#mhalv'a

As Kaito approached the door to the studio, he could hear his teacher playing... something? It sounded vaguely familiar, and he paused for a moment to try and figure out what it was. The tune immediately hit him as soon as he entered, and he gave the Miqo'te a flat, deadpan stare.

"Honto ni, Maru-chan? The fuckin' wedding march?"

Mhalv'a stopped playing, then turned to smile at Kaito. "Ah, I'm just doing some warm-ups," he explained casually. "I haven't been able to practice for a while due to the situation with Hinan, so--"

"Did S'aeil put you up to this?" Kaito interjected with a smirk.

The Miqo'te blinked a couple of times, and his ears drooped sheepishly. "Ah..." was all he could come out with.

Kaito burst into laughter at the response. It was all too funny.

"What in the world are you laughing about, Kaito-kun?" the bard asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Nazenara okashii na yo [Because it's so funny]," Kaito laughed, giving the Keeper a wide, sharkish grin. "I've been pretending I haven't noticed any of the very obvious hints he's been dropping on me."

Mhalv'a's eyes widened briefly, then narrowed at Kaito as his ears pinned back; he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Kaito loved S'aeil, didn't he? He knew the Raen liked to tease and taunt people, and he recognized that Kaito and S'aeil had a peculiar yet playful way of communicating affection for one another, but as far as Mhalv'a was concerned, this was taking it too far. Promises like marriage weren't something to be taken so lightly.

"Why the hell would you do something so cruel to S'aeil?" the Miqo'te hissed. "If you don't want to marry him, then you need to tell him!"

An offended expression flashed across Kaito's face as he was taken aback by the accusation. "What the fuck-- of course I wanna fuckin' marry him!" he snapped.

"Well then why would you not acknowledge--"

Kaito snarled, cutting Mhalv'a off once more, "Because I wanna surprise him, dumbass!" He sighed afterwards, then stepped up to the piano and grabbed a portfolio he'd hidden nearby. Inside were two sets of sheet music - one that was what Mhalv'a could only describe as "Peak Kaito," and the other with very sweet, sentimental lyrics. "I've been practicing these... I'm glad he started dropping hints because now I know he's ready, but I didn't wanna just do something lame, like 'Oh yep, sure, time to get married I guess.' I want it to be exciting and romantic and memorable!"

As Kaito explained, the bard's expression softened, and his ears wilted slightly in embarrassment. "Kaito-kun... I'm so sorry for making such an assumption," he murmured, casting his gaze downward in shame.

A heavy sigh escaped the Raen's lips, and he shook his head. "Nah... don't feel bad. I could see why you'd jump to that kinda conclusion," he confessed as he plopped himself down on the piano bench next to his teacher. "I'm an asshole... I'm loud and rude and obnoxious, and I'm the kinda person who would intentionally ignore shit like this just to fuck with someone."

Kaito turned to look at Mhalv'a afterwards, and the bashful smile on his face made it clear that his intentions were good. "Not S'aeil though... I never, ever wanna hurt him. I love him more than I've ever loved anyone. I feel like we've been searching all our lives for each other because we needed to be together, and I don't wanna ever lose him, now or in any other lifetime," he explained quietly. "And I wanna get this all planned out as fast as possible so he doesn't start to worry that I don't wanna be with him anymore, so let's fuckin' get to work."

Finally looking up at Kaito once more, Mhalv'a gave the Au Ra a warm, affectionate smile as his eyes grew misty. "Kaito..." he whispered, reaching up to dab at his eyes before his tears fell. "Of course. Tell me what you were thinking of doing, and I'll help you make it the most magical, memorable proposal he could ever possibly hope for."

A wide grin spread across the Au Ra's face, and he lurched forward to wrap his arms around the Miqo'te in a very sudden and very tight embrace. "Domo arigatou, Maru-chan... just don't say a fuckin' word about this to him," he requested.

Mhalv'a laughed softly and hugged back, pressing an affectionate little kiss to Kaito's cheek. "My lips are sealed, Kaito-kun," he reassured him. "Let's begin."

***

A heavy sigh escaped the Au Ra's lips as he read the note; it was incredibly terse, especially for someone as verbose as Mhalv'a. I better go check on him... he thought, taking the pouch of gil and shoving it into his pocket. He decided he would simply hold onto it for the time being. Inevitably, Mhalv'a was going to get it back at some point once he was feeling up to giving lessons again.

Before going to Mhalv'a's room - or, more accurately, the room that Kaito had built for him after taking over the one that did belong to Mhalv'a - the Raen grabbed a bottle of rum from the bar, then made a couple of sandwiches. The poor guy probably needed it, he figured. He wasn't sure how much the bard had been eating or drinking recently, but then again, he'd spent less and less time at the company house. Still, it didn't hurt to show him that he wasn't alone.

With his arms full, the Au Ra turned and thumped his tail on Mhalv'a's door. "Nee, Maru-chan. Koko ni iru ka? You there?" he asked.

For a measure or two, there was silence, followed by what sounded like something being skewered. The fuck?? Eventually, a faint and muffled, "Come in," came through the door.

Kaito was fairly worried about what he might find on the other side; Mhalv'a was typically a very rational person, but rationality tended to fly out the window when love and trauma were involved, at least in his experience. Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as what his mind had conjured up - the bard had set up a target dummy in the middle of the room and was practicing his archery. Everything else he had in there was pushed off to the sides rather haphazardly.

"Is this why you canceled my piano lesson?" Kaito asked as he set the food and drinks down on the table.

Without bothering to look over at Kaito, Mhalv'a nocked an arrow, pulled back the bowstring, then released. The arrow zipped toward the dummy, hitting it in the dead center of the target. "Yes," he answered simply.

As he watched the display, the Raen let out an appreciative whistle, then poured some rum for both of them and held out a glass for the Miqo'te. "You're pretty damn good... is this all you've been doing lately?"

Another arrow nocked, a moment of concentration, and the bard released it. The second arrow struck directly next to the previous one. "Yes," Mhalv'a repeated.

Frowning slightly, Kaito realized that he was probably going to need to carry the conversation - not that this would be too difficult, considering what a big mouth he had. "Come over here and eat something," he requested, pulling out a seat for the Miqo'te before sitting down himself. "I know you're hurting right now... I am too. I don't know if my brother's alive or dead, I don't know exactly where they've got him, and I'm terrified at having to go back to Garlean territory..."

The bard side-eyed Kaito, then shot one last arrow that nestled between the other two before setting his bow aside. "At least everyone recognizes your capability," he stated in a quiet, seething tone as he took a seat.

"I'm not denying your capability, Maru-chan, but you can't go running off there on your own," Kaito sighed.

"I wasn't attempting to," came the response, with an implied "again" at the end of the statement. Mhalv'a stared at the food and drinks, as if trying to remember how such things worked.

Lowering his eyes, the Au Ra sighed again, then took a large gulp of his rum. "What you did was crazy and stupid, but... it was helpful too," he murmured, slowly turning the glass in his hand and staring at the way the light reflected off of it. After a moment, he turned to look at the target dummy, and a grin spread across his face as he got an idea. "Had any practice with a moving target?"

Mhalv'a had just been about to take a bite of his sandwich, but he paused at the question and turned his eyes to meet the Au Ra's. "What are you suggesting?"

"I'm saying finish that sandwich, chug down your rum, and then let's play kakurenbo," Kaito responded with a wide, mischievous grin.

***

"Are you certain about this?" Mhalv'a asked, looking vaguely worried as he stared at Kaito, who was standing about twenty yalms away.

"Trust me. Just shoot!" the Au Ra called out. Just to be safe, he'd donned his full armor and mask - the last thing he needed was to get seriously injured before they all went out to save Hinan.

With a sigh of resignation, the bard nocked an arrow, pulled back his bowstring, then released it directly toward Kaito. Luckily, his trust wasn't misplaced - the Shinobi plucked the arrow out of the air as if catching a feather drifting toward him, then spun it around in his hand before setting it aside.

"So now try to hit me while I'm moving," Kaito called out, then danced around, back and forth over the spot where he'd been standing. "C'mon, Maru-chan! Penetrate me!"

The Miqo'te made a face briefly at Kaito's request to "penetrate" him; it just made him all the more determined to shoot the little bastard. Focusing was difficult though. Every other time he'd put his archery skills to use, his target had been relatively still - usually deer or rabbits he was hunting for food and skins. This was far more of a challenge than he expected, and every arrow he shot either flew past the shinobi or just stuck in the ground near him. "Damn it..." the Keeper sighed.

"Focus! I'm not even moving that much compared to what you're gonna deal with in a real battle!" Kaito called out, still dancing around. He was relatively slow, but Mhalv'a was very out of practice when it came to shooting anything that wasn't stationary. "Just take deep breaths and aim where you think I'm going to be."

Closing his eyes, the Miqo'te inhaled deeply as instructed, then let out a long, drawn-out breath as he nocked his next arrow. He took aim and sang quietly to himself. "Hunt your prey and act, draw your arrow back, never let them get away. Set your arrow free on the enemy, never let them get away." After taking a moment to predict Kaito's movements, he loosed the arrow, and it zipped right toward Kaito's chest.

The Shinobi's eyes crinkled - the only indication that he was grinning behind his mask, and he clapped his hands onto the shaft of the arrow as it flew towards him. "Direct hit!" he exclaimed, letting out an excited cheer afterwards.

Eyes wide, the Miqo'te watched in awe as his arrow nearly pierced his companion, only to be stopped just in time. For a moment, he was quiet, pursing his lips and trying to convince himself that it wasn't just a fluke. Well, even if it was, he just needed more practice, right?

"Mou ichido!" the bard called out as he nocked another arrow. Kaito blinked a couple of times in surprise, then grinned as he started dancing around again, faster and in broader, sweeping motions this time.

"Pull the bowstring back, just before it snaps, feel the tension in your fingers," Mhalv'a sang along with his motions, narrowing his eyes as he watched the Shinobi closely. Just like before, he aimed right where he predicted the Raen would be, singing louder as he loosed his arrow, "As they're frozen still, go in for the kill, making sure no life will linger!"

Surprisingly, the Raen was caught off-guard by the next arrow zipping towards him. He let out a yelp, then quickly dodged out of the way - it would have gotten him directly through the gut if he hadn't been quick enough. "Holy shit! Maru-chan!" he shouted as he sprinted up to the Miqo'te excitedly.

Mhalv'a's eyes were still wide, but he gave the Au Ra a little smile; clearly, he was doing something right. "I guess... I should keep doing this?" he asked, looking up at Kaito a bit anxiously. It was weird having their student-teacher dynamic flipped on its head, but there was something kind of nice about it too. Besides, he'd already learned enough about archery in his youth that really, Kaito was just helping him transfer that knowledge.

"Now we play kakurenbo," the Au Ra said with a grin. He stepped aside and reached into the satchel he'd brought along, then pulled out a new quiver full of arrows tipped in suction cups. "I'm gonna run off and hide. Once you find me, I'm gonna start running, and when you shoot me, you win," he explained.

This didn't sound like any game of "hide-and-seek" that Mhalv'a had ever played, but the idea of having an excuse to riddle the adorable asshole with arrows - however harmless they may have been - was rather enticing. After removing his own quiver, the bard slipped the one from Kaito over his shoulder, then smirked. "Kakugo shinasai yo!" he snapped, immediately drawing an "arrow" and nocking it on his bow.

Laughing brightly, Kaito darted off to find a place to hide.

***

The two played "hide-and-seek" for several bells; Mhalv'a found it easier over time to predict where to shoot, even as Kaito's movements became more erratic. After exhausting the quiver several times over, the two of them headed back to the company house, sore and out of breath, then flopped down amongst the flowers in the lawn.

"Hinan's gonna be super impressed," Kaito panted as he tugged his mask off. With a little grin, he turned to look at Mhalv'a, but his smile quickly faded when he saw the Miqo'te's expression. Granted, Mhalv'a didn't look terribly different from normal, but his wilted ears and the look in his eyes told the Au Ra everything he needed to know.

"He was going to teach me..." Mhalv'a whispered, biting his lower lip as he stared up at the stars. "I keep thinking maybe we'll hear something... anything..."

"I know... it's driving me nuts too, but all we can do is just... focus on keeping it together," Kaito responded in a gentler tone than usual as he turned on his side to look at the Keeper. "For his sake, and for everyone else."

Mhalv'a closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly to compose himself. "I know..." he whispered.

After finally gathering the strength to push himself up into a sitting position, Kaito gave Mhalv'a a firm clap on the shoulder. "Come have dinner with me and S'aeil some night," he offered. "Maybe it'll help ya feel better, ya know, not feeling like you're stuck here. Just... don't tell Takumi I let you eat my cooking. It's already bad enough I let S'aeil and Ralei in on the secret. If she finds out more people are getting to experience my culinary prowess, she's gonna flip the fuck out."

The bard couldn't help the quiet laugh that bubbled up in response to Kaito's request - it was absurd, but just the kind of absurd he'd come to expect of the "twins." "So long as it wouldn't be an imposition..." he sighed quietly. "Thank you, Kaito..."

Mhalv'a's reaction to Kaito's remark was what he was looking for, and the Au Ra grinned once again. "Thank you... for everything you've done to help get my brother back," he responded, giving his companion's shoulder a squeeze. "I'm gonna head back home for now, but... just page my linkpearl whenever you'd like to come over. Dropping in on us unexpectedly is dangerous, otherwise I'd just say come over whenever."

It was clear what Kaito meant by "dangerous," and the Miqo'te wrinkled his nose slightly. "... of course," he agreed after a moment, then finally pushed himself up to his feet. "I suppose I could stand to make use of the new bathing facilities downstairs..."

"Sugoi desu wa, Kaito-kun," Mhalv'a stated afterwards, eliciting a snicker from the Au Ra. A vaguely annoyed expression crossed the Miqo'te's face. "... what? What are you laughing at?"

"You need to practice your Hingan more," Kaito teased. "You talk like a woman."

At the Raen's remark, the Keeper let out an indignant huff, though he managed to keep his composure otherwise. "Shizuka ni shinasai, omae," he clapped back.

The Au Ra couldn't help but laugh at his teacher's response. "Ooh, busting out the informal 'you,' huh?" he teased, wrapping an arm around Mhalv'a's shoulders; the Keeper's eyes narrowed in response, and he had to suppress an urge to hiss. "If you really wanna insult me, say somethin' like, 'Kutabare, konoyarou!'" he snarled, baring his teeth.

Narrowing his eyes slightly at Kaito, the Miqo'te asked, "And what does that mean?"

"Basically something like, 'Fuck off, you prick,'" Kaito explained with a grin. "I mean, the direct translation is probably softer sounding than that, but it's pretty effective with the right inflection, and Domajin are way too polite to use that kinda language normally, so it always sounds harsh."

Mhalv'a rolled his eyes and reached back to pluck the younger man's arm from his shoulder. "All right, this isn't meant to be Hingashigo lessons for Mal'valen," he stated in as stern a tone as he could muster despite his amusement at the situation. Little by little, Kaito had grown on the Keeper - and vice versa - and both were beginning to see one another as brothers, for better or for worse. "You've paid me quite a handsome amount of gil, and I intend to ensure that you do not leave this room dissatisfied."

"You comin' onto me, Maru-chan?" Kaito asked with a waggle of his eyebrows.

With a wide-eyed look of disgust, the Keeper placed his hand on the Raen's face, then gave him a rough shove. "Enough," he growled. "Did you pick out a song you want to learn?"

That reaction caused Kaito to laugh loudly; it was just too much fun to tease someone as prudish and stuck-up as this Miqo'te seemed to be. Once his laughter died down though, the Au Ra reached into the satchel sitting beside the piano bench, then pulled out the sheet music he'd found. "Got it right here!" he exclaimed, grinning at his teacher.

Delicately, the Keeper placed his forefinger and thumb on the sheets, then plucked them from Kaito's hand so he could take a look. He nearly groaned at the song title alone, although as entertaining as he actually found the lyrics, he didn't want to let Kaito see his amusement. Best not to let on that he actually had a sense of humor, lest the Au Ra decide to try and get even closer. It was bad enough that he was being called "Maru-chan;" he wasn't terribly thrilled at the prospect of additional cutesy nicknames.

"This doesn't seem too challenging," the Miqo'te stated as he set up the sheet music. "Go ahead and try the introduction."

Pursing his lips, Kaito nodded, then began to play as instructed. Keeping his eyes on the sheet music - an actual song, not just chords and arpeggios - and avoiding looking at his hands was a challenge, but with all the practicing he'd done up until then, it didn't take him very long to adjust.

The two of them played together for some time, with Mhalv'a gently correcting little mistakes in posture and fingering, and Kaito replaying various sections over and over. By that point, their one bell lesson had gone far beyond that - the normally nocturnal Keeper had somehow been up all day working on this with the Au Ra, though he wasn't aware as he was still full of energy. Playing with Kaito reminded him why he'd become a Bard in the first place. The music lifted his spirits, reinvigorated him, and his apprehensions that the young Raen wouldn't fully commit to his lessons were proven very wrong. Playing the piano was practically all Kaito had done for the past week after his talk with Hinan.

And now, here he was, having gone from unsteady scales to playing an entire song in that time. Mhalv'a felt almost overjoyed by the boy's talent, not to mention proud that he could be the one to say that he'd taught Kaito everything he knew about music. Suddenly, being a teacher didn't seem like such a terrible job.

In time, the two were playing simultaneously, laughing and singing together - something that neither of them could have ever foreseen. Kaito was rather surprised by the fact that his teacher was willing to vocalize such vulgar lyrics, but it helped to remind him that Mhalv'a was just as much a regular person as he was. There was something very refreshing about getting someone who seemed uptight to loosen up and have some fun. Besides, the Miqo'te had a rather angelic singing voice that Kaito found far more soothing than he would have expected, so that was a nice bonus.

As they finished playing one last time, both paused, listening to the number of bells chiming on the chronometer. "Guess we should call it here, huh?" Kaito remarked upon hearing the eleventh strike.

"Are you certain? It's only eleven bells." Mhalv'a raised a brow slightly - it seemed odd that a Raen would want to turn in so early in the day.

"Yeah, at night,” Kaito responded.

Mhalv'a's eyes widened and his ears pinned back slightly - there weren't any windows in the studio Zheyn'a set up, so he'd had no idea so much time had passed. "Shite, I have to get back home. Hinan and Aomaho are going to be worried, my sister's going to interrogate me..." he huffed, standing quickly to gather his belongings. "Let me know when you want your next lesson. And no payment for the next one, I think you've overpaid me already."

Before Kaito could respond, Mhalv'a was running out the door to get back to his house. He was slightly taken aback by what his teacher said; he hadn’t overpaid, he was very sure about that. They'd had four official lessons for which he'd paid a total of two hundred thousand gil, and, in fact, he felt that he owed the Bard more just by virtue of the fact that they'd spent all day in that studio together.

Sinking a fang into his lower lip, Kaito turned back to the piano and pressed the G key, holding it for a few seconds. A warm smile crossed his lips as he placed both hands on the keys, then practiced the song one last time.

***

Meanwhile, in Garlemald...

"How many did he get away with?" 

"I couldn't say for certain, madam." The soldier peered at his superior, trying to get a bead on her emotional state. Unfortunately, there was no seeing past that mask she wore, and her tone remained level.

She paused briefly before continuing. "Original copies, all of them?" 

"And some duplicates and triplicates."

The superior was beginning to grow irritated. "Was there anything left? Anything he managed to drop?"

For a brief moment, the soldier was relieved - thankfully, he did have some good news. "Yes, madam. Nothing was dropped that we saw, but some of the more damning files were locked away in a hidden safe."

"And you're certain they haven't been taken as well?"

The soldier gave a resolute nod. "We checked earlier. Every one of them remains."

"Good... and do we know his identity now?"

At the question, the soldier reached into his armor and pulled out a file bearing a sketch of a young Au Ra man; he looked to be in his early to mid twenties, with messy hair and freckles. "Yuuyake Zora, also known as Kaito Akaruta. He fought in the Doman Rebellion alongside his siblings and was declared dead nine months after having gone missing," he explained, handing over the file.

"... and he went 'missing' because he stowed away on our damned ship..." the superior stated, her tone betraying her frustration. "How did he escape imprisonment?"

"That... we're not sure just yet..." the soldier stated, turning his eyes away shamefully. "One measure he was there, and the next, there was no sign of him."

The two stood silently as the superior officer considered the information she was given. "Have we any additional information about anyone related to him?" she finally asked.

"We do, in fact," the soldier responded. "It seems he's rejoined his siblings. Our sources inform us that he's been spending the majority of his time in Shirogane. Presently, he is living in a house which estate records say belongs to his elder brother, Aeluan Hoshinata, along with the other Akarutas and several others."

At this new information, the superior's stance changed - somehow, she almost appeared hopeful. "What others?"

"A number of Miqo'te, for starters," the soldier stated, flipping through more papers. He stopped on one in particular, and his eyes went wide. "Like... this one," he added, showing the file to his superior.