A/N: Two chapters for the price of one! Fourteen was hard to write because it's never easy dealing with a sick parent. I hope y'all like both of them. I left chapter fifteen on a cliffhanger.

Part Fifteen:

As they headed back towards the shrine at dawn, Kurogane found himself frustrated. There were no signs of the dead, but several several disturbed graves. Fai suddenly yelped and clenched his stomach. He bent over, a shocked expression in the dim light.

"What is it?"

"Yuui. He just cast a huge spell."

"What was it?"

"I don't know, but whatever it was, it was... it must have been extremely important."

"We'll have Princess Tomoyo get in touch with King Ashura when we get back."

Fai's nervousness melted some, and he nodded. He started walking again, but then tripped.

"Now what, Mage?" Kurogane groaned, helping Fai to his feet.

"This. What is it?" Fai asked.

"It's a spade the priests use to garden," Kurogane answered, eyes narrowing.

"This shouldn't be out here in this cemetery, should it?"

"No. Let's go tell the head priest in private and see what he thinks."


Yuui set aside the book on his bed and started pacing. The mountain of books was growing larger by the day, and King Ashura's incoherent rages were getting more frequent and pronounced. It was to the point that only Yuui and the valet had contact with Ashura on most days. He would still hold occasional meetings with his councilors when he felt in control. Yuui attended each of those meetings and used his empathy to drain off any flares of anger, but it took more discipline than he'd ever had to use before.

One thing all his research had pointed to was something that caused a gnawing pit in his stomach. After reading some legends and comparing them to Ashura's family history, it became clear that the whole story wasn't told. He was able to piece together that there had been a large, rebellious Celian tribe at the time of Lothin.

He was going to attack them with his greater force, but he fell in love with one of the chieftain's two daughters; the girls were identical twins. When his love refused to marry him, Lothin beheaded her in the middle of the encampment. The girl's twin sister was the one who actually cast the blood curse. She ran up on Lothin's blade, killing herself, and infused the ruler and all his male descendants with madness and pain.

Yuui knew the bond was strong between twins, but strong enough to sustain a blood curse for double the normal time? He remembered when he was four and he watched Fai beaten by their grandfather; yes, his rage had been dreadful. In his own childish way, he had wished death on the man for beating Fai.

It was after the girls' death that the chieftain and his brother, again a set of identical twins, took the tribe and left Celes. That must be the point where the tribe went to Valaria. If that were the case, Yuui's search in Celes was closing. He shivered at the thought of where his next step would lead: Valaria.

The only way to break such a strong curse was with more blood from the bloodline of a descendant of the original spell caster. It would only take a small amount to heal Ashura for the rest of his life, but the curse would still be propagated through his bloodline unless a descendant went as far as lay down their life for Ashura. Just to have a small cup full was fine for Yuui's purpose, Ashura had already decided against having children of his own a long time ago. His goal was caring for Ashura's mental health.

He and Fai had vowed never to step foot in that cursed realm again. King Ashura had conquered it after Valaria tried an ill-prepared invasion of Celes; that was the same time when Ashura rescued him and Fai from starving to death in that pit of corpses. Now Valaria was nothing more than a bleak farm colony ruled by Celian retainers. Indeed, all of his blood relations had been executed, not by Ashura, but by slighted, greedy Valarian nobles.

Yuui took a deep breath and saw it was close to midnight according to his enchanted water clock. He left his bedroom after tightening his indigo, velvet robe against the chill. If he didn't go now, he'd lose courage and wouldn't ask Ashura to take the next step in his search.

He made his way to Ashura's bedroom and knocked softly. "Yuui? Come in."

He opened the door and peeked in. Ashura was laying on his bed with a damp cloth on his forehead. Yuui quickly put up a shield around his empathy when he felt Ashura's disquiet; he couldn't afford getting yanked into Ashura's turbulent emotions when he was about to ask something extremely awkward. Yuui crept over and sat on the side of Ashura's bed. He changed out the cloth for a fresh one in the water basin sitting on the nightstand.

He pressed it firmly to Ashura's forehead. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm able to maintain for longer periods." His brown eyes appeared passive and droopy, but Yuui had learned not to trust that. The ruler chuckled and gave Yuui a shallow smile. "So are you tucking me in like I used to do for you and Fai? Or is there something else?"

Yuui braced himself. "I've come to the end of everything I can find. I know the history and the solution. I must go to Valaria to search out one of the descendants from that chieftain's family. A small amount of blood and the perfect alchemical solution will heal you. It wouldn't heal any blood descendants you may have, but you can live out the rest of your days in peace. To totally cure your bloodline, one of the descendants would have to die. The amount of blood would be too great."

Ashura's face slowly grew from placid to tense. The ruler sat up from his bed and shook his head. "No. I'd rather assign you a regent until you're thirty and abdicate my throne. I'll lock myself away before you set foot in that filthy place."

"But they all left for Valaria. I need to go find the family linage and ask one of them for help."

Now, Ashura's face was getting more livid. His voice took on a dry tone Yuui had never heard before except with a couple of vexing nobles. "Are you the one losing your mind? I conquered that land in a bloody war. They despise me for it, even though they struck Celes first. They hate me as much as you and your brother. The minute they see you, they'll..." Ashura choked up and he laid a firm hand on Yuui's shoulder.

"I'll wear a glamor. They'll never know it's me," Yuui promised. Then in an emotional rush he said, "I have to do this for you, Father. Please let me go. I'm not that scared child any more. Don't you know I'll do anything to get you better? The curse said it doesn't have long before..."

Ashura's hand clamped tightly over Yuui's mouth. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'm well aware. The compulsion to commit murder will get stronger and stronger until I succumb. But I will not see either of my children in that place again, no matter the price. I'd sooner die."

Yuui pulled away and leaped up. "You aren't stopping me! I'm going!"

"Ungrateful brat! I'll kill you myself before I let them toss you back in that pit!" Ashura shouted, grabbing Yuui's wrist and flinging him to the ground. Yuui was too stunned when his own father jumped on him and clenched his shoulders. For a second, Yuui was terrified Ashura was going to bash his head against the carpeted, marble floor. Yuui's empathy lashed out towards the rage and shoved it back as hard as he could.

Ashura's grip loosened. His eyes softened slowly and then realization sank into the king. Ashura slid beside Yuui and would no longer look at him, his long, dark hair hid his face. Yuui watched Ashura's shoulders quiver as a sob broke loose.

"Yuui, one day this could overcome me, but until that moment, I'm still your father."

He quickly embraced Ashura and buried his head in the glossy, dark hair. "And even if that moment arrives, you'll always be my father."

He'd never admit it to Ashura, but he was terrified by the outburst. His rages were getting harder and harder for Yuui to control. One day, Yuui knew, it would go beyond what he could manage.

"Don't go," Ashura whispered when he finally got his sobbing under control. He hugged Yuui back tightly.

"I promise I'll be back before the week is out. Tell everyone you have the flu and need rest."

Yuui quickly parted from Ashura and hurried back towards his bedroom. He got dressed in a black, sable coat. Underneath were drab brown garments that wouldn't peg him as coming from the royal house of Celes.

He got his staff and stilled his mind. He carefully traced difficult, blue runes in the air. Since he had been born in Valaria, this was going to be a relatively trivial, cross-realm hop. Once the circle was complete, he let the spell take hold. His eyes opened and it was dawn in Valaria. He traced seven runes and pointed to his face. He now looked like Zellen, a random stranger to Valaria.

He glanced around and saw Frem Lumma Castle in the distance. He quelled his dread and walked towards the castle in disrepair. The only thing that kept him moving was Ashura.


"So why are we sneaking around like a pair of sissies? Have you no shame? Rummaging through priests' sleeping quarters while they're saying prayers? You've sunk to a new low, mage," Kurogane griped as they snuck into the last bedroom.

"Now, now... the head priest said it was it was okay since we found that spade in the cemetery. He suspects one of the priest is behind this whole thing and he's anxious to get it solved. Besides, I explained that they go for evening prayers, then eat dinner. After that, they seal themselves up in their rooms. If I'm going to find something before dusk, I have to look now."

"Why drag me along in this immoral behavior?"

Fai gave deep sigh. "Because I still can't read your language, Kurgs. Remember? Some magic relies on script, like the kind I practice. Other magic requires noise, yet some others require alchemy."

"Isn't it all the same?"

"Not at all. Just look around for anything out of the ordinary."

Fai knelt by the futon and started feeling underneath it. He brought out bamboo stick with several bronze coins dangling from it. "What a pretty wind chime. Why wouldn't he have it hung in the window?"

Kurogane gripped the coins. Fai noticed the color drain from Kurogane's face. "What is it, Kuro-gi?"

"These are the the special ceremonial coins placed on the newly dead's eyes. They're old, too."

"Which means someone was using sound magic to control the dead. You see, this is why we cremate the dead on Celes, too many ways to reanimate corpses with magic," Fai explained.

"We need to question this priest." Kurogane said.

"What are you doing here?"

They turned around to see one of the novices standing at the door, looking furious.

"I take it this is your room?" Fai asked, stepping forward and danging the grisly wind chime. "It looks like you're aware of a fair bit of strong magic. True?"

"That's not mine! Someone put it here!"

"No need in lying to someone like me," Fai said. Suddenly, other priests gathered in the hallway and all gasped at what Fai dangled in his hand.

"The foreign mage planted it here! He's a liar that couldn't find out what was going on so he has to frame someone! I'd never desecrate the dead! Only a foreigner would do such a horrible thing."

"Take back that insult, priest," Kurogane warned.

The novice started trembling and sweating. Fai turned towards Kurogane to tell him to arrest the man, but Kurogane grabbed Fai and turned him away from the priest in a flash. Fai couldn't support all of Kurogane's weight suddenly on him. They fell to the ground as scuffling novices happened at the door. Fai looked over Kurogane's shoulder; his heart thudded when he saw a knife embedded in Kurogane's back.

Kurogane gripped Fai's chin and forced him to look eye-to-eye. "Watch yourself, Fai."

The ninja's crimson eyes drooped shut and his body slumped on Fai. He wrapped his arms around Kurogane's neck as tears sprung forth. "Damn it, Kurogane... how dare you do this to me."

Several priests tried to pick up Kurogane, but had to peel Fai's arms from around his neck. The priests scrambled Kurogane out of the room so they could treat the serious wound. They helped Fai stand and the head priest pointed to the novice with the evil wind chime who was being held still by three other novices. "What would you have us do with him, mage of Celes?"

Fai bit back his bitter retort and said, "Lock him somewhere safe and take him to the nearest authorities tomorrow."

Fai quickly marched down the hallways towards where they had taken Kurogane. He paused at their guest room and got his staff. He'd failed every healing spell he'd ever tried. Now Kurogane's life could be in jeopardy. He just couldn't fail.

To be continued.