vikyfaxerfeit

Title: So close, so far 06 and 07/12

Author:

vikyfaxerfeit

Beta:

andreja1989

Genre: AU, fantasy, romantic, angst

Pairing: Sakuraiba, Junba, Ohmiya, JunxOC

Summary: Prince Aiba is the future king of Rainbow Kingdom who has to choose his future partner between marquis Sakurai and earl Matsumoto. The choice seems easy for Aiba who already loves one of them but what if a spell brings him far away from him? Can he believe in him or will he fall in the stained arms of the other?

The marquis and the white magician were sitting on Aiba's bed. One was waiting for some explanation and the other was just smiling.

"So you can see me..." Sakurai said awkwardly and Ohno nodded. "How?"

"You become invisible when you are near Masaki-chan."

Sho opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. He just looked panicked at the magician. "So I'm not a ghost..." He whispered uncertain.

"Of course not. And Masaki-chan confirmed it." Ohno explained with a reassuring smile.

"Ah! Masaki!" Sho got up in a rush, he needed to tell Masaki that he was alive. "Where is he?"

"He's looking for you. But..." The white magician put an hand on Sakurai's shoulder, gesturing him to sit down again. "He doesn't have to know. The curse Kazu used on you can be undone just if Aiba doesn't know a thing about your state."

"Kazu?" Sho asked puzzled. "Do you mean Ninomiya?" Satoshi looked at him worried. Yes, Ninomiya was at fault for what he did but Ohno knew that the black magician didn't mean any harm. However Sho knew just the rumors about Nino, he would misjudge him. And indeed the marquis lost control. "I'm in this crazy shit because of that bratty magician?"

"That's not all, Sakurai-san. Ninomiya doesn't do things like this on his own. He was asked to." Ohno tried to explain. "If you sit and calm down, I'll explain anything you want to know." He suggested and his calm composure helped Sho to do as said. "You are in this uncomfortable situation because of your rival." Ohno started.

"Rival?" Sakurai was confused. What rival? He didn't remember to have a rival. He never challenged or provoked anybody to begin with. Why would anybody hate him?

"Earl Matsumoto." Satoshi declared and, remembering the conversation between the prince and the magicians, his eyes widened but he didn't say a word and waited for the white magician to continue. Ohno explained that Matsumoto wanted to marry the prince at all costs. Nobody knew the true reason behind his wish but rumors were spreading about an affair with the queen. And actually the queen was the one who suggested Matsumoto as a perfect partner for Masaki. Unfortunately the earl came to know about Masaki's love for Sho and he couldn't afford to lose therefore he paid Ninomiya for a curse that would break apart the two lovers. The black magician decided to use a simple but effective curse: whenever Sakurai was near Aiba, he would become invisible to everyone's eyes. But maybe for Matsumoto it wasn't enough because he decided to fake Sakurai's death so that the prince would completely give up on his love for Sho.

Thanks to Satoshi's explanation, finally every piece of the puzzle took its place in Sho's mind but there was still a question that needed an answer. Maybe the most important. "Is there any way to break the curse?" Desperation could be heard in Sakurai's voice but hope was showing in his eyes. His only need now was to hug Masaki again and be hugged back by him because he already missed his lover too much.

"There's just one way. This weekend the Five Colors Rainbow will appear from a lake near Masaki's secret cottage. It happens once every 100 years and I had the chance to admire it just once in my whole life."

Sakurai asked himself how old was the white magician but then his thoughts came back to main point. "What does the Five Colors Rainbow have to do with the curse?" He asked hopeful.

"The legend says that if two people declare their love for each other and their feelings are true, a wish will be granted."

"A legend?" Sakurai was insecure. How could he believe in legends at such a critic time? "Are you sure it will work?"

"Well, I'm the only one alive who witnessed it so it's still a legend but you can be assured that it works." Satoshi smiled and his thoughts came back at one hundred years ago when his wish came true. The bright smile on the magician's face was contagious and helped Sakurai to find some hope.

"Then we just have to be under that rainbow, right?"

"Yes." Ohno replied but then his expression drastically changed. "I forgot a little detail." He murmured most to himself than to the marquis.

"What detail?"

"When the Five-Colors Rainbow will appear, at that same time the party for the engagement of the prince will take place."

"Well, we don't need the whole court. Masaki just need to find an excuse to delay the party."

But the magician seemed not to mind Sakurai's suggestion and kept to talk to himself. "The best way is to kidnap the prince before the party and bring him to the cottage. Then the court will be in an uproar and run after us but maybe we will be lucky enough..."

"Ohno-san!" Sakurai interrupted Ohno's flow of thoughts. "How about you just tell Masaki to sneak away before the party will start and come to the cottage?"

"Yes, it could be an option. But where will be the thrilling?" Satoshi asked confused and serious and made Sakurai roll his eyes in frustration.

"We don't need any thrilling. Masaki doesn't have to know about my situation, right? But what if you just tell him that he can meet me at the cottage?"

"That's it! We will go with your plan and if it doesn't work, we will kidnap Masaki at the party." Ohno stated proud of his decision.

"Why do you love the action so much?" Sho asked annoyed.

"It makes me feel like a hero." Satoshi replied with a bratty grin on his lips. Yes, Nino's behavior surely had some effects on him after all those years together.

"Are you sure?" Ninomiya asked shocked but relieved at the same time when Ohno told him about his conversation with the marquis and the details on how to break the curse. The black magician looked down at the floor, hiding his teary eyes.

"Arigato." He whispered while clenching his trembling fists. He didn't want to show his weak side to Ohno. But the white magician raised his lover's chin and kissed him sweetly.

"I don't mind cleaning your mess whenever you're bored. Just don't cross the line, okay?"

Ninomiya didn't reply. He just smiled relieved and hugged his lover tightly. Once again he realized how painful his curses could be and promised himself that he wouldn't grant any cruel wish from now on. However Satoshi knew Kazunari better than anyone and was sure that his bratty side wouldn't be suppressed so easily. After all they knew each other for more than a hundred years and Nino repeated the same promise over and over again. "I will never do any foolish thing again." But Satoshi never got angry. He didn't mind how many times Kazunari already got wrong and apologized to repeat again the same mistakes. As long as his one and only love was safe and happy beside him, he would do anything to cope with Nino's bratty behavior.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door and to Ninomiya's surprise, Sakurai entered in their little house. The black magician didn't know what to do or say. He wanted to apologize but no words were coming out of his mouth. On the other end Sakurai stared at him with a stern look. He wanted to yell at Ninomiya, to give vent to all his anger but was it worth it? Would his screams solve the situation? No. He took a deep breath to calm himself and totally ignored the latter, while he asked to Ohno:

"Where is Masaki?"

"I think he's still at his cottage since Kazu just came back from there." The white magician replied and Sakurai directed his angry glance to Ninomiya.

"What did you do this time?"

The black magician couldn't handle Sakurai's anger and just mumbled: "I... N-nothing."

"He just checked that Masaki-chan wouldn't do anything stupid. He's shocked but you can't do anything right now, Sakurai." Ohno stated with a stern and defensive tone like a tiger who's protecting its cub.

Sho looked at Satoshi and then at Ninomiya, closed his eyes and then he took another deep breath before saying with dejected voice:

"May I at least stay beside him?"

"As long as he doesn't discover about you." Ohno replied with a sweet smile.

"Ah!" Ninomiya exclaimed clapping his hands as sign that he had a great idea. "You can leave him a message."

"I don't think..."

"He doesn't have to write about him and the curse, Satoshi." Nino cut his lover's words and then he took the courage to look in Sakurai's eyes and with a smile he continued. "You can write him that you miss him and that you'll be back soon. I'm sure the prince will be more at ease hearing something about you."

"Ah!" Ohno shouted imitating Nino's previous gesture with his hands. "Maybe you can ask him to meet you at the cottage the night of the party. He will surely believe in your words."

Sakurai smiled grateful and thanked the two magicians with a little bow before going away.

"Maybe it's better if he stays beside Masaki-chan." Ohno stated more to himself than his lover. "A walking dead around the palace is the least rumor I want to be spread."

Nino giggled and then asked: "He was very angry, ne~?"

"Don't worry. Sakurai has a big heart. Not as big as Masaki-chan but he will eventually forgive you." Satoshi replied hugging Ninomiya tightly to assure him that everything would go well.

~°~°~

Masaki was sitting on the couch in the little cottage where again he was hiding to unload his pain. On his legs the marquis's flashy hat was lying and the prince was grabbing onto it so that his palms were almost white. He kept on thinking about Sho and that corpse in the royal infirmary. The more he thought about it, the more he clang to the hat as if it was Sho himself and he was trying not to let him go away. He was sure that corpse wasn't Sakurai's. He had known the marquis for just a month but every inch of his body was already printed in his mind. Especially that little scar because it was Sho himself that told him about it some days ago.

They just woke up on a grey raining morning and neither of them wanted to get up from the bed, cuddling in the sweet warmness under the bedspreads. The prince was exploring Sakurai's bare-chest with his hand when a finger landed on a little scar near the bellybutton.

"A scar of honor?" Masaki joked and Sho chuckled.

"Actually it's something featureless. I fell from a tree when I was a child and that's also why I'm afraid of heights now."

Masaki gave sharp laughter and the marquis couldn't help but blush both for embarrassment and for his lover's beautiful amused face.

"I never expected that a proud and virile man like you would shudder at such a trivial matter."

"Ohy!" Sakurai cried out and gave a pinch to Masaki who couldn't stop laughing at him.

Masaki wanted to remember that day like a sweet memory but now it was too painful to think of Sho. Where could he have gone? Why did he disappear all of a sudden when Aiba needed him the most now? Yes, that was the main reason. The prince needed Sakurai. They didn't see each other for just a couple of days but Masaki already missed Sho too much. Just having the marquis around in his little cottage was enough to make him happy but now their hidden place was so empty and silent that the prince felt like he would suffocate. He was so lost in his thoughts and fears that didn't notice the door opening on his own and closing again as if someone invisible just came in. And that was the case. Sakurai just arrived and looking at his lover in that sad state, he wanted to hug him and reassure him that everything will be solved but he knew it wasn't possible. Instead, he sat next to Masaki and began to hum a sweet song.

"The same amount of happiness I've gotten from you,

I wonder if I'll be able to give it back

Whatever tomorrow brings, stay by my side　

It doesn't matter whether it's with smiles or tears　

I want to tell you how I feel." *

Aiba couldn't hear Sakurai's voice but his heart felt strangely more at ease and he released all of the tension piled-up until now with a loud cry. He finally let out all of his fears about his lover's life and the sudden loneliness that came back in his life. He cried out his pain until his eyes became puffy and red and his throat dried. He didn't even realize when he fell asleep exhausted.

As the night before, Sho put a blanket on Masaki but when he brushed away a lock of rebel hair from his lover's face, he realized he could touch him. Uncertain, he slowly put a finger closer to Aiba's cheek and touched it. With widened eyes he retreated his finger and stared shocked at Masaki before shaking his head and trying to wake up his lover.

"Masaki. Can you hear me?" He said with hope.

The prince slowly opened his eyes and mumbled the marquis's name but he saw nobody.

"Sho?" He called again with a loud tone but he couldn't hear Sho's voice telling him with teary eyes:

"I'm right in front of you, my love."

"What a stupid." Masaki murmured with shaking voice and bitter smile. "I must have dreamt it."

Sho stared at his lover who dragged his tired body to the bedroom and then he rushed to take paper and ink and sat at the table, ready to write a letter as Ninomiya suggested.

TBC

*From Arashi's song "Chekku no Mafura"

Thanks to yarukizero for the translation.

a/n: HERE I AM!!! Don't worry, I didn't forget about the fanfic ;)
well, I actually forgot to post it the last Sunday and I deeply apologize for it m(_ _)m
but fortunately I've my lovely nee-chan

tomoyo_w who reminded me to post ;)
THANKS FOR FOLLOWING MY FANFIC!! ^O^