Notes: Sorry it took so long to write! Only the unknown characters are mine! The rest are J.R.R. Tolkien's creation! Elvish is in ' '.
Reasons
Part 17
Legolas was torn. On the one hand, the sight of a large-eyed boy with a Gods-Help-Me expression on his face as he fidgeted on top of a scowling man was rather comic. On the other hand, the presence of Shira's accomplice took any vestige of humor from the scene. The man knew that Meiyuu, the boy he was seeking, was here.
By the gods… what have we gotten ourselves into?
Kirai narrowed his eyes at the sight of the child. Was *that* Meiyuu? The brat who had caused them so many problems? It couldn't be. That boy wore fine cotton clothes. He looked no older than fourteen winters. And, most importantly, there were no bandages on his hands! Meiyuu had worn rags the last he'd seen of him. The child had acted as a seasoned warrior (if a little inept at defending sword strikes), and Meiyuu's wounds were never supposed to heal! This—child—couldn't be Meiyuu. But those piercing sapphire eyes… and those telltale scars on the boy's hands… the only child Kirai knew of that had such blue eyes was Meiyuu. And since Meiyuu had escaped with Legolas… Since Legolas was standing not ten meters from him… That had to be Meiyuu.
Kirai smiled.
Perfect.
"Meiyuu does not belong here," he firmly stated, turning back to the dark-haired Elven lord who was reputedly the ruler of this place.
Elrond's eyes clouded, but he remained silent. The man had given him no true reason to distrust him, but… something was amiss. Perhaps it was the cruel twist in his smile. Perhaps it was the mere fact he was asking for the very child Aragorn had brought here. Whatever the case, Elrond didn't quite trust him.
Behind him, Meiyuu suddenly felt—disoriented. Confused. He wanted to go to that man. And yet he didn't. He didn't want to go with the man because… because… Why didn't he want to go with the man? Ah, look. The man was even smiling. How nice. But he didn't like that smile. It was… it was… Meiyuu wasn't sure.
It was all so easy, so very easy just to slip off of the man under him and walk towards that nice man standing just beyond the border of Rivendell. And what harm could it be to walk towards that man? Meiyuu knew there was one but… but… he couldn't remember…
So why not walk to him?
If Aragorn thought Meiyuu falling out of a tree was surprising, seeing Meiyuu climb off him and *walk* towards that bastard waiting for him was heart-stopping. He quickly regained his senses and grabbed the boy's right arm.
"What are you-" he began, only to abruptly stop as he noticed the dazed, dilated eyes of the boy he held.
"Meiyuu?" he murmured, tentatively shaking the boy's shoulders.
The boy blinked, and his eyes returned to normal. "What're you shaking me for?" He tried to squirm out of Aragorn's grasp.
Aragorn opened his mouth to speak, but, after glancing quickly at the menacing figure still waiting for Meiyuu, decided against it.
"Aragorn?" a concerned voice murmured.
Aragorn glanced at the blond Elf looking at him quizzically. Not now, he mouthed and jerked his head toward the man facing his father.
Legolas nodded. "Come, let's go back inside," he said out loud.
Kirai frowned. "That child is coming with me."
Aragorn felt the arm beneath his hand stiffen. He gave the arm a reassuring squeeze. Don't worry, he thought to Meiyuu silently. The bastard won't get you. We'll make sure of that. He looked up… and met the approving nod of his Elven lover. Legolas had noticed their silent interaction.
He nearly jumped, however, as Elrohir moved next to him.
'Take him inside, Estel,' he told him. 'Whoever that person is, he is dangerous. I do not trust Meiyuu with him.' He glanced down at the small figure, trying to figure out how in the name of Elbereth the boy had managed to knock them off the branch like he had.
The boy himself looked… well, not exactly ordinary, not with those sapphire eyes, that deep mahogany hair in that strange haircut (Elrohir was beginning to think his father enjoyed using that dagger *too* much), and that depressed look in those eyes, but… there was nothing about that slim, slender body that screamed Being of Power to him. Not with Meiyuu fidgeting so uncomfortably beneath all their gazes, as any child who's in deep trouble and *knows* it would.
That child would really benefit from leaving this spot, *immediately*, Elrohir thought privately.
Fortunately for Meiyuu, Aragorn and Legolas were in accordance with him. They gripped the boy's shoulders firmly and marched him back to their rooms at Rivendell and sat him in a chair, ignoring the boy's obvious reluctance.
But, for once, Meiyuu had reason to cringe at the thought of being alone with Aragorn and Legolas. Aragorn wasn't going to be happy… but even more importantly than that, he had upset Legolas, hadn't he? And he didn't think he could face the disappointment and hurt he knew he'd find on his friend's face. He just couldn't! Even though he knew deserved it (who would have thought he'd mess up *that* badly?), he just couldn't stand to see the anger on his only friend's face.
"Look up, Meiyuu."
He complied reluctantly. To his surprise, it was *Aragorn* with the anger and frustration on his face. And Legolas? He looked… tired. As if he already knew Meiyuu's feelings.
"What," and Aragorn drew the word out slowly, "were you thinking?!" He winced at the way his voice cracked. Not that it wasn't expected… He had been angry to find Meiyuu gone, irritated to find the kid falling on top of him, almost panicked to find the kid nearly in the hands of that bastard, and now… Well, the thought of Meiyuu in that bastard's hands still had the power to make his insides twist in dread.
Meiyuu scowled. "Why should it matter to *you* what I do?" He leapt out of the chair indignantly, only to be pushed back by two strong hands. He glared at the Man who held him down.
Damn it all, he railed silently. Why is *he*, Aragorn, so mad at me? It isn't as if I did something to *him*. Legolas, I could understand this from. Aragorn, not until Shira begins preaching about light, love, and compassion. So why *is* he mad? Why *should* he care about what I do?
Aragorn narrowed his stormy gray eyes. "It matters a great deal, Meiyuu. Do you not appreciate the danger both you and Legolas are in? You could've walked right into his hands, running off like that!"
"So?" Meiyuu spat. "Why should you give a damn what happens to me?"
Aragorn grew very angry at those words. "Don't curse, Meiyuu. Or, by the gods, I'll-"
"You'll what? Tickle me?" Meiyuu shouted.
"I'll punish you-"
"You're not my father! You're not my mother! You're not even my sister! What gives you the right to punish me? You don't own me! You don't even have custody of me!
"I-"
Legolas quickly intervened, "Meiyuu, why didn't you just tell me that you were upset? You didn't have to try to run away."
Meiyuu seemed to calm down somewhat. "Because… because I'm nothing more than a selfish little bast-" Meiyuu sucked in his breath, aware of what he almost let slip out.
Gods… he thought miserably. How, from where we began on this insane journey, did we end of here?
Unbeknownst to Meiyuu, Aragorn, too, was wondering the same thing. How, from where they began, had they ended up screaming at each other? More importantly, where had Meiyuu gotten the idea he was just a "selfish little bastard?" Yes, the boy was annoying in his determination to keep to himself, trying in his adamant refusal to see anything good in himself, absolutely infuriating in his stubbornness. But- a "selfish little bastard?" Not in Legolas' eyes, Aragorn was certain. Certainly not in Frodo or Gimli's eyes. Not in his own eyes either, and he was willing to bet his sword that Elrond and his foster brothers felt the same way. So where could Meiyuu have gotten the idea that…
Shira and his cohorts. It had to be. Who knew how many times those bastards treated him as if he were just that?
Aragorn suddenly felt like thrusting Anduril into Shira's black heart.
The Elf beside him sighed tiredly, "Meiyuu, please believe me, you are *not* selfish. In fact, you have been anything but selfish the entire time I have known you. Despite your problems, despite your pain, you have helped me, *me*, adjust to life in the village when I first came. Is this selfishness? And even now, you think of me, even when you hurt so much that you wish to run away… Don't deny it, Meiyuu. I can see it in your eyes."
That's not what I'm denying, Meiyuu thought miserably. I didn't run away because of my pain. I ran away because I thought I could help you that way…
"But don't you see, Meiyuu?" Legolas pleaded. "You are hurting me *by* running away. And you're not just hurting me. You're hurting Aragorn, Frodo, Gimli, Lord Elrond, Elladan, and Elrohir too."
But I don't want to see you hurt, Legolas…
"Running away does not solve a problem," Aragorn agreed. "You have to face your problems and try to work them out."
Meiyuu shook his head. "You do not understand. I *caused* those problems. Shira and Tsuku and whoever it was out there are *my* problems. I could have stopped them so long ago, and… and I didn't. And someone died as a result. It's my fault. It's all my fault!"
Meiyuu felt his throat close in grief. Father…
"Therefore," he added before either Legolas or Aragorn could begin to speak, "it is my responsibility to fix them. To deal with Shira and his friends. And I-I thought that maybe, if I left, they'd leave with me-"
"Meiyuu, do not put your life in danger for mine!" Legolas exclaimed in horror. He cupped his gentle hands beneath the boys chin and raised Meiyuu's eyes to meet his own. "Promise me that you won't do that again."
Meiyuu slowly nodded and deftly ducked his head away from Legolas' grasp. "All right," he whispered. "Just trying to help…"
Aragorn was strangely silent. He wasn't surprised that Meiyuu had tried to escape, but that didn't erase the fact that it was a damn foolhardy thing to do. He sincerely hoped the child would not repeat such an attempt.
Even if it were something he would have done had he been in the same situation, and so young.
"It will not help anyone if they take you away," Aragorn said finally. "If anything, it would make everything a lot more complicated. Rescue missions are difficult to plan."
Meiyuu didn't look convinced. "Who'd try to rescue me? Oh, I know that you would, Legolas," the boy said, seeing the hurt on his friend's face. "But no one else would care… or even notice. Besides which, I could easily rescue myself."
Aragorn glared at him. "I would notice *and* care. So would Frodo and Gimli, for that matter. Tis not a weakness to rely on others as well as yourself."
Meiyuu squashed the sense of joy he felt at Aragorn' s words.
Really, he thought to himself. You'd think I'd know enough of the world to ignore flattering statements like that. And even if Aragorn had seemed sincere, he… well…
He quickly retreated onto safer grounds. "Can he really take me because I don't have a legal guardian?"
Legolas frowned thoughtfully. "Legal guardians or not, I will not hand you over, and I do not think Aragorn or Lord Elrond will either." And that reminded him. Was it just Legolas' imagination, or had Meiyuu actually been walking towards the enemy before Aragorn stopped him? He opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by his lover.
"Of course he will not take you," Aragorn said. "Though it is strange he'd bring up the matter of legal guardianship…"
"How can I have a legal guardian?" Meiyuu fumed. "All of them died!" He crossed his arms and stared hard at the far wall, willing away the wetness that threatened to spill from his eyes.
Legolas and Aragorn sighed, regarding the boy. If only they could relieve Meiyuu's pain… But the boy despised pity, and so anything they said would only push him further away.
Meiyuu continued, his voice soft and bitter. "And Shira knows it. He killed my father and my sister's husband. My sister died when Mira was born…" For a few moments, the painful echoes of his father's tortured cries rang in the youth's mind. The tears that had been welling in his eyes suddenly spilled out. They were swiftly wiped away but not before they were noted.
Legolas closed his eyes in sorrow, unsure of what he could say or do to ease his friend's pain. Gods, Shira was an evil bastard, the usually gentle Elf thought. If he could kill Shira, he'd do it. Oh, he'd do it.
But killing Shira isn't going to help Meiyuu, Legolas reminded himself. So how to help this child on the verge of breaking from his grief?
Almost of their own volition, his arms stole about Meiyuu's shoulders, wrapping about the shaking frame. And, miracle of all miracles, the boy leaned into his embrace for a few moments.
Gods in the heavens, Legolas thought silently. Please don't let him push me away. He needs this. He needs to let it out, to cry on someone's shoulder, before he can heal. Please…
Unfortunately, the gods were not listening.
Meiyuu jerked away from the tentative grasp, eyes frozen behind a wall of grief and resignation.
"Meiyuu…" Legolas began.
"Aragorn! Legolas!" a gruff voice interrupted them.
"Where are you?" came a small, gentle voice. "Please, answer us!"
Legolas sighed, but went out to greet them.
Meiyuu eagerly sprang out of the chair to follow him. Or would have, had Aragorn not held him down. He looked at Aragorn irritably, immediately noticing the latter's frown.
"Don't try anything that foolish again, Meiyuu. I will bar the windows if you do," Aragorn warned.
Meiyuu pursed his lips in anger. "What right do you have to tell me what to do?" he demanded. His eyes narrowed, the sapphire blue flashing steel-gray.
Aragorn looked at Meiyuu sternly, reproachfully. "I have that right because you are under both my protection… and my foster father's protection."
"I didn't ask for protection. And that still doesn't give you the right to punish me," Meiyuu muttered. "Only my sister had that right, and she's dead."
Meiyuu's voice softened. "*I* even had that right at one time. I was the only guardian of my niece…"
"And that is why you rebel at authority," Aragorn surmised, his voice gentle, understanding. "Because you were forced become your niece's parent, to take on an adult role while still a child yourself."
Meiyuu started. He had admitted that Aragorn was uncommonly intelligent, but…
How could he know, he asked himself. How could he know I grew up the day Mira came into my care?
A more disturbing thought occurred to him.
Did Aragorn know how he first felt about Mira when his sister died? Did Aragorn know that he hated her? That he hated having to take care of her? Did the Man know that he even wished her gone, the daughter of another person, the niece of another person? Yet he had grown used to her and loved her. And then, when she had died, he had been devastated and blamed himself, because part of him felt that it was because of his wish that she was gone.
Aragorn brought his hands up to the boy's shoulders and kneeled, looking Meiyuu straight in the eyes.
"You are still young, Meiyuu. You have your whole life ahead of you, but unless you learn to trust in others, you'll be forever alone. The friends you might have had will not be able to be your friends. You'll be alone, and that will truly be a tragedy. Please don't isolate yourself, Meiyuu. Not even to protect those around you. There are many who would like to be your friend," Aragorn hesitated, suddenly uncertain about something. He shook his head slightly and continued. "And that includes me, Meiyuu."
Apparently not.
Meiyuu briefly wondered if the Man would be so kind to him if Aragorn knew the thoughts he had had the first time he starved for Mira. And even if Aragorn didn't know…
Did he truly mean what he said?
"It's… hard to trust," Meiyuu admitted. Aragorn had sounded sincere enough, but…
How could a king like Aragorn want to befriend an exiled, homeless orphan like me, Meiyuu wondered.
He took in a deep breath before answering, "I-I'll try."
"No one can ask more of that, young one." Aragorn smiled gently. He smirked, then, at the face Meiyuu made and ruffled the boy's hair. It was nice having a young person around again. Things tended to get so boring, so orderly and controlled without them.
Besides which, he liked Meiyuu. He liked the boy's stubbornness- though only a miracle would get him to admit it- and the boy's loyalty. Meiyuu cared. It showed in the way he acted towards Legolas, always trying to help the Elf, always thinking of the Elf's needs. And that was fine with Aragorn, but he wished the boy would also think of himself.
But then, Aragorn sighed, he *is* amazingly stubborn, just like Legolas.
"Aragorn!" Legolas called from the hallway, wondering what was keeping his lover. "Meiyuu! Are you not going to come out?"
Gimli laughed. "They're probably fighting again."
At the dwarf's words, both Meiyuu and Aragorn scowled. So Gimli thought they always fought, did he? They fumed for a moment, indignant. After a moment of denying the statement, they suddenly realized…
Shit. He's right.
Sullenly, Aragorn and Meiyuu left the room they had been in for the past hour and entered the hallway, walking to where their friends waited for them.
Frodo waved at them in greeting before resuming his conversation with Legolas.
"Elrond looked… worried, at least to me, when he came back in. He went straight to his study, along with Elrohir." A frown appeared on the hobbit's deceptively young face. "For some reason, Elrohir was limping. I wonder what happened to him."
Meiyuu choked.
Um, oh yeah, he thought guiltily. That.
Oops.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Legolas and Aragorn attempting to hold in their laughter… and failing miserably. When they finally gave up, they grinned at him.
It's not my fault, Meiyuu thought at them angrily, glaring at them.
They laughed even harder.
Slowly, it dawned on Meiyuu that it *was* his fault. And that it was incredibly funny.
He started laughing then.
Gimli and Frodo stared at their friends, worried that they had suddenly lost their mind.
Finally, Gimli asked, "What's so funny?"
Legolas frantically waved a hand as if to say he would answer in a minute. After his laughter had died down somewhat, he managed to choke out an answer. "He fell out of a tree."
"You mean, someone knocked him out of the tree," Aragorn corrected slyly.
"Who?" Frodo asked, surprised. Elves *could* be knocked out of trees?
Evidently, the same thought occurred to Gimli. "And here I thought Elves and trees got along. Hmm… Maybe you had best beware of trees yourself, Legolas," the dwarf smirked.
"Nonsense, stubborn dwarf. I have never fallen out a tree," Legolas answered immediately. His face went blank as he just realized what he said. Where had the phrase 'stubborn dwarf' come from? It wasn't something he could remember saying before… but somehow, it felt natural to say it.
He could not know he had always used that phrase with Gimli. And so, he was surprised to see the shock on the faces of his friends. Shock that he remembered the special taunting phrase that was his sign of friendship with the dwarf.
The only person who was, perhaps, not shocked was Meiyuu. Instead, the boy whistled innocently, trying not to draw unwanted attention. Meiyuu really didn't want to answer the uncomfortable questions he *knew* Frodo was dying to ask about his knocking Elrohir from a tree. Even if it was Elrohir's fault too… He tried to be as inconspicuous as possible.
Unfortunately for him, his acting skills were horrendous.
Frodo turned to him. "You knocked Elrohir out of the tree, Meiyuu?" The Hobbit was glad it was Elrohir Meiyuu had knocked out of the tree, not Elladan. The latter had a temper.
"Yeah," Meiyuu admitted, trying to ignore the faint tingle in his mind. Ever since Shira's friend had arrived, he had been feeling this strange, persistent pull…
Meiyuu's head snapped up sharply, his power flaring up unintentionally when the pull inside of him became even stronger.
Oh, shit.
He was in big trouble.
If it was Shira who was causing the tugging in his mind- and who else could it be- then Meiyuu would have to get rid of Shira to get rid of the tugging.
Wonderful, he thought glumly.
Meiyuu had never used his gift directly against Shira, except for that one time he managed to lower the bastard's barrier to reach his dying father. The Gods only knew who would win if he attacked the dark wizard.
On the other hand… the faint tug Meiyuu felt in his mind, the mind-control, was how Shira had taken his father.
"You okay?" Gimli asked gruffly, worry dark in his eyes.
Meiyuu nodded and blinked. "What now?" He divided his attention, part of him using his ability to keep the tugging at bay, and the other part focusing on those around him, to appear normal.
It was Frodo who replied. "Gimli and I were going to play a game of chess. Do you want to come?"
"I… don't know how to play chess," Meiyuu replied, flushing in shame.
"We'll teach you," Legolas said, grinning. But again, his words came as a surprise to him. He had not known he knew what chess was, let alone how to play the game.
Aragorn shook his head, a smile on his lips. "You always win at chess, Legolas," he laughed. "I'll come as well."
The five friends (and they were friends, though they didn't know it) made their way towards the library, with Gimli silently leading the way. On the way, Legolas and Frodo hurriedly explained the game to the ever suspicious Meiyuu. The boy couldn't understand what a bishop had to do with warfare or strategy. He understood the game piece called "Rook" even less.
"So you're saying that a castle, an inanimate piece of stone, is one of the strongest pieces in the game?!" he exclaimed disbelievingly.
"Well, Meiyuu, think of it this way: in certain parts of this world, castles are the strongest structures built. They can withstand enemy attacks while normal houses cannot. They can withstand cannonballs and even powerful spells, if they're built competently. You can place archers next to wide windows, on the towers, or on the battlements and have them pick off the enemy one by one. You can bar the gates, lift up the drawbridge, surround the castle with water to make it difficult to reach, install many knights to guard the castle, and have a safe structure to house yourself and your subjects in," Legolas replied unerringly.
It was proof indeed that his lover's memory was coming back, Aragorn decided, as he watched the beautiful Elf speaking with Frodo and Meiyuu. Playing chess would ease all of their minds. Particularly that of the boy. He suddenly noticed something. His gaze drifted to Gimli, and he briefly wondered why the dwarf was being so silent. The dwarf was usually… louder.
He soon forgot about it, however, as they reached the room where two chessboards rested on identical small, wooden tables, one chair on each side of the table. The floor was bare, and there were only a few windows in the room.
It was the perfect room for a quiet game of chess.
Frodo and Gimli sat at one of the tables and began setting the carved, wooden chess pieces on the various black and white squares. Meiyuu watched curiously until Aragorn called him.
"What?" Meiyuu turned to the older Man.
"Do you want to play first?" Aragorn offered.
Meiyuu shrugged. "Doesn't matter."
Legolas corrected absentmindedly, "It doesn't matter."
"Come on, then," Aragorn said, dragging a chair over to one of the tables.
"I guess…" Meiyuu dubiously dragged another chair over. Legolas stood next to him, his sapphire eyes twinkling in expectation.
***********************
Elsewhere in Rivendell
***********************
In Elrond's study, the stoic Elven lord looked at his twin sons. 'Do not tarry on your missions; they are of importance. You know what to do?'
'Yes,' Elladan said impatiently. 'I am supposed to find Mithrandir and tell him to come at once while Elrohir goes to fetch the other Hobbits; Pippin, Sam, and Merry.'
Elrohir nodded. 'And we should send a message to Mirkwood as well, telling Legolas' brothers that he is alive and here.'
'Legolas will probably be in Gondor by then, with Aragorn and the child,' Elrond informed them.
The twins nodded and left, leaving their brooding father behind.
Elrond sighed deeply. He then stood and went to find Aragorn, troubled by the feeling that Legolas and Meiyuu's pursuers would not give up easily. He was of the opinion that the sooner they were safer in Gondor, with the stone walls of the castle there to protect them, the better. And if he had grown fond of Meiyuu, for no child had been in Rivendell since Aragorn's youth, he would that the child be far, far away, free from those who would use him. Now if only their luck held until they arrive at the royal castle in Gondor...
*******************
Outside of Rivendell
*******************
Shira irritably rubbed his temples, trying to ease away the headache the little brat had given him when the mind-control spell had failed. He promised himself he *would* control Meiyuu, sooner or later. And if Meiyuu believed that his powers could block the spell, he was sorely mistaken. So what if he had temporarily blocked it? Within a week, the spell would become so strong, not even the strong-willed brat would be able to resist it.
And then he'd use Meiyuu's powers to force Legolas to return.
Soon, very soon, the stupid, frustrating brat- bastard as Kirai named him- would get his due.
I'll get my revenge, you little bastard, Shira thought, seemingly almost insane in his intensity.
He laughed.
Gods, he loved being evil.
To be continued
