"Eiri? Hey, Yuki?" K called up the worn stairs, trying to decipher the gloom. He'd asked a few townspeople about Kumagoro, the standout of the thieving trio, to try and find out where Yuki lived. He wasn't sure that the street rat would retreat back to his hovel, but it was worth a shot. "Hello?"

"Go away." A muffled voice replied, and K guessed that its owner had just shed some unwelcome tears.

"Can't." K responded, running the rest of the way up and craning his neck around the weathered door frame to make sure that he'd found the proper target.

Yuki was curled up in one of the corners, staring out at the palace. His hair was matted where he'd been grabbing at it, and his face was smudged with dirt and tears. He slowly turned his head to face the intruder, and the brokenness sent chills down K's spine.

"Please, K, not now, just get out of here." Yuki whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Please…"

"No, there's no way that I'm leaving you here like this." K answered, walking over to Yuki and trying to pick him up. "Come on, don't do this to yourself."

"K."

"I'm not leaving, I don't care what you have to say about it. I'm not going to leave you alone with yourself." K explained, worried about the large window and the long drop below it. Yuki didn't look or sound stable, and K refused to have his blood on his hands.

"I don't need you here, really, I'm fine." Yuki said, attempting an off-hand tone. "I'll be fine, K."

K 'hmphed' and took a step back. He could detect the stiffness in Yuki's voice, and he understood that the man was trying to save face, but K knew that he must be hurting something awful. He weighed his options, and couldn't decide on the right course of action. Yuki turned away from him and walked over to the window, leaning on his crumbling wall for support. K watched him in silence, trying to ignore the shaking of his shoulders, or the repressed tears. Yuki was dying on the inside, barely containing it on the outside, and K didn't know how to handle it. He'd never imagined that this would happen, and he knew that it was his fault for ever letting Ryuichi hijack the wish.

He sighed and looked at his feet, waiting for his brain to make up its mind. He could either keep pushing, and try to talk Yuki through his decision and the reasons behind it, or he could grant his friend the dignity he'd requested, and deserved, and let it go without any prying. He sighed again and pushed aside his curiosity to do right by his friend. He waited for Yuki to be still and then cleared his throat, an olive branch for invading the man's privacy prepared.

"Yuki? I was thinking, and…use your third wish to get what you really wanted. I…screwed you over the first time, I'm sorry." K said, watching Yuki intently for a response.

Yuki didn't answer and turned his eyes on K, his entire body numb from what had happened. It had touched him that K followed him, and stayed with him, even though he'd told him to leave. He'd played with wishes once, and the burn he'd gotten from that flame would forever scar him. He didn't even have to consider K's offer this time.

"No."

"OK, here we –wait, what?" K said, surprised. He'd expected Yuki to jump on the chance to have his money at long last with no strings attached, but here he was, turning him down without hesitation.

"I don't want the money, and I was serious when I told you to leave." Yuki replied, facing K and putting added emphasis on his last words. "Go on, get out of here."

"I'm not following…did you hit your head again?" K asked, raising his eyebrows and looking Yuki over again.

"No, I didn't. Jeez you're thick, you're free, you moron, now get lost. I wish for your freedom." Yuki told K, rolling his eyes and turning back to his view of the palace.

"I'm…free?" K sputtered incredulously. "Free?"

"Yes, free. Free to go and terrorize other unsuspecting townspeople, free to run around naked, free to set your lamp on fire, whatever the hell you want to do, I don't care, as long as it gets you far away from me." Yuki answered quickly, failing to contain a smile at the end of his rant. As much as K drove him crazy, and as much chaos the man had caused, he'd given him Shuichi, and for that, he was forever grateful.

"Eiri, listen…" K started, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Oh come on…"

"You're…my favorite master, and I'll miss you. I…if you ever need anything, just ask, and I'll find you." K said, choking on his tears. He pulled Yuki into a tight hug, remaining unfazed by the one-sidedness of it. "And…you're a good man, the best, and no one should ever tell you otherwise. You beat him any day, every day, and don't ever let anyone tell you differently."

"K…" Yuki started to say, overwhelmed by the sentiment in K's words. Before he could say anything else, K vanished, leaving only a cloud of bluish dust where he'd been. He had no idea how the genie had figured out what had happened with Hiro in the throne room, and he wasn't about to take his words as a reason to return and fight, but they'd meant something to him nonetheless. "Thanks. For everything."

He sighed heavily and rubbed his face in his sleeve, wanting to remove any evidence of his heartbreak. He was trying to adjust to his old life as quickly as he could, as lingering in the past would only hurt more later. He was sure that Ryuichi would probably check in at some point, but his partner seemed pretty happy staying in the palace with Tatsuha and Shuichi. He kept watching the palace, unable to tear himself away from it. He was secretly hoping that Shuichi would pop out, would appear on some distant balcony, but his logical side was pelting him with the truth that he wouldn't. Shuichi was probably just as, or, if possible, more miserable than him.

"Dammit…" Yuki whispered, biting down on his lip to keep from crying out loud. He hated Tohma and Caspian for what they had done to him, and to those that he cared about. He hated Hiro, for coming back, and for showing him the light. But most of all, he hated himself for giving in so easily, even though he knew that it was what was best for Shuichi. "Shuichi…"

"'allo, captain!" Ryuichi chirped, bouncing into the room and saluting Yuki a little too enthusiastically, smacking himself in the face with Kumagoro and his own hand. "Oww…"

"Ryuichi?" Yuki asked, clearing his throat roughly to hide any unwanted tones. "You're not in the palace?"

"You didn't give me any orders, I didn't know what to do, so I came back to the base. So what's the plan, kemosabe?" Ryuichi explained, leaving out the part about how he'd eavesdropped on the exchange between genie and master and waited for the opportune moment to enter.

"The plan?"

"Yeah! What now?" Ryuichi pressed, having decided outside that Yuki needed a distraction more than anything. Whenever he was in a bad mood, it only got worse when he was left on his own to brood about it, and Ryuichi wasn't about to let that happen on his watch. Even if Yuki got upset with him for a few days, or even a week or two, it would be worth it to help his friend.

"Just chill…" Yuki muttered, shaking his head and pondering the old question of why he'd gotten stuck with the world's top ranking idiot savant.

"Chill? Yuki, we live in a desert…" Ryuichi said, trying his best to look perplexed. Taking care of Yuki required extreme focus, and he couldn't afford to let his happy-go-lucky side take over until the younger man was semi-stable.

"Ryuichi, not now, just…"

"LET'S PLAY A GAME!" Ryuichi screamed, jumping up and down in place.

"No…"

"Mandatory male bonding time, K said you needed it." Ryuichi said out of the side of his mouth, his eyes narrowed and slanted.

"He said what?" Yuki responded, his hackles raised. The genie had done enough damage without giving Ryuichi post-departure ideas.

"You need man-time, K said it's good for your…your…ego." Ryuichi continued, trying desperately to ignore the 'I'm going to kill you and eat your brains' look that Yuki was giving him.

"K can go and-"

"Yuki! Be nice! Let's play pin the bowtie on Kuma!" Ryuichi squealed, taking off Kuma's bowtie and throwing it at his commander.

"Ryuichi, come on…" Yuki sighed exasperatedly. He'd just been ready to hunt K down and smack him, but seeing Ryuichi's blind enthusiasm for a game was painfully reminding him of what he'd just left behind. He sighed again and resigned himself to an evening of Ryuichi insanity; it was better than wasting away in the corner anyway. "Fine, I'll go first…"

"Yay!" Ryuichi answered, skipping around the room. He breathed a sigh of relief internally, glad that he didn't have to push harder. He watched Yuki stumble forward with his eyes closed, the bowtie in one hand and almost cried himself. He'd never seen Yuki look like that, and he knew that he must be hurting terribly. He took a calming breath and put his smile back in place, swearing on all that he loved that he'd do whatever it took to make Yuki feel better, even if it was just for a few minutes.

Hiro got up with the sun the next morning, having spent the entire night waiting on it to rise. He'd been unable to sleep, and had been awaiting the time that he could go and confront Shuichi without having to take a torch with him. The other prince hadn't left the comfort of Cinda since he'd been composed enough to run into her trunk. He'd thought about pursuing him to the courtyard, but he knew from past experiences that it was best to let him alone when things were bad enough to drive him to the elephant.

Instead, he'd paced around the rooms the council of Agrabah had given him and thought about what he was going to say to Shuichi when he finally had the chance to go and see him. He'd considered telling him about the conversation that had transpired with Yuki, but he didn't think that he could bring himself to admit that. Shuichi had looked dead on the inside, and he wasn't sure if he wanted his love to know Yuki's departure was his fault. He stood by his decision to confront the street rat, and he was glad that it had worked out the way that it did, but that didn't change his guilt, and the accompanying squishy feeling in his stomach when he pictured Shuichi's crying face.

He wanted to tell Shuichi how he really felt, and why he'd come back to fight for him. He wanted to convince him that his feelings were genuine, and that they were at the very least equal to Yuki's. He understood that Shuichi loved his dashing street rat, but he also understood that he was better for Shuichi than Yuki could ever hope to be, and he had to make Shuichi see that.

He'd been wrestling with himself over the last detail all night, and he still wasn't sure if he could pull the big trigger. Eventually, he wanted to marry Shuichi, that was a given. He'd been ready to marry him after their first real conversation, and he'd been in love with him even before that. As soon as he'd seen him, as soon as he saw how he was with Cinda, he'd known. Before Shuichi, he'd never believed in love at first sight, but now he was a loyal convert. He was ready to live his live with, and for, Shuichi, and the only thing stopping him was the target of his affections.

He wanted to propose, wanted to feel the joy of an engagement, and of a marriage, but he was almost entirely sure that Shuichi wasn't ready. A good chunk of him was partially convinced that he'd never be ready, but he had to get married eventually, and if Shuichi would let him, he wanted to be the one. He wanted to be there for him when he needed him the most; now. Even though Yuki was never coming back, and they'd likely never see each other again, Shuichi would heal, somehow, and if Hiro could be there to help him, to hold him, through it all, he would be. In his mind, the sooner Shuichi was married, the better, as the council wouldn't let him rest long, and if it was to someone that he knew cared about him, and could eventually care for, it was a winning situation for him. The council had assumed control once they were sure that Tohma's crazy rampage was at an end, and had been shocked to learn that the Sultana had sided with him. Their first order of business had been to apologize profusely to him, and then to send Tatsuha and a small contingent after Tohma and Caspian. Even though they were focused on restoring the peace for the moment, Hiro was sure that Shuichi's marital status would soon be in their sights again.

The last thing he wanted to do was frighten Shuichi, and he couldn't stand the thought of being turned down. If Shuichi tried to make him leave, he'd be failing in his promise to Yuki, and even with his dislike of the street rat, he still respected him enough to uphold his word.

He shook his head a few times to clear his thoughts and started walking towards the courtyard. For Shuichi's sake, he had to risk being turned down. He loved the prince, and if Shuichi could ever find it in himself to feel the same way, even a little bit, Hiro knew that he could make him happy. When he reached Shuichi's haven, he cracked his neck and entered, clearing his throat to announce himself.

"Mmm?" Shuichi mumbled, turning slowly to see who'd invaded his courtyard.

"It's just me, it's Hiro." Hiro replied quickly, not wanting to startle his fragile friend. "Listen, Shuichi, I need to talk to you."

"Not now, Hiro…" Shuichi whispered, his voice hoarse from his first night without Yuki.

"Yes, now, please just hear me out." Hiro pressed, wanting to get everything off of his chest in one go. The longer he dragged it out, the harder it would be for him to say the right words, and if the council was left to their own devices for long, he would never be able to, and Shuichi wouldn't even have a say in his own future. "I…I…I'm in love with you."

"Wha?" Shuichi asked, almost topping into the fountain in his surprise. "Hiro, what is this?"

"I love you, Shuichi, I'm not just saying it, it's real, and I understand if you don't feel the same." Hiro responded, almost choking on his words in his hurry to get them out. Shuichi looked like he was torn between panicking and attacking, and he was eager to avoid both.

"Hiro…"

"Please, just let me finish." Hiro said, putting up his hands and looking Shuichi in the eye. "I came back here to fight for you, to save you from this place. I thought you hated…him, and I couldn't live with myself for leaving you like that."

Shuichi stared at Hiro, waiting for the world to make sense. He'd stayed up all night, unable to face going to sleep without Yuki, unwilling to return to his room knowing that his lover wouldn't be there. After spending the night with Cinda, he'd calmed down enough to want to see the next day, but he still felt numb. He'd resolved to stay in the palace, to leave Yuki alone, and he was starting to form a plan, some way that he could survive without his love.

Now that he finally had a fragile grip on his new life, Hiro was throwing him this curve ball, and he wasn't entirely sure how to handle it all. He sighed and faced his friend, waiting for the rest of his explanation.

"When I came back to find you so in love with…him, and so happy, I didn't know what to do. I was going to stand by and let you be, because I knew that's what you wanted, but now…well, now I can't, Shuichi, I can't. I'm not going to abandon you again, never, even if I'm just here as your friend." Hiro continued, tears welling up in his eyes. "You're everything to me now, I have no idea why, or how, this happened, but it did, and I'm thankful for every second that I feel this way."

"Hiro, I can't…I love…I love…Yuki." Shuichi managed to say, clearing his throat a few times to make it easier to speak. He stared at Hiro, starting to feel a little defensive. He'd just lost the love of his life, Hiro knew that, he'd been there for it, and yet here he was, confessing his undying devotion. "And you know that. I told you everything, I told you the story, and how much he meant to me. What do you expect me to say?"

"I know that, I know, I just had to say it, Shuichi. I love you more than I know how to explain, I would do anything for you, even if it means leaving you alone. As long as you're happy, as long as you're safe, that's all that matters to me, really." Hiro tried to explain, wondering if he'd spoken too soon. "And I don't expect you to say anything, I understand if you don't feel the same, Shuichi."

"I don't. And I don't think I ever will." Shuichi said, looking down as he said it. Hiro went silent for a few beats, and Shuichi instantly regretted being so harsh. "Hiro, I'm sorry, really, I am, but Yuki was my entire world, and he's gone…and I don't know what to do…and…I'm so tired…"

"I know, Shuichi, it'll be alright." Hiro said, approaching Shuichi to comfort him.

"No! You don't know! And it won't be alright, he's gone! He left me!" Shuichi screamed, jumping up and backing away from Hiro. Cinda gave the advancing royal a warning grunt and returned to her breakfast. "And I don't believe you!"

"Why not? I love you, Shuichi, I do! I want to be with you, you can't see that? Why else would I have come back? Why else would I have fought off Mika and Tohma, why?" Hiro asked, narrowly avoiding spilling the beans about Yuki's departure in his rant.

"Well, then what are you going to do when the council marries me off, huh?" Shuichi asked, crossing his arms and glaring at Hiro.

"That's why I'm talking to you now, and not later. Listen to me, Shuichi, please…I can't even begin to fathom how hurt you must be, I won't pretend to try, but I love you, and I want to be there for you, no matter what, and in any way that I can be. Please believe me when I say that, please…" Hiro said, a few tears escaping.

"Hiro…" Shuichi whispered, sighing. His lack of sleep and broken heart were making him snippy, and he hated that he was taking it out on his friend. "I'm sorry…"

"Sorry?"

"I shouldn't have said that…I overreacted, it's just…I miss him so much…and…wait, why does talking to me now make any difference to the council?" Shuichi asked, sitting down again. He hadn't been tired before his outburst, but now he felt completely drained.

"Because…well…Shuichi, I want to marry you. Not because the Sultana wanted it, not because my parents want it, not because the council may try to force it, but because I love you. I want this, and I'll understand if you don't. But please, consider it. Don't just say no…please." Hiro managed to say, watching Shuichi's face carefully for any sign of a response.

"I…don't know what to say." Shuichi answered honestly, going numb all over again. "I…I need some time, Hiro."

"OK. I'll talk to you later then. Just…come find me when you're ready, I won't bother you." Hiro told Shuichi, giving him a small smile and leaving the courtyard. He sighed heavily when he was out of earshot and leaned against a wall for support. "Wow…"

Once he'd seen Shuichi, he hadn't been sure if he'd be able to say the right things to him. Now that the exchange was over, and Shuichi hadn't disowned him, the world looked brighter, and he felt like he could sleep again. He meandered groggily up to his quarters and collapsed, exhausted.

"Now what…." Shuichi mused, getting off of the fountain and wrapping his arms around himself. Cinda grunted a few suggestions and then went off to nap, worn out from a night of comforting. "I don't know what to do…"

Losing Yuki again had sent him into shock, and he'd spent the entire night trying to regain some feeling on the inside, some hope that he'd recover. After hours sitting with Cinda, or wandering blindly around the courtyard, he'd been convinced that he'd never recover all the way, and that a life without Yuki would never be able to come close to the one he'd had before. He sighed and wiped away the tears that were leaking out. He had no idea what to do; his mind was a blank, and no matter what he tried to do, he couldn't make sense of anything, let alone Hiro proposing to him.

Every time he tried to think, there was just emptiness, completely devoid of any thought or feeling, and he felt like he was just floating along, unable to gain control of his own life. He shook his head, trying to get a hold of himself. He needed to calm down if he was going to be able to be truthful to Hiro, but he had no idea how to do that. He tried to remember what would have worked in the past, but he kept drawing blanks. After a few minutes he started to panic, never having had this problem before.

"Yuki…what do I do?" Shuichi whispered, the tears coming back as soon as he said his lover's name.

He sank down onto the ground, and tried to picture Yuki, tried to do anything that would make it hurt less. Part of him knew that trying to see Yuki would just hurt more later, but right now, he needed to feel like his love was close by, that he cared, and that he still loved him, even for a moment. He tried desperately, but he couldn't conjure up any images, or even thoughts, of Yuki when he tried. They'd flitted in and out all night, but none had lingered.

The entire night, he'd been haunted by Yuki's words. They'd been repeated over and over again in his head, and if they hadn't been said in Yuki's sweet voice, it might have driven him crazy. He'd just laid there with Cinda, wishing desperately that there was something he could do. He knew full well that he shouldn't follow Yuki, that if he'd left, that's the way he wanted it.

He took some steadying breaths and stopped his tears, realizing that he had to start breathing again if he was going to get anything accomplished. He stood up and started walking around. He had to think about Hiro, and he had to figure out how to live his life without Yuki.

He only knew one thing, and could only hold onto that one thought in his current state. He didn't want anyone to replace Yuki, ever, and he knew that it wouldn't be fair to Hiro to accept his proposal; it would be a lie. He would never love him like he loved Yuki, he would never be able to love anyone like that ever again, and Hiro deserved more than that.

"Dammit…" Shuichi moaned, collapsing under a tree. From where he was sitting he could see the balcony, and the spot where he'd realized that Eiri was Yuki, that his dashing rescuer wasn't dead. "No, not here, I can't do this anymore…"

Before he could stop himself, the tears started leaking out, and he frantically wiped at his eyes. He'd thought that he was emotionally drained, spent, wiped out, but here he was, sobbing again. Every time an image or a memory of Yuki crossed his mind, everything else stopped mattering, and all he wanted to do was to hold onto it for as long as he could. He tried to think of the sad times, to stop his depressed slide into the past, and all he could draw up was their conversation before Tohma had lost his marbles.

He could see the clouds in Yuki's eyes again, and he could feel the sad tension that had been there. Thinking about one of the lowest points of his life had mellowed him out and stopped the heartbroken tears, but the pain of Yuki abandoning him was burning a hole through him. He stopped sniffling and leaned back against the tree, letting the words wash over him.

He could remember Yuki telling him that he would be fine, that he should move on with his life, and he could remember feeling so helpless to stop the best thing in his life from walking out of it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He moved to get up, and then a particular part of the exchange came rushing back to him.

"Eiri, please…" Shuichi begged, burying his face into Yuki's collarbone. "I don't want to be with anyone else…"

"Stop." Yuki said, a tone of finality in his voice. "It's over, Shuichi, you have to move on, you have to accept this, please…"

"I don't think I can…" Shuichi whispered, his voice dead. "I can't…I can't be with anyone else."

"Marry Hiro, he'll take care of you…he loves you, anyone could see that."

"Eiri…" Shuichi whispered, staying where he was. "But…I don't want anyone else…"

He ambled over to the fountain and looked at the cool, calm waters, wanting something to make sense for once that day. He looked down into the pool, saw his reflection, and gasped; he looked so empty. He was used to seeing a certain brightness in his eyes, and a different set to his face. The ghost staring out of him was shocking. He looked like he was completely devoid of life, like he was dead on the inside. He gasped and pulled away, startled by what he'd seen. When he'd been with Yuki, he'd been happy, he'd been whole, and that was the way that he wanted to stay. He wanted to do whatever he could to hold onto his old self, to hold onto Yuki.

Yuki's words echoed back to him then, and he clapped a hand over his mouth to stop from crying out from his realization. He'd do anything to stay close to his lover, and if that meant taking the advice that he'd never wanted to hear, then he'd do it.

Well guys, this is it. This is the first part of the last chapter…I can't believe that I'm writing my ending. Huh, I've been working on this thing for five years…counting the layout process that took forever. It's going to be so alien to me not having this story to work on…alright, alright, I'm done being sappy.

In other news, my usual summer anime convention is this weekend, and I'm pretty darn excited. I'm wearing that huge poofy white monstrosity that Sarah wears in the Labyrinth ballroom scene. Woot.

Catch you guys next chapter,

Amaya