Impossible Fantasy

By Dyaoka

Disclaimer: I don’t own! I don’t own! Get it?! I DO NOT OWN!!!

Warnings/Notes: Ah…the group gets back on their journey! OH! For those of you that have been here since the beginning (when I still had by Dyaoka account), the chapters were 8000 words per chapter. I’m switching back to that. 8000 words here and for the rest of the chapters too.

Scroll Seven: Tezuka

Things were a blur that night. The moment Tezuka had left the stadium Oishi was immediately on his heels, asking if he knew his red headed lover. Momo strayed a bit from the group, able to keep an eye on them all, in case something happened. He didn’t know why, but Tezuka…there was something about him. Ryoma seemed to stare off into space, up at the stars, strangely quiet. He looked disappointed—and very agitated.

That night when they all arrived back at Shinji’s home, they all asked how in the world did Leviathan get out. Questions after questions were bombarded at poor Ryoma who wanted nothing more than to sleep. Finally, thanks to Oishi’s insistance, Ryoma was allowed to go to bed. After washing up, Ryoma changed into a simple pair of cotton pajamas that used to be owned by Shinji. “Good night” he said sleepily as he passed the kitchen where everyone else was. He went into the guest room and nearly collapsed on the bed he was given. Karupin appeared several moments later and curled up next to his master, purring when Ryoma slung an arm around him.

Ryoma quickly fell asleep, his exhaustion taking over. He never noticed when another person seemed to climb into his bed and tucked him in better. Only Karupin noticed, but said nothing about it.

The next morning, Ryoma woke up quite late. Karupin was already up, as he could tell. He was probably begging Shinji or Taka for food…the gluttonous cat…

Muttering incoherently, Ryoma rolled over—or attempted to. An arm was hugging him around his waist, pulling him to an unnamed person’s chest. When Ryoma just managed to twist around, he came face to face with Fuji, whose eyes were half lidded. The light haired genius looked tired, probably just like him, Ryoma thought.

“’Morning” Fuji said sleepily with a smile.

“Not yet…” Ryoma muttered. “I’m still tired.”

“Of course you would be” Fuji said, his smile still upon his face. “After all that energy wasted yesterday, one night of rest is not enough to regain all that.”

“Ah…” Ryoma yawned, his eyes fluttering close. He was only aware enough to feel the brush of lips upon his forehead before drifting off to sleep again.

When Ryoma woke again, he was aware, from the sun streaming through the window that it was in the afternoon. But apparently, he wasn’t the only that was still asleep. Fuji was asleep as well, his breathing deep and even. He didn’t know why, but seeing Fuji’s sleeping face made him feel at peace. Yes, it did, and Ryoma was even more confused than before by the light haired genius. Ryoma knew that he was very, very worried when he saw Fuji fall yesterday from the Pain spell. But, naturally, he would be worried about any friend of his that received the brunt of the spell—even Shinji. However, the worry that he felt yesterday…it was strange. Argh! It was just so confusing!

After gazing at the sleeping Fuji for several moments more, Ryoma decided that he would go back to sleep as well, despite how his stomach was grumbling. He was probably going to fall asleep halfway through the meal anyways. A small creak was heard though, just as he was about to fall asleep. Instantly, he was alert, careful not to move, but when Momo’s voice came flitting to his ear, Ryoma relaxed.

“See what I told you? They’re together, I tell you!”

“They may be just sleeping in the same bed, you know. After all, there aren’t any other beds in this room, Momo. Don’t assume too much.”

“No, I don’t think so! I mean, I found them like this the other time too!”

“If you say so. I think we should give them their rest. After all, they did use up a fair amount of energy yesterday—even Shinji’s still resting. I think we should give them their time to sleep.”

“Yeah…”

Almost silently, the door shut again. Ryoma resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Momo’s simplicity and stupidity. But that was Momo, after all, it’s who he was. He was rather simpleminded about certain things, and he was dense as well. But he had his good points as well, Ryoma thought reluctantly. However, his thoughts were drawn to Tezuka as well. Yesterday…or last night, perhaps, Ryoma had already knew who won the match. Though Tezuka gave up, it was he who actually won. Tezuka had the upper hand, he had the experience, he had the strength…And what did Ryoma have? Absolutely nothing. Neither wanted to give up but both knew there had to be a winner and a loser.

It irritated Ryoma to no end that Tezuka just gave up like that—he knew that the bespectacled young man would have won. But he didn’t go all the way. Why? It just…wasn't fair!

Apparently, he was so concentrated into his thoughts then that he didn’t notice Fuji wake.

“Feeling better now?” asked a tired voice. Ryoma startled at this, but Fuji pulled him closer to him, his own way of reassuring the younger boy that he was safe.

“Yeah…kind of. Still sort of tired though” Ryoma said softly. Fuji smiled and then a comfortable silence reigned over the two.

“What were you thinking about?” Fuji asked out of the blue, snapping Ryoma out of a daze.

“Nothing” Ryoma answered coldly. He should get out of bed to go get something to eat…and he shouldn’t let Fuji get too comfortable with him around. Why was Fuji in his bed anyway? The golden-eyed boy distinctly remembered that he fell asleep with his cat next to him, not Fuji. Of course, when he tried to get out of bed, the grip around his waist tightened, securing the boy exactly where he was. “Fuji.”

“Ryoma” Fuji said in a teasing manner, an amused smile dancing upon his lips.

“Let go.”

“If I refuse?”

“I’m not asking, Fuji” Ryoma said, feeling the heat creeping up his neck and to his cheeks. “Let go.”

“I don’t think I want to” Fuji said, seeming to completely ignore Ryoma’s other statement. Ryoma glared.

“Let go” Ryoma repeated once again, exasperated and feeling like a broken record.

Deep azure eyes opened to study Ryoma, who was pouting. “Stop pouting and stay in bed with me” Fuji said with amusement as Ryoma became even more flushed at that statement.

“I-I don’t pout! And don’t say stuff like that” Ryoma snapped, still a little red. “I just may take it the wrong way.”

“Maybe I want you to take it the wrong way?” Fuji said with a smile. Hm…Ryoma is not only the champion of Bevelle’s tournament, but he could probably make the reddest rose look pale in comparison. “I was only joking. Go and get some food. I’m going to stay and rest for a while.” With that, Fuji let Ryoma go. Bewildered, Ryoma, more or less tumbled out of bed before dashing out the door without another glance behind him. When the door closed with a small ‘bang’ Fuji smirked before letting his exhaustion taking over him again. That Pain spell left really awful aftereffects…

Ryoma, who was currently in the kitchen, wondered where everyone was. He had passed by Shinji’s door and peeked in. He didn’t know if it was curiosity or what, but he just had to look in. The sheets were folded neatly and the bed was empty. Apparently, Shinji wasn't there. Karupin was nowhere in sight either—he must have gone with Shinji, Ryoma assumed. That would probably mean Taka was with them. But where were Momo and Oishi? They were just there moments ago…

“Ryoma?”

The golden eyed boy jumped at the unexpected voice. ‘I thought everyone was gone!’ Ryoma thought to himself as he turned around to glare at whoever it was. It was Taka. Wait…if Taka was here, then…

“What are you doing here?” Ryoma asked.

“What do you mean? I have a right to be here” Taka said as he pulled out a chair for Ryoma at the kitchen table. “Sit down, I’ll make you something to eat. You must be hungry.”

“Ah…” Ryoma took a seat as he watched Taka bustle about the kitchen, making a small meal for Ryoma. “Where’s everyone else?” Ryoma asked out of the blue.

“If you mean Momo and Oishi, they went to get Inui from the infirmary. Apparently he woke up this morning and wants to leave that place,” Taka answered. “Do you want any soy sauce with this?”

“Please” Ryoma said absentmindedly. “Karupin went with them?”

“Yes.”

“Shinji went with them too?”

Crash. Taka dropped the bowl he just took out of the cabinet.

“What?”

“He’s not in his room. Looks like he hasn’t been there for a long time too.”

Taka looked over at Ryoma with fearful eyes. “He’s not?” Ryoma shook his head. Taka sighed and started to clean up the shattered pieces of the bowl and placing the pieces back onto the counter, giving himself a mental reminder to fix it. Opening the cabinet again, he pulled out another bowl and dished out the fried rice for Ryoma, putting some of the soy sauce on there for him. “Here you go…” Taka said, placing the food and a spoon onto the table. He turned to leave the kitchen but then looked back at Ryoma. Ryoma waved for Taka to leave.

“Hurry up and go find him.”

Taka flashed Ryoma a small nervous smile before dashing off. Doors slammed noisily behind him. Twirling his spoon, Ryoma stared at the spot Taka stood for a while longer before digging into his food. God, he had never been this hungry…

Ryoma had just finished his bowl of fried rice when he heard the door bang open and Momo’s loud and cheerful voice.

“—yeah! Didn’t actually believe that someone like Tezuka would have them!”

“Momo! Quiet down—there are people sleeping!”

“Oh…oops. I forgot.”

Dropping his dishes into the sink for washing later, Ryoma walked out of the kitchen and into the living room where the voices seemed to be coming from, startling the occupants in there. “Ryoma! Sorry, did we wake you up?”

“No” Ryoma said, dropping into a seat next to Inui and sort of curled up into the sofa’s soft cushions, using the arm of the sofa to prop his head upon.

“What are you doing up, Ryoma? You seem…very drained,” Oishi said gently. “You should go back to bed.”

There was a snort from Momo. Ryoma glared.

“I’m not” Ryoma protested, but sleep was already creeping onto him. Momo was still grinning.

“Ah…to be young again” he sighed.

“Momo…” Inui said warningly. “You’re younger than us.” He was talking about himself and Oishi. Momo only laughed. “Ryoma, since you claim that you’re not tired, how about you give us your account of what happened yesterday?”

Ryoma knew that Inui wanted to know about his fight with Tezuka.

“It was dangerous” Ryoma said.

“All fights are dangerous, kid,” Momo said teasingly. But the wisdom of his words was not. Ryoma shot another glare at the violet-eyed youth who was grinning like a maniac. What’s gotten him so happy…?

“Yeah. But that was…” Ryoma trailed off. He thought back to the events of last night, when he fought with Tezuka. “…he wouldn’t hurt me” Ryoma found himself saying.

“How do you know that?” Inui queried.

Ryoma made no effort to reply. The front door suddenly slammed open and Taka’s reprimanding voice was heard. “—scared me! Shinji, please don’t do that again!” They watched Shinji shuffle past the living room, one hand on the wall acting as the guide as he walked towards his room with Taka after him.

“What was that about?” Momo asked.

“Shinji ran off” Ryoma said with a nonchalant shrug.

“He ran off?! Why would he do that?! He doesn’t have a fever or anything, does he? He’s not delirious?”

“I don’t know. He was gone when I woke up.”

Oishi sighed. Why was it that everyone around him had a death wish? Upon thinking that, he immediately started to think of Eiji. What happened to him, anyway? Did Tezuka know him? How did that stranger know him? Was he even talking about the same Eiji? Questions after questions started to run around in his mind. It just frustrated him to no end that Eiji, despite his appearance, kept the most secrets.

When he first met the red head, it had been three years ago. Oishi and his mother were traveling to visit their distant cousins, the Fujis. They had just arrived at the city when their carriage had stopped and the driver told them that something was wrong with the horses. They wouldn’t move. And it was then that they found a little red headed thief at their luggage, going through their valuables. Oishi had chased him through town, demanding the thief give back whatever it was he took. It was a necklace that belonged to his mother.

In the end, the thief had escaped and when Oishi got back to their carriage, his mother had been furious. When the horses finally moved again, they got to the Fuji’s estate a little after nightfall. The reunion between them was short, but happy. They went to sleep peacefully that night…but the guards around the place chasing after a thief woke them all up. They caught him and were brought before the family to be judged.

The thief’s name was Arai. He claimed he was trying to get his hands on some money and food. He was executed that morning. Oishi couldn’t bear to see that. It was sick and it was wrong. Thieves were poor because they had no money, and since his family had much of it, what was the harm of giving him some? Oishi didn’t know why they had to put him to death. In a way…it just wasn't right.

The same afternoon as the execution that took place during the morning, their families were attacked. Half the guards were killed and when they finally caught the culprit, it was only one scrawny little red head covered head to toe in blood. And they couldn’t even catch him until they had the help of Inui Sadaharu, the heir of the famous alchemist clan that worked for the King. It was mostly luck that he just happened to be passing by. Clothes of scarlet hung to the boy’s limp body as he was dragged before the families and Inui. Yuuta, Fuji Syusuke’s younger brother, had a broken arm because of the intruder. Fuji Syusuke himself had been stabbed by the boy’s knife, but he lived as it did not hit any vital points. The rest of their family was unscathed. Oishi himself had an encounter with the red head before he was captured. A scar left behind from the boy’s dagger ran from his shoulder down to the top of his bellybutton. His chest had been completely sliced open earlier and was lucky to have survived.

Oishi knew that he should have been glad when they all condemned him to death. 

‘You killed him,’ the blood-clad boy had snarled. ‘All he wanted was something to eat. You all are sick. You all wait—you’ll see one of these days! The lives of the poor!’ When Oishi’s aunt had lifted a hand to tell them to get the boy out of their sight, he called out.

‘Wait!’

The guards stopped. Before Oishi knew what he was saying, he commanded them to let the boy go. Everyone was looking at him like he’d grown another head. Oishi found himself playing a diplomat again, with the poker face intact. ‘He will be my charge’ he had said that day, looking over to the blood-covered boy. ‘I will see that his actions are punished.’

‘Oishi! I forbid it!’ his mother had screamed and slapped him in the face. But Oishi had already set his mind to it. What surprised them all the most was that Fuji Syusuke started to laugh. It was one that held no amusement—an empty, hallow laugh that sounded rather frightening.

‘Let him be’ Fuji had said. ‘The boy will be in the charge of young master Oishi.’ Before anyone could protest, he left the room, but not before giving Oishi a friendly pat on the shoulder. Inui’s glasses glinted in a strange way took hold of the boy.

‘Lead the way, Oishi’ he had said.

In a way, this was how the four of them had truly become companions.

“Oishi!” came a sudden annoyed voice. Oishi looked up to see the worried gazes of Inui and Momo. Ryoma seemed to have dozed off again.

“Are you alright?” Inui asked.

“A-ah…”

“Thinking again?” Inui smirked as Oishi nodded, embarrassed.

“Just don’t hurt yourself” Momo quipped.

“That’s more likely to happen to you” Oishi said, eyeing Momo. Momo made a face. Taka chose this moment to walk in with and collapsed into a chair near Momo and blinked at the sleeping Ryoma. Immediately, he was up again and reappeared soon with a blanket, which he draped over Ryoma.

“If he was tired he should have just gone to bed” Inui said, watching Ryoma for a moment before turning his attention back to Taka. “Shinji ran off…?”

Taka nodded. “Yeah…” he answered. “I don’t know why though. I found him not too far from here, apparently lost. Thank god I found him…I’d hate to think what would happen if I didn’t. It’s like…he has a death wish or something.” Oishi almost chuckled at the choice of words.

~*~

“Lemme alone…I wanna sleep” came the childish voice of a young Ryoma. There was gentle laughter as his nanny tried to get him to wake up.

“Ryoma, you can’t sleep forever,” she said, her beautiful long dark hair cascading down her back and some fell forward and tickled Ryoma’s nose. “Come now, your friends are waiting. You don’t want to keep Tezuka and Momo waiting now, would you?”

At the mention of his friends’ names, Ryoma opened his sleepy golden eyes and looked up at his nanny and friend. “Really?” he asked disbelievingly. “They’re here?”

“Of course. Now come on and let’s get you changed, yes?”

“Yah!”

Innocent golden eyes looked at the wardrobe picked out for him and grimaced. “I dun wanna wear that! Let me wear that!” Small chubby fingers pointed another set of clothes by the door.

“But that’s not proper attire, Ryoma” she said gently. But nevertheless, she let him wear whatever he wanted. The boy quickly dressed himself and ran out the door, eager to go out and play with his friends. Ryoma, the young heir to the Fae Kingdom, was among the few Fae children there was. Fae children continue to grow and when they pass puberty, they stop, and they remain looking like human teenagers for the rest of their long, long life. Besides that, the Fae probably only had an average of one or two children in their entire lives. And their lives could go on forever, until they are either killed or died of grief.

When Ryoma opened the door, he immediately raced outside. They stood there, a little bit off to the side of the hall. Though both were older than the prince, they stuck around him nevertheless.

“Ha! You’re late!” Momo exclaimed the moment Ryoma stumbled near them.

Just emerging from Ryoma’s room was Ryoma’s nanny. She smiled at the little boys in front of her. They were so adorable and innocent…

“Be sure to come back before sunset” she said. Tezuka nodded—he’d always been silent and so…mature, in his own way. Then, with a tug on his shirtsleeve by Ryoma, the three of them ran off, giggling and laughing like little children should. They ran to the courtyard of the castle and then proceeded to play hide and seek there. Tezuka was always the most difficult to find, he’d always hide in unimaginable places. Sometimes, he would not hide at all, just standing behind the person, acting like a shadow. The seeker almost never figured out he was there until someone gave him away.

But the most peculiar thing happened that afternoon while they decided to just sit beside the fountain made of ivory. They heard a strange blast far away and loud screams and yells. The three of them exchanged a look and Momo was the first to his feet, exclaiming he wanted to see what was going on. When Ryoma tried to go after him, Tezuka had stopped him with a silent frown.

“Something’s wrong…Let’s go back” Tezuka said.

“You’re just a chicken! Let’s go!” Ryoma said as he ran after Momo, but he was already out of sight. Tezuka followed the prince as he wandered around the corridors of the castle, calling for his friend. There was no reply. “Aw…he went ahead of us!” Ryoma pouted.

Suddenly there was a rush of soldiers running past them. “Your highness, there you are!” one of the soldiers exclaimed. Without even giving a word of warning, he scooped both Ryoma and Tezuka into his arms and started to run the opposite direction of the crowd. “I found the Prince! I’m bringing him back!”

Thing were a blur from then on. Things just happened so…fast. But Tezuka was there by his side, though were his eyes filled with curiosity and fear.

“Ryoma!” came a scream. Ryoma looked up to see his mother running towards him. She took him from the soldier’s arms and hung onto him tightly, trembling all the while. It took a moment for the little golden-eyed boy to realize his mother was crying. “I’m so sorry, child” she said softly as she cried. “My baby…”

“Your majesty! They’ve breeched the inner walls! We can’t hold out much longer!”

“My baby…” the queen continued to sob, but she looked down at her child, whose expressive golden eyes were filled with tears.

“What’s going on?” he asked, his voice quiet and scared. His bottom lip trembled as he tried to stop from crying. The queen smiled softly at him. She didn’t want his last memory of her to be one of tears.

“Goodbye, my baby…my Ryoma” she said, giving him a kiss upon his forehead. Then, her expression turned hard as she started to yell instructions at the soldiers and warriors at her side. “Secure all the entrances!” she exclaimed. “We’ll make sure that they’ll never get in…”

“Impossible, your majesty! We can’t!”

“Here, take him” the queen gave Ryoma to a nearby soldier. “If he gets hurt, it’s your life,” she said threateningly. Ryoma clung as long as he could to his mother, but stronger fingers pried him off. Then, turning her attention to the dilemma before her, she continued to bark instructions.

“Your majesty, you should hide…leave!”

“I will not abandon my people here! If they die, I shall die with them!” She snarled. She grabbed at a necklace that hung about her neck. A strange glow came from it and immediately; they all knew a barrier had gone up.

“Hurry, get him out of here already! It’s him they want!”

“It’s no use! There’s no way out!”

“Use this! The secret passage way! They can’t get through here, and even if they can, they won’t be able to move in it!”

“I can’t fit in there! A child…a child can!”

“You! Get the Prince! Get both of them out of here!”

“Tezuka! Hurry, get over here! Take the Prince and go!”

“Very well.”

“Our forces can’t hold them out any longer!”

“Go!”

Tezuka, holding the prince, ran through the secret passageway. The moment he was through, the entrance was closed. Darkness fell around them. Ryoma was crying and was trembling. He had no idea what was going on except that everything was just very loud and frightening.

“Don’t worry” Tezuka said awkwardly. He didn’t know how to comfort the prince. “It’ll be over soon.” Setting Ryoma down onto the ground he asked if Ryoma could walk by himself. The prince answered with an affirmative.

So down the small, narrow path the two went. It was completely dark and seemed to be slanted downward. It seemed to be hours that the two had walked and then, they came in contact with a dead end. Tezuka pushed at in tentatively and found that it was rather easy to push out of the way. It revealed sunlight. However, when the two stepped out, they suddenly found themselves surrounded by armor-clad men. 

“Ah…I was looking for you” came a dour voice.

“The King…” Tezuka said with a gasp. Ryoma looked up to see his father.

“Papa…”

With a motion of his head, the King had signaled the children to be picked up. “Take them both back to the camp. I’ll deal with them after I deal with that troublesome wife of mine…”

“Yes sir.”

The King walked on forward towards the castle, which was shrouded in clouds of smoke. The rest of the creatures headed the opposite direction, save for a few, who went with the King. The lot walked in silence for a while, the only sound being the sound of clanging armor and the soft whimpers of Ryoma.

“That man is cruel” one of them spoke up.

“Yeah…but we’re mercenaries. We do what we’re paid to do.”

“I still don’t think it’s right. These are children we’re talking about.”

“Did you see those soldiers? The whole lot of them didn’t look a day over the age of sixteen! What kingdom is this?”

“I feel sorry for them…”

“I…I can’t do this. I can’t let them go to their deaths.”

“I can’t either, Rudolf. I can’t either.”

“I’m going to take them away.”

“You can’t do that! We were already paid in advance!”

“Well, I can’t stand what that person is doing! Insane, I tell you!”

“So? We’re mercenaries, for god’s sake! Listen to what you’re saying!”

“Yeah, I’m not one anymore. Give that one here. You can just say that I suddenly took off or something. I don’t know. Make something up.”

“No. I will take him somewhere. You’re not the only one that think he’s a loony.”

“Heh.”

“You two are nuts!”

“Sure. And you’re covering for us. Bye.”

But then, as they were running, there was suddenly an onslaught of arrows upon them. The sky darkened considerably and thunder rumbled overhead.

“Don’t look back! Keep running!”

The two armor-clad men continued to run. They were quick, but the armor slowed them down considerably and made loud clanking noises. Ryoma was starting to cry again. His eyes were already red and puffy from before. Tezuka was staring at the two men with an horrific expression.

“WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING?!” the voice was an amplified voice. It was the King. Ryoma gave a shriek and started to cry loudly. “BRING THEM BACK THIS INSTANT!”

Miraculously, under the onslaught of arrows and rain, they made it away from the burning castle and the King. But they didn’t escape for long. Finally, the two men decided to split up was the best idea. One ran to the south while one ran to the east.

After two days of taking care of the child and always persisting onward, the mercenary that took Ryoma learned that he did not speak their language. It was a rather…strange language, one he’d never heard before. The mercenary wondered what language it was. On the third day of traveling, he came across a small village. But the mercenary didn’t stop here, though he desperately wanted to. The child would be found if he was this close to the castle. The two only stayed for half a day to regain their strength and refill their stomachs. 

Then, they set off again, this time on a horse. They rode long and hard, covering much more distances than they could have when on foot. They passed one grand city and three smaller towns and other civilizations, but still, the mercenary did not think it was far enough. Then, he reached a town where he heard that the famous Seer Nanjirou lived in.

He knocked on the door of which seemed to be the home to Nanjirou. A sleepy man opened the door, grumbling all the while. “Whaddya want?” he muttered.

“Please” the mercenary pleaded. “Take care of this child for me in the time being. I’ll be back one day, I promise.” With that, he placed the child into a still drowsy Nanjirou’s arms and left, taking the horse with him. Nanjirou looked down at the bundle in his arms and saw a sleeping cherub. Nanjirou blinked and realized it was a child.

“Ryoma! Wake up!”

Ryoma shot up from his sleep, gasping and taking in deep breaths. The dream was so vivid in his mind that it almost scared him. He was rarely able to remember his dreams.

“Are you ok?” Momo asked. He was crouched in front of Ryoma, peering at the golden-eyed boy with curiosity. It was then that Ryoma noticed a thin white scar traveling down from near Momo’s ear and disappearing under the shirt he wore.

“Momo…” he said. He examined the ex-captain’s face and found it remarkably like the friend in his dream. “You’re…Momo.”

“Uh…hi?” the ex-captain greeted him nervously, wondering what was wrong with Ryoma. Maybe he hurt himself somewhere…? Like, maybe his head?

“Here, drink this” Taka said, showing up out of nowhere with a cup of water. Ryoma graciously accepted it and downed it all in one gulp. “What were you dreaming about? You were crying…”

“Crying?” Ryoma blinked and lifted his hand to his face. His cheeks were damp and wet, evidence he had been crying. He looked back to Momo, who was still regarding him with a worried expression.

“Maybe you should sleep some more…” Momo said uneasily. The looks Ryoma kept throwing at him were making him nervous. It was like the golden-eyed boy was…scrutinizing him. Hadn’t he already done enough of that when they first met?

“Do you…remember?” Ryoma asked, his eyes narrowing at Momo. 

“Remember what? I happen to remember a lot of things” Momo said nervously.

“Do you remember…a palace? A courtyard for…children to play hide and seek…” Ryoma trailed off, looking thoughtful. “Do you remember a fight or battle of some sort?”

“No” Momo answered after some contemplation. The only palace he has been to was the King of Lindbulm’s palace and it was very, very, very large. It had more than one courtyard, but none of them allowed children to play hide and seek in. Only the nobles were allowed in there. But he remembered many battles. After all, he has fought so many battles and small outbreaks between cities that it was almost impossible to keep track! “I’ve been in a palace before—the Lindbulm palace. And the courtyards there aren’t for children to play in. And considering my…status as captain, you tell me if I remember any fights or not.” Momo smirked at that and Ryoma rolled his eyes.

“Forget I even asked” Ryoma said, handing the cup back to Taka. “Thank you.”

“Momo, you should at least try to answer the question seriously,” Oishi chided. “That wasn't very nice.”

“But I was telling the truth” Momo insisted as he reclaimed his seat.

“Ow!”

They all looked up to see Fuji and Shinji standing there at the entrance of the living room. They’d accidentally run into each other, as it seems. “Sorry about that” Fuji said. “I didn’t see you.”

“…well I can’t see you either” Shinji said. “Probably because I’m blind, but that’s ok. No one really notices that anyway. They think that my Seer abilities enable me to see…what fools. To see visibly and to see through a Seer’s eye is different. But then how would they know? They’re not Seers…they can’t see…”

And on goes his mumblings as he walked past them and onto the chair that was out on the balcony. It was his favorite spot, after all. It was where he could feel what color is. Taka had often described to him that the sun’s rays were golden or white, and had almost no definite color. It was like this that Shinji had decided how he could feel colors.

“The sky must be very blue today…” Shinji said as he let himself sink into the chair. “I wonder how it looks like.”

No one said anything and the silence reigned for a moment. But then a soft voice was heard, coming from the mysterious and blinded seer. Shinji was singing softly, a song that he was taught long ago, though it was used as a children’s rhyme now. Taka briefly wondered why Shinji was singing…he was acting so strange today! This was the first time he’s heard Shinji sing, and though he didn’t have a great voice like Tomoka, he had a decent voice. When Shinji fell silent, they all thought that he fell asleep, but he spoke again, and this time, his voice was harsh.

“Pack your things. I’m giving you all half an hour to get your stuff in order and then come back here” Shinji said. Ryoma narrowed his eyes at the older Seer from where he sat curled up on the sofa.

“Why?”

“You’d best be on your way, now that the competition is over. You…wouldn’t want to keep your friend waiting, now would you?” Shinji said. “Hurry up and go pack your things. Then, I’ll send you lot on your way.”

“Fine” Ryoma said as he stood up. “Let’s go.”

~*~

Half an hour later found the whole group together again at Shinji’s home. The sun has begun to set and Shinji still had not moved from his spot at the balcony. Ryoma was getting worried about Karupin—he was nowhere to be seen.

“Taka, do you have your things packed?” Shinji asked. Taka looked over at Shinji in surprise.

“Well, I was thinking of going home to sleep tonight…so yeah, I do have my stuff packed” Taka answered.

“Good” Shinji said. And silence fell upon the group again.

Ryoma was busy fiddling with the clasp of his cloak when there was a knock upon the door. It startled half the occupants in the room. “Taka, would you please get that?”

Wordlessly, Taka got up from the couch where he sat at and went to get the door. A moment later he reappeared with…Tezuka behind him. Ryoma growled when he saw whom it was that Tezuka was carrying.

“And where have you been?” Ryoma growled at Karupin. Karupin jumped out of Tezuka’s arms and rubbed against Ryoma’s leg affectionately.

“Nowhere dangerous” Karupin answered.

“Nowhere dangerous?” Ryoma echoed. He snorted before turning a glare to Tezuka. The bespectacled young man’s face was impassive as always, but his attention wasn't on Ryoma, nor anyone else in the living room. His attention was on the person sitting in the chair on the balcony outside of the living room.

“You wanted to see me?” Tezuka asked.

“I can’t see you, so stop saying that” Shinji snapped. “I said I needed a favor from you. But then you already owe me so many favors that it’s about time you paid it all off. For some odd reason they just keep piling up and up and up…I wonder when will you ever pay them all back if I hadn’t asked of you first. Hm…speaking of which, that lady that lives down the street owes me a favor too. And the old man that lives two blocks away…”

Tezuka, who seemed to be the only one to patiently deal with Shinji, probably would have listened to all he had to say, but Ryoma snapped; “Cut to the chase.” Ryoma was already irritated at the sight of Tezuka.

“Ah…as I was saying before, Tezuka here, owes me many favors. And I ask of two from you now” Shinji said, turning his unseeing obsidian eyes to where he assumed Tezuka would be. But they only stared into empty space, and it was quite unnerving.

“And what…are these favors? I have the say whether or not I agree to these favors or not” Tezuka said icily.

“You have a choice, yet you do not. Bound by fate, that you are, yet free from destiny” Shinji said absentmindedly. “Whether you like it or not, you will accompany these people till they have completed their task. The second favor I ask is that you…protect them.”

“We do not need protecting!” Momo immediately exclaimed. But soulless obsidian eyes pinned him to exactly where he was. “We do not…” he protested weakly. The stare was unsettling.

“As they said, they do not need protecting” Tezuka said. “And I will not agree to these. Good-bye, I shall come again when I am free of my duties.”

And then, Shinji said something in a strange language that Tezuka seemed to understand. The bespectacled youth swirled around from the living room exit and crossed the room in four quick strides and stood next to Shinji. “Say that again!” Tezuka said, laying a hand on Shinji’s shoulder. “Is it true?”

Shinji said nothing in reply.

However, the next few moments flew by in a flurry.

Heavy fists pounded upon the front door. Shinji said nothing but pointed at the direction of the back door. “Taka, leave with them. Stay by them. I might meet with you again.”

Before any of them had any idea what was going on, Shinji had somehow transported them out of his living room and to the outskirts of the city.

“What the?!” Momo exclaimed, completely befuddled at the turn of events. “Is he trying to help us or deter us?!”

“I think he’s trying to help us” Oishi said, though he too, was confused.

“Whatever. Let’s take this chance to go” Ryoma said, picking Karupin up from the ground. Alright, so he was feeling particularly protective of his cat at the moment, so what?! “We’ve been in this place for too long.”

But even though he said that, he looked over at Taka. “I…”

“I think it is best that you’d come along” Inui said suddenly. “He is the one with the Seer powers, not us.” He gave a pointed look to Ryoma. “Following his instructions for now would be best.” Inui glanced warily at Tezuka, but refrained from commenting. Tezuka only sighed.

“Come, I will lead the way” Tezuka said finally. “We head for Dali Village, then we will journey from there to your…friend” he said.

“Who?” Oishi asked, his voice was a pitch higher than normal and he sounded quite hopeful. They all knew whom he was thinking about.

“The one that left. Eiji” Tezuka said. Turning rather sharply away from the group, he walked on, out of the city with his cloak billowing a bit behind him. 

~*~

It was like Tezuka knew where everything was like the back of his hand. Though he made a great guide, it irritated some of them that he rarely spoke. Momo and Ryoma just seemed to see red whenever he was around…and since he was around so often, the two were often left alone. After all, no one wanted to speak with someone angry. Even Karupin had given up on trying to talk to Ryoma, which spoke volumes.

After five days of continuous traveling, they finally arrived at the small village of Dali. The first thing that came to Fuji’s mind when he saw the place was ‘peaceful.’ Indeed, Dali Village was a peaceful place. Everyone was friendly to one another.

Tezuka wordlessly led them to the inn, where the attendant was sleeping on his job. Tezuka kicked at the counter, which instantly jolted the man from his sleep. He looked up, glaring at whoever it was that dared to interrupt his sleep when his eyes landed on the culprit.

“T-T-T-Tezuka, sir! The room for you is reserved as always!” the man exclaimed, his voice going higher and higher by every word.

“And give rooms to them as well” Tezuka said coldly. He dropped a small bag of coins upon the counter as the man hastily changed it with the keys. Tezuka took them and gave them to Fuji, Momo and Oishi. Tezuka kept one of the keys for himself and walked off, leaving the group to deal with their own issues.

The man behind the counter sighed and looked over to the group Tezuka had left behind. “You traveling with him?” he asked.

Oishi nodded in response.

“How do you deal with him, I don’t know. But I warn you to be careful of him…Best leave him alone, if you know what I mean” the man gave a yawn. “Now, your rooms are to the left there, and if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to sleep.” With that said, the man placed his head back onto the counter and fell asleep almost instantly.

“Talk about strange” Momo muttered. “Ah well! It makes no difference! I’m in desperate need of a bath!” Fuji chuckled—he wasn't the only one. They were all weary and worn. A change of clothes and a meal would be nice. Not to forget to mention a bath too.

“Yes. You smell from all the way here” Karupin quipped before running off.

“Why that little—!! I’m going to skin that cat one of these days!” Momo said with a huff. Ryoma shot him a glare. No one skins Karupin.

~*~

The sun had set and the group had decided to spend Ryoma’s money from the tournament that night on food. Ryoma had no say in it whatsoever since Momo and Fuji just ran off with it, telling them to meet up at the restaurant they were going to. Inui had the nerve to laugh at Ryoma’s stunned face when they did so, of course. But nevertheless, the dinner that Momo and Fuji had ordered for all of them had been rather spectacular. Of course, Tezuka never showed up, only declining the invitation Momo had given to him politely, claiming he had ‘business’ to deal with. When Tezuka had closed the door on the violet-eyed youth, Momo made a rather rude gesture at it.

As the group walked back, chatting and conversing among themselves quite loudly, Ryoma just silently observed the wooden houses that lined the streets. They looked strange, since he’d never seen such style of…craftsmanship, as one could call it. It was then that Ryoma had silently strayed away from the group unnoticed. But it could have also done with the fact that Momo had challenged them all to a drinking contest and half of them were drunk because of that. A drunk Taka was rather scary. The only reason they were able to convince the owner of the store that they were able to drink was Inui, who said he was legal and would be responsible for all damages. Of course, added to the fact that Momo was waving around a small bag of money, they agreed reluctantly.

Ryoma walked silently away from the group that was headed back to the inn they were currently staying at. With a sigh, Ryoma just walked, going wherever his feet decided to take him.

He walked at a rather slow pace; the golden-eyed boy’s mind was completely up in the clouds at the moment. His mind was always being drawn back to the dream he had not even a week ago. Both Tezuka and Momo were in it. Maybe it wasn't a memory, Ryoma had thought, but it wasn't likely. He knew it, deep in his mind that those events really did occur. And the ruins that Nanjirou had warned them about were those ruins in Ryoma’s dream.

Ryoma looked up from the ground and to his surprise, he saw a meadow. Under the light of the half moon and stars, it seemed like the meadow was glowing. But not too far away from where Ryoma stood, there was another person. Ryoma saw that he was not alone.

Long dark hair rustled softly by the wind was let loose, cascading down the girl’s back. Ryoma blinked. This person…seemed rather familiar. Without thinking, he walked towards her, stopping and taking a seat next to her.

The girl gave him a rather surprised glance. Ryoma continued to scrutinize her, wondering why his head was hurting like it is as well as why did this girl he’s never met before seem so familiar. The girl seemed to be in shock at the moment.

“Oh…where did you go now?”

A sudden flash passed before Ryoma’s eyes as he suddenly saw the same girl before him in a rather embellished room, searching for something…or someone.

“How about we go back and apologize?”

He took her hand and walked to his mother with her.

Mother…? He didn’t have a mother. Well, he did, but he never knew her.

“Ryoma…”

A reassuring smile.

Ryoma blinked and looked away from the girl. “Sorry” he muttered. The girl started to cry, to Ryoma’s discomfort. Silent tears spilled down the girl’s cheeks as she lifted gentle hands to his face. She turned his face so he faced her. Suddenly, she hugged him, crying softly upon his shoulder. Ryoma was completely clueless. Suddenly, a voice spoke.

“Nanako” Tezuka said. Both looked up at the newcomer.

The girl’s eyes were wide with recognition. “It’s a dream…” she said sadly. “It’s a dream.”

“It is a dream” Tezuka confirmed as the Sleep spell was casted over the girl. The girl was instantly asleep.

Wordlessly, Tezuka picked her up and motioned for Ryoma to follow him. Ryoma did so without a sound, though he was still confused.

“What’s going on?” Ryoma asked as they walked through the small village.

“In time you will understand, in time” Tezuka said. He walked to a house in the center of the village and knocked on the door. A middle-aged man opened it, peering out warily at them. After all, it was rather late into the night, despite the fact that Momo had kept saying that the night is young.

“Yes…?”

“She was asleep in the fields” Tezuka said, handing the girl over to the man. Once he did so, he turned on his heel and walked away briskly with Ryoma following him.

“You lied” Ryoma stated.

“She was sleeping in the fields,” Tezuka answered in a-matter-of-factly voice.

“Who was she?” Ryoma asked. The pain in his head had just calmly subsided.

“No one of great importance” Tezuka said. “Now, go to bed.” Without realizing it, they had already arrived back at the inn. Tezuka placed a hand on Ryoma’s back and gave him a gentle push in the direction of his room before heading out again. Ryoma only narrowed his eyes a bit at this. The night’s events were turning out to be more than a little confusing…Perhaps Tezuka was right. It’s time to go to bed.

Ryoma placed a hand on the knob and pushed the door opened, closing and locking it when he entered.

“You’re back” came a voice. Ryoma had fully expected Fuji to be asleep. Ryoma looked around and found that Karupin wasn't there. What was up with that cat…? Where did he have to be at such a time?

Ryoma said nothing as he kicked off his shoes and was about to just crawl into bed when Fuji walked up to him. “Where were you?” he asked, glinting blue eyes showing under his bangs. His breath still reeked of the alcohol he drank. Fuji, surprisingly, had drunk everyone that had participated in the contest under the table. It would be quite surprising if he were even somber at the moment, considering the amount he drank.

“At least go rinse your mouth” Ryoma snapped, pushing Fuji out of the way. But Fuji didn’t move.

“Where were you?” Fuji repeated. He didn’t seem very happy.

“I was out by the meadow,” Ryoma said. “Move.”

“Ah…I see” Fuji said. He picked something off of Ryoma’s shirt. “What’s this?”

It was quite a long strand of midnight colored hair that had been plucked off his shirt by Fuji. The blue-eyed youth eyed the younger boy that stood before him with a knowing look. “Meadow” Fuji said, letting the hair drop to the floor.

“It is none of your business” Ryoma said, a hint of a threat in his voice. “Move. You’re drunk and you should obviously go to sleep, or at least wait till your somber to talk to me.”

“I am not drunk” Fuji said indignantly. Though this time, he listened to Ryoma and moved out of the way. But he didn’t let Ryoma go to sleep. Instead, Fuji directed Ryoma over to the large window, which showed a clear and unhindered view of the night sky. “Tell me, what do you see in the sky?”

“The moon and the stars. Leave me alone” Ryoma said, not bothering to hide his irritation. Fuji chuckled, the smile once again upon his lips.

“Look again, Ryoma. Tell me what you see.”

“The moon and stars. That is all I see.”

“Really? That’s too bad, Ryoma. You can’t see it” Fuji said, going to stand behind Ryoma. With gentle fingers, he lifted Ryoma’s head and pointed out to somewhere in the vast sky. “Do you see it? It glows a bright golden color. Like your eyes.”

Indeed, Ryoma saw it now. It was a small star, not very visible to the naked eye. But it was there, nonetheless. It shimmered golden, like Fuji said.

“Ah. I see it now.”

“Hm. Good” Fuji rested his head on Ryoma’s shoulder, his hand coming down to circle Ryoma around the waist. Ryoma immediately stiffened at that.

“Let go, Fuji. You’re drunk” Ryoma said again, his voice as hard as ice.

“I don’t get drunk, Ryoma” Fuji whispered softly into Ryoma’s ear, making his hair stand on end.

“You’re breath reeks of alcohol” Ryoma said, trying to get out of Fuji’s grasp. The moment he got out of the grasp, he made the mistake of turning around. The moment he turned around, Fuji had pressed his lips to his, giving Ryoma his first kiss. Ryoma almost instantly broke away, his face red as a tomato. “What…what do you think you’re doing?!”

“Exactly what I think I’m doing” Fuji had just nearly purred before reclaiming his lips. Unlike the first kiss, this one wasn't as forceful. It was soft. Ryoma wasn't quite aware of what was going on except that Fuji was kissing him.

Poor Ryoma.

--To Be Continued…