Tests of Faith (Mirror Universe)
Title: Tests of Faith
Pairing/Characters: Ragi, Satoru Akashi
Rating: PG
There were times, Ragi Samezu thought, when being part Betazoid was a pain in the butt. Most of the time it was something he was grateful for; his status as an empath meant that he was eligible for most benefits that came with being a pureblood, even if he could never pass for full Betazoid, and that kept him out of the trouble most Terrans seemed to get themselves into. Other times, though, other times being an empath sucked, giving him insight into things he never wanted to know while remaining stubbornly useless on the things he did.
Like now, for instance; he didn’t want to know that Satoru Akashi was slowly coming to the conclusion that maybe he loved Ragi as much as he did adventuring, it made things awkward, especially when the time came to leave. Which, if Akashi was… feeling like that, might be sooner rather than later; it would be better for both of them that way and Akashi didn’t need to get involved in what was essentially a private mission. His on-again, off-again lover knew he was part Betazoid and it didn’t bother him - nothing much bothered the Trill as he zipped around the galaxy freelancing and looking for adventures - but he didn’t know the big secret, nobody did anymore, besides him.
Out there, somewhere, was the twin Ragi had never known. They’d been separated when their parents died, that much he knew, that much his grandfather had told him, but while Ragi had been brought back to Betazed his brother - his brother whose name he didn’t even know - had been left behind and the Gods alone knew what had happened after that. He’d have grown up among Terrans and they wouldn’t have the first clue how to deal when his brother’s telepathic abilities would have manifested and he’d probably ended up on some mining station or labour camp or in some kind of psych hospital and…
Akashi’s arm snuck around his waist and held him close, momentarily easing the panic that always came when he thought of all the things that could have happened to his brother in the past sixteen years or so. Hell, he could be dead for all Ragi knew, even if part of him stubbornly insisted that he’d know if his brother was dead. He might not be able to find him but he’d know it if his twin was no longer out there, he was convinced of that, irrational as the belief might be. He’d know.
Staring at the grooved ceiling of the shuttle, Ragi tried once again to reach out to a person he’d never met before, a person who could be anywhere in the galaxy, and once again he met with failure, not that he’d really expected anything else. Besides, the only person within his normal range was lying right beside him and the only other place out here was the SCRTC research facility under the joint oversight of Ren Kosaka, Sosuke Esumi and the Fukami brothers Retsu and Gou. His brother wouldn’t be there, of course, there’d be no use for him on a research facility like SCRTC; he was somewhere else out there, but Ragi was determined that he’d find him, no matter how long it took him.
Right on the verge of sleep Ragi’s eyes snapped open again at the feel of another mind reaching out and he sat bolt upright, staring into the darkness of the room blindly as he mentally tried to reach back, too shocked to focus on anything else, even the drowsily concerned voice of Akashi asking him if he was alright. Another mind… reaching out to him? His hands clenched tightly in the sheets as he took in the bleary overtones of the contact; so unfocused, what could possibly--?
But… there weren’t any other telepaths out here, he’d have sensed them by now if there were and this new, fragile contact was coming in on a different frequency than usual, almost as if…
He was scrambling out of bed in a heartbeat, grabbing his clothes off the floor and yanking them on, cursing as he pulled the shirt on back to front in his rush and forcibly tugging it round so it was the right way. His shuttle was docked with Akashi’s, it would be the work of a moment to switch over and then he’d be out there and maybe he’d even find his brother out here after all. He only stopped when Akashi grabbed hold of his wrist and pulled him back. When had the guy even got out of bed? “What?” he demanded. Couldn’t Akashi see he had to go?
“What’s going on?” Akashi asked, tension radiating off him even though he was outwardly calm. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t tell you,” Ragi replied, yanking himself free. “At least not now. I just have to do this.”
“In the middle of the night?”
“Now.”
“But--”
“Akashi, let me go. This is something I have to do.”
“Alright. Then I’m coming with you.”
“You can’t.”
“I can and I will.” Akashi’s face was set and his mind was clearly made up, damn it. “I’m not letting you face this on your own, whatever it is. I want to help, Ragi.”
“You can’t,” Ragi repeated, making for the door. “I’ll explain later, but--”
“No, you won’t,” Akashi interrupted, grabbing his wrist again and pulling him back inside. “You’ll blast out of here and the next time I see you none of this will come up. That’s how we work, remember?”
Ragi remembered: how could he not, it was his own condition; he’d never thought Akashi would use it against him. He knew what he was going to do about it, though, even though he didn’t like it. “I’m sorry,” he said softly, turning back and he hated the relief he could feel coming from the other man, it made him feel even worse about what he was about to do.
“You don’t have to apologise,” Akashi told him, letting go and tracing a finger down the side of his face instead.
“Yes,” he whispered, his voice catching a little as he brought a hand up to mirror Akashi’s action, tracing down the side of the man’s face, following the line of spots down his neck. He’d be lucky if Akashi ever wanted anything to do with him after this. “I do.” The blast wasn’t a strong one, not one he’d use if ever he found himself on the defensive, but it was enough to knock Akashi out cold and he staggered as he caught the man before he could hit the floor. Easing him gently to the ground, Ragi traced his fingers over Akashi’s cheek, memorising the features and stowing them away safely. “I’m sorry,” he repeated, “but I have to.”
He spent a moment at the controls of Akashi’s shuttle, disabling the scanners and comm systems. It wouldn’t stop Akashi for long but he didn’t need it to be long anyway, it just needed to be enough to get him out of range.
***
Safely back on his shuttle, Ragi set his course towards the research facility: unlikely as it was, it was the only place his brother could be calling him from and the wooziness of the call was worrying, what if something had happened? Switching the controls to autopilot, Ragi leant back in his chair and closed his eyes, reaching out to the shaky call, trying to reach it any way he could.
I’m coming, he sent, projecting reassurance as hard as he could. I’m coming, brother, I’m coming.
Pairing/Characters: Ragi, Satoru Akashi
Rating: PG
There were times, Ragi Samezu thought, when being part Betazoid was a pain in the butt. Most of the time it was something he was grateful for; his status as an empath meant that he was eligible for most benefits that came with being a pureblood, even if he could never pass for full Betazoid, and that kept him out of the trouble most Terrans seemed to get themselves into. Other times, though, other times being an empath sucked, giving him insight into things he never wanted to know while remaining stubbornly useless on the things he did.
Like now, for instance; he didn’t want to know that Satoru Akashi was slowly coming to the conclusion that maybe he loved Ragi as much as he did adventuring, it made things awkward, especially when the time came to leave. Which, if Akashi was… feeling like that, might be sooner rather than later; it would be better for both of them that way and Akashi didn’t need to get involved in what was essentially a private mission. His on-again, off-again lover knew he was part Betazoid and it didn’t bother him - nothing much bothered the Trill as he zipped around the galaxy freelancing and looking for adventures - but he didn’t know the big secret, nobody did anymore, besides him.
Out there, somewhere, was the twin Ragi had never known. They’d been separated when their parents died, that much he knew, that much his grandfather had told him, but while Ragi had been brought back to Betazed his brother - his brother whose name he didn’t even know - had been left behind and the Gods alone knew what had happened after that. He’d have grown up among Terrans and they wouldn’t have the first clue how to deal when his brother’s telepathic abilities would have manifested and he’d probably ended up on some mining station or labour camp or in some kind of psych hospital and…
Akashi’s arm snuck around his waist and held him close, momentarily easing the panic that always came when he thought of all the things that could have happened to his brother in the past sixteen years or so. Hell, he could be dead for all Ragi knew, even if part of him stubbornly insisted that he’d know if his brother was dead. He might not be able to find him but he’d know it if his twin was no longer out there, he was convinced of that, irrational as the belief might be. He’d know.
Staring at the grooved ceiling of the shuttle, Ragi tried once again to reach out to a person he’d never met before, a person who could be anywhere in the galaxy, and once again he met with failure, not that he’d really expected anything else. Besides, the only person within his normal range was lying right beside him and the only other place out here was the SCRTC research facility under the joint oversight of Ren Kosaka, Sosuke Esumi and the Fukami brothers Retsu and Gou. His brother wouldn’t be there, of course, there’d be no use for him on a research facility like SCRTC; he was somewhere else out there, but Ragi was determined that he’d find him, no matter how long it took him.
Right on the verge of sleep Ragi’s eyes snapped open again at the feel of another mind reaching out and he sat bolt upright, staring into the darkness of the room blindly as he mentally tried to reach back, too shocked to focus on anything else, even the drowsily concerned voice of Akashi asking him if he was alright. Another mind… reaching out to him? His hands clenched tightly in the sheets as he took in the bleary overtones of the contact; so unfocused, what could possibly--?
But… there weren’t any other telepaths out here, he’d have sensed them by now if there were and this new, fragile contact was coming in on a different frequency than usual, almost as if…
He was scrambling out of bed in a heartbeat, grabbing his clothes off the floor and yanking them on, cursing as he pulled the shirt on back to front in his rush and forcibly tugging it round so it was the right way. His shuttle was docked with Akashi’s, it would be the work of a moment to switch over and then he’d be out there and maybe he’d even find his brother out here after all. He only stopped when Akashi grabbed hold of his wrist and pulled him back. When had the guy even got out of bed? “What?” he demanded. Couldn’t Akashi see he had to go?
“What’s going on?” Akashi asked, tension radiating off him even though he was outwardly calm. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t tell you,” Ragi replied, yanking himself free. “At least not now. I just have to do this.”
“In the middle of the night?”
“Now.”
“But--”
“Akashi, let me go. This is something I have to do.”
“Alright. Then I’m coming with you.”
“You can’t.”
“I can and I will.” Akashi’s face was set and his mind was clearly made up, damn it. “I’m not letting you face this on your own, whatever it is. I want to help, Ragi.”
“You can’t,” Ragi repeated, making for the door. “I’ll explain later, but--”
“No, you won’t,” Akashi interrupted, grabbing his wrist again and pulling him back inside. “You’ll blast out of here and the next time I see you none of this will come up. That’s how we work, remember?”
Ragi remembered: how could he not, it was his own condition; he’d never thought Akashi would use it against him. He knew what he was going to do about it, though, even though he didn’t like it. “I’m sorry,” he said softly, turning back and he hated the relief he could feel coming from the other man, it made him feel even worse about what he was about to do.
“You don’t have to apologise,” Akashi told him, letting go and tracing a finger down the side of his face instead.
“Yes,” he whispered, his voice catching a little as he brought a hand up to mirror Akashi’s action, tracing down the side of the man’s face, following the line of spots down his neck. He’d be lucky if Akashi ever wanted anything to do with him after this. “I do.” The blast wasn’t a strong one, not one he’d use if ever he found himself on the defensive, but it was enough to knock Akashi out cold and he staggered as he caught the man before he could hit the floor. Easing him gently to the ground, Ragi traced his fingers over Akashi’s cheek, memorising the features and stowing them away safely. “I’m sorry,” he repeated, “but I have to.”
He spent a moment at the controls of Akashi’s shuttle, disabling the scanners and comm systems. It wouldn’t stop Akashi for long but he didn’t need it to be long anyway, it just needed to be enough to get him out of range.
***
Safely back on his shuttle, Ragi set his course towards the research facility: unlikely as it was, it was the only place his brother could be calling him from and the wooziness of the call was worrying, what if something had happened? Switching the controls to autopilot, Ragi leant back in his chair and closed his eyes, reaching out to the shaky call, trying to reach it any way he could.
I’m coming, he sent, projecting reassurance as hard as he could. I’m coming, brother, I’m coming.