Something Real -- Chapter 11
Chapter: 11
Pairing: Sakumoto, Ohmiya
Genre: AU, Fantasy
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Plot = mine. Arashi = not mine.
Summary: Sho gets introduced into the dangerous world of the fey -- where not everything is what it seems.
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“Jun!” Sho immediately went to his side, lifting him up gingerly. “What happened to you!?”
“Sho,” Jun coughed, his breath shaky. “Pull me out of this cell.”
Sho did as he was told, pulling Jun into his arms and carrying him out, laying him on a nearby wooden bench. The moment Jun was free of the cell’s confines, his breathing became steady, and color was coming back to his face, although he was still clearly wounded.
“What’s going on!?” Sho asked as he did his best to clean Jun off.
“The cell is magic proof. I couldn’t do magic while I was in there, and the longer I was in there, the more it felt like it was suffocating me.”
Sho nodded. So that was why the keys were left so casually nearby.
“Sho,” Jun said, gripping Sho’s arms tight, his voice serious. “It’s Junichi. He’s behind all of this.”
“Your brother?” Sho asked, surprised and yet…not quite so.
"He snuck up on me shortly after I came back. I had my guard down, not realizing he was behind it all...I've been here ever since."
Jun coughed again, and Sho realized how cold Jun was. “Jun, you’re freezing! Let’s get you out of here.”
“No!” Jun said, his hands still gripping Sho’s. “You have to understand, Sho. He’s behind everything.”
Sho looked deep into Jun’s eyes as he let that realization sink in. Everything?
“So…not just you in the cell, but…the Queen’s death? My father’s kidnapping?”
“All of it.”
The sadness in Jun’s voice snapped Sho out of his muddled thoughts. Sho gathered Jun’s cold hands into his and began rubbing them gently, soothingly. “It isn’t your fault, Jun. Your brother isn’t you. There wasn’t anything you could’ve done.”
“I know.”
“Do you think you can walk?”
Jun stood but wavered, and Sho quickly stepped in. He swooped down and swept Jun off his feet, carrying him in his arms as he began to take Jun back up through the secret corridor, finding no other exit.
“How did you get here, anyway?” Jun asked, enjoying Sho’s arms around his body.
“Invisibility.” Sho’s face became smug.
“You remembered!” Jun asked with a smile.
“I told you I remembered everything.”
Once they reached the door, the pair stopped. “I’ll turn us both invisible, and we can sneak back to Ohno’s place.”
Jun nodded his understanding, and pushing the button, the door swung open easily. They slipped through quietly, headed for the library door, opening it just enough to peek through.
“What the…” Sho’s whispered voice tapered off. “No one’s there!”
The castle was still completely empty. Sho opened the door fully and the two stepped out, an eerie feeling in the pit of their stomachs.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are, Sakurai Sho!” A voice boomed from outside with a cackle.
Sho took Jun to a nearby window and peered out. Both princes gasped sharply at the sight, and Sho dropped Jun to stand on his own feet.
Junichi stood, proudly, regally, one foot on top of Aiba’s head. Aiba was back to his preferred wolf form and was immobile, tied tightly with rope that was clearly biting deep into his skin. On the other side of Junichi, tied to a broken pillar, was an older man, unconscious, and obviously in serious condition. Sho instantly knew that it must be his father.
Jun tugged Sho away from the window, putting his hands on the sides of Sho’s face, forcing him to look at his face. “You can’t do this right now, Sho. You’ll be killed! You have no idea what Junichi is capable of!”
“But Aiba…and finally, my father…”
“I know, Sho. But think! If you go out there now, you’ll be doing exactly what Junichi wants!”
“I don’t care! I have to help them!”
“You don’t get it, Sho! Junichi has been sucking the magical energy from your father for several months now! It’s what those cells below the library do! It sucks the magic away, and Junichi has been the one soaking it up! It’s how he was able to kill my mother, and then blame it on you!”
“And he has your magic from the past 3 days, too, doesn’t he?” Sho asked heavily.
“Yes. Sho, wait. Please. Let’s think of a plan first.”
Junichi called out again. “Sho! If you make me wait much longer, I’m afraid your friend here won’t be alive for you to say goodbye. I know you’re out there!” He pushed his foot down on Aiba’s head harder, earning a painful yelp from Aiba.
Sho closed his eyes in pain, grasping Jun’s hands and pulling them away from his face.
“I have to go. This has to end, now.”
“I can’t lose you again.” Jun’s voice trembled, and it broke Sho’s heart.
“You won’t.” Sho attempted a smile, but fell short.
Jun got a fierce look in his eye. “Fine. I’m coming with you.”
“No, you aren’t! You aren’t well yet! You’ve just been drained of energy and mistreated for the past 3 days! Forget it!” Sho yelled.
“You can’t decide this for me, Sho.”
“Oh yes I can.” Sho pushed Jun to sit in a nearby chair. “You can’t even walk right now. I order you to stay put.”
Jun slumped in his seat, knowing full well he couldn't walk anywhere, but desperate not to let Sho go without him. "Please."
Sho relinquished his hold on Jun reluctantly, and instantly made himself invisible, thinking a clean break would be best. Jun weakly but desperately reached blindly for him, tears in his eyes. “Sho!”
Sho immediately felt bad, and made himself visible once more, taking hold of Jun’s hand. Jun's tears fell, and Sho bent down to bring his lips to Jun’s. They kissed deeply, both putting all their love into it, but Sho pulled away after a few short moments, Jun too weak to be able to put up a fight. Giving Jun a final look, he vanished once more, running out to meet Junichi and his fate.
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Once outside, Sho had a much clearer picture of what was going on. Dark Fey stood around the clearing, wicked smiles on their faces. Junichi stood facing away from the castle, which told Sho that he didn’t know he had been in the castle. He thought Sho was still in the woods.
Sho wanted to sneak back to the woods and emerge visible, surprising Junichi later with his new trick, but the tracks in the snow would be visible, and there was no clear opening in the ranks of the Dark Fey. Sho decided on a different approach.
“I guess your so-called friend isn’t coming. Now isn’t that a shame, changeling?” Junichi said, crouched low to tug on Aiba’s hair as he spoke. As soon as he did, though, a force hit him squarely in the jaw and propelled him several feet backward. The Dark Fey nearby went silent.
Sho quickly went to work on getting the ropes off of Aiba, grabbing a sharp, icy rock and slicing away the ropes. Seeing Junichi begin to stand, Sho grabbed Aiba to turn him invisible. Thankfully, Aiba wasn’t too badly hurt, and the pair began to run away from Junichi, whispering quickly as they did so.
“Get out of here, Aiba. Go tell Nino and Ohno, but get out of here!”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I can carry you out of here!”
“Jun’s in the castle. I can’t leave him. Besides, Junichi’s still got my dad. It needs to end here.”
“I’m taking you with me, Sho!” Aiba said fiercely, as he warped into a large bird. He beat his wings to take off, and Sho removed his hand, refusing to go as well. Just as Aiba’s claws reached out to grab his shoulders, Sho felt a searing pain in his leg and fell to the ground, Aiba’s talons missing him.
Sho turned to find Junichi still in throwing position, a mad grin on his face. Sho looked down to find an icicle embedded in his flesh, the wound bleeding rapidly. Aiba circled above, an unhappy look on his face, but Sho shouted, “Go, you idiot!” Aiba gave one last look to Sho and wheeled away, flying fast over the castle.
“Thought you could just sneak up on me like that, did you?” Junichi sneered, stepping closer. It didn’t matter if Sho was invisible now - his blood stained the snow. “I’ll admit, knowing how to turn yourself invisible is quite a feat. Perhaps I should drain that knowledge from you before I kill you?”
Sho pulled the icicle out with a grunt, refusing to cry out in pain. I can heal myself! Sho remembered suddenly, focusing all his thoughts on healing his leg. This was a much deeper wound than his hands, however, and Sho could tell this was going to take a few minutes - a few minutes he didn’t have. He needed to distract Junichi.
Pretending to hold his leg in pain, Sho removed his invisibility, acting as though he couldn't keep up the magic any longer. Junichi stepped back a moment, startled, but let his cat-like grin return swiftly. At long last, his prey was in his reach.
“I told you you would die, Sakurai. Didn’t I?” Junichi taunted.
“I’m not dead yet, Junichi.”
“Oh, please. It’s just a matter of minutes. Let’s not kid ourselves. At least you get a quick death, unlike your poor father over there, who’s been suffering for months, thanks to you.”
“What did you do to him!?” Sho asked angrily.
“Oh, I just drained his magic, just as I did to my brother dear.” Junichi paused, and Sho feigned surprise.
“What!? How could you do that to your own brother!?”
“It was easy, seeing how he was never a brother to me.”
That shocked Sho. “What do you mean?”
Junichi’s face turned dark. “I am the eldest. I should’ve been revered above him! But no, mother always preferred Jun, always had praise for him when for me she had nothing but insults!”
“That’s why you killed the Queen.” Sho said, stunned.
“No. I killed her because it was necessary for me to take the throne. And you gave me the perfect opportunity, running away like that.” Junichi grinned once more.
“So you hate Jun because your mother liked him best?”
“No, I hate Jun because of you.”
Sho stared into Junichi’s hate filled eyes. “Because of me?”
“Jun always followed me around, always looked up to me. But then, one day, he wasn’t around anymore. I figured it was nothing, but after a while I realized he was spending more and more time away. So, I followed him, and found him spending all of his time with you and your little friends. He never gave me the time of day after that. When I realized that he loved you, I couldn’t believe it! A Dark Prince falling in love with a Light Prince? Impossible! So I did everything I could to get my brother back.”
“So you got your mother to put out the word to have me kidnapped.” It was finally all falling into place.
“Yes. Jun took your memories and protected you so that I couldn't take you. He still never bothered with me, spending as little time in the castle as he could. Mother still loved him best, despite my best efforts to convince her otherwise. So I captured your father, stole his magic, used it to kill my mother, and I will now kill you. Your father and Jun will follow shortly, and I will rule the entire Realm with everyone adoring me!”
Sho couldn’t believe it. Junichi had done all of this for attention? Because he had felt left out and unloved?
“I will continue my mother’s plans to take over the human world as well. With you and your father gone, nothing will stop the Dark Fey from infiltrating your world!”
At that moment, Sho stopped the charade, knowing his leg was now healed. He turned himself invisible and threw a small fireball at Junichi’s face to distract him. He then ran at Junichi, landing a well-aimed kick at his back. But Junichi was fast, faster than Sho had expected - probably from all the magic he had taken.
Junichi whirled and grabbed Sho’s neck in a vice-like grip, cutting off his air supply. Sho struggled and choked, and unable to keep up his invisibility turned visible once more. He tried to call up some magic, but - air, he needed air! - and thought of Jun, wondering if this was really his death.
Sho was beginning to see spots in his vision when something slammed into Junichi, releasing his grip. Sho fell to the snow as he coughed and inhaled deeply, gasping for air, as Junichi cried out in pain.
“Touch him again and I swear I will kill you in the most painful way possible.”
Pairing: Sakumoto, Ohmiya
Genre: AU, Fantasy
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Plot = mine. Arashi = not mine.
Summary: Sho gets introduced into the dangerous world of the fey -- where not everything is what it seems.
-----------------------
“Jun!” Sho immediately went to his side, lifting him up gingerly. “What happened to you!?”
“Sho,” Jun coughed, his breath shaky. “Pull me out of this cell.”
Sho did as he was told, pulling Jun into his arms and carrying him out, laying him on a nearby wooden bench. The moment Jun was free of the cell’s confines, his breathing became steady, and color was coming back to his face, although he was still clearly wounded.
“What’s going on!?” Sho asked as he did his best to clean Jun off.
“The cell is magic proof. I couldn’t do magic while I was in there, and the longer I was in there, the more it felt like it was suffocating me.”
Sho nodded. So that was why the keys were left so casually nearby.
“Sho,” Jun said, gripping Sho’s arms tight, his voice serious. “It’s Junichi. He’s behind all of this.”
“Your brother?” Sho asked, surprised and yet…not quite so.
"He snuck up on me shortly after I came back. I had my guard down, not realizing he was behind it all...I've been here ever since."
Jun coughed again, and Sho realized how cold Jun was. “Jun, you’re freezing! Let’s get you out of here.”
“No!” Jun said, his hands still gripping Sho’s. “You have to understand, Sho. He’s behind everything.”
Sho looked deep into Jun’s eyes as he let that realization sink in. Everything?
“So…not just you in the cell, but…the Queen’s death? My father’s kidnapping?”
“All of it.”
The sadness in Jun’s voice snapped Sho out of his muddled thoughts. Sho gathered Jun’s cold hands into his and began rubbing them gently, soothingly. “It isn’t your fault, Jun. Your brother isn’t you. There wasn’t anything you could’ve done.”
“I know.”
“Do you think you can walk?”
Jun stood but wavered, and Sho quickly stepped in. He swooped down and swept Jun off his feet, carrying him in his arms as he began to take Jun back up through the secret corridor, finding no other exit.
“How did you get here, anyway?” Jun asked, enjoying Sho’s arms around his body.
“Invisibility.” Sho’s face became smug.
“You remembered!” Jun asked with a smile.
“I told you I remembered everything.”
Once they reached the door, the pair stopped. “I’ll turn us both invisible, and we can sneak back to Ohno’s place.”
Jun nodded his understanding, and pushing the button, the door swung open easily. They slipped through quietly, headed for the library door, opening it just enough to peek through.
“What the…” Sho’s whispered voice tapered off. “No one’s there!”
The castle was still completely empty. Sho opened the door fully and the two stepped out, an eerie feeling in the pit of their stomachs.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are, Sakurai Sho!” A voice boomed from outside with a cackle.
Sho took Jun to a nearby window and peered out. Both princes gasped sharply at the sight, and Sho dropped Jun to stand on his own feet.
Junichi stood, proudly, regally, one foot on top of Aiba’s head. Aiba was back to his preferred wolf form and was immobile, tied tightly with rope that was clearly biting deep into his skin. On the other side of Junichi, tied to a broken pillar, was an older man, unconscious, and obviously in serious condition. Sho instantly knew that it must be his father.
Jun tugged Sho away from the window, putting his hands on the sides of Sho’s face, forcing him to look at his face. “You can’t do this right now, Sho. You’ll be killed! You have no idea what Junichi is capable of!”
“But Aiba…and finally, my father…”
“I know, Sho. But think! If you go out there now, you’ll be doing exactly what Junichi wants!”
“I don’t care! I have to help them!”
“You don’t get it, Sho! Junichi has been sucking the magical energy from your father for several months now! It’s what those cells below the library do! It sucks the magic away, and Junichi has been the one soaking it up! It’s how he was able to kill my mother, and then blame it on you!”
“And he has your magic from the past 3 days, too, doesn’t he?” Sho asked heavily.
“Yes. Sho, wait. Please. Let’s think of a plan first.”
Junichi called out again. “Sho! If you make me wait much longer, I’m afraid your friend here won’t be alive for you to say goodbye. I know you’re out there!” He pushed his foot down on Aiba’s head harder, earning a painful yelp from Aiba.
Sho closed his eyes in pain, grasping Jun’s hands and pulling them away from his face.
“I have to go. This has to end, now.”
“I can’t lose you again.” Jun’s voice trembled, and it broke Sho’s heart.
“You won’t.” Sho attempted a smile, but fell short.
Jun got a fierce look in his eye. “Fine. I’m coming with you.”
“No, you aren’t! You aren’t well yet! You’ve just been drained of energy and mistreated for the past 3 days! Forget it!” Sho yelled.
“You can’t decide this for me, Sho.”
“Oh yes I can.” Sho pushed Jun to sit in a nearby chair. “You can’t even walk right now. I order you to stay put.”
Jun slumped in his seat, knowing full well he couldn't walk anywhere, but desperate not to let Sho go without him. "Please."
Sho relinquished his hold on Jun reluctantly, and instantly made himself invisible, thinking a clean break would be best. Jun weakly but desperately reached blindly for him, tears in his eyes. “Sho!”
Sho immediately felt bad, and made himself visible once more, taking hold of Jun’s hand. Jun's tears fell, and Sho bent down to bring his lips to Jun’s. They kissed deeply, both putting all their love into it, but Sho pulled away after a few short moments, Jun too weak to be able to put up a fight. Giving Jun a final look, he vanished once more, running out to meet Junichi and his fate.
--------------------
Once outside, Sho had a much clearer picture of what was going on. Dark Fey stood around the clearing, wicked smiles on their faces. Junichi stood facing away from the castle, which told Sho that he didn’t know he had been in the castle. He thought Sho was still in the woods.
Sho wanted to sneak back to the woods and emerge visible, surprising Junichi later with his new trick, but the tracks in the snow would be visible, and there was no clear opening in the ranks of the Dark Fey. Sho decided on a different approach.
“I guess your so-called friend isn’t coming. Now isn’t that a shame, changeling?” Junichi said, crouched low to tug on Aiba’s hair as he spoke. As soon as he did, though, a force hit him squarely in the jaw and propelled him several feet backward. The Dark Fey nearby went silent.
Sho quickly went to work on getting the ropes off of Aiba, grabbing a sharp, icy rock and slicing away the ropes. Seeing Junichi begin to stand, Sho grabbed Aiba to turn him invisible. Thankfully, Aiba wasn’t too badly hurt, and the pair began to run away from Junichi, whispering quickly as they did so.
“Get out of here, Aiba. Go tell Nino and Ohno, but get out of here!”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I can carry you out of here!”
“Jun’s in the castle. I can’t leave him. Besides, Junichi’s still got my dad. It needs to end here.”
“I’m taking you with me, Sho!” Aiba said fiercely, as he warped into a large bird. He beat his wings to take off, and Sho removed his hand, refusing to go as well. Just as Aiba’s claws reached out to grab his shoulders, Sho felt a searing pain in his leg and fell to the ground, Aiba’s talons missing him.
Sho turned to find Junichi still in throwing position, a mad grin on his face. Sho looked down to find an icicle embedded in his flesh, the wound bleeding rapidly. Aiba circled above, an unhappy look on his face, but Sho shouted, “Go, you idiot!” Aiba gave one last look to Sho and wheeled away, flying fast over the castle.
“Thought you could just sneak up on me like that, did you?” Junichi sneered, stepping closer. It didn’t matter if Sho was invisible now - his blood stained the snow. “I’ll admit, knowing how to turn yourself invisible is quite a feat. Perhaps I should drain that knowledge from you before I kill you?”
Sho pulled the icicle out with a grunt, refusing to cry out in pain. I can heal myself! Sho remembered suddenly, focusing all his thoughts on healing his leg. This was a much deeper wound than his hands, however, and Sho could tell this was going to take a few minutes - a few minutes he didn’t have. He needed to distract Junichi.
Pretending to hold his leg in pain, Sho removed his invisibility, acting as though he couldn't keep up the magic any longer. Junichi stepped back a moment, startled, but let his cat-like grin return swiftly. At long last, his prey was in his reach.
“I told you you would die, Sakurai. Didn’t I?” Junichi taunted.
“I’m not dead yet, Junichi.”
“Oh, please. It’s just a matter of minutes. Let’s not kid ourselves. At least you get a quick death, unlike your poor father over there, who’s been suffering for months, thanks to you.”
“What did you do to him!?” Sho asked angrily.
“Oh, I just drained his magic, just as I did to my brother dear.” Junichi paused, and Sho feigned surprise.
“What!? How could you do that to your own brother!?”
“It was easy, seeing how he was never a brother to me.”
That shocked Sho. “What do you mean?”
Junichi’s face turned dark. “I am the eldest. I should’ve been revered above him! But no, mother always preferred Jun, always had praise for him when for me she had nothing but insults!”
“That’s why you killed the Queen.” Sho said, stunned.
“No. I killed her because it was necessary for me to take the throne. And you gave me the perfect opportunity, running away like that.” Junichi grinned once more.
“So you hate Jun because your mother liked him best?”
“No, I hate Jun because of you.”
Sho stared into Junichi’s hate filled eyes. “Because of me?”
“Jun always followed me around, always looked up to me. But then, one day, he wasn’t around anymore. I figured it was nothing, but after a while I realized he was spending more and more time away. So, I followed him, and found him spending all of his time with you and your little friends. He never gave me the time of day after that. When I realized that he loved you, I couldn’t believe it! A Dark Prince falling in love with a Light Prince? Impossible! So I did everything I could to get my brother back.”
“So you got your mother to put out the word to have me kidnapped.” It was finally all falling into place.
“Yes. Jun took your memories and protected you so that I couldn't take you. He still never bothered with me, spending as little time in the castle as he could. Mother still loved him best, despite my best efforts to convince her otherwise. So I captured your father, stole his magic, used it to kill my mother, and I will now kill you. Your father and Jun will follow shortly, and I will rule the entire Realm with everyone adoring me!”
Sho couldn’t believe it. Junichi had done all of this for attention? Because he had felt left out and unloved?
“I will continue my mother’s plans to take over the human world as well. With you and your father gone, nothing will stop the Dark Fey from infiltrating your world!”
At that moment, Sho stopped the charade, knowing his leg was now healed. He turned himself invisible and threw a small fireball at Junichi’s face to distract him. He then ran at Junichi, landing a well-aimed kick at his back. But Junichi was fast, faster than Sho had expected - probably from all the magic he had taken.
Junichi whirled and grabbed Sho’s neck in a vice-like grip, cutting off his air supply. Sho struggled and choked, and unable to keep up his invisibility turned visible once more. He tried to call up some magic, but - air, he needed air! - and thought of Jun, wondering if this was really his death.
Sho was beginning to see spots in his vision when something slammed into Junichi, releasing his grip. Sho fell to the snow as he coughed and inhaled deeply, gasping for air, as Junichi cried out in pain.
“Touch him again and I swear I will kill you in the most painful way possible.”