"And let the party begin!" The elder popped the cork of a wine bottle. The bottle made a loud 'pop!' and everyone cheered happily, and loudly too.
The party was in full swing. Food, wine, and drinks, of all kinds and fit for more than a hundred men, were present in the throne room. Large tables that could hold at least twenty men each, were in the massive room. The wooden tables were low, with purple cushions as seats for the people. Men, women, and even children were present for the splendid occasion. The party was so grand that the entire palace was the venue, extending towards the courtyard.
Never before, in all his sixteen years of living, had he seen such a crowd gathered in one place. It wasn't like he hated people or anything of the sort. It was just... he didn't really deal well with crowds and he could get easily annoyed, and this was as far back as he could remember.
Then again, there was food, good food. He wasn't a glutton (or was he?), but he could sure eat like his life depended on it.
"To-Toshirou-nii, w-would you be able to finish all that?" Joel sweatdropped, seeing Toshirou's plate(s).
"Talk about yourself, kid. You gonna finish all that?"
Joel nervously laughed, as his plate(s) were equal to, if not more that Toshirou's.
Meat, chicken, rice, traditionally made udon, hot spicy ramen, onigiri, sausages, salad and cream, pasta, that Toshirou recognised as Italian, filled the plate(s) before him to the brim. These however, were only a small fraction compared to the assorted dishes laid spread on the massive table, most of which Toshirou had no idea what they even were!
Joel, who criticised Toshirou unjustly, had almost the exact same dishes, with the exception of the udon and onigiri. He replaced those with soup, roasted fish, and up to three plates of red pasta!
Both boys salivated. With sparkling eyes and watery mouths, they dug happily into their meal.
"Itadakimasu!"
"He-Hey, calm down you two. You're going to choke." Raynell said. She sat opposite them on the table, and she sighed helplessly.
Compared to Joel, Toshirou ate in a far cleaner way, but the speed was nonetheless remarkable.
"Both of you, listen to her." Dae spoke as she watched them gulp down the food. "You're gonna choke if you keep downing it all like that."
Joel spoke with his mouth full, "Nwo wyay ma'm gwona ch- koff, koff!!"
As Dae predicted, the boy began to choke.
Toshirou, without slowing down from his meal, slapped the boy's back hard, curing the boy instantly. As soon as he stopped, he wasted no time in digging back into his meal.
Both Dae and Raynell broke a sweat.
Even after almost dying, he went back to the food. 'What kind of horrible life did he live?' They both thought.
"Oh let them be. They're both children, aren't they, and they're boys to boot. Here, let me help you." Sung-nim leant over the table with a handkerchief and neatly cleaned Joel's lips and around his mouth, to the surprise of the little boy, and sat down by Dae's right.
"There, all better. Now eat gently okay?"
"Ah, um... Yes, thank you." The boy said, suddenly being conscious of his table habits and eating slowly.
'Ahhh, so that's it.' Dae and Raynell looked sideways, their bodies pale with realisation. 'So he's into mother figures.'
Blushing heavily, the boy protested seeing their reactions, "No! It's not like that!"
Both mother and daughter let out shaky sighs. 'So he's deny it too. It must be worse than I thought.'
"No! I said it's not like that!"
Their little banter was interrupted by a small burp from Toshirou.
"Now that was a good meal." He said, wiping his mouth with a white handkerchief.
"That was fast!!" Dae and Raynell exclaimed.
"Way too fast!!" Joel added.
A drunken man, whom Toshirou recognised as one of the soldiers from Min-ae, slung his arm around his shoulder, with a bottle of grape wine in his hand.
"Coooomme ooonn, looshin wup. Whav a twaste of wyine!" His speech was slurred, and his breath stunk of wine.
"I'm underaged. And even if I wasn't, I'm not so keen on going anywhere near alcohol." Toshirou replied.
Another man, this time from Min-ji, slung his own arm around Toshirou.
"Itsh doeshn't maather. Dwrink, dwrink!" He urged Toshirou on, pushing a bottle to his face.
"You guys," A stern look came over Dae, instilling fear into them, despite their drunken state, "Scram."
"Yes Ma'am!!"
In the blink of an eye, they both went missing.
'I want that power.' Toshirou thought. A reminder suddenly popped in his head and he looked at Sung-nim with a questioning gaze. The woman was startled, but knew exactly what Toshirou wanted to ask.
"They couldn't join us. They... have heavy burdens on their minds." Sung-nim said to him.
"Oh, I see." Fixing his gaze on the cup of (non-alcoholic) grape juice in his hand, his eyes looked serious and somewhat downcast hearing her words, though he expected this much.
Joel couldn't help but notice the saddened demeanour in his eyes. To his mild surprise, Toshirou stood up, with his plate(s) in hand.
"I'll be back. I need to get some air," He said, and turned to walk out, carefully navigating his way through the clusters of men, women, and children.
Joel's orchid-purple eyes followed him till he left the throne room.
'Nii-san...'
...
The night sky was beautiful, clear as glass and glowed like shining crystals. The stars twinkled softly, smiling down peacefully on the world that was Sekaila. The winds were gentle, casting a soft feeling on the maiden's soft cheeks.
"Lovely night, isn't it?" A somewhat deep, monotone voice called out to her. The voice was smooth, a bit refined, and she recognised instantly who it was.
"It is, Toshirou-san."
With steady strides, the male took a seat beside her, gazing up at the beautiful sky, away from the feast indoors and the noise that followed.
"Here, eat up."
He placed a plate of red pasta and sauce in her front, urging her to have at least something nice to eat.
Thanking him, she tentatively took the meal and placed it on her lap, staring at it for a while before using a fork to take a small bite. She continued, albeit slowly, to eat.
Satisfied with her taking in some food, he removed his gaze from her and threw it at the sky.
"Do you think... there was another way?"
She stopped eating midway to look at the boy beside her. Her hazel eyes quivered, struggling to answer the question asked of her.
"I don't know. Maybe, maybe not." She said. "He wanted to stay, but needed to leave, and I feel so pathetic with myself because I couldn't do anything to change that."
Toshirou averted his gaze from her to the sky once more.
"It hurts even more when I feel the same. It's hard, too damn hard, to believe there were two of us like that in the world."
"What... do you mean?" She asked honestly.
He brought up his right leg and propped his right arm on his knee.
Heaving an inaudible sigh, gazing at the stars, he said, " You see, when I was a kid, I lost someone very dear to me. It was such a careless mistake that I'll never forgive myself for... even in my grave. The impact was so severe. It was painful, depressing, sorrowful, you name it. From then, I changed drastically from what the people around me knew me as."
She didn't speak, allowing him to pour out a part of himself to her.
"But I don't know why. Why would life give me a second chance? Why was I forgiven? When I saw Junhyung for the first time, he was everything I was back as a child, and even now. But why was I saved and he was not? I saw his eyes, contrition buried deep within them, and that was when I decided... I was going to save him. I was going to give him the second chance he deserved that I got."
A bitter laugh escaped his lips.
"But instead I killed him. I took his life."
Hazel didn't speak, neither did she respond. She moved her eyes from him, momentarily abandoning her meal, and looked at the sky.
"Who knows, it might have been for the best. I'll say it again, I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. But I think... I think, if he was alive, there'll be no way he could face humanity in the eye. Not after the things he had done. You said it yourself, Toshirou-san, it was his redemption, and what kind of lover would I be if I denied him his last saving grace."
"I see. Lover, huh. I guess I don't really have anyone like that in my life. It's a nice phrase, it really is. It suits you well, Hazel."
"Oh, um... Thanks." She said with a slight blush.
The two of them said nothing more to each other. They simply stared at starry sky while enjoying the other's company.
"Sorry for hurting you like that the first time we met." He said softly.
"It's okay. We were on different sides that time, it's only natural to defend yourself against your enemies. It was also my fault. I'm the one who went against my lord. I deserve every bit of what has happened to me." She replied.
"I don't want to pry, but I suppose your reasons for your actions are private?"
"Yeah. I know it's unfair of me, but I'll rather not talk about it, not until I apologize to them."
"And by them, you mean..."
"My parents." She said simply.
"Oh... I see."
Nothing more was said between the two. The sat together, gazing at the twinkling stars.
"Do you mind if I join you?" A deep, gruff voice called to them.
Knowing who it was and bothering not to turn back, Toshirou replied, "We don't mind. Have a seat, Seungho."
The burly brown-haired man sat beside him on his left, lifting up his head to gaze at the view above just like them.
The silence wasn't unbearable. On the contrary, it was pleasant, quiet, and peaceful. The wind was equally just as such. It was baffling that the same breeze that was harsh and destructive earlier could be gentle and cool at this time of the night. Hazel continued to eat neatly, while the two males continued to look upwards.
"I'm... going to see Chang-min tomorrow." Seungho said.
"Yeah, you should. If you didn't, everything that has happened up to now would be for nothing. That's the main reason why you're alive... is what I think but it's not my place to say so." Toshirou replied.
"Oh, I see."
Silence once again came into their midst, though it didn't last very long.
"I heard about Junhyung. My condolences, Hazel, Toshirou." Seungho said.
"Yeah, thanks." They both replied.
Azahel was an off-topic for them all. They didn't know what to say or feel about him, because after all, they were neither particular close to him, nor did they understand him or his actions.
The three of them sat in the cool breeze together, reveling in the company of the other with them.
...
The eating and drinking had finally come to an end. The party lasted till late at night, a few minutes before the clock struck 12. The wasted bodies of young men lay on the floors and tables. Little children slept beside their fathers and their mothers struggled to get them to their feet to take them home. Sluggishly in pairs, the men eventually got up with the help of their wives and went back home. In twos, threes, fours, they all left, till every single person has gone to his home. The soldiers from Min-ae were given tents to dwell in, until their lord was ready to leave, something which was going to happen very soon.
A shift system existed in the palace. Naturally at this hour, they were servants and maids who came in to tidy up the entire palace, both in and out. But considering the feast that just ended, their work had been cut out for them.
"What a night. I'm so tired." Joel said, and collapsed on his bed. Any minute now and his eyes will close shut.
"You won't go to sleep without Toshirou-kun, would you?" Raynell asked him, sitting in the opposite bed in a night dress and a book in her hand.
"Of course not, Toshirou-nii is-"
"I'm back, sorry I kept you waiting."
The person in question shut the door behind him and walked over to the bed Joel laid on. After draping his dark jacket over a chair by the desk close to the wall, he sighed and sat down on the bed, beside Joel.
"Welcome, Toshirou-nii." Joel said, looking at the male beside him.
"Yeah. Did you both eat well?" He asked.
"Hai." Joel and Raynell replied.
"That's good. We'll all be moving out tomorrow, this'll be the last time the three of us will be together."
The sudden reality made their eyes downcast. They had been together for a seemingly long time but they weren't ready to split yet. But as the saying goes, 'the older, the wiser', and Toshirou being the eldest among them, fully understood that needed to separate, sooner or later. They had different lives to run, and different races to complete. Until the very end, nothing should keep them from the path they were to walk, and nothing should stop them from achieving the goals they wanted to attain.
"So that means, this is goodbye." Raynell said sadly, closing her book and looking up at Toshirou.
As young as he was, Joel did not speak. He understood just as well what was meant to happen.
"Yeah, this is goodbye." Toshirou said.
"Will we ever see each again?" She asked.
As much as Joel wanted to shout 'Yes we will!", the words refused to come out of the boy. He was a tag-along after all, it was up to Toshirou to determine whether or not they would see again. He had no say in the matter.
"Maybe, maybe not. If it's on my way, then I'll drop by to say hello. Otherwise, this is the last time we'll see." Toshirou said.
His words came out curt and somewhat harsh... at least in Joel's opinion. Though it was the truth, he wished he hadn't worded it in such a manner.
But Raynell did not take offence to Toshirou's comment. Nodding her head in understanding, she sighed. She did want to go home, she truly did, but there was something about belonging to a group that appealed to her. No, it wasn't because it was a just a group, it was because it was them, Toshirou and Joel. She couldn't lie to herself, she had become very fond of both boys, and she wanted to stay with them, just a bit longer before saying goodbye.
She lifted herself off the chair, carefully placing her closed book on the desk, and walked to the bed where Toshirou sat.
Raising an eyebrow at her actions, his expression turned to one of surprise when she suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, appreciation and gratitude pouring out through her sudden action.
"Come here too, Joel-kun."
With a light 'yelp' Joel was pulled towards them and she held both boys in a heartfelt embrace.
"Thank you for everything, you guys. I'll never forget you for as long as I live, even if we never see each other again. It's a promise." She whispered to them.
'Raynell...'
He didn't know what to do. The only thing that came to mind was to return the embrace, and that was something he was not eager to do. Not that Raynell was a bad person or she smelled bad, on the contrary, her scent was really amazing and her body was delicately soft.
'Were girls always like this? Damn you Kaa-chan for doing all those things to me!'
His mother being constantly clingy had made him wary of anything that had to do with skin contact. But seeing Joel respond to her, he figured it did not matter anymore. He followed his lead and set his arm around her.
The three held each other close together at that moment. Each one of them felt the impact of the other leaving and made slient promises to not forget everything they had been through together. The orange lights in the room flickered slightly, and the cool breeze gently caressed their skin.
"When I was little, my mother always slept with me in my room before she left to war or distant journeys. When I asked her why, did you know what she said?"
"What did she say?" Toshirou asked softly.
"-'In case I never come back, I'll at least have done one thing I would never regret, even in the afterlife.'- That... is what she said."
"Raynell, you're not implying that-"
"I am, Toshirou-san, Joel-kun. Please stay with me for the night. Just... this night."
He was unable to turn down her request. Her glittering ruby eyes and innocent features made it impossible for him to say otherwise. Besides, he had also become fond of the girl. He saw her as an adorable kouhai he needed to protect and shield, and it baffled him that people could put such a girl through so much difficulty and pain.
'Good riddance to those bastards.' He said to himself, mentally.
"Alright. I'll indulge you just this once."
She visibly glowed with happiness and leaned all her weight on them, pushing all them all down to the bed.
With her face in the mattress, muffled by the sheets, she said, "Thank you, the both of you. I wish you journey mercies on your way."
'I see, this girl...'
Toshirou lightly rubbed her back with his free hand and spoke softly, "I wish you the same, Raynell. Stay safe and strong... for the rest of your life. Just like you've been all this while.."
If anyone entered into the room minutes later, they would hear soft breathing and their eyes would be blessed with the innocence of three children, laying together on a bed, with peaceful expressions settled on their lovely faces.
Dae gave a small smile and laid a blanket over all three of them. Kissing Raynell's forehead, she bid her sweet dreams and placed a light kiss on Joel and Toshirou's forehead as well. The blue-haired teen stirred, but did not show signs of waking up anytime soon.
'Thank you for everything, Toshirou. May His Majesty be with you, and enable you to achieve your heart's desire.' Were her last thoughts before exiting the room.