one time in his life when he remembered seeing Red Demon acting gentle towards something, and that was many years ago to a young filly he sired. Her dam had died giving birth to her and a twin, who also died, and was left all on her own. He couldn't recall what happened to it, but he remembered fondly that Red Demon had stayed besides the fence to the next pasture the entire day with the playful filly, running up and down the lengths of the field and occasionally reaching over to kiss her head and nose her withers. A filly on its own wouldn't make it without a foster mother or good care, and he imagined she probably died, but the image served as a reminder that he had a wonderful horse, and it was the best present he had ever received for his birthday.

"Your Highness."

Jack cast a minimal glance over his shoulder at Godwin, who approached slowly with his hands folded behind his back. "Godwin."

The older man leaned over the railing to see what had caught his eye. "Still watching over Prince Yusei, I see. Of course, I imagine now that you wish to keep him in sight at all times."

Jack grimaced at the thought. "Hardly. That would be horrible for the both of us. But when he's not concerned with upholding his royal stature (almost never) he's very…therapeutic, to watch."

Godwin nodded, eyes as focused now Jack's on the raven haired prince of the Satellite. "You two seemed to have mended things between yourselves."

"I'd like to think so." Jack agreed. He and Godwin watched the odd duo in the courtyard, Judai eventually joining in the small pleasure ride with Yubel and the two laughing hysterically at old jokes and memories of the past. It felt like he was intruding on a bit of Yusei's life when he watched him reminisce like so, but he knew that hearing more about his life was easier this way. "I almost kissed him, you know."

"Almost?" The gray haired man said with amusement. "Did he come to his senses at the last second?"

"No," Jack snapped defensively, "His leg had started to hurt again and I realized that getting him back was more important."

"And how does he feel about it now?"

"He doesn't. The trauma of yesterday was so bad that he's repressed it."

Godwin let the thought stew in Jack's head for a moment, but his response left Jack a little anxious for the future. "If he's repressed it, then that means he might remember it one day."

"You think?"

Godwin clapped him on the shoulder. "I wouldn't doubt it for a second." On that note, he turned about face to leave. He got about five paces before Jack called out his name again.

"Godwin," he said, "You won't believe what Yusei said to me the other night."

"Won't I?"

"No. He told me that to have a shot at winning him over, I'd have to tell him why I attacked Judai."

"And did you?"

Jack shrugged. "In my own way, I suppose so. But exposing his feelings like that has shown me that I'm on the right track."

Godwin chuckled. "You aren't going to up the ante on this little game of yours, are you? Because I doubt Yusei will fall for any more of your tricks."

"I'm not increasing the stakes. I'm simply going to…change my attack strategy, so to speak." He smirked at Godwin. "I still have a few more ideas up my sleeves, and I do so love to experiment."

Godwin gave Jack an enigmatic smile before turning to leave, walk steady as usual. "The board has been set and the two of you have just put your first pieces on the playing field. Just remember what I told, Jack. His pieces have as much meaning in the game as yours."

"Perhaps," the king said to no one. "But I feel he still hasn't learned all the rules yet.

"Let the games begin."

.o.

You have no idea how many times I rewrote this until I was satisfied with it…

I'm sorry you had to contend with a crazy Yusei, but starving, dehydrated people do some really weird shit after a while. I hope I portrayed that accurately…

I also hope you enjoyed the steamy part in the forest, because I can't promise a whole lot in the future. There's already a plan for another one, but that is still a chapter or two away, and probably not to the intensity of this since Yusei will be firing on all cylinders again when it does occur.

Poor Jack—the only action he seems to get is sleeping in the same bed as Yusei, and Yusei's not even close enough to cuddle with!