Again, this story, this tale I weave. Don't think, just listen, I shall not deceive. A child so small was injured great. But the child was saved before 'twas too late. Welcomed, the child in the castle did stay, protected both by Saiga and Kakei. The princess and her brother prince protect the child too, have ever since. From when last, I spoke this tale, many years passed for the young, blond male. No longer seven, the years gone number ten. Seventeen years, the man as beautiful, as the child was then.

Kazahaya had become a welcome part of the palace community. Aside from having protected the Princess and Prince, the young boy was beautiful, kind, and quite knowing. The boy just always seemed aware of when someone needed attention, when they needed to be left alone, and when they just needed someone nearby without speaking. And in all cases, Kazahaya was the someone to give what was needed and inform others of the need.

The only exception was to himself.

Kakei had been completely unsurprised by his ward's self-sacrificial nature. "The boy's an empath, after all." was all he gave to a reason.

But it was all that was needed for everyone to drop the subject.

Kazahaya had always been beautiful, if not slightly feminine, but around his seventeenth birthday, the post-cognitive psychic suddenly changed. His personality and his outlook had not changed, it was too far ingrained in him to disappear, but the child suddenly seemed more relaxed, more subdued, giving him a more handsome countenance. Yes, compared to others, Kazahaya was as the wind in his name; uncontrollably shifting from a maelstrom to the most gentle of breezes. But the boy suddenly seemed to look at the world through a different view. He was more often to be the breezes than the storms. Saiga had even commented on Kazahaya maturing.

Even though it had been a day of celebration, celebration directed to him, Kazahaya had been strangely withdrawn, almost hiding from those who wished him well. If it had been anyone else, the behaviour would have been commented upon as unusual, but the empath's mood and demeanour changed with the hour, so it was not mentioned.

Until Kazahaya had vanished.

Though no-one was informed of Kazahaya's disappearance, the royal family and the boy's guardians were very concerned, searching the palace for any trace of the boy.

It was Prince Rikuo who found him in the gardens at sun down.

The gardens had always been among the most beautiful places in the palace, the care for the place represented in everything. Rikuo had found the empath sitting on a stone bench, eyes closed and hair gently ruffled by the wind. The bench overlooked the sun, but the boy had his back to the light, the sun creating a halo around him, his form resembling a deity rather than a seventeen year old.

The prince gently placed a hand on Kazahaya's shoulder, and the boy opened his eyes at the small application of pressure. His eyes seemed to glow with the green in their depths, the sight enhancing the contrary fragile yet strong visage the young man was giving.

Kazahaya's power had been growing, and he was being connected with anything nearby, so he escaped to a place that appeared to only have good things linked to it. No matter how long and hard he had searched, Kazahaya had never been able to find any disconcerting memories near the stone bench.

As the two were leaving the gardens, a beautiful bird suddenly landed upon Kazahaya's shoulder, it's feathers and crest a bright red, the bird a descended species of Owl. The bird was common in the North, famed in other lands for it's majestic appearance, just as much for their defensive nature; the birds would attack any who strayed too near. The prince was stunned when the bird landed, but was stuck for words when the creature began to sing, the melody a stunning mantra.

When the song had finished, the bird bowed it's head and spread it's wings, raising itself gently into the sky and departing, leaving only the memory of it's presence behind. Kazahaya's eyes had followed the bird, before a smile flirted with his features and he whispered an almost inaudible "Thank you."

Birds give praise to the wind.

The celebration resumed, no-one finding it in their heart to be angry at Kazahaya once his disappearance was explained.

That night, once all had been cleaned and everyone was asleep, a sad happening took place. The King, the man who had been first to welcome Kazahaya into the palace, was to leave the world. He was no longer as young as he had once been; his body no longer as strong. That night, long after the festivities had ended, King Himura's heart slowed, beating slower and slower, until it finally stopped.

The next morning, the crown was passed to the king's first child, the Princess Tsukiko.

Rikuo was now first in line to the throne, until Tsukiko had a child, but he was not under any duress; the laws of Northern succession preventing any force upon the prince. As had been his want for the ten years Kazahaya had lived in the castle and integrated with royal life, Rikuo simply enjoyed being with the blond. Being an empath, Kazahaya's every emotion showed on his face; he could hide nothing and Rikuo, having been surrounded by lies and deceit by so many due to his status, delighted in being around someone who couldn't.

Rikuo had succeeded in being the only person able to rile Kazahaya up. When angered, Kazahaya's eyes seemed to swallow the hazel brown, you could see nothing but the green, creating a near haunting image, but an image that no-one was able to get enough of, it's beauty overriding it's horror. But the northern prince was the only one able to bring that beauty out from hiding.

Once riled, it was easy to keep the empath in the state of anger; mere teasing and innuendo was more than enough to prolong Kazahaya's calming nature from taking control. But even more beautiful than the boy's eyes turning into endless green depths was when the boy was truly at peace; no influences from memories or emotions, no smiles when he would rather cry. When Kazahaya was naturally calm and at ease, his very presence became a balm, the gentle aura that seemed to surround him would engulf and soothe any who wandered near by.

And the boy himself truly became like the gentlest of breezes. So soft and so faint, that it seemed that at any moment, he could fade away forever.

Not that any of his four guardians would have simply allowed him to.

A month to the day after Tsukiko had become Queen; Rikuo had been searching for Kazahaya. The empath had the habit of ditching lessons from even before he had started being taught along with the royal siblings. Kakei had said it was because Kazahaya was quite like his name and you cannot trap the wind. Saiga had said it was in part due to the boy having been essentially forced to not move for a month, he had energy he needed to burn. Kazahaya himself had said something towards his truancy which, as Rikuo now searched for him, could be remembered with the greatest of clarity.

"I can't focus on what they want to teach me, because I keep getting sucked into the memories of the people who've held those books before me. Continuous emotion and memories start coalescing, and those books are as old as the history within them."

Thanks to Saiga and Kakei, Kazahaya was able to learn what it was believed he should know, but he was taught far more in the practical skills that a commoner or servant might need. At first, Tsukiko and Rikuo thought that it was Kakei and Saiga making sure the boy had some skill set, but were shocked when it became apparent that Kazahaya himself had asked to be taught.

Rikuo's thoughts quietened when he spotted Kazahaya entering the music room. Aside from the young empath, it was empty now, no one playing the instruments to give the room life.

But as Rikuo entered the room, he remembered that life is a subjective term. For the prince, life was in the act of movement, be it movement of people, or movement in the air as musical notes are played. For Kazahaya, life was in what had been left behind. Having not noted the prince's presence at the door, the young empath walked up to the imperial piano, and sat upon the stool placed at its keys.

Then he placed his fingers on the keys and just rested them there.

No noise was generated; the strings and hammers of the organ remained still. But Rikuo saw the empath's pupils dilate, the already large innocent eyes looking more so. He saw the gentle smile that flitted over the boy's face, and he saw the joy in his eyes. Every now and then, a small tear would trail down Kazahaya's cheek, but it was due to the happiness of the people who had mastered the great instrument before them.

Eventually, after swimming through hundreds, if not thousands, of memories stored within the ivory keys, Kazahaya raised his hands and looked at them. Just looked. So many hands before his had laid claim to the melodies and stories told in pieces of music. Rikuo just stood by the door, equally as fascinated by what Kazahaya must have been feeling as by the blond himself.

Once Kazahaya had fully recovered from the incident, his stay in the castle had rarely been contested, and when it was, it was by foreign dignitaries that didn't know what had happened. Aside from the protections put in place to prevent a second incident, all evidence of that night had been erased.

All but the jagged lines and cursed scars that ran across Kazahaya's back.

Kakei had said that Kazahaya wouldn't get away unmarked, but to actually see the bright red lines littering the boys back, as strong and visible as the day he first acquired them, sent a sickening chill down all of their spines.

Kazahaya himself never spoke on it, and often dressed in a manner that prevented the reminders from being seen. But the marring lines seemed to show through whatever clothes Kazahaya wore to hide them. To Rikuo, it was almost as if they glowed. And the thought made him sick. Aside from his back, Kazahaya was what many of the Northern lands would have called 'the perfect, exotic figure' and with Kazahaya's pale skin, hazel-green eyes, and golden hair, it was a true statement. Even now, no-one had any inkling of Kazahaya's geographical heritage; Kazahaya himself didn't know where he was from.

Rikuo gently cleared his throat, gaining the blonds attention. Normally, the blond would have jumped up, embarrassed at having been watched without noticing, or been angered at having a follower. This day however, Kazahaya simply acknowledged the man before him, and resumed looking at his hands, before slowly standing and walking to the prince's side.

Rikuo raised an eyebrow at his friend's behaviour, almost disappointed at the lack of response, but satiated by the knowledge that Kazahaya must wish to speak with him.

"I want to show you something."

Without another word, Kazahaya left the music room, and Rikuo saw him turn in the direction of his quarters. Though Kazahaya had originally lived with Saiga and Kakei in their apartments, he had since moved into a room himself, though he had chosen a rather small living space.

As they entered into the small apartment, Rikuo took note that, just as had been during his last visit, Kazahaya's quarters were bare of anything without function or pleasant origin. Every item in the space that could be described as decoration had been a gift at one time or another from the royal family or Kazahaya's guardians. The only other possessions were what Kazahaya physically required to survive. Rikuo's eyes landed upon the bed, where a small bear-like toy with wings sat perched upon the pillow.

All but one.

The small bear had been gifted to Kazahaya during a recent ball by the princess of the Eastern continent. It had been her first ball, and she had been overwhelmed by the sheer number of people, resulting in her out of the ballroom into the gardens. Her elder brother had gone and searched for her, but it was Kazahaya who had found her hiding within the branches of a cherry blossom tree and returned her to the ballroom.

The toy, named by the girl 'Kero-chan' had been gifted to the empathy when he managed to coax her out of the tree after leaping into it's branches himself. The small bear had never left Kazahaya's room, but Rikuo and any else who saw it were able to tell that it was well cared for.

Rikuo's attention was brought back to the space's owner when Kazahaya began removing his shirt. First reaction being to make an innuendo, Rikuo held in the lewd comment dancing on the tip of his tongue, remembering Kazahaya's words in the music room. Once the article of clothing had been removed from porcelain-white skin, Kazahaya turned around, showing his back to the prince.

"What do you think?"

Rikuo was stunned. Covering every single red line that had always burned in his sight, was black ink, curving both gently and harshly, the final image stealing the northern princes words and breath.

Wings. They suited him; after all, he is an angel.

Rikuo stared at the intricate pattern, amazed not only by the clever concealing of terrible markings, but also by the sheer idea of Kazahaya getting a tattoo. Such things took time to apply, and Kazahaya was rarely out of anyone's sight for long enough to allow the application of the ink without notice. The style of the design also prevented Kazahaya from being the one to have applied it; the lines too smooth to have been drawn and filled by the boy before him.

"I had been planning to get one for a while now. Even though I don't comment on it … it has always been hard for me to see them … and even harder to see your faces when you see them. During the final rites for his majesty, you and her highness were focused solely upon the ceremony, as was Kakei. Saiga had been called to look after something, if you remember? I got it done then … it was the only chance I would have the time to get it done."

The northern prince couldn't help but to smile at Kazahaya's explanation; he hadn't asked when the tattoo had been acquired, but Kazahaya had supplied the information anyway. There was still the sense of pain, however it was no longer directed at the scars marking the empath; it was now directed at how ignorant of the empath's pain they had all been.

Kazahaya moved to regain his shirt, once again hiding his back, though now for a different reason. Rikuo heard the blond mention something about how he would prefer to keep his tattoo a secret from the others for a while longer, and he only told the prince because he knew Rikuo could be trusted.

Rikuo smiled again, gently placing his hand on the blonds head. Kazahaya stilled, though not from discomfort. Rather from a sense of security that seemed to manifest when the prince was around. They stayed like that for a while, just the two of them perfectly at ease with the other, before they turned and left the small apartments, both heading to receive whatever conjured punishment the Queen would bestow for their truancy, though for Kazahaya it would be far more restricted.

There was no need for Kazahaya to make Rikuo swear his secrecy. There was no need for Rikuo to promise it.

For them and them alone, it was already a given promise.

The chapter now, I must leave. Like the slowly blowing breeze. I hope that when I tell my tale, you'll listen calmly as I regale. The story of our young Kazahaya, isn't over, not by far. I do hope this chapter shall be a queller, Of your impatience.

The Storyteller.