Akashi felt hands. Small, soft, gentle hands. He felt the most soothing magic he ever came in contact with. It felt so good, the monster inside of him -and to be honest, himself too- craved it back when it was gone. He heard a voice, a soft voice calming his nerves and lulling him into deep slumber.
"It's okay. I'll take care of you."
oOoOo
Eyes slowly fluttered open. The light, dimmed by thin, white drapes, took some time to get used to. His limbs felt limp and weak and his head hurt. For the first time in forever, he discovered what being starved felt like. All in all, he felt dead. But he knew he wasn't.
A small brunet obliviously hummed while preparing some kind of mixtures on a table across the bed. The humming felt familiar and his beast wasn't restless as it should have been waking up after what had happened in a stranger's place. He didn't feel threatened, but he couldn't read auras. Remembering his conditions, he sat up and cursed when a wave of dizziness hit him. That alerted the other man of his state of consciousness. He startled and dropped a wooden bowl before spinning around.
Akashi was faced with a petite man, smaller than him, he pleasantly noted as it was quite rare, with a sun-kissed skin and soft features, if not for the huge eyes claiming attention in the middle of his face. Big doe eyes, light brown, but not caramel, an earthy shade, quite uncommon.
"I-I...Ano... You're a-awake." The other man fidgeted and his eyes were drawn to the delicate hands.
"Who are you ?" He asked in a raw voice, but just his tone was enough to make the other man shake slightly. Ridiculous, seeing he was laying in bed and defenseless.
"F-furihata K-k-kouki." Va
"Why am I here ?"
"I f-found you in t-the clearing. I t-tried to help you."
Akashi felt something warm in his heart as the brunett stuttered and blushed, avoiding his gaze, but he tensed remembering something else.
"You have seen the other man." It wasn't a question.
"Y-yes." Kouki answered, lowering his head, and by his expression, Akashi wondered if he was going to be sick.
"Well, thank you for saving me, I wi-" Akashi stopped then, realising he was indeed still alive. "How did you do it ?"
"U-uh ?"
"You shouldn't have been able to save me. I was infected." Akashi looked at the other man in shock.
"I-I'm a healer. I hope w-what I did w-was good e-enough." He bowed.
The young emperor was speechless. Good enough ? It was a miracle.
"What do you know about my condition ?" He was really curious now.
"Y-you were infected by c-chimera's tears."
"Yes. Quite a rare poison, as chimeras only cry every century during mating season. Also finding when and where they do is incredibly hard and recquire to follow them closely for a long, long time. On top of that, they evaporate in twenty days." It is also the only effective poison against phoenix but he didn't say that at loud, unaware of how far the other man's knowledge went. "There is no cure."
"N-no known cure." The man stuttered and quickly went on seeing the look on t he red headed's face. "They c-can be con-conserved. It is a s-secret process that I- I discovered b-by chance but it's b-better if no o-one else learn of it."
"You can control the most dangerous poison on Earth." Akashi stated, and though his face remained as impassible as ever, he was really impressed.
"Hn." He acquiesced, bending down to clean up the messed he had made earlier. "C-Chimeras are b-beautiful. T-they like to live p-peacefully, un-unfortunately because t-they are hunted, t-they have to congregate i-in dangerous place f-for mating a-and b-birthing seasons. M-many get i-injured a-and even d-d-die. I s-stumbled upon them o-once a-and I got to know them."
"You got to know chimeras." Akashi was tempted to call out a lie, for if people indeed sometimes tracked down chimeras, no one ever got to know chimeras. They were a bunch of mean beasts, not peaceful at all from his own experience. However, something in the other man's eyes and voice told him he wasn't lying.
"Y-yes. And the c-cure can b-be extracted from t-the p-poison i-itself, that's h-how I could t-treat you." Furihata said coming to sit on a chair beside the bed, a wooden bowl filled with some grey paste in hands. "I-if you d-don't mind..." he pointed Akashi's bandaged hand resting on the bed.
With a nod, the brunet shakily pulled off the bandage, revealing a greyish mark shaped like a hand on his own. Progressively, his moves became less and less hesitant as he focused on his task. Soft,warm hands meticulously applied the cool mixture to his skin. Akashi couldn't do anything but observe him and, ironically, he found that the other man was an open book, his eyes and traits as expressive as possible to his great pleasure, seeing as with his magic gone for now, he couldn't see the other's aura.
"Do you know what will happen now ?" Akashi finally asked when the other started putting the bandages back in place.
"Ano... I'm not s-sure. I've only treated a-animals with this cure be-before."
"But you know how it works and what will probably happen to me." He stated, following the retreating form back to the window where it stopped.
"Hn." Kouki nodded looking out. The sun was low in the sky, he guessed it was around four or five. "I don't know what you are, but I felt your core. Or tried to, I fear I am not quite adept at those things." He started to explain and though his voice remained weak, the stutter was absent, probably because he was looking away, his focus somewhere else. "Your magic was really weak but it was here, which can only mean you are way more powerful than anyone I encountered, for the poison should have destroyed every once of magic in your being. I sealed it away to protect it while I treated you."
"How long have I been there ?" Akashi asked, eyes narrowing. This guy had sealed his magic. IT shouldn't have been possible, no matter how weak he was. His beast would have burned him, it never let anyone close enough, not even his parents, not even as a newborn. His magic has always been untouchable.
"Three d-days." The brunet answered, looking back at the bed, but not quite reaching Akashi's form.
"So ?"
"I- I unsealed i-it yesterday. N-no more p-poison remains, b-but your m-magic has y-yet to show itself." He fidgeted.
"How come ?" Akashi was annoyed, but wether it was with the shaking form across from him or himself for being powerless...
"I-I don't know. M-maybe you j-just need to rest."
Akashi suspected it was because the incident happened exactly when he should have started burning, his suspicion was his magic took it upon itself to assure the burning went on but in a completely different way. Leaving him powerless.
"Hmm." He hummed thinking about what he should do. "I suspect I still have a few days to go then. I guess you will just have to tend to my needs for the time being."
"Huh ?" Furihata who was cowering towards the door asked, blinking.
Really, he couldn't even suspect the weak healer, for even if he had wanted, and from what he got from his personnality he would never want to hurt someone, he wouldn't have been able to even brush past him.
oOoOo
Being royalty, he was used to being surrounded by eager and efficient servants, dozen of them at once usually, however he had never felt better taken care of than in the trembling hands of Furihata Kouki. Maybe it was because through the fear and shyness, he could see real care and warmth. Whatever it was, it made being taken care of by Kouki nice.
However after two more days stuck in bed, only leaving it to go to the toilets -by himself, of course and after threatening his caretaker into never again asking about the matter- he couldn't take it anymore. Akashi was by no mean restless, he was a collected and cold emperor who enjoyed the calm, but after laying down for five days straight, his body craved a little walk. Also, he had noticed that every night, around two, when the moon was bright in the sky, Kouki would leave without informing him about his whereabouts. He had also guessed by his view from the window and the eery silence he was growing accustomed to, that the house he resided in was far from any village, so far, not once had he heard horses and wheels, not even a far away sound.
The clock placed on top of the door showed that it was five past eight pm and he had heard Furihata rummaging and making the characteristic noises that came when cooking from what he guessed was the kitchen. Delicious smells made their ways into the room and Akashi was man enough to admit he had never tasted anything better than Kouki's food. To be fair, said cook did his best to make Akashi's stay less boring while making sure he got the best environnement to heal. He never woke him up in the morning, and though usually being an early bird, the emperor never woke up before seven, allowing his body more rest than he had had in a long time ; he also prepared the best meals he had ever eaten, meals which -besides being delicious- had healing properties, and Akashi could feel his body lighten and warm afterwards. Kouki also brought him books and found some old chessboard they would play on. The healer was still very skittish around him, but did his best to keep him company for which he was grateful.
"It's tofu s-soup today." Kouki said when it was finally time to eat and he sat the tray on Akashi's laps. He then went to retrieve his own bowl and sat at the desk where a mountain of herbs, ointments and potions were kept.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, minutes Akashi took to marvel over his new favourite meal, trying to guess the ingredients.
"Why do you live alone ? And where are we exactly ?" He finally asked.
"This is the k-kingdom of Hado. Do y-you know about it ?" He stuttered, making circles in his leftover soup.
"I do. Small, but not weak, it is part of the Teiko empire but granted right to semi-independance."
"Hn." He acquiesced and turned to look out of the window. "As it is around the rest of the world, prejudices are strong here, maybe even more so because our king only rely on magic. People like me, who only possess a small amount of magic or a kind which is deemed useless, are cast aside. I used to be a healer in the near village. You see, everything is settled by dueling. A teacher gave you a bad grade, duel him, a merchant is selling his product at a high price, duel him, you don't like the way he looks at you, duel him. UNfortunately, I can't just ignore a wounded person, so I healed anyone who came into my apothicary. The place was often attacked because of that, and I couldn't protect it, nor did I have the means to build it back up, it became an eyesore, so did I, the weak elemental only able to grow flowers." He ended with an awkward smile.
Akashi took all that in and stayed silent afterwards, reflecting upon it. Such a king ruled and was protected under the Teiko banner... A real shame.
"So what do you do ? Why not leave ?" He asked, staring Kouki in the eyes and njoying the warm flush instantly spreading on the other man's face.
"N-nothing really. I j-just tend t-to the forest around and I-I also travel a l-lot." He said, going back to play with his food.
"Where to ?" He asked, his interest growing, Kouki really was full of surprises.
"E-everywhere. I l-like discovering a-and t-trying to help a-around. N-not that I'm of much u-use, if a-any, but..." He cut his rambling, biting his lips. Lips that Akashi, uncharacteristically, couldn't help but pay particular attention to. Not that he dwelled on it too much.
"Where do you go at two in the morning ?" he prompted, not ready to let down the conversation now that Kouki had openned up.
At that question, the smaller man's head shot up and his mouth hung open, eyes even wider than usual.
"How do you- ? Do y-you have -ttrouble sleeping at n-night ?" He asked in a worried voice, his brows furrowed. "Oh no ! Am I t-too loud ?"
"Not at all. I always wake up a few times at night, I always have. Now, answer me, would you ?"
"I j-just wander a-around." He answered, avoiding his gaze. His features told the young emperor what his voice was also telling : he was lying. And he would have insisted if his body hadn't made it clear that he was growing tired. Curse it, he knew that whatever medicine Kouki put in his food always made him sleepy. The latter had informed him right before feeding him for the first time, afraid he would misread his intentions and get angry.
A few words later, Kouki took away their plates and went away. Seconds after, he was out.
The day after, Kouki spent all morning tracing his arm. His head was telling him it was light healing magic being transferred, but the intimate, light caress of Kouki's fingers, the tingles it sent through him, the way his blood warmed and his head clouded. Well, let's say he was enjoying it. Akashi knew he was attracted to the small man, more than he had ever been to anyone else to begin with, but sensible as he was, he decided to wait for it to wear off, blaming it on his especially weakened state and isolation.
A week later
The attraction wasn't going away. Worse, it deepened. Between soft touches, shy smiles and sweet voice, he was lost. And for the first time since his mother died when he was a little over a decade old, Akashi Seijuro let himself be taken care of, showing himself in a light no one alive had ever seen. Not even his brothers. He slept peacefully and without a worry, ate without hesitation and enjoyed Kouki's company more than he enjoyed even Shintarou's.
He had gotten up three days ago and he now enjoyed long walks in the forest, lazing off in trees as Kouki picked up flowers, herbs and saps. He particularly enjoyed following him when he wasn't aware of it, Kouki would hum and his body was almost floating as he ran along the trees, he would often stop to greet, feed or help all kind of animals. His carefree and happy smile never failed to make his lungs tighten as if they were missing air, when on the contrary the whole nature was celebrating Kouki's presence. Anybody else would have missed it, but the emperor wasn't anyone, so he noticed how green leaves and plants were upon his passage, how flowers bloomed and released enchanting perfumes in the air, how the sun would hit just right and give a mystical feel to the environment, how birds would sing louder and how the lake would look clean and fresh every time he passed it. Some of the best Earth elementals lived in Teiko, he had often seen them work, but even when they were giving their all, nature wouldn't respond this way. Ever.
His magic awoke yesterday, but he was quick to supress it. Though he had learnt Kouki was hopeless at aura reading, his power was such that even a blind and deaf human would be able to feel it. He almost felt guilty about it when Kouki examined him and feared that he had done something wrong because he couldn't sense a difference in his magic even after unsealing it.
As it was, he was sitting in a chair in front of the window, waiting for the familiar petite figure to come out in the dark. The night was especially dark tonight, as clouds hid the crescent moon and any stars. He concentrated on the familiar aura, his own, even though hidden, seemed to always reach out for it, the warm feeling it emitted soothing, comforting. His superior senses gave him quite a particular picture of what Kouki was up to. First he prepared some mixtures in the small kitchen/entrance/living room, then he put a lot of stuff in his tattered linen bag, the weight of which had him stumble a bit, before he openned the door, oblivious to the dichromatic eyes watching him make his way out and head to the dark forest.
Making sure to hide his presence on a spy level, Akashi followed him out, watching down from the trees he was jumping on to avoid detection. He had been doing this for two days now, even before his magic awaken, his trained body strong enough for him to climb trees and run in the forest after his personal healer. He watched for the second day as Kouki made his way to the village, a village filled with commoners and peasants, he had seen villages such as this one before, usually they smelled of misery and pain, diseases spreading like flies and lack of food driving people to desperation. THis one though visibly poor didn't smell like any of it.
The young emperor perched himself on a tree a few meters away as Kouki dropped by the fruit trees in the entrance of the village and put his small hand on the ground, a soft green light spreading from under his palms to all the trees. The scene was something otherworldly. Akashi had traveled a lot, fought a lot, met a lot of different people, his empire was full of incredible people, but never had he encountered such a beautiful magic. It was soft and earthy, warm but fresh, the magic drawing elegant forms on the herbs and trees, a soft glow in the air, but the most beautiful thing was the magic being himself. Soft, glowing lines etched on his face and arms, his eyes turning a beautiful shade of light green, his hair floating around because of his magic. Soon, fruits of all kinds grew on the trees, shiny and ripe fruits. A single tree bore hundreds of apples of different colors, another exotic fruits usually unfindable in the area. He would then pull everything he had brought out his bag and settle it by the roots of the biggest tree. Afterward, he would close his eyes and raise his face up, enjoying the cold breeze. Akashi couldn't do anything but stare as he did just so, the magical markings slowly erasing.
When they got home, they both went to sleep, and though the straw matress shouldn't have allowed it, his body got the best sleep possible. Again. His inside beast content.
oOoOo
"A-Akashi-san..." Kouki timidly started as he traced the perfect white skin on Akashi's arm, having perfetly healed what should have caused his death in agony. Said healthy and rested man raised his eyes in aknowledgement, entranced as he had been by the small finger's movements on his skin, causing shivers to break out on his skin. "I th-thought that maybe y-you would like to g-go out today. I m-mean you must b-be bored oout o-of your mind spending all your days with m-me."
He couldn't have been more wrong, which the emperor wouldn't be pointing out today.
"Sure."
The sight of Kouki's face lighting up and the bright smile breaking on his face made Akashi grin, which caused Kouki's heart to speed up and a dark flush to paint his face and ears, resulting in Akashi's grin to turn satisfied, which amplified the effect it had on the poor healer who stumbled to get up and stuttered something before leaving the room in hurry.
Still grinning, Akashi got up and headed toward the door too. Kouki insisted that he bath every day to ease his pain, pain that had disappeared long ago, but Akashi still went with it, even though Kouki left him on his own for this task since he woke up. He also had lent him some of his clothes, brownish pants and shirt that fit him a little too tightly but were still comfortable and smelled like heaven, or rather like Kouki, flowers and earth. Kouki had apologize over and over for not having anything better to give him, apologies he waved off of course.
The walk to the village was comfortable, though he still stuttered, Kouki was very good conversation, his mind open, his words soft and wise.
"What about humans ?" Akashi asked. "Don't you feel the prejudices towards them are founded ?"
"Well, I have met humans who wrote better poetry than elves, who could fight better than vampires, I mean there was this human who learned to cut through fire and water through sheer will. Their potential is amazing, it is even more humbling since they weren't born with the great advantage of magic. They work so hard and come up with amazing things, like clocks, it was a human who invented it you know ?"
Akashi was amused by how energetic Kouki sometimes got, losing his stutter and letting his smile free for him to see.
"I guess you have a point."
"Have you ever been to Emor ?" He went on, as a hummingbird came to sit on his shoulder.
"No."
"Well, you see the country is beautiful, it is a huge desert, some really rare plants grow there, there is only one city there, which should be peculiar, but let me tell you i think they were to lazy to cut and map it into more, because it is one huge city." He explained, rummaging through his pocket for some bread for the bird. "However, they discriminate a lot, they practice slavery there..." His voice was shaky as he whispered the last word like an insult. "Do you know what's the lowest status for a slave ?"
"I would say sex slave," the emperor answereed, his eyebrows furrowed. Slavery was forgiven in the empire, it was a barbaric, archaic means of creating differences and festering hatred and resentment. It was ugly and stupid, as far as akashi thought.
"No, it's gladiator. They take their strongest slaves and force them to fight to death in a huge arena, they feed them next to nothing, make them sleep piled up amongst rats and... They torture them, physically and emotionally. They live between fear when they fight, glory when they win, and desperation in their cells the rest of the time. Sometimes they trap them in cages with terrible beasts and people cheer on as they are ripped apart and devoured." He ended in a dark tone.
"Do you hate those people ?"
"They were taught to love it, since childhood, they are taught that difference between living beings allow for those kind of actions. I hate their actions, but I just wish I could stop it all. Sometimes, I fail and hate them..." He chuckled awkwardly, embarassed.
"You're kind, Kouki." The emperor stated the fact he already knew but still marveled over.
"N-not really."
When they arrived to the village, Kouki took two dead rabbits out of the leather bag hanging on his shoulder and handed them to him, telling him to buy whatever he wanted with it as he didn't have any money. The two split way upon Kouki's suggestion, which Akashi didn't really agree with but he relented because he could tell that his presence sometimes overwhelmed the healer, something the latter would have to get used to because the emperor didn't plan to let him go any time soon.
He used one rabbit to buy a dark brown cloak and not finding anything else, roamed around. His face and presence attracted eyes and more than one person had tried to talk to him, he only ignored them and kept on going until he came upon a fruit stand. The fruits were ripe and colorful, and he knew exactly where they came from.
"You can take anything you like, reasonably of course." The elder woman behind the stand told him smiling.
"For free ?"
"Well, we get them for free too, it's a blessing from the forest spirit, we have to share." she explained smiling at a random boy who stopped by to pick a mango.
"Why not sell them ?" Akashi asked picking a red apple and turning it in his hand.
"When the sacred trees first bloomed we did, but the spirit stopped her gifts then. We also tried catching her at night, she also stopped. There were fights too about ownerships, and well, as you probably guessed, no more blessing."
"Your forest spirit is nice."
"Nice ? She is amazing, not only does she feed us, but she also give medicine like no other, curing everything."
"She ?" He asked amused by the mistake.
"Not to look down upon men, but such gentleness could only come from a woman," the old lady laughed.
"If you say so. You probably shouldn't be telling foreigner those things," he advised biting into the apple.
"Well, you're probably right, but we almost never get foreigners in this small village and well I can tell you're not going to do anything malicious wiht this information, " she smiled.
Akashi only nodded and went on his way. Kouki had had long enough to do whatever it was he needed to. Being attuned to his aura, he never lost him, only knowing exactly where he was in the village, so it was easy to rejoin him.