~~~***~~~

Conrart was quiet as he accepted the strange garments from the two other men in the room with him. He pulled them on, accepting help with arranging them from one of the Kaze Samurai, and listening quietly to the other lecture him on the ways of the clan he was just about to become a part of. His clothing was to be a beautiful sapphire blue silk with beautifully embroidered black dragons, along the hem of the collar and sleeves. The belt was the only part of his ensemble that wasn't ever supposed to change color, it was a deep midnight black with blue embellishments in honor of his Temeraire.

He hissed as someone gave his short hair a slight tug, he nodded when the other man admonished him to grow out his hair. Apparently the only time a Kaze Samurai cut his hair was in mourning for his dragon's death or if he was for some reason tried and judged as being unworthy of the right to bond with a hatchling or any dragon.

~~~***~~~

Yuri sat quietly on a rock watching as the big black dragon swooped in for a landing. Temeraire landed gracefully on his back legs his wings kicking up a great gust of wind. Carefully the great dragon put down one of his front legs keeping the other one tucked up against his chest, after a moment he folded his wings and set Conrart – who had been cradled in his other hand – down on the ground. Finally with all four feet on the ground Temeraire, sat down, curling his tail about himself in a way that made him look like a giant cat.

Yuri blinked, his godfather was currently wearing traditional Japanese garb, complete with armor. He suppressed the urge to giggle at the rather amusing sight. Conrad had to be the only Samurai to ever have a military haircut – since even now the Kaze Samurai wore their hair in the traditional long topknot.

Conrad stretched and raised an eyebrow slightly at the sight of his giggling godson. "Good morning Heika."

"Conrad," Yuri replied softly, his eyes flicking to the huge dragon looming behind his godfather. "is this your dragon?" he asked after a second.

Conrad gave him a sad smile. "Yuri, may I introduce you to Temeraire, the Celestial Dragon." yet Yuri could hear the pride in his voice. Temeraire lowered his head so that his snout rested almost on Conrart's shoulder and Yuri noted the way Conrad absently stroked the creature's glossy, nose, carefully avoiding the tendrils dangling from his jaws.

Yuri couldn't help wondering why.

"Is this your king?" Temeraire asked, his voice a curiously deep rumble.

Conrad's voice was steady, when he replied, and yet Yuri could hear the pride there two. "Yes, Temeraire, this is his majesty Yuri, 27th king of Shin Makoku."

Idly he wondered how much power would be required to get that Dragon back to Shin Makoku. He couldn't do it alone – he wasn't vain enough to even consider that. Maybe if he and Murata pooled their power? That Dragon made his Godfather Happy, and if anyone deserved happiness it was Conrad.

~~~***~~~

Murata sighed, "I wish I had that kind of power, but I just don't. Even working together the strain would likely kill us both. The only one who has that type of raw power, and the ability to expend it without devastating repercussions, is the great One himself. I don't know if he can be persuaded to help."

"What do we do then?" Yuri asked closing his eyes briefly. "I don't want to lose Conrad, but if it will make him happy – I will order him to remain here."

"You really are blind to things you don't want to acknowledge aren't you?" Murat replied with an almost exasperated air. "Ordering lord Weller to Come to This world to live in an amusement park will cause more harm then good. Or are you truly blined by your own prejudice to the point that you have not yet realized Your godfather is in a relationship with Yozak? I don't mean as a friend – they are intimate. Effectively banishing Lord Weller from his home will not solve anything. If you make it possible for Conrad to come back and spend time with Temeraire, Lord Weller should be content.

~~~***~~~

Temeraire sighed, as he sat quietly on the banks of the small river that ran through the preserve. His beloved Captain, Conrart who was his Laurence born again, was currently wading into the water beside his boy king and the other boy he called the great sage. It was a fresh agony to watch his captain disappear into the water, but it was one he had to endure. Just as Laurence had been a slave to his duty so to was Conrart.

"Good bye, Temeraire." Conrart whispered as the water enveloped him and the three humans disappeared. Temeraire indulged himself in a very small roar, pouring his pain at losing his Captain, again so soon after finding him, into that one pathetic sound. Conrad had promised him he would come back whenever his duty allowed, he'd carefully and painstakingly explained the time difference and the fact that every time he appeared it would be through some body of water. So Temeraire simply curled up on the banks of the river and resolved himself to wait. He had endured a very long and boring stay in two separate breeding grounds he could manage it again.

~~~***~~~

Yuri's power spit them out inside of one of the ornamental fountains, and for a moment all Conrart could do was gaze longingly down into the water, even when both his king and the Great sage had already climbed out. Part of him was screaming with the need to go back. The need to feel shining bright scales under his hand again, gripped his very soul. He could only hope and pray that either Yuri or the great one would send him back to his dragon soon.

"So Conrad, find any dragon's like that stuffed one you refuse to get rid of?" Anissina asked her tone of voice suggesting she already knew the answer – or at least thought she did.

He gazed longingly into the still water of the fountain for a moment longer before glancing up, lifting his chin proudly and finally climbing out of the ornamental water fixture. "Actually yes I did." He replied and headed back into the palace, ignoring the glances his odd clothing was earning him.

Once he got to his room he changed out of the now wet traditional silk clothing of the Kaze Samurai, and carefully hung them up to dry. He would keep them and give them a place of honor as soon as they were properly dried.

Maybe he really should grow his hair out – he knew from his memories of his time as Laurence that long hair was not a requirement of every nation in terms of dragons, but he would not risk being an embarrassment to Temeraire on his return visits. With a sigh he flopped backwards onto his bed. Technically he didn't have the day off, but he simply couldn't bring himself to leave his rooms right now. Reaching up, and stretching his arms out so that it was almost painful he snagged Temmy off of his place on the ornamental rim of his headboard and curled up quietly around the stuffed representation of the rather large piece of himself he'd just left behind on a dragon preserve on earth. He hadn't allowed himself to cry in years, but in that moment he honestly didn't care. He felt the tears slid unchecked down his cheeks.

He wasn't fit for polite society right now, and he didn't think he would be for a long time to come. Right now all he wanted was to be astride his dragon as they flew. He wanted to feel the sleek sinuous body beneath him dive after a fish or a deer, snatching up his prey as they flew, or just to sit on Temeraire's arm and read by lantern light.

All that he'd ever truly wanted; he'd just left behind for nothing more then his duty and his love for his godson and his lover. He'd only been gone a short time but already he was worried about Temeraire. He knew the dragon could take care of himself, but he couldn't help remembering the small creature that had hatched on the deck of the Reliant Years ago.

~~~***~~~

Yozak sighed as he slipped into his lover's rooms, he'd come home about an hour ago to find a worried Yuri, and a furious Günter, in Gwendal's office trying to see if The other man had had any luck getting Conrart out of his rooms. Yuri had actually gone so far as to announce that Conrart was officially on leave until he felt ready to leave his rooms. Apparently he'd been in their since their return yesterday evening. Gwendal's attempt to get Conrad out of his room had been met with silence. Günter for all his yelling about heika and bad examples and duty had been met with the same less then acknowledging indifference. Actually Conrart had outright ignored him.

He had to admit he'd been a little surprised when Yuri pulled him aside and explained what had happed on earth. He completely understood why Conrart was taking things so hard.

Conrart was curled up on the bed wearing nothing but an old robe, Temmy was cradled in his arms. For a moment Conrart didn't even acknowledge him, but he was a patient man when he needed to be. Yozak settled himself down on the bed beside his lover and waited, gently rubbing the small of the other man's back.

It took a bit of time but finally Conrart uncurled himself and snuggled up against Yozak's side. For a while they sat in companionable silence, and then Conrart looked up at him and tentatively kissed his jaw, licking at his jaw line in a way he knew never failed to make him horny.

"Make me forget," Conrart whispered, "please make me forget."

Yozak looked at him, searching his eyes for answerers, and then he set the stuffed animal aside and carefully lowered Conrart to the bed. It only took him a moment to strip the robe from Conrad's beautiful body, Yozak rolled Conrad underneath his larger form and gently set about reminding Conrart just how much he loved and cherished him.

~~~***~~~

The Great one sighed, over a year had passed in Shin Makoku and while Lord Weller had done his duty admirably the only term that could really be applied to him now was depressed. In fact the only time the man seemed to truly be happy was when Yozak took pains to make him forget. It had gotten to the point that Yozak had actually gotten down on his knees and begged the king to grant Conrart leave to go, because he couldn't stand seeing him like this. But even Yuri and Yozak had been stumped by Conrad's refusal to leave his lover and his duty.

The Great One was currently wondering the dragon preserve in Japan – where only a month had passed since Yuri, Murata, and Lord Weller had left. He was incorporeal here, but still he had mostly seen what he needed to. The great Dragon Temeraire was still coiled on the banks of the river looking just as miserable as Conrart himself. In the past week that the great one had spent here the dragon had moved only long enough to get food or use the necessities, beyond that he hadn't moved.

Not even to get out of the pouring rain.

"You are both miserable without each other." He said finally, allowing the magnificent creature to see him. "Could you explain to me why?"

~~~***~~~

Temeraire started and looked at the ghost in front of him in mild surprise – then he did his best to explain. Who knew if this ghost was important or not.

~~~***~~~

The great one suppressed the urge to groan, it looked like he wasn't going to become caporal anytime soon. Not when he was about to expend the magic required to send a dragon to the Other world but it had to be done. The dragon was currently standing in the deepest part of the river though it hardly went up over his claws.

He closed his eyes and focused, it only took a minute but the magical drain was a nightmare, and he collapsed to the floor of his own temple after sending the dragon through to his world.

He needed a good long rest. Even for a god mowing a 48 ton reptile across worlds was taxing.

~~~***~~~

Temeraire glanced up in surprise as a skeleton flew by over head, craning his head around he followed the progress of the flying skeleton and the many odd creatures flying around that looked like an odd cross between a child's teddy bear and a bee. After a minute a scream drew his attention to the ground, and he only just had the time to whip his tail around to catch the now fainted woman before she could hit the floor. Carefully he lowered her to the floor and turned his head to try and find a way to free his foot from the small ornamental fountain it was currently stuck in.

He inclined his head gently to the men boiling out around the palace and tried to inform them that he was no danger to any of them but they didn't seem to understand a word he was saying. At least they didn't raise any weapons to him, so he was free to set about figuring out how to free his foot. After a moment a new man appeared on the scene his hair an odd shade of copper red, and after taking in the situation turned and snapped an order that at least had one word he recognized 'Conrart'.

He managed to pull his leg free just as another man bolted off.