Sakura: And our amazing tale of magic, love, and stuff continues!
Chazz: Why do you continue to torture us so!
Die: Because we love you! *glomps him out of nowhere*
Chazz: Gah! *goes down*
Jaden: Sakural7865 and Black Die owns nothing!
Chapter Two
"Did it usually take this long to get to the castle?" Jehu asked, irritated with the crowds of people slowing down his progress.
"Not usually," Jim answered. "It was normally twice as long."
"Look, Jim! There's people from Slayer Country, Demon Country, Celestial Country, even Dragon Country!" Johan cried, pointing out people with horns and leathery wings, large men and women carrying weapons larger than them, people with auras glowing with light and soft white feathered wings, and tall and heavy-set people with scales as bright as gems.
"It's rude to point, 'lil turtle," the Australian murmured, smiling gently, "but you're right, there's a bigger turnout than usual."
"I'm not a turtle! And I'm not 'lil anymore, Jim!" Johan pouted, mad his love hadn't dropped that nickname after all this time.
"Yeah, the other kingdoms have always stuck up their nose when Haou sent them invitations before, why did they come now?" Jehu asked, wondering how his secret love convinced the rulers from the other kingdoms to allow their citizens to come here.
"Look, seems we're here," Jim announced, getting off his mare so a servant could lead her to her stall. Johan followed eagerly, and Jehu got off his stallion last.
"Mmmm," he hummed, closing his eye as a smile came over his face, "it's good to be home."
"Haou-sama," a servant called, bringing the King's attention from the head chef to him, "Jehu-sama and his companions have arrived. They are awaiting you in the main throne room."
"Thank you, I'll head there right away," Haou responded, then turned back to the head chef, "We'll continue this on a later date. Be sure to fix up a pot of Blood Stew for Johan." Getting confirmation of his order, Haou began his short journey to the main throne room.
Hmm, it's been years since I've seen Jehu last, he mused, I wonder how he's changed...
When he got there, Haou had to take a step back to deal with the shock. Jehu had grown beautifully, from the dead-skinny boy to a well-muscled adult. Though he's still as feminine as before- no, even more so… Jehu was dressed in a black turtle neck with no sleeves, and a dark purple leather trench coat that showed off his delicate curves, black leather breeches that hugged his thighs and calves perfectly, white boots with purple leg warmers held together by black leather straps and silver buckles holding the warmers in place, a strap and buckle clamped snuggly around his upper bicep to show off his lean arms, and black arm warmers that emphasized his wrists and hands. All in all, Haou was glad he wore loose breeches today.
"Lord Jehu," he greeted warmly, taking the bluenet's hand and kissing it, "it's a pleasure to see you once again. Tell me, how fares your estate in the far north? I should hope well since you have taken the entirety of the work upon your shoulders when I was perfectly happy to keep it from bowing you, Lord."
Jehu was dumbfounded by the kiss, but regained his senses when he finally registered his King's question, "All is well, things are running smoothly."
"That's good," Haou replied, propriety keeping him from simply ripping off that tight clothing and being done with it.
"How did you convince the rulers of the other kingdoms to allow their citizens to attend this year's festival, Haou-sama? The crowd outside is the biggest I've seen since I've been in Ayora," Jehu asked, walking beside his King, Johan and Jim not far behind.
Haou sighed. "Ayora has been... militarily active the past few years," he admitted. "And since I've joined the front lines for many a fray, the other kingdoms are hoping to placate me with patronage."
"Who are we fighting?" Johan asked, Jim shooting his King a concerned look.
"It varies," the ruler stated tiredly. "Usually it's wherever the rumors favor Judai being."
"You didn't attack any of the kingdoms, have you, Haou-sama?" Jim asked, hoping Haou didn't finally lose it.
"Why attack when you can ask? All I've done was ask to look through the lands, see if there really is a sign of Judai. But the rumors are always false when it comes to him, but not when it comes to new Elementalists..." Haou answered, a bit more sourly then before.
"That's not an answer, Haou-sama," Jehu scolded, stopping dead and forcing the brunet to turn to look at him.
Topaz eyes were slightly surprised by the action, but he still answered honestly. "Never. It was always the locals who attacked first out of fear of our powers."
"Is that why they accepted this year's invitation?" Jim asked, fearing the worst.
"Partially," Haou replied, "but mostly because they fear I'm going to counterattack when I really couldn't care less."
"Hope this enlightens them..." Jim said, moving Johan so he was next to him.
"Perhaps," Haou allowed. "Now, other than the Blood Stew and the festival itself, what brings you to Aorta?"
"What? We can't visit?" Jehu teased, but Haou gave him a blank stare.
"Lord Jehu, you have never visited me since I gave you your estate, merely sent Johan and Jim here to carry your words," the ruler replied harshly. "What makes this time different?"
"Um..."
"Well?" Haou pushed, crossing his arms, "I'm waiting."
"He missed you!" Johan piped up, earning a glare from his nii-chan.
The brunet raised an eyebrow. "I doubt that, he hasn't seen me in years. I'd be surprised if he actually remembered me."
"Oh, he remembered you all right," Jim piped in, also earning a glare from his lord. "In fact, all his dreams since the day we first moved north have been filled with you, and they get dirtier every-"
Jehu covered Jim's mouth with his hand, a blush burning on his face. "Lies! All lies!"
Haou turned away to hide a smirk, striding off in the direction of his study to get some more of the endless paperwork off his desk. "If it's any consolation, Jehu, you turned out far better than any of my dreams," he called over his shoulder, chuckling at the indignant squawk he received for his troubles.
Manjoume was irritated as hell, he kept running into guards, drop outs, and WHERE WAS EDO!
"So, you're telling me I can't have my fried shrimp?"
Wait, that voice, it was familiar... He pulled his cowl lower over his face, stealing closer to the source with the silent step of a practiced assassin when he froze at the sight. No, it can't be... It can't...
"Judai-sama, you ate enough for three people! Leave some for the others, shellfish is rare here so far inland. And you could make yourself sick!" answered another familiar voice.
"Like he could get sick, Judai-sama can eat tons of those things and just sleep it off," Manjoume stated, walking towards the duo to show he commented.
The brunet turned, staring at the newcomer for a long moment before glomping him happily. "Jun-kun!" he cried, nuzzling the ravenet.
"Get off me!" he yelped, shoving the brunet to the ground instinctively.
"Judai-sama!" Daichi cried, moving to catch his mate.
"Jun-kun..?" the young brunet's eye shined with hurt tears, asking why.
Manjoume cursed his instincts in his head, darting forward to kneel beside his mate. "I'm sorry, Judai-sama," he murmured, "I just... it's been a long time since you've been beside me, and the years haven't been kind."
"Oh... Dai-chan said you were banished because that mean man took me..." Judai looked down in sadness, not noticing his mates blushing at the other meaning of 'took', "But now you found me! So Haou-nii-chan has to let you back, right?"
"He said that I had to be the one to bring you back," Manjoume admitted, "so I'd assume so."
The two looked at Daichi. "Don't worry," he said, much to their relief, "I just say I found you trying to stop him from eating the festival's supply of fried shrimp."
"Oh, thank you Dai-chan!" Judai gushed, hugging the guard before bouncing to Manjoume's side, taking his hand. "Now let's go!"
"Okay, let's go before someone tries to kidnap you again, Judai-sama!" Manjoume gruffed, leading his two loves to the castle.
Yusuke glared at the walls, absently wishing that Fubuki would have untied him before he'd run off. I mean, I love the sweetheart to death, but he really needs to remember that I can't magic myself out of these ties... Yusuke could have hit himself if he wasn't tied down. Asking one of his elements, the ropes fell in a chopped heap at his feet when the door opened to reveal Fubuki and the boy they hoped to be Koharu reborn.
Fubuki smiled. "Hey Yusuke!" he called, bouncing over to the greenet and hugging him tightly.
"Hello, Fubuki, this the boy you were telling me about?" Yusuke asked, returning the hug with less strength.
"Uh huh! Yusuke, this is Hibiki, and Hibiki, this is my mate Fujiwara Yusuke."
"Pleasure to meet you, Yusuke," the redhead greeted, bowing as was the custom in Ayora.
"The pleasure is mine." Yusuke bowed in return, taking Hibiki's head in a gentle kiss.
Hibiki blushed at the kiss, feeling complimented by the gentleness the elder shown him. "You flatter me," he murmured, then turned to Fubuki. "Now, what was it you wanted me to do here to repay my debt?"
"I want you to come with me and Yus to meet the King!" Fubuki exclaimed, earning a shocked cry from the young boy.
"The- the King!" he yelped, tawny eyes wide. "But- but I'm just a commoner!"
"So? Haou-sama isn't picky about who he meets! In fact, he'd be delighted to meet you, since most commoners know more about their kingdom then their Kings!" Fubuki replied, grabbing the younger's hand in excitement.
Yusuke shook his head, too used to his lover's antics. He picked up the youngest's hand, kissing it reassuringly. "Yes, but Fubuki, you aren't shy. Hell, I even wonder if you have any shame, Blizzard Prince," he teased lightly. "Don't worry, love, we won't let you make a mistake."
"Yeah, Haou-sama's a good guy once you get to know him! You'll be great! Now, let's go meet him!" And before Hibiki could protest, they were out the door and on their way to the palace.
"Dai-chan, I'm tired!" Judai whined, swinging Manjoume's arm boredly.
"Well, we should be near the palace by now," Daichi stated, giving polite 'hello's to passers-by.
"Jun-kun, carry me!" the brunet demanded, giving the ravenet his best puppy-dog eyes.
"Judai-sama, people are staring, and you aren't three anymore! I can't carry you so easily." But the puppy-dog eyes, when combined with the sad puppy pout, were too much for even Yubel to resist. With a sigh, the elder scooped up his mate into a bridal hold and continued walking.
"Thank you, Jun-kun," the brunet mumbled, snuggling into his collar and falling asleep instantly.
"He must have ridden a long ways to get here on time," stated Daichi. "I wonder where he's been all these years..."
"You didn't ask?" Manjoume retorted, a bit shocked his scholarly mate didn't ask.
"He was too focused on finding you, he didn't give me any leeway to ask," he replied, a blush of embarrassment coloring his cheeks.
Haou sighed, leaning his chin on his hand and wishing for the umpteenth time he could just call off the festival, or at least reduce his role in it.
"Haou," called Jehu's voice from the other side of the study's door, "May I come in?"
"By all means," the brunet allowed, welcoming the distraction, especially one so desire-worthy.
When Jehu opened the door, the huge stacks of paperwork made him stop in his tracks in fear. It followed me- wait, this is Haou's work... "Is it just me, or are those stacks bigger than before?" the young lord whispered, hoping not to draw the enemy's attention to him. A rustling sound from the stacks spooked him.
"No, they're bigger," Haou grouched, shoving aside a large column in order to stare at the bluenet. "I've been out campaigning, and so the paperwork has been getting neglected as of late."
"I don't understand why you don't have your steward take care of them while you're gone," Jehu commented, entering the room when the stack didn't move again.
"I did have him do it, he just decided this stuff needs my signature..." Haou grumbled, glaring at the enemy of all rulers and people of nobility.
"All of it?" the northern lord asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Yes, all. The bastard is just too lazy to really do more than simple things. These could have easily been signed by the royal seal," the King grumbled, "Lord Jehu, please remind me to fire that man and look for a better steward."
"Haou-sama, maybe you should take a break," the bluenet murmured. "It can't be good to stay in here all day."
The brunet grimaced. "This will take me several days to get rid of, I'd rather just get rid of it now than have to leave more of it with that incompetent buffoon again."
"Would you like my help?" Jehu offered, cautiously moved towards the stacks.
"It would be appreciated."
Jehu took a small piece of one of the stacks, grabbed a chair and pen, and began signing. "I leave home- this stuff really could have been signed by anyone of power!"
"Now do you see why I need a different steward?" Haou asked teasingly, groaning.
"I'm surprised he's still alive, with how sloppy this guy is," Jehu murmured, wondering if his steward pulled these kind of stunts.
"And with how short my temper is," Haou agreed, a snap of his fingers and a muttered word sending the current document he was reading into ashes he swept off the desk before pursuing a new paper.
"Not worth it?" Jehu asked, putting the paper he just signed with the others and picking up another one.
"No, useless," he corrected absently.
"What was it about? A marriage contract?" Jehu joked, giggling to himself at the absurdity of it.
"That's exactly what it was: a proposed consummation of my betrothal to Queen Saotome."
Jehu paled. "I thought Lady Namine was already married..."
"She was," Haou answered. "However, with the King's death, their youngest daughter Rei would ascend the throne... and she's my wife-to-be."
Jehu sighed in relief but still looked pale. "Doesn't the eldest son normally take the throne? What happened to Prince Tatsuya?"
Haou stopped what he was doing to look at his secret love. "How do you know the name of the Human Country's prince?" he asked, a bit tensely.
"I used to live there, remember?" Jehu asked easily, not seeing what the fuss was about.
Haou's left eye twitched. "No one save the royal family knows there is a son since assassinations on the King had proven that secrecy was needed. I just recently found out about him since Queen Saotome is so confident I'll ask her for her hand in marriage..."
"Um... why is she sending those proposals? Don't Elementalists have destined mates from birth?" Jehu asked, returning to the paperwork with a questionable vigilance.
"They do," Haou answered tiredly, "but Fulls like me rarely find them since we live so much longer than other Elementalists do. As a result, I can get married many times and not find my destined mate for another thousand years."
"Oh... have you married before, Haou?" Jehu asked, saddened a bit by what he just heard.
"No," he answered. "There was never anyone I liked enough to spend the remainder of their life with them."
"Then, why-"
"You're asking a lot of questions, Jehu. Trying to keep from answering mine?" Haou asked, irritated that the young lord was dodging his question.
"... How old are you?" But Jehu got a bland look in response, Haou's left eye twitching even more.
"Three or four thousand years old, I lost track sometime after one thousand and seventy nine. Now answer the question," the ruler growled, the elements reacting to his emotions and roiling around him before he closed his topaz eyes and calmed himself once more.
Jehu gulped, looked to ask another question, but stayed quiet and worked on the papers they were neglecting to sign, and were somehow growing even as they spoke. Suddenly, Haou's hands slammed down on the desk before him, hardened topaz eyes pinning him in place. "I thought I commanded you to answer my question as to how you know the Human Country's Prince, Jehu," the monarch growled warningly.
Jehu flinched, biting his lower lip in nervousness. "... I... I used to serve him..." came the small reply.
"Was he the one who hurt you?" Haou queried, reaching up to tenderly stroke the noble's cheek.
"Yes, but he wasn't the only one..." Jehu soaked up the attention Haou was giving him like a sponge.
"I'll tear him to shreds," the royal promised darkly, a vengeful gleam in his topaz eyes. "Just because he's royalty and from another country doesn't mean I'm going to let him escape from this unscathed."
"And start a war? I know for a fact we can win, but what about the other kingdoms? If they see you start a war over one person than all the bad things they think we are will be concrete to them," Jehu reasoned, taking Haou's hand in his and holding it close to his check.
"I don't care," the ruler grouched, cupping the bluenet's cheek. "They hurt you, and for that I'll paint the streets with their blood."
"Haou, everything turned out for the better. If I hadn't escaped, Johan wouldn't have Jim and I..." Jehu took the hand on his cheek and pressed it against it more.
"I still think they should pay for what they did," the monarch muttered, softening slightly at the lord's touch.
"And they can pay, by you not accepting Rei-san's proposals," Jehu said slyly, a deviant smirk on his lips.
Haou's lips decided to copy the others. "If that's the price you want them to have..." he murmured, rubbing his thumb back and forth before he groaned, retreating back to his paperwork.
"The evil enemy is still here, isn't it?" Jehu asked childishly, not wanting to look at the eternal stacks to confirm his fears.
"Sadly, yes," Haou answered. "It's times like this I hate being the only Full in the past few centuries, it makes me the only candidate for king... and the paperwork."
"How come there are so few Fulls?" Jehu asked, glaring at the paperwork hoping it would catch fire on its own as he signed what he was permitted to by law and gave to Haou what only the King could sign.
"It had to do with the creation of the Seven-Sided Star, if history is correctly taught," Haou began, "The first Queen, Sakura Senshi, was able to unite the Seven Founding Kingdoms against Yubel, the Black Queen. To show their gratitude and trust, each of the kingdoms had a gem made with their own style of magic and gave them to Sakura-sama. A white light appeared and told the entire kingdom of Ayora that there wouldn't be many Fulls to come and that Yubel wasn't fully defeated. Sakura-sama disappeared for a week, and when she returned, she had to fight Yubel in a duel to the death. Yubel was sealed and Sakura's body broke down into the elements themselves from using Aura Manipulation so much. And that's how things have been ever since."
Haou sighed. "Of course, then the mysterious Wolf-spirit known only as Kuro appeared and stole the Seven-Sided Star, infusing it with her own special magic. I was among those trying to catch her, and I must say that being bore down upon by a massive black wolf is a rather terrifying experience, especially since she could do so much destruction with that jewel. Kuro ran from us for years upon end, content with her game, until she stopped for some reason. One of the men from our unit, a boy whose name escapes me even now, found her injured from our lances and refused to let us kill her, so she gave him the Star as her thanks. However, as soon as it left her possession, she turned back into her original form of the Great Wolf that pulls the night across the sky by holding the darkness in her teeth and darting across the world. They say that when the boy died, he became the Moon Spirit and the Star broke apart in sadness."
"I heard you've been looking for the pieces of the Star before Judai-sama was kidnapped..." Haou's grip on his pen tightened in anger at Jehu's words at this point, though he didn't interrupt the bluenet, "why?"
"Simple: to destroy Yubel," Haou answered.
"Is there any particular reason for that?" Jehu asked, not having the courage to look up from his paper.
"Well, she's the main source of Black Magic, and you know what happens if that stuff is near us-" Jehu shivered involuntarily, "-but the true reason is for the deaths she caused.
"Oh," Jehu murmured, turning back to his work.
"Why do you look so down, Lord Jehu?" Haou asked, putting down his pen to fully pay attention to the one he was courting.
"No reason, Haou-sama," Jehu answered, not lifting his amber gaze from the paper as he scrawled his signature on the dotted line.
Haou's left eye twitched again, but he set aside his annoyance to finish the paperwork before the festival started the next day.
"I'm worried, you two," Ryou murmured, biting his lip. "I can't find Judai anywhere."
"He couldn't have wandered off that far, could he?" Bakura asked, annoyed his little brother figure was able to make a break for it and have at all the precious things waiting to be stolen.
"This is Judai we're talking about," Akefia stated, also annoyed the brat got away, "He could get lost in a wet paper bag, which is ironic with how he's able to use elements before Contracts..."
"And that's what I'm worried about..." Ryou murmured.
Akefia, wanting to assure his younger lover, squeezed the innocent boy's hand. "Don't worry, angel, I'm sure Judai found someone who fell for his charm," he reassured, ruffling his innocent lover's hair affectionately. "No one will take advantage of him without someone else saying something."
"Isn't Ayora rumored to have people who can use the elements without a Contract?" Bakura asked, seeing people do things the most skilled Contractors couldn't.
"Yes, little demon," Akefia confirmed, turning his attention towards the youngest of the three. "It's part of what makes Ayora such a dangerous force."
"You know, half of the culture here is similar to ours," Ryou pointed out, looking at the bright colors used for the clothing dyes, "And there's a smell similar to the stew nursemaids make to get children to eat more vegetables."
"See?" Akefia murmured with a dismissive wave of his hand, "he'll be fine."
Sakura: ... Why does Jehu appear to be the voice of reason when Haou-chame got mad at the evil NPC?
Die: Simple- because Haou would lose his cool if someone threatened Jehu.
Haou: Damn straight. *is holding Jehu to him protectively*
Sakura: ... *gives in to their logic*
Die: ... I wonder where everyone went off to.
Yami: Why, to enjoy the festival!
Sakura: ... How did you get in here?