At first I thought of him every day.
The slightest things brought him to mind, the shadow of an overhead cloud and I'd remember his laugh. "Dreams and Shadows."
Looking at my watch, I wondered if he'd really done that—and if I'd really let him.
And I'd wind my fingers around the necklace at my throat for proof that it wasn't just wistful imagination.
Then I'd sigh and remind myself that real or not, he was not with me—
But I could hope.
It was a month before I stopped expecting to see him in the shadows on my walk home.
Three months before I stopped hearing his voice in my mind, commenting wryly on the mess in my room.
Six months where the only contact I had with him was in my dreams.
And then . . .
I started to forget things.
I couldn't remember how he'd smiled.
I found myself unable to recreate his features in my mind—
And then I stopped trying to.
A year later, there was a knock on the door that changed everything.
Dad was away on business again. I had the apartment to myself. Typically, the knock came just at the good part of the third movie I was watching—
Grumbling I pulled myself over to the door. This had better be good—
"Yeah?"
"Yamato?" I blinked at my little brother who was looking up at me with equal surprise. "What are you doing here?" His tone was faintly accusatory.
"I live here," I said.
"Oh."
There was a movement behind him. I caught a glimpse of olive skin and purple cloth. Old memories suddenly surfaced and my heart leapt. But—
He was too young, Takeru's age, hair color was different too, rich burgundy rather than brown. But the clothes he wore were similar enough that . . . I hoped.
"Do you want to come in?" I asked, knowing the answer.
"So, what leads the two of you to partake of my hospitality?" I asked, handing the two of them mugs of cocoa.
"We're looking for an object of great importance," Takeru's friend replied. He had the same precise way of speaking as my mystery guest had.
"We've obviously come to the wrong place though," Takeru said. "Daisuke, we should keep looking."
"I didn't make a mistake!" Daisuke scowled. "It's here!"
"But that's impossible—"
"What's impossible?" I asked.
Takeru and Daisuke gave me a look.
"He won't believe us," Takeru said.
"You so sure, little brother?" I smiled. "I've believed in a lot of impossible things." I stirred my cocoa slowly. "A brown haired prince who couldn't tell me his name for one."
Takeru and his friend stared at me.
"I told you I wasn't wrong!"
"But I thought we were looking for a girl—"
"Hey, his highness never said who he gave the necklace too." Daisuke glared at Takeru.
"This necklace?" I pulled it out of my shirt.
"You've got it!" Daisuke jumped up to ascertain it was what we were looking for. "It's the necklace?"
"Are you sure?" Takeru didn't sound happy.
"I'm sure! I was there when it was given to Ta—I mean the prince."
"Wait—he's really a prince? And he has a name?"
"Yeah. He wasn't supposed to tell you though—"
"He didn't mean to." I slipped the necklace back under my shirt.
"Hey! We need that!"
"You really think I'm just going to give this to you?" I raised an eyebrow.
"But—"
"Your prince told me to keep it with me always."
"He wouldn't mind if you gave it to me. I'm his vice regent."
Takeru and I looked at the red-haired boy. "You?"
"Vice-regent?"
"Yeah. He said since it was my fault the other one quit, I had to take the job if it killed me. But you can give me the necklace."
I shook my head. "Vice-regent or not, I'm hanging onto this until I get a clearer picture of what's going on."
"We can trust Yamato," Takeru said to Daisuke earnestly. "He's never let me down."
Something in his tone—I gave the red head an appraising glance. Maybe Takeru and I should have a talk later—
"I guess," Daisuke sighed sitting back down on the sofa. "I can't tell you everything, you understand? The people involved are really powerful—saying their name is enough to tell them where you are, what you're up to . . . Even saying the prince's name is enough to get you caught."
"So that's why he never told me," I run my fingers over the necklace hidden beneath my shirt.
"You told me before."
"That was an accident. I was kind of loosing consciousness, remember."
"So—Takeru knows his name—and I don't."
"I could whisper it to him, couldn't I Dai?"
I was definitely going to have to have a talk with my brother.
After he told me the name I so desperately had to know.
"So this sorcerer wants to take the throne and that's why the prince had to run?"
"He and his sister went into hiding, along with his supporters. We were making plans and learning as much as we could of the old ways to put the prince on the throne—and then he found us. He was more interested in getting the prince out of the way so he could marry the princess and strengthen his claim on the throne—The prince thought he could protect the rest of us by drawing him off. He ran. Across worlds so we couldn't follow—but he was followed."
"This was a year ago, wasn't it?" I asked. "What happened after that?"
"You probably know more than we do," Daisuke sighed. "He . . . he didn't come back."
"What?" My hand closes around the necklace, so tightly the edges cut into my skin.
"About a month later, we got a message from the Duke. He said he had the prince—if we wanted him to be restored, Hikari would have to give him her hand in marriage."
"Restored? So he's not—"
"Hikari did her best to stall. She said she wanted to be sure he had her brother—so I got sent to check it out. He has him all right. But—he's under a spell. Nothing we can do can bring him back. The Duke's the only one—" Daisuke unclenched fists. "Anyway, Hikari said she was too young to marry. He gave her eleven months to prepare. She's going to marry him tomorrow if we can't free the prince—"
"Wait a minute—I thought you said he couldn't be freed," Takeru said.
"Well, I couldn't free him. But when I was with him I felt—the prince has him in this sort of suspension thing, he couldn't talk to me, I don't think he could even see me. But I think he knew I was there all the same, because after that I had a dream and he told me to find the necklace and bring it, with the person it belonged to lift the spell."
"You mean me?" I was surprised.
I was not the only one.
"Yeah . . . he did give it to you, and not anyone else, right?"
"You think I stole this?"
"Of course not—just the way spells tend to work . . . we were kind of expecting a girl."
"A girl?" That merited both eyebrows raising.
"I suppose Yamato is kind of like a girl . . ." Takeru said appraisingly. "He's got the appearance fixation done. And he cooks—"
"There's nothing wrong with caring about how you look," I retorted. And a lot of guys cook. Ever heard of Jamie Oliver?"
"Jamie Oliver doesn't wear a pink apron." Takeru crowed.
"Um—Now that I've found the necklace, we should get going. We don't have much time—"
"Where are we going?"
"Hey." I stared at Takeru until he sat down again. "Who said we're going anywhere?"
"But Daisuke promised to show me his home—he lives in a castle—"
"And you've got to come—if not—"
"Oh, I'm coming all right," I said, already on my feet. "You couldn't keep me back." Given the chance to see him again—to call him by his name—I don't care how many ambitious Dukes stood between us—I would see him again.
And help him if I could—
"Yamato—Please let me go. I—you can't leave me behind. Being left out of something like this? Come on!"
"No," I said.
"But Yamato—" He sniffled, turning wide, teary eyes on me. "Please big brother?"
I wavered.
He sniffed again, eyes somehow becoming even wider.
"Fine. But if you get into trouble—I take no responsibility."
Takeru grinned. "Thank-you, Yamato!"
"You were right, it does work," Daisuke said, spoiling the brotherly moment. "Maybe I should try that on Jun—"
I growled, knowing I'd been tricked but unable to do anything about it. "Let's get going."
We stood at the entrance to an alley way.
"Here," Daisuke said. "There is where I came in."
"Are you sure?" Takeru asked. "It's an alley."
"Daisuke knows what he's doing," I told my brother, holding the necklace firmly.
"This way," Daisuke began to walk down the alley. "Hikari said she could keep this open for a week or so—you have no idea how hard it was finding the spells to do this was. The prince must have just guessed."
"Really?" I didn't realise there was so much vine in the city.
"Uh huh. Then again, he was never much good at making plans—" Daisuke ducked beneath a low hanging branch.
I followed him—then paused. We were no longer in the alley.
"Wow," Takeru breather behind me. "Are we—"
"Home sweet home," Daisuke said. "And there. That's the Duke's Castle."
We joined him, looking up at the scene before us. Four dark spires loomed ahead of us, thickly wrapped in briar.
"We have to go in there?" I whispered.
Daisuke's answer was matter of fact. "Of course we do. What did you think?"