Carnival
written by: delusionallady
Disclaimer: Same old, same old.
A/N: Yaoi and the like. Hmph. my back hurts

Chapter 4

Aya used his famous glare but inside, he was feeling a bit uncomfortable. Youji was staring at him with such intensity that he knew he wouldn't be able to pull away. It was like he was under some kind of spell.

The lovely red head beside him didn't seem to object to the fact that they were intimately tangled up together. Youji decided to take a chance and slowly inched his lips closer. What would it be like to taste those cherry lips? Just as their lips were about to touch, the blonde jerked back with a cry.

He forgot about his wounds.

The spell was broken. Aya scrambled away, falling off the bed in the process.

The door burst open and in came a worried looking Omi with an apron tied around his waist. "Aya! Daijobou desu ka?"

Youji waved his hand, smiling to hide his grimace. "Oi, chibi! Maybe you'd like to pay attention to your handsome brother first!"

Omi's eyes widened as he noticed a growing red spot on his brother's bandaged waist. It seemed like the wound re-opened. Aya was already up on his feet and was carefully tending to the older man.

"Ah.. It looks like Aya can take care of you, Youji. I'll be outside preparing breakfast if you need anything." Omi said, leaving before any of them could protest.

As the red head fixed a new white cloth over his stained one, Youji glanced at Aya appreciatively. "Sigh... If I had a nurse as beautiful as you, I don't think I'd ever want to get well again." he remarked.

To his surprise, there was no retort. Not even an angry glare. Aya patched his wound silently. He knew that this was his fault. Everything was his fault. If only he hadn't been a coward.. He would stay just until Youji healed. After that, he would have to leave and confront his own enemies. There was no use hiding in the woods.

"Hey, don't look so sad." Youji said softly, tilting Aya's chin slightly. "This isn't your fault. You shouldn't look so guilty."

Aya blinked in surprise. He wasn't expecting this from the blonde. But of course, he wasn't going to smile and admit his surprise. "Who said I was guilty, baka." he muttered under his breath. Youji simply smiled. Well, Aya was certainly back to his normal self. Not that he was complaining. A snippy, snappy Aya was just alright with him.

The wound, they later realized, would take a longer time to heal if Youji kept moving around. He had to remain in bed at all times in order to prevent it from opening up again. Since Aya obviously could not go to market, he was assigned to most household duties. Omi was embarrassed of course but the prince would have none of it.

"It's a small price to pay for letting me stay here." Aya said, taking the broom from the young blonde.

Omi finally relented and allowed the red head to help out a little.

A week passed by and Youji was finally well enough to get out of bed. Aya was both relieved and saddened at the same time. Although it was good news that his hero was free from any danger, he wasn't exactly looking forward to leave the little house. He had grown rather attached to it and to its inhabitants. He had learned a lot of things from Omi and Youji..

"Omi, what is going on in the kingdom?" Aya asked that night during dinner. The three of them were seated in the dining area. The young man dropped his chopsticks in surprise.

"Yeah, Omi! Did the ladies miss me or what?" Youji prodded.

The young blonde forced a smile on his youthful face. What was going on in the kingdom? Well, tons actually. Of course, he couldn't say that to Aya. The truth was, the castle wasn't faring very well. There were rumors running around that the prince from the neighboring kingdom was not able to meet with his bride. Omi knew that this was true. After all, Aya was staying with them, wasn't he? People were even talking about an outbreak of war. The queen was dreadfully worried for her only daughter and..

"Yo, Omitchi!" Youji said, snapping his fingers in front of his little brother.

Omi broke out of his daze and grinned. "Everything's fine. The ladies at the market missed you, Youji. They still gave me a discount provided that I say hello to you for them."

"Ah.. I see. Well, it can't be helped with my good looks!" Youji chuckled, his brother laughing along with him.

Meanwhile, Aya remained quiet. Omi was definitely hiding something from him. He could almost read the young one's thoughts. The kingdom was probably in chaos right now. Or at least, the castle was. The prince he was engaged to be married to.. Well, he wasn't exactly a very pleasant person.

"Excuse me." Aya said as he got up from the table.

"Going to bed early?" Youji asked, his green eyes probing.

The red head nodded and went inside the bedroom.

It was a little past midnight. Aya crept out of bed and quietly opened the door. He was wearing his princess outfit again, his katana held securely in his hand. He had to get out of here and head for the castle. Something terrible might be happening right now. As quietly as he could, Aya hurried to the door..

"Going somewhere?"

Aya whirled around and found Youji.

"Where I go is none of your business."

"Maybe." Youji answered, closing their distance. "But you're obviously not leaving of your own free will. After all, didn't you try to escape from the soldiers in the first place? Why would you want to go back now?"

Aya clenched his fists. Youji struck a nerve, alright. But he had to go and not even Youji could stand in his way. The door was only a few steps away from him. He needed to distract the blonde and render him unconscious. That was the only way to get away. Mind made up, Aya took a step closer.

And kissed Youji on the lips.

Youji's eyes widened before he allowed himself to relax and enjoy the kiss. Their bodies were molded together perfectly and the red head found that he was actually thinking twice about his decision. Fighting the urge to abandon his mission, Aya lifted his katana and used the dull edge to knock Youji out.

Gently, Aya lowered the body to the floor and placed one last kiss on Youji's lips before standing back up. Glancing at the katana, the prince smiled before leaving it next to his hero. "Take good care of them always.." he whispered before leaving the small wooden house.

TBC