Disclaimer: Nope, not mine still.

Gii was very ready to be home and finish this journey. Traveling through the wilderness between the far north and his own land in the south was tiring and he was anxious to be home in the comfort of the capital.

He also really wanted to get Takumi home. His love was still so cold and catatonic. Gii wasn't sure how good it was for the smaller male to be spending so much time out in the open without anyone to provide medical care and magical help. At least he was able to give Takumi some food and water – though beyond those seemingly mechanical movements Takumi was otherwise unresponsive.

It scared Gii – he'd never seen someone like this before.

He was thankful that Snowflame was such an intelligent horse – the beast never once fidgeted or stumbled during their travels. Gii would definitely have to reward him with plenty of treats once they got home to thank him for providing smooth transportation not just for himself, but for his precious bond-mate.

They still had several days to go and Gii wished those days would hurry up.

Misu had spent the days since Shingyouji's letter in thought. While his bond-mate wanted to leave right away, Misu convinced him to wait until they had thought out a good plan. For all they knew the letter could be a trap and Misu wasn't about to having Shingyouji going somewhere dangerous all on his own.

The Prince paced in his quarters while Shingyouji was taking a Misu-imposed nap. Theoretically, things could be entirely solved if they went ahead and broke tradition and got married already, but Misu wasn't sure how that would go. It would be smoother if he and Shingyouji were both Kings and his parents retired their positions, but his parents still had many years left in them and it didn't seem fair to ask them to step down before they wanted to, just for the sake of making something like this easier.

It would be a little more complicated to merge the lands without the marriage of the two young men, but since Shingyouji's parents were deceased, perhaps a sort of contract or treaty could be drawn between Shingyouji and the Misu King and Queen about his homelands?

Misu would have to talk with them and the top advisors. Perhaps it could be done this way. Then he wouldn't have to pressure Shingyouji into an early marriage – he wasn't sure how much of a traditionalist the other was and he didn't want to make the other feel alienated. While Misu wasn't one who showed much emotion, he still did have feelings and was rather fond of his bond-mate.

The Prince stopped his pacing to look over at the younger male and was a little surprised to see that Shingyouji was looking at him, eyes half-lidded with drowsiness.

"Go back to sleep, Shingyouji," he murmured. "You need your rest."

"Can't sleep with you pacing..." the younger man mumbled, stretching out an arm and flapping his hand in a lazy attempt to beckon the other over. "You've been doing that for hours...come lay down and take a break?"

Misu would never admit to anyone that he was rather fond of cuddling. He also couldn't resist when his bond-mate was looking so adorable and sleepy. Shaking his head, he allowed a rare fond smile to appear on his face. His bond-mate was right – he had been thinking hard and pacing for quite some time and a break would be a good idea. He wandered over to the bed and stretched out beside Shingyouji, intending to just rest his mind for a short bit. There was still plenty of work to do and he didn't want to be idle for too long.

Wrapping an arm about Shingyouji's waist and pulling him closer, Misu allowed himself to fall into a light doze.

Gii thought he would never be happier to see the gates of the capital city. Even Snowflame seemed eager to be home and picked up the pace just slightly – not enough to cause his riders discomfort, but enough extra speed to cover the ground faster. The guards followed, one of them urging his tired steed to give just a little extra more to break from the group and go ahead to the gate to get it opened and the streets cleared. They knew that the people would want to see Gii but it was more important for the way to be clear so they could get Takumi to the castle in a timely manner.

The other two riders and their steeds cleared the now open gates, Gii maneuvering Snowflame carefully through the streets as the people stood aside – shouts from the guards to stand back and the speed of the horses were enough to get them to realize that there would be time to greet their Prince later.

Once they arrived at the palace, Gii was quick to dismount, servants helping him down so that he could keep a hold of Takumi as well.

"I want to get Takumi inside," he stated before anyone could ask anything. "Please send the doctor and the palace magicians to my room." Then he was off, moving through the great doors into the palace. People kept out of his way, seeing that the Prince was on a mission. Gii ignored the whispers he could hear as he carried Takumi through the halls, his focus on getting his betrothed comfortable – though he was unsure of how much awareness Takumi had right now, in his condition.

Upon reaching his room he tucked the other into his bed, worry overtaking his features at how cold Takumi's body remained. The other looked like he was peacefully sleeping and the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed was reassuring. Gii just wished that he could reach wherever Takumi was right now.

Once his bond-mate was settled, Gii sat down in a chair next to the bed to wait for the doctor and the magicians. Perhaps they would know what to do to help his beloved Takumi.

"According to what we know of the curse, your kiss should have been enough," the lead magician said, his brow furrowed in confusion. "But we will scour all our records and try and find reasoning why it didn't work. But please do not worry – it is not fatal. His body is merely cold and the catatonic state is like moving on a limited auto-pilot."

"I'm not sure what level of awareness a person in a catatonic state has," the doctor picked up. "But I do believe that there is something there at least, since if you put food or water to a catatonic's mouth they will eat and drink. I will closely monitor His Majesty's condition and rest assured he will receive the best care for his condition."

Gii just nodded, feeling a bit disheartened that no one had an instant cure ready to go for Takumi. He turned his attention back to his fiancée as the others left the room to give them time alone. He reached out and brushed a few strands of hair away from Takumi's face, watching for any sign of a reaction to his touch.

"You're safe here," he murmured, mostly to reassure himself than the catatonic young man lying in his bed. "I'm going to take the best care of you from now on, I promise."

A/N: Hope people are continuing to enjoy this one...see you next chapter.