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“Ack—“ Touya sputtered and coughed, crimson blood splattering onto the dusty pavement below him. Thick smoke and embers permeated the air, making it increasingly difficult to breathe.
The ash and dust in the air irritated his eyes as he attempted to maneuver the burning kingdom. His kingdom. Limping through the debris, beads of blood mixed with sweat dripped down his face. If he couldn’t find a way out of the rubble, he’d be dead.
His magic was barely keeping him alive, a hasty, last second protection shield took a toll on him. That along with regulating his temperature among the hellishly hot fire that completely surrounded his current vicinity.
Suddenly, a thick, powerful gust of wind pushed against him - clearing up the air but also revealing his location. Squeezing his eyes shut, he used a free arm to cover his face as best as he could.
“—our highness? Are you there?” A familiar voice yelled behind a broken down beam. Coughing, Touya maneuvered around the remains of the building - relief rushed through him.
“Akito..?” His hoarse voice almost inaudible, thick phlegm and blood coating the inside of his throat. Through stinging pain, he kept his eyes open as much as possible until he saw a gloved hand grasp his wrist.
“Thank god you’re alive..!” A distinct worry yet relief coating Akito’s words, a gentle tug at his wrist and Touya instantly trailed the other. “This way, your highness.” His beloved knight led him beyond the rubble, through the endless clouds of ash, he could finally the sky above. A brilliant blue that starkly contrasted the dull gray of the smoke.
“I should’ve been there for you— The explosion pushed me away from you- you’re not seriously harmed, are you?” Akito worriedly questioned as soon as they could breathe. A quaint relief washed over Touya, very small but noticeable nonetheless.
“Ah.. I’m relatively fine—“ Liar, he coughed right after speaking. A thick mixture of blood, saliva, and phlegm hacked out onto his glove.
“You could’ve at least lied better.” Akito huffed, picking up one of Touya’s arms and draping it behind his neck and over his shoulder. His hand laid flat on Touya’s back to support the other. “Don’t think I didn’t notice the limp.” He curtly exhaled through his nose, halfway holding up the Prince now.
A slight smile ghosted Touya’s face as he dryly laughed. “Have you always been this concerned for my health?” Akito scoffed hearing this, jokingly offended by the question. “Are you really asking me that, your Highness?”
Although the situation was bleak, Touya couldn’t help but stifle a small laugh. “It’s good your magic is keeping you from overheating… Even through the glove you’re cold as ever.” A slight pout appeared on the prince’s face as he sighed.
“Isn’t it.. scalding hot for you?” A soft, genuine question.
Akito presses his lips together into a thin line, it’s obvious he has an answer but he’s reluctant to say.
“No… not entirely.” It’s a truthful answer and yet hearing it made Touya unbearably unhappy.
“Is that so..” His expression dropped, a bitter frown now scorning his face. With his silvery gray eyes glued to the ground, the two of them quietly maneuvered out of the main crash site.
It was as if the whole world had gone quiet, the fire crackling behind them as the building fell onto itself.
And then,
as if a pin was dropped in an empty room. There was a whistle, almost entirely inaudible if not for the horrifying quaintness of the former castle.
Akito whipped his head back, olive green eyes darting around vicinity before widening in shock.
With a harsh tug, Touya was dragged in front of the knight and tumbled onto the ground. Before he could utter a word, a hail of arrows flew down from the clear, azure sky.
It was so sudden, much like the explosion on the castle. The prince couldn’t even react, being instantly thrown into the battlefield.
Akito clung onto him dearly, covering a majority of the Touya’s body with his own - arms wrapped snugly around the other’s head and neck, protecting it.
The twangs of the arrows hitting nearby debris and the ground threw Touya back into reality—
They were out in the open.
No wait,
Akito isn’t safe.
Oh shit.
Akito might-
As quickly as the arrow storm began, it ended. Another uncomfortably peaceful silence filled the air until the dread set in.
“Akito..?” His wobbly voice shook, cutting into the silence. The knight’s grip on his head loosened, Touya pressed a hand flat against Akito’s chest - pushing away from the other.
He’s alive. He’s alive. He’s alive.
He’s—
“Aah… Thank… thank the gods… you’re..” The rest of Akito’s sentence was barely audible. His voice reduced to gentle whisper, contrasting the intensity of his usual voice.
“N.. no- Akito—“ Touya quickly sat up, frantic. A cascade of arrows dug into the knight’s back, blood seeping into his formerly white cape.
“Thank… the gods…” Small beads of blood trickled out of Akito’s mouth and down his chin.
“Why did you-? Stop… Stop it please—“ Guilt. An overwhelming guilt washes over Touya, his lungs felt full of water. Usual piercing gray eyes glossed over, a thin veil of tears clouding his vision.
“S-stop it— Why- why did you do that..?” A gloved hand reaches up to cup Touya’s cheek.
No.
The Prince’s usual cold gray eyes made contact with the other’s. He could see the light flickering out of Akito’s eyes, and he was absolutely powerless in stopping that light from going out. The knight’s hand fell down, a soft thud against the side of Akito’s body.
“You shouldn’t— ah… N-no— please, please.” An emerging desperation grew from the bottom of the Prince’s heart.
I was the Prince of this nation.
Akito slightly tilted his head to the side, a soft smile ghosting his pale face. Speaking anymore would kill him faster and he was already in tremendous amounts of pain. With a soft flutter, he closed his eyes and slumped his body down further.
I’m supposed to protect my people.
The sizzling of the fires plagued his mind, everything felt as if it was going so fast, but Touya was always too slow.
I couldn’t do anything.
“Gods… pl-ease—“ He croaked, lips quivering as tears violently ran down his bloodied face. “Don’t do this to me— d-don’t do this to him.” He incoherently sobbed, hanging his head low as large globs of tears plopped down on their clothing.
On a sunny April afternoon, Akito Shinonome took his final breath and in that same moment, Touya Aoyagi realized that he was in love with his knight a little too late.
“Aki-to—?” He muttered, a heart shattering cry emitted from Touya has he pulled the other’s body closer to his. The cruel reality seeped in and yet the Prince could do nothing but sob.
Broken wails and pleads to the gods above, seemingly unheard. He could hear the clopping of hooves against the ashy pavement grow ever closer, he understood that his death would arrive soon but all of his self preservation left the second Akito did.
“I’ll be joining you soon.”
An inevitable death.
With a final exhale, Touya slumped his body down with Akito in his arms. His puffy gray eyes slowly flutter shut, a soft breeze blowing across his cheek - pushing off the stray hairs stuck onto his cheek.
Such a serene quiet, it was odd. There was no more noise, no pain, was this death? Thin rays of sunlight cascaded across his eyes, uncomfortably.
“Mmnn…” He mumbled, stretching an arm up to to cover his eyes from the sun rays.
Where is Akito?
His eyes shot open, but instead of dark gray ash clouding the clear sky, there was the ceiling of his room.
Rapidly sitting up, the plush of his fabric scrunches against his abdomen. Akito isn’t in his arms. Was he saved? No, no, not like this.
He looks down on his hands, they’re trembling wildly and yet… they somehow look small. Well, smaller and less scarred. The scar where he had been stabbed by an arrow was gone, it was a wound from a year prior where he used the back of his hand to protect Saki’s head.
The door to his room creaks open, he whips his head up to see a maid peek her head through. “Oh my, you’re up early your Highness.” She comments.
“What,” even his voice sounds younger. “What year is it?” He questions, a burning hope interwoven into his simple question.
“Oh? It’s the fourteenth of April, in the Imperial Year 678.” She swiftly answers. “What would you like for breakfast, your Highness?”
Five years. Back to where he was 14. Five years back in the past, how? Why? Who? So many questions flooded his mind, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to find an answer. Not yet, not now at least.
His lips pressed into a thin line, his thoughts raced along with his rabid heartbeat. A thin veil of sweat laced his skin as his brain racked for solution, anything that could explain this.
“Ah.. Coffee.” He mumbled.
“A coffee would be nice.”
The maid nodded and bowed, swiftly closing the rather large door to his room. Touya could hear the clatter of her shoes against the floor grow dim as she walked away.
If it’s five years in the past, that means…
Yes of course.
Akito is alive.
What he wanted to do most was see him again. Even if just a glimpse. And Touya would sure as hell not to allow the other’s death, not here, not again. What just happened to him was nothing less of a miracle and he needs to savor it until it’s last drop.
“I wonder where he is right now…”