[Bloodied Roses]
Need to stop letting muses run away with me. Sequel-ish thing to my fic Bloodied Diamonds. It... might not make sense? ;;
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Closer. Kitayama had to get closer to the border, to break free of the protective nets, before he could get Fujigaya to safety.
Fujigaya was unconscious, fighting to retain blood and running out of energy fast. He’d taken several wounds to the gut, holding Kiriyama in place so Kitayama could deliver a finishing blow, and while they hadn’t killed Kiriyama, Nakama’s death was still a victory.
A victory with a high price, however. Fujigaya was dying.
It was all Kitayama could do to run as fast as possible, every spare bit of power he had left keeping Fujigaya from bleeding out completely. But he could only slow the damage, not stop it, and he could feel Fujigaya growing weaker and weaker.
He tore through the forests and valleys. Once out of the net, he could take Fujigaya to the castle, where there were healers, healers who would know how to fix Fujigaya when Kitayama could not, for Kitayama had chosen a different path and dipped into darker magic.
But he was running out of time. And so he ran faster, unable to pray for someone to give Fujigaya the time he needed.
He was drained by the time he broke free from the power nets, numbed and empty. He grasped the last rope of power he had left to take them both to Takizawa.
~
Takizawa was in the middle of a battle council when there was a ripple of magic. Everyone gasped in horror as suddenly Kitayama stood in the middle of the council, clutching Fujigaya to his bloodied chest. Kitayama was pale, his eyes unfocused, but he turned, staring blindly towards Takizawa for something. Reassurance? Takizawa wasn’t sure.
“Tono,” was all he said, falling to his knees, not releasing his grip on Fujigaya even as people rushed towards them.
“No, stand back,” Takizawa said, sharply, quickly recovering from his surprise and standing. “Bring Totsuka here. Everyone, leave. I am sorry,” he added quickly, seeing their startled faces. “But it is for the best and for your safety.”
Soon the room was cleared, someone dispatched to fetch Takizawa’s best healer. Only then did Takizawa approach Kitayama. “What happened?”
Kitayama spoke in a hollow voice, staring down at his wounded partner. Fujigaya was even paler than Kitayama, and now that Takizawa was closer he could see the mess that was the other’s stomach. If it had been anyone else, he’d have been dead already.
“We found them in the city. Like the reports said. Brought the city down. Engaged.” Kitayama’s sentences were stunted, his lips moving with trouble. “Killed Nakama. I think the Hellfire took Kiriyama as well, but Fujigaya…” he trailed off, looking down at Fujigaya again. His expression was as devoid of emotion as his voice, but somehow that conveyed more concern to Takizawa than anything else could have.
“Tottu’s coming,” he said finally, and Kitayama nodded. With that, Takizawa withdrew to the other side of the room, finding it safer to watch his men from a distance.
It pained him to see them like this. Fujigaya was nearly dead and if he died… Takizawa did not want to think about that.
Kitayama and Fujigaya had once been part of Takizawa’s Honor Guard, his most trusted and most skilled men. But when the East had gone to war with the West, they had made a sacrifice to aid their Lord, at a price Takizawa would never have asked of them.
Totsuka appeared, rushing in with his bag. Kitayama didn’t protest when the healer carefully peeled his arms away from Fujigaya, stretching him carefully out on the marbled floor.
The movement shifted Fujigaya’s tunic, revealing what looked like tattoos at a first glance, snaking over Fujigaya’s collarbones in a jarring pattern, but what were really scars, twisted and blackened. It was a terrible mark, one that Takizawa hated to see, and one that matched Kitayama’s marks exactly.
It was tense and silent as Totsuka worked, magic flickering here and there as he tried to save Fujigaya. Kitayama knelt next nearby, still expressionless, still empty.
After what felt like hours, Totsuka pulled away, carefully cleaning his hands of blood and standing. He was frowning as he approached Takizawa.
“He lost a lot of blood and his body is resisting my treatment,” Totsuka said, wearily. “It’ll take some time before we can be sure… He’s not stable yet.”
They moved Fujigaya to one of the infirmary rooms and Kitayama trailed after them. It was wretched to see and it only served as another reminder of the terrible pact they had made. Together Kitayama and Fujigaya had gone to the Gates of Death, and together they’d traded their souls for the power needed to fight the war.
The pact had been sealed and demonfire consumed their hearts. Great warriors they became, even greater than before, unmatched by any in the land with unspeakable powers to weild… but at a terrible price.
Takizawa stood in the doorway as they lay Fujigaya down, watching as Kitayama took station, kneeling near his partner’s head.
A terrible price they had paid. Together they had gone and together they stayed now, partners in the most imperfect sense. More like dependents, it was as if their life-force depended on the other, and maybe it did, for Takizawa had never dared ask what had truly happened at the Gates of Death. It was enough to know that Fujigaya no longer truly laughed, the sound now too practiced and cruel to be from the free-spirited man that Takizawa had once known. It was enough now that Kitayama rarely spoke and smiled even less. They had given themselves up for him and he had lost them completely.
He looked at Kitayama’s impassive face and did not want to think of what would happen if Fujigaya died.
~
Totsuka and his assistants labored for days over Fujigaya, pouring everything they had into restoring him. It was a slow, painful process, as Fujigaya’s body was so steeped in dark magic, there was no room for the light of Totsuka’s healing. But they didn’t give up and soon Totsuka told Takizawa that Fujigaya was safe. The entire castle let out a breath nobody knew they’d been holding.
Kitayama did not leave Fujigaya’s side. He did not sleep and he did not eat for days and Takizawa began to worry that soon he would lose Kitayama first. But he refused every suggestion, ignored Takizawa’s commands, and watched silently as Fujigaya slept.
Finally, on the dawn of the fifth day since their return, Fujigaya stirred with a soft whimper and a grimace of pain. It took some time before he was able to open his eyes, but when he did, he immediately searched for Kitayama.
Their eyes met for a moment and, for the first time since Fujigaya had fallen, a small smile formed on Kitayama’s lips.
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Your turn, virtuoussin85!