lostmoonchild: Thanks for the review! This chapter should answer your question so here we go.
Disclaimer: I don't own KKM so don't sue.
Chapter Ten
The moon shone softly in the midnight sky, a soft yet piercing red circling the pale orb. Jeremiah's heart raced as he remembered what the red in the moon signified. Somebody was going to die soon and he had a sinking feeling he knew who it would be. Time was running out for him and Julia both and he could do nothing to push their times back so they could spend more time with those they loved and cherished.
With their deaths he knew that this war would soon end. She would return to this place as a talent less idiot and take her place as this country's king. What good would come from her ruling this land? How many wounds could heal because of her gentle hand guiding them to the world she envisioned?
He thought back to earlier when he had allowed his fear to show through. He had seen his murderer arriving in the castle and knew that within the hour, his vision would come to pass. Then within the next two or three days, Jeremiah knew he would be killed.
"I thought you'd be up here."
Jeremiah felt his heart skip a beat as he glanced back at Conrart, seeing the calm expression on the man's face. "You'll be leaving soon, right?" Jeremiah questioned.
"Yeah."
"You realize that the outlook isn't good for you guys. Not this time."
"I know but what choice do we have? There isn't one soldier that doesn't want to prove our loyalty."
A coldness covered Jeremiah as he felt his heart clench tightly. Should he confess what he truly felt or should he keep it quiet? Conrart's future was fuzzy now despite knowing that he would be there for him and Julia when they were reincarnated. "Conrart-"
"Wait. Before you say anything, I want to tell you something important. I know you may not feel the same way but I need to tell you."
Caution showed in the man's eyes as they stared at each other. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that Conrart looked almost afraid. "Well, spit it out. I'm not reaching down your throat to pull out whatever in the hell you want to say." Jeremiah snapped at him.
"I love you."
Time seemed to stop as the two stared at each other, the words hanging between them. "Is your head on loose or something?" Jeremiah questioned. "You people don't confess your love to people like me! You people just beat and murder us!"
Conrart pulled the man to his feet and held him as he pressed their lips together. "When are you going to stop lumping the rest of us in with the ones that hurt you?" Conrart asked softly. "When are you going to see that I truly do love you?"
"I thought you were in love with Julia." Jeremiah whispered as he moved back so his back was resting against the wall.
"You've been listening to the rumors."
Chills went through Jeremiah's body as he felt Conrart's hands and lips on his body, sending waves of comfort and desire rushing through him. "Conrart, wait. I need to tell you something." Jeremiah whispered, trying to get the brunette to stop before he lost all train of thought.
Immediately Conrart stopped. Didn't the raven feel the same way? Had he let himself believe that somebody actually wanted a romantic relationship with him? "You don't feel the same way." Conrart said flatly.
"I can't say that I need to tell you something without you immediately thinking I don't feel the same way?" Jeremiah snapped. "You're such an idiot! I do love you, you moronic bastard!"
"Then what'd you need to tell me?"
"Right now, I don't think it'd be good for us to pursue a relationship with each other." Jeremiah touched Conrart's face. "Somebody's coming and they're going to kill me. I didn't want to fall in love knowing that we'd never have a chance."
Conrart held the man's hand in his own before answering, "We have now. You're keeping something a secret, Jeremiah, and I know it's hurting you. Tell me what you're looking for and I'll help you find it."
Even hearing his words made Jeremiah's heart ache. "Come back here alive, Conrart Weller. Survive. Live. When the time comes, you'll find out what happened and you'll help my wounds heal."
"Tell me now."
"I can't. Let me tell the truth to your Lady Mother first so she knows. When the time is right, when we're together again, I will tell you everything that happened the day my village was destroyed."
"Why tell my mother and not me?" Conrart demanded.
"Because you need to survive this battle and you need to return here. There's a place you'll go to that's far away from this place. In that faraway place, you'll find what you're looking for and in a place across the country, I'll be waiting."
Why was he being so cryptic all of a sudden? What was going on that Jeremiah just wasn't sharing? "What's going on?" There was a look in the brunette's eyes that held worry and determination to find out.
Jeremiah softly kissed Conrart's lips before answering, "Do you remember, Conrart, when I told you about the girl hidden in winter?"
"Yes."
"I will be her. She's insane, Conrart, because of what will happen. Everything that could ever happen to any given race will happen to her." A tear slipped from Jeremiah's eyes. "She will be the summer snow. Julia will be the moon. Even Daikenja will walk with us and he will be the sun."
"Why are you telling me?" Conrart asked softly.
"Because you will be summoned to Shinou's Temple and you will be entrusted with a soul. You could take that soul, place it in an unborn child and raise it to fit your needs, but you will not. You will take that soul to a faraway land and bestow it upon a loving couple."
"Whose soul?"
"Julia's. She will die in this war and I will die shortly before her. You must not die, Conrart. Our reincarnations will need you unlike any other before." Jeremiah smiled a little. "Let's face it, Julia's reincarnation's going to be a total idiot and will need saving from himself."
Conrart couldn't help but laugh a little before answering, "And yet yours is going to be insane."
"And a bit on the abusive side but that's beside the point." Jeremiah's fingers brushed through Conrart's hair. "I know you want to help me now but you can't. I cannot allow you to endanger your life to protect mine."
"Jeremiah!"
"If you love me, Conrart Weller, you will me go and I will return to you in a body that can give you everything you want that I cannot give you in this body." Jeremiah's eyes glistened with the unshed tears that Conrart felt he was crying in his heart.
"I love you." Conrart whispered softly. "Tell me the name of the person that will kill you and I'll destroy them."
Jeremiah smiled softly. "No," he murmured, "because he will be needed. Be patient and you will have your chance."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"One thing."
"Anything. Tell me what you want."
Softly brushing his lips against Conrart's, Jeremiah smiled faintly. "I want you to make love to me. I want to feel you inside of me and I want to scream out for all to hear that you and I are forever."
"You realize I'm leaving in two days."
"Then make tonight count." Jeremiah smiled as he lightly nipped Conrart's nose. "After all, I have no obligations to your country but only to myself."
Feeling as if he had been lured once more into one of their arguments, Conrart roughly grabbed the man and pressed him against the wall. Before his mind went into automatic mode, Conrart smirked at the interesting noises of pleasure that began to leave Jeremiah's lips.
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)
No words were spoken as Jeremiah watched the soldiers leave for battle, their armor looking exactly as he had foreseen. No child would even wear those but still they chose to wear them with pride. Conrart would survive and so would that orange-haired idiot friend of his. They would be the only two that would be able to return to this place, this hellish prison.
It would take time, Jeremiah knew, for these wounds of today to heal tomorrow. As he stared up at the glaring sun, a sudden sense of understanding filled him. If he were to be the summer snow tomorrow, then today he would be considered to be the winter sun. Where he felt as much passion as the sun's heat in winter today, he knew when tomorrow came he would be as strange as snow that fell in summer.
lostmoonchild: Next week will hold the final chapter! I had a couple weeks to get over the fact that the end has come for this fic so I'm not too upset over it. So I'll see you guys next week!