Chapter 6
Yuu steps into the city, almost overwhelmed by all the noise and people. It feels like forever since he's heard anything other than Mika's voice and the wind. He almost misses the silence, even though it means they've survived the worst part of the journey.
Mika comes to a halt in front of him, debating on where they should go first. He doesn't really care what they do, although he'd like some food different than the dried rations they've been eating. After being isolated for so long, part of him still wants to find a quiet corner to cuddle up in with Mika and absorb everything.
It's far busier and livelier than previous cities he's passed through. There's a sense of luxury compared to where they've traveled from, he can see mages striding through the crowds with their cloaks flapping behind them and everyone seems to be in perfect health. He's never seen so many Mages before, it's peculiar seeing no one react to their presence as anything out of the ordinary. Then again, this is their land, humans may only be here through their benevolence.
The benevolence of the Mages who will take Mika from him.
Yuu hooks his chin over Mikaela's shoulder as the other boy studies their surroundings. His rests his fingers on his hips and lets himself relax into Mika. Physical affection comes so easily now, when did that happen he wonders. Yuu's pretty sure he's in love with the blonde by now. How Mikaela feels, he's not sure, but for him it happened slowly. Before he knew it, Mika and the pleasant hum that always seems to be between them began to feel like home.
"Yes, Yuu-chan?"
"Huh?"
"You keep squeezing my waist, you want attention?"
"No," Yuu squeezes once more and lets go, ignoring Mika's quizzical look. "I'm hungry."
"Let's find something to eat, then somewhere to stay."
"Something sweet?"
"You would think, after all those weeks your sweet tooth would be gone."
"Nah," Yuu grabs his wrist and drags him forward in the direction most people seem to be walking. "It made me realize just how good sweets are."
"Okay, but -"
"Yeah, yeah, we'll get something 'filling' for you too." Yuu shoots him a grin over his shoulder, "You think I don't know you well enough by now?"
"I don't know, Yuu-chan, I must have missed the part when you stopped resisting my friendship."
Yuu wrinkles his nose slightly at the word 'friendship,' but says nothing instead pushing Mika in front of a stall and pointing out what he wants. By the time they've satisfied their need for hot, fresh food and found a room, the sun has dipped far past the horizon and Yuu's looking forward to sleeping in an actual bed for the first time in years.
As he prepares for bed, it hits him. They're so far away from anything he's ever known, when they finally split, he'll be stuck in an unfamiliar city bigger than anywhere he's been. He has no idea what's in this part of the world, and there's no way he can cross the Glacial Steppe again by himself. He wouldn't have survived the first trip without Mika with him.
Worrying his bottom lip, Yuu sinks heavily onto his bed. I really should have thought this through more. He'd never meant to travel this far and now he's let his options dwindle to almost nothing. This place seems less than welcoming of strays too, he'd stick out like a sore thumb.
Yuu looks up when Mika stops in front of him and he notices his boots are still tied, "Where are you going?"
"Out, to ask questions."
"I'm going with you," he replies immediately, starting to stand up.
"No, Yuu-chan, it's fine." He pushes Yuu back onto the bed by his shoulders. "Stay here, I'll be back shortly. I just want to get a feel for the Mages and the city. You can go to sleep. I know you're tired, you've been nodding off against me all evening."
"I have not," Yuu mutters crossly.
He smiles back, "I'll see you in the morning."
Yuu drops back onto the bed as the door shuts. Mika is hiding from him again, there's no reason to insist he stay unless the blonde was up to something. Having secret meetings with the Mages? Maybe, but he doesn't believe for second that Mika only wanted him to stay because he looked tired. It's disappointing, but apparently their secrets are only laid bare when no one else is around.
~~~~~
Mika can tell when something's bothering Yuu, probably the same thing bothering him. Their impending separation. Yuu may have spoken about them staying together afterwards, but if he meant that, he wouldn't be so anxious now. The other boy was practically chewing through his bottom lip in thought, that's a clear sign of stress that he can't miss.
After this visit, he's already planning his next months. He'll stay here through the worst part of winter and earn money, then as soon as Spring hits, he's heading South to warmer weather, beautiful scenery, and friendly people who know nothing about him. He's not sure where Yuu will go. One day he might wake up and find Yuu has disappeared on him during the night. He'll wake and Yuu will be gone, like he was never there. It hurts, but he can't force him to stay. The world is huge, Yuu probably also has places he wants to see too, now that he can survive long enough to get somewhere.
Mika enters a busy tavern and settles in a seat near the end of a crowded table. It's too much trouble to try and get hired for one night, it'd be faster to get a drink and skim from his little corner.
Mikaela heads towards the counter, carefully pulling a single coin from an open purse to his hand on the way. He reaches out to hand the coin over in payment and a hand slams his wrist down onto the bar, sending the coin falling to the ground.
"What do you think you're doing?"
He turns to the man pinning his wrist down with a smile, "I was about to pay for my drink."
"With stolen money? I don't think so."
Out of the corner of his eye, he notices people beginning to look in their direction and he tries to pry his wrist free from the man's iron grip, "I don't know what you're talking about, that's my money."
"You think I didn't see you with your magic trying to steal coins?" He leans closer, pressing Mikaela's back into the counter and growls out, "Don't you Mages have enough without stealing simple coins from us?"
"You're wrong, I'm not a Mage."
"That's even worse, stealing from your own kind." Without letting go of his wrist, the man reaches towards the ground and picks up the fallen coin, "Abel, I think this belongs to you."
"What?" The man he'd stolen from stands up from the table, face morphing into a scowl, and Mika curses internally.
"Yeah, I saw him take it from your pouch when you opened it to pay."
More eyes turn to look at them as the tavern grows quieter, everyone eager to see what happens next. Mikaela gives up all pretenses of innocence and uses his magic to shove the other man away with a gust and free his wrist. He turns towards the entrance, only to have Abel grab his wrist and the punch comes before he can block it, full of fury that he's ignited.
Pain explodes around his eye and Mikaela flails, letting his magic flow free in his panic. There's a sharp curse as his wrist is released and he bolts for the door without a second thought.
He darts back out into the night, sliding himself between people as best he can with only sight in one eye. As he drops into a crouch behind an abandoned stall, he takes a deep breath to slow his heart beat. Mikaela touches his eye gingerly and flinches at the sensitivity. It's already swelling shut, he needs to get back to their room fast. A blonde with a black eye is a lot more noticeable than he cares to be. Not to mention, they might still be looking for him.
Keeping his face towards the ground, Mika heads back to the inn, careful to keep a safe distance from other people. It's his own fault he got caught, Mikaela's well aware of that. In his arrogance, he hadn't bothered to observe his surroundings first. Those same tricks had provided well for him since he'd begun using them and stupidly he'd assumed, here so close to the Mages, that people would also be similarly fooled. Joke's on him, this is a whole new environment for him and he's going to remember that.
He tries to enter the room as quietly as possible to keep Yuu from waking up, but as he's slipping off the top layer of his clothes, Yuu stirs and shifts to face him, "Mika?"
"Of course, no one else is going to slip into your room at night," he jokes tensely.
Yuu rubs his eyes sleepily, "Did you find out anything?"
"Yeah," he lies absentmindedly.
"What did you find out?"
He grimaces slightly at his mistake, he should have thought that through more. "It's late and I'm a little tired now, I'll tell you in the morning, Yuu-chan."
"Hmm...okay, that's fine." Yuu replies, before sliding out of bed and reaching for him.
Mika immediately steps back out of reach, "What are you doing?"
In the dim light, he can just make out Yuu blinking in confusion, "I'm coming over."
"I don't think that's a good idea, Yuu-chan." He frowns and Mika can see he's starting to wake up all the way. "I'm really tired, we can talk about it in the morning?" Without waiting for Yuu's answer, he climbs into his bed and tugs the blanket up, shutting his eyes and waiting for the sound of Yuu climbing back into his own bed.
Instead the room's awash with light and his blanket is ripped away. Mikaela turns over to glare at the other boy instinctively and Yuu's eyes widen.
"Shit!" He curses, quickly turning back towards the wall.
"What the hell happened Mika?!" Yuu straddles him, yanking on his shoulder to get him to turn back around.
"Nothing."
"Mika, that's not nothing! Your eye is nearly swollen shut!"
"It'll heal by morning, Yuu-chan. Faster if I can sleep."
Yuu gives up on forcing him over and slams out the door, only to return a few minutes later with a pouch of ice. "Mika, what happened?"
"Nothing," he insists, burying his face back into his pillow. "It's just a little bruise."
Yuu tsks in annoyance before grabbing his chin and holding the ice over his eye, ignoring his wince at the pressure.
Mikaela sighs, "They're more attuned to magic here and I never considered that. Really, I'm fine, Yuu-chan."
"What did you do? I don't believe someone hit you just for using magic when they have so many Mages around here."
"I may...have been using magic in a way they didn't approve of and collecting resources."
"Without me? You were stealing and got caught again. You could have gotten your ass kicked, Mika! I should have been there to help you, because you clearly you suck at it!"
He pulls back to stare at Yuu in disbelief, "If I recall correctly, I saved your life!"
"I saved you last time too!"
"Once!"
"That's all it takes, Mika!
"You're far more trouble than I could ever be," he replies, shoving Yuu's arm away.
"Put the ice back on your head," Yuu demands in annoyance.
"It's fine!"
Yuu grabs him by the face again and presses the ice back onto his eye, "You call me reckless, yet you're out there getting beat up. Don't be such a hypocrite." Yuu lets go, letting the melting pouch of ice drop into his lap before getting up and going back to his own bed, turning the lamp off on his way.
Mikaela shoves the ice aside and lies there quietly, somehow he can sense that Yuu is still pissed at him. The other boy is never that still when falling asleep, always tossing and turning or pulling at him.
He's just beginning to doze off when a quiet whisper reaches him, "Come here."
"Why?"
"I want to touch you."
He pauses, "I don't know if you noticed, but my eye is kind of injured."
"I said touch, you ass!"
"Are you trying to say you want to cuddle?" He questions back with a small smile.
"So, what if I am, get over here." Mika gives a breathless laugh as Yuu opens the blankets on his own twin bed to allow him to crawl between Yuu's legs and rest his head against Yuu's chest. Arms encircle him and he feels Yuu's head drop to rest against his. Be more careful is whispered into his hair and Yuu squeezes him tighter. "I don't want to lose you."
"I'm sorry, Yuu-chan, I really didn't think I'd get caught."
"Apology not accepted, next time I'm coming with you."
"Fine," he yawns, already feeling his body growing heavy with exhaustion.
"I'm serious, Mika."
"Mmm, me too," he smiles briefly as Yuu mumbles something profane before shifting him up higher. The pleasant feeling inside him settles back into place and he falls asleep feeling Yuu's answering magic.
~~~~~
The next day, they decide to stay mostly out of sight in case anyone from last night wasn't drunk enough and still remembers Mikaela's face. So after breakfast, they head towards the forest where it seems a majority of the Mages arrive and depart from.
When the flow of people has lessened, they follow the path that leads to 'Sanguinem' until they come to a crystal blue lake with nothing but a steep rock face behind it. Yuu peers between the lake and the top of the rock face which he can't even see. "Is this it? Did we take a wrong turn?"
"Nope, this is the way. They don't want unwelcome humans visiting." Mika gestures to the natural barrier, "The only way in is to swim under through the lake or fly over, both easily done by Mages."
"And how are we supposed to get in? That's a long way to swim and I can't fly."
"That's what magic's for when we decide to leave here tomorrow, our magic combined should give us enough time for our air bubble to last until we make it through."
Yuu stares back at him blankly, "And if it doesn't?"
"We drown, obviously."
He shakes his head, "We can't go a day without you revealing that I'm going to have to risk my life, can we? Whatever let's head back, it's almost lunch."
Mika blinks in surprise, "You're not going to argue with me?"
Yuu shrugs, heading back into the forest, "What's the point anymore? It doesn't change anything, that's the way we have to go and I'll have to trust you know what you're doing."
He jogs ahead and turns back to face Yuu, walking backward, "That means a lot, that you're finally starting to trust me."
"Don't get too excited…" Yuu breaks off when he hears what sounds like a large animal charging through the forest right for them. He looks up to tell Mika to run and something bigger than him slams into his body and sends him to the ground.
"Yuu-chan!" Mika calls for him from somewhere behind the sudden crowd of people blocking his view.
"I'm so sorry," Yuu blinks up into apologetic grass green eyes and a hand is reached down to pull him up. "We weren't watching where we were going, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he answers, shaking the hand off and moving towards Mika who pulls him closer.
"Who just stands in the middle of the path anyway?"
Yuu whips around to see who said that and for the first time notices the tense posture and wary gaze of the group of four people who ran into them. The boy who helped him up has a large stick in his hand and the pink haired guy who spoke has a knife clenched tightly in his right hand.
Yuu purposely shifts his body so that Mika is behind him, out of the newcomer's direct line of sight and attack, and the purple haired girl with them laughs. "No need to be so serious, we're not here to fight. Well, not you at least."
His eyes narrow over their weapons, "So, you're just running around the forest with weapons for no reason?"
"We were heading back to our campsite, you just happened to be in the way."
"Yuu-chan," Mika tugs at his wrist, "Let's just go, if they're in trouble, we don't want to get involved."
"We're not in trouble!" A blonde girl in pigtails yells out, "We're just not as stupid as you to travel through the forest unprotected."
"There's a bunch of people walking around here, what's going to get us?"
"Well, for one," the pink haired boy interjects again. "If we had meant you harm, you would have been defenseless against us and our weapons. Better safe than sorry."
Yuu steps forward, "I wouldn't exactly say we're defenseless."
The green eyed boy steps back in front of him, "I'm Yoichi, we really didn't mean any harm, we're just tense because you never know who to trust out here. As an apology, you can have lunch with us, our campsite isn't far."
"Sounds like a trap."
"If you're not 'defenseless,' then you should be able to fight your way out, shouldn't you?"
"Shihou." He flashes the other boy a warning look, "Ignore him, it's not a trap. He's -"
"Kimizuki to them!"
Yoichi rolls his eyes, "Yes, he's Kimizuki and that's Shinoa and Mitsuba, we're all staying together."
"You said campsite, you don't live here?" Mikaela questions, finally acknowledging their presence.
"No, we're from one of the smaller towns, visitors like you. Don't try to deny it, your accent gives it away."
Yuu lights up, "There are other towns around here."
"Of course," Mitsuba frowns at him, "Not everyone wants to live right under the thumbs of the Mages. Most people who live this close to Sanguinem do so because it's convenient and they get the most benefit from the Mages' technology."
Other towns? Maybe I won't have to cross the entire Glacial Steppe by myself after all. Maybe there's somewhere for me here! "Tell me about the other towns!"
"Sure, over lunch," Yoichi answers with a smile.
"Alright, let's go!" Yuu follows after the others and realizes Mika isn't behind him, in fact he hasn't moved from his spot. He looks back to see Mika staring at the backs of the other four, eyes colder than he's ever seen them. Yuu shivers, unused to the lack of warmth. "Mika?" Yuu slides a hand up his forearm and the other boy moves his arm away, Yuu pulls back in hurt. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." He walks past Yuu and he doesn't try to reach for him again.
They sit on the ground around the remains of a campfire, eating a slightly spicy dish that they handed out in bowls while the others take turns telling Yuu about the city they're from. It sounds perfect to him, mostly farming towns, friendly people, and if you work, you eat, simple as that.
The one thing that bothers him the most though is that Mika barely speaks a word other than thanks. He's distant and Yuu is worried. Even when they first met, Mika had never been like this with him before and he can't tell what the blonde is thinking.
"Yuu, where are you two headed?"
"Hm? Us? I'm not sure, one of those towns sounds nice to stay in for a while. I know I don't want to stay here. Maybe when you leave to return home, I will too." The four of them exchange a look and Yuu tries not to be disappointed. Of course they had seemed nice, but it's not surprising they wouldn't actually want him around. "Or not," he jokes lightly. "I'm sure I could find my way there."
"No, no, it's not that," Yoichi rushes to reassure. "We just have some things to finish here before we go and that might take a while."
"Things like what?" They all look at each other again and Yuu scowls. "If you don't want to say it, then don't!"
Something passes between them all again before Mitsuba leans forward, gaze flickering to Mika for a brief second. "You're not from around here, so you don't how things are here and for the most part the strongest Mages leave us alone to do as we please. Of course we all still know they're the ones who are really in charge. The issue arises with those who aren't as powerful or who don't have as much authority, an inferiority complex if you want to call it that."
Yuu leans back, having a bad idea that what's coming next won't be good.
"They occasionally make deals with the humans and deal with us more directly, in exchange for favors or influence, things that are beneficial to both parties. One of these men from another village had an issue with someone in ours and made a deal with a Mage. This Mage helped him burn down half of our village. Several people died and our food stores were destroyed, yet no one will lift a finger for revenge because he's a Mage."
"And we want retribution," Kimizuki finishes. "It'll be a hard season with so little food and after we take care of him, we're going back home to help out where we can."
Yuu's gaze flicks between their faces, all of them even Yoichi's set in a grim mask, "You're going to kill him?"
"If that's what it takes, we're not stupid enough to go against a full blown Mage, but the man who ordered the attack is far from untouchable. He's human just like us."
"It's just you four going after him?"
"We're strong and what he did was wrong, we can do it."
Yuu meets each of their eyes and sees with absolute positivity that they're going to get payback for their families. He can't blame them, if he had family to protect and someone hurt them, he might do something just as serious. His gaze lingers on Mika in his peripheral vision before locking back on Kimizuki, "I'll help too."
"What?" Mitsuba exclaims, standing up and peering down at him. "This isn't some game!"
He narrows his eyes at her and sets his chin, "It's not right, he burned all your food and cost lives. I'll help you, then go back with you to your village."
"I don't think you know what you're volunteering for, you could get hurt. We're putting our lives on the line for this."
"I'm not afraid."
"Yuu-chan, no."
He looks towards Mikaela at the sound of the first words he's spoken throughout the entire exchange, "Why not?"
"Because it's dangerous and has nothing to do with us."
"So? It's the right thing to do and they have the right to protect what's theirs."
Mika hands his bowl back to Yoichi with a nod of thanks, "It's not our fight and they didn't ask for our help."
"It wouldn't be unwelcome, though!" Shinoa interjects with a wave of her hand.
"Your fight wasn't my fight, but I still helped you," Yuu argues back.
"That was different!"
"No, it wasn't!" Yuu clenches his fist and stares Mikaela down, "I risked my life then too and you taught me it's okay to rely on someone. It goes both ways, Mika."
"No."
"You don't have to help."
"Good, because I'm not going to."
"But I am."
Mika glares at him, blue eyes dark and cold again, "Do what you want." Yuu jumps to his feet as Mika disappears into the trees, head turning back and forth between the trees and the four people he's just met. It's difficult, he wants them to like him, but he also loves Mika and it feels like he's being stretched in two. Side with Mika and lose four potential friends or stick with them and lose Mika. It's too heavy of a choice right now, not when he's still trying to find his place.
He looks back down to the expectant faces and nods, "I'll help you, but I just need to talk to Mika. He'll probably come around," Yuu reassures them before running after the other boy.
~~~~~
"Yuu is warm. Of course they would like him," Mikaela mutters to himself as he walks back to the city, speeding up when he hears hurried footsteps behind him. "Warm and good hearted, too damn trusting for his own good."
Yuu grabs his arm and pulls him to a halt, "Mika!"
"What?" He demands, resisting the urge to pull his arm away again. "What do you possibly need to say that's more important than plotting what might get you killed?"
"Mika, would you just look at me?" He insists, tugging harder on his arm.
"Nope, I don't particularly want to look at you right now."
"Mika! Seriously, I'm trying to talk to you."
He finally shakes his arm free with a sigh, turning to face Yuu and frowning at him, "What?"
"I think we should help them."
"I'm leaving."
"Mika!" Yuu darts into his path and holds his arms up, "Just hear me out. They don't deserve what happened to them and they're trying to fix it."
"Did we deserve to be orphans? No, but it happened anyway, sometimes we just have to deal with the hand we're dealt."
"And sometimes, we do our best to fight for what we want."
"You know, interesting words from you considering you were on the verge of giving up and dying when I found you."
"I'd lasted long enough, but that's not the point! Although, since you brought that up, I survived because of you." He looks at Mika meaningfully, "You saved me and dragged me along with you and made me rely on you and taught me stupid things like it's okay to believe in someone and ask for help."
"You're right, that is incredibly stupid."
"It's not and you know it." Yuu grabs his hand and intertwines their fingers, "You know it's hard to survive alone and you taught me friendship."
Mika stares back at him, annoyed that Yuu is actually trying to convince him to risk his life for strangers he's just met. He's so close to realizing his goal and getting wrapped up in someone else's problems is the last thing he wants.
Is this really his doing? He turned Yuu from someone who was hesitant to put in trust in others into someone eager to put his life on the line? If so, he really should have taught the other boy to be more selective with who he helps. He's not completely ignorant of at least part of Yuu's reason for helping them, if he helps them, he can belong with them. Yuu is planning for his time after they separate just as much as he is.
Still, he won't lose Yuu to some reckless strangers who came out of nowhere. They've grown too close for that, they know each other better than anyone else. Which is why he also knows Yuu won't back down about this right now, but he won't give in either.
"I didn't teach you to trust everyone and anyone."
Yuu squeezes his hand, "I don't, but they-"
Mika cuts him off with an abrupt kiss, finally letting his fingers wrap around Yuu's own, "I don't want to spend our last days together arguing."
He watches as Yuu pauses to let the words the sink in, "Then promise you'll think about it and we can drop it."
A noncommittal hum is the best he can muster up and it seems to satisfy Yuu for now, although he already knows it's not over yet. He doesn't trust them and letting Yuu get wrapped up in their plan is one of the worst things he can think of letting happen right now.
They spend the rest of the day exploring the town, making sure to stay far away from any pubs or the general area of where he was punched. It's not an experience he's eager to repeat, so instead he lets Yuu take the lead, popping into different shops to explore and handing over copper coins for samples. They're in a bookstore when Yuu turns to him and shoves a dusty book in his face.
"Look, Mika!" He jabs at their current town on the map, "This is where we are and all these other little places are the cities around us! There's so many options, it's completely different from where we came from. And look! If we'd gone a different way on the Glacial Steppe, we'd have ended up in a different part of the world and past these other places are more people! The world is huge!"
"You didn't know?"
"No!" Yuu shoves the book into his arms, "I had better things to do than sit around a bookstore and I don't think the ones we had there covered this much information. Read me about the place to the East near all the water!"
"The Scented Hills? I was planning on going there eventually."
Yuu blinks at him, "When?"
"Not sure," he shrugs. "There were a lot of places I wanted to see, this was just one. After I leave here, I'm free to see things at my own pace."
"That was your plan from the beginning?"
"Of course," Mika replied, handing the book back to Yuu. "I have no intention of staying with the Mages if they even wanted me to."
Yuu hums thoughtfully and places the book back on the shelf, "Let's go find dinner." Once they're settled at a table with their food, Yuu picks their conversation right back up from where he'd hoped it would stay dead. "So, did you think about it more?"
"No."
"Mika!" He stabs a potato and purposely chews slowly just to show how unbothered he is by Yuu's annoyance. "Fine, you stay and I'll go and hear their plan."
"Yuu-chan!"
"Nope, you don't want to, you don't have to. I will." He opens his mouth to argue and Yuu pulls the same dirty trick that he, himself, used earlier, kissing him to shut him up. "My mind's made up. I'll meet you back at the room tonight."
He still wants to argue his point, but he knows it's useless by now. Yuu is just as stubborn as he is, if he says he's going to listen to them, then he will. Later that night, he lies awake, staring out the window, willing the hum in his body to settle, but without Yuu here and without the reassurance that he's okay, his magic refuses to settle. It shifts and stirs, restless without Yuu's presence near him.
He's not sure if their bond will be strong enough to survive the outside interference that divides them and he has the thought that things were much easier when they were isolated.
~~~~~
Yuu creeps back along the forest path, ears alert for anything suspicious, but he makes it back to the clearing without incident. They all rise to greet him and he's quickly ushered into their circle where plans are being made.
They break down the plan, tomorrow night, Akihiko, the man who had their village burned down, and Lucal Wesker, the man responsible for doing the deed, will be together at Akihiko's estate. They will split into two groups of three, one group will break into the gold stores for restitution and the other group will begin a targeted assault to destroy something of value for a distraction. Once, they've retrieved the gold, both groups will depart together.
It's a simple, easy plan the way Kimizuki describes it. Get in, get out, and no contact which Yuu is relieved to find out. They only mentioned killing to see if he was really willing to help them, none of them have the appetite for more bloodshed than there's already been.
"So, now that you know the plan, is it just us five? No Mikaela?" Shinoa questions him.
Yuu gives a small smile in apology, "I couldn't get him to join, he didn't even want to listen. In the end, neither of us wanted to keep fighting about it."
"I don't understand how you two are together so much," Mitsuba replies. "It's so weird, you can be angry with each other, but once he's next to you, you just relax. When we first ran into you guys, you were hostile, but he just kind of touched your wrist and you relaxed. Even now, you sound fine and your body language is open, you're just still tense. I bet if he was here, you'd be calmer immediately."
Yuu shrugs, then drops his shoulders. What can he say? He hadn't noticed anything Mitsuba had listed, hadn't even realized how stiff his shoulders were. He's aware his magic gets restless sometimes when Mika isn't around, but he didn't know it was apparent physically too. Although, by now, it's only natural that he's become so used to Mika's presence, they've been each other's constant for weeks now.
"You're like complete opposites," Shinoa picks up. "You're willing to help and he's kind of an asshole. It makes no sense how you two get along so well, he's so cold hearted and unkind."
Yuu bristles in Mika's defense, "He's better than any of you!" Would they even still be talking to him if he was still that dirty street orphan from before? Would they even trust him like they do now? Mika did, never even hesitated. "Mika's a lot more caring than you think! Maybe he just doesn't like violence!"
Shinoa tilts her head to the side, letting her eyes gaze over him from head to toe, "Are you fucking him?"
"Shinoa!" Mitsuba immediately claps a hand over the shorter girl's mouth. "Forgive her, she was raised in a barn."
"Let's just calm down everyone," Yoichi placates. "Yuu has agreed to help and we have a plan in place. Can we all just focus on that?"
"Fine," Yuu relaxes his fists. "But, don't talk about Mika like that again."
"Of course not, Yuu."
"I'm heading back. I'll see you guys tomorrow night."
Yuu quietly slips back into their room, shedding his boots and cloak before climbing onto Mika's bed and straddling him. "Mika? You awake?" Silence. "Mika, wake up." He twists his fingers to summon a small orb of light and leans down closer when he catches sight of the puffy, swollen skin around Mika's eyes. "Mika, wake up!"
Mikaela's eyes blink open in confusion and squint at the light shining in his eyes, "Yuu-chan? What are you doing?"
"Were you crying?"
"What? No."
"Mika, I can see your face." Yuu brushes a thumb over the reddened skin, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing!"
"Never thought you'd be the crybaby. What's making Mika sad?"
"I'm not." Mikaela protests, voice cracking on the last word.
"Mhmm," Yuu pulls his head closer. "My crybaby."
"Go sleep in your own bed!"
Rather than answer, Yuu leans forward and licks his cheek to scoop up one of the tears making its way down his face, "Tastes salty."
"Yuu-chan!"
"If you weren't crying, I wouldn't be able to do that."
"I wasn't crying until you came in here and woke me up!" Mika rolls over, dislodging Yuu, and pulls his blanket back up. "I'm going back to sleep."
Yuu sighs and scoot forward to spoon him and bury his nose in the curve of Mika's neck, "I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing's wrong."
"Right, well I'll tell you the plan."
"Now?"
"Yes," he snuggles in closer. "So, it's pretty simple. We're going to split into two groups. One group will hit his gold stores and the other will create a distraction. No contact at all."
"And which one will you be in?"
"Considering I can start a fire much easier than anybody else, I'll be in the group making a distraction."
"Yuu-chan…"
Yuu squeezes him tighter, "It'll be fine, then we can get out of here and you can stop worrying."
Mika turns to face him, "I don't believe for a second that it'll go that easy." He hesitates, "I'm coming with you.
Yuu lights up immediately, "Really?"
"I'm going for you, no one else," Mika warns. "Don't expect me to throw myself in the line of fire."
"Of course not!" Yuu reaches for his face and kisses him, "Thank you! I know we'll do better with you there!"
"Or at least not dead," he mutters.
"I believe in us, we're strong!"
Mika rolls his eyes, but doesn't bother to protest.
~~~~~
The next night Mika comes with Yuu to meet the others at their designated spot. The other four greet them in surprise and Mika returns it in a less than friendly manner, choosing to stick close to Yuu's side instead. Yuu sighs, he hadn't expected anything more given Mika's reluctance and obvious distaste for the entire plan.
"Mika, it's great you came. We could use an extra body to carry gold."
Mika stares at the purple haired girl flatly, "That's not the team Yuu is on."
"Well, no.." Shinoa begins.
"I'm going with Yuu-chan. I only agreed to come along to make sure nothing happens to him."
"But-" Kimizuki protests.
"Leave it," Shinoa interrupts. "Happy to have you," she adds with a smile.
Together the six of them make their way towards the estate, staying in the cover of trees for the most part in case someone arriving catches sight of them.
The compound looms over them, three stories of brick and surrounded by a stone gate. The gates stand wide open admitting a constant stream of guests. "Are we sneaking in with them?" Yuu questions.
"No," Mitsuba answers, "That's too risky. There's a blind spot around back while everyone is watching the entrance. We're going to climb the wall from there."
"Then how are we supposed to escape? They'll catch us trying to climb wall."
"In the chaos, it'll be easy for us to slip out through the front with anyone else. We just have to avoid getting caught until we reach the gates."
"Mitsuba will go with Yuu and Mika for the distraction," Shinoa states. "The rest of us will raid the gold stores. Let's go."
They reach the back corner of the compound and one by one climb up the tree and drop down on the other side of the gate. From there, they split off into their separate directions.
Yuu's group crouches in the shadows to give the other three a chance to get into position so they have as much time as possible once they start the distraction.
"Look," Mistuba gestures to the stable. "It's made of wood and nobody is around, it's the perfect target." She pulls the fire starting tools from her bag to prepare.
"But, what about the animals inside?" Yuu questions.
Mitsuba gives him a funny look, "You're going to jeopardize the plan over animals?"
"No," Yuu defends, "I'm just saying, I don't want them to burn alive."
"Fine," Mitsuba sighs with a roll of her eyes. "I'll open their gates, so they can all escape. You start the fire then." She drops the tools to the ground and runs off towards the stable.
Yuu glances over at Mika's impassive face and nods, guess he really is doing this all on his own. He brings his hands together and concentrates, summoning the biggest fireball he's ever made. He throws it towards the barn and immediately the whole stable goes up in flames. Whoops, overkill.
"Yuu-chan!"
"Sorry!" He shrugs with a grin. "It's been a while since I've used magic, I gotta let it be free!"
"What did you do?" Mitsuba hisses at him once she rejoins them, eyes still wide from shock. "I barely got the gates open and myself out before the whole thing caught fire!"
"I just lit the fire! Maybe the barn was really flammable!"
Mitsuba shakes her head, "We needed a slowly growing distraction, now everyone will come running faster."
"Isn't that good?"
"No, they'll be on guard now, this doesn't even look natural."
Yuu scratches the back of his head with downcast eyes, "Sorry, I was just trying to help."
"Someone needs to go help the others and let them know they'll have to move faster."
"I will!" Yuu volunteers."
"I'll go with you, Yuu-chan." Mitsuba hesitates, then nods. Yuu grabs Mika's hand and tugs him in the direction the others went.
"Are you mad at me, Mika?"
"No, I don't care how this plan turns out."
They stop near Yoichi whose quickly packing pouches of gold into the waiting bags. "Yoichi! The distraction didn't go as planned, we have to move faster. It won't last long!"
Yoichi flinches at their sudden arrival, but nods. When Shinoa drops another pouch, Yoichi calls out to her urgently, telling her to grab Kimizuki and get out. She nods before disappearing and reappearing with Kimizuki at the window.
They jump down together, landing with a roll, and rapidly helping Yoichi pack the bags. Kimizuki hands a bag out to Mika and the blonde stares back blankly. Yuu grabs it instead, pulling it over his head, and shooting Mika a dirty look.
Yuu takes off towards the entrance, only getting a few feet when there's a sudden shout behind them. Mika grabs his arm, propelling him forward until a blast of magic rips up the ground behind them and sends them all to the dirt. Mikaela pulls Yuu to his feet and urges him to keep running.
Stumbling, Yuu struggles to keep pace with him while still carrying the bag weighed down with gold. Yoichi yells and Yuu turns back to see that Kimizuki has been caught by two guards. "Mika, wait!" Yuu digs his heels into the ground to stop them. "Kimizuki's been caught, we have to go back!"
"No, Yuu-chan, it's too dangerous now! We have to get away before they catch us too!
Yuu yanks his arm free from Mika's grip, "I can't leave them!"
Mika yells in frustration as Yuu runs back, already summoning fire. He launches it and it's immediately extinguished by a torrent of water. Yuu glances up in shock to see Lukal Wesker staring at him while Yoichi and Shinoa waver between running or going back for Kimizuki.
Lukal eyes him disparagingly, "You must be the one who started that fire, another impure breed born with a bit of magic. No punishment for eliminating a trouble maker like you."
Faster than Yuu's eyes can catch, Lukal is racing towards him and he stumbles back, struggling to summon his own magic through his panic. I'm not strong enough to take on a full Mage.
Yuu slips and a hand grabs onto his shoulder, then there's a flash of blonde before Yuu sees magic coalesce into a bright blue blade. There's the snick of a blade cutting through flesh followed by the sight of trails of blue magic flying towards the guards behind Lukal.
He hits the ground, eyes wide with shock as Lukal falls to the ground, blood gushing from his chest wound. Behind him, he can see the other two helping Kimizuki to his feet, now that the two guards holding him are unconscious.
Mika grabs him by the shirt and hauls him up, "If you do that again, next time I'll leave you!"
He can barely keep his footing as Mika drags him towards the entrance, shooting blast after blast to cover their exit. Mitsuba joins them outside the gate and they flee, not in the direction of town where they'll be expected to go, but opposite, deeper into the surrounding land.
Yuu's almost reached the end of his stamina when Mika releases him and turns on the other four in their party. "Leave! You've caused us enough trouble!" He rips the bag off Yuu's shoulders and throws it at their feet. They glance from the bag to Yuu and it only ignites Mika's anger further. "Don't look at him! He can leave too if he wants you to stay!"
"Mika," Yuu begins. "It's not their fault…"
"It's their fault for involving you in this and yours for choosing it!"
Yuu grows angry himself, Mika didn't have to come along, he chose too and these are his friends now too. There's nothing wrong with helping them. "There's risk to everything, Mika! While you wanted to stay safe and hide, I wanted to help my friends!"
"Friends?" Mika laughs. "You don't even know them!"
"You didn't have to come!"
"Would you rather I let you die?"
"I wouldn't have died!"
"Don't lie to yourself," Mika scoffs, then shakes his head in resignation. "Do what you want, Yuu-chan. Go with them, start your new life. You've finished our agreement."
Yuu watches in hurt and surprise as Mika actually walks away, vanishing the blade in a flurry of sparks and he can't believe their journey together is actually over, ended here in the forest. In anger.
Everything of the past two months thrown aside like it was nothing.
"Yuu," Shinoa touches his shoulder gently. "We need to get away from here."
"Yeah," he nods, trailing after them with a backwards glance at Mika who hasn't moved from the spot he's taken up. Who won't even look at him.
Yoichi gives him a sympathetic look and Yuu picks up his dropped bag to run with them, fighting down the growing sense of loss he feels. They run, still fueled by adrenaline until Yuu jolts to a stop, a painful ache in his chest leaving him short of breath and shaking.
"I...can't. I'm sorry, I can't go with you. Go on without me" He turns away from their surprised looks and runs back the way he came, feeling the ache lessen with each step. Mika's right where he left him, sitting alone, and staring unseeingly into the night. His posture looks so defeated and hopeless.
Surrounded by shadows, Yuu can remember how that wasn't the first time Mika has killed someone. The weight of those burdens on his shoulders, carrying them alone. Always, always with the mask in place, except for now. Now, when there's no one around to see, Mika doesn't bother pretending anymore. He can practically feel the sadness and pain rolling off of him.
Yuu quietly steps forward and drops to his knees, wrapping his arms around Mika's shoulders and burying his face in the curve of Mika's neck with a sigh. Mika tries to jerk away immediately, but Yuu merely tightens his hold.
"What are you doing back here?"
"I don't want to go with them."
"That's not what it looked like."
"I know," Yuu drops his arms and takes a seat next to him, taking his hand and tracing light circles against the inside of his wrist. He leans his head against Mika's shoulder, "I'm sorry, Mika."
There's silence and he almost believes he won't get a response back until Mika quietly replies, "You will be the death of me, Yuu-chan."
Yuu turns to look at him and his sad smile confirms he meant it. Instead of defending himself, Yuu lowers his face to their joined hands and kisses Mika's palm, then up his arm, stopping with a kiss pressed into the inside of his elbow, "I love you, Mikaela."
After no response, he glances up to see Mika looking away from him, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Mika?"
"..."
Yuu turns Mika to look at him and cradles his face between his palms, cerulean eyes brimming over with emotion and it hurts his heart. "I'm serious, Mika. I won't leave you."
"Yeah, right," he chokes out, voice thick with tears. "You don't have to pretend, I know you hate that I killed him so easily. I saw your face."
"It doesn't matter to me. I said I love you and I mean it."
Mika takes a shuddering breath, breaking eye contact, and they lapse into silence. Yuu presses a kiss into his cheek and lets go, leaning back onto his hands to give Mika the space he needs.
After what feels like hours, there's no change. Mika hasn't spoken to him again or moved at all. It worries him. He doesn't know what's going on inside the blonde's head, it's so silent out here and he can physically feel the distance between them now. That ease they previously had is strained to the point of being nearly invisible and Yuu has the horrible thought that Mika is so quiet and won't touch him back because he's preparing to leave him the first second he gets.
There's a buzzing starting up his head and he doesn't want to imagine losing him. It's not fair or right, Mika should be with him. Yuu sits up, letting his fingers stroke through blonde curls before turning Mika's head and drawing him into a kiss that he doesn't return.
Yuu feels a spark of panicked frustration go through him and he pushes Mika onto his back and climbs on top of him, kissing him desperately. Mika turns his head to the side to avoid his lips, "Yuu?" Instead of answering, he turns Mika back towards him, unable to break their contact for even a second. It feels like he'll lose him forever if he does.
He can feel his magic clamping down around them, seething forward in an unrestrained wave trying to mix with Mika's. His hands go to Mika's pants and the blonde protests, telling him to wait, but he can't. Yuu shakes his head, tightening his grip and feeling all of his desperation and worry pour out in the struggle to keep Mika with him.
The air grows hotter between them as his magic tries to overpower Mika's own, their perfect coexistence long since gone. Now, it just wants to keep Mika with him. Yuu's body shudders as tears begin to drip down his cheeks, he just wants Mika to give in. But the opposite happens, Mika finally manages to break free and the last thing he feels is the press of fingers against his head.
Yuu's body goes lax on top of his and Mika lays him gently on the ground, heart still beating rapidly from the struggle. What was that? He lays there, breathing slowly until he feels the last of Yuu's magic relinquish its grip and fade back to its owner.
He stands and loops one of Yuu's arms around his neck, supporting the brunt of the other boy's weight as he drags them back to the inn lost in thought. Yuu hasn't lost control of his magic again since they've been together and he can only assume the stress of the day triggered him. Even so, what he felt from Yuu wasn't anger, it was fear and desperation. A combination that makes no sense when the danger was already behind them. What's he so afraid of?
~~~~~
Yuu wakes up late the next morning, their bags are already packed, Mika's gone, and he has a splitting headache. He can't even remember how he got back last night, probably Mika. The last thing he recalls is fighting with Mika, after that everything's kind of a blur. He knows their plan was successful though and that everyone got away safely. If Mika brought him back to the inn, he can't be too mad, right?
He groans and drags himself out of bed, his own bed, he notices. Every part of him aches, from his bruised limbs to his pounding headache. What the hell happened? By the time he's forced himself to get dressed, Mika's returned with breakfast and there's a tense silence in the room. The blonde won't even look at him, simply handing him his food before taking a seat on his bed to wait for him to finish.
Mika doesn't look angry, but he's smart enough to know, he's done something to thicken the air between them. "Mika, what happened last night?"
"We went through with their plan."
"And that's it?" He glares when Mika shrugs in response, "I don't remember the last part of the night, but nothing earlier should have made me feel as bad as I do right now. My head's killing me."
"Oh...that." Mika stands up to begin gathering their bags, "Your magic got out of control last night and you couldn't handle it."
"How?"
"I don't know," he snaps. "It's your magic! I'll meet you downstairs."
Yuu sits back in surprise as the other boy disappears out the door, now he knows he screwed up somehow. If only he could remember what happened. Was it enough to make Mika hate him now? Steeling himself for what's likely to be a long few hours, he follows after Mika, desperately hoping for forgiveness.