Hi! Long awaited chapter 10 is here.
I love this fic too much to let it go. But my work affects the chapter releases so hope you'll patiently wait for me.
Fadet, thank you so much for the boast of inspiration.
And thanks as well to the people who read and review this fic and 'After Seven Days'.
Arms tingled painfully thus waking him up. Kaede instinctively pushed the heavy load over his arm. But he froze when his fingers encountered silky hair strands.
Blue eyes snapped opened and zoomed in to his bed partner.
"Hanamichi?" Kaede croaked.
The redhead snuggled closer and mumbled something incoherent.
"Hanamichi," Kaede said again. He was suddenly choked up with relief. He tentatively reached out and touched the pale cheeks. Pale? Maybe the tan disappeared along with other injuries the redhead might have sustained in his lifetime. The red strands glimmer appreciatively in the glow from the moon. The pale redhead looked so ethereal and vulnerable.
Hanamichi woke up when he sensed someone watching him. He blearily glared at Kaede.
"What?" he snorted. Before Kaede could answer, he turned away and decided to go back to sleep. He stretched his body like a sated cat and yawned. "Go back to sleep, fox. You have practice tomorrow."
Kaede smiled and spooned at the redhead's back. He too decided to go back to sleep.
Hanamichi felt something weird. He opened his eyes and thoughtfully looked at the wall. When Kaede shifted in a better position, Hanamichi's fears were confirmed.
"AHHHHHH!"
Kaede bolted out of bed in shock. He looked around the room in a defensive position thinking that someone was attacking them. Seeing no one, he turned confused eyes at the screaming redhead.
"What!" Kaede growled in frustration. Hanamichi was pointing at him accusingly. "What!"
"You're naked!" Hanamichi sounded like a scandalized old maid. He clutched the blankets desperately to cover himself.
Kaede stared at Hanamichi like the poor redhead had gone nuts. "So?"
"You're naked!" Hanamichi replied like it answers all the questions in the world. He scouted away from Kaede when the fox sat on the bed. Oh my God! I finally lost it and slept with my best friend, he thought with an agonized moan.
Kaede ran his hand on his face in irritation. "Hanamichi, this is not the first time you saw me naked. Or have you forgotten that!"
Hanamichi blinked. He stared at Kaede for a long while. "Oh," he said after a while. "Silly me," he giggled then slapped his forehead.
Kaede scowled at the redhead before lying into the bed. He watched Hanamichi crawled closer to him. He smiled as he saw Hanamichi debated mentally if he should drop the blanket or not.
Hanamichi decided to drop the blanket. It was Kaede after all. "Nee, Kaede?"
"Hm?"
"What happened?" Hanamichi asked hesitantly. But somehow he knew.
"Sendoh Akira," Kaede replied in monotone.
Hanamichi nodded. He wanted to ask more but didn't want to rouse Kaede's animosity against Akira.
Kaede watched the emotions play across his best friend's face. "I'll explain everything tomorrow."
Hanamichi beamed brightly at Kaede. "Thank you."
"We should go back to sleep," Kaede replied. He pulled Hanamichi beside him and held him protectively. Hanamichi settled comfortably on Kaede's shoulder and went to sleep in seconds. Kaede was left frowning at the ceiling. He glanced at the redhead and then down.
Hanamichi's toes didn't even reach Kaede's mid-calf.
"Kaede! Wake up!" Akira yelled eagerly as he pound the bedroom door. He held in one of his hand a vial filled with another questionable potion. He had spent all night searching the 'room' for any potion that will return the redhead back to normal. "Kaede!"
The door opened and an annoyed fox gave Akira killer eyes. Akira ignored Kaede and went to the bed.
"I found a new potion and I believe that Hanamichi will be okay afterwards," Akira chatted happily. But stopped in his tracks when he found a smiling redhead sitting on the bed. "Hanamichi?"
Hanamichi laughed at Akira's expression. It was crossed between disbelief and relief. "Good morning, Akira."
"HANAMICHI!" Akira cried as he launched at the redhead. He buried his face on Hanamichi's chest and moaned, "I was so worried. When did you grow up? You're okay now, right?"
"He's not okay," Kaede replied. He took out a robe and put it on. He glared at Akira when the guy acted like a wounded animal so Hanamichi will forgive him.
"You're not?" Akira asked Hanamichi. He lifted his head and gazed at the redhead using helpless puppy eyes. Guilty but helpless. It always worked.
Hanamichi shook his head. "I'm short."
"Short?" Akira rose in all fours and looked down at the redhead. Hanamichi, from the waist down, was covered with the blanket but the outline was enough. His eyes traveled northward and noted the pale flesh, long hair, and thin arms. Bones also protruded obviously on the chest.
"You're malnourished!" Akira screamed.
Kaede walked to the bed and pushed Akira off the bed. He nodded at Hanamichi as he helped the smaller guy to stand up. He looked dispassionately at Akira when the older guy jumped up.
"What happened?" Akira asked, clearly confused. He frowned in worry as Kaede wrapped Hanamichi in a white robe. The term short was true, and if it wasn't for the distinctive red hair, Akira would have never recognized Hanamichi. The top of the red hair had barely reached Kaede's waist. "I don't understand. If Kaede was okay, aren't you supposed to be okay too?"
"I figured that the potion Mama used had a specific number of years. We thought that I had reached my full age, but my height spoke otherwise. I'm only 187 cm. That was my height during my sixteenth year. Minus seven that would be—"
"Nine years," Akira answered. He sighed as he sat on the bed again. "So Hanamichi will be around nine to ten years."
"I was this small during my youth," Hanamichi informed with a smile. "I was often teased because of my stature and hair color; Youhei and the gang always protected me." Hanamichi's voice dropped as he remembered his long lost friends. He brightened up though when he saw Kaede getting worried again. "It was when I reached the age of thirteen when I suddenly burst in height."
Akira nodded. He laughed before reaching out to cuddle the redhead again. "Hana-chan, think you can come with me to the mall today?"
Hanamichi made a face. "I'm not helping you find a date, Akira."
"You'll be my date then," Akira offered with a wink.
Kaede sighed and Hanamichi stuck out his tongue.
"That had been done before, Akira. Won't work this time," Hanamichi reprimanded.
"But—"Akira's lip quivered and eyes filled up.
"It won't work," Hanamichi replied sternly. He shook his left arm as he felt a sticky sensation. "What's this?"
The two raven-haired males looked at the redhead's arm, only to find it had disappeared. Akira blinked when the white robe fell into the floor and he was enfolding a kitten. It was then that he remembered the potion he made that morning. It must have spilled on Hanamichi when he hugged the redhead while still on the bed. He sweat dropped when he noticed Kaede's eyes went wide then narrowing dangerously.
"Sendoh," Kaede snarled. He took a threatening step towards the quacking older male.
Akira laughed nervously. He held Hanamichi in front of him like a shield. He knew that Kaede will never attack if the redhead might get hurt.
"Sorry," he croaked.
Kaede started to glow in white-hot fury. Akira's legs instantly reacted with a bolt outside the bedroom. Hanamichi the kitten mewled in fear. Claws extracted and painfully dig into the spiky-haired man's wrist. But the human was oblivious to this as he ran as far away from Kaede as possible.
Akira stopped at the family room though. He found his parents and Kaede's with some weird people in weirder robes. He had seen them before during his childhood. They were called aurors or something like that. His parents had told him vaguely about them; and the note that each time they're at the house; Akira must always be away from them.
"Good morning," he greeted his parents politely. He nodded at the strangers politely as well. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt anything." He bowed graciously as he turned on his heels. But he stopped again when he saw Kaede just standing behind him. He sheepishly grinned. "Good morning to you too, Kaede."
Kaede glared at the Akira. His eyes flicked at the squirming kitten in Akira's arms. He opened his hand at Akira. "Give him to me," he ordered coldly.
Akira didn't comply immediately. He hesitated if it would be safe to let go of his shield. It was then that he noticed that he's bleeding. The kitten was meowing and licking his wounded hand. He handed Hanamichi to the fox.
"I'm sorry."
"Whatever." Kaede nodded at the people behind Akira before walking away.
The not-so-knowledgeable-potion-master Akira sighed in relief. Looks like he had another day to live. He turned to the strangers when they called him softly.
"Yes?" he asked.
"It was you who turned a boy into a baby, are you not?" an old man in robes asked softly. His voice kind of reminds Akira of a wise geezer.
Akira nodded. "Yeah. Why?"
"We need your help," a female in dark green robes inserted.
Akira felt a prickle of apprehension at their request. He looked at his parents and it didn't help much to see his mother bawling like he was getting married or something worse.
Kaede headed to the bathroom in his room still clutching a red kitten. When he arrived, he placed the kitten on the sink as he prepared the bath. He studied Hanamichi as he waited for the tub to fill with just enough water for the kitten.
The kitten had red fur with minute spots or lines in color yellow around his small body. He was small, so small that if he curled into a ball, Kaede would have cupped him with both hands and no fur will peeked out. The claws were small too but sharp enough to cause damage as he had done to Akira's hand and wrist. The stubby ears were alert and twitched here and there. Kaede lovingly caressed them. Hanamichi stared back at Kaede as he studied him. Formerly brown eyes were now in golden amber.
"It's time for a bath, Hanamichi," Kaede whispered as he lifted the kitten from the sink and placed him in the bath. Or tried to.
Hanamichi the kitten hissed and meowed in protest. He curled and clawed desperately at Kaede's hand when his tail gotten wet. He cried a pitiful meow when Kaede lowered him near the water.
"You have to have a bath," Kaede insisted. He was known for his stubbornness and today was no exemption.
But Hanamichi was stubborn too. As a baby, Hanamichi would be helpless against Kaede, but a kitten no matter how small has a weapon against big bullies.
"Shit!" Kaede cried out as Hanamichi scratched him painfully. He flinched when Hanamichi clawed him again. In the third scratch, he dropped the kitten.
Hanamichi would have roar if he wasn't a kitten. His sensitive skin felt like it's on fire when it made contact with the tepid water and he reacted with a jump. It was an impressive jump, but Kaede was not so impress when Hanamichi landed on his crotch and clawed mercilessly at his most sensitive part.
His scream resounded loudly around the whole mansion.
Akira was just entering Kaede's bedroom when he heard Kaede scream and thought of the worst scenario. The bathroom door nearly broke when Akira banged it to the wall as he entered the bathroom.
"What happened?" he asked in confusion. He looked at Kaede, curled up in fetal form, in the bathroom floor. He yelped in surprise when Hanamichi the kitten ran out of the bathroom between his parted legs in a blur. "What the hell--?"
"He scratched me," Kaede said with a tight lip expression. He looked so agonized that Akira looked around the wide bathroom again.
"Who?" Akira didn't get it. He was never slow before, but now was not a cute time for it annoys the fox even more.
"Hanamichi," Kaede answered. He stood up stiffly still cradling his most precious.
Akira's eyes went wide as platters as it hit him. He cleared his throat as he contained his laughter. "Ummm… I better go look for Hanamichi," he remarked before closing the door behind him. When the door closed, he burst out laughing. He shook his head before he winced as he imagined how painful it must have been. He heard a small meow in the room.
Kaede's room was huge. It was originally a guest room, but since Chiharu found out that Kaede was the son of her best friend, the room was transformed for Kaede's use only. It had floor-to-ceiling windows and an attached bathroom. The wall was painted in pale and dark blue colors, and once had a blue bed and blue carpet too. Akira had often remarked at how 'blue' the room once was. The bedroom was again transformed when Hanamichi started visiting the Sendoh mansion. He always slept beside Kaede because he felt uncomfortable in huge houses. He added different patches of colors in the room, making the whole room homey and masculine. Hanamichi was also the one who placed a bedside table and a dresser in the room.
"Hanamichi?" he called out softly. He could tell by the purr that the kitten was upset. Kaede's yell probably did that. "Hanamichi?" He looked under the bed, behind the curtains, under the bedside table, and then under the pillows. There he found the shaking red kitten. Hanamichi was wet and quacking with chills.
Akira smiled in sympathy. He tried to hold the kitten but he clawed his hand away. "Come here, Hanamichi. I won't hurt you," he cooed as he tried again. Hanamichi let him hold him this time. Akira was suddenly struck with how small Hanamichi was. If he gripped just a bit more, he could crash the fragile bones in seconds. He looked around the room and found a towel and a hair dryer in the dresser.
Hanamichi was warm and dry by the time Kaede exit the bathroom, wearing his normal clothes of blue shirt and black pants. Akira flinched when the red kitten scratched his hands in agitation. He had just smeared ointments on it.
"Hello!" Akira said cheerily. He smirked at Kaede when the fox stare at him balefully. "Is it still attached?"
"It was just a scratch," Kaede retorted. He walked towards the two slowly but stopped when Hanamichi the kitten hissed in protest. He headed to the bed and lay down. He stared at the ceiling thoughtfully.
"You'll be off limits to the girls then," Akira joked. He also headed back to the bed and lay beside Kaede. He anchored the nervous kitten on his chest with a firm yet gentle hold. He also stared at the ceiling.
Hanamichi purrs were the only sound for a while. He observed the two humans before curling in a tight ball and fell asleep in the middle of Akira's chest. He decided that Kaede had no plans to skin him alive.
"What did you talk about?" Kaede asked softly. It was soft enough not startle the kitten but loud enough for Akira to hear the unyielding tone.
"Nothing much," Akira replied. He looked at the sleeping kitten with a warm smile. He softly ran his fingers in the thin fur.
Kaede didn't look at Akira but heard the lie. "I'll protect Hanamichi. So don't worry anymore."
Akira looked at Kaede sharply. "You know anything?"
Kaede turned his head towards Akira. He met the blue eyes which were laden with worries and suspicions. "I sensed a disturbance for a while now."
"The war?" Akira frowned when he noticed Kaede's blue eyes were filled with knowledge that not even the aurors know. He'd never seen that look before in the two years that they lived together.
Kaede shook his head. "Even before that," he admitted.
"Explain yourself, Kaede," Akira demanded. The kitten stirred at Akira's tone thus Akira ran his fingers reassuringly on the red fur.
Kaede's eyes returned to the ceiling. "Before I received the letter from Hogwarts, I had seen visions of death and war. I knew that if I go, I'll never return home."
"Have you ever seen him?" Akira relaxed and looked at the ceiling again. He smiled when he saw patterns moving to form an endearing image. He wanted to cry as he saw Hanamichi's face smiling happily at him. 'I don't want to go,' he cried mentally.
"Who?" Kaede asked. He had cast a spell in the ceiling so they both can see the one person they both will willingly die for.
"The enemy," Akira replied after a minute of thinking. He sighed. "The man known as The-One-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Quite a mouthful, isn't it?"
Kaede nodded. "I saw that boy too. And another pale one."
"Pale?"
"Kind of like silvery in color," Kaede answered.
"An enemy or an ally?" Akira asked. He was getting exceedingly curious on Kaede's visions. Kaede never spoke about them; and it could be helpful once he stepped into the war.
"Both."
"Eh?" Akira looked at Kaede in surprise.
Kaede nodded. "Think Hanamichi and me during our freshmen years in senior high."
"Ahhhh." Akira chuckled when he remembered Hanamichi's comic antics during that time. "So they both succeed in defeating the dark lord?"
"They both died," Kaede replied tonelessly.
Akira fell silent. "So I'm going to fight a war that was bound to lose?"
Kaede didn't answer immediately. The image in the ceiling became more realistic.
"Am I going to die too, Kaede?"
"The future is undecided, Akira," Kaede retorted casually. He turned to look at Akira again. He smiled at his worried friend. "You decide your future."
"But if I go, I'll be putting my foot in a grave." Akira turned his full attention to the kitten. "I don't want him to be sad."
Kaede nodded as he too looked at the serene kitten. "When will he turn back?"
"I don't know," Akira replied with a careless shrug. He smiled sheepishly when Kaede glared at him. "They promised to train me. I'll return Hanamichi to normal once I got the appropriate knowledge."
Kaede shook his head helplessly. "You're hopeless."