The tile of trust part 1

There were a lot more Keito wanted to say, a lot more he wanted to clear and so much more burden he was carrying inside his heart. He had.…. questions. Anyone forced to be in his position would have them.

But the way to get answers was limited and Noah had not made it easy on him at all. The familiarity of the place, the feeling inside his heart and then instincts he had, they all pointed toward this place.

And yet his own mind did not allow him the luxury of thinking this place as safe.

And all the answers he needed were right here, in the hands of the temple master and the oracle. But even if he knew this, he could not make himself ask even the simplest of things. The failure from earlier stung his mind which remanded him once again that he had failed to stop that assassination attempt.

Perhaps if he had his priorities set from the start and had not gotten sidetracked by Jess's wellbeing, this extra effort could be prevented. Maybe if he had thought over it better, then he could have worked something out. 

It was a thought that was more than visible on the face of the young king and the other two could read that without even trying.

"Your majesty cannot change the events that are bound to happen. That power doesn't even exist in the hands of the gods. Don't worry, you have not failed your trial yet" the muffled voice of the oracle consoled but it failed to bring the smile back on the king's face.

"If you're done then stop mopping in the temple premise please. You're ruining the divinity of the festive mood we're trying to portray" that was said in a nesting tone, clearly to make the king feeltaincts  better but all it did was to remind him that he was ruining potential lives here.

"Sorry" was all he could let out before the other two. The happy noises from outside flew inside the room in a steady stream of warmth. The war would squeeze it all out like a sponge in water.

The king was not in a position he could say was suited to his stand but beggars could not be choosers and he had to make do with what he had been handed over with.

"Don't mop so much or you'll bring my mood down too. Doesn't your kingdom need you or something?" It didn't occur to Keito or to Ryu just how rude that behavior was. Ryu did not have a filter while Keito had gotten used to the frankness of the future. 

The child was the only one who actually felt the weight of this interaction and henknew that he would have to interfere. For all the caution Ryu recited, he himself was the biggest spoiler. Keeping secrets was an almost impossible task for him once he got familiar enough with you.

Keito had a somewhat similar problem which could  be an acquired habit he had carried over from Ryu's influence. It was difficult to tell though.

"Let's begin your magic lessons early this evening. Do you think you'll have the time?" The shake of the head indicated no, "I'll accompany you in the meantime"

Ryu gave him a warning look but Noah knew what he was getting himself into. Not only did he know the layout of the royal palace inside out, he also knew Keito's inner workings. 

He was the best one for the job. Besides, Ryu would make sure that his identity would be kept in check. All he had to do was to walk out of the shrine boundaries and rest would follow along.

But for things to happen as they had in the past, some crucial elements were necessary and to achieve that he would need the support of internal factors.

Several messages needed to be passed so that things could begin and the final, big reveal needed to be planned. If Keito learned what Ryu wanted to teach him, only time would tell. 

"I can see I'm not needed here or appreciated so I'll take my leave now. If you wish to follow me then please do" the child stood up to follow the leaving king. But even as he did, a cough diverted their attention toward the eldest inside the room.

Their eyes clashed, a look of understanding passed through before the child bowed and exited the room. 

They were mainly ignored by the people running around which was nothing new anyway for Noah but this was a surreal experience for the young king. Being the royal next in-line, he had always been a figure whom everyone wanted to become friends with. As such, he had no prior experience with being ignored.

The weirdest thing for him was the fact that these people had not ignored him before but now they are moving about as if they did not see him at all.

"Please pardon them, they're too busy to greet your majesty" the child made an excuse which Keito was more than happy to accept. The less brain power he had to spend here, the more he would have for important things later on.

"How long have you been inside this temple society?" Keito tried to make small talk with the child, his curiosity now peaked. 

"Not too long but not too short either? I have been here ever since I was freed as a slave" and Keito felt his brain stop. This child was white haired like Noah too and even felt like him sometimes. Could this be another coincidence?

Maybe.

If his wolf was here then surely he would be teasing him or braking at him.

But won't it be funny if this did turn out to be Noah in hiding? But why would he need to hide from Keito whom he had been close to?

Well, now he could see the problem as clear as a day.

This was not really and his mind was cooking up all this. Surely Noah did not like what he had twisted his home to become? Or maybe he was too shy to show himself like Keito had been during his rebirth.

Maybe he was just overthinking everything and he needed rest. He had never been too productive when he had been tired after all. 

But if this was Noah, then let him keep his secrets. After all, there was no denying the knowledge that he knew his real identity as the ancient king now. If the other chose not to associate with him any further then he would comply.

He would let the other go even if it hurt to do so.

"Are we entering the forest?" Keito came back to himself, his eyes landing on that mask that covered the other's face and acted as an obstruction. All he wanted to do was to tear away that mask now.

His hand was moving but it never made any contact with the mask at all. Inches away from it, the child dodged the incoming hand by a mile and a disapproving expression bloomed all over that face.

"Please don't try to make problems you can't handle. People won't always clean up after you" I won't always be there to clean your mess up.

"Hahaha sorry" Keito felt like he was apologizing too much these days but somehow he felt better now. That action and that tone made him aware that there was a reason the child was not unmasking and that reason might now be him.

"Don't be sorry, take responsibility. If one day the one closest to you loses their sanity, if they cease to disappear then don't chase the futile hope.  Instead look at what you have left with you and build up on it. You did it once and you might need to again" Noah tried not to think of his own end but everything he tried he failed.

The build up from the centuries was something he had accepted and perhaps he would have been happy too but would he be equally happy now knowing how would have to stand on the opposite side of that sword?

"Can't you speak clearly? Or in a language I can understand at least? Even children speak clearer than you" Noah was looking at the other and that was the only reason he caught that blush on the others face.

The smile bloomed without his knowledge. It was just a small upturn of those lips behind his mask and yet it meant a lot to Noah. Happiness was hard to come by in his life but Keito had been a major source of his happiest moments. 

And the saddest ones too.

"But I am a child your highness" the child teased back, his voice just a bit softer and less muffled and there was no denying that tone this time. He was without a doubt who he thought he was.

Once again, his hand was moving faster than ever and finally he touched that mask, causing his breath to catch in his throat.