40Jessica: I'm baaaackkk!
Rath, Rune & Thatz: (cling to each other in terror)
Kurayami Ryuu: (drools over them)
Jessica: Stop, you're gonna get it on the keyboard!
Kurayami Ryuu: Bwuhahahahaha! I'm running off with Rath now; bye!
Jessica: O.o But we need him for the fic...
Rath: (smirks) Just gotta love that duplication spell...
Kurayami-who-got-tired-of-typing-her-whole-name: (sob)
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Chapter Two: Don't Ask
Rune opened his eyes groggily. "Oh... ow, my side!" he moaned; even just moving his head to look around hurt. 'Where... oh, the hospital wing! I haven't been here in forever...' Then he saw something that made him forget all about his own problems.
"Rath!" He tried to sit up, but that much movement made him gasp in pain. The Fire knight was in the bed next to him, apparently sleeping as well.
At the sound of his name, however, he woke up. "Mmm, five more minutes mommy... Oh, Rune, you're awake!" He sat up, though Rune didn't miss the fact that he winced. "I was so worried!"
The blonde elf smiled. "Thanks. But why are you here?"
He scowled. "Bierrez hurt me too," he explained. "And... Lykouleon won't let me kill him! I don't understand; he won't tell me why, either. I hate everyone here... except you, that is! I could never hate you," he added earnestly.
"I'm glad of that, at least," he said quietly.
There was a moment of silence. "Hey, I'm gonna go get something for us to eat," Rath said uncomfortably.
"But you're-!" Rune started, but his koi was already out the door. He sighed. He couldn't stand it when Rath got like this; it hurt... Why did he hate everyone so much, anyway?
A few minutes later he returned, carrying a box of chocolates and a platter of cookies. Rune couldn't help but grin a little. "You call that breakfast?" he demanded.
Rath seemed to consider it for a moment. "Um... The chocolate's for you?" They both laughed.
"So, um, what did happen to Bierrez, anyway?" Rune asked cautiously, while biting into a chocolate.
Rath winced. "Well, um, he got the sword back from me, and there was some other stuff, and he hurt me, and, and... He kissed me again," he blurted out.
Rune scowled. "That bas... Hey, you mean you let him kiss you again? I could understand the first time; you were in shock, but honestly..."
Rath frowned cutely. "Oh, so being in shock is a good excuse, but having just gotten slashed across the stomach isn't?"
The elf blinked. "Oh... Well, okay, I guess..."
He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, after that Lykouleon showed up, and told me not to kill that - that thing, and he wouldn't tell me why, and while we were arguing Bierrez disappeared! I never even saw him go... Ug, it's not fair! I wanna kill him..."
Rune snickered at that. "You are so the girl in this relationship..." Rath choked.
Thankfully, Rune was saved from being mauled for the second time that day by Thatz walking in. "Wassup? ...Chocolate!"
Rune glared, quickly moving his box of candy out of Thatz reach. "Back off, you pig," he said blandly.
The Earth knight shrugged, unfazed. "Fine, be that way. But Rath, Lykouleon want to see you... Cookies!"
Rath sighed, handing the cookies to Rune. "If even one of those cookies are gone when I come back, I'll know," he threatened, and walked off.
It didn't take him too long to get to Lykouleon's office; he had its location memorized because usually he made it a point to avoid that area of the castle. When he arrived he found the door half open already and was about to just walk in, when he heard something strange. Two people, talking; but he thought he was only supposed to be talking to Lykouleon...
"I don't think you realize what kind of position you're in. I want Rath as my own, and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it!" Rath's jaw dropped.
Another voice spoke up, full of careful malice. "I don't think you understand the position that I'm in, either. How can you expect me to give over my best fighter purely on whim of Kharl the Alchemist?"
At this point, Rath did what anyone in his position would do, and fell through the doorway in shock.
After a moment of silence, Bierrez flashed a Cheshire grin. "Well, well; what have we here?"
Rath's hand flew to his sword, but he was too slow. Suddenly, Bierrez had his wrist in a death grip; his other hand was tangled in the knight's hair as he crushed his lips in another kiss. Rath heard Lykouleon gasp, shocked, but it seemed to be coming from a long way off. You know, bakayarou though he may be, he was a pretty good kisser...
Suddenly, he pushed him off, with enough force that by rights should have sent him sprawling. "I... you..." he fumed, breathing heavily. "DIE!" His sword was a few inches from Bierrez's throat when he stopped.
"Lykouleon... let go of me..." he growled tensely.
The demon winked, then seemed to fade into the background, like a chameleon. The lord's grip loosened, and Rath whirled around to glare at him.
"Could you please tell me what's going on now?" he hissed, in a tone that said 'I don't care if you're the Dragon Lord; many unpleasant things will happen to you if you don't do what I want.'
Lykouleon chuckled unhappily. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you earlier; he demanded it. Where shall I start, do you think?"
Rath blinked. The lord could be disgustingly nice sometimes, but, well, he was a lord for goodness' sake... "How about the part with Kharl in it?" he suggested edgily.
The other shrugged. "A good a place as any," he agreed. "Sit down, please. Well... Bierrez is working for Kharl; you've gathered this much, I assume. Apparently the Alchemist has decided that possession of Cesia is a very dangerous thing at the moment, so he's decided to focus on getting you instead. We all know that he wishes you to cut ties with the Dragons and return to the Demon tribe. But he needed someone who could enter the castle to do his dirty work. It seems that the human who works for him wasn't strong enough, so he brought Bierrez back to life. And it also seems that he knew of Bierrez's... personal interest... in you. In fact..." He winced. "In fact, Bierrez says that, in exchange for bringing you to him, Kharl has offered him the right to... do with you as he pleases, in his words."
Rath gaped, speechless for a moment. "Please tell me you're joking," he managed to get out.
Lykouleon shook his head sadly. "I'm not. And he says that, while he has decided to take his time for now in his attempt to win you over, if we kill him Kharl will simply revive him and he will take you away by force." For the first time, Rath actually thought he saw Lykouleon look scared. "I am worried that... with his ability to summon demons... that he could manage it."
Rath stood, looking panicked. "No way! We have to kill him, before he hurts anyone else! Then while Kharl's bringing him back to life again we'll have time to get ready... Build up an army... do something..." Abruptly he sank back into his chair, clutching his side. Stupid cut...
Lykouleon rose, resting a hand on the boy's shoulder sympathetically. Rath flinched away, but weakly. "You're hurt," he pointed out, stating the obvious. "I suppose I should not have called you here at all until you had healed more... Go back to the infirmary, please."
"Fine," he panted, and stalked out. He didn't go straight back, though; he took a detour through the kitchen to give him time to think about this...
"Hello, love!" Rath called cheerily a few minutes later, as he walked back into the infirmary.
Rune beamed. "You took a while! What'd Lord Lykouleon want?"
"He told me why I can't kill Bierrez," Rath stated bitterly. "But first, here. I brought you something else to eat!"
The elf sweatdropped, staring at the object he'd just been handed. "Rath-kun, you do realize that this chicken leg is half-eaten, right?"
Rath sweatdropped too. "Oh... Eh, sorry?
Rune leaned up, kissing his cheek lightly. "Apology accepted." Then he shifted from kissing his cheek to his lips.
Rath stiffened for just a moment, flashing to his latest kiss with Bierrez. Then he relaxed, moving to straddle Rune's hips - though carefully, of course, to avoid hurting either of them. 'Not a good time to think about that right now,' he told himself firmly, letting himself become immersed in the kiss.
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Jessica: Oh man, what a way to end a chappy, huh?
Kurayami: (sad sigh) Yeah, I suppose having a lemon bit when they're all bandaged up like that wouldn't be a good thing... But wasn't all that stuff with Kharl and Bierrez great?
Angry mob of readers: NO!
Jessica: AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! (runs away)
Kurayami Ryuu: ...Yeah, and I came up with... oops?
Angry mob of reader: DON'T GET HER, GET HER!
Jessica: Hey, wait a minute!
Angry mob:...(stops running and yelling)... What?
Jessica: If you kill us now you'll never get to find out what happens in the next chappy!
Angry mob: Gosh darn!
Jessica: Bwuhahahaha! Now I have one thing to say: I OWN DRAGON KNIGHTS, INU-YASHA AND KIKAIDER; MWUHAHAHA! Okay, I feel better now; and no I don't own any of the manga or anime characters I just mentioned... (whimper)... except Kikaider!