Come back for more, eh?
 

Warnings: Serious AU, Lemon
Touma: SCORE!
Ping: Not in this chapter, dork.
Touma: -_-
Pairings: SeijixTouma (SagexRowen)

Disclaimers: The characters belong to somebody else. All changes in tense are mine.

This fic is dedicated to Kyoki! This is yours, hon, like it or not. I'll try and hand Seiji and Touma to you on a lubricated silver platter, but we'll have to wait and see. ^-^
 

‘thoughts’

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Chapter 6

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Seiji fought long and hard, every muscle in his body screaming with fatigue. He didn’t know who he was battling, only that he was very good. He heard his men and the attackers all around him, struggling just as hard. Everyone seemed well matched.

The niggling voice in his head said they were *too* well matched.

“Who…are…you?” He ground out between swings of his sword. All he got in return was a guttural laugh and a view of a toothless grin.

“You really wanna know?” The man spat as he swung another blow that Seiji blocked with effort. “I’ll tell you. As a gift, just before you die!” He swung harder again and again.

The shouting around them was dying down, and Seiji’s arms felt like his arms were going to fall off. The two tired fighters circled each other, panting. His opponent, Seiji realized, was horribly out of shape. And old and dirty and smelly. He wrinkled his nose in distaste. The man just winked and made a kissy face at him.

“If you tell me...maybe I’ll let you live.” Seiji panted. He was rewarded with a glob of disgustingly yellow colored spit landing a few inches from his boot.

“I guess not.”

He lunged and caught the attacker off guard. He shoved him down to the ground with the hilt of his sword. The man gasped and dropped his sword, clutching his chest.

“What’s wrong?” Seiji knelt down to the man, a blade drawn from his boots, just in case. The man continued to struggle for breath and clutch his chest. With the quickest movement from his opponent yet, he struck out and kicked Seiji in the head. Reeling back and sprawled in the dirt, Seiji cursed and tried to force his eyes to focus. He looked at the man a few feet from him, his dagger held before him, albeit a little wobbly. The man convulsed once, then ceased moving, ceased breathing. Still breathing heavy, Seiji dropped his head.

‘All that fighting and he dies of a heart attack. Unfreaking believable...’

Quickly recovering, he stood- dabbing his bleeding head- and made his way to his back to camp, just realizing how very far from it they had gone in the course of their fight. He could hear the distant sounds of battle and ran faster. His men needed help and, more importantly, Rowen did too.

He dove in between two fighters, sinking his blade into the belly of the one he didn’t recognize. A pained groan fell from his lips before he dropped to the ground, dead, beside two other dead men- Seiji’s friends. Death was unavoidable, he realized, but the blood spilt would not be solely from those sworn to serve him.

Cursing under his breath at the sight of more bodies sprawled on the ground, both familiar and not, he ran to encounter more soldiers. After a few more encounters, Seiji realized the desperate situation he was in. His men were tired, as were the attackers- even himself- and he was little help.

Determined, Seiji altered his path and ran full speed toward his tent.
 

**********
 

The blonde one was coming, finally. He smiled and turned to his partner who held the limp boy in his arms. A thin trickle of blood oozed from his temple, but other than that the prince was unharmed.

He smiled again. That simply would not do.

He nodded to his partner and together they left through the back of the tent to prepare.
 

**********
 

Seiji called out to Rowen above the din as he neared the tent, stomach sinking as he heard no reply.

‘Maybe he’s hiding...Surely he’s hiding!’

He reached a bloodied hand out and gripped the tent flap. He was about to pull it back when a great force knocked him back. Dazed and out of breath, Seiji looked up as a horse reared over him, barely rolling out of the way before a hoof landed where his head used to be. Rolling to his feet, Seiji froze.

Coldly glaring down at him, a rough looking man reined his horse into a canter, clutching Rowen in his other arm. His Rowen, pale and bruised, with blood leaking from several wounds. The man yelled a battle cry to his men, who immediately halted their fighting.

“Retreat to the capital!” He then turned to face Seiji as his men darted off in all directions. “You’re too late, *your highness.*” He sneered.

Filled with fury, Seiji lunged forward and felt more than heard the crunching thud of a sword hilt crashing against the back of his head.

He fell to the ground, unconscious, as the last of the attackers rode off toward Teknuu’s capital.
 

**********
 

When Seiji woke up, his head throbbed and he attempted to slip back into sleep. He turned and almost fell off his horse, but a strong arm helped him stay up.

“Your highness, I beg you to forgive me. Many of us are in bad shape as well, so we’re heading back for Korin now.”

“nnn.”

“What?” His steward leaned closer to Seiji.

Pushing himself upright, Seiji fought nausea and gripped the saddle tighter.

“No. I said no. I have to...save Rowen.” He gulped down bile and brushed bloody sweat from his eyes. His memory returned full force and his illness receded. “I have to hurry.”

“My lord, please-“

Seiji pulled his horse’s reins and turned him around, galloping back towards Korin, ignoring the cries and pleas of his men behind him. Seiji judged he hadn’t been out more than an hour or two.

‘If I can make it to the capital in time, I can inform the King and get help. Hang on, Rowen, I’m coming!’
 

**********
 

Seiji rode for over an hour, forcing his horse and body to the limits, finally reaching his destination. Weaving through streets at breakneck speed, he didn’t slow until he saw the entrance to the palace.

‘I have to be in time. I just *have* to be.’

 He reined his horse in after entering the main gate leading to the courtyard, drawing the attention of many guards and servants. No one made a move to come to his aid, though he saw recognition in some eyes. Forcing his breath to even out, he bellowed above the crowd.

“I am Prince Seiji of Korin! I demand to speak to the King. It’s of great importance!”

No one moved. Seiji heard the swish of heavy robes against marble and turned to see someone official standing on the steps into the palace.

“Prince of Korin, you say?” The man asked in a deep, commanding voice.

Seiji nodded, flooded with relief. His men, finally catching up, pulled to a stop behind him. The man pointed at them.

“Guards, arrest those men, on charges of murdering palace guards and kidnapping Prince Touma.”
 
 

**********
 

AN:

Ping: Sorry this took so long. After the lemon, they sorta didn’t want to do anything…
Touma: Yeah, screw it. Let’s shag, baby!
Seiji: ...
Ping: 0_o
 
 

P.S: BWAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!! CLIFFHANGERS! THE *CLIFFHANGERS!!* AHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!