"Kurt! Blaine!" Rachel raced toward them as soon as she saw them set foot back in the camp.

"Rachel," Blaine said, coming to an abrupt stop, Kurt still at his side.

"What's going on? Why is everyone freaking out?" Kurt asked, his eyes darting to and fro, keeping up with the panicked movement of the elves in the camp.

"It's all over," Rachel choked out as tears began to stream down her face. "There's no time left. The ritual must be performed by the full moon, and we've only mere days before - "

"It's going to be okay, Rachel," Blaine said, scooping her up into his arms to calm her. Her body trembled against his, and Kurt found it difficult to watch.

"But how can you say that, Blaine? How can you still believe it?" Rachel cried into his shoulder. Blaine gently raked his fingers through her hair and moved his mouth closer to her ear.

"Because I found him," he whispered. Rachel looked up, wide-eyed and confused. "Kurt's my soul mate, Rachel."

"But I don't understand," she whimpered.

Just then, the entire sky seemed to open up, releasing its wrath upon the earth as elves ran for shelter into the shacks that would never stand a chance against it.

"Just now - Kurt and I - I felt it, Rachel. You were right, and it's stronger than anything I've ever felt."

"Oh. Oh no," Rachel began to splutter, lifting her hands to her face and backing away from Blaine. "It was all a lie. Everything was a lie. How could they -? How could I - ?"

"There's only one way to be sure now," Blaine said, turning to Kurt again.

But Rachel, devastated, took off, running toward the edge of the woods and disappeared. With the storm becoming more and more intense, Kurt couldn't help but worry about her and was about to run after her, but Blaine grabbed his hand again, and pulled him away.

"But, Blaine -"

"She'll be okay. Trust me."

Soon, they were off in the opposite direction. Kurt's boots squelched in the mud that was fast becoming the only ground beneath his feet, and he struggled to hold onto Blaine while fighting to keep his feet from sinking.

Both panting heavily, their chests now tight from the exertion on their bodies and the difficulty of breathing the humid air and through the heavy drops, Blaine came to a stop and whipped around to face Kurt.

"Kurt - you have to tell me now. When were you born?" Blaine yelled above the deafening whooshing of the winds and flood rains now pounding down on them. Lightning flashed across the violet sky.

"May," he shouted.

"What day, Kurt? What day?"

"May twenty-seventh." And now there were tears in Kurt's eyes.

The rain began to muffle all of his senses, and all he could hear was a rushing of blood in his ears and the rushing of water around his body. He was going to die. He already felt like he was drowning, and now he was trapped in this other realm, completely reduced to a helpless, child-like state, and it was all going to just end.

But his tears weren't for himself. Whatever had happened to him since he arrived here, all the things he found out about himself, the things he had done, and the people he had met - they would be wiped away.

Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand again and pulled him in toward himself. Kurt's eyes grew wide as Blaine brought his face only inches from Kurt's. He could feel Blaine's hot breath against his skin.

"You're the Keeper, Kurt."

"What? I can't be - I mean -"

"You're the missing prince."

Blaine brought his face in closer to Kurt's, their eyes met, and it was almost as if a flare had gone off behind Blaine's eyes. Kurt could feel the heat rising up between their bodies, and then Blaine's lips were on his, and his whole body was ablaze.

The sky seemed to flicker for a moment, and the rainfall came down in heavier sheets, but the water was no longer touching them. Then it was like a loud crackling in his ears, static electricity, and Kurt kissed Blaine back with such a hunger he had never known, like he had forgotten what it was like to kiss. But it never felt like this before, like he was not just connecting but reconnecting with a long lost lover. His body was remembering, his brain, his heart and his soul. And then he understood everything. He was a Keeper. Blaine was a Keeper. And they were the soul mates.

Their lips disconnected, and the rain let up, falling now in a gentle drizzle.

"We have to perform the ritual," Blaine said. "None of this is going to stop until we do."

"But I - I don't know how," Kurt said.

"Don't think, just feel it, Kurt. You were born to do this."

"Okay." Kurt nodded.

Then, grabbing both of Kurt's hands and raising them up between their bodies, Blaine began to hum a tune that Kurt had heard somewhere before, but his memory was too foggy to place it. Blaine opened his mouth and began to sing, softly at first, but then his voice rose in a rich crescendo as he lifted his head toward the sky. And that's when Kurt felt it, and he opened his mouth to let out a soft treble that rose above Blaine's tenor and wove its way around, harmonizing with each shift in pitch. And they closed their eyes and continued to sing, increasing in volume, almost a chant now, a prayer.

As their voices soared upward and filled the air, small tremors traveled through the earth, and their song reverberated off the trees and plants surrounding them. The land began to shift as the rain ceased and the sun slowly crept back out and began to warm their skin. A cool breeze swirled around them, whipping through Kurt's robes and hair. The sky gradually lightened, returning to its calm blue hue.

Kurt opened his eyes and gasped from the release of the pressure that had been building and swelling inside his chest. And he gazed into Blaine's eyes, his heart still thumping out the rhythm of the song.

"It - it really is you," Blaine said breathlessly. "I found you."

-s-

Now that the storms had completely vanished without a known reason, pandemonium struck the coastal camp. But, as people gathered, intent on breaking down the doors of the king and queen in search of answers, Blaine and Kurt stepped easily through the crowd that seemed to part for them and right up to the door of the royal dwelling.

"Show your face. You can't hide anymore," Blaine spoke loudly and with such an air of authority that even Kurt was a bit intimidated. The crowd fell silent.

Much to Kurt's relief, Rachel emerged, followed closely by her mother, the queen, but the king was nowhere to be seen. Rachel stared off into the distance, her expression now blank and cold. The queen stood firm, but Kurt could tell that beneath her façade she was crumbling.

"Blaine," she said, her voice shaky. "What -"

"Why didn't you tell anyone? Why did you do it?!" Blaine's voice was raised in a fit of passion as he stood tall before the elven queen.

"I - I was scared, and I panicked. It wasn't right, it wasn't happening like it was supposed to," she said.

"Explain yourself!" Blaine cried out, now pointing at Kurt. "Tell us why you sent him away, your only son."

Several gasps could be heard throughout the crowd. The queen now turned to address Kurt who had been staring into the queen's face, analyzing her features, trying to see what he hadn't seen before.

"When we received news that you were male, that you were both born male, we knew something must have gone wrong. It didn't make any sense. The Keepers have never been the same sex before, and I feared I would take the blame and there would be terrible consequences. Because you were my son...when I was supposed to have a daughter."

"How dare you," Blaine growled. "And you thought you could trick everyone and cheat fate by adopting Rachel and playing it off like she was the Keeper?"

Rachel fidgeted, but her gaze was still locked on some unknown distant point.

"It makes sense now why we were incompatible. It was all wrong. Everything was messed up," Blaine said, shaking his head.

"But, Blaine, it's all over now. The ritual has been completed - we're saved," the queen said.

"No. It's not that simple. You single-handedly took it upon yourself to upset the natural order. Things happened like they did because they were meant to happen like that. You had no right to question the universe, to play Mitera in attempt to have things play out like you believed they were meant to."

"What then? What now, Blaine? I have nothing to say, and no amount of words can make up for the crime I committed. What say you, then?" she said with a tone of finality and defeat, tears forming in her eyes.

"I am the Dark Prince, heir of Luxterra, and Kurt is the Pale Prince, heir of Ivory Wood. We're the Keepers, and we were the only hope of saving us all and restoring the order to Gaia Mitera. We did, we managed to perform the ritual before we were all dragged down into oblivion."

Kurt turned toward Blaine, and it was beginning to all sink in. He wanted to cry, but he wanted to scream. But now was his time to stand tall and step up. Blaine turned his head and stepped back, leaving room for Kurt to make the final decision.

"It's over. Now, step down and never show your face again," Kurt spoke up, barely recognizing his own voice, feeling like a new force had taken over him, like a new power was coursing through his veins.

The queen bowed her head, and the crowd parted. It was as if she was walking down death row, doomed by her choices.

But as she reached the edge of the crowd, she stopped suddenly. Then a flash and a shriek pierced the air in the very spot she had stood, and dust and smoke gathered around, making it impossible to see what was happening.

When the air cleared, Kurt felt his stomach convulse at the image of the queen's limp, lifeless body laying in the sand, surrounded by slivers of glass.

And then there was silence.

-s-

He hadn't known. All this time, he couldn't have been expected to piece it together. He didn't know her. Never really had a chance. Although she was his birth mother, she sent him away, never cared for him. She was nothing compared to his actual mother, the memory of whom he would cherish until the day came for him to leave it all behind.

They buried her. And when they lowered her into the ground and the earth swallowed her up, Kurt felt a strange deja vu. But he didn't cry this time. Hand linked with Blaine's, he stood there tall, steady, like he was finally at rest.

The snow had now melted and the land defrosted. They returned to Ivory Wood and rebuilt the ravaged village and the kingdom. They tilled the lands, reestablished the shops, and restored order to the realm.

A shortened life. A shortened life with Blaine. The better half of a century to live with a man who completed him, who taught him things about himself he had never known, who taught him how to live when he was just drifting through, causing only destruction and leaving nothing of value in his wake.

-s-

Kurt nuzzled his nose into the heated skin just below Blaine's ear, inhaling deeply, dizzy with the scent of Blaine's skin mixed with the tangy, salty sea breeze that rolled over their bodies like the rustling waves breaking gently against the shore. A hand came up to rest upon Kurt's bare back between his shoulders before fingertips traced their way over the arch of his shoulder blade and came down to rest on the small of his back.

"I never thought it was possible to feel so connected to someone before," Kurt spoke softly by Blaine's ear. He teased a dark curl at the nape of Blaine's neck between his fingers.

"But you - you've done this before...?" Blaine said.

"Yeah, but not like this. Never like this. It's like, I feel so safe with you and like nothing can touch us."

Blaine reached up and cupped Kurt's cheek in his hand.

"Nothing can touch us, Kurt. And I - I trust you completely."

Blaine closed the gap between them, their lips connecting and sliding together, slowly at first. Then Kurt arched his back and pressed his mouth more roughly against Blaine's, pushing his tongue forward to part his lips. Blaine's mouth fell open, and Kurt moaned into it as he pushed his tongue inside and against Blaine's.

Kurt rolled his hips down, grinding against Blaine who was gradually becoming hard beneath him. Finally pulling away, Kurt looked down at Blaine's swollen lips and then his eyes, glowing with the last embers of the dying sun as it disappeared below the horizon.

"As much as I love kissing you - I really do - are we ever going to consummate this union, or what?" Kurt asked with a quick raising of his eyebrows.

Blaine took Kurt's face in his hands, resting his thumbs just below his temples, his fingers wrapping around the back of Kurt's neck and head. His eyes were wide and luminous, the corners of his mouth curling up ever so slightly. He lightly kissed Kurt's lips again, pulled back, and then nodded.

"I feel as close to you as ever, Kurt. Yes, I'm ready," Blaine said.

Grinning almost bashfully now, Kurt peppered kisses along Blaine's jaw, down his neck, and along his collarbone where he stopped to suck at a patch of skin stretched taut across the bone. His hands roamed down Blaine's abdomen, careful fingers taking hold of the silky band of Blaine's pants, and he pulled down to release Blaine's cock.

Blaine sucked in air between his teeth, unable to hold back a whimper when Kurt's fingers wrapped around him.

"Oh -" Blaine said.

"This is what I was talking about," Kurt said, now twisting his fist up and around Blaine's length.

"Maybe I should have touched you when we first met," Blaine said, becoming breathless now, his eyes wide and pupils blown.

Kurt snorted. Propping himself up on his elbow, he grinned and scrunched up his face.

"Mmhm. I bet you had no idea what you were missing out on. I learned a lot while living with humans. But this - this is so much better," Kurt purred. Then he laughed softly as he lowered his mouth to Blaine's chest and began to plant more kisses on his tanned skin. His tongue darted out to lick at Blaine's nipple, and Blaine let out a loud gasp as his head fell back against the warm sand.

"I didn't even know this was possible, I mean -" Blaine managed to utter as Kurt's lips continued to travel down Blaine's body until his face was now hovering just above Blaine's hips. Then he rested his chin right below Blaine's navel and gazed up toward his face, eyelids drooping lazily and grinning from ear to ear.

"You're such a cute virgin," Kurt said. Blaine's cock twitched, and Kurt, lifting his head back up, continued to stroke him until he was thrusting up into Kurt's fist and trying to bite back a string of moans and unintelligible syllables.

"Not - anymore," Blaine said as Kurt worked him at a steady, quickening rhythm.

"Oh, no - I guess not. You're still cute, though," Kurt said, wrapping his free hand around Blaine's balls and giving them a gentle squeeze.

"And you're breathtaking." Blaine's head fell back again, his mouth open as he shuddered through his orgasm and spilled out over Kurt's hand and onto his stomach.

"Oh, you have no idea," Kurt said.

Blaine laid there catching his breath, and Kurt looked on marveling at Blaine's afterglow. Then he crawled through the sand beside him and laid down, curling his body against Blaine's side.

"That's not even the best of it," Kurt said.

"I find that really difficult to believe," Blaine said, his breath finally steadying.

"Do you think you're ready for round two?" Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow.

But Blaine didn't answer. He turned his head to the side to look Kurt in the eye.

"Are you ready?"

Blaine grabbed Kurt's waist and, with an immense strength that caused Kurt to raise his eyebrows and his mouth to fall open, rolled them over until he was straddling Kurt.

"Yes, please," Kurt said, already very aroused. The way Blaine took control along with the friction now building between their bodies as Blaine leaned forward to kiss Kurt, long, deep, and dirty, was enough to have Kurt hard and aching and ready for whatever Blaine had planned.

Warm hands made their way along the slight curves of Kurt's waist and down toward his hips, and Kurt relaxed, allowing his eyes to fall shut as Blaine took control. Then his pants were pulled off, there was hot, wet pressure on Kurt's cock, and he nearly yelled out. His eyes snapping open, Kurt tilted his head to peer down only to see Blaine not only smiling but grinning impishly around his cock.

"You," Kurt almost swore but bit his tongue. Then he lost all capacity for word formation as Blaine bobbed his head up and down, using his tongue in ways Kurt had never known the likes of before. In a matter of minutes, he was so close already, and it only became more intense as Blaine went faster and then slid his hands around to Kurt's ass.

"Mm...fucking Christ!" Kurt's chest heaved, and his hips jerked erratically as he felt the pressure building in his groin, hot and throbbing.

Eyes widening, Blaine pulled off of Kurt's cock with a soft pop. "Huh? What is christ?"

Kurt tried to fight back laughter that was bubbling up within him, not wanting to kill the mood. Then Blaine went down on him again and shut Kurt up, quickly getting back into the rhythm and bringing him to climax.

With one last shuddering thrust of his hips, Kurt was coming into Blaine's mouth, completely spent and utterly breathless.

"Yes, oh dear god, Blaine...that was the most intense orgasm I have ever had," Kurt said, opening his eyes again.

Blaine looked up at Kurt through, thick, dark lashes, his face flushed and body now glowing golden in the moonlight.

"Now that is a truly beautiful view," Kurt said, his eyes wide and soft.

"No, Kurt," Blaine said as he climbed up to rest on Kurt's chest. "You're beautiful. I can't take my eyes off you." His voice was thick and gruff.

A cool breeze blew off of the water, tickling the hairs on their skin, and goose bumps rose on their legs and arms where there was no contact. Kurt shivered.

"Is this really my life now?" Kurt said, not so much a question, but a realization, an affirmation. "It is," he answered himself. It was as if he repeated it to himself over and over, it was certainly true, so incredibly real and yet surreal.

It is, he reminded himself, it's real. Every morning he woke up next to Blaine, he repeated his mantra. After every tender touch and sweet song, he repeated his mantra. Every evening after tea, wrapped in Blaine's arms and gazing up at the stars, he repeated his mantra. It is. It's real.

He was still waiting to wake up. And he always did - in Gaia Mitera, in Blaine's arms, exactly where he was meant to be.

"Blaine?" Kurt spoke after a long moment.

"Yes?"

"Is it wrong that I miss home sometimes? I mean, this is home, here with you, but where I came from..."

"No. It's not wrong."

"What if we could go there? Just to visit...maybe have the best of both worlds?" Kurt asked.

Blaine laughed softly, pulling Kurt tightly against him. "I don't know, Kurt. Maybe we can. Someday."

Then he pressed his lips against Kurt's, and Kurt was caught and pulled down in the undertow of Blaine's love. He let it wash over him and carry him away.