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31_days2005-10-03 06:35 pm
spinshadow.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2005-10-03 06:35 pm
[Oct 3] [J-pop: w-inds.] In the Middle of Forever
Title: In the Middle of Forever
Day/Theme: October 3: When angels speak of love
Fandom: J-pop -- w-inds.
Character/Pairing: one-sided RyuichixKeita
Rating: PG-13
Summary: At the end of the beginning, sometimes an unheard confession is the only road available.
Comments: More Eien AU, more character indentity spoilers for well beyond what's posted. This one was an adventure in the writing of it at least. ^_^
~*~*~
Ryuichi watched the thin blade slice the air with practiced grace, flowing smoothly from one form to the next. Leaning against a nearby maple, he took to analyzing each sweep and step. Sunlight danced off hammered steel, caught on the curves of silver jewelry. Rise and fall, a swirl of death and white and wings. He really was beautiful, even if his kata was imperfect; he overextended and left himself exposed all too often. Still, Ryuichi couldn't bring himself to interrupt. Keita was concentrating so hard, losing himself in his exercise.
Keita had been so proud of his finally mastering his weapons test last week, after nearly a decade of trying. So happy that he hadn't seemed to even notice when Ryuichi had hugged him a little longer than had been strictly necessary. No one had, but Ryuichi knew that was only because Ryohei hadn't been there, the one blemish on an otherwise perfect day. Their quiet friend would have noticed, he always noticed, but he was already gone. Already on the mortal plane, already born into mortal flesh, Ryohei had already forgotten all about them.
That was the part about the entire plan that bothered him the most. He understood it, intellectually; all three of them were little more than children yet, by tenshi measuring. This would be the first time any of them would have mortal flesh; they were going to have to grow into it. The elders said the best way to learn about life was to actually live it They were probably right, but ... they were a team, Ryohei, Keita, and himself. They'd been a team for the last sixteen years, training together, testing together, spending time together. They were best friends, their strengths and weaknesses balancing each other. Ryohei the strategist, Keita the magician, and Ryuichi, well, he was the muscle. When it came to martial arts, Ryuichi had passed every test they threw at him with flying colors, many of them on the first try. But when it came to planning and observing, no one in their entire class had been able to hold a candle to Ryohei. And Keita....
Keita was something to behold. Maybe he wasn't much of a fighter in the traditional sense - it had taken him forever to pass his tests - but he was an alchemist, a mage of enviable skill. Keita could have him wrapped up in half a dozen spells and seals before he had even finished his first cast. Though, if he was being honest, some of that was because Ryuichi tended to get distracted watching the other tenshi. Keita was beautiful inside and out, a kind spirit through and through, so was it really such a surprise that Ryuichi couldn't stop thinking about him? Black eyes so deep you could drown in them, warm white wings with feathers softer than down, and a golden smile that could make you feel loved from the center of your being ... how could he have done anything but fall in love? Keita was someone that left an impression on the soul, someone unforgettable.
Only all three of them were going to be forgetting everything. Ryohei already had, having been born a year earlier. They had to live without the influence of the past on them and that meant forgetting everything for the first two decades, or more if it became necessary. Which wouldn't have been so bad, except ... what if something went wrong? What if he didn't remember? What if he remembered his training but forgot his feelings? He didn't want to lose his love for Keita....
Cool metal slid against his cheek, startling him out of his thoughts.
"You're dead."
Ryuichi blinked up at his grinning friend, too stunned to react for a second. And then he regained his wits and shoved the blade away with a furious scowl.
"Not funny, Keita. Don't even joke about that!"
Keita's face fell and Ryuichi felt like an utter moron. What was he doing? They only had three days left and then ... then it could be twenty years or more before they saw each other again.
"Sorry, Keita, I didn't mean to snap like that. It's just ... I'm really nervous about this whole thing, you know?"
"It's gonna be okay, Ryu," Keita said with a small smile. "It's just temporary. We won't even notice until after the fact, you know?"
"Yeah, I guess. Just ... I wish it wasn't necessary...."
"Yeah, well ... we need the experience, right? Fifteen, twenty years, we'll get our memories back and and then we can hook up again."
Ryuichi smothered a bitter laugh at how easily Keita spoke, completely unaware of his feelings. For a fraction of a second, he was tempted to do something about it, but he restrained himself. He didn't want their last days to be strained by his inappropriate feelings.
"Actually, I'm glad you came out here," Keita confessed with a shy smile, wings twitching as he took to toying with his sword. "Saves me from having to go find you."
"Oh? Whatcha need?" Ryuichi asked with a half smile of his own.
"Well, um, I was wondering if you could, um, come with me? For when they, you know...."
"Yeah, of course," he said, doing his best to fight back another pang of sadness. Ryohei had been nervous, too, wanting someone to be there with him and hold his hand. He'd been so shy about asking, much like Keita was at that moment. It had been really quite sweet. And yet ... while he was glad to be able to help Keita - just as he had been with Ryohei - he couldn't help wishing there would be someone there for him.
~*~*~
The center was spotless white, just like Ryuichi remembered it. The receptionist apparently remembered him, too, letting him walk Keita back without so much as a word of protest. Keita's nerves were painfully obvious, from the shaking hand clutching his sleeve to the restless wings that refused to stay subsumed.
"Relax, Keita," Ryuichi murmured. "You'll be fine. I'll be right here with you the whole time."
"Thanks for doing this, RyuRyu. I really appreciate it."
"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?"
Keita squeezed his hand, offering him a genuine, warm smile. Ryuichi tried not to think about how he'd be doing this all again the next day, alone.
Keita fell asleep just as Ryohei had, the same way the technician assured him he would. And just as it had with Ryohei, it gave Ryuichi a window of opportunity, an hour he could keep but that Keita need never know existed. Grabbing a stool, he dragged it over to Keita's side. He then picked up the other tenshi's hand, threading their fingers together in a way that wouldn't have been allowed had his friend still been awake.
"I know I've never told you this before, but.... I love you, Keita. I know I shouldn't, we're working partners after all. But you love who you love, you know? Can't help it. And really, you're such a wonderful person, in so many ways...."
He couldn't resist raising the captured hand to his lips, kissing the back of it. He wanted to do more, but Keita would never accept that, would never accept such things coming from him. They were friends, he was going to have to content himself with that.
"You've never known how I feel and maybe keeping things secret is a mistake. But what else can I do? Telling you would just make everything weird. It's easier this way, really. Better for all of us."
Fingers sifted through black hair, then another kiss found its way to Keita's forehead. Maybe it was cowardice, but better the friendship he had with the lie than ruining everything with the truth.
"See you in twenty years, koi."
~*~*~
Ryuichi laid back with a heavy sigh. A few more minutes, she said, and he'd be asleep. They would make him forget everything, make him clean, and all he'd know would be the mortal life into which he was about to be born. Twenty years of peace, completely unaware of the conflict brewing in the Infinite Heavens.
"Ryuichi-kun, there's been a slight change of plans," a technician said, something that wasn't quite a smile lurking in her eyes.
"What ... what kind of change?"
"They want you sent close to one of the others. And they're letting you choose, Ryohei or Keita."
His first impulse was to ask for Keita, and yet.... Did he really want to do that to himself? There was nothing saying his mortal self would even be interested in Keita's mortal incarnation. They'd probably look completely different, act completely different. And yet ... did he really want to take the chance?
"Ryuichi-kun? Have you decided? Ryohei-kun or Keita-kun?"
He'd already said goodbye once. He hadn't intended to see him again until after they had their memories back. As far as he was concerned, it was just safer that way. No reason to tempt fate.
"Ryohei."
"All right, we'll take care of it. Have a good life, Ryuichi-kun."
Ryuichi closed his eyes and smiled. He just hoped he and Ryohei would be friends again. Life would be lonely indeed if he had to go through it all by himself.
Day/Theme: October 3: When angels speak of love
Fandom: J-pop -- w-inds.
Character/Pairing: one-sided RyuichixKeita
Rating: PG-13
Summary: At the end of the beginning, sometimes an unheard confession is the only road available.
Comments: More Eien AU, more character indentity spoilers for well beyond what's posted. This one was an adventure in the writing of it at least. ^_^
~*~*~
Ryuichi watched the thin blade slice the air with practiced grace, flowing smoothly from one form to the next. Leaning against a nearby maple, he took to analyzing each sweep and step. Sunlight danced off hammered steel, caught on the curves of silver jewelry. Rise and fall, a swirl of death and white and wings. He really was beautiful, even if his kata was imperfect; he overextended and left himself exposed all too often. Still, Ryuichi couldn't bring himself to interrupt. Keita was concentrating so hard, losing himself in his exercise.
Keita had been so proud of his finally mastering his weapons test last week, after nearly a decade of trying. So happy that he hadn't seemed to even notice when Ryuichi had hugged him a little longer than had been strictly necessary. No one had, but Ryuichi knew that was only because Ryohei hadn't been there, the one blemish on an otherwise perfect day. Their quiet friend would have noticed, he always noticed, but he was already gone. Already on the mortal plane, already born into mortal flesh, Ryohei had already forgotten all about them.
That was the part about the entire plan that bothered him the most. He understood it, intellectually; all three of them were little more than children yet, by tenshi measuring. This would be the first time any of them would have mortal flesh; they were going to have to grow into it. The elders said the best way to learn about life was to actually live it They were probably right, but ... they were a team, Ryohei, Keita, and himself. They'd been a team for the last sixteen years, training together, testing together, spending time together. They were best friends, their strengths and weaknesses balancing each other. Ryohei the strategist, Keita the magician, and Ryuichi, well, he was the muscle. When it came to martial arts, Ryuichi had passed every test they threw at him with flying colors, many of them on the first try. But when it came to planning and observing, no one in their entire class had been able to hold a candle to Ryohei. And Keita....
Keita was something to behold. Maybe he wasn't much of a fighter in the traditional sense - it had taken him forever to pass his tests - but he was an alchemist, a mage of enviable skill. Keita could have him wrapped up in half a dozen spells and seals before he had even finished his first cast. Though, if he was being honest, some of that was because Ryuichi tended to get distracted watching the other tenshi. Keita was beautiful inside and out, a kind spirit through and through, so was it really such a surprise that Ryuichi couldn't stop thinking about him? Black eyes so deep you could drown in them, warm white wings with feathers softer than down, and a golden smile that could make you feel loved from the center of your being ... how could he have done anything but fall in love? Keita was someone that left an impression on the soul, someone unforgettable.
Only all three of them were going to be forgetting everything. Ryohei already had, having been born a year earlier. They had to live without the influence of the past on them and that meant forgetting everything for the first two decades, or more if it became necessary. Which wouldn't have been so bad, except ... what if something went wrong? What if he didn't remember? What if he remembered his training but forgot his feelings? He didn't want to lose his love for Keita....
Cool metal slid against his cheek, startling him out of his thoughts.
"You're dead."
Ryuichi blinked up at his grinning friend, too stunned to react for a second. And then he regained his wits and shoved the blade away with a furious scowl.
"Not funny, Keita. Don't even joke about that!"
Keita's face fell and Ryuichi felt like an utter moron. What was he doing? They only had three days left and then ... then it could be twenty years or more before they saw each other again.
"Sorry, Keita, I didn't mean to snap like that. It's just ... I'm really nervous about this whole thing, you know?"
"It's gonna be okay, Ryu," Keita said with a small smile. "It's just temporary. We won't even notice until after the fact, you know?"
"Yeah, I guess. Just ... I wish it wasn't necessary...."
"Yeah, well ... we need the experience, right? Fifteen, twenty years, we'll get our memories back and and then we can hook up again."
Ryuichi smothered a bitter laugh at how easily Keita spoke, completely unaware of his feelings. For a fraction of a second, he was tempted to do something about it, but he restrained himself. He didn't want their last days to be strained by his inappropriate feelings.
"Actually, I'm glad you came out here," Keita confessed with a shy smile, wings twitching as he took to toying with his sword. "Saves me from having to go find you."
"Oh? Whatcha need?" Ryuichi asked with a half smile of his own.
"Well, um, I was wondering if you could, um, come with me? For when they, you know...."
"Yeah, of course," he said, doing his best to fight back another pang of sadness. Ryohei had been nervous, too, wanting someone to be there with him and hold his hand. He'd been so shy about asking, much like Keita was at that moment. It had been really quite sweet. And yet ... while he was glad to be able to help Keita - just as he had been with Ryohei - he couldn't help wishing there would be someone there for him.
~*~*~
The center was spotless white, just like Ryuichi remembered it. The receptionist apparently remembered him, too, letting him walk Keita back without so much as a word of protest. Keita's nerves were painfully obvious, from the shaking hand clutching his sleeve to the restless wings that refused to stay subsumed.
"Relax, Keita," Ryuichi murmured. "You'll be fine. I'll be right here with you the whole time."
"Thanks for doing this, RyuRyu. I really appreciate it."
"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?"
Keita squeezed his hand, offering him a genuine, warm smile. Ryuichi tried not to think about how he'd be doing this all again the next day, alone.
Keita fell asleep just as Ryohei had, the same way the technician assured him he would. And just as it had with Ryohei, it gave Ryuichi a window of opportunity, an hour he could keep but that Keita need never know existed. Grabbing a stool, he dragged it over to Keita's side. He then picked up the other tenshi's hand, threading their fingers together in a way that wouldn't have been allowed had his friend still been awake.
"I know I've never told you this before, but.... I love you, Keita. I know I shouldn't, we're working partners after all. But you love who you love, you know? Can't help it. And really, you're such a wonderful person, in so many ways...."
He couldn't resist raising the captured hand to his lips, kissing the back of it. He wanted to do more, but Keita would never accept that, would never accept such things coming from him. They were friends, he was going to have to content himself with that.
"You've never known how I feel and maybe keeping things secret is a mistake. But what else can I do? Telling you would just make everything weird. It's easier this way, really. Better for all of us."
Fingers sifted through black hair, then another kiss found its way to Keita's forehead. Maybe it was cowardice, but better the friendship he had with the lie than ruining everything with the truth.
"See you in twenty years, koi."
~*~*~
Ryuichi laid back with a heavy sigh. A few more minutes, she said, and he'd be asleep. They would make him forget everything, make him clean, and all he'd know would be the mortal life into which he was about to be born. Twenty years of peace, completely unaware of the conflict brewing in the Infinite Heavens.
"Ryuichi-kun, there's been a slight change of plans," a technician said, something that wasn't quite a smile lurking in her eyes.
"What ... what kind of change?"
"They want you sent close to one of the others. And they're letting you choose, Ryohei or Keita."
His first impulse was to ask for Keita, and yet.... Did he really want to do that to himself? There was nothing saying his mortal self would even be interested in Keita's mortal incarnation. They'd probably look completely different, act completely different. And yet ... did he really want to take the chance?
"Ryuichi-kun? Have you decided? Ryohei-kun or Keita-kun?"
He'd already said goodbye once. He hadn't intended to see him again until after they had their memories back. As far as he was concerned, it was just safer that way. No reason to tempt fate.
"Ryohei."
"All right, we'll take care of it. Have a good life, Ryuichi-kun."
Ryuichi closed his eyes and smiled. He just hoped he and Ryohei would be friends again. Life would be lonely indeed if he had to go through it all by himself.