Not much to say about this chapter... kind of boring, I think, but it's building up the character's relationships a bit, which is sadly necessary. So enjoy!

Animestar73: Joy, I'm glad that it wasn't confusing or crappy. Yes, Ripper certainly has an interesting way of crashing a party, doesn't he? And everyone likes Belial, there's no fighting the charm. Thanks for reviewing!

Lady Duzie: Hey, everyone needs to focus on Belial every now and then... Suki does it all the time. Thanks for reviewing!

L'Arc: Belial and artful death are wonderful things. Too bad Belial doesn't take up his dear's art, then they could work together and slaughter everyone.. you know, in a tasteful way. Thanks for reviewing!

"Did you hear about that murder?" Ayumu asked, folding a newspaper back to its original state and tossing it on the table. The front page displayed the beautiful art of death that had befallen the newlywed couple.

Kiyotaka glanced at the picture before sighing and shaking his head, "It was that annoying boy again." He muttered to himself.

"It says no one can figure out how it happened. Big surprise there, they're investigating something completely out of their league."

"It's out of anyone's league." The elder brother corrected, "He has powers no one else does, they should just bury the bodies and go on with their lives."

"You know, for a king, you don't have a very compassionate attitude." Ayumu pouted, crossing his arms.

"Did you think his attitude would change just because he became king?" another voice asked from the doorway. The Narumi brothers looked up to see a man in his mid forties with short, tan hair and golden eyes.

"Kai..." Kiyotaka acknowledged, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm only here to see you, my dear." The older man strode over to his king and leaned against his chair, running a hand through brown tresses of hair.

Kiyotaka sighed, showing a slight annoyance at the affection, but didn't pull away at the same time. Ayumu quirked an eyebrow at the display, but just shook it off. For all he knew, the two were together; it wasn't like Kiyotaka divulged his personal life to his younger brother. They may have been related, but they weren't close by anyone's standards.

Kai chuckled and placed a kiss on the young man's head, "Now, now, no need to get pouty."

Ayumu snickered as his older brother shot both of them a glare, "I'm doing no such thing." He pointed out, "Why are you here?"

"Like I said, I'm here for you." The light-haired man tilted his head, "You're always so busy in this stuffy castle, you should let loose every once in a while."

"I'm not sleeping with you." Kai was perhaps the biggest pervert in all the land, and usually wouldn't even pay attention to someone as old as Kiyotaka (who was only in his early twenties). He had a policy not to sleep with anyone older than his sons, the youngest of who was only sixteen. Kiyotaka seemed to be an exception to this rule, though Kai never forwardly expressed an interest.

Ayumu surveyed the pair and shook his head. Kiyotaka and Kai had been together, he had been told, since his brother was just a child. The bond had grown and the two became rather close (or as close as Kiyotaka could become to someone). Ayumu knew that his sibling had some attraction to the older man, but with the introduction of this new boy, Eyes, into his life, he wasn't sure who Kiyotaka would choose.

There was also the concern of Belial. While he outrightly professed his obsession with the king, the latter showed no interest in the redhead. Belial, however, wasn't so easily dissuaded, and he followed Kiyotaka wherever he went. Naturally, he had a strong distaste for Kai, who had easily (and unintentionally) earned the leader's favor, and Kiyotaka took to keeping Kai around simply to ward off his stalker, who kept his distance around the sandy-haired man.

Another glance was cast to the ignored newspaper. It was the same boy that had committed this crime who had killed his and Kiyotaka's father. That boy, dubbed 'Ripper' by the public, was Belial's closest companion. There was no other word for the two, they were soul mates (or so they said), though they weren't in love and showed no interest in a physical relationship with each other. Their bond, Ayumu had heard Ripper himself say, ventured further than mere flesh; it was a connection that couldn't be cut with any knife. Sweet, tempting, irresistible poison: that was how Belial had described his dear. Ayumu had to admit, as much as he wanted to hold something against the boy, he had a way with words. He could never forgive him, no matter how sweet the apology, for murdering his father for no reason other than a magnificent display of death.

The messy-haired boy sighed; his brother knew the strangest people. Everyone's attention turned toward the entrance as a knock resonated through the halls. Someone was at the castle doors and wanted in. He briefly heard Kiyotaka mutter about useless guards before he stood up to answer the guest. Kai, however, had other ideas and sat in the king's seat while pulling the man himself into his lap. He looked to Ayumu, who took the hint and passed by his annoyed brother and disappeared down a hallway.

A minute later, he reentered the living room (if you could call such a large and carefully decorated room a living room at all) with a silver-haired boy. Kiyotaka quirked an eyebrow at Eyes, who, seeing the two men's position, blushed faintly and cast his gaze toward the floor.

Kai tilted his head and looked between the two, before speaking in his southern accent, "New boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend."

"I'm not his boyfriend." The two voices clashed in unison and their eyes met for a brief moment before Eyes looked away again. While Kiyotaka's voice had been cool and even, as he was just stating a fact, Eyes' British accent had been laced with a certain longing or disappointment.

The tan-haired man chuckled, "Doesn't sound like you want to keep it that way." He spoke to the younger boy, who looked very nervous by this point.

"I don't know where you'd get that idea." The blue-eyed boy's voice was so soft compared to Kai's that it barely registered.

"It's a surprise you're not blushing more." Kai leaned forward and poked the boy's cheek, "You look like you're about to turn tail and run off."

"Kai, that's enough." Kiyotaka pushed off of the older man's lap and walked to Eyes, "Perhaps we can talk in peace out in the garden." Now that he was being addressed directly by the king, a slight tinge of a blush did show on his pale cheeks as he nodded his consent.

"You just love making things hard on him, don't you?" Ayumu asked the remaining man as the two departed.

Kai chuckled, "Of course not, whatever would give you that idea?"

"You'd be jealous if he got with Eyes instead of you, wouldn't you?"

An eyebrow quirked at the accusation, "I don't get jealous. You act like I'm in love or something."

"And you're not?" Ayumu tilted his head and gave Kai a look that said he knew better.

"I'm not." His voice sounded confident and the look in his eyes matched, "There's no one I'm in love with."

A small frown tugged at the brunette's lips-- he hadn't said it with any sadness in his voice, but the cold tone was nearly just as bad. He glanced out the way that Kiyotaka went; he knew Kai meant a lot to his brother, and if Kiyotaka saw him in this state (as opposed to his usual, casual, carefree demeanor), would he act differently? As it was, he acted as cold to Kai as he did to everyone else, but Ayumu knew when they were alone, it was different. Kai wasn't the hopeless type, he wouldn't chase after Kiyotaka if the latter always pushed him away.

The teen sighed to himself, wondering who would his brother end up choosing. That innocent,angelic-looking boy or his lifelong companion?

---

Out in the garden, Eyes had taken a seat next to a bed of silvery-white flowers that almost reflected the sun's light. He remembered the night he had met Kiyotaka for the first time; he had fallen asleep in that very patch of flowers and had woken up to Kiyotaka watching him with slight curiosity. Now, Kiyotaka was surveying him from the corner of his eye, taking his seat next to a pond with large lily pads floating calming along the surface and tropical fish darting around each other under the petal-covered surface.

"Why did you come?" Kiyotaka was, for once, the first to speak.

Eyes ran a finger along a moonflower petal, envying the plant for not being in his position. His and Kiyotaka's eyes locked as he looked back up, "I was just wondering..." he bit his lip, swallowing hard as that small blush found its way back onto his cheeks, "What you feel for me." Of course it hadn't been his idea to come and propose the question (he would rather have spent his time reminiscing about the conversations he'd had with both Kiyotaka and Belial this past week) , but whenever his brothers got an idea in their heads, he was the one to carry them out. Needless to say, most of their plans revolved around him doing embarrassing, demeaning, or other things that would have him hiding his face in an instant.

This was another plan cooked up by his two eldest brothers, Setsuna and Faii. At first, Set had (like always) been joking around, saying that Eyes should go confess his crush to none other than the one he had it on. Eyes protested, saying that he enjoyed Kiyotaka's company, and that the king would most likely cut off all contact if he thought Eyes was just in it to get with him.

"But you are." Set had argued, and the youngest had to explain that if he was, he would have taken his chances. With that idea thoroughly rejected, the second oldest began again, this time suggesting that Eyes go ask Kiyotaka how he felt. "If he says he likes you, you've got nothing to worry about!" It seemed ingenious-- to everyone but Eyes, that is. He complained that Kiyotaka would get suspicious, or assume, and that he couldn't deny the claims since they were completely true. In the end, Faii had gotten annoyed with the bickering and ordered Eyes to go to Kiyotaka and ask him how he felt about him. Then, before the silver-haired boy could protest, his brother fell asleep.

So, there he was now, awaiting Kiyotaka's reaction. He was sure, whatever his response would be, it would be the last thing Eyes ever expected."If only I knew what to expect, then I'd know what he'd really say." He thought, glancing to the brunette when he didn't answer.

After a moment (whether of pondering or just realizing that Eyes actually expected an answer), he simply shrugged. Nothing more, just a small movement of his shoulders. Taking that as a hint to drop the subject, Eyes lowered his gaze once more to the enchanting flowers. He would murder his brothers when he saw them again-- he had put himself on the line, waiting to get shot down... and he had. Maybe Kiyotaka wasn't so unpredictable after all.

"You're not like everyone else." The king finally spoke, "You're not after me because of my money or power or looks."

"I'm not after you at all." Eyes interjected, though he wasn't quite sure that statement had still held true. "I just mean... I like our relationship how it is now... I'm not trying to get with you."

"Exactly my point." Kiyotaka told him, "You're different." Eyes wasn't sure if this was a good thing, necessarily, but as if reading his mind, the Narumi spoke again, "It's not bad."

"So...does that mean you don't mind me?" the silver-haired boy asked, finally looking up from the flowers.

Kiyotaka gave no verbal reply, but instead stood and walked over to the seated angel. He knelt down in front of him and grasped his hand in his. For a fleeting moment, Eyes thought the royal boy was going to propose, but instead Kiyotaka leaned forward and caught his pale lips in a chaste kiss. As quickly as he had leaned in, he pulled back and their eyes locked briefly, "Does that answer your question?"

Eyes' vibrant blue eyes were cast downward as the blush on his cheeks intensified greatly. He felt like his crush had just asked him out, and realized that it was something very akin to that. This time, he was the one to give the unvoiced response, though it was just because he was afraid if he tried to talk, he would stutter and make a fool of himself. So, he opted for nodding silently.

"Good." And just when Eyes thought the king was going to stand up and make his way back over to the pond, he instead tilted the boy's face back up and kissed him again. The younger one briefly flashed back to the scene in Kiyotaka's bedroom where he had nearly jumped the startled boy. The brunette had definitely been acting odd that whole day, and this time his touches were much more discreet and his advancement wasn't as forceful as it had been the other day.

Being introduced back to this Kiyotaka, the one that made all the girls swoon, Eyes melted into the kiss and he himself grew bolder, wrapping his arms around the taller one's neck. He even, hesitantly, returned the kiss and parted his lips to the probing tongue. He suddenly felt light headed and very hot and dizzy, and though it was the last thing he wanted to do, he broke the kiss and pulled back slightly.

Kiyotaka watched as the younger boy panted softly and raised an eyebrow, "Are you alright?" They hadn't done anything worthy of such exhaustion.

"Fine..." Eyes breathed out, shaking his head. What had come over him just now? He had been nervous and blushing, sure, but not feeling like he was going to faint just from a little kiss. Okay, so it hadn't been so little.

"Brother." The new voice alerted both boys to Ayumu's presence, though it wasn't the messy-haired boy's presence that startled them, but the shaky way he had managed the one word and the tear-stained eyes that looked back at them.

Not showing much concern for his younger sibling's state, Kiyotaka glanced over his shoulder at him, "What?"

Ayumu just shook his head as more tears spilt from his chocolate-colored eyes. Eyes frowned and rose to stand, walking over to the older one, "Are you okay?"

It wasn't the prince that answered, but Kai joining the group, "Kiyotaka, news just got in. Your mother..." he trailed off glancing at Ayumu; the young boy didn't need to hear the news again, but he was now leaning on Eyes for support, and the eldest wasn't sure he was hearing anything right now. "Your mother's dead, she killed herself."

Kiyotaka surveyed the reaction of his brother and Eyes at the words-- the former seemed to cry harder and the latter gasped in soft shock before wrapping his arms around the thin body. "Is that all?" he asked, showing no compassion for a soul.

Eyes looked back at him, aghast, "That's all you have to say?" he demanded, frowning, "You should be the one comforting your brother, not me. What's wrong with you?"

Finally, the king stood, "I never liked either of my parents, they were annoying." He headed inside, pausing to glance to Ayumu from the corner of his eye, "And you're doing a fine job, no need for me to waste my time with it." Having said that, the elder Narumi vanished through the doors and Kai sighed, muttering something and following him in.

---

"I never knew either of my parents." It was about an hour after Eyes and Kiyotaka had received the news of the latter's mother's death. Eyes and Ayumu had remained out in the garden, where they now sat by the row of sakura trees that lined the only side of the garden that wasn't composed of castle wall. Ayumu had calmed down considerably, and now somberly sat gazing out across the rolling hills. "It's always been my brothers and I." Eyes then realized how grateful he was to have three elder siblings. What if he'd been an only child, or only had a brother like Kiyotaka?

He glanced to the brunette, who seemed to not be registering any of this. Instead, he spoke completely off the subject, "People think being royalty's so great... that having nice things can ease and hardship that you might have..."

"But with power comes complications, and if you've been used to such treatment, it doesn't make things better." Eyes finished for him, "It's only all it's cracked up to be if you've never had it, right?"

"Yeah... pretty much..." Watery brown eyes closed as a soft sigh escaped his lips, "Not that our mother was much of anything after our father was killed...she went nearly completely insane."

Eyes frowned and wrapped an arm around the brunette's shoulders, "Perhaps it's better that I didn't know my parents... it seems they just cause pain." But did the pain outweigh the joys? He turned his attention back to Ayumu, "It's got to be hard," he sympathized, "having only Kiyotaka left."

Ayumu immediately shook his head, "It's not like that, Kiyotaka's a great brother... just not when anyone else is around."

"Why do you think that is?" the younger boy wondered aloud.

"I don't know...he's always been like that, though.. I guess so he can maintain a good image in the public eye? If no one sees him being kind, he'll never show weakness..."

"But is being cold and harsh that much better?" Eyes couldn't get Kiyotaka's hard gaze out of his head; he genuinely looked like he didn't care that his brother was suffering.

"He seems to think so... so I guess it is, for him." A hand came up to wipe away a few stray tears that hadn't fallen from his cheeks, "It's alright, though, I know he means well."

For the first time in what felt like forever, Eyes smiled faintly, "You're rather forgiving."

"You think? He's my brother, it's just natural to me. Though, he usually says it's weak."

"I don't think it's weak... I think it's sweet." He rested his head on Ayumu's shoulder and watched the sun set over the horizon.

Ayumu glanced to him and chuckled slightly, kissing the top of his head, "You're not so bad yourself... thanks." Eyes glanced up at him, quizzically, but all he got was a shake of messy brown hair in response. Deciding he didn't need to know what he was being thanked for, the blue-eyed boy nodded and closed his eyes, content with himself for the time being. "I hope Kiyotaka chooses you." Ayumu told Eyes in his head, "You could do him a lot of good."

Aw, so now Ayumu and Eyes are bonding... and a little bit more on Kiyotaka and Ayumu's brotherly relationship (or lack thereof)... and even a little making out.. Kiyotaka's such a pedophile. Then again, he has Kai all up on him, so... well, not too much happened in this chapter.. o.o, it's a filler chapter... filler, filler! Next chapter things will start to get interesting when Belial comes back in to try and once more steal Kiyotaka away from Eyes (and possibly Kai). But someone shall interfere in a very...interesting way. Who will it be, and what will they do? Review to find out!