Rim: I'm not going to comment on this chapter, nothing I want to say that's important other than I have nothing but time on my hands when I'm not watching Loveless…yes, I have yet another new addiction, cause it's just so cute! Thanks to everyone for the reviews and stuff, and Silverm…buddy, you know I will always be your beta as long as you want me around, no need to ask that question! Now let's move on with this fic.
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Tyson's mind drifted in and out of consciousness, keeping his ears trained for the sound of entrance into the room. He wasn't about to be caught off guard by the young baron which had kidnapped him away from the Russian palace. So far, he was able to stave off the unwanted advances the other tried to force on him, but if he were to fall asleep now, he might lose the upcoming battle that was sure to come some time in the next few hours. He didn't know when that battle would come, but he was damn certain he wasn't about to lose it for any reason, even sleep.
So, he trained himself to fall into light states of unconscious while being aware of all the noises surrounding him. If Bryan came into the room and saw him sleep, thinking he was going to have an easy chance at subduing the other, he was going to be sorely mistaken. He had too much to lose in this battle to allow Bryan to win.
Somewhere in his subconscious, Tyson wondered if Kai was out there somewhere looking for him. Not that he really cared about the dual haired Russian prince or anything, but he was curious. Kai would be more than pissed if he knew that it was Bryan's fault for his disappearance, and likely to kill the baron. If there was one thing that Tyson knew for fact, it was that Kai had a jealous streak in him. Living at the Russian palace for as long as he has given him just a trite of insight into how Kai's mind worked. And he was positive of any jealousy residing in "his master".
'He's probably out there now, thinking about if I've given myself to whoever has kidnapped me, or if I've resisted like usual. Bet he would grin ear to ear to know that my body is still untouched,' Tyson thought halfway awake. Opening his eyes into dark slits, he glared at the door with hatred.
He would never give in to Bryan or Kai. When he got back to the Russian palace, he was going to make sure that his brother was fine, and then wait for the ship to arrive to take them back to Japan. All he had to do was hold out until he got back to Japan then the nightmare would be over for good. He would never have to worry about being Kai's servant, fending off attempts at being bedded by two controlling men, his brother being victimized, nor any thing else which haunted his dreams. It would all be over and behind him; he would never have to see Russia again.
Just as his eyes were about to close once more, he heard the familiar squeak of the rusted door creeping open then closing shut. Laying perfectly still, he steadied his breathing into slow deep intakes; his eyes remained in shallow slits. He needed to get the key from the baron in order to escape; the last thing he wanted was the older man to be on guard. If Bryan was relaxed and not expecting resistance, then when resistance came, he wouldn't be prepared to deal with it as quickly.
Observing Bryan beneath hooded lids, he listened to the sound of rustling, his eyes spying hands unfastening the belt which held up the baron's pants. The heavy fur lined pants dropped to the ground in a soft plop. Tyson calmed his fleeing heart rate, allowing the anxiousness to subside as he watched the baron remove more items of clothing he wore until the moonlight haired man stood naked feet from the bed. Soundlessly sauntering to the bed, he eased onto the bed, moving to climb over Tyson.
'Not just yet,' his brain said, feeling a hand roam over a clothed leg, traveling upwards to the swell of Tyson's backside. 'Not yet, we have to hold out just a bit longer.'
The roaming hand stroked the back, moving down to squeeze the soft swell of Tyson's rear end. The baron leaned down towards Tyson's ear. The feel of warm breath caressed his ear and the nape of his neck. Callous fingers slip under his shirt, rubbing a thumb in slow circles over the slightly scarred skin from Kai's whippings whenever the Japanese prince disobeyed his master.
"You won't have to worry my little prince, I'll treat you better than Kai ever could," Bryan murmured into Tyson neck, nipping at the base of it.
Not yet his brain told him every time he wanted to flinch in revulsion towards the lustful fingers, he had to wait just a little bit longer before he was able to execute his plan or else it would all be in vain.. He would have to deal with the young baron's roaming hands and fingers, stroking and caressing his skin. Fighting to remain still, Tyson allowed the touches as Bryan climbed over him.
'Now!' his brain screamed, as Tyson flipped over, startling the baron. For a brief second their eyes locked, one pair filled with surprise the other flared with anger. Raising his leg to knee the older in his unprotected crotch, Tyson then proceeded to flip the other off him, before spring for the bed and checking the clothing for the key. It only took moments to locate the brass key in the breast pocket of the shirt and make it over to the door. Looking back at the baron, he found the man slowly rising.
Turning his eyes back to the task, he stuck the key into the keyhole, flipping the lock and rushing out. The hallways were bare of guards and even maids as he ran down the hallway, the sound of his slippers slapping against the stone floor. Turning a corner, he found a corridor which split two ways. Looking from left to right, Tyson's instincts told him to take the right. Dashing down the hallway, he came across yet another split, this time his instincts forced him left.
Eventually he came across another split, though the left contained a flight of stairs. Deciding to take his chances with this, he climbed the winding staircase upwards, unearthing a window. Tilting his head to the side, he could hear boots thumping against the floor. His heart hammered against his ribcage, his hands desperately pushing against the dusty window that opened to a small ledge. Crawling out onto it, his breath hitched at the biting wind that cut through his robe.
"God it's cold," Tyson muttered, shuffling on hands and knees to the other side of the ledge. His fingers quickly numbed as he pushed away snow from his path.
His eyes blurred and tear in response to the frigid wind howling straight at him. Once or twice his hands slipped on ice encased under the snow, nearly sending him careening over the side for a twenty foot drop before he regained his balance.
Hugging the other side of the ledge when he was there, he slowly lowered himself to a small pedestal erected from a narrow window. Pushing at it, Tyson found it wouldn't budge no matter how hard he tried. Muttering a curse under his breath, the Japanese prince continued pushing, finally giving in the futile struggle.
"Stupid window," Tyson grumbled crawling away from the ledge to crawl towards another he spotted a few steps lower. Tyson scrubbed the tears streaking down his face away, gradually shuffling towards the other ledge. Abruptly, a violent gale whipped around Tyson, rocking him off the edge. With a high pitch scream, he wildly grabbed for the edge, his fingers slipping on the snow and ice.
No!
His eyes widened, feeling icy fingers grip him as gravity pellets his body towards the icy, unforgiving ground.
Please Dragoon, it can't end like this!
Squeezing his eyes shut, Tyson prayed to Dragoon for the last time.
My brother…whose going to take care of my brother if I die here and now!
He wasn't going to be able to get up from a fall like that without breaking something, if not snapping his spinal cord in half instantly killing him.
I can't allow him to suffer anymore than I have allowed, I can't die like this!
If he didn't die, then there was no way he would be able to move after such a fall, surely they heard his screaming and knew he was outside.
Please Dragoon lend me flight for just a moment.
They would drag him back to the baron, and he would never escape again, the moon light eyed man might even decide he was worthless and execute his death.
Please do not forsake me!
Many thoughts Tyson believed were his last raced throughout his mind. Flashes of times in Japan, growing up with his brother and friends, his mother, his father, Nanako… It saddened him to know he would never again gaze upon the beauty of his land; his death was going to be the icy embrace of a land which reflected those that had shaped his life here.
However, the young Japanese prince grew overwhelmed with a feeling of surging power as he plummeted nearer the ground. His body was snagged mid air by some invisible line, suspended momentarily; subsequently lowering slowly to the ground, a soft blue glow clinging to his skin.
"Dragoon…" Tyson whispered gratefully. "Thank you…"
His body gently descended to the earth, his back meeting the sharp coldness of the snow as the glow left his skin. Getting up from where he laid, he pushed forward into the woods, running from his place of captivity. It was only minutes before he heard the pounding hooves of horses, shouts echoing through the still night. One of the voices had to be Bryan's, Tyson thought pressing forward in desperation, because it sounded the angriest of all others.
Possibility: His escape act enraged his so called "new master" to no ends, so now Bryan wasn't going to be lenient towards his new "play toy" the minute he was brought back. In fact, Tyson probably would wish he had died from the fall by the time Bryan was through with him.
Dodging through the trees, Tyson stumbled over uprooted tree stumps and into bushes. His steps were clumsy regardless of his attempts to remain quiet. Pushing aside debris, Tyson staggered through more wooded area.
No matter how much he moved further away, the sounds of shouting and the pounding of horse hooves filled his ears. Like his heart, the thundering sounds around him increased. Tyson pushed deeper into the woods, fear clawing at the back of his mind. He wasn't going to get caught and dragged back to Bryan. He was never going to allow it. The blue haired Japanese prince pressed onwards, in hopes to escape his pursuers. Breaking through a row of bushes, Tyson heard the whine of a horse.
Momentarily he was blinded by the refracted light off the snow from a lit torch. Shielding his eyes, Tyson gazed up at the imposing figure seated upon a horse. His blue eyes widened finding the glaring baron scorching him to the spot with a fervent glare. His right hand clenched the torch, threatening to break the thick base in half. Fastened to the baron's belt hung a coarse horse whip Tyson could imagine was for anything other than the horse.
"Did you really think you were going to get away from me, little prince?" the young baron sneered, his eyes flashing as cold as the ice surrounding them. "I have to admit you have guts doing what you did, but it's not going to work twice."
"I'm not going back to be your slave," Tyson hissed, backing up.
"I didn't ask you if you wanted to be, Tyson," Bryan barked. "Now come over here."
"No," Tyson said firmly.
"What did you just say to me?" Bryan glowered.
"I said no," Tyson voiced. "I'm not going to be your servant ever."
"You will change your mind soon enough," Bryan said, releasing the reigns in his left hand and removing the horse whip from his belt. "Now come to me boy."
"I'm not going to be your slave," Tyson shot back, his steps backwards eventually entangled him with the bushes. Raising his eyes to the baron, Tyson saw the gleam within those stony eyes, malice flickering deep within his depths as he got off the horse, strolling over to Tyson in quick steps. "You're mine now, little boy."
"Stay away from me!" Tyson shouted.
"You may not want me to, but I'm going to do it anyway," Bryan growled. "There's no one that's going to be able to stop me."
'Dragoon, please lend me your strength one more time,' Tyson prayed, watching the baron descend upon him. The whip was raised how in the air, an instrument that was going to try and make Tyson yield to the baron. Whether Dragoon indeed heard his prayers on not, Bryan was made to drop the whip as a blade burst through his chest cavity. The baron made a startled noise as he turned around, finding auburn eyes boring into his back.
"You were a fool to think you would get away with something like this, Bryan," Kai spoke softly, extracting the steel from the bleeding wound. "Tyson will never belong to someone like you, ever."
Bryan opened his mouth to speak, however, blood gushed from his lips, spilling to the ground and his clothing. Grasping for the hilt of his sword, the young baron never got the chance to free it from its sheath. Kai raised his sword up, the blade slicing through the air, taking off Bryan's head in one swift move. The severed appendage plopped to the ground sloppily, dying the snow crimson. The body crumbled to the ground, sputtering blood from where the head once was attached. Kai cleaned his blade on the baron's clothes, his eyes resting on anything but Tyson who remained petrified at the ruthless act.
"You were able to summon some of Dragoon's power," Kai's voice broke the spell over Tyson.
"What?" Tyson blinked.
"Aren't you wondering how I found you?" Kai questioned.
"I…" Tyson closed his mouth when he realized that anything that wanted to be said was not going to be relinquished any moment soon.
"I found you because I was able to sense the power you unleashed to save yourself with," Kai remarked, walking up to the bemused younger prince. With a quick study over Tyson's form, Kai reached out his hand, pulling Tyson closer to him. "So, shall we go back to the palace now?"
"H-how…how can you be so calm when you've just decapitated someone!" Tyson shouted in a desperate effort to overcome his shock. Kai only stared at him more amused at the out burst. His red eyes shining under the light of the moon. "That's not physically right!"
"Oh, it isn't?" Kai mocked.
"Yes! You're not suppose to kill for unjustified reasons!"
"I think my actions were very justified," Kai countered. "Bryan was trying to claim something that was never going to rightfully be his. I set him straight in considering he was going to have you. It was only a matter of time before I would get a break to discover where he was hiding you. So, shall we go back to the palace now?"
"You can't…you can't just kill a man and be nonchalant about it! It's not suppose to work that way," Tyson argued.
"Then how was it suppose to work?" Kai grinned at the frantic ramblings of the Japanese prince. However, he knew that the two of them should get moving soon. Bryan's guards were going to come looking for him sooner or later. He didn't want to risk being seen and questioned later on his involvement in Bryan's death. It was a shame that he lost someone to go hunting with occasionally, but the choice he made was a right one.
"I…I…" Tyson stammered for a moment, making a few false attempts to start a sentence. Though every time he figured he had a coherent enough sentence, he was forced to forget it under the conditions that his sentence would not be understood.
"You what?" Kai raised his brow a trite higher, the pleasure in his eyes expanding.
"I don't know," Tyson said, looking down.
"I thought as much," Kai said, taking Tyson's hand and pulling him closer. Looking down into the muddled blue eyes, Kai chuckled, leaning down to kiss the dragon prince on the lips softly. "Let's go back to the palace now."
"Kai…" Tyson bit his bottom lip, staring up at Kai for a long minute. His eyes dimmed as he wrapped his arms around Kai, a flush of embarrassment tinting his face at the need of affection he was showing.
He would never tell Kai it, but those long hours of being kidnapped drew him out of an assertive state of security, unthreading a yarn of fear deep inside. Even though he hated the prince he was now holding, he doubted that his heart could handle the trip back to the palace otherwise.
"What happened to the you don't like me speech?" Kai inquired.
"I don't like you," Tyson stated. "I just…need to do this…you don't understand what it's like."
"You're right, I don't understand. But we have to leave now before we're spotted. You can hug me or whatever later." Kai remarked, pulling away from Tyson. Lacing his fingers with the younger bluenette's, Kai led the dragon prince away from the area to where his horse was tied impatiently to a tree trunk. Upon seeing Kai, the horse let out an annoyed whine at being hastily saddled and rode in the middle of the night.
"There really wasn't a way around it, was there?" Tyson questioned, breaking the silence twenty minutes later as they rode back towards the Russian palace. By the first rays of sunshine, they should arrive back to the Russian palace.
"With Bryan?" Kai raised a brow, keeping his eyes on the path ahead.
"Yes," Tyson nodded.
"That question doesn't need to be answered. You already know the answer that I'm going to give you," Kai replied.
"I guess I do," Tyson said. Silence settled between them for another length of time until Tyson broke the silence once more. There was something he wanted to know before he got back to the Russian palace. Something he had a good idea that Kai could answer for him, without there being any mind games involved. Depending on the answer, he would have a good idea where he stood on the situation. "Kai, I want to ask you something."
"Like?" For some reason, Kai felt that the question Tyson was going to answer was something he preferred not to speak about.
"A while ago, you told me that Tala had cursed blood. Does that…does that have to deal with Tala killing his mother?" Tyson wondered. For a long minute, Kai said nothing, digesting the sentence which was asked of him. So, Bryan told Tala's little secret. There was a chance he would have found it out eventually, then again, there was a strong possibility those words would never pass Tala's lips.
"Bryan told you about Tala's mother I see," Kai said.
"So, it's true after all?" Tyson replied. "He really did kill his mother. So, that's his curse."
"No," Kai said simply. "It's more than that. There's a reason behind why he killed his mother. It's not my place to tell you because I don't know what happened to cause it. If you really want to know more about it, then you would have to ask Tala."
"He's not going to tell me," Tyson stated.
"Probably not," Kai said. "It's not like him to do something like that."
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"Master Tala," one of the maids knocked on the bedroom door of the red head Russian prince's door. For a long minute, she heard nothing worth while, the steady stream of silence remaining in the air. Biting her bottom lip nervously, the maid raised her hand to knock again, this time an irritated grunt followed her knock. "Master Tala…?"
Shuffling sounds were heard in the room, the door thrown up moments later. Leaning against the door with a thin satin sheet wrapped around his waist, he cocked a brow to the maid. "What do you want girl?"
"Your brother has returned with prince Tyson. I was informed by him to summon you to his study in regards to the news he's heard about your father's ship coming into the docks yesterday," the maid said hastily, ready to get out of the violent ice prince's company as soon as humanly possible.
"So he found his little prize then," Tala mused. "Fine, tell my brother I shall reply to his summons in five minutes. I would like to get dressed."
"As you wish, Master Tala." The maid curtsied, spinning on her heel, leaving the red head standing in the doorway watching her. When she was gone, Tala stepped back in the room, shutting his bedroom door. Walking over to the body laying underneath the cover, he studied the sleeping brunette curled up on his side. Bending over the body, he shook the boy awake. Blue eyes fluttered open, focusing in on him after several moments.
"Prince Tala, what's wrong?" Kenny asked, slowly sitting up, minding the aching muscles in his body. His hair slipped over his eyes when he tilted his head to the side.
"Nothing, get dressed," Tala ordered, dropping the sheet on the floor. "It seems that your brother is back."
"Really!" Kenny said, his voice rising with excitement. "So, he didn't abandon me after all!"
"Yeah sure, whatever," Tala mumbled, pulling on the pants which laid in a heap by the bed. "You have your brother back, he didn't abandon you, the world is right again. So, plan on telling him what I did now that you don't have to deal with me anymore?"
"No," Kenny shook his head, slowly getting out of bed. Tala said nothing, continuing to dress. Following that, he headed out the room, walking down the corridor to the wing where Kai was waiting for him in the study. Opening the door, Tala found his brother sitting on the desk within the room, awaiting his entrance. Stepping inside, Tala studied the dual haired bluenette silently.
"You have the boy back." It was a statement instead of a question so Kai didn't bother answering it. "You know, the ship to take them back to Japan is ready and waiting for us to leave. We should probably set off as soon as possible. You know how the old man is about having to wait for what he wants. He's waited eight months for it after all. So tell me Kai, will you be able to go through with this, knowing what he wants to do?"
"Do I want to know what you mean by that?" Kai asked.
"I can smell Bryan's blood surrounding you," Tala sniffed the air, grinning with a glint in his eyes. "You really are a brazened one my dear little brother. I taught you well."
"Continue what you were saying," Kai said dully.
"You don't want to hear a compliment," Tala smirked, a pointed fang flashing in the corner of his mouth. "Is the boy really making you that weak? Don't tell me that you're going to disobey father because you're in love with the boy. He's going to be disappointed with his perfect son. You are the one that's going to benefit from it after all."
"What about you and your obsession with the younger brother?" Kai countered, turning a crimson eye on his older brother. "You've already taken advantage of the short absence of his brother haven't you? So, did you enjoy your fun? Do you plan to continue tainting his soul too? Or have you finally satisfied your animalistic urges?"
"Animalistic urges? So we finally get your opinion of me. Did that boy bring it out in you, he helped you to find your backbone?" Tala sneered.
"You aren't going to answer my question are you?" Kai said.
"He's a fool," Tala said. "Even when I held him down and took what I wanted, he continues to look at me with those lucid eyes. It's sickening how stupid he is. He's not worth my time."
"I see." Kai had a feeling that something along these lines would happen. From the moment that Tala had been introduced to the younger of the Japanese princes, the chance Tala was going to change. Kai was really interested in how things were going to go when they got back to Japan. He was wondered what was going to happen when the time came to execute their father's plan. "We'll leave for Japan within five candle marks. It's probably best if we don't put this trip off until tomorrow. The sooner we get them back to Japan, then we won't have to put up with either anymore."
"And now you're trying to play the indifferent lover once more. It doesn't work, Kai. I can see right through it," Tala said.
"You can say whatever you want," Kai said. "We leave within five candle marks. Have the maids pack what you need to take and board it on the ship."
"You may fool yourself with that act, but I see through it," Tala informed.
'The same applies to you Tala.'
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Rim: Thank god this chapter is done. I can't believe it's actually taken me almost a week and a half to end it. Never again I say, never again. Now, let me go to sleep or something, while you all read and review.