Yay! Here's chapter two, published on Barako's birthday as promised. This fic probably seems a bit rushed and might've been better as several more chapters, but what the hey. Hopefully it works out all right. ^^

Chapter 2

It had taken Gala a long time to take Songi up on his offer - another month, in fact. He'd tried to put the meeting out of his mind, pretend it had never happened. But even if he hadn't had that swelling bruise on his neck for several days afterwards, Gala doubted he could've imagined such an incident.

He'd had no real desire to see Songi and probably wouldn't have, if not for his next visit to Maya and Mei in Rim Elm. The way Maya had looked at him, so hopefully, so trustfully, Gala had been unable to stop himself from taking her aside within the first few minutes of arriving and telling her about his meeting with the wanted man. In the same conversation, he'd asked for Songi's current location, which, by that time, had changed to a cave closer to the monastery. Maya's look of delight had almost made everything seem worth it.

Later that day, after he'd left Rim Elm, Gala, not in the least bit sure why he was doing it, had sought out Songi in his new hiding place. He'd half-expected, and hoped, not to see him there. But sure enough, the minute he'd stepped into the cave, Gala had encountered the sight and smell of mushrooms and some kind of bird roasting over an indoor fire. And sitting beside it, lazily tending to the food, had been Songi.

"You!" Songi almost squeaked, jumping to his feat. "You scared the ever-loving hell out of me!"

Gala didn't answer right away. He was looking around the cave Songi was briefly calling home. It was quite small, more than a little dank and, apart from the fire, two blankets and a small bundle of supplies in the corner, completely empty. With an annoyed grunt, Songi sat back down and went back to preparing his meal. It didn't smell very appetizing, but then, he'd always been a lousy cook.

"It'd take a lot more than me to scare all the hell out of you, Songi," Gala said dryly, sitting down opposite him and looking at the roasting food. "And I thought you said you didn't pick wild mushrooms."

"I don't," Songi said, just as dryly. "Maya gave me these ones. I hate mushrooms, but apparently they're good for me, so I guess I'd better eat them."

"You're doing it all wrong," Gala said wearily. "The fire, I mean. The way you're roasting it, everything's going to burn black before it cooks. You have to turn the stuff as you roast it, and... Oh, here. Let me do it."

Without invitation, Gala leaned forward and snatched the stick Songi had been using to tend the fire out of his hand.

"Fine," Songi said, leaning back against the cave's wall as Gala began turning the meat and mushrooms. "Just don't expect to get any because you're helping me."

"As tempting as it looks, I don't think I want any."

"Good. Because you're not getting any."

There was a long, heavy silence between them, the crackling of the fire the only sound.

"So how are things at the monastery?" Songi asked after they had been silent for several awkward minutes. "Is Zopu still on everyone's asses?"

"Everyone who steps out of line, yes."

"Oh, of course. You're too perfect to ever get on his bad side. Perfect, perfect Master Teacher, never one to-"

"We got into trouble all the time when we were kids," Gala interrupted him. "When I was stupid enough to listen to you and go outside of the monastery, or when we sneaked extra food from the kitchens."

"But as you got older," Songi said, unmoved, "you became too good to hang around with lowly old me, right? You were too busy kissing up to everyone."

The bitterness in Songi's voice shook Gala. What he was saying wasn't really true. Their increasing training duties had forced them both to spend less time in leisure, which had ultimately meant they'd had less time to spend together. But the fact that Songi believed his own story, and actually seemed to care that Gala had abandoned him, was surprising.

"I never thought I was too good for you," Gala said after a moment, turning over a mushroom. The meal wasn't really improving much. He'd have to stop cooking soon, or it'd be completely charred. "I wanted to keep being friends with you. I even let you get away with drugging me at that Transmigration Festival. I could've told everyone what you did, but I kept quiet. The only reason Master Zopu found out was because the healer told him."

"You didn't tell anyone because you knew it'd make you look bad," Songi said stubbornly. "That's the same reason you took the Jigul grass from me too, even though it was obviously a trick."

"The reason I took the Jigul grass from you was because I trusted you, Songi. Stupid, I know, but I did. And the reason I didn't tell anyone what you did was because I wanted you to feel like you had worth again, since beating me clearly meant so much to you."

"Yeah, right," Songi scoffed. "You didn't care about me, any more than Zopu or the other monks did. There have only been three people who've ever really cared about me - my parents and Maya."

Gala resisted the urge to sigh out loud in exasperation.

"Just because someone isn't constantly telling you you're wonderful or letting you have your own way all the time," he said, forcing himself to stay calm, "doesn't mean they don't care about you, you stupid idiot."

"Great tautology there, Gala."

"I'm amazed you actually know that word. Anyway, food's ready. Or, as ready as it'll ever be."

Gala poked the blackened mess out of the fire with the stick and towards his companion. Songi didn't seem overly perturbed by its appearance, probably because it was better than what he'd been having for a long time. Unceremoniously, he scooped up a large handful of mushrooms and bird - Gala noticed several charred feathers still clinging to the meat - and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Delicious," he said flatly with his mouth full. "You've really outdone yourself this time."

Gala didn't know why he kept rising to the older man's baiting, especially since he'd never really done that before Songi had betrayed the monastery, but he couldn't seem to stop himself.

"I did what I could after you'd been at it, and it's a lot more than I thought I'd be able to do."

"Great," Songi said, picking up another handful of food. "Then again, you're amazing, aren't you? What can't you do right?"

Gala didn't answer this time and just let him eat his wretched meal, eager for the disgusting sight and smell to be gone as quickly as possible. Luckily, Songi was a very fast eater, although he was also somewhat messy as well. Several pieces of burnt meat and mushroom ended up on his shirt, and he didn't appear to notice.

In less than two minutes, Songi had made short work of the food, washing it down with a few long sips from a water canteen from his supplies. Sighing in something that could've been either satisfaction or disgust, he leaned back against the cave wall opposite to Gala. He surveyed him with an unreadable expression on his face.

"You're welcome," Gala said, after the other man had been staring at him for a good thirty seconds. Receiving no reply, he added, somewhat nervously: "Why are you staring at me?"

"No reason. Come here, though. I want to show you something."

That unreadable look was still on his face, and Gala felt a chill run down his spine. Songi rolled his eyes.

"I'm not going to kill you. How many times do I have to tell you?"

Yielding reluctantly, Gala consented to edge around the still-crackling fire and seat himself at least a meter from Songi.

"What is it?" he asked, eyeing the bag of supplies in the corner rather than his companion. "I really can't stay long. I just-"

He was cut off suddenly by Songi throwing himself at him and, before he could so much as attempt to defend himself, pinning him up against the cave wall. If he'd been left that way for even five seconds, Gala's first thought would've been that Songi did, after all, intend to kill him.

But he wasn't left like that.

His powerful arms still pinning him against the solid stone, his face as unreadable as ever, Songi leaned forward and pressed his lips against Gala's, kissing him hard and deeply.

Gala tried to struggle away, but he was held fast. His heartbeat started to speed up double-time, and he began to gasp for air through his mouth, which only served to draw his assailant closer to him.

Songi's breath smelled of the charred dinner he'd just eaten, but even more than that was the smell of desperation. The hands clutching Gala's shoulders leaked of it too, clenching and kneading around them in turn.

Gala couldn't think, he couldn't get away, and he couldn't breathe. Songi was going to kill him after all, suffocate him with his desperation. He began to grow lightheaded, and his struggles lessened.

Just as black was beginning to coat the corners of his eyes, Gala felt Songi's lips separate from his. The Master Teacher drew in long, shuddering breaths, his body limp. After gasping for at least twenty seconds, he opened his eyes - he didn't even remember closing them - and looked at Songi. They stared at each other blankly for what felt like years, until Gala, his voice trembling with a combination of rage and shock, muttered:

"What the hell was that?"

Songi's blank look was replaced by anger, and he glared at Gala in hatred.

"Shut up," he rasped. There was a hungry, almost insane look in his eyes which scared Gala more than he ever could've admitted. "Gala, shut up. You always talk when I don't want you to, and I'm sick of it. Right now, we're going to do what I want, and what I want..."

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against the brunet's again. The kiss was more gentle this time, but still teeming with desperation and domination. He kneaded Gala's shoulders, seemingly intentionally this time, and Gala felt himself give an involuntary groan.

Songi drew back as soon as he heard this, a look of triumph in his burning eyes.

"Don't ask me why I'm doing this," he said. His voice had gotten incredibly husky. "Because I don't know myself. But-"

"Songi..." Gala wheezed, almost pleaded, "we're... we're both men! This is wrong!"

Songi looked back at him, unfazed.

"Who says?" he asked. "Oh, right. Biron. Except that I don't believe in him anymore. I stopped believing in gods a long time ago."

"Apart from yourself," Gala couldn't help saying.

Songi grinned. He seemed genuinely amused.

"You admit I'm godly, then." His smile disappeared, and his voice lowered: "Wanna make out with a god, Gala?"

"Oh, I actually get a choice this time?"

Gala could not believe they were having this conversation. Of all the people to share his first kiss with, whether he wanted to or not, he never would've believed Songi would've been the one. Not only did Gala have a difficult time thinking of him as anything but a former friend and enemy, he also had no idea why Songi would want this from him anyway. Surely, having no one to do this with was better than... than...

"You get a choice, Gala," Songi said, breaking into his thoughts. "Aside from the fact that I don't think I'd be able to keep restraining you forever, I'm not the sort of guy who goes out of his way to kiss someone who doesn't want it."

"Is that just a pride-thing?" Gala asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"You know it is. So just yes or no, Gala. Do you want me to kiss you again?"

"I... I don't know."

Gala heard the words leave his mouth, but he couldn't believe them. His answer should've been 'no,' and then he should've been knocking the sick bastard to the ground and running out of there as fast as he could.

But his lips were tingling where Songi's had covered them, and goosebumps were rising on his shoulders where Songi was still holding them, and his head felt almost as light as it had when he'd been unable to breathe, and his entire body seemed to be trembling, and...

Smiling, Songi moved forward and touched his lips to Gala's again.

After that incident, which he had abstained from thinking about for a long time afterwards, Gala hadn't seen Songi for at least another month, though they'd parted from each other fairly civilly, considering.

"Come see me again if you want," Songi had said, leaning against the outside of his cave as he saw his guest off. "I'll be around."

And eventually, Gala had come to see him again, though at a different cave, and from there, it had become a pretty regular habit. So regular that they'd begun planning set days, and Songi, despite his insistence that he didn't need anything from him, had started to request specific foods and other supplies. These Gala always brought, and Songi always accepted without a word of thanks, as though he took it for granted that Gala would do whatever he could to help him.

On these meetings, sometimes they talked, sometimes they just sat in silence, and sometimes they even laughed together. Always, though, they ended up doing what they'd done in that cave the first time, at times going less far than they'd gone that day, but most of the time going much further.

Songi had strength to overcome Gala when they did this, something which he'd never had anywhere else and which Gala knew meant the world to him. Although, probably the only reason for this was because Gala spent most of his time training and sparring with his students, while Songi, though he kept his strength from travelling and hunting, spent a lot of his time cooped up inside caves. Gala had a feeling a lot of the energy Songi didn't get to use in everyday life was spent on him. He had no chance against him in that respect.

But even so, Gala still didn't regret saving him. For the most part, he didn't think about what they did together, except when it was happening, and at such times it was pretty difficult to think much anyway. He did think about Songi a lot in other ways, though.

For one, Gala knew he was genuinely sorry for what he'd done, for all the lives his arrogance and greed had taken. He didn't cry in front of Gala, and it was doubtful he ever would, no matter what. But Gala knew Songi did cry, when he was alone. He saw it in his eyes when he occasionally let his guard down around him, along with the deeply-veiled regret and remorse. Obviously one could've said he only cried because of the way he was now being forced to live, in constant fear and isolation, but somehow, the brunet knew it was more than that.

And for another thing, Gala couldn't bring himself to think of what his life would've been like if Songi had died in the Seru-kai. He knew he would've been haunted by it for the rest of his life - not just by the memory, but also the guilt of knowing he might've been able to stop it, and the endless curiosity of what things might've been like if he had stopped it.

Of course, Gala lived in constant fear that Songi might be caught, despite all the care he took. He'd considered offering to collect the needed supplies from Maya himself to decrease the risk, but since Maya was the only other person Songi saw besides him, and since Gala knew the woman would be heartbroken if she and Songi stopped seeing each other, he'd relented.

And so, in a fruitless attempt to relieve all this worry, practically every time they saw each other, Gala always asked the same question, 'How much longer do you think we'll be able to keep doing this?' for which Songi, unsurprisingly, never had a proper answer.

After several insistent shakes from Gala, Songi was pulled out of his stupor, and he mumbled in sleepy annoyance: "What did you say?"

They were sleeping under two blankets in a small cave in West Voz Forest - Songi refused to step into the East Voz Forest after what had happened there - and it was just past daybreak. Songi had been hiding out at this particular location for just over a week, and Gala had arrived late the previous day. They'd been seeing each other like this for almost six months now.

The two never 'cuddled' in the strictest sense after their exploits, but they did have a fairly faithful tradition of dozing together for an hour or so, usually back to back, but sometimes with the tips of their skin touching.

"I said, how much longer do you think we'll be able to keep doing this, Songi?" Gala repeated.

An exasperated sigh.

"You woke me up just for that?"

"Tell me."

"Whenever one of us decides this place is too risky, and I move to another one, just like the last fifty times."

Gala had noticed that Songi seemed to have matured somewhat in the time he'd become a fugitive. Granted, he still made his share of tasteless, unfunny jokes, and he still had to have the last word in everything, but he was nevertheless a lot better than he had been. The prolonged isolation undoubtedly had a lot to do with it, but the knowledge of what he had and had almost done was probably the main cause.

"You know that's not what I meant," Gala said.

"Then until I get caught or have to flee this country, as I keep telling you."

Unlike any of the other numerous times he'd received this answer, Gala was struck by a sudden, awful thought, and his hand dropped weakly from Songi's shoulder.

"You're not going to leave behind my back, are you?"

"What?"

Songi turned slowly over so that he was facing him. His eyes were still etched with tiredness, but this was mostly overshadowed with curiosity. Gala swallowed.

"I mean, I'm not going to go and see Maya one day and hear her say you didn't tell her where your next hiding place will be, am I?"

Songi hesitated, then said: "Would that matter?"

"Yes. To her and to me."

Songi laughed easily. It was a nice sound, as it mostly lacked the spite and malice his laughs had been made up of for so long, but right then it wasn't much of a comfort.

"You just like the sex," he said.

"That's not true, and you know it."

Songi closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again and placing a hand gently on his companion's shoulder. The sensation comforted Gala more than the laugh had, but not much.

"I love you, you know," Songi said, squeezing his shoulder a little, then quickly taking his hand away.

Gala stared at him in weak astonishment. Songi had never said that, during sex or otherwise. Songi returned his stare with comical irritation.

"What, all those times I threw myself on you didn't tip you off?"

Gala flushed and averted his gaze.

"I... I thought that was just a lust-thing," he admitted reluctantly. "I mean, I know you started caring about me a little after a while, but I didn't realize..."

"It was a lust-thing, to begin with. But then... I don't know. I can't really think what things would be like if I didn't get to see you. I guess Maya really did know what she was talking about. She usually does."

Gala smiled and looked up again. Songi returned his smile, a little sheepishly.

"Point is," he said, "I love you. I have no idea why, since you're just a stupid, whiny oaf, but life is weird sometimes. I'm not going to just up and leave you. If I do have to leave Legaia, I'll tell you before I do, or if I can't do that, I'll write to you when I'm safe."

"And if you're caught?"

"Well, I guess I'd be pretty screwed then. But at least it'd be quick, and-"

"You wouldn't be. I'd save you."

Songi laughed again, more quietly this time. He didn't really seem to believe him. Probably, some part of him - the part the Sim Ra-Seru had so ruthlessly manipulated and expanded - thought Gala would rather see him hanged or beheaded than jeopardize his position as Master Teacher.

But it didn't matter. Even if Songi didn't believe it, Gala did, and this thought, along with Songi's assurance that he would tell him if he had to flee, comforted him enough to draw out what felt like his first real smile in a long time.

"I love you, too," he added, barely above a whisper.

As Songi nodded impassively, Gala moved forward and, breaking with their tradition, took the man in his arms.

D'aaaw! :D Happy birthday, Barako! I hope the Gala/Songi birthday-slash was enjoyable. I had a lot of fun writing all that Gala and Songi interaction. ^^

As a quick author's note, please note that I wasn't trying to have a go at any religions in this chapter. It's just that, Legaia being the medieval setting it is, and Biron's philosophy having several weird rules (like not being able to laugh O_O), I wouldn't put it past that god to forbid homosexuality. Besides, as Hikari No Aijou and I have already established, Biron is so amazing, he can even change genders! ;D

Thanks to Barako and Hikari No Aijou for pointing out some typos, and to Hikari No Aijou for giving me some very helpful advice on super-long sentences. XD I haven't had the time to look through any of my work properly yet. But I'll definitely be making a point to edit sentences that are too long to read comfortably in one breath, as Hikari No Aijou appropriately calls them. ^^