Part Forty-Three:

The meal was peaceable and pleasant, at first. It was held around a low table. They were seated on thick cushions resting on the floor. The meal consisted of yakizakana and kare raisu. Fai, rather than pouting over the grilled mackerel, was excited to be sitting near King Ashura and was telling him about all the things he'd done on Nihongo, including the part about the new ley lines and fluorite wards.

"That's a wonderfully impressive feat, my brash, little one. That's what you should present for your D title. Oh, speaking of which, Zellen just got his." King Ashura caught on to using chopsticks and tasted the mackerel. "This is delicious. I thank you, Lord and Lady Suwa for the meal and for looking after my outrageous twin; his brother is certainly more tame. I know this one can be an handful."

"Wait! Did I head that right? What! That rotten jerk got his before me! There is no justice!" Fai threw himself backwards on the floor and stomped his feet as he howled, waving his fist in the air.

"Don't you dare start biting people, mage!" Lord Suwa warned, flinching back from the tantrum.

"You know he used to bite when he was a child?" King Ashura asked.

"Yeah, we found out the hard way," Kurogane said dryly. "He had an injury to his head and started thinking he was a five years old again. Mother healed him, though."

"You're okay, Fai?" Ashura asked with wide eyes.

Fai turned off the tantrum and smiled. "Oh yes! Lady Kuro-mama-sama fixed me up, along with a nice, young lady. I'm afraid Kurgs' cousin Ran is a worse jerk than Zellen."

"Who's this Zellen character anyway?" Kurogane asked.

"Only the most detestable jerk in all of Celes!" Fai pouted in high drama.

"Fai has always had an irrational rivalry with the boy. I find Zellen to be a perfectly nice, young man," Ashura explained, with a smirk. "Zellen is Yuui's best friend and Fai is insanely jealous over his twin's attention, but that's not the only news. He's married to Drysi."

Fai sat up, stunned. "You mean your aunt's granddaughter? That Drysi? But isn't she a psychometrist?"

"Yes."

Fai busted out laughing. "Then there is justice. That means he can't...!"

"Fai! There is a lady present," King Ashura chided him, knowing where his flirty son's mind was headed.

Fai blushed and said, "Sorry, Lady Suwa."

She gave him a demure smile and shook her head. "I'm use to your outrageous, but charming, behavior."

"I don't get it," Kurogane said. Fai leaned over and whispered in Kurogane's ear that Zellen couldn't have physical relations with his wife. Kurogane said, "You're just heartless to wish that on somebody."

"But for his D title he rediscovered a potion to suppress psychometry," Ashura said. "So he's found a way around anything potentially lacking in his marriage." Ashura's tact was always superb.

"There is no justice!" Fai wailed again, slumping on the dinning table. Fai's tact, no so much.

"Also, the duchess, my aunt. There is big news about her."

"Oh, that old cow. Do you need me to turn her purple again?" Fai scowled.

"She committed treason against the crown and I imprisoned her for forty years."

"Oh wow... that's much better than turning her purple! I wished I was there so I could have rubbed it in! I mean... you're not kidding?" Ashura shook his head. Fai turned to the Suwa family and explained, "She's Ashura's maternal aunt that's been trying to get our adoption voided so her family could inherit the throne. So what did she do? Lead an armed insertion against Luval? Or just chew you out for not using the right fork?"

"No, she tried to ensnare Yuui with a love potion and get him to elope with one of her granddaughters while having bandits cause me trouble in the west. Zellen, who wore a glamor resembling your brother, was the recipient and that's how he ended up married to Drysi. It was a happy accident for him, because they fell in love in spite of the duchess' scheme."

"I'm relived she didn't get Yuui. And yeah, I'm kind of glad that schmuck, Zellen, didn't end up with Olena or something," Fai said. "Speaking of which, I haven't felt Yuui cast in the longest time. Won't you tell me why he isn't casting, and why he didn't come along with you?"

"I'll tell you when we get back to Celes. Your things are all packed, right?" King Ashura asked.

"Um... actually... they aren't," Fai said, putting on hollow cheeriness.

King Ashura frowned. "Why not? You knew I was coming."

Fai just started nervously chuckling. Lady Suwa poured Ashura more tea and then gave Fai an encouraging nod. "I think there is something our sons need to explain to you."

"Kurogane has asked me to stay in Nihongo," Fai blurted out, with the brightest, fake smile ever.

"For how long?" King Ashura's frown turned into a serene smile, that caused Fai to quiver. He knew Ashura's deceptive facial expressions. Goddess knew it was how he had learned to deal with people, strait from his father. Ashura was already annoyed; he could by the facade.

"For the rest of his life, if he wants," Kurogane answered, in a firm tone, his arms crossed.

"Why would he invite you to stay here that long?" King Ashura ask, his voice sounding drenched in honey. Fai knew Ashura had just gone from annoyed to pissed.

"Because Kurogane and I are together," Fai admitted. Then he finally said, "Romantically," to avoid any ambiguity.

Silence stretched out painfully long, and Ashura's expression grew more placid with a charming smile. Fai knew the king was now in an utter fury.

Fai looked over when Lady Suwa gasped, looked down at her lap, and reached a hand over to her husband's. It was odd for upper class married couples in Nihongo to display affection in public, but this looked more like seeking comfort or something else. He wasn't sure, but he noted Lord Suwa clasped her hand back, tightly. They both looked grim, suddenly.

It was Lord Suwa that broke the silence and said, "I didn't care for the news, either, Ice King, but things are too late. In our society, relationships between two men are typically shunned. It seems they have a genuine affection for one another in spite of that. I can't deny that, and I do care about my son's happiness at the utmost. Kurogane is a good and honorable man. He will treat your mage well. His mother and I are willing to make this happen, even though we advised against it."

"Tell me your virtue is intact," King Ashura said, laying a heavy hand on Fai's shoulder. He felt Ashura's fingers digging in slightly. "And don't feign ignorance... my brash child." No, Fai didn't like the way Ashura emphasized 'child.' This was not boding well.

"No, it's not. We got very serious a couple of months after I arrived," Fai admitted.

"Serious? You are never serious about anything except studying magic. What would you know about serious, romantic love? You're just a little boy, all of seventeen. Just two months before Kurogane arrived, you were starting to bat your eyes at every combat mage that visited my court. And what did I say I'd do to the person that so much as laid a finger on you?"

Fai flinched remembering the word "castration" had been thrown out in between "horse whipping" and "boiling in oil." He knew Ashura would do it, too, as did every combat mage in Celes. So even if they were inclined to overlook Fai's youth, they'd prize their skin and wouldn't risk Ashura's wrath.

"I know what you promised, but please, I have a good reason. At the time, I pictured going home and not getting a chance to be with Kurogane. We grew so close, spending every moment together, and I just grew to need him and want him so much. I wanted my first time to be with him, because I wanted it to be special and something I'd remember my whole life. I didn't want to loose my chance at giving him a part of me that was very precious, something he earned through being by my side. But he also earned it by not putting up with my strange games and forcing me to be true, rather than living my life as a giant lie. Father, I still lie horribly and have things about me he doesn't like, but he's willing to accept me as I am."

King Ashura's smile turned patronizing. "So this is what my overindulgence has wrought. You become a victim of the first seducer to come along when you're out of my eyesight. And it was your brother I always worried after would become a victim of this sort of thing. His constitution is more frail than yours. I thought you'd have the strength to resist, and I thought you'd know what I expected of you. I should have listened better when Yuui and Zellen complained how boy crazy you were getting."

"Wait just a minute, Ice King," Lord Suwa said, looking offended. Fai wanted to melt into the ground and wish all this unpleasantness away. "My son made the first move. From what I understand, that much is true, but it's not as if Fai wasn't willing to be in a relationship with him. One that, I promise, is very serious. Fai has grown into a very mature person, here. He may still act silly, but what he's done for Nihongo is astounding. He's considered a man by my standards."

"My child has been seduced and you ask me to treat him as if he's an adult? I can't. He has no judgment. He has never had any and done some foolish things over the years. It's all because he's been so ruined by his original family. And I haven't done the best job being firm with him and insisting he follow rules. I must take some of the blame for his lascivious behavior."

"But I want to stay with Kurogane. I love it here. I also love you and Yuui, but I need to live my life with the person I love."

"No," King Ashura answered flatly.

Fai almost let his emotions get the best of him; he almost relied on his default: throwing a temper tantrum. He thought this through with his devious mind. "Please, King Ashura, can we at least stay for a day or two? I'll need to get my things together and finish drawing out that map of the new ley lines in Nihongo."

"I would hate for there to be unpleasantness," Lord Suwa said. "I implore you to stay and talk to my son. I really desire a peaceful resolution to this situation, because if your son stays in Nihongo... he's choosing a very hard life to live, even with our rank at court."

"Please, Father, at least cool off some and talk this out," Fai begged.

King Ashura crossed his arms. "I'm not an unreasonable man. Two days is what I give you. I want you to pack and be ready to say your farewells." That was a positive sign. If Fai could budge the king into two days, he could probably get his way.

"At least let me take you for a walk, Ice King," Lord Suwa said.

King Ashura nodded his consent and the two men left. Fai was all jittery. He and Lord Suwa hadn't had the smoothest relationship, but he trusted the man to try his hardest to try to soften King Ashura.

Lady Suwa laid her hand on Fai's shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile. "We'll do what we can."

He gave her a weak smile. "I know, and, no matter what happens, I thank you."

She smiled and actually hugged him, unexpectedly. He melted into her arms, feeling choked up. "My mother's was named Chii. I miss her a great deal because she... she..."

Fai started sobbing uncontrollably on Lady Suwa's shoulder. She said, "You miss her because she was your mother and now she's gone. And you need no other reason to cry."

She readjusted him and rocked him. He sobbed on her shoulder from pain that had built up and he had refused to release. It felt good to cry on a mother's shoulder, and he needed this more than he realized.


Zellen had gotten Boris and Yuui their staffs, plus some fur lined coats, he found in a meditating chamber below Ashura's scrying pool. He knew that this was going to be tricky. They were all wet and traveling in High Winter. Even on ley lines, that wasn't fun, and it was very cold.

Boris and Yuui took their staffs and coats, both having a cool hostility towards each other. Drysi bid Milcent goodbye, and the maid was grateful and vowed silence and vowed alliance to 'Master Yuui' above anyone. Yuui was embarrassed and told the girl if she cared about him, she'd cling to Ashura, too. She agreed and fled from the tower.

Afterwards, Zellen cast a circle to take them to Kella. They all ended up in a dark, Kella alleyway across from the mayor's common house. Zellen, threw his arm out in front of Yuui and Boris before they walked out into the street.

"The former governor has a dead or alive bounty. He'll be killed instantly if my aunt's constables catch him. Her constables will hex you for sure. They hate your guts since King Ashura claimed you left Yuui to die at the hands of bandits."

"Former governor? So the king finally took that burden off my shoulders and decided to do me a favor by not trumping my wishes any longer. Unlike his son," Boris said before snickering as he shook in the cold. "Looks like your father is trumping you, Your Loftiness."

Yuui stepped in front of Boris. He looked up at those hazel eyes and gripped Boris' fuzzy lapels. "Your job is to protect me now, rather than Valeria, which means protecting yourself. Do you understand?"

"Whatever His Loftiness wishes," Boris said in bitterness as he leaned against the wall from his unaddressed blood loss. Yuui put Boris' arm over his shoulders and supported the taller man as best he could.

"He's lost blood and needs a potion, Zel."

"My bag is in my bedroom, and there is a problem."

They caught sight of Tanya and Sergei exchanging a deep kiss at the front door. The circuit rider looked like he was about to bid Tanya good night, but she appeared like she was inviting him in.

"Oh great. She picks now to invite him in for a nightcap," Zellen griped. "Yu, we'll take Boris to the annex behind the mayor's house. Drysi, tell my aunt there was a minor illness, and I need you to bring me my bag for more supplies. Just reassure her I have it under control, or she might want to come and see."

Drysi nodded and jogged across the street as Zellen help support Boris' other side. Yuui looked over at Zellen. "Drysi? Really?"

"I fell in love with her. It all happened when I was playing you and I don't regret it a bit."

"No, that's great. It's just that we must have been out a long time," Yuui said.

"King Ashura came back and busted me months ago. It must have been then. You've had a birthday since then, you know."

Zellen and Yuui dragged Boris with them across the street and hurried into the back yard of the mayor's house. There was the simple cottage used for guests of the mayor. They darted in as a fresh blast of snow started falling. They went right away to the tiny hamam. Zellen had them sit while he warmed the small tub with magic.

Yuui and Boris started peeling off their layers of damp clothing until they were down to their under clothes. They heard the front door open. Zellen said, "I'll go make the potion and some toddies. You two soak. And don't bicker. I'll find out where the king is. I'll be back by tomorrow morning."

When they were quietly ensconced in the tub, Zellen left to the front parlor. Drysi lofted the bag and blushed when she said, "I didn't see your aunt anywhere. I think she and Sergei retired for the evening."

At first Zellen was baffled and then he put it together. "Oh... well, isn't that special. That'll keep them busy."

He quickly got into his bag and got out the ingredients and mixed the correct potion. He took it into the hamam and set it on the edge of the tub by Boris. "Take the whole thing, please." The tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. "Um, we'll go to the main manor house, and in the morning I can see if King Ashura will have returned with Fai. In the meanwhile, rest and don't fight anymore."

"Thanks, Zel. You know he needs to be stopped before he goes after Fai," Yuui said, looking sick with worry.

"We'll stop him before he gets to that schmuck of a twin of yours," Zellen said before he left them alone with heavy trepidation.


Lord Suwa lead King Ashura to his cherry tree grove. He shook his head as they passed the bench he had caught Kurogane and Fai making out on. He doubted he'd ever walk by it without remembering that incident. Now, looking back on it, he could almost chuckle at the look on Kurogane's face, but not quite yet.

"Let me apologize for any discomfort over this news. At least you didn't have to find out like my wife and I did." King Ashura quirked his eyebrow. "It's something I'd rather not recall."

"I'm very disappointed, and I feel very betrayed by your son. I handed over one of my children to him with the clear understanding he was to protect him. By having sex with Fai, he violated the trust I put in him. You see, there is a reason we have a high age of majority. Mages have to focus all their time and talent into getting a solid understanding magic. It's absorbing and taxing, and untrained magic can be deadly. That's why it's so serious. There are cases of teenagers getting married with parental consent, but it's not typical."

"Most girls get married at Fai's age. That's why Kurogane assumed it was okay to start a relationship with your mage. By the time he found out, they had been together for several months."

"I see. Fai is a notorious prankster, so some of the blame does land on Fai's shoulders," King Ashura admitted.

"I just ask that you give my son a chance to talk to you. I admit I didn't want to hear him out at first, and I about sent Fai back to Princess Tomoyo twice. Not only that, I'm ashamed to admit I almost made a horrible mistake and came close to banishing Kurogane over this business. But I didn't, and I'm glad I didn't. I talked it out with my son and yours, and they are both resolute in their affections for one another."

"Do you think I take any joy at parting my son from someone he speaks so well of? I don't want see his heart crushed. That's why this news bothers me, as well."

"I didn't want to see Kurogane get hurt, either, if you insist Fai go back with you. I ask that you consider letting him stay. He'll have a good home here and be well provided for."

"There is a problem at home I must address that is weighing heavily on me. I will consider hearing Kurogane's side of the story."

Lord Suwa felt frustrated the king wouldn't outright agree to talk to Kurogane, but it was a start. Maybe the man's anger would simmer down after a few hours, and he'd be more agreeable.

To be continued.