A second time, my tale to tell. Pay attention children, and listen well. When last I spoke of the great ballroom, two royal children near met their doom. But saved, they were by a child with eyes green, who was there alone, and is more than he seems. It is time for our story to continue, and enjoy the power within you.
The remainder of the night of the great ball was spent in great panic, as several doctors did whatever they could for the young child that had saved the heirs to the kingdom. Kakei stood as the head of the small team of medical practitioners.
Kakei had been the royal physician for years. Despite his youth, he had a finer grasp on the medical world's intricacies than many obtained and few dared to challenge. Although he was in service to the Northern King, Kakei was in fact born and raised in the lands to the West, and travelled to the other quarters before settling in the North. The beautiful man's reason for choosing the Northern Quarter as his home lay in the man currently guarding the door from outside the room, known to all as Saiga.
Saiga was truly born and bred a Northman. When he stood, his six feet seven inches towered over many and his physique bore the muscle and vigour that turned many other northerners to shame. Saiga had dark hair, an aspect shared between both the North and the South and one can assume that his eyes were the dark brown, common as well, but Saiga hid them behind darkened spectacles.
When Kazahaya had first been brought into the room on a stretcher, Kakei had asked that Saiga let no-one else enter until they were finished, and even when the King himself demanded admission, Saiga refused him access. The King, though fuming, could do nothing but wait with his two children outside the door. Princess Tsukiko had busied herself with staring out of a nearby window at the moon, as it extolled a full circle, and Prince Rikuo contented himself with sitting against the wall, waiting for the (hopefully) good news to arrive.
The night went on, and the King briefly left, muttering something of a promise to keep. When he returned, Saiga raised an eyebrow, making a query that only the King understood. The King nodded solemnly, and the eyebrow lowered, its twin following as they set a 'V' onto Saiga's tanned forehead. Tsukiko and Rikuo looked at each other in confusion, unaware of what the exchange meant and was in relation to.
The night began to wane, the final hours of darkness being turned into dazzling twilight, the stars and moon replaced with the approaching dawn. Several times, a terrifying, pained cry had escaped the enclosed room, and rippled down the hall. The royal family and any passing servant started at the sound, worrying greatly over the suffering the young Kazahaya had been placed under. How could the boy possibly survive?
The night passed. Just as the brilliant sashay of light danced across the sky from the sun's rising, the door to the small room opened, Saiga moving from its pathway. Kakei and the team of doctors slowly left the room, Kakei closing its door behind him, and releasing a gently breath. The King and his children jumped and waited expectantly in front of the physician, as the other doctors left, exhausted from their night of work. Kakei waited until all had retired before speaking gently to the Royal family.
"He suffered a lot of blood loss, and his back was covered in primary, secondary and tertiary wounds, most of which wouldn't have happened if the guards had reacted properly and saved the poor boy. He went into shock near the start, but he was sadly immune to any anaesthesia we applied, so in the end we could do nothing to even numb his pain."
Rikuo and Tsukiko felt their hearts plummet further and further down the more Kakei told them. Their father's face was just as grim, and Kakei's face showed how tired he was feeling. Saiga was now the only thing keeping the beautiful blond upright, his hands and arms wrapped around the other man's slender waist. Kakei paused in his explanation, a fleeting expression of peace crossing his features before they settled back down and were replaced with a look of sincerity.
"He is asleep now, but will be waking up frequently due to the pain of his wounds. When that happens, I will need someone to administer the medicine to make him sleep, and to make sure that he sleeps on his front; it will be some time before he will be able to rest on his back."
The prince and princess were overjoyed at the news that their little saviour had lived. Both immediately volunteered to be the ones to look after him, before the king cut them both off.
"You have both been awake the entire night; you will surely be falling asleep soon now that the danger has diminished. We shall have one of the other doctors look after the boy until you are properly rested; if you are looking after him and fall asleep, how can you give him proper care?" Tsukiko and Rikuo looked worried at the thought. If they fell asleep, they could end up hurting Kazahaya further. Both resigned themselves to the fact that they were going to end up in their beds shortly and the king snapped his fingers for an attendant to accompany them; after the incident not even a day old, the King did not want any mistakes made. The kindly old man that arrived directed the royal siblings to their rooms as Kakei informed the physician relieving him what to expect and what to do, before being led away by the gentle force that Saiga exerted upon his frame. The King pinned the relieving physician with a hard look, a gaze that was so cold it burned. "If the child dies under your care, I guarantee that I won't be the only one holding you responsible." The threat made and meant, the king left the now quivering doctor to his devices, heading to the royal apartments that housed his family's rooms, and falling asleep within his bed.
The day passed, and so did another night, before the royal family woke from their respective slumbers. Rikuo was the first to rise, a few moments spent in contemplation before realisation slammed into him, causing him to quickly change from his dark green robe into a deep blue one and run to the room housing Kazahaya. Tsukiko followed, having exchanged her red dress for a simpler grey one. Both stopped outside the door to the room and waited. Not a few moments after, the King arrived, his robes a deep purple. Once he had joined the prince and princess, they gently rapped on the door.
"You may come in your highness'" Kakei's cheerful voice travelled easily through the heavy hardwood floor and the invitation was accepted. Rikuo and Tsukiko were instantly by the bed looking over Kazahaya; who was sleeping oblivious to their worry. King Himura stood next to Kakei and Saiga, asking without words towards the boy's condition.
"From what the doctor who watched over him told me, the child woke up quite frequently and had to have a heavier dose of medicine than normal to get him to sleep again. As you can see, he spent the night on his front, and that has greatly helped in healing his injuries." Kakei smiled gently as the royal sibling's payed close attention to his words. "Keeping in mind that accidents may happen, he should be more or less healed within a couple more days. Truth be told, I only have two concerns; one of which doesn't relate to his recovery." The royal family gave Kakei their full attention, the prince and princess turning to face him. "The first concern is that those wounds are going to scar. We have done what we can, but there is no way that the child is going to escape this incident without a permanent reminder."
Tsukiko sharply took in air and Rikuo froze. They still remembered the way the guards just stood and watched the blond youth before them getting sliced in their place. Maybe if the guards had been doing their assigned duties, Kazahaya may not have suffered so terribly.
"My second concern" Kakei continued, his features set in grim acceptance. "Is that no-one has come to try and collect him. I haven't even heard a whisper of the boy's family trying to locate him, and no-one has lodged a missing person's claim for any one remotely like the child. I have no idea how he got into the ballroom, but from what I can tell, the child is an orphan; he has no family." The prince and princess turned their gazes back to the sleeping youth. The guards had been paying attention so that no-one not on the list couldn't get in to the event. Obviously one of the guards had been slacking, and Kazahaya had slipped through the cracks. No-one really minded, after all, he had saved Rikuo and Tsukiko, but it and the absence of proper action during the ex-chancellors breakdown proved that the guards needed to be put through a crash course on everything.
Seemingly hearing the thought, Kazahaya flinched and started whimpering as the wounds pain resurfaced from the weakening fog of sleep. A small hand, bandaged slightly indicating another wound, began reaching towards his back and the whimpering increased to gentle yelps as a few stitches began to rip from the strain the movement caused. Kakei rushed forward and gently pulled Kazahaya's hand away from his back, preventing further reopened wounds. Rikuo and Tsukiko stood still, transfixed by the way Kakei's usually lulling voice seemed to become nearly sedative as he calmed the distressed child in the bed. Soon enough, Kazahaya had taken the medicine and fallen back to sleep, a stray tear track the only proof he had woken at all.
"It's odd, but for some reason, he'll only willingly take the medicine from me." All eyes were on the beautiful physician, three pairs in question, and the other pair in admiration. Kakei turned to them, a near troubled look in his gaze. "I actually feel ... some sort of connection with him ... a connection that I have only ever felt with another psychic. I would not be surprised if this child had powers of the paranormal."
Three jaws met the floor and two eyebrows found themselves raising above the frame line of darkened spectacles. All the North knew Kakei to being most truthful, so the four listeners knew he wasn't lying, but the idea of so frail a child having powers? There could be no way. And just like that, the idea was dismissed.
Several days passed. Kakei had been right in the boy being healed in this time, but the recovery was in relation only to his physical self. Kazahaya had yet to regain consciousness aside from waking with cries upon his lips. Saiga had explained that Kazahaya was likely relieving the incident in nightmares, causing his body to relive the pain even if the damage was mostly gone. Rikuo and Tsukiko visited Kazahaya everyday between their lessons and training. Sometimes Kazahaya would wake during their visits, but for the most part, he slept soundly. One time, however, Kazahaya had woken and started screaming immediately, clutching his head tightly as if he was trying to stop it from splitting in two. Tsukiko had run straight away to find Kakei, while Rikuo stayed by Kazahaya's side, desperately trying to calm the terrified youth. Kazahaya's eyes, though deep hazel green, seemed empty, lifeless pools that could not focus on anything as they darted back and forth, following something that wasn't there.
Kakei had been almost instantly successful where Rikuo had failed, calming the younger blond with slow words and repetitive strokes across his head. Once the blond re-entered the realm of sleep, Rikuo started shaking slightly. Honestly, he was jealous that Kakei had so easily placated Kazahaya when he had failed to do so. Kakei saw the clenched fists at Rikuo's side and led the tall boy out of the room.
"Do you remember when I mentioned that he will only accept medicine from me?" Rikuo nodded his head, not trusting his voice to be even as his emotions were running wild. "I think it's because he can recall me from the night we stitched his wounds. The poor little guy is terrified, and latching onto what he feels he can trust. And he remembers me trying to distract him as I sewed his back up."
Rikuo felt a sprig of embarrassment well in his gut. He already knew why Kazahaya was scared but he had been irritated at the lack effort that Kakei put into Kazahaya's care, where Rikuo was unable to even aid the boy that had saved him. Rikuo resolved to make sure that he would protect Kazahaya from any other injuries. It had been nearly two weeks and there was still no sign of any family searching for Kazahaya. Rikuo was starting to worry that maybe Kazahaya really didn't have a family.
Three weeks after the ex-Chancellor had snapped, Kazahaya woke without a single indication of pain. Saiga had been watching over him at the time, and when Kazahaya sat up, a dazed look on his face, he slipped out and retrieved Kakei who, as fate would have it, was with the royal family, who eagerly followed the physician and his lover. When they entered, Kazahaya still had a dazed look cast over his eyes, but looked otherwise normal. Kakei slowly stepped close to the bed before gently speaking, the sedate tone returning to his voice.
"Hello Kazahaya." The greeting had Kazahaya tilt his head so that he was looking at Kakei but was still sitting in the same position. "Do you recognise me, Kazahaya?"
Kazahaya stared at his doctor, before gently nodding and shifting so that his entire body faced the man next to him. "Kakei." A voice as gentle as a water ripple slid from the blond youth's tongue. "The firefly." Kakei was for an instant surprised about Kazahaya being aware of what the characters of his name meant, but it quickly faded into the gentle concern of a friend, instead on the clinical awareness of a doctor.
"Kazahaya, how are you feeling? Is anything hurting?" Kazahaya sat for a moment and Rikuo for an instant thought that he may have fallen asleep, before the golden mane bobbed; mimicking the actions of the boy it rested on. "What hurts, Kazahaya?" Kakei's gentle tone remained, but was now tinged with worry, Rikuo remembering what Kakei said about the uselessness of anaesthetics. Kazahaya gently raise a hand and held it to his head. "Here." The small hand moved and came to rest of the left side of the boy's chest, above his heart. "And here."
Kakei smiled in what may have been relief but the expression left his face as instantly as it came. Kakei explained to Kazahaya that those pains were normal and that they would stop soon. "Now, why don't we get you something to eat? Even if you are not hungry, you haven't eaten for three weeks, and you need your strength." Kazahaya gave a final gentle nod and Kakei sent a glance to Saiga at the door. A smirk swept his features, and in an instant, the gentle giant had left the room. Before a comment could be made on his departure, Saiga had returned, carrying a tray laden with foods that a stomach as empty as Kazahaya's would definitely appreciate. Kazahaya ate the food slowly, but the tray become empty rather quickly, Kazahaya's body demanding the offering before it.
Once the tray had been cleared and removed, Kakei began a proper examination of Kazahaya. There were no outward signs of further damage, and the scars on his back were healing well, aside from the evident red marks they manifested. Aside from a little malnutrition and dehydration, Kazahaya was in remarkable condition given the reasons behind his wounds. Kakei let Kazahaya resume his position on the bed before staring at Kazahaya with a serious look.
"Kazahaya" Kakei's voice still had the gentle tone, but it was laced with the demand to be listened to. "Do you know how to contact your family?" Kazahaya had been staring back at Kakei but now his gaze became intense, the penetrating look that had first blown Rikuo away. While Rikuo had seen the look before, no one else in the room had, and the aura of the small boy who gave it suddenly felt ten times his years. A sad, lonely voice floated from the youth, and seemed to hang in the small room as if it had no where else to go, the rooms silence magnifying the words that fell.
"There is no-one I can contact."
Tsukiko felt her heart tighten and tears begin forming in her eyes. Saiga seemed to withdraw slightly into the wall he leaned against, and Rikuo hung his head, hands clenched in the fabric of his robe. Kakei was looking at Kazahaya with a greatly sad look in his eyes, and before anyone realised it, he was hugging Kazahaya's tiny frame, almost protecting it with his own. King Himura noted that Kazahaya had stiffened at the sudden contact, though it may have been due to the presence of hands on his back, before slowly relaxing and hugging the physician back. King Himura took a deep relaxing breath, before clearing his throat, getting the rooms attention.
"Seeing as how you are here recuperating from saving my children" The Northern King laid a hand upon each of his children's shoulders "You are always welcome within these walls." Kazahaya blushed, the slightest tinge of red colouring his otherwise pale cheeks. Kakei found himself practically fawning over how adorable the young boy in front of him was and spoke the first thoughts in his head. "And if you want, whenever you are staying at the castle, you can stay with me." Kazahaya and Saiga both jerked their heads to Kakei, surprise evident on their features; Kazahaya because he was being offered a place to stay, and Saiga because he was still trying to convince Kakei to live in his quarters with him, instead of staying over for ... 'games'. Kakei was surprised when the grip that Kazahaya had on him from the hug tightened, relief mixed in the boy's eyes. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
Kakei soothed the boy, stroking his back, and wiping his tears, shooing the room's occupants with a warning glare. Even though they all wanted to stay and comfort Kazahaya, Kakei's eyes were clearly saying 'back off or die'. The last time someone had opposed this gaze, they were indeed missing the next day. No evidence pointed to the gorgeous man from the West so he remained unconvicted, but everyone knew that the physician had something to do with it. Not even Saiga was daring enough to challenge this side of Kakei.
The four waited on the outside of the room for Kakei to emerge, and find out why he extended the offer to Kazahaya. Kakei told them as soon as he came out, before they even asked, that the connection he felt with the small boy was something he could not ignore while the child was awake.
"There is clearly something paranormal linked to the boy. I know you don't believe it, but there is. And my proof is that I can't read young Kazahaya's future." The four immediately stopped rolling their eyes and instead focused them on Kakei's worried face. There were only two reasons for Kakei to be unable to see someone's future; 1) they were dead. A chilling fact, yes, but true for any precognitive psychic, for the dead do not have a future. 2) That the person was stronger then Kakei. This had happened several times when then Queen had gone off wandering years ago. She was born with the gift of sight, but due to an accident, she was constantly between the two worlds, and often was confused by it. Kakei was unable to find her, often cursing himself for being so pathetic, but later found out from the Western Mage's beloved that he was in fact one of the strongest people with powers around, that her majesty had just been stronger. Since Kazahaya was most certainly alive it was only possible for his future to be hidden from Kakei by option two. Kakei turned to Saiga, the worry having faded to a near child-like delight.
"My cooking skills are amateur at best Saiga, so when little Kazahaya is staying with me, would you be willing to come over as well?"
Saiga's bad mood instantly vanished; a gentle curve attacked his lips. "Absolutely." Kazahaya had just gotten Saiga a step closer to living with Kakei. There was no way Saiga would miss this chance, and began thinking of ways he could make this up to the small child. A bell was heard tolling and the royal family excused themselves to go have their meal. Kakei and Saiga went off to take a 'break'. And young Kazahaya slept, safe in the small room.
A few day later and Kazahaya was acting like any young boy his age; bored, restless and wanting to get out of the room he was confined to. "I just want to go outside for a little while Kakei. I'm not gonna vanish or anything, I just want to be outside." Kakei looked at the child in sympathy, understanding how much movement meant to someone when they couldn't move. "The air in here feels stale, and even with the window open, the breeze can't enter, and remove the smell of blood."
Kakei wasn't able to smell any blood, but he was able to leave the room at will. Kazahaya had yet to leave the room once in close to a month, and would probably be able to pinpoint the origin of every scent within the four walls. Kakei gently reached out to ruffle the boy's feather-weight hair when Kazahaya suddenly froze, his eyes unfocused and his pupils wide, before he started to fall. Kakei instantly reacted, catching the boy and placing him gently on the bed. Within a few seconds Kazahaya woke up with a jolt and was instantly scanning his surroundings, as though trying to tell where he was. Kazahaya had looked scared in the past, but the look he had on his face now was of pure, unadulterated distress as though he were expecting to wake in a different place.
"Kazahaya, it's okay. It is okay now Kazahaya. You're safe." Kakei's words seemed to work as Kazahaya calmed. After a few more moments of gently reassuring the child, Kakei was finally able to ask Kazahaya what had happened. Kazahaya seemed apprehensive about telling Kakei, but eventually faced the adult and slowly spoke after making Kakei promise to keep it secret. Neither noticed Tsukiko hiding at the door. "Ever since I can remember, when I touch things or people, I am able to see things about them that others can't see." Kakei stared in surprise at the confirmation of powers and Tsukiko ran to tell the others. Kakei refocused on the boy in front of him. "Is that how you were able to predict that the chancellor would try to kill Princess Tsukiko and Prince Rikuo?"
The small boy shook his head, confusing Kakei, but the physician stayed quiet and waited for Kazahaya to explain. Just as the child began, four figures hid behind the door into the room "I can't tell the future, that's not what my powers are. I can see the past. The chancellor's past was full of their highnesses, and it was so full of hate. I saw several memories of him nearly hurting them before, the memories were like a weight on his mind. Really, it was just a matter of time before he broke down."
The listeners at the door were shocked, not only at the boy's powers, but the fact that the chancellor had tried to kill before. "Can you control your powers Kazahaya?" Kazahaya looked slightly ashamed before returning his gaze to Kakei and answering. "I do, unless I'm sick, or when the memory relates to a strong emotion."
"How does a strong emotion interfere with your control?" Kakei understood that Kazahaya was post-cognitive, and understood his powers fortifying themselves during times of weakness, Kakei's did the same. But how did emotions come into play?
"I'm not only able to see memories. I'm also an empath." The listeners at the door were confused by Kakei's sharp intake of air as he gently patted the child's shoulder.
"As a post-cognitive psychic you are forced to absorb strong memories, and as an empath you are forced to approach strong emotions, forcing you to see the memories behind them. You truly are a strong little guy aren't you? That would drive me nuts."
Kazahaya let a little chuckle escape his mouth, the sound warm and joyous before Kakei caught his attention again. "Tell me Kazahaya, what is it like when you use your powers? Every power reacts differently to a different holder. Not only that, but powers like ours, powers that differ only in effect, are rare to find in one so young, since psychic powers usually develop in late teens to early twenties. What is it like?"
Kazahaya put a finger to his chin, slightly lowering his head as he thought how to answer the question. After a few moments, which the four eavesdroppers spent in barely contained excitement; Kazahaya raised his head and spoke.
"It's like I'm diving deep into a tunnel of water, following the person who jumped before me. I swim as hard as I can, but the pressure builds, and I can feel it forcing the air from my lungs. I keep swimming, following the bubbles of air left behind. I can see the memories of the person through the bubbles of air they leave, and as my air fades, I begin taking the air they have left to survive.
"I start to forget whether I am Kazahaya Kudo, or Kirai Arkam, and I know that I need to find some way of breathing without relying on the pockets of air they've left. So I become a shadow on the wall. An existence without form. I guess that's when I end up freezing or collapsing. As a shadow, I can still see inside the air bubbles, but I don't take them into me, losing myself from the memories. I am not really there.
"Eventually, when there are no more memories to see, or I have found what I am after, I swim through an offshoot in the tunnel until I reach the surface. As soon as I hit the sky, it ends. I never have any idea how much time I spend in a trance, and sometimes, I keep walking while in one, so when I come to, I have no idea if I am in the same place where I blacked out, or if I am half-way across the city."
Kazahaya looked over towards Kakei, and found the beautiful man stunned, his eye shining with tears. Kakei had yet to hear someone describe their powers as such, until he heard Kazahaya's rendition. Most described the effects their powers had on their bodies, instead of their minds. The four by the door were just as entranced by Kazahaya's description.
"What about you Kakei? How do your powers work?"
Kakei sat up a little in his seat and a smile decorated his face.
"I dream of the future. It's like trying to look through a candle flame; you can't see through it unless you get close but the closer you get, the more likely you'll get hurt. Sometimes, the flame is weak, so I can see everything through it without getting hurt and other times the fire is so hot I cannot even get close. The stronger the person whose future I'm looking at, the hotter and brighter the flame. Your flame, Kazahaya, was so hot I had to look away from it, it hurt me to look at it at all."
A gentle expelling of air had Kakei and Kazahaya instantly on guard, Kakei rising from his seat and spinning to face the door. The four intruders immediately revealed themselves and apologized for interrupting. Kakei and Kazahaya refused to look at any of them for the rest of the day. Both being psychics, they hated it when they were caught off guard.
Another time, this story I'll tell. I hope you'll come and listen as well. Powers revealed, scary and divine. But that we'll save for another time. Kazahaya's healed, though forever scarred. The child's pale back forever marred. The Chancellor's dead, nasty fella. But there will be more.
The Storyteller.