Ciao! We're almost in time for Valentine's day huh? But sorry, this chapter has nothing to do with that; too bad lol. Still, enjoy the continuation of their story.
Replies to Reviews:
Elly: How did you do that? Lmaoo XDD. You read my mind! I don't mean to give spoilers to anyone else but yeah, that is planned to happen in the future—not sure which saga/arc though but I have envisioned it lol. Wow you guys are so good at predicting the story. I'll be honest: I want to see a desperate Aya too ;) Thanks for the review!
Disclaimer in first chapter.
Spoilers such as dialogue an scenes from episode 5 of the anime.
Chapter 23:
"Mikage-kun, I need you to analyze these documents with me. This will be your first order of business as part of the mission." Ayanami stated, with a few papers in his hands related to the Barsburg District and its missionary history. Mikage stared at the documents in wonder.
"Okay!" He enthusiastically replied, feeling a sense of liability and authenticity already. He had scanned and organized papers since he became a part of the Black Hawks but never did he file or critic a document related to a mission himself. Then again, this was also his first real 'mission.' He was very much looking forward to it.
The silverette smirked. "Then follow me." He led the teen outside the church, anywhere they could find some peace and quiet and a bench to sit on. This was going all according to his plan. While Mikage was busy with him here, Teito should be approaching the church's garden any moment with the false hope that the blond was waiting for him there. 'And the rest will unfold itself.'
Teito walked past the gates of the garden and glanced around the colorful place. He didn't find anything out of the ordinary or even his friend, though he did spot a curly haired boy in a full white attire.
"Do you like the flowers?" The stranger asked with a frank smile.
"Uh, yeah…?" Teito didn't seem to recognize the teen so faltered in his response.
"I'm glad, after all, these flowers will be placed a top your grave—very soon." He sneered. The curly haired man waltzed towards the baffled brunette, his movements revealing a blue symbol plastered on his sternum. Teito identified the vile sign immediately and stood on his guard, activating his zaiphon. "A Zaipon? I can use a zaiphon too now." The boy imitated his zaiphon and neutralized Teito's attack. "And that's not all." With that, two bare bony wings uncurled from the teen's back, alarming the younger.
As if that had declared some sort of instant war, the two began hitting zaiphon with zaiphon, nearly wrecking the glass barrier of the garden by inflicting so many holes on to it. Their little battle even extended off ground for a short while until Teito had to land back on the ground and dodge strikes from there. As the other flew behind one of the towers of the church, Teito ran towards him, shooting another destructive zaiphon that blasted a bit of the concrete church tower but gasped at the teen descending with shredded wings.
Ayanami snapped in shock at that scene too. He was able to watch every movement of his korrs, a bit similar to how his soul was instilled in Mikage, only this didn't require so much life force and was a product of his powers.
"That's…" Teito observed Frau appear out of thin air and carry the victim gently to the floor.
"Didn't I tell you, your powers will only hurt the vessels. Well, at least you're not running away anymore." Frau smirked. "The brat has matured a little."
"I'm not a brat!"
"So, another showed up huh…" Frau thought out loud.
'That bishop… I knew something was unusual about him. I need to confirm—' The silverette's thoughts were cut off by his own blond.
"Ayanami-san, I don't understand this statement." Mikage pointed down at one of the papers laid out on the bench space between them. The elder turned his attention to him instead and decided to hold the thought.
That Evening:
"Wow! Those were only a few documents but they took forever..." Mikage stretched his arms as the two of them walked to the chambers of the church that housed their room. 'I wonder what the others did all day—I got so carried away interpreting all that stuff with Ayanami-san, I nearly forgot about our location.'
"Normally these shouldn't take so long, if handled individually." The silverette remarked. "You'll get used to it."
"Let's hope so—huh?" The blond halted at the sight of the hall, ceiling shattered with an enormous hole in it and a huge boulder breaking the wall of their room which happened to be located in the same hall. "Ah! Our room!" He pointed.
Castor and several of his dolls were already on the spot of the scene. "I'm sorry gentlemen, it looks like we'll have to restrict this side of the tower for renovation. It appears as though one or more of our staff was acting insensately—please do forgive the inconvenience." He forced an apologetic yet at the same time businessman-like smile.
"…Inconvenience he says…" Ayanami repeated the words with layers of bitterness and agitation. This kind of nuisance had never taken place before. He was already trying his best to tolerate the crappy food and resources of this place and now this.
"Hahaha what meteor struck here? But it's kind of odd how we didn't hear anything, right Ayanami-san?" Mikage attempted to stir the elder's aggravation in another direction.
"Since this won't be repaired in a while, can I ask that you, Ayanami, sleep in another guest room tonight?" Castor requested. The silverette returned his gaze, attentively.
"With Mikage." The chief added to his sentence.
"I'm sorry, that room only has one bed. Therefore, Mikage will sleep—" The redhead never got to finishing that sentence, all thanks to a certain loud brunette.
"Mikage is sleeping in my room!" Teito announced loud and clear, like a child that had been persisting an elder to sleep with him. Ayanami mentally clicked his tongue at the sight of the younger. Frau followed behind like his guardian.
"No, that's really okay—!" Mikage immediately blurted out upon hearing that but stopped himself when he noticed how unreasonable he sounded. What was he saying? There wasn't much of a choice in the first place.
"Huh? What that's supposed to mean? You have to sleep somewhere." Teito raised a puzzled brow.
"Yeah…my bad…" The blond replied timidly before looking at Ayanami for a response or an 'approval' was the more suited word. "Ayanami-san…" 'There's no way he'll abide by this.'
The chief sighed. "It's seems to be inevitable." He gazed back at the blond, eyes apparently not expressing the same vibe. Despite his response, Mikage still felt slightly anxious about the idea.
'Geez, relax already.' The teen caught himself and urged to take a steady breath in and out. 'It's fine. I'll get to sleep in the same room as Teito tonight, just like the old times—so cheer up, will you.'
"Well, in that case, brat why don't you come with me to fetch you guys some extra blankets." Frau commanded.
"Quit calling me that! I'll come pick you up later Mikage." The brunette told before dashing after the bishop.
"Ayanami, you can follow me." Castor smiled and turned around, leading the way. Ayanami was ready to tag behind but noticed Mikage unwavering—most likely confused whether to stay or follow. The elder swiftly encircled his fingers around the teen's delicate wrist, catching him by surprise. The blond's sparkling hazel eyes met with solid purple ones, motioning him to accompany them. Mikage silently nodded and walked beside him to his new small room.
"Please let us know if you need anything. We'll try to retrieve the rest of your belongings by tomorrow." Castor said, then wished them a good night and left. Mikage stood to the side and watched the elder straighten his sheets and pillow, followed by removing his hat, cloak, sword and gloves. The silverette was now in his white buttoned up shirt and uniform pants until he undid the first button and cuffs of that too. He noticed the blond stiffly standing in the room, a bit troubled that he wasn't conversing frankly like his usual self anymore.
Ayanami determined to leave his clothes the way they were at the moment and comfortably sat back on the edge of the bed. "Mikage-kun, come here." He let out an arm for the other to walk into. The blond obliged and stepped towards him, allowing the other to wrap an arm around his waist while the other hand clutched his wrist again. Since the teen was within his grasp, he did the only thing that felt welcoming of him to do: the chief dug his forehead into the younger's chest and breathed the serenity he sensed from it. His beloved's fresh scent, jovial yet calm heartbeat that was always destined to quicken soon and most importantly the warmth of the embraceable lithe body.
"Are you going to be alright?" Ayanami huffed. Mikage was finally able to process the situation and blinked at that.
The blond let out a brief chuckle. "Ayanami-san, are you sure you're not talking about yourself?" He uttered in the most sincerest way. The elder detached his head and looked up at the teen. Dislodging the hand on Mikage's wrist, he brought it up to cup the back of the blond's head and pulled it forward for a kiss.
"Mnh…"
"Looks like Mikage-kun will be fine without me but I can't live without this blond." Ayanami confessed when their lips broke apart, looking directly into the hazel eyes. The teen unwillingly blushed at that.
'Gosh, when he acts things like that…I can't help but…' Mikage thought flustered, hiding the blush with his fist. Ayanami was a natural schemer. Even if he hurt the younger (which to him was nothing wrong), he always had a way to pull the teen willingly back to himself. "T-that's not true…" Mikage had to say something. "And besides, it's only for one night…you should be fine."
"Looks like your little escort is here." Ayanami interjected, rotating his eyes toward the door.
"Eh? Teito?" Mikage swirled his head toward the door as well. It was true, Mikage could hear the footsteps getting louder.
"Mikage! Are you ready?" Teito peered in to the room.
"Sure thing Teito." Mikage answered casually, walking towards the door before time. He turned one last time to Ayanami and said 'good night' before exiting the room. As their shadows disappeared in the stillness of the night, the elder sighed once, already beginning to miss the teen's presence.
…
Teito's room had two single beds, one occupied by himself and the other by Mikage. The lights were off, and the moon was probably out or it could have been disguised by the clouds—there was no way of Mikage knowing for sure as he lay in the spacious room embroidered by large windows on one entire side. He did know that he was unable to fall asleep. Was it just a stochastic event? Or was it because the bed space felt so much more different? He couldn't tell whether it felt spacious without the elder embracing him or narrower because he could see the other end of it right next to him. 'I wonder if Ayanami-san was able to fall asleep?' His brain wondered before hearing a shift from Teito's side.
"Can't sleep?" The blond ultimately broke the silence.
"Hey Mikage, there's something I want to tell you." Teito let out.
"…then tell me, I'm here, aren't I?" Mikage smiled without facing the other. 'Did he have the right to act like a friend even though he was out to betray him?'
Teito had faith in him and told him all his secrets: how he had regained his memories, how he was the son was the Raggs Kingdom, i.e. making him the legitimate heir to the fallen Raggs Kingsdom. "And Ayanami (the Imperial Army) was the one who killed my father." The brunette concluded. The blond courteously listened to every word.
"I believe you." The elder teen acknowledged. 'But…I thought Ayanami was the heir as well…how can there be two real heirs?'
"Thanks, Mikage."
"Then, is it my turn to speak about myself now?"
"Only if you want to." Teito claimed, turning on his side so that he was facing the blond, while the blond flattened on his back.
"Our family lives in the Oak family's manor and has traditionally been serving them. My father and elder brother are both butlers, I was going to follow that path too but thanks to this scar I was able to choose the military instead—and meet you." Mikage happily confessed. "I was only five at the time the war with the Raggs ended. I remember my father was pretty happy and I couldn't understand why. How could killing people make one happy? And to think your father was one of those people…I have no right to say this as the enemy that helped destroy your kingdom… but I'm still glad you remember being loved by your parents." 'So we were always meant to be on opposing sides.'
"Mikage, so what are you going to do now?" Teito urgently asked and sat up on his bed.
'It's now or never.' The blond thought determined and threw off his covers, walking over to the brunette. "Teito, listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you!" He securely held on to both the smaller teen's shoulders. "First off, don't become enemies with the Imperial Army. Revenge does nothing good. Always look forward and follow the path of light." 'That's right, even if I leave you now, don't come back to pick a fight. Forget Ayanami-san! Forget the Army…forget me...' "Second. You may be bad at opening up to others but you're my best friend and that will never change! Never forget that I am always with you in spirit."
Teito blinked once, eyebrows unconsciously knitting into a furrow. "Why are you telling me this all of a sudden? It sounds like…you're about to leave…"
Mikage snorted, alleviating the frustration on his face. "Nothing like that." He stepped back to his bed and pulled the sheets over him. "Good night my best friend."
Ayanami's Room:
The silverette lay on his 'bed,' with an arm over his head while staring at the ceiling feeling lost in time. Speaking of time, what time was it? How long had he been staring at that one place inactively, waiting for sleep to take over him?
"Che." He sucked his teeth and sat up on his bed. This was infuriating. He wasn't even sure which part. He only knew that his blond missing from his side would never give him peace, let alone sleep. Mikage had become such a natural existence in his life and one that actually rendered his life exciting. All this time he thought the military gave him pleasure and a reason to exert his madness but that was all second compared to Mikage. However, the blond was too pure. He would succeed in bringing simple joy and comfort to the elder's life but the elder's thirst for blood at times could never be quenched. And that's why the military was an important asset and always would be. Although…he may have been guilty of mixing the two and ending up hurting the teen while he was as it. However, that mindset/demeanor had been long engraved in him—to the point that there was no question to it. It was simply the person he was.
Afraid his thoughts would drive him into a raging fit, he climbed off his bed and walked out the door of his room to the dark hallways lit by the stars pouring in from the glass windows. 'Not having Mikage by his side when he ought to be, automatically made the other assume the teen was perhaps dead.' Also another innate conception of his based on experience.
Ayanami dragged his feet across the corridors, until he found the brunette's room. Gingerly, he creaked the door open and upon seeing two beds, confirmed his location. He stepped closer and closer to his lover stirring in his sleep and stopped ahead of the bed, his shadow hovering over the blond. Ayanami felt painful relief wash over him at the sight of Mikage's lean expression. Involuntarily, he brushed two fingers against the younger's infamous scar. The blond automatically kinked his face, eventually cracking his eyes open and gazing at the blurred figure.
"A—!" Mikage couldn't believe his eyes for a second and jerked up in undefined fear. His voice was attenuated short by Ayanami's large hand clamped over his mouth.
"Shh…you wouldn't want to wake up the brat, would you?" The chief whispered into the teen's ear with a sneer. His begleitler nodded and pulled down the pale hand.
"Ayanami-san why are you here?" He whispered back.
"Why do you think?" The silverette retorted, yanking the sheets and mounting his knee on top of the bed, making himself comfortable under the covers.
"E-eh?" The teen adjusted his position to fit the other in without thinking. Meanwhile his elder lover tightly pressed his body into him.
"I can't sleep." Ayanami simply stated, hugging the younger as blond flicks of hair tickled his chin. The other held back a laughter. 'How does Ayanami-san plan to manage in the future?' Mikage chuckled in his thoughts. He was a bit too dependent on him that it was hard to believe this was the same aloof 'Ayanami-sama' from the past.
'Ah, whatever. This does feel nice.' The blond smiled, closing his eyes and nuzzling closer into the broad chest. But then, a feeling of burdening contrite hit him. 'Uh…I can just hope Teito won't wake up before us.' That conception was stressing indeed, but at the same time Mikage was confident that Ayanami would wake up during his early morning (routinely) military time and probably leave the room.
To Be Continued…
So Aya carried out the first attack, eh? And he was able to keep Mika busy & away from knowing—pretty sly. But what about the next? Will he still be so lucky? Find out in the next chapter!
Thanks for reading and Plz Review!