As ever, I don't own any of these people.
The bright sunlight slipped through the heavy drapes hung over the vaulted windows to lay across the deep blue silks of the king's bed. His dark face laid still as the priest watched his shallow breath. His eggshell and sand colored robes and his pale skin sharply contrasted against the darkness of the king. White, but not pure white...
The poisons that had torn through his blood were cleared now; all that remained was to wait for him to wake. Even the fever was nearly gone. With hope, he would wake later today or tomorrow. Yukito inwardly feared what the king would say when he discovered his sister was gone and taken by the very boy he had done his best to keep her from, but he trusted his old friend. Touya would most likely shout and be upset for a moment before he saw the logic in it; he never stayed mad very long. He had too gentle a heart under his hard expressions.
Yukito reached out and took his hand in his and ran his fingers across the tanned skin. He felt guilty about this, touching him in this manner. Touya was his friend and his king; it wasn't his place to hold his hand like this... Nonetheless, he dipped his head down to lay his lips against his hand. Focused on this rare moment he barely raised his head in time as the door swung open to reveal a guard.
"Excuse me, High Priest, but the favored concubine is waiting; she wishes to see the king."
Yukito felt an old pain come up at the mention of her, but he hid it well thanks to years of experience. "Of course. Send her in," he said as he stood. That chair, that place was rightfully hers, after all.
The guard left and the door reopened to reveal her in her finery. White silk fell around her with silver coins clicking softly, ringing her flowing white hair. A sheer veil hung over the lower part of her face, obscuring slightly her pale, thin lips, drawn tight with worry. Unworldly, she slipped across the marble floor to take the seat he had just vacated for her, barely giving him a dip of her head. Yuki stepped back and watched her alabaster hands take the king's gingerly, just as he had been holding them, as if to mock him. "Will he be alright?" she asked with her smooth voice, turning her ice blue, worried eyes up at him.
"Yes," he answered her simply, almost afraid to say more. "He should wake within a day."
She nodded and looked back to Touya. "Thank you."
Those breathy words were piercing to him and he dipped his head quickly to his better. "I'll leave you to him," he said and looked back once more to the sparkling creature in his place. Pure white, next to his beige... what chance had he ever stood against the perfection that was Lady Yue.
They had laughed at the sorceress's boasts.
A small country they shared a border with was trying to curry favor from them, fearful of an assault from their other neighbors. With the diplomats had come a great many of gifts, all fine and ornate. Touya had repeatedly told the diplomats that he considered their country a friend and they needn't take these measures, but still they came. It became a sort of a running gag: what would the diplomat have in his bag this time?
Long since immune to their unnecessary pleads, Touya had barely looked up when the man had laid a scroll before him. Apparently a sorceress lived within their lands that boasted to be able to cast a spell that would create the most perfect mate for anyone it was cast upon. Touya had feigned polite interest and after much elaborate explanation he had agreed to accept the diplomat's gift.
Once the night was done, while he sat with Yukito in his chambers the two had laughed and come up with all sorts of ridiculous ideas of what the mystery woman would look like, most of which were only funny to those as drunken as they were. Perhaps she would a northern blonde standing seven feet tall with flowing hair, or maybe a dainty, burnished skinned southerner with braided hair. Maybe a fire haired woman with southerner's skin and four arms or wings or actual golden hair. The ideas became more and more outrageous as they went, because truth to be told, he had any "normal" combination in his harem already. "I need another woman like I need a hole in the head, I swear..." he said with an aggravated sigh.
At his age, to not yet have chosen a head concubine let alone a bride was starting to make his council edgy. Yukito had heard rumors floating about that the king's interests lay elsewhere... and while most of those fingers pointed to he himself, Yukito was never more sure of anything than that he was not Touya's lover. Want it all he might, Touya's off handed claims to be too busy to worry about women seemed the truth. Yukito numbed his need with fantasy and the disgraceful satisfaction he got from the concubines' dirty looks from behind their veils. (He was ashamed to admit he had taken to strolling though their garden as a "short cut" to reach the library.) As such the general consensus was that this sorceress could very well be the end of the councils fears.
Touya was greatly unconcerned with the matter of an heir. He had always intended to hand the kingdom to the princess when she was old enough and she would certainly find a suitable prince to marry and have a great many children with. He was only filling in and eventually he hoped his councilors would get that.
As the men loaded his things onto the horses for his trip to the sorceress, their tone had remained light and joking. Yukito had waved him goodbye as they rode off in a cloud of dust, and then went back to his work with an easy smile. He almost felt bad for poor Touya just thinking of what he would be returning with. Not even the happy whispers of the rest of the palace was enough to make him worry; he believed utterly that Touya would never place anyone above him...
A month later, as the carriage had pulled up Yukito had been all smiles, eager to see what the spell had created for poor Touya, but as Touya exited the carriage he hadn't even noticed Yukito, when his eyes had always sought out his sister and himself immediately upon returning. He instead turned around and offered his hand to aid someone out of the craft and Yukito stood a statue as she stepped out.
White had poured from the doorway as the silks fell around her, veiling her partially. Unworldly, feline, blue eyes closed tightly against the desert sun but Touya was quick to have a canopy brought for her. Even then the light seemed too much and he ushered her inside quickly, barely giving Yukito a nod 'hello'.
Yue was placed in the long vacant rooms of the head concubine that very day and she became a fixture on his arm. At first it was like Yukito had stopped existing to Touya and at his most paranoid point he had begun to fear that he was being avoided on purpose. Even when the new had worn off some and Touya had returned to being his friend, he still paused when Yue entered the room. The counselors were happily taking bets on how long it would take till they had an heir. Even Yukito had to grudgingly admit that it couldn't be long as Touya rarely slept alone.
Yukito had grown to despise the pure, perfect Yue. It did no good to rationalize that Touya had never been his that way; Yukito burned when he saw her. Not even his fantasies were comfort now, because as he woke from them the terrible truth fell around him. Many mornings had left his pillow damp and his eyes red.
At first he'd felt only warmth and then the warmth gave way to a cold, hard feeling under his feet. Next the smell of stone, the sounds of... something...? People. People were talking though the words were jumbled just yet. Everything was jumbled and as he opened his eyes and looked around the people there gasped. To his right was a woman in black and smelling of smoke. She scowled at him and looked to her books causing him to hug himself as he stepped back. He had done something wrong though he couldn't guess what. He looked down (letting his short, gray hair fall before his eyes) past his naked legs to see the ornate markings on the floor around him before he looked to the silent man in front of him.
While the woman scowled and flipped pages angrily, the man was only looking at him with wide, blue eyes. He had definitely done something very wrong, he was sure of it. He only wished he knew what. Suddenly the man pulled off his long, black robe and walked towards him. The creature shrunk back, fearful of punishment for whatever he'd done, but the man instead draped the robe around him securely. As the man rubbed his shoulders comfortingly, he smiled at the small being. He thought the smile looked confused but it was still warm, and he almost forgot about the scowling woman as he looked up into the man's face. Almost.
"I deeply apologize, my lord," she said, causing them both to look at her. She was tapping her cigarette holder angrily against her podium. "I haven't the faintest idea what went wrong. I'll start over in a just a moment..." she explained with a sing-song voice as she bent over and began erasing parts of the design on the floor and changing it to something else. "You'd do well to take your robe back, my lord. I'm almost ready."
"What are you going to change him to?" the man asked and the small boy immediately looked up at him, not trusting the woman.
Change?
She shook her head, a smirk on her face. "No, no, Ousama; it doesn't work like that. I couldn't make any adjustments to him but superficial ones. Large changes, like gender and personality, well its just better to start over again. It never really works to try and fix that, honestly."
"Start over?" the lord asked, as if reading the boy's mind.
"Yes, unmake him and make another one," she said matter-of-factly. "Alright, if you'll take your robe back and step outside the circle I'll get us going."
The frail creature blinked and backed closer to the lord and as he did he felt the lord's grip tighten on his shoulders. "You mean to kill him?!"
She looked exasperated. "What would you like me to do, just drop him by the road side and hang a sign around his neck, 'Free to a good home'? Let all that magic go to waste? Don't be ridiculous. My fee was paid to make one companion not a string of them till you're satisfied. I'll keep working till you are but that one has to go." She jabbed her cigarette at him. "Why, he's so scrawny and pale, he's positively sickly. I can't image what I could have done to get it so wrong."
He looked pleadingly up at Ousama and felt his large arms draw around him defensively, pulling the boy out of the circle. "I won't stand here and watch you kill this poor creature for my amusement. I'll take him as my gift happily, thank you," the lord snapped and though he was frightened, he felt so safe all pulled close. Though the woman had obviously been the one to make him, he was very certain that Ousama was the one with the real power here. He almost felt like sticking his tongue out at her.
She sighed. "You're very certain? You can't bring him back and exchange him later, you know? I don't have a return policy."
"Don't worry, I won't." He was held so tightly he could hear the lord's voice reverberate in his chest and he just wanted to curl against him. "And he doesn't look sickly, just small." Again he was tempted to stick out his tongue.
"Very well, I won't twist your arm. Is there anything else you need or do you just want to put a bow on him and haul him home?"
The lord paused and looked down at him...
The spacious room he'd been placed in had a large bed with a sheer curtains around it and canopy above it. Tall widows let in light filtered through the pale drapes. Beneath his bare toes was a luscious carpet of a deep red in sharp contrast to the rest. He didn't care for the red very much but his attention was currently held on the full-length mirror before him.
"Well don't give me that look," she snapped at him. "You look like a dog that's been kicked," she told him after the king had left to prepare things for him. He turned to her questioningly, not quite sure what was being done, but again she sighed at him. "What? Can't you speak? Did I mess that up too?"
"No," he said quietly. "I can speak." She waved him to continue and he looked around himself. "Where am I?"
"My home in the Morcar Mountains. Do you know where that is?"
He nodded.
"Well at least the born-in knowledge works," she said without turning as she pulled down a book from above. "I still think he'd do well to scrap you and let me retry the spell, but to each his own."
Again he looked down at himself, his nude form still covered with the king's cape. "What was the spell supposed to do?"
She thumped the book down on the pedestal and slammed it open before answering, not looking up as she thumbed through the pages. "It's a simple enough wish spell. It creates a perfect consort for the person its cast on."
"Consort...?"
"Yes, like a concubine, lover, fuck buddy: whatever you call it. Unfortunately, it seems to have swung to the other use of the word and created a copy of the king's best friend." She huffed and mumbled "Stupid alternate definitions... never caused a problem before," over her cigarette.
"So, that's why you're changing what I look like?"
The sorceress nodded. "Yuppers. Can't have the king stroll on home with a copy of his buddy when everyone knew he was supposed to get a pretty girl to warm his bed. People might talk, after all," she added, looking up at him the first time. "But I think it should be easy to adjust." She closed the book with another thump and stepped over to him. "Okay, just hold still. Let's see what I can do with you." That said she began to touch him here and there.
As she reached up and wiped her hands over his face he noticed his hands (holding the robe shut) went paler, as did his toes a moment later. Next she wiped his hair and the gray strands became pure white. Stepping back to look at him, she considered and then moved around to the back. There he felt her tug at his hair and suddenly his head felt heavier. "...Hmm..." he heard her hum to herself. "Maybe a bit much, but I like it, and he'll have servants to take care of it for you and gods know it can always be cut."
She then walked around him some more. "He says the friend wears glasses but still those eyes have got to change. Open your eyes real wide and don't blink, this may burn a little." He did as he was asked though he clenched the robe tightly with now undetectably white knuckles. She leaned in and blew in his eyes and they watered terribly as he fought not to blink. She then made a sound before she slipped her finger vertically past both of his eyes. As she did the world went very blurry and black a moment before it refocused.
"Alright, I'm done with your eyes," she announced as she stepped back to consider him again. Had his eyes not been watering automatically he would have been crying for the strange burning as he rubbed his eyes furiously. It was passing but he was starting to desperately want for the king to come back. As he slowly reopened his eyes he saw the impossibly long strands of white hair hanging around his face and he eventually looked up at her again.
She paused, scrutinizing him before she shrugged. "Well I think that's as far as I can take it before it causes problems. I think it'll be easy enough to disguise you now though. You don't look like a copy anymore at least." she went to wiping away the markings around him. "A pretty worthless copy too. I can see recreating someone that's dead, but the kid's hail and hearty. Still I guess you're at least pretty, bit of eye candy never hurt anyone."
He nodded numbly as he watched her, though not really seeing. Worries about the king sprang up as he considered the changes. Surely he'd asked they be done, but he hadn't been there for them. What he didn't like the way he looked, what if he wanted him to look the other way, really? Maybe they should have just covered him up well. "Excuse me?" he asked softly and she just waved him to continue as she worked. "What's my name?"
"The lord will name you; you're his property after all."
He nodded to this as she finished and turned quickly as the door opened.
"Are you finished, sorceress?" the king asked as he stepped in, a chest in his large hands. The lord looked surprised at him and he felt very self-conscious as he pulled the robe tighter.
"Yes, I've done everything I can with what I had to work to with," she said, he tone clearly saying she thought it was a waste.
The king set her with a hard expression. "He looks, fine, thank you. If you'll excuse us a moment?" She shrugged and headed out as he watched her. "Are you alright? I'm sure this has been a stressful day for you," he said gently as he set down the chest.
He nodded. "I'm fine, thank you. Do I look alright, Ousama?"
The lord nodded. "You look fine. I'm sure you'll turn quite a few heads in the palace." The king opened the chest to reveal a great bit of clothing and ornaments. "I brought these clothes for you from my home. There's a good selection of colors and styles and whatever. I wasn't sure what the person the spell made would want. I apologize for having to disguise you as a woman but you understand the circumstances."
He nodded as he knelt before the box. "I'll do my best," he said and the king left him to dress.
Now he was in his room in the palace of the duke that was hosting them on this trip. Tomorrow they would head back to the King's land. So far no one had suspected him a man and he liked the flowing clothes he'd been given. The garish colors he'd passed up but he'd managed to put together a few things he liked of soft colors and whites. When he walked about the grounds, free to do as he pleased by the King's orders, the men had shamelessly stared and the women went red with jealousy. If nothing else, he made others envious of the king and he liked that. He was a beautiful prize that made other's look at the king with envy. If eye candy he was to be, at least he was very good at it.
He straightened his sheer, white veil, causing the tiny, silver coins along the top of it to chime softly before bringing up the gauzy, white drape over his head that hung to the floor, letting the coins on the hem of that hang just so that his blue, feline eyes peered out at the world. His thin, barely visible mouth quirked as he gauged his appearance.
With delicate fingers covered by long, sheer, white sleeves, he plucked up a silver chain with blue and purple beads along it and a moon carved from moonstone. With care he hung it on his head so the sickle sat right on his brow. The king has said he was as pale as the sands in moonlight and though he'd told him he could name himself, he had chosen the local word for moon, as it was so very soft sounding. Once the lovely gift the king had given him was properly in place, he made his way out of the room to the garden to meet the king, a small thrill sliding up his spine at the thought.
Touya felt consciousness slip in over him and the blurry world slowly came into semi view. "Touya...? Are you waking up...?" Yue asked, his voice wavering in and out. He tried to answer but it only came out as a grunt. "It's alright, you're back in your rooms. Just relax... the poisons are leaving you."
At first he couldn't remember what he was talking about, but slowly he remembered the battle and things started to lazily piece back together. "Is everything alright? How long was I out?"
Yue ran a cool cloth across his forehead. "You were out for three days, but the priest assures me that you'll be fine."
Touya nodded and reached up to take his hand. "Thanks, I feel alright." Though his vision was a bit blurry he watched Yue's face soften under his veils and he drew him down by the hand he held. Yue made no attempt to resist and once his face was near, he pulled off the veil and kissed him.
Touya had stood staring off blindly in the duke's gardens, waiting for Yue. He'd left the sorceress' home two weeks ago and Yue was adjusting well, he thought. His circumstances, having only been born fifteen days ago, was something Touya couldn't imagine. Basically Yue could have been hiding in closets and speaking backwards and Touya would have considered it doing just peachy. He had no trouble being a she and seemed very genuine in his enjoyment of the soft flowing clothes. Touya didn't want him to be uncomfortable and was more than happy to find somewhere to hide him if he wasn't happy with disguising himself as a concubine. Thankfully though, Yue seemed perfectly content and he had already sent messengers ahead to ready the head concubine's rooms. They were spacious so he would have plenty of room if he wanted to spend his days without the veils.
Of all the things he'd expected the sorceress to create, a copy of Yuki wasn't one of them. He'd been unable to kid himself about his attraction to his oldest and only friend for years now, but that he was what the sorceress made as his "perfect mate" was like getting a kick in the stomach. Not just an attraction or crush then, but the real deal if the spell had locked onto it... and now he had two of them to drive him mad. Had he been anyone but the king he would have been crumpled up on the bench to his right, holding his head in his hands, but... as he was the king, he stood rock still as he waited.
"Good afternoon, Ousama," came a velvety voice behind him and Touya turned to see Yue's ice blue eyes peering up at him from under his veils, before he bowed deeply with the gentle sound of silver coins tinkling around him. "I trust you're well?"
"Very," he lied easily, inclining his head to him slightly. "And you? Are you enjoying the day?"
In response, Yue dipped his head again, with a slight, soft smile on his fine, pale pink lips "Yes, it's a lovely day, Ousama."
He invited him to walk with him and they made idle talk about his kingdom and grounds, how he liked his room in the duke's palace, what they had eaten for desert the night before, and anything else that came upon them. While he might have looked exactly like Yuki and still even sounded just like him (though softer), Touya was little by little seeing differences between them. Yue was more subdued, his smiles rarer and more timid, his mannerisms more withdrawn. While Yuki was bouncy spring, Yue was sleepy autumn: still and thoughtful. Not that Yuki was an airhead (not always) but it was more an air around them. Different but the same and still a challenge not to stare at as he walked with his hands clasped behind him on purpose.
Touya had sat in his private rooms, refusing to see anyone. He was miserable today and with due cause: this was the anniversary of his parents' death. Sakura was spending the day at the ruins with the miserable brat; Touya only allowed it to get her out and doing things rather than hanging over him worriedly. Since he was eight, he had spent this day with Yuki, barred up in his rooms sitting quietly, but not this year. This year an important matter had to be handled by the temple and Yuki had been whisked away late last night. As such, alone he sat, staring at the fire.
Alone he was able to be unkingly as he pulled the blankets around himself close, curling up like a small child. His vision was beginning to waver when the door clicked open quietly. "I'm not to be disturbed," he said quickly at whoever was suicidal enough to disobey his orders.
"My apologies, Ousama," Yue said quietly. "I wanted to look in on you." He heard the door start to swing shut but Touya called out to him before it did.
"No, Yue san, you may come in." He heard the soft chime of his silver coins as he stepped inside. Once the door closed, he continued. "Thank you, Yue san. It's appreciated."
His false concubine came to stand before him and bowed. "I'm happy to be of aid... Sire?" At first Touya didn't know he was staring at but as he blinked he realized he had tears on his face.
He quickly wiped them away. "It's nothing."
Yue nodded and gracefully moved away to the wine cabinet. "Let me get you a drink." Well learned in his preferences, he poured him a glass of deep red wine and brought it over to set on the table beside him. "Do you need anything...?"
Slowly, Touya shook his head. "No. Just... company?" he said, unable to keep his voice from sounding small at the last word.
Yue nodded and sank to the floor to sit at his feet, his coins chiming softly. At fist Touya was caught off guard, used to Yuki sitting in the chair to his left, but as Yue laid his head gently on his knee, he relaxed. Thankfully, Yue couldn't see his blush creep up from his position. Unbidden, his tears came faster at the soft touch and he gently pet his silken hair.
It wasn't that he mourned his parents themselves. As the rulers of a kingdom, they had been distant and though he loved them, he knew them by little more than face. What drew up the tears was the age-old trauma of suddenly having the world laid upon him and the official end of his childhood. In a flash he had gone from games in the hallway to being sat in the throne before dignitaries. No place was lonelier than the throne and once he was king, it was like this bubble surrounded him. Only Yuki had ever tried to pass that threshold before.
After years of being an arm's length from everyone, the simple touch that Yue so gingerly extended was heart wrenching and before he could muster the will to stop himself, he was bent over to lean his head on Yue's, hugging him with one arm. His body was shaking with tears at the sudden rush of contact and Yue pulled back just enough to stand on his knees and wrap his arms around Touya's neck. Touya clung to him and was about to drop down to the floor with him when Yue stood up a bit and crawled up into Touya's lap.
They didn't say anything, but instead just sat with each other as Yue did his best to comfort him.
Touya woke in that position to the unique sensation of someone in his arms. He blinked and almost said Yuki's name but luckily he opened his eyes to see the sea of white in his lap. Yue still slept and Touya drew him close, laying his head back down on Yue's soft hair. He might have slipped back off under his silken blanket, but he heard a small noise to the side. Looking up, he saw one of his personal servants waiting quietly. At first he panicked, to be caught in such a position but then he remembered that Yue was his concubine, and this was perfectly alright.
He looked back to her as she whispered softly, "Would you like breakfast to be brought up, sire?"
He nodded and gestured to Yue. "Have the cook send up things she likes."
The serving girl smiled and bowed before vanishing through the hidden servants' entrance. He was just snuggling back down around Yue when he felt his supposed-lover start to rouse with a soft sigh that made Touya go a little weak. "Ousama...?" he asked sleepily as he looked up at him.
"Good morning, Yue san..." he said, trailing off as Yue's eyes met his so close he could feel his breath. Unable to stop himself, he reached out and brushed back his snowy hair gently, letting his finger tips drag across his velvety skin. As he did, Yue tipped his chin up and into the touch, letting out a soft cooing sound. Encouraged by this and emboldened by his teenage hormones, he slipped his hand around to cradle the back of his head while bringing his other hand up to gently pull away his veil and rub his thumb over Yue's soft pale lips. Yue parted his lips slightly at the touch and leaned forward, running his hands up his chest to loop around Touya neck. Yue brought his lips up to the young king's and Touya drew him the last inch to catch his lips in his own.
There was no hesitation in the small creature in his arms, quite the contrary. He came up to press tightly against him and Touya placed a hand at the small of his back, drawing him closer still. As he explored Yue's mouth, taking in the taste of him, he let his hands wander over his supple form. He released his lips and began trailing kisses down Yue's throat but was finding the over abundance of clothes very aggravating. Even Yue had begun to pull at Touya's robes a bit. Intent on fixing this, Touya leaned back and started to peal away his delicate clothes from his shoulders, chains of silver coins hitting the marble floor with no care. In a moment, Touya grabbed his sides and began kissing the tender, alabaster skin across his chest. Yue let out soft, gentle moans as he did his best to push the black robes from Touya's body. Drawing away again, Touya let Yue strip away his royal robes hungrily.
He was pushed back against his chair as Yue pawed and kissed his bare skin. Partially surprised by the fire he saw and felt in his "gift", he made no complaints and instead began to undo the sashes around his thin waist. Yue's raspy breath made his chest feel tight as well as his pants. Running his mouth across Touya's neck, Yue was grinding against him in a way that made Touya despise the distance between his sitting room and bedroom. After finally having enough of this torture, he suddenly stood up, holding his mostly naked concubine to him. Yue started for a moment but quickly wrapped his legs around Touya's hips and resumed his groping as he was carried.
Barely able to comprehend was a doorknob was, Touya fumbled the door open to fall onto the bed on top of Yue. They didn't pause in their hungry kisses and soon blindly grasping hands sent the rest of their clothes to the marble floor. The fine silk and velvet comforters beneath then were shoved and kicked away as Touya brought Yue's head to his pillows. Touya was drunk on the hard, panting body beneath him and encircling him with thin, porcelain limbs. Looking down at the lusting creature laid out before him, pale cheeks flushed with a wash of rose that also carried to his delicate lips. Unrivaled beauty and unmasked wanting was spread out under him and for a moment the king had to pause and simply marvel at the sight. His marveling though was cut short as he lover felt he had been patient enough and drew him back down into a heavy kiss.
Yuki had rushed back to the palace after the matters were handled, worrying for leaving his dear friend alone on that night of all nights. He cursed the slowness of the horses and the ridiculous people that had to have him there for that night. The "emergency" was nothing his assistants couldn't have handled, his presence had been purely political and he was beside himself to be taken from Touya for such stupidity. As the carriage stopped before the main stairs, he bolted from the coach to fly up the stairs and through the front entrance.
The guards made no attempt to stop him from entering Touya's rooms without announcement. He had never needed announcing before, and he looked around the main room for Touya but failed to find him in his chair. This was odd as he always fell asleep in it that night, but what he did find made his amber eyes narrow. Cast here and there around the chair were white silk sashes and robes, all adorned with tiny silver coins, while Touya's black robe was in the chair itself. Any doubt was lost as Yuki plucked up the white veil and looked over to see a cart had been set by the door with a breakfast for two.
Still holding the veil, he walked cautiously to Touya's bedroom door and opened it quietly. He had to suppress a sob at the sight before him. Touya was asleep, barely concealed in the rumpled sheets that were messily wrapped around him. In his arms was the lady Yue, her white hair spilling across them to pool on the marble floor. She was covered with his body mostly as they slept, but a pale leg here and a bare shoulder there was enough to see she was as naked as he was.
Yuki withdrew quickly, closing the door behind him. He leaned against the wood, trying his best to regain control of himself as tears fell freely, when he heard shifting inside.
"Yue...?" Touya asked, softly.
His lover sighed contentedly. "Yes...?"
"Are you hungry? I had breakfast sent up a while ago." A rustling sheets could be heard as they shifted.
"No... not yet."
"Yue…?" he asked again, and lover only murmured a yes. "You didn't have to, you know. I never wanted you to feel obligated in that way."
"I know, Ousama. I wanted to, I always wanted to. I only didn't think you would want me... I love you, sire, I have since that first day when you saved me from being erased and wrapped me in your robes so kindly..." The conversation paused a moment as they shared a tender kiss in the noon light.
"I love you too, Yue," the king replied gently. "And please, don't call me sire when we're alone. When we're together, Touya is more than enough. I want to be your lover, not your master."
Yue paused, looking up at him with warm eyes and kissed him lightly. "I love you, Touya... I love you..." he said softly as Touya kissed his neck, not quite willing to let go of his new lover yet...
Meanwhile, Yuki sat against the massive doors, sobbing silently into his drawn up knees as his better called his love by the name that only he had been able to use, telling him all the things he had always wanted to say, in the place he had always wanted to be...
Author's notes:: I'm sure I have a few people screaming at me for Yue being a little ooc, but remember he doesn't have the angst in his background. While he had to deal with an odd beginning, Touya has showered him with affection from the start, whether as lover or friend. In many ways, Yuki and Yue have inverted positions in this world.
Also I apologize to anyone cursing the chrome-plated ending, but as I had two people in love with the same person, someone had to loose in the end. Sad but unavoidable, and besides chrome is my favorite color.