Part Forty-Nine:

Kurogane was jolted from his misery when he saw Fai and another person appear as purple magic faded. Fai ran towards Kurogane, shouting in his sing-songy, native language.

Kurogane bolted to his feet and grabbed Fai's upper arms. "What are you doing back here, Fai?"

The blond mage shook his head and pulled away from Kurogane. Fai smacked his own chest a couple of times and said, "Yuui."

"You're Yuui?" Kurogane asked, now noticing there was no bruise on the pale jaw.

The blond nodded and pointed at how own face. "Yuui!" Then the mage said something with with Fai's name.

"I don't understand you," Kurogane said, frowning.

The man with wavy, brown hair and good build stepped forward and traced purple runes in the air. The runes surrounded him and Yuui. Then the man said, "That allows us to understand him, Yuui."

"Wait a minute. Purple magic!" Kurogane wrapped his hand around Ginryuu's hilt. "You're the reanimator that kidnapped him! Surrender, now!"

"Great, my reputation is now sullied in three different realm. And besides, if you must know, the truth is Yuui, more or less, kidnapped me," Boris said, getting in a defensive posture with his staff in case Kurogane drew his sword.

"Whatever you've been told, it's all lies, Kurogane," Yuui said.

"My parents and I figured something wasn't right. Come with me," Kurogane said, leading them into the main house's tea room.

His mother jumped up and ran at Yuui. She hugged him tightly. Yuui was flabbergasted. "Mage! You've came back to us!"

"No, Mother, this the brother of my mage."

She parted from him instantly, gave a quick bow. "My apologies, brother of the mage."

"And who else is with you, brother of the mage?" Lord Suwa asked, looking very suspicious at the tall reanimator.

"This is the reanimator of Celes," Kurogane said, answering for Yuui.

"Please don't call him that!" Yuui pleaded. "He's not evil."

"We don't refer to people by their names, but by what they are mostly known for to us. To us, it's neutral to call him that because we don't have that as a taboo, but it is a major, punishable crime," Kurogane explained it to Yuui about Nihongo forms of address close to what he had explained to Fai a year ago.

"It's okay, Yuui. It is what I am," Boris said.

"So what brings you all this way?" Lord Suwa asked.

"You have to understand, my father went mad about six months ago. I found a cure for him, but he ran from me. I enlisted Boris' help to track him down because he was a combat mage, and I can't manage my father alone. Ashura wants Fai to kill him. He is planning to force Fai into a fight, but Fai would never do it."

"Unless you were in danger," Boris pointed out. "That's why he was holding us prisoner."

Yuui shook his head. "No, not that."

Boris snorted. "Loftiness, see what's in front of you. Don't lose focus."

"That explains what you saw on the ice king's aura, Mother," Kurogane said, ignoring the the reanimator's rude tone towards Fai's twin. He felt there was something deeper there he shouldn't interfere in.

"Ice king? Why call him that?" Yuui asked.

"Our respectful name for your father," Lord Suwa answered.

"Anyway, tell me where Master Fai is so I can take down the king before he does some real damage," Boris demanded. Good warriors were always placid before a fight, and Kurogane could see by the man's posture that this man was a certainly a warrior.

"He left. Just minutes ago. He flatly refused to let Kurogane's mage stay with him. He forced Fai to leave," Lord Suwa said.

Yuui looked stunned. "Stay with him? Kurogane's mage? So what I sensed a year ago... the feelings between you both? It has become more?"

"Yes. Your brother and I are together,"Kurogane broke the news, not wanting to beat around the bush.

Yuui then shook his head, in what Kurogane interpreted as distress. "Then Boris and I will head back to Celes immediately, to head him off."

"You're taking me with you. I swore to protect Fai for the rest of my life, and that's what I intend to do." He turned to Lord Suwa, but his father held up his hand.

"Don't ask, just go. You're your own man, now. I expect you to act with integrity towards your loved ones and fulfill your vows so you won't bring dishonor to Suwa. Bring your mage back when he's ready," Lord Suwa said.

"You'll have my blessings and prayers, Son," Lady Suwa said.

Yuui looked at Boris in askance. Boris shrugged. "The more, the merrier. I can spot a good warrior from a mile a way, and I can tell, he is one. Ashura's not going to exactly be easy to take down. especially with how much blood he's taken. We can get him to burn it off in a protracted fight." Boris turned to Kurogane. "How about partnering with me to get His Loftiness' duplicate back?"

Kurogane sized the man up. He carried himself in a disciplined, wary way, too. That would indicate more than a warrior. "You're a soldier?"

"Former soldier. If my taint doesn't bother you, we can protect the twins and get King Ashura the help he needs. That's my intention." Kurogane didn't sense any of the bad will King Ashura claimed the man had. The man seemed to have enough problems to crush most people, but his intentions were pure.

"It's a deal," Kurogane said. "We need to make a plan. Fighting magic is difficult; you should know that."

"Do I ever," Boris said dryly. "How about we go back to Celes and have Yuui cast a spell? Either his father or brother will come towards us. We'll wait to ambush them. You see, King Ashura doesn't know we've escaped. He'll be expecting to use us. If we pop up again on Celes outside of Luval, I'm counting he'll come right for us."

"Good plan. Let's go."

"It's High Winter, Kurogane. You'll need much better clothing than that," Yuui pointed out.

"Yeah, your brother brought back the coat he loaned me on Celes. I never thought I'd need it again. I just kept it as something to show off how cold your world was. Hold on." Kurogane went and got appropriately dressed in the giant, fluffy, sable coat and rejoined Yuui, Boris, and his parents in the courtyard. "Take care, Mother and Father. I'll be back with my mage very soon."

"We know you will. If you say something, you do it. You're a man of honor we're proud of," Lord Suwa said. He nodded to his father in acknowledgement of the high praise. The reanimator started tracing purple runes in the air in a wide circle. Kurogane found the Celian script artful as it closed around them. Once again, Kurogane found himself knee deep in snow in the middle of the day with dim light in the sky.

He found this to be a cursed place, but it was the place his love came from, and it was a place Fai loved. He saw it through new eyes from what he'd used a year ago. There was a savage, wanton beauty about this place, and wanton could certain label Fai, from time to time. Fai was something he'd learned he didn't want to totally tame and break his spirit, but he was a force of nature Kurogane could direct through struggles.

Kurogane caught sight of something Fai had called a fire tower. It looked old and abandoned. The ninja pointed to it. "Is that where we're to make base?"

"Yes, we can't last out here too long. It's Captain Demetri's fire tower. He's now passed away," Boris answered. Yuui reached over and placed a gloved hand on the man's shoulder, but it was rebuffed.

"Yeah, I've been there and met the old man. He and Fai didn't mix right," Kurogane explained as they trudged towards the tower.

"Captain Demitri wasn't the indulgent sort. He was a plain soldier, first and foremost. Not a baby sitter," Boris explained. "He taught me so many invaluable things, not just soldiering, but also about character."

The three of them went to the tower and Boris found a key hidden in a nearby tree. They went in and slammed the door against the cold.

Kurogane said, "Alright. We have to figure out where we set up the trap. We could get him near that forest."

"Good idea. We could have Yuui cast and either of us hide on either of side," Boris recommended. The ex-governor then looked at Yuui with narrowed eyes. "I don't want to put him in danger, though."

Those two exchanged a smoldering, passionate stare down. The ninja stayed out of wondering what kind stupidity these two were engaged in.

Yuui insisted, "Listen, we have to do this. There is no other way. I'll cast a spell and attract them to my spot. Then you two will handle the rest. The only thing I'll do is make sure Fai is safe. Agreed?" Both nodded, Boris reluctantly. In spite of that, Yuui said, "We'll make this happen."


Fai sobbed hysterically as they reappeared in his and Yuui's shared bedroom with dark blue trim and brass trinkets. Ashura gently shoved Fai towards his unused bed and let him wail for a while, belly down, clutching his plump pillows. When Fai got his tears under control, he looked around the room. It seemed cold and sterile. If Yuui hadn't been here for months, of course it would, but for some reason he shivered at the void.

Ashura sat by Fai on his bed and started rubbing his back in lazy circles. It was how the ruler had always calmed Fai when he was frustrated or disappointed. King Ashura adopted a gentle, comforting tone as he said, "Hush now, Fai. You're back where you belong, with your father. What would you like me to get you as a homecoming gift? Name any object in all of Celes, and it'll be yours. I know you talked of a horse."

"I don't want a horse! I never want to hear about a horse offered as a gift! One was given to Kurogane and I resented it," Fai said in petulant anger.

"Fine then, name anything and I'll get it for you," Ashura said.

Fai felt Ashura's hand pressing firmer and seeming to get warmer. He realized his phoenix binding was starting to slowly burn. King Ashura was asserting control over it once again, amping the power back up to the original setting.

"Please stop that," Fai begged and tried to squirm away from Ashura. "My power is too great, now, to be contained at that level."

Ashura leaned over and whispered in his ear, pushing Fai firmly into the mattress, "You will wear my mark at what level I dictate until I can trust you to not flee my realm. Now, take off your clothes so I can finish the spell."

Fai lay unmoving, a heavy sense of dread filling his heart. Why would Ashura do this to him? Not only that, the last part was the most painful part of the spell. Fai shook his head, not wanting to endure that again. "Please don't do this to me. I can't take it."

"You will endure it because you are my subject and I desire it as your king. You will also endure it because you are my son and I have dominion over you. Now take off your clothes before I have servants come and force you to comply."

Fai felt stinging tears come to his eyes at the prospect of Ashura causing that kind of pain once again. The first time, it had scorched him and made him weep for days. After all, the phoenix was a bird that burned. All Yuui could do was hold him and share the pain with his empathy to lighten the burden.

In spite of the pain, Fai adored his phoenix tattoo highly, because it showed the one time Ashura seriously imposed loving boundaries on him and imposed discipline. No matter what, he wanted to keep the marking for the rest of his life as proof of his father's love.

Yes, there was a part of him that longed for pain, but only lightly and only when shared with Kurogane, who he trusted implicitly to only give him a few playful stings. He knew he had outgrown what he needed and wanted, discipline-wise, from Ashura; Nihongo had matured him. That was another reason he froze and refused to unquestioningly obey.

"Are you going to obey me, my brash one?" he asked before pressing a soft kiss to Fai's temple.

Fai's stomach clenched tightly. "Please, if you love me, Ashura, you won't force this on me."

"It's because I love you that I will force this on you. Now, do as I ask," Ashura insisted with a feather-light caress to Fai's cheek before standing beside Fai's bed. "Otherwise, I'll have to impose one on Yuui when I catch him. You see, I fear Boris might take him back to Valeria and hide him from me, and well... I can't let that happen."

"No! Please don't do that to him. I'll let you do it to me. I just beg you; don't give him one, too. He'd never recover from it."

Ashura gave him the most pleasant smile. "You're always so quick to lay out your flesh, heart, and integrity all for the sake of my meek, little one."

Fai stood and took off his coats and outer layers of clothing with trembling hands. He wondered why Ashura was referring to them once again by their childhood nicknames. It made no sense. He got to his last layer, a hadajuban, and started to make one more plea. "Father, if I ask you to not do this any further as my homecoming gift, would you do it?"

"No, I said I'd give you anything, which means objects. I can't risk your high spirits leading you into doing something rash like running back into Kurogane's arms. Now lay on your bed, Fai. I will finish this spell whether you want it or not. Do it before I summon my servants to assist."

Fai was shaking badly, but he submitted to Ashura, too terrified of the idea of Yuui enduring this punishment. As he pushed the hadajuban down to his hips, his mind went back to the night before he left for Nihongo when Ashura lessened the level of the phoenix binding. It was a warm, tender moment when Ashura and he lay side-by-side on Ashura's bed, and his hand on Fai's skin created a cool, calm, safe feeling.

He had cuddled with Ashura for a while, as if he were a small child again, and Ashura, always being indulgent, had held him close for several hours, murmuring endearments and giving encouraging strokes to his back. And then, Ashura had whispered his insistence he had only given the binding out of love. Fai felt swirling, confusing emotions.

He braced himself as Ashura laid his hand in between his shoulder blades. There was a gentle warming that climbed, little-by-little. Eventually, Ashura's hand tracing across his bare back started searing. Fai clamped his teeth down on one of his pillows to keep from crying out, and then the real pain started. It was a blinding agony. He felt as though his skin and muscles were being scalded off his bones where the tattoo lay on his upper arms and back.

"Please, Father, stop! It hurts! It's burning me!" Fai's fist balled up around the comforter on his bed to keep from fighting his father off. He had to endure this, or else Yuui would. Ashura's fingers were feather-light as the traced from his shoulder blades to his lower back. Ashura's magic was more powerful than Fai had felt the first time. It was overwhelming.

The man ignored his pleas, and Fai's mind went blank to everything except his painful skin. Sweat beaded on his skin and so many tears fell from eyes. He reached in his mind for something comforting, something to give him hope. The idea of seeing Kurogane again was the only encouragement he had, but even that was crushed, because now he wouldn't be able to travel through realms.

Finally, the burn eased off, little-by-little. He groaned, and was unable to rise from his bed. Ashura was laying with him, holding him while sweetly playing with his soft, blond hair. His father buried his head in Fai's hair. The king gave Fai tender caresses against his hot back and murmured gentle apologies and sweet endearments. It all felt hollow, because his father had done it against his will. There was such a shame that came creeping into his awareness.

"Now that unpleasantness is over. Dry your tears, Fai. We'll go find Yuui, now." Ashura stood and pulled Fai with him. "Get dressed. There is something I have to show you, first."

Fai quickly pulled on his clothes, coats and all, not meeting Ashura's gaze. He picked up his staff off of his traveling trunks, clutching it tightly.

Ashura gave him a gentle smile, but there was a frostiness under it that Fai had never seen directed at him. He lowered his face, terrified at Ashura's wrath. "Father, are you still angry at me? Over what happened to Yuui because of me?"

"I've forgiven you for that."

"Then you're angry that I fell in love with Kurogane?''

"I am angry at that, but I place the blame on Kurogane. He's older and should have known better," Ashura said. Fai bit his bottom lip to keep from annoying Ashura further with questions. He was trying to keep his mind off the pain on his back as he followed the ruler. "You know, Fai, I'm trying to keep you from making the same type of mistake you did a year ago. You love your twin and would do anything for him?"

"Yes, sir," Fai said, wondering why Ashura would ask such a thing.

Ashura led them through the hallways. Ashura strode through the main throne room. His subjects rose and breathed in excitement, Master Fai, or was it Yuui, was finally home, but where was the other twin? They kept their heads lowered, not allowed to address the king without first being addressed.

Ashura paused and turned to Mayor Dayken. "I'll need you to continue monitoring things for me for a little while longer. You still have that sealed letter?"

Dayken nodded his head. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"What is printed on the envelope still stands. At Solstices, if I'm not back, you are to open it."

"But you're back from Nihongo Country, Majesty. I thought I was to destroy the letter upon your return."

"Yes, but Yuui isn't back yet. Fai and I will go seek him. Once we return with him, then the letter is to be destroyed."

Dayken gave him a bow, but Fai could tell the man was just as baffled as he was. Dayken said, "As soon as you retrieve Master Yuui from Nihongo, too, I will." Fai kept shock off his face. Why in all of Celes would the man be under the impression Yuui was with him in Nihongo? It made no sense. "Come, Fai. There is a task for you at hand."

Fai followed King Ashura on the long walk to the north tower. They climbed to the very top. Each step caused more pain on Fai's back. His mind drifted to the moment he first saw the ruler. He and Yuui were clinging to each other and wailing. Their magic was out of control as it tried to lash out and get them out of the pit and away from the corpses.

Fai was doing his best to cover Yuui's eyes so he didn't have to look at their grandfather's dying body. It had the man's sword lodged in his throat, and it had panicked Fai when blood had splattered on him. He had kept most of it off Yuui. Both were dirty, starving, and injured. If it were just him, Fai would want to give up, but he to continued on for Yuui.

That's when he came. Fai could tell he was full of magical power, very strong power. The raven haired man was at the edge of the pit. He knelt down and held out his arms to them. "Walk towards me!"

"I can't! My brother is too sick!"

"Then stay put." The man stood and traced some glowing, green lines in the air. The man disappeared and then reappeared above Fai and Yuui's heads. The man snatched them quickly and held them tight. He grimaced in pain and started shaking as the spell reversed it self and placed them at the edge of the pit.

Fai raised his dizzy head and noticed Yuui was out cold. The man fell backwards but didn't let them go. He held them tightly. There were people calling 'Majesty! Majesty!' as they came rushing towards them. A man dressed in a huge, white coat knelt by them and asked, "Majesty! Did you just come from the pit?"

"Yes," the man said, gasping for air. "I used a very tricky teleport skill and then reversed it at the same moment. I won't be doing that again any time soon."

"But, why? The pit could have trapped you. You'd be doomed the rest of your life. Why, sir?"

"Because of them," the raven haired man said, adjusting the twins in his arms and sitting up with them on his lap. He then turned the kindest smile towards Fai and asked, "What's your name, little one?" Fai couldn't help but cry and snuggled closer to the man. "There, there. Let me look over your brother."

Fai tucked himself into the edge of the man's fur-line cloak. The man held a hand over Yuui's forehead. There was a green glow that created a tingle in Fai's stomach. "You made my stomach feel funny. Just like Yuui does when he does magic."

The man turned to Fai, looking confused. "That can't be. We aren't family, little one."

More men surrounded them. They were quickly whisked away to an icy land to live in a fine castle with their new father: King Ashura.

Now, he was following Ashura into something unknown, and for the only time since that moment, he felt afraid of his father. "So, Majesty, why did Mayor Dayken think Yuui was with me?"

"Because I told everyone that to protect Yuui's reputation."

"So we're here at your scrying pool? Are you going to try to scry Yuui's whereabouts?"

"You don't feel ill? As if your being magically repelled?" Ashura asked, looking disquieted. "My spell has been broken," he then murmured and walked to the pool. Fai walked over to see what was causing Ashura so much grief that he was clutching his staff in a white knuckled grip. At the bottom of the pool was a mound of shattered glass. "How did my meek one escape me?"

"Escape? I thought you said Governor Boris broke them out and they were on the run already," Fai said. His mouth suddenly got dry and he started thinking of ways to put distance between himself and Ashura.

"I'm afraid that was all a lie to get you back here. Yuui, I thought, along with Boris, had been secure down here. It seems, somehow, they escaped my best efforts. I hope they run into some constables. I put a Dead or Alive order on Boris, and the constables aren't predisposed to fetch him back to me in one piece."

"But if Yuui is with him, he could get accidentally hurt," Fai said, horrified Ashura hadn't thought of that.

"Yuui is under my dominion, everyone knows that. They won't harm him."

"But you would risk Yuui's life?" Fai shouted out, suddenly anger bursting forth inside of him. His father had something wrong with him, and he could accept that now. He regretted not trusting Kurogane and his parents. Now that could have some dire consequences. "Why, Ashura? What's happened since I've been away? I know something is going on."

"Do you love the people of Celes?"

"Of course! More than anything."

"Would you do anything to protect them? Including, killing a monster?"

Fai's brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of King Ashura. "What monster would that be?"

King Ashura gave him a serene smile and said, "Me."

Fai's revulsion at that one word threatened to knock him to the floor.

To be continued.