The two blond boys continued to walk through the damp forest together. Though dark, Mikage seemed to radiate a light that shone the way for the two.
Hakuren didn't question why Mikage was there. He had a feeling he knew why.
He turned and looked over his shoulder. Mikage was following silently behind, the same sincere smile plastered on his smooth face.
Hakuren stopped and turned around suddenly. Mikage stopped on a dime. "What is it?" He questioned softly.
Hakuren simply stared at him. Why had he stopped? He wasn't quite sure.
Mikage's grin widened, "If we don't keep moving, we'll never find Teito." He said as he swiftly moved past Hakuren to continue walking.
Hakuren turned back around and watched as the boy's light dissipated with each step he took. He sighed; he wasn't going to get any answers out of the spirit right now. He quickly ran to catch up with the boy.
Once he had caught up with Mikage, he slowed down and walked right next to him. Every once in a while he would steal a glance up at the boy.
It was at these moments that he noticed how truly beautiful he was. His soft hair seemed to fall gracefully over his honey eyes that shone out against their dark surroundings.
Mikage always felt the violet eyes fall upon him, but never returned their gaze. He simply let Hakuren look. His focus right now was Teito.
"Where exactly are we going?" Hakuren asked after an awkward silence began to form between the two. Mikage simply smiled.
"Well, think about it this way. Where's the one place Teito might be, besides the church?" Hakuren thought about it. And thought. And thought.
"I don't know." He said finally. Mikage turned his brown eyes upon the smaller blond. "Well, I'll show you then."
Hakuren's face flushed. He never expected Mikage to be this soft yet sly.
He believed that Mikage's smile was fake, and that beneath his warm exterior was a scheming boy plotting for revenge against the one who took his life.
He didn't trust him. And yet, he felt compelled to. He couldn't bring himself to say anything to him.
This was Teito's best friend. Mikage meant the world to Teito; and Teito meant the world to Hakuren. It was a long chain reaction that Hakuren was too far in to get out of.
So he kept his mouth shut. And he let the spirit lead him farther into the forest.
Frau woke with a start.
He sat up quickly and pulled his knees up to his chest. Where the hell was he?
He looked around and recognized the organized mess that was his room.
The sharp pain in his backside meant that he had somehow ended up on the floor.
He rested his chin in his hands, "What happened last night?" He asked himself quietly.
He look around once more and found nothing different about his room. He sighed and got up slowly, using the nearby desk as support.
He felt weak, his head was throbbing, and he felt like vomiting. Must be a hangover, he mused.
He threw on his robes haphazardly and meandered out into the courtyard. There seemed to be an influx of people there this morning. Or afternoon. He never really bothered to check the time before he left.
Awesome. He didn't really feel like dealing with anyone today, especially not the bishop applicants.
And yet, to his dismay, he couldn't go a day without getting bombarded with questions.
As if on cue, Ouida and Liam came running up to him, arms flailing about, screaming, "Hey, Bishop Frau! We want to ask you something!"
Frau sighed and put on his happy face. He might as well get through this with a smile. "What is it, boys?" He asked softly.
The boys stopped directly in front of the blond bishop. "Wow, you're acting a lot calmer today, Bishop Frau." Liam noted.
Frau laughed lightly and said, "Oh, come on. When am I ever not calm?"
"Every day." Ouida interjected quickly. Frau shot him a quick glare, but quickly returned his gaze back to the smaller brother.
"What was your question?" Frau asked the child.
Liam started to fiddle with his thumbs, "Well...It's just, we were wondering..." His voice trailed off.
Frau looked at him curiously, "...Yes?" He egged.
Liam lowered his eyes and started to rock back on forth on his feet.
"We were just wondering if you've found Teito yet."
Frau froze. His entire body tensed with the mere mention of that name. He looked around and noticed all the applicants staring at him.
Had they put these boys up to asking him this? Were they all really that concerned?
Frau shrugged, "Why should I care?" He said simply. "I'm not the brat's caretaker."
Ouida snickered at this. Frau glared daggers at him, "Something funny?" He growled.
Ouida looked up at him and grinned, "You're such a liar, Bishop Frau."
Frau couldn't think of a snappy reply before Ouida continued, "We've all seen the way you act towards Teito. It's so painfully obvious to the rest of us, so of course you wouldn't notice your own actions."
Frau scoffed, "What exactly are you getting at, kid?"
Ouida's grin grew wider, "It doesn't take a scientist to know that you constantly flirt with the kid every chance you get."
Frau's face grew warm, "W-What the hell do you mean!?" He snapped angrily.
Ouida started purring like a kitten. This was making his day.
"You know it's true. Don't deny it. Of course, who can blame you? Teito is a rare jewel, after all. Yes, he's certainly the fairest one of all."
Frau had had enough of this. He ignored Ouida's comments and proceeded to storm off toward the gardens. Maybe Labrador could help ease his mind.
Sure enough, Frau found the small bishop in the garden. Tending to his roses like always. Frau sighed, this guy was hopeless.
He approached the smaller bishop cautiously from behind. He was trying to be sneaky.
"Is something bothering you, Bishop Frau?" Labrador said slyly, without even turning around.
"Damn." Frau stated bluntly.
"You're worried about Teito, aren't you?" Labrador continued as if Frau hadn't even voiced his frustration.
At this, Frau stiffened again. Everyone was accusing of him of actually caring for the damn brat. He wondered if he really was oblivious to everything going on around him.
He shook his head quickly to rid himself of the thought. That was nonsense. He knew exactly what was going on around him at any given time. Always. Of course.
Labrador finally turned around to face him, interrupting his little internal monologue.
Frau's eyes met Labrador's. Violet with a sense of determination in them.
"If you truly wish to save Teito, you must take action. Simply doing nothing will bring you nothing. One must work and strive for the ones they love." The small bishop lectured.
One word stuck out in Frau's mind. "Love?"
Labrador simply smiled and returned his attention back to his roses.
Frau rubbed the back of his head angrily. Apparently there was no getting around this one.
He turned quickly and ran out of the garden.
So yeah. This chapter was a bit weird. Nothing happened, and that's my fault as the author.
Give me a break! I've never done this before. D:
Anyway. Since my Seminar and TA times have been freeing up, I've been able to work on this and my other story a bit more every day.
But like I said, with less than thirty days till my high school graduation, I'm a bit under pressure over here.
The good news is I passed my Senior Exit Interview, which means that I'm guaranteed to graduate. Buahaha.
I promise that things will really get going in the next chapter. ;D
(Anyone else remember Ouida and Liam? I loved them.)