[Vocabulary Turn- ONS]

I like pairings like "thick cock" or "generous cock" rather than having someone actually give me measurements. I'm happier using my imagination as a reader.

[A question about points of view]

One thing you don't say, and it really makes a difference, is whether or not the story is being told in the first person or not. If it's being told in the first person, you do need to make the transition clear, and the asterisks or other subtle marker (please do NOT announce the POV change) is needed.

If you're telling the story in third person, consider what we called the "third person omniscient" back in the Jurassic age. It allows the author to reveal the thoughts of all the characters. A good description is this article. A little more in-depth discussion is here.

Don't let yourself get discouraged. Point of view is a tricky thing to get right, and the fact that you care enough to worry about getting it right is the hallmark of a writer.

[Sandcastles and Fireworks]

Sand listened quietly as Satoshi spoke with his doctor, filling Muriyama-sensei in on all the events of the past three years. He was more than a little surprised to find out that Satoshi had spoken about him after the vacation in North Carolina, and Sand could feel his cheeks growing warm as he remembered how he had so spectacularly failed Satoshi and Kansas both. Sand took a quiet breath and reminded himself that they were here to help Satoshi, and not deal with a slightly idiotic moon elf and his utter inability to see what was right in front of him.

It was harder when Muriyama brought up the topic of suicidal thoughts, and Satoshi actually shrank away from Sand. Sand felt his heart aching as he realized that in the depths of this darkness, Satoshi believed that Sand might react angrily, when in fact Sand wanted nothing more than to hold Satoshi tightly and soothe his fears. Sand knew that Satoshi was not given to public displays in Tokyo, but he could not help reaching out and gently tugging one hand back out from between Satoshi's thighs, cradling it between his faintly scarred fingers with infinite care and tenderness.

Sand's blue eyes were darker than usual, his sorrow coloring them as he began to understand how helpless he was to make this better for Satoshi. Satoshi had lived with this most of his life, and still could not deal with it. Sand was so new to this illness, and he stood no chance on his own. Muriyama seemed both competent and caring, and the gentle matter of fact way that he approached Satoshi gave Sand a glimmer of hope.

Muriyama turned to Sand, and offered him an appointment as well, and Sand's eyes widened very slightly. Sand had not considered that the doctor might be able to help him as well, and the faintest of smiles came to his lips.

"I think I would like to see you as well, Muriyama-sensei." Sand bowed very politely. "Thank you for offering this opportunity. I want, more than I have ever wanted anything, to help my husband with this illness, and to make sure that our marriage remains strong. I cannot imagine my life without him, you see, but I do not know what to do anymore, or how best to help him."

Muriyama nodded with a friendly smile, but Satoshi sobbed quietly and looked sideways up at Sand, whispering under his breath, "I'm sorry."

Muriyama spoke in that same friendly tone, his eyes glancing at Satoshi, as the imp whispered, but his words were meant for Sand. "Mori-san, I understand perfectly how you feel. It is a complicated illness, and if this is the first time that you witness Mori-san in a downswing then it can seem overwhelming. I must say I commend you for having dealt with this as well as it sounds like you have. It shows how much you do care and love him. I have seen strong marriages break apart because of something like this, but I can tell that you have no intention of letting that happen."

Muriyama rose from his chair and went over to his desk, picking up a file jacket from a drawer and some papers. Returning to his chair he wrote down a couple of notes and then looked at Sand with the same warm friendly look he had used towards Satoshi the whole session.

"Now, Mori-san. Your name, Mori Masato, yes? How would you like to do this? You can come with Mori-san, and you can share his session, if he agrees, or you can have a part of his sessions with me, again if he agrees. Or I can offer you your private sessions with me. The session is usually forty-five minutes. It is only for special cases like Mori-san's that I use ninety minute sessions. And when would you like to start?"

"Thank you, yes, my name is Mori Masato. I would like to set up private sessions with you, and if Mori-san wishes to participate in my sessions, he is welcome to any of them." Sand turned to Satoshi. "I do not wish you to think I am hiding from you, saiai. There is nothing I will say that you cannot hear. I love you, Satoshi-san. Would you prefer that I come on the days when you come? My session could be after yours, and then we can come and leave together."

Satoshi stared up at Sand for a few moments, and then asked with great sorrow in his voice, "Am I breaking you?"

Sand cupped Satoshi's face in his hands. "No, saiai, never. You are not breaking me, and you are not breaking us. I can be strong enough for us both until you are feeling better, and I will not break. I will only love you the more for letting me support you in this."

"Why do you need to see Muriyama-sensei alone then?" Satoshi's voice took on the plaintive tone that indicated that he was getting upset, his eyes filling with confusion.

"I thought to give you your privacy, to speak as freely as you needed to Muriyama-sensei. You are welcome to share my sessions, all of them. I simply do not want to use any of your time for me." Sand looked deeply into Satoshi's eyes, his blue eyes filled with endless love that he did not know if Satoshi could see. "Join my sessions. I would like that. I have no secrets from you."

Satoshi moved a fraction closer to Sand and sank forwards, his arms snaking around the elf's neck, and Satoshi whispered, loud enough for Muriyama to hear him, "I'm sorry. I thought I was breaking you. I thought you needed to see Muriyama alone so he could fix what I've broken in your head. I don't want to steal your time with him, either. But if you really want me to, then I'll come with you."

Muriyama smiled gently, his appointment book resting on his lap, his voice endlessly patient. "I have an opening for a double session the day after tomorrow for you, Mori-san. But there is no free time after that session, so what do you say you share the latter half of your session with Mori Masato-san, and then we'll see how we can split the time between you two. I will be able to offer you your private session as of next week, Mori-san."

Satoshi nodded slightly against Sand's shoulder, small tears beading in his eyes but not falling.

"I want you to come, saiai." Sand wrapped his arms around Satoshi, not caring a whit for propriety. "Let us do that, then. We will come the day ofter tomorrow, and I can join you for the latter half of your session. We can discuss what we will do then as well." Sand brushed his lips very softly across Satoshi's lips. "We will do this together, you and I. That is how we are strongest, when we are together."

Satoshi nodded again, the movement so slight it was barely noticeable, but the tears in his eyes subsided and Satoshi sat back a little, cuddling up against Sand's side. "Alright, we'll do that then. I really have nothing to hide from you either, Masato-san. I don't want you to think that."

"I know that, saiai." Sand kept his arm around Satoshi, gentle and protective. "You have been honest and brave throughout this, and I do not know if I could have done so well." Sand looked up at Muriyama, his love for Satoshi plain on his face. "Thank you again, Muriyama-sensei. We will get Satoshi-san's prescriptions filled right away, and he can begin taking the medication tonight. And we will see you then the day after tomorrow."

Muriyama nodded with a smile, his eyes bright as he observed the love between the two husbands. Obscured as it was in Satoshi's eyes by his pain, it was still quite obvious when the pierced man looked at his foreigner husband.

Muriyama rose from his armchair, and spoke as he walked around to his desk, sitting down to fill out the prescriptions, using the thick file that belonged to Satoshi as a reference. "I will prescribe the same dosage as last time and the same combination. I see here that the last time they started showing effects after only three weeks so we will hope that you will respond that quickly this time as well. And please remember to take them with a meal. You know how bad it is for you to take these on an empty stomach. Mori Masato-san, I'll ask you to remind him to take these with food."

Muriyama smiled brightly at the pair, as Satoshi struggled to his feet and blew a raspberry at his doctor. Muriyama handed Sand four prescription slips, and then jotted their names into the appointment ledger, telling them as he did so, "Then at two in the afternoon, on Wednesday. I will see you then."

Satoshi nodded and bowed respectfully to the doctor, before he turned and started making his way slowly out of the office. He hesitated as he passed the glass chess set, then he turned towards it and looked at it for a few moments. Muriyama watched him with a bemused look, and then smiled when Satoshi reached out and moved a white pawn two squares, then turned back towards the door.

Sand bowed deeply to Muriyama as well, arching an eyebrow slightly as Satoshi made his chess move. "Is this an ongoing game?"

Muriyama nodded with a small smile. "This is an ongoing game that I have with Kansas-san, actually. Mori-san makes the first move, then brings my first move to Kansas-san, who sends Mori-san with the next move, to our next session. It is a lot of fun. Kansas-san has a great knack for strategic games."

Muriyama moved over to the chess set and looked at it for a moment before he reached for a black pawn and moved it one square forward. Satoshi watched the move, and Sand could see Satoshi memorize the move, before he nodded and turned towards the door again with a faint hint of a smile on his lips.

Sand watched with complete fascination, unfamiliar with chess, but suddenly quite determined to learn. "Until Wednesday, then, Muriyama-sensei. I look forward to it." Sand bowed again and hurried after his beloved husband.

As they walked out to the car, Sand spoke softly. "I like him, saiai. He has a kind manner, but I think he sees a great deal. But, when you are feeling a bit better, you must teach me this game."

Satoshi giggled, and for a moment there was a hint of the old light hearted little imp that Sand had first met, as Satoshi answered, "Oh, I'm shit at it. I just do what Kansas tells me to. I'm better at go. Kansas on the other hand is brilliant at chess and all sorts of other strategy games. But I can teach you how the pieces are moved and such, but once you learn that, you'll have to ask Kansas to teach you properly."

Sand chuckled. "Ah, then you will teach me go, and trounce me soundly, I am sure."

They walked out to the car, and Sand helped Satoshi to get into the passenger seat, slipping the imp's crutches into the back seat. Sand hopped into the driver's seat, much more comfortable with finding his way home through Setagaya-ku, and they made their way to a large pharmacy where they filled Satoshi's prescriptions. Satoshi also picked out a small weekly organizer box to sort out his pills for the various times of day that he needed to take them. Sand also picked up several large bottles or water to keep in their room, and an assortment of soy yogurts in single serving cups. Sand had managed to wheedle Satoshi into agreeing to have a small yogurt before taking his pills, especially in the morning in return for not pressuring Satoshi into eating a large meal.

Sand helped Satoshi back into the car to go home, pressing a swift kiss to Satoshi's cheek as he leaned over the imp. This won Sand another little smile, and he slipped back into the car with a lighter heart. They started off for home, Sand driving carefully to avoid jarring Satoshi's ankle too much. At a red light, he went to reach for the cd player, thinking to turn on a little music for Satoshi, but Satoshi stopped him, and Sand turned to look at his husband.

"Masato-san." Satoshi said in a small voice, but his eyes were filled with love when he continued. "I just want to tell you. I'm always scared that I'm going to break you, or scare you away when I'm like this. But I promise that I'll let you know when I feel suicidal again. And I want you to know, that even though I can't really feel it much, right now, I do love you. I know that I love you more than I love life itself. You are my soul, my heart and my life, all in one. I love you, my Masato-san."

Sand's eyes filled with tears as he looked at his beloved husband. "Thank you, saiai. In my heart, I have always known this, but sometimes this very foolish elf needs to hear the words. I know it is hard to feel my love for you right now, but you are everything that makes my life worth living, and I cannot imagine even a day without you beside me. I love you, my Satoshi-san."

Haedrith sat at his desk in the center of the library of Tower Reilloch, his chin propped in the upturned palm of one hand. He looked down the long spoke of bookshelves to the now empty table where Khaleth had set up residence for nearly two full tendays. In all that time, there had been no strange visitors to the library, and the young elven apprentice had not returned, nor had his tome. Khaleth's enchanted locket had detected no faerzess magic, and even Haedrith finally had to concede that it was becoming quite futile to keep Khaleth penned behind his wall of tomes.

It had been a near encounter with his master that had settled Khaleth's mind on the matter. The old mage had wandered into the library, quite disgruntled to find out that Haedrith did not have a supply of sticky buns on hand, and had no intention of baking any in the near future. Haedrith was far too kind by nature to shoo the elderly elf away, and as a result the mage had settled in for a chat with the graceful librarian, still not quite convinced that he had not arrived at the kitchens.

In the middle of their conversation, the elderly mage had lifted his head and sniffed deeply, catching the scent of Khaleth's bread and honey that he was nibbling as a late luncheon. Haedrith had managed to distract the mage and offered to show him where there was another kitchen that was much better stocked, but Khaleth decided he was quite done with haunting the library. By the time Haedrith had returned, without his elderly friend, Khaleth had packed up his things and fled, leaving behind the enchanted locket on Haedrith's desk.

It had taken Haedrith a bit of time to put away all the tomes that Khaleth had used to build his ramparts, although the librarian was not exactly rushing to complete the task. His turquoise eyes were thoughtful as he slid each tome lovingly back into place on its proper shelf, stroking the bindings gently. At least Khaleth could be counted on not to break the bindings or fox the parchment, and he did remember to roll the scrolls up properly and fasten the little silk ribbons neatly enough.

Now, as he sat lost in thought, it occurred to Haedrith that they had gone about things entirely the wrong way. Haedrith and Khaleth had simply assumed that the apprentice or his master would make their way back to the library, but that was far too passive an approach. Haedrith shuddered a little as his agile mind insisted on presenting the analogy of them lurking like a spider in its web, the design of the library reinforcing that image, at least in Haedrith's case.

"Well, then," Haedrith murmured, standing with his usual grace and reaching into his desk drawer. He rummaged for a moment and pulled out the crystal Khaleth had created for him that would allow him to home in on a particular tome, useful for the Master Librarian in a tower full of absurdly absentminded mages. "Maybe it's time to take to the hunt instead of crouching in my web."

Haedrith held up the crystal and spoke to it softly. "Find for me On Tracing Bloodlines and True Names of the Lower Planes, wherever it might be in this Tower." The crystal glowed for a moment and seemed to tug a little at the end of its chain. Haedrith lowered his arm, the elegantly overlong sleeve of his robe covering both his hand and the crystal, and Haedrith followed the feather-light tugs down the stairs to the apprentice quarters on the lower levels of the tower.

The crystal seemed insistent that the tome was in one of the small private rooms reserved for senior apprentices, and Haedrith knocked politely at the closed door. He knocked a second time after waiting a bit, and when he could hear nothing from the other side of the door, he reached out and tried the handle. The door opened easily, as Haedrith had expected it would, and the librarian stepped inside, closing the door behind himself out of habit.

It took a mere moment for Haedrith's vision to adjust to the darkened room, and he looked around the spare quarters almost carelessly until his eyes fell on the wardrobe, which was slightly ajar. The tome was resting on the small slanted desk next to the wardrobe, and Haedrith walked the few steps across the room to retrieve his tome. He sneezed suddenly as he lifted the tome, a faint but dreadfully familiar odor assailing his nostrils, and with his heart leaping in his chest, Haedrith opened the wardrobe.

What was left of the young apprentice had been mostly mummified in the dry air of the small room. His torso had been opened from the delicate dip of his collarbone down to where his cock should have been, and bits of his vertebrae gleamed whitely from the hollow that had once contained his organs. The breastbone and ribs were gone, and Haedrith stepped closer to examine the body, shock making him impervious to terror. The rear ribs looked to have been scored, perhaps by claws, and Haedrith moved in a little closer still. Something crunched sharply beneath his boot, and Haedrith looked down at the splintered bone.

"Oh, Seldarine," Haedrith whispered, stepping back quickly until he bumped against the end of the narrow bed. "Oh, sweet Sehanine, gather him home to Arvandor."

Haedrith reached behind himself, fumbling for the handle of the door, and he stumbled out into the hall, his turquoise eyes tearing from more than just the sudden light. There was no one there, no one to have seen him enter or leave the room, and Haedrith clutched his tome to his breast like a shield as he fled up the stairs and out of the tower, his feet taking him straight to Khaleth's house.

Khaleth's wife Araira opened the door and admitted the breathless and pale librarian, taking him straight to the garden and sitting him on a cushioned bench.

"Let me fetch your some cool tui, my sweet," Araira told Haedrith, petting his hand gently. "You look positively undone. Khaleth should be out in a moment, the wretch. I sent him to fetch some davalsa and I do believe he's gotten lost in the kitchen, again." She pressed a sisterly kiss to Haedrith's cheek and swayed off in search of her husband.

By the time Araira returned with the tui and a platter of voratae and fresh fruits, Khaleth was on her heels, his blue-green eyes wide at the sight of Haedrith, tome clutched to his chest and his red-gold curls tumbled all over his shoulders from his frantic dash through Leuthilspar.

"Thank you, dearest, you're the most marvelous elf to grace this island," Khaleth murmured, kissing Araira soundly and then patting her shapely ass and waving her off. He grabbed the pitcher of tui and poured for them both. "What in all the Nine Hells happened? You look horrible!"

Haedrith had calmed down enough to manage a withering look. "Thank you, Master Idiot. I feel much better for that observation."

"Right. Note to self. Lie to the pretty librarian." Khaleth pushed the platter at Haedrith. "Nibble while you talk, or Araira will hang me by my much abused balls. What tome is that that you're holding like you're betrothed to it?"

"Oh!" Haedrith looked at the tome, surprised, and dropped it on the bench beside him. It was such an uncharacteristic thing for the the librarian to do that Khaleth's eyes widened even more. "Don't do that. You look like a moonfish."

"I'm going to explode if you don't tell me what's going on," Khaleth threatened.

Haedrith waved a slim hand as he took a deep drink of the tui. "Oh, that's much better. Well, I was thinking, after I cleaned up all the tomes you left piled up on the table in the library, that we weren't being terribly smart about this."

Khaleth snorted a little, reaching for the pitcher and refilling Haedrith's glass. "I'm not sure that smart would describe anything we've done these past couple of tendays."

"Are you going to poke at me, or listen?" Haedrith arched a brow and helped himself to a voratae, the shellfish deliciously fresh and perfectly seasoned. "I decided to stop lurking about and go hunting."

Khaleth choked on the voratae he had just sucked from its shell. Haedrith pounded his back helpfully until Khaleth was able to suck in a deep breath. "You are a librarian. What's the last thing you've hunted beside a missing scroll?"

Haedrith looked indignant. "I've hunted before, you feeble excuse for a spy. At least I didn't nearly give myself away by deciding to eat bread and honey when my master is confusing the library for the kitchen."

"Point taken," Khaleth muttered. "So, oh Master Hunter, what did you find?"

"My missing tome and a dead apprentice," Haedrith said, and Khaleth sat straight up.

"Wait, what?" Khaleth's eyes were wide as saucers as he looked at Haedrith.

Haedrith nodded grimly. "The apprentice who took the tome in the first place, to be precise. He'd been scooped out like a sortani. It looked like his back ribs had been scraped by claws, or talons, but that was when I stepped on the bones on the floor and I got a little startled."

Khaleth shook his head, not quite sure if he was appalled or impressed by Haedrith's sleuthing. He decided to go with a mixture of both, since Haedrith was remarkably calm for an elf who had just found a dead elf. Khaleth thought that over, and his blood ran cold.

"Did anyone see you?" Khaleth demanded. "When you went in or left, did anyone see you?"

"Not that I know of," Haedrith said, not yet following Khaleth's train of thought. "I had closed the door when I went in, and aside from stepping on the bones, I didn't make any noise."

"Right." Khaleth looked very grim. "You were never there, and you saw nothing. Repeat that after me."

"What are you talking about, you complete lunatic?" Haedrith asked.

Khaleth shook his head. "A dead elf. And you the last person to see him alive, in your library. You asking about him. You conveniently finding him dead. Does this sound like a perfect setup to get you taken out of the picture as a kinslayer?"

The voratae that Haedrith had eaten suddenly felt like lead as he looked at Khaleth, the two elves wide-eyed and pale.

"Leave the tome here. I'll hide it somewhere, and then you can still pretend to be looking for it if you're asked about the dead apprentice." Khaleth reached for the tome, his hands trembling slightly. "What in all the Nine Hells did we get mixed up in?"

[So, snogging, how do you write it?]

I'll second DrunkenScotsman here. Snogging is a full-body experience for me, both personally and as an author. Jaw-nibbling, ear-nipping, fingers tangling in hair, and so on... It's the opening gambit of foreplay, and really does set the tone for the way the encounter will go.

[Sandcastles and Fireworks]

Sand tried in vain to pull Satoshi back into his arms, his heart aching as he realized this was the crash he and Yuji had been dreading, precipitated by an accident that would have been easily managed any other time. Satoshi resisted, shoving Sand's arms away, his sobs wrenching.

"Saiai, please," Sand said, keeping his voice gentle and loving. "It was just a small accident, my heart. Takara will be fine, I promise. Okaasan will come and take care of everything, and Takara will be fine." He stroked Satoshi's hair and back, feeling the shudders that wracked Satoshi's slender frame. "You did nothing wrong, my precious love. Please do not blame yourself like this."

"Shut the fuck up," Satoshi moaned, his hands clenched into such tight fists that his knuckles shone white through the skin. "Don't fucking tell me what I did or didn't do. I was making her run."

"My love, it's alright," Yuji said, his own voice filled with love and pain as he dropped to his knees beside Satoshi. "You know what happens when you're feeling like this. You're being too hard on yourself, and it's the depression talking, my love. Takara will be fine, and ready to hug her chichi as soon as Eryn heals her."

Satoshi lifted his tearstained face, his eyes blazing with rage and self loathing. "Don't fucking condescend to me, Yuji. You of all people, don't you fucking dare talk to me like I don't know what the fuck is happening. I hurt my daughter, you stupid bastards. I ruin everything." He collapsed forward again, his sobs choking off his words.

Sand looked at Yuji over the crumpled form of their husband, his blue eyes clouded with pain. It was like a choking cloud of darkness, rolling off the broken imp between them, and Sand wanted to scream down the sky itself as he tasted what Satoshi was enduring. He could see a shadow of it in Yuji's eyes as well, and Sand realized Yuji was getting some of it as well through his bond with Satoshi, and Sand's breath hitched a little in his throat.

"Oh, saiai, how can you say such things? You, who are my soul, my very light?" Sand tried again to wrap his arms around Satoshi, his heart aching as he felt Satoshi shrink away from his touch as though Sand were dipped in acid. "You ruin nothing, cormamin. Please, saes, do not pull away from us. Let us love you and help you."

Satoshi screamed wordlessly, a howl of pure anguish and pain, and he kicked at Sand with his good foot, his muscular leg catching the elf on one thigh and spinning Sand back along the deck. At the same time, Satoshi shoved Yuji away, and then began to crawl, unable to stand without his crutches. Sand looked at Yuji, the tears streaming down Yuji's face as he watched Satoshi's painful progress, and Sand's own eyes filled as he started to stand, meaning to follow Satoshi.

A slim hand on Sand's shoulder stopped him and he turned around to look into the gentle green eyes of his elven husband as Vale shook his head. Vale held out his other hand to Yuji, and when Yuji stood up, Vale threw his arms around them both and pulled them into a hug.

"Don't, my loves. Leave him to me. I've been where he is, and I can handle him." Vale kissed Sand and then kissed Yuji, lingering a little bit as he looked into Yuji's perfect eyes. "Go help Willow with Takara, and give the other kids some hugs. They're probably scared to death, and Kansas and Erion won't be much better."

"Vale, are you sure? I can feel how bad this is," Sand began, and Vale hushed him gently.

"You feel a shadow of how bad it is, and you, a'maelamin, feel a shadow of a shadow. I'm not trying to make light of what you both feel, but it's only a little of what he's feeling." Vale pulled them in tightly for a moment, and then released them. "Go call Eryn, get Takara smiling again, and I'll see to our love. I won't let him fall, I promise you both."

There was such confidence in Vale's quiet words that Yuji nodded, pulling his beloved elf into a deep kiss and tangling his fingers in the thick blond hair.

"Take care of him for me," Yuji said, his voice thick. "I trust you with him. Bring him back to us."

Sand kissed Vale as well, lingering over the familiar touch of his sun elf. "Anoramin, I cannot lose him."

"I know, ithilamin. I'll catch him for you, istaramin." Vale stroked Sand's cheek lovingly, and then released his husbands, following Satoshi as he crawled to the lounge chairs, sobbing piteously.

Vale leaned over Satoshi, slipping his arms under the slender imp and lifting him up and partially onto the lounge. Satoshi swatted at Vale, but Vale ignored him with loving indifference, continuing to help Satoshi off the deck and onto the lounge chair, silent and tender.

Once Vale had gotten Satoshi onto the lounge chair, he sat next to the tortured man, gently stroking Satoshi's thick cherry red hair. Satoshi wailed and pushed Vale's hand away, but Vale just paused for a moment, and then resumed his gentle stroking, never saying a word, his bond open so that Satoshi could reach out and feel Vale's warm love when he was ready, an invitation rather than a demand for attention.

This time, Satoshi did not swat Vale away, and Vale slowly moved a little closer. Little by little, Vale gathered Satoshi into his arms, never saying a word, just offering the warmth of another body and the comfort of being held, and Satoshi gave a last deep sigh and subsided into Vale's arms, limp and trembling, his cheeks streaming with tears as he wept silently into Vale's chest.

Vale had no idea how long they lay curled together on the lounge, Satoshi weeping his bitter silent tears as Vale held him close and stroked his hair. It did not matter how much time had passed to the blond elf. What was important was that Satoshi was not pushing him away, and the darkness that enveloped Satoshi was not growing. Vale knew that darkness all too well, and knew how tempting it was to let go and fall into its heart, never to emerge again, and he would not let Satoshi fall.

Satoshi stirred just a little, and Vale looked down to see the slender imp bring one hand to his mouth, gnawing on his finger. In between nibbles, Satoshi's lips were moving, and Vale's elven hearing allowed him to hear Satoshi clearly.

"I don't deserve her, or Ryuu. I'm only going to ruin them, and make them as fucking crazy as I am." Satoshi paused to lick at the piercings in his lower lip, his tongue darting out almost furtively. "I'm already making Ryuu crazy. I'm fucking him up and Takara's next, and I don't want to hurt them anymore. I should just die and then Masato and Akane can raise them, and they'll be safe."

Vale stroked Satoshi gently, never pausing at all, his gentle love waiting as he kept his bond open wide. Satoshi's voice gradually got louder, the pain-filled imp trying to let some of the poison out. "I love them so much, but I'm fucking poison for them. I'll only ruin them. I'll ruin everything. Otousan will try to help, and then he'll lose Eri-chan when she gets tired of my shit, and I'll fucking ruin that, too. I should have died when I was born. I wish I had died. I wish I could die now."

Vale tightened his hold on Satoshi slightly, not enough to panic Satoshi and yet enough for Satoshi to relax just a little more into the elf's arms.

"I don't even know why you're here, Akira. Why are you even bothering with me? You can feel how fucked up and worthless I am. You can feel how empty I am inside, how the fucking darkness eats up everything else until there's no room for anything but pain. Don't you think I should just fucking die?" Satoshi's voice broke, and he began to sob softly.

Vale pressed a gentle kiss to Satoshi's head, and he gave the tiniest little push of love through his bond, a nudge, an offer of more. He rested his cheek against Satoshi's head, and he kept his voice very soft as he finally spoke.

"When I went crazy, the thing that terrified me the most was being left alone with Hikaru-kun." Vale did not try to smooth out anything that he felt as he remembered that consuming terror. He was not actively sharing that old pain, but he could feel Satoshi reach out, tentative and wary, to touch the edges of it. "In my saner moments, I knew I loved him more than life, and I could never hurt him. The thing was, I never could be sure who I really was. The elf that loved Hikaru-kun, and Yuji, and all of you might just have been some face painted on to hide a killer, an elf who killed his lover, killed his father to protect his secret and forced his mother to fade. Each time I touched Hikaru, I never knew if I was going to stroke his hair or snap his fragile little neck."

Vale felt hot tears track down his cheeks as he remembered, and the burning shame of those memories was left wide open for Satoshi to see. "The worst part is that I couldn't tell anyone. I wanted to tell Yuji, or even Sand, but every time I tried, it was like I had a huge wad of something stuck in my throat. The words wouldn't come out. Hells, I couldn't even fucking breathe until I screamed inside my head that I wouldn't say it, I wouldn't tell. Those screams were in an elfling's voice, and I was sure I was so fucking mad that I'd never find my way home." Vale paused and kissed Satoshi's soft hair. "They'd bring Hikaru to me, and set him down, and I'd look at that little trusting face and wonder if I was going to try to kill him. I would have been happy to fucking die."

"Why didn't you?" Satoshi asked, and his voice was small and broken.

"The voice that told me I should die wasn't my voice. It was her, and she needed me to die so no one would be able to prove what she did to me." Vale's voice was still soft, but the pain bled away, the strength returning as the gentle elf asserted himself over the old wounds, healing the last of them as he finished telling Satoshi. "I clung to that, and then you reached inside me and lifted away the pain, and I could see the love again that you all had for me. I knew you all couldn't be that wrong, and that maybe, just maybe I wasn't such a total fuck-up. Maybe I could love you all back, and maybe Hikaru-kun wasn't going to have to worry about his chichi killing him."

Satoshi trembled, leaning into Vale's arms, his tears still flowing freely. "You couldn't kill anyone like that, not people that you love. I trust you with Ryuu-kun and Takara-chan, completely. You're so perfect with the kids, and you'd die rather than hurt them, I know it, Akira-san."

Vale nodded. "I know that now, too, just like I know that Ryuu-kun and Takara-chan couldn't have a better chichi than you. Your love for them is so pure that even this darkness can't blacken it, did you know that? I can show you. Close your eyes, mela en'coiamin, and just watch."

Satoshi closed his eyes, and he felt Vale touch his mind so gently that it was like a soft breeze. He could see all the bands of color, each with its own pure notes, that marked his bonds to all his loved ones. Most of them were streaked with darkness, and Satoshi knew that was the depression eating away at them, and his heart sank. A warm glow wrapped itself around Satoshi's heart, and he could feel Vale in the warmth, like a summer day after a long winter.

The warmth nudged him very gently, and Satoshi saw two bands of light, not yet anchored, but glowing like liquid mithral, pure and completely untainted by the darkness, and he knew them. One was faintly bronze and the other had a golden feel to it, like the tawny fur of a lioness, and Satoshi sobbed a little as he recognized the bright touch of Ryuu and Takara. Vale's voice was a whisper in his ear.

"You said, when I first met you, that Ryuu was the one perfect thing you ever did. Takara was the second perfect thing. This darkness has no power over that. It can't take that from you, that twice you've managed to be a part of something that makes it worth getting out of bed each day." Vale let his love flow forward, wrapping around Satoshi like a gentle blanket, and Satoshi felt a tiny bit of the darkness ease.

"I'm so scared, Akira. I fall, and it feels like I'll never stop falling. She screamed, and she was bleeding all over," Satoshi sobbed, clinging tightly to Vale.

"Hikaru's run into things so hard he's knocked himself cross-eyed, and each time my heart just stops in my chest, and his wails are like knives," Vale agreed. "But they are going to get bumps and bruises and cuts, because we love them enough to let them fly. We don't expect them to stand in the corner like perfect dolls."

Satoshi sniffled hard, and Vale scrabbled around to find something for Satoshi's nose, coming up with a paper towel from the kitchen that he had forgotten he had brought with him.

"Eri-chan will patch the little wildcat up, and by teatime, she'll be tearing through the house again and the boo-boo will be forgotten, by her, at least." Vale smiled gently. "We'll remember it forever because we're parents, and that's what we do. But for now, mela en'coiamin, I want you to close your eyes and just rest here with me. I have you, Satoshi, and I'm never letting go."

Satoshi blew his nose a final time, his eyes red and swollen, but he nodded a little bit and buried his face in Vale's chest, feeling the deep, sure beat of the elf's heart, and he let himself drift into a ragged sleep while Vale held him tightly.

Kansas stood to one side, trembling as he watched Willow cradle the howling Takara, the cool wet cloth pressed gently against the tiny girl's forehead. Aika was watching with her chin wobbling, and Ryuu had Aika's hand in his, trying to be as brave as he could. Hikaru was not even attempting brave, his green eyes spilling over with tears as he clung to Erion's leg and whimpered. Erion had taken Michi from Willow, and the little half-elf was watching all the commotion with wide eyes, not sure if she should wail along with Takara or not.

Sand had called Eryn, and Eryn had called a taxi to bring her right over, telling Sand to call Satoru and leave a message for him to call her later. Yuji and Sand relaxed a little with the knowledge that Eryn would take perfect care of Takara, but Sand's eyes kept flicking toward the deck, his attention torn between his daughter's injury and his husband's overwhelming pain.

Willow looked around, and Erion caught her eye, the young elf giving her a surprisingly decisive nod. He nuzzled Michi, aborting her wail before it got started, and reached down to swing Hikaru up to his other hip.

'What's all the fuss about, otouto? Hmm? Are we having a competition? You want to see if you can yell louder than Takara?" Erion nuzzled Hikaru, who hiccuped and stopped whimpering as he looked at Erion with big eyes. "Trust me on this one. No one can yell louder than Takara, not even buronzudoragon, but don't tell him I said that."

The tiniest hint of a smile tugged at Ryuu's lips when he heard Erion, and Erion winked at Ryuu, two big brothers conspiring to calm their littlest brother.

"Sobo's coming over, and she's going to patch Takara-chan up, but I'm going to need some help from you guys. You think you can help?" Erion asked, and Aika nodded, her chin firming up.

"We should make tea for sobo," Aika suggested in a tiny voice. "And some cookies."

"I can listen for the gate," Ryuu said. "I know how to do the code."

Erion nodded brightly. "Of course you do, because you're the oldest. Hikaru, do you think you can help Aika with making a pretty napkin fan like you did for your otooji?"

Hikaru nodded and then held his nose. "You should make Michi not so stinky, oniisan."

Aika gave a tiny giggle as Erion looked at Michi with wide eyes. "Michi-chan, is that you? I thought it was one hundred goblins having a washday for their dirty socks."

"Or a pile of thousand year old dragon toenails," Ryuu giggled.

"Or one of Takara's earthworm cupcakes with natto on top," Aika said, her perfect eyes brightening a little.

"Maybe all those things," Erion agreed solemnly. "Okay, so, here's the plan. I'll go take care of our smelly princess, and you guys start getting the things ready for tea. I'll put the kettle on when I get back down." Erion let Hikaru slide down his hip and leg, the little blond half elf giggling as he hurried to follow Ryuu and Aika.

Erion turned and gave Willow a quick smile, and then leaned in to Yuji as he passed him on the way upstairs. "Kansas needs you, Yuji." The young elf locked eyes with Yuji for a second, and then headed off with Michi for the nursery.

Yuji turned around and looked at Kansas, the young imp's eyes a pale and silvery blue, and Yuji held out his arms as Kansas flung himself at Yuji. Yuji wrapped his arms around Kansas tightly, pressing a loving kiss to the thick blue and black hair, and he guided Kansas down to the tatami room, away from the fuss in the playroom.

Once inside the tatami room, Kansas's chin wobbled hard and his eyes spilled over as he clung to Yuji with desperate ferocity. Yuji sank to the floor with Kansas and pulled the younger imp into his lap, Kansas burying his face in Yuji's chest and burrowing in as if he was trying to crawl inside Yuji. All the while, Kansas was whimpering and mewling a little, and Yuji knew that Kansas's bond with Satoshi was letting Kansas feel that awful blackness that was consuming Satoshi.

Yuji could only feel it a little, and that darkness was nearly overwhelming. It felt like tar, clinging to him and too sticky to come off, a bleak despair that wanted to suck him down into its depths. Yuji could push it away, but Kansas had his own dark places, and Satoshi's pain was bringing back far too many bad memories, too much old pain. Yuji held onto Kansas tightly, stroking Kansas's back and letting the young imp cling to him.

"Sshhh, I've got you, imp," Yuji crooned, stroking Kansas's hair. "It's okay, baby. Vale's with him. Vale won't let him fall."

Kansas sobbed painfully, his voice a soft low wail. "I never knew. I never knew. I never knew it was so horrible. I never cared. All I cared about was myself. I didn't know he was in so much pain. I didn't know that his darkness was so terrible."

Yuji soothed the raven and blue hair, pressing soft kisses to Kansas' clammy pale forehead, whispering back, "None of us knew. You had every right to think of yourself. You had so much darkness of your own, that Satoshi never even considered letting you know how deep his darkness was. He didn't even tell me. I've known him since he was eleven. I've seen him in such a deep slump that he couldn't even make it out of bed, but he never told me how bad it was. But we're here for him now, Kansas. We're here, and we have our elves to help us. Vale won't let him fall. And Sand will be there for him when he's ready for Sand to be there."

By the time Eryn arrived, Erion and the kids had gotten tea ready, and Takara's screams had dwindled to pitiful sobs as she cuddled in her mother's arms. Sand was hovering around Willow, fretful and nervous, and Eryn had arched an elegant brow at her son and sent him for warm water and clean cloths.

"Hello, sweetheart," Eryn crooned to Takara, who sniffled loudly and stared at Eryn with huge eyes. "What have we done today? Tousan tells me you were trying to see if you could make the whole house tumble down with your head."

Takara's eyes lit up a bit, and she let out a little peep of a giggle.

"Did you know that tousan tried that himself once? He very nearly succeeded in putting a big dent in his own head, but I'm afraid he couldn't tumble the house, either." Eryn lifted away the cloth Willow had been using, and smiled at Willow reassuringly. "Hmm, I think Mama is as good a doctor as I am." Eryn touched the gash lightly, and it closed most of the way, leaving only a small scratch that would heal cleanly without a scar, and a little bit of a bruise, enough to explain all the tears and fuss. "I'm just going to wash this off a bit, and see what we have."

Willow gave Eryn a grateful smile as Eryn cleaned away some of the blood, Takara watching her silly tousan as he hovered anxiously nearby, trying to see if she could spot any dents in his head. She was so thoroughly distracted that Eryn had her cleaned off and had dabbed on a little ointment before Takara realized it.

"I think we might need a bandaid on that," Eryn said. "What do you think, Mama?"

Willow turned Takara around and inspected her forehead. Takara looked so hopeful that Willow leaned in to nuzzle her.

"I think you're right, sobo. Let's see what Aika has in the kitchen bandaid box." Willow carried Takara to the kitchen, Eryn walking with them, and Aika hurried over to get out the bandaid box and sort through the various options.

They settled on a leopard spot bandaid, and Erion and the kids invited Eryn and Willow to have some tea and cookies, the table in the living room arranged very carefully with napkins fanned out and cookies on plates. Erion had brought in the tea tray, and Aika hovered like a nervous little hostess until Eryn beamed and praised the lovely table.

Sand was still hovering anxiously, and Erion drifted over to him. "Go sit out there, would you? Vale will tell you when he's ready for you."

Sand shook his head, something in his eyes clearing a bit. He reached out and lifted Michi from Erion's arms, kissing the little half elf tenderly and smiling when she giggled and tugged his hair.

"I will come and have some tea, I think, and perhaps give this little handful a bottle," Sand looked at his nephew and smiled. "Thank you, Erion. Vale will reach out to me if Satoshi needs me."

[I corrected my disclaimer]

This is your disclaimer as it currently appears:

Disclaimer: Forgetting Neverland is fanfiction, I do not own rights to any of J.M Barrie's characters or story.

There are two key elements missing, and I'll fix the disclaimer for you so you can see what they are:

Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan or any of its characters, and I make no profit from this story.

You need to disclaim ownership of the fandom by name. Mentioning JM Barrie is not enough. You also need to state that you make no money or profit from the story. That was missing entirely.

You can copy and paste what I have written for you, and we will be able to make the story visible again.

Thanks!

[Sandcastles and Fireworks]

Vale checked the place settings in the dining room one more time, adjusting a pair of chopsticks fractionally on their porcelain rest and nudging a sake cup into perfect alignment.

"It looks wonderful, my love." Yuji slipped his arms around Vale from behind, and Vale relaxed into the embrace with a grin.

"I know, I know, I'm fussing. Momo was so serious when he called, though, to ask if he could bring Sadao by for dinner to meet the family. I think Momo's really serious about him." Vale turned around in Yuji's arms and leaned in for a kiss.

Yuji growled a little as he nibbled Vale's lips, his hands slipping lower to cup Vale's ass almost without thinking. Vale moaned slightly as his hips moved forward to grind against Yuji.

"Fuck, Vale," Yuji growled, his cock already hard as he pressed into Vale's groin. "I'd bend you over the fucking table if you hadn't set it so nicely already."

"Find someplace," Vale managed, as Yuji's tongue teased the triple spiral threaded through his ear. "Now."

Yuji half tugged, half pushed Vale out of the dining room and down the hallway, past the portal and into the tatami room. He managed to slide the door closed behind him, Vale's fingers already busy with the waistband of Yuji's jeans. Yuji growled again and pushed Vale's fingers away, his other hand fisted in the elf's thick hair.

Yuji freed his cock quickly, pushing Vale down to his knees, the elf's mouth hot as it closed over the head. The stud in Vale's tongue slid over the cleft, teasing it before Vale slid his mouth down, not pausing as Yuji bumped the back of Vale's throat. Vale just tilted his head slightly and swallowed, Yuji's cock pressing in to the root. Vale swallowed again, hard, humming just a little, and Yuji moaned as his knees nearly buckled. Yuji tugged on Vale's hair, and Vale drew back slowly, his cheeks hollowed as he sucked hard, Yuji's cock coming free with a soft pop.

"Get naked for me," Yuji ordered, and Vale stood, graceful and lean, and peeled off his t-shirt before skinning off his jeans and boxers in one swift move. Yuji looked at the beautiful elf so proudly naked, and he licked his lips, his cock jumping a little in anticipation. Yuji stripped as well, slower than Vale, taking his time and watching those green eyes darken with lust.

Yuji thrust his fingers into Vale's mouth, not needing to say a word, feeling Vale's tongue wrap around each finger and wet it thoroughly, lascivious and wicked. Yuji sank to the floor, pulling Vale down with him, the elf straddling Yuji's thighs as Yuji's fingers teased his tight pucker, Yuji's mouth fastened onto one pierced nipple. Vale moaned softly, his cock hard against Yuji's chest as Yuji pressed his fingers home, feeling the delicious slickness of Vale's prepared ass.

"Please," Vale begged, trying to press down on Yuji's fingers and wanting nothing more than to be filled utterly. "I need you, Yuji."

Yuji moaned, the sweetly wanton plea making his cock even harder. He wrapped his long fingers around Vale's hips, guiding Vale down onto his thick cock and watching Vale's expression of bliss as he opened up to take all of Yuji, grinding his ass down against Yuji's groin with a delicious wiggle. Vale's head fell back a little, and Yuji fastened his mouth on the already dark mark over Vale's pulse point, working the tender flesh and coaxing a moan from Vale as Yuji renewed his claim on his elf.

Vale moaned as he rode Yuji's thick cock, his own cock grinding between their hard bellies and weeping precum freely. Yuji reveled in the heat and tightness of Vale's sweet ass as he leaned in to tease Vale's pierced nipples, working the tender nubs until they were hard and pebbled, his pearly teeth tugging on the golden rings.

Yuji could feel how close Vale was getting to his orgasm, even without Yuji touching Vale's cock, and he marveled again at how incredibly responsive Vale had become, the elf perfectly in tune to Yuji's needs. Even without invoking a scene, Yuji knew he only had to lean in and whisper to Vale not to come, and Vale would hold off his own orgasm until Yuji was ready to let him find release.

Today was not the day for that, though. Satoshi was excited about having Momo and Sadao over for dinner, and Yuji wanted the day to go perfectly for Satoshi's sake. The depression robbed Satoshi of so much joy and seeing him excited and happy made the entire family feel better. As much as Yuji would have loved to play with Vale, this needed to be a quickie.

Yuji could feel the heat building in his own belly just from the sweetly responsive little moans that kept escaping Vale, the elf rising up until only the head of Yuji's thick cock was still in his ass before slamming himself back down. Yuji could feel the fine trembling in Vale's thighs that meant Vale was just holding on, and his own balls jumped a little as Vale's ass tightened involuntarily as Yuji's cock rode over his prostate.

"Come for me, Vale," Yuji urged. "Let go, my love."

Vale moaned and drove himself down on Yuji's cock again, his eyes nearly black with desire as his back arched and he came undone. Vale's ass tightened exquisitely around Yuji's thick cock, his cum painting both of them with thick white ropes as he cried out softly and ground down hard. Yuji howled as his balls jumped and emptied, and he felt his cum flood into that tight ass as Vale milked him dry.

Vale slumped forward into Yuji's arms, trembling with the last of his orgasm as his head rested on Yuji's shoulder, and Yuji turned his head to nibble one elegant ear. They held each other for a few moments, and then Yuji smacked Vale's ass lightly.

"Come on, you walking temptation. Let's get cleaned up and ready for our dinner guests." Yuji helped Vale ease himself off, and they grabbed their scattered clothing and dressed quickly.

"I'm a walking temptation?" Vale grinned. "Look who's talking. You're probably illegal in several countries for being too fucking sexy." He yelped as Yuji smacked his ass again, and they hurried upstairs to shower and change.

Sand reached over to tweak a bit of Satoshi's hair into place, laughing as Satoshi swatted at him. "Come, saiai, I know you want to look perfect." Sand stepped back and smiled. "There, you are gorgeous."

Sand was wearing tan linen slacks and a blue silk t-shirt, and looking summery and quite handsome himself. He had rolled up the leg on Satoshi's favorite cargoes to accommodate the cast, and Satoshi was wearing a summer sweater that made the crutches chafe less.

"I'm always gorgeous," Satoshi purred back with a giggle, then bent over and lifted his broken leg to grab the bamboo slat that was sticking out of his cast on the outside of his leg, and scratched enthusiastically. "Aaahhh, fucking cast, stupid..." he mumbled as he wobbled dangerously, supported by one leg and one crutch as he was, his eyes rolling back in his head, a wide grin on his face.

"Saiai, do be careful." Sand reached out to support Satoshi, standing slightly behind his beloved imp to give Satoshi something to lean against as he scratched. Sand winced a little since Satoshi could not see him, always worried that Satoshi would scratch himself to bleeding under the cast, and wind up with an infection on top of everything else.

"Is alright, it's just a little itch." Satoshi giggled back, and shoved the slat back into the cast before righting himself, pressing back against Sand. "You're always there to support me, saiai. I can always count on you, can't I?" Satoshi said with deep love in his voice, and turned his head to angle for a kiss.

"Of course you can always count on me." Sand kissed Satoshi with fierce intensity, his eyes filled with his love for his pierced imp. "I just worry about you scratching too hard, but you have been very careful, and I am an overprotective fusspot."

Satoshi moaned a little into the fierce kiss, grinning impishly when Sand broke the kiss. "Meh, if you weren't an overprotective fusspot, I'd be pond scum right now, so I forgive you." Satoshi hobbled around the elf, headed for the door, and blew a raspberry at Sand over his shoulder as he continued, "And don't worry. I won't scratch myself too hard. But you're going to be so grossed out by all the dead skin and shit that's accumulated under that fucking thing when they finally take it off. I'll die laughing when you faint. Race you down the stairs!" Satoshi ended with a hoot, and took off as fast as he could towards the stairs.

Sand chuckled as he followed Satoshi, watching to make sure that Satoshi did not overbalance himself. "I have seen a dragon's innards, and I have eaten at the same table with dwarves, I will have you know. I am made of sterner stuff than you think."

Sand was glad to see Satoshi in good spirits, but part of him worried that the high spirits were masking a darker depression. This was not the time for that conversation, though. Satoshi was eager to see his younger brother, and Sand was not going to bring up serious topics and drag his mood back down. They could talk later, after Momo and Sadao had gone home.

Satoshi hobbled lithely down the stairs, his bright laughter echoing up the stairwell as he shouted back, "Oh, I still think you're going to go all pale in the face and hit the deck when you see my foot. Either that or lose your lunch. And it's going to stink worse than a durian fruit."

When he reached the bottom of the stairs Satoshi glanced over at the dining room, and smiled brightly at the perfectly laid table, and the aroma of the food that wafted out of the kitchen.

Sand caught up and looked at the table as well. "That does look lovely, does it not? Vale used the good dishes."

Vale stuck his head out of the kitchen with a cheerful laugh. "Hello, you beautiful husbands of mine. Make yourselves useful, would you? Pick out the wine and sake for tonight. We're having a Chinese style chicken curry as well as grilled fish and some Kobe beef."

Satoshi made a small rawr at the mention of the beef, and smiled brightly at Vale as he shouted back, "Thank you, Akira-san, for all your hard work. It looks and smells perfect."

Satoshi jumped as the doorbell on the gate rang, and continued yelling at Vale as he turned on the spot and headed towards the door, "I can't be useful! I'm on crutches!"

Vale's laughter rang out from the kitchen, and Sand leaned in to kiss Satoshi. "I will get the wine and sake. You can poke the slippers to our guests with your crutch."

Vale came out of the kitchen with trays of lovely sushi and small bowls of nuts and fruit for Momo and Sadao to nibble on while they had a drink before dinner, dodging around Hikaru as the small half elf bounced over to help chichi arrange things. Yuji and Aika followed, Aika clucking her tongue at Hikaru's bounciness and Yuji trying very hard not to snicker.

Satoshi laughed brightly at Sand's joke, pressing the button to open the gate and let Momo and Sadao in, asking no one in particular, "Why is that moron coming in from the front gate? Doesn't he still have his remote for the big gate?"

Yuji stopped in his tracks when he heard Satoshi laugh and looked at his first love for a moment, concern furrowing his brow. When Vale looked up at him, Yuji tried to smile and shook his head as if to say it was nothing, but the look in his eyes gave away his concern.

Erion and Kansas came downstairs, both of them looking bright and happy, fingers laced together.

"Anything we can do to help?" Erion asked with a sunny grin.

Vale looked at Hikaru, who was busy trying to make a fan shape with the small snack napkins, and he leaned down to kiss the little half elf. "That's perfect, Hikaru-kun." Looking back over at Erion, he said, "Can you give Ryuu and Willow a hand with the girls? I need to keep a eye on the kitchen."

Vale drifted over to Yuji, rubbing Yuji's shoulder and leaning in close to murmur in his ear. "He's too up. We'll be there when he heads back down." He nibbled a tiny kiss to Yuji's neck, and sent out a wide wave of love and reassurance to all his spouses, the way he often did, just to show his love.

Yuji wrapped one arm around Vale's waist and buried his face in Vale's neck for a moment, murmuring back, just loud enough for Vale alone to hear him, "I know. It just never hurts any less to see him so high up. I should be used to it by now, but I'm not. I'll try to ignore it for tonight." Yuji nibbled a quick kiss from Vale's lips, allowing the blond to see the pain in his eyes, before he hid it again, behind his careful mask, his arm loosening around Vale's waist, but not letting go.

There was an indignant yelp from the stairs, and Erion's bright laughter rang out as the young elf came down with Takara in his arms. "I take my knight duties seriously, princess, and you need a hand on the stairs in your beautiful dress."

"I want my pantses," Takara insisted mutinously. "I am a princess in pantses."

"You can be a princess in pants tomorrow, Takara-chan." Sand walked over, his arms full of bottles of wine and sake. "For tonight, you are perfect in your lovely dress."

Satoshi looked at his daughter and smiled brightly, telling her as she pouted at him, "You look beautiful, Takara-chan. You look like a knight in disguise."

Takara's pout turned into a bright smile and she cupped Erion's face with both hands, as she told him emphatically, "I'm a hero in dishgaze. I'm on a seaquit mission."

Erion's eyes widened, and he managed to keep a very straight face. "Well, then, I'd better put you down so you can head off to your mission. I promise not to tell anyone. Knights are very good at keeping secrets."

Satoshi smothered a giggle in his shoulder, turning away to open the door, and stepping outside to check whether Momo and Sadao had gotten lost on the way from the front gate. A couple of minutes later the pair emerged from the treelined path, Momo pointing towards the pond and talking quietly, his fingers tightly laced with Sadao's. Sadao was smiling happily and Momo looked happier than Satoshi could remember ever having seen him before. As the couple neared the ramp that lead to the deck and the front door Momo looked up and smiled happily at Satoshi, calling out to him, "Onii-san! How are you?"

Satoshi waved at them and shouted back, "Hungry! Get your fucking ass up here."

Momo laughed brightly and tugged on Sadao's hand, hurrying up to the door. He grabbed Satoshi in a hug and whispered into the thick red hair, "It's good to see you again. Thank you for letting us visit."

Satoshi gave him a playful shove answering, as he grabbed Sadao in a quick hug, "It's not like I had a choice. The rest of the family needs to meet Sadao. And don't worry, Sadao-san. They don't bite hard unless you ask them to."

Satoshi led the guests inside and gave them both guest slippers. Momo gave Sand a quick questioning glance when the elf came to the foyer to greet them, darting his eyes at Satoshi as if to ask Sand what was up.

Sadao bowed quickly to Satoshi before the imp all but yanked him into a hug, and then waved Sadao inside. "Thank you for having us, Satoshi-san. It is very good to see you again," Sadao said while he pulled off his shoes and stepped into his slippers. He insisted on hanging his jacket up himself, because it was hard for Satoshi to reach up to the hangers without dropping his crutch, and while they helped each other out, Sadao leaned in a little and whispered, "Although, I'm a little confused. Who do I give this to?" He lifted the small giftbag he was holding, to show Satoshi.

"Oh, that's easy. Willow. She's the lady of the house. The rest of us are just her slaves," Satoshi tittered and winked at Sadao, then turned on his heel as Sand came over to greet the guests.

Sand pulled Momo into a hug. "It is good to see, Momo-san. You look well." Sand gave Momo a small nod, promising answers as soon as they could talk more freely, and then turned to greet Sadao as well.

Sand pulled Sadao into a quick embrace as well. "It seems I get to welcome a dear friend into the family, which pleases me more than I can say. Welcome, and soon perhaps I will be saying welcome home."

Vale hurried over to greet Momo and Sadao, his smile radiant and his green eyes warm. "I'm so glad you made it. Was the traffic horrible?" He hugged Momo and offered Sadao a quick bow. "Welcome to the family, Sadao-san."

Hikaru peered out from around Vale's leg, looking up at Sadao. "Otooji, this is our new otooji? He looks handsome. He has hair on his face. I like it." Hikaru offered Sadao a radiant smile that was Vale's smile in miniature. Hikaru remembered his manners when Aika poked him, and he bowed very politely, and then blushed and ducked back behind Vale.

Vale blushed a little and shook his head. "That was Hayashi Hikaru, and I'm afraid he's at that age where whatever he thinks is what he says."

Sadao bowed respectfully to Vale, with a polite smile. "Thank you, Hayashi-san. I am most honored," Sadao said, then blushed a little as Hikaru stated his opinion of Sadao.

Momo laughed and grabbed the little half elf, nuzzling his cheek playfully. "And he's all mine, Hikaru-kun, so don't you even try to steal him, you hear me. Oh, wow, what have they been feeding you? Rocks? You weigh a ton!"

Hikaru let out a happy shriek as Momo scooped him up, hugging Momo tightly. "I just want to play with him sometimes, okay? And I didn't eat any rocks! I just ate all my lunch."

Sadao blushed and rubbed his chin, shaking his head at Vale. "Oh, please don't apologize, Hayashi-san. My son is still like that. He never holds back his opinion of anything."

Vale laughed delightedly. "That's right, you have a son as well."

Sadao walked slowly into the house, smiling at Momo, who was playfully greeting the children, answering Vale's comment as they walked. "Yes, I have a son, Ichirou. He's eight now, since June. Complete terror, but just too adorable to ever be mad at him for more than a second."

Sadao glanced quickly at the other children where they were gathered around Momo, and his face lit up with a loving smile for a moment before he turned back to Vale and asked quietly, "Please forgive my rudeness, but just so I don't go confusing anything. Hikaru-kun is your son?"

Vale's smile was warm. "It's not rude at all. We're a confusing family sometimes. Hikaru-kun is my son, and Aika-chan is Yuji's daughter, although I'm her tousan."

Sadao nodded, his eyes darting around to locate Aika. Once he saw the pretty little princess his eyes lit up and he smiled. "She's beautiful. The pictures at Satoru-san's house barely do her justice. You are a very lucky man, Hayashi-san. They are all gorgeous."

Vale blushed a little. "Thank you, Sadao-san. I tend to look at them all with a father's eyes, so I'm a little biased, I think. And please, it's just Akira. I'd say Vale, but Momo prefers Akira."

"Forgive me. My upbringing was rather old fashioned. I'm still struggling with calling Satoru-san and Eryn-san by their first names. Although I caught myself calling Eryn-san okaasan the other day. Akira-san. I'll try my best to remember that."

Yuji approached Vale and Sadao hesitantly, smiling warmly. "Sadao-san. Welcome to the family. I don't know if you remember me. I'm Hayashi Yuji."

Sadao's eyes widened a little as he bowed to Yuji, and answered "Of course I remember you, Hayashi-kun... sorry, I should call you Hayashi-san, shouldn't I? I have to admit though I would not have recognized you had we met somewhere else. You've changed so much. You look in perfect health."

Yuji bowed slightly, his smile bright, giggling slightly. "Yes, that's right, I was sick last time we met. But I am perfectly healthy now. My cancer has been eradicated once and for all. The chances of it ever coming back are slim to none."

"None, my love," Vale murmured, looking at Yuji with his green eyes full of love.

"That's right. Ishikawa-san told me you went abroad to have some experimental treatment. The same doctor that provided Yori-sama's treatment, wasn't it? I am so happy to hear that. You look ten years younger honestly." Sadao bowed a little as he laughed at his own words, and shook his head, apologizing automatically, "Forgive me for my blatant honesty. I think Mamoru-san is rubbing off on me."

"Please, in this family, honesty is a plus." Vale looked up and saw Willow coming over with Michi in her arms. "Sadao-san, this is Hayashi Willow, Yuji's wife."

Sadao smiled politely, and bowed, greeting Willow warmly as she bowed to him. "I am pleased to meet you, Hayashi-san. Masato-san has told me so much about you. Please accept this humble gift as a token of my gratitude," Sadao said with his polite smile, and Willow bowed deeply as she declined the gift, letting Sadao insist that she accept, according to etiquette before she accepted the gift.

"Thank you so much, Sadao-san. And welcome to the family. I am so happy to see Momo-san so happy with you. You are most welcome here. This is your home just as it is his. Now please come inside and greet the rest of the horde." Willow smiled brightly at him and waved him onwards into the house, then patted him on the shoulder as she added, "And please, call me Willow. There are so many Hayashi in this house that you'll drive yourself nuts trying to call us all Hayashi-san."

Sadao gave a tiny giggle, and then blushed when Momo grabbed him around the shoulders and squeezed him tightly, whispering in his ear, "See. I told you you'd be just as welcome here as you are at tousan's house. They adore you."

Erion stood back a little, watching Momo and Sadao, his face lit by a beautiful smile as he watched the two men together. The love between them was so apparent, and the happiness on Momo's face made every bit of the pain of their break-up worth it to Erion. He reached out for Kansas's hand, slipping his warm fingers into his beloved's hand and his smile grew brighter.

"Momo-san, it's good to see you again," Erion said, his silvery eyes peaceful. "And Sadao-san, welcome to our home, and to our family."

"Yuki!" Momo exclaimed happily and grabbed Erion into a tight hug, whipping him around in a half circle, Kansas giggling loudly at the two friends.

He turned to Sadao instead and bowed politely. "Welcome to our home and family, Sadao-san. I'm Hayashi Tatsuya. But please call me Kansas. Everyone does."

Sadao bowed respectfully back. "We've met a few times before in passing. Last time was at Masato-san's and Satoshi-san's wedding, wasn't it? Thank you for the warm welcome. I am honored to be a part of your family, Kansas-san. Mamoru-san is right, there are far too many Hayashi here to call you all by last name."

"You'll get used to it. You won't even notice that you're using first names after a while. You prefer Sadao-san, rather than your last name though?" Kansas asked with a polite tone, smiling at Momo and Erion, Momo still spinning Erion around and tickling his sides playfully.

"Actually Sadao is my last name. It's a dialect variant from a small area south of Hiroshima. It's the same name as Sato, honestly, same kanji and all. My full name is Sadao Hajime, but I can't stand my first name so I always go by Sadao." Sadao blushed a little and then turned to look at Erion and Momo, saying to Kansas quietly, "I am so happy that they are still such good friends."

Momo tickled Erion's sides and nuzzled his silver hair, the slender elf light enough for Momo to be able to manhandle him a little bit. "I've missed you, you little minx. You haven't called me in ages. How's the new job?" Momo asked, finally letting Erion up for air, and instinctively reaching up to tuck a tendril of silver hair behind one gracefully pointed ear, his dark brown eyes shining with his love for Erion.

Erion returned Momo's hug, laughing happily as Momo tickled him. "You look wonderful. I'm sorry I haven't called, but it's been busy here. The job is great! I love working at the store, and the customers are so sweet. Honestly, I'll miss it when school starts again, which is just scaring me to death because it's my last year already." Erion laughed again, his silver eyes bright with love for Momo. "How's Baby Boy running? And have you taken Sadao-san drifting yet?"

Momo laughed and cupped Erion's cheek quickly, stroking it lightly before he let go and nodded, purring slightly as he glanced at Sadao. "Oh, yes. He likes it even more than you. Baby Boy is running better than ever. I got a new carburetor for him, and a new injection lead for the noz, and fuck, he's even faster now than he was before. I'll have to take you out again, before the summer is over. Maybe all four of us could go, make a day of it."

Momo moved over to Kansas and Sadao, and hugged Kansas a quick hello, then draped his arm over Sadao's shoulders as he continued, "I can't believe you're almost done with uni. Has it really been three years since you came to Japan? Time does fly." His voice trailed off and his eyes turned to the floor for a moment, his face unreadable.

Sadao wrapped his arm around Momo's back and stroked him softly on the back, turning his head to kiss Momo quickly on the cheekbone, something unspoken passing between them, and Momo nodded slightly before he drew a deep breath and then lifted his head, giving a loud manly laugh, which made Sadao smile sadly up at him for a second.

"I miss him, too." Erion looked at Momo, his silver eyes darkening slightly. "Don't feel like you have to pretend not to miss him, not around any of us." Erion's eyes flickered to Sadao. "Tonight, you're here as a friend and family, not as my sempai, so please remember that I'm not being disrespectful." He turned back to Momo. "If you didn't miss him, if you hadn't be able to love him so deeply, do you think I would have loved you? Do you think Sadao-san would love you now? It's part of why we love you, the way you loved him so perfectly. Just don't try to pretend with us. You don't have to pretend."

Momo's careful mask fell a little and he wrapped himself around Erion, burying his face in Erion's neck, one hand fisting in Erion's hair, his voice a little raw when he spoke. "Always blunt and honest, like you promised, huh? I just realized that he would have been in his last year, too. He would have been graduating in March, just like you, and the two of you would have gone to work with social services, like he dreamed of doing. It still hurts so bad that he's gone. And it's almost been two years now. Since Taka..." Momo trailed off, and squeezed Erion tightly.

Sadao stood behind Momo, bowing a little to Erion to acknowledge the little elf's words, then he looked at Kansas and spoke quietly, "I know that it still hurts for all of you. Mamoru-san has been very open with me about Kageoshi-san, so I understand. I hate it too when he pretends that it doesn't hurt anymore."

Kansas squeezed Sadao's shoulder gently, and nodded his head towards the living room. "Let's go and sit down. Let them talk for a bit. I think they need to."

Erion hugged Momo hard. "I know. I miss him so much, and sometimes I feel like I'm going to turn around, and he'll be there with that smile of his, and his giggle. And then I want to find a way to bring that bastard Ogawa back so I can hurt him, over and over, until he has no voice left to scream with, and then I realize that it would only make me like him. We're not like him." Erion touched Momo's cheek gently. "Sadao's a good man, the best. I can see how happy he makes you, and how much you two love each other. That's what's important now. We don't have to forget to be able to love again."

Momo shook his head a little, lifting it from Erion's shoulder so he could look the little elf in the eyes, his own eyes a little moist. "No, we're not like him. And honestly, if I had forgotten, I would not have been able to love again. Ever again. Thank you for not letting me forget. Because he does make me happy. He is just perfect. Despite that whole getting up at fucking five in the morning thing. Although he does just get up and get out, unlike some silver haired idiot that I know, who insisted on opening the curtains and wiggle his dick at the neighbors." Momo pressed his lips together until they became a thin white line, and his eyes sparkled mischievously, and then he let a small breath out through his nose in a little sigh, before he burst out laughing, loud and happy, and tweaked one of Erion's ear tips playfully.

Erion yelped a little, and then his own laugh rang out, beautiful and merry. "I wonder if the neighbors miss the show. Maybe Kansas and I should stay over one night, and give them a double header." He laughed again at the slightly scandalized look Momo shot him. "Come on, you night owl. Let's go grab some beers. Akira made sushi, too. I'm not even telling you what's for dinner."

Momo grabbed Erion in a playful headlock and smacked a quick kiss to his cheek, grumbling, "Tousan would fucking skin you alive if you two did that. And okaasan would probably do something worse." He laughed again, and chased Erion towards the beer.

There was time to enjoy Vale's appetizers and a drink before dinner, Sadao relaxing a little as everyone seemed to simply accept him and welcome him. The children especially seemed to take Sadao in as part of the family without hesitation, Hikaru absolutely fascinated by him to the point of speaking only in Japanese. Takara popped up at random, nodding mysteriously and trying to vanish as silently as possible, with Erion's active help. Vale excused himself after a few minutes, admonishing Hikaru not to break his new otooji and extracting a solemn promise from the little half elf. Yuji stood as well, and offered to help Vale with the last minute preparations in the kitchen, the two blonds walking off gracefully.

Once in the privacy of the kitchen, Vale turned to Yuji and tugged him into a deep kiss. Yuji looked a little surprised when they finally broke apart, and Vale just shook his head a bit.

"I know. I know how much it hurts, my love. We were there, and it was me falling apart, and I saw the same look in your eyes." Vale cupped his hands around Yuji's face, his green eyes locked on Yuji's perfect dark eyes. "He's up tonight, manic, and tomorrow he may crash and fall further into the darkness than he's ever been before, but he's not alone. We're all here to help catch him. You're not alone this time. And it's not just you and Willow and a still-broken Kansas trying to pick up the pieces, with two babies and nothing to cling to except each other."

Yuji choked back a sob, falling into Vale's arms and letting the hot tears fall for a moment. "I can't lose him, Vale. I can't go through this again, and lose him."

"We won't. I promise you, and you know I keep my promises. We'll all be here for him and for each other. No one is alone, and no one falls." Vale held Yuji tightly, pouring out all the love and strength his could through their bond.

Yuji clung to Vale for a couple of minutes, and then he gave Vale a last hug and stepped back. Vale murmured a small cantrip, and Yuji's eyes cleared, the redness gone, and Vale blushed a little and shrugged. Then together they got the dinner ready, covered bowls of fragrant rice, perfectly grilled salmon, Kobe beef cooked rare, with a wonderfully seared crust, vegetables steamed lightly and seasoned, pickles, and a silky miso soup. The centerpiece was a Chinese style golden chicken curry, fragrant and tender, and as the food was set out, Momo moaned at the tender Kobe beef while Sadao's eyes lit up at the chicken curry.

Vale blushed a little as everyone praised the food, but he was delighted to see Satoshi eat the Kobe beef with moans of bliss, leaning into Sand and purring. Satoshi's appetite had been so poor lately that the sight of him enjoying food was welcome for all the family, and Vale could feel everyone relax and take the time to enjoy their food as well. There was warmed sake and delicious wine, including the Saerloonian Glowfire that Willow loved, with its delicate hint of pears, and fresh fruit juices for the children.

Sand and Yuji cleared up after dinner, after settling Satoshi in the living room, groaning about the fullness of his stomach with an utterly rapturous smile, while Vale brought out trays of sliced fruit, his little custard tarts topped with different fruits and beautiful little chocolates from Willow's favorite store. The children had had their baths earlier, so they were able to enjoy a treat and curl up with the nearest handy adult that looked like they wanted a cuddle. Vale started to wander back to the kitchen, but Willow tugged him down and insisted that he relax and chat, plopping Michi in his lap to keep him in place until Sand and Yuji returned. Willow then graciously allowed Vale to help Sand and Yuji tuck the children into bed, after each had gotten a chance to say their good nights to Momo and Sadao, and had all kissed Mama and Satoshi sweetly.

[Need advice on writing an outline and re-writting a chapter.]

This is a fairly handy little guide to outlining a story... Fiction Factor

Having linked that, I do outline and then watch my characters ignore my outline and do what they want. That's not necessarily a bad thing, if you can herd them into some semblance of the events you've mapped out. An outline is a guide, not the assembly instructions.

For the old story, edit. Harshly. Go through and mark only those sentences that really shine, and scrap everything else. (Back up the story first, of course, in case you have editor's remorse.) Look at what you have left, and build around those gems. Craft a setting for them.

It takes patience and a great deal of focus to properly edit. Roughing out a story is easy. Polishing it is hard work, and that's where most people give up. Don't quit.

[Flashbacks in Fiction]

Honestly, I've come to the conclusion that they are not readers. They cannot possibly be readers, unless one counts graphic novels as a literary achievement. Let me say that I've enjoyed a graphic novel or two in my time, lest I be thought elitist, but one should be able to read something meatier before one decides that one is a writer.

The endless author's notes, the announced flashbacks, the incessant shouting out of a point of view change... these read like bad screenplays for an episode of a television show that should never, ever leave the editing booth.

Mauling should be mandatory.

[Boring Scenes]

A lot of the time, I'll write past the scene and then go back. Once I've written the post-boring scene bit, sometimes something happens that I can use to go back and liven up my boring bit.

Then again, like Ayato says, sometimes you need the bit of narrative that feels boring to advance the plot.

[Funny Typos]

From last night's mad sprint to make 30k words:

"...sell you dawn the river..."

I HATE the ones that slide past spellcheck...

[Funny Typos]

Apparently! I promised I wouldn't let my inner editor loose until I was done with the draft, but I HAD to go back for that one...

[Funny Typos]

From my NaNo: "She marrowed her eyes..."

[Sandcastles and Fireworks]

Vale slid out of bed carefully, not wanting to wake Willow as he slipped on his sleep pants and a t-shirt. Vale gathered up Michi who was just beginning to stir, and nuzzled the little half elf as he padded downstairs to warm her bottle and give her some mashed rice and milk, and a bit of mashed banana for breakfast. He crooned to her softly as he tucked her into her high chair, giving Michi a teething rusk to savage while he made her meal.

"You're getting so big already, my sweet Michi." Vale smiled at her over his shoulder, earning a giggle from the little girl as he spoke to her in elven. "I'm getting breakfast ready as fast as I can, do you see? Of course you do, my little elfling. Your atar usually does this, but it's nice to have a chance to have breakfast with you."

Vale finished his preparations and sat down to begin feeding Michi, offering her a spoon of rice and milk and getting a happy coo as she took the food.

"There we go," Vale crooned. "Isn't that good?"

"You are so good with her, and with all the children, anoramin." Sand sat next to Vale, his blue eyes a bit dark.

"'Quel amrun, ithilamin," Vale replied, leaning over to kiss Sand sweetly. "Do you want to take over feeding Michi?"

"Not at all, a'maelanoramin." Sand leaned into Vale, his mood still strange and their bond still full of turmoil. Michi looked at her chichi, her small face starting to crumple a bit, and Sand reached out to stroke a velvety cheek. "Hush, tinuamin, my daughter, my sweet one. Do not fret. Atar is just a little worried about ai'atarlle, your little father, your tousan. And atar realizes he has been a fool once again, and did not understand what your cormatar, your heart-father endured."

Sand's gentle voice soothed Michi, and she settled back down quickly, opening her small mouth for her food and managing not to spew most of it. As she ate, Sand's long fingers tangled in Vale's hair, teasing out the sleep tangles and playing with the soft waves.

"It helps to talk, ithilamin," Vale said, his voice warm with his love for his elven husband. "I think we're all a little worried about him. He seemed so surprised to realize that even we elves suffer from depression and madness. I wish I could've told him that we could fix this with magic, but we can't."

"His bond feels a bit less dark, but he does not rest the entire night." Sand sighed a little, turning his head to nuzzle Vale. "I could feel his pleasure with Erion, but there was a sorrow to it at the end, a dreadful feeling. It felt like Satoshi was letting go a bit."

Vale's green eyes widened slightly, and he opened his own bond with Satoshi. The bright green he had revealed yesterday was still there, but a little dimmer, and Vale's heart jumped painfully. He let his love for Satoshi flow steadily along the bond, not trying to flood Satoshi, but just to gently warm him, his green eyes darkening slightly as he looked back at Sand.

"It feels a bit like fading, you're right. But he needs you to be strong for him, ithilamin. You can't fall apart." Vale nuzzled Sand, finding Sand's lips and kissing him gently. "Talk to me. Share it with me, and then you need to talk to him."

"You have lived through this pain, anoramin. How did you cope?" Sand asked plaintively, his blue eyes wet with unshed tears.

Sand almost never wept, and the sight tore at Vale's heart, knowing as he did how much the moon elf loved Satoshi. Vale fed Michi the last few bites as he answered, his voice soft and yet strong, his love for both Sand and Satoshi in every word.

"I didn't cope. Not at first. I was doing the same thing, letting go. It's hard to explain how much it hurts to someone who hasn't felt that sort of depression, but I suppose the closest I can come is that it feels like the world would be better if you left it." Vale looked over at Sand, his green eyes beautiful and warm. "It seems silly in retrospect, to think one person is responsible for all the pain in the world, but at the time, you're really sure that if you let go and fade, everyone will be better off, and happier in the long run."

"But that is not so, it was never so, not for you or for Satoshi," Sand protested. His fingers drifted through Vale's hair, the touch feather light but enough to make Vale smile.

"Of course it isn't, but this isn't a rational illness. You aren't thinking clearly, because for whatever reasons, you just know that you're too broken to be fixed, and not worth the effort to try." Vale turned his head to nibble another kiss from Sand. "What saved me from fading was Satoshi reaching in and lifting enough of the pain away to let me remember that I was loved. I wasn't sure what was real at that point, so I couldn't be sure that Yuji loved me, or that any of you loved me. I was always pretty sure that I loved Yuji, though. I don't know why. It was more than the bond, though."

Michi was done with her solid food, and Vale wiped her little face clean and lifted her from the high chair, settling her in his arms and offering her the rest of her milk in her bottle.

"But anyway, I don't have Satoshi's gift, not even close, but I can help a little. I can peel away some of the muddiness and pain that runs through our bond, and it helps, a little." Vale sighed as Sand wrapped his arms around Vale and Michi. "At least he was able to eat dinner. I don't absorb his pain into myself as much as he did mine, so I can do some every day, to help. I want to do some every day. Seldarine know, Satoshi kept me alive long enough to be helped. If I can do even just this little thing for him, I'll be happy."

"How do I help him?" Sand asked. "I fear that I will do the wrong thing, or say the wrong thing, and make his pain greater, and I could not bear that. At the same time, I cannot let him slip away from me. I cannot lose him, anoramin."

"Love him and be utterly honest with him," Vale said promptly, no hesitation whatsoever in his answer. "The worst feeling is knowing that people are holding back and not telling you the truth. No matter how much you hurt, knowing that the people you love are hiding how they feel from you hurts even more. You might think you're helping, but you're not."

"And if it hurts him more?" Sand asked, the grief in his voice plain.

"Then you deal with that, but out in the open." Vale lifted Michi to his shoulder, rubbing her back gently. For some reason, Michi did not seem to spew her milk for Vale, and he was fast becoming the official Michi burper. Sand stroked Vale's arm as Vale continued. "Ithilamin, we know we're fucked up, Satoshi and me. I'm mostly back together, but I have a small hiccup every now and then, and Yuji picks up the pieces and gets me back on my feet. But it's not a secret, so you're not telling us something new. What we don't know, but really need to know, is that you're there beside us and that you love us no matter what, that no matter how dark it gets, you're not leaving. Satoshi, he can hang on if you give him that to hold on to, Sand. I'll try and lift enough of his pain, like he did for me, and you let Satoshi know that he can't possibly do anything to lose you. Give him that to hold on to, and love him with every bit of that wild, fierce soul of yours." Vale leaned in and kissed Sand again, deeper this time, offering his own love and strength to Sand freely. "Amin mela lle, ithilamin. Are, tulre, ten'oio. Sii' auta a'ho. Leneema yeste' nat' ro elea na antalle."

Sand returned the kiss, plundering Vale's mouth sweetly and enjoying the feel of Vale in his arms, until Michi let out a small squeak to reminder them both that she was there. Vale laughed a little, nuzzling the small half elf as he felt some of the turmoil fall away from Sand, the moon elf's eyes a bit brighter now. Sand kissed Michi's velvet cheek, earning a little coo, and he stood, lithe and handsome, snagging two mugs of hot tea before heading up to find Satoshi.

Sand slipped quietly into his bedroom, Satoshi still curled up in the bed. Sand put the mugs of tea down on the nightstand before he climbed carefully into the bed, Satoshi's eyes opening almost the moment Sand did so.

"Good morning, saiai," Sand murmured, leaning over to press a kiss to Satoshi's forehead. "I have brought you some hot tea, if you wish."

Satoshi rubbed at his eyes harshly, as he crawled from underneath the covers, his voice rough with fatigue. "What time is it?" he asked with a small frown, and held out his hands for the mug of tea.

"It is early, saiai, just past sunrise. I went to attend to Michi-chan but Vale had gotten there first." Sand helped Satoshi to sit up and handed him the tea. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." Satoshi mumbled into his mug as he blew on the hot tea, and took a careful sip. There were faint shadows under his eyes and his eyes did not sparkle like they always did. "I need to start thinking about getting back to work, Masato. I've been away for over a week now. We're never going to get Kohaku's new album done in time, if I keep getting sick like this," Satoshi said quietly, putting such a derisive sneer into the word "sick" that it sounded like he was berating himself with only that one word.

Sand shook his head a little. "That is the last thing you should be worrying about right now, saiai. The most important thing is getting you back to feeling better. Matsu-san and Kohaku-san understand that your ankle makes work difficult, and I am concerned about your depression."

Sand took a deep breath. "I am afraid, saiai. I am afraid that I am losing you to this inner darkness, and I am afraid that I will not know what to do, or how to help. I can fight what comes, even that filth that reached out for you at tousan's house. I know how to deal with such threats. But I am so afraid that I will do or say the wrong thing, and I could not bear to cause you more pain."

Sand's voice was calm, his blue eyes clear and filled with nothing but love as he looked at Satoshi. "I will be as strong as I need to be for you, saiai, if you can forgive me when I am clumsy."

Satoshi put his mug down on the nightstand and eased himself into Sand's arms, his eyes welling with tears and his voice trembled. "I am always afraid that this time I'll lose to the darkness. I'm sorry, Masato, that I'm so broken. But you give me strength. I'm not as afraid now as I've always been before. I trust that you'll catch me if I need you to. The only thing I know makes things worse is if you pretend to know what is best. If I say I do not like something and you say that I do, you understand?"

Satoshi nuzzled Sand's chin slightly, and a small sob escaped. "I wish I wasn't this broken and damaged, because I never want to see you so scared, or so sad. I'll try to get better soon. I promise. I'll fight, so you don't have to lose me to this darkness. You are my light in this, Masato, you really are."

"Do I do that to you, saiai? Do I pretend to know best for you?" Sand pressed a kiss to Satoshi's forehead. "I am so very sorry, and you are right. I will not judge like that. But you must do something for me. Do not call yourself broken, for you are not broken. You are more whole than any of us could have been had we endured what you have. You are so very strong, but even such strength as you have needs help, and I will be that. I promise you that, my Satoshi, my soul. I will always catch you, and I will never let you fall away from me."

Satoshi looked up with great alarm in his eyes and his voice pitched a bit, as he started speaking hurriedly, almost panicked. "I didn't mean that you do pretend to know best. It's just something that most people tend to do when I'm like this. Nobody ever means to, but they always end up doing it. You haven't don it so far. Actually you've been more understanding and loving than anyone has before. Please, I didn't mean that you do pretend to know what's best for me."

"Do not worry, saiai. I do know that sometimes I can be overbearing. Vale has told me often enough himself, and in much sharper terms." Sand smiled a little and stroked Satoshi's hair tenderly. "I am glad that I have not done so, but if I do, you must not hesitate to tell me to shut up. It is simply that I want so much to help you, and to be at your side through whatever comes."

Satoshi breathed a little easier, but his eyes were still glazed with tears. "Be prepared that I might get pissy with you if you do. I'll try not to, but I can't promise. My temper is very unpredictable when I'm like this, and it gets even worse when I start on my meds. The first weeks when I start my meds are the worst, but then I should level out. But I think I can promise you this, I won't call myself broken any more. Never again. Even though I feel like I'm broken, you do have a point. Many others would have been far worse, had they lived through my childhood. I can't remember how many times Yuji left my house in tears after only spending a few hours there." Satoshi lifted his chin a little, timidly asking for a kiss as he snuggled closer to Sand.

Sand kissed Satoshi, a long, slow, sweet kiss that held all the love that Sand could pour into it, a gentle plundering of his beloved husband. He did not break the kiss until they both needed to breathe, and then he looked into Satoshi's gorgeous eyes and smiled, his face radiant. "Get as pissy with me as you need, and I promise that I will understand. We will do what we can to help ease the worst of the side effects of the medications." Sand dipped in to kiss Satoshi breathless yet again. "We will do this together, for together we are stronger than any darkness."

Satoshi nuzzled Sand's neck, and settled into a comfortable cuddle, his voice a fraction stronger when he answered. "You need to understand that by pissy I mean, I can fly into a rage over the tiniest thing. Sometimes there isn't even any reason to be angry, I just get mad. I don't know why it is, but my doctor said that it's probably related to the way my mother would sometimes get violent with me for no reason at all. And about the medications, it takes time for my body to adjust to them, so I'll be a little up and down at first, but it usually only takes a couple of weeks until they start to do their job properly. Do you really think you can do something about the side effects?"

"I think I understand what you mean by pissy, my heart, and I will not take it personally. I will remember, and understand." Sand wrapped his arms around Satoshi and cradled him close. "As to the side effects, I do not see why we cannot help. I will speak to okaasan and we will either find a way to ease the side effects, or we will simply recreate the medications from our own herbs and agents, and do so without such side effects."

Satoshi sighed loudly, and relaxed perfectly into Sand's arms. "Oh, that would be wonderful. Some of the side effects are just nasty. One of the medications I've taken over the years made me gain like twenty pounds. Another one made me want to sleep all the time. I didn't take that one for very long, but the one I got instead made me unable to sleep. Then there is another one that makes me completely emotionless. I just go into this slump, and stay there, never feeling good about anything."

Satoshi nuzzled Sand's neck and nibbled softly on the warm skin, as he continued. "But those are all meds that didn't work very well. Well, except for the one that made me fat. My doctor seems to think that one works well for me. But last time he put me on meds, we found a combo that seemed to work very well. But there are still side effects. There always are."

"We will look into this, then. If we can tell okaasan the names of the medications that the doctor is likely to give you, she can begin to investigate." Sand purred a little as Satoshi nibbled. "I will make anything that she wishes myself."

Satoshi hummed in response and nibbled on Sand's neck some more, scooting closer to throw one muscled thigh over Sand's hip, and tugging on the elf to come closer. Sand complied eagerly, pulling Satoshi over his thighs and nibbling on his pierced lower lip, long fingers gliding up to toy with Satoshi's nipple piercings.

They took their time, and Sand made tender love to Satoshi, bringing his beloved pierced imp to a shattering orgasm as he opened his bond wide to wrap Satoshi in all his wild, fierce love. Sand cradled Satoshi for a bit, kissing away the tears of pleasure that beaded in Satoshi's lashes. When Satoshi began to deepen their kisses, Sand lay back and parted his thighs, and Satoshi loved Sand with all the pure sweetness of his beautiful soul until it was Sand's turn to cry out his pleasure, his radiant face damp with tears of love and joy.

[Elven: I love you, my moon. Today, tomorrow, forever. Now go to him. Let the first thing he sees be your face.]

[Funny Typos]

Oh, I'll have to save a few of my NaNo doozies for here. I've been trying to at least fix the really bad stuff as I go, but yeah... nothing like sprint writing to make for great typos!

And by the way, you are rocking NaNo!!! Way to go!!!

[Problems with search function]

You would navigate to the subdomain from the main page before beginning the search. Once in the search window, there is no option to navigate to a different subdomain.

As to emailing an author, unless they have made their email public, you are best leaving a review. Many authors elect to receive email notification of reviews, allowing them to see reviews promptly. Even if this is not the case, the author will hopefully encounter the review and still enjoy knowing that their story is appreciated even after some time has passed since they published it.

[Phishing Scams: a New Drinking Game?]

Government in exile. Drinks are on me.

[Phishing Scams: a New Drinking Game?]

Now that brings up an interesting little thing I've noticed. I do NOT get bombarded with offers to enhance my breasts, firm my rather callipygian buttocks, smooth my skin, or erase my wrinkles. I'm not at all sure if I should be relieved or insulted.

Maybe I just need another drink.

[Story Hidden]

Thank you for correcting the author's note, and the story should be visible once again!

[Phishing Scams: a New Drinking Game?]

Not to mention the raging hordes of deposed nobility that desperately need my help to claim their funds, for which they will reward me substantially. I'm all agog at the prospect of untold riches, and being permitted to rub elbows with the highest echelons...

If we're drinking, make mine a Guinness.

[Story is Missing]

Your story is now visible again. Thank you!

[Sandcastles and Fireworks]

Eryn looked over her shoulder as she caught Satoru, calling out, "Masato? Use our bathroom." Eryn turned back to Satoru, her arms tightly around her husband as they sank to the floor together.

"You're trembling like a leaf, melamin. Just catch your breath a moment." Eryn reached out with her healer's senses, feeling the effects of the terrible stress on Satoru.

It was second nature for Eryn to act, and she immediately reached out for the healing energy granted to her by Corellon. Satoru's heart was weakened by the stress, damage done over the years as he worried about his son and endured his loveless marriage, and Eryn repaired it without hesitation, the warm glow of the healing soothing Satoru a bit. There was a tiny weakness in an arterial wall, and Eryn healed that as well, all in the space of time it took to press a kiss to Satoru's temple.

"Do you know what she is?" Eryn asked. "Between Masato and me, we are a formidable source of protection, and if you can tell us what we face, the three of us can protect Satoshi."

Satoru shook his head, his eyes a little desperate. "No. I don't know. I suspect she's a ghost. She's followed him ever since he drowned when he was one. But I have no idea why. Or where she's from," he said with a small sob, tears in his lashes.

Eryn nodded. "That's more than enough, melamin. It doesn't take much to sense her evil. She reeks of it. But what do you mean, he drowned when he was one?"

Satoru looked up at Eryn with a faint surprise, as if he expected her to remember the incident, but then he remembered that she was not the mother that had given birth to Satoshi. He leaned into her embrace and sighed, relaxing a little bit. "When he was one, and had just started walking we took him to the small park across the street. I was walking with him near the bank of the pond there, while Shizuko sat on the bench with Yuki. Kenji-san was with us. I only looked away for a moment, while talking with Shizuko, and off he went. The next thing I knew, I heard a splash, and Kenji-san yelled, and by the time I got into the water Kenji-san was already pulling Satoshi out."

Satoru gave a small sob, shivering as he continued. "He wasn't breathing when we pulled him out, but Kenji got him breathing almost instantly. He didn't breathe for maybe a minute. But Kenji had to fight to get them both out of that pond. It was as if someone was pulling them in. That pond isn't very deep, not deep enough to drown a grown man, but Kenji had to fight to get out. Satoshi has been afraid of water ever since, and he fell in that pond again when he was seven or eight, and that made him terrified of water, to the point of having panic attacks when he had swimming lessons in school."

"Oh, melamin, I had no idea," Eryn said. "Our poor sweet boy, no wonder the pond in Evereska frightened him so at first. Do you think she was responsible for how hard Kenji-san had to fight to save Satoshi when he was one?"

Satoru nodded his head hard. "Yes, I have no doubt of that. Kenji had bruises on his legs and his jeans were torn, as if someone had ripped them. He told us he had gotten snagged on something, but those scratches were not made by anything but human hands."

Eryn kissed Satoru tenderly. "There are so many things in the world that we can't explain easily, but at least we can do something useful. I'm going to make up the bed in here for Satoshi and Masato, and then I'm going to deal with his new injuries. Poor boy, I can't do much about the ankle since the hospital has records, and he'd have too many questions to answer if he healed suddenly." She stood, holding our her hands to Satoru as he stood with her, and she went up on her tiptoes to kiss him again. "You go see how they're doing in our bathroom."

Satoru wrapped his arms around her small waist and held her tightly, kissing her deeply. When he finally broke the kiss, he ran a hand over her raven hair, his eyes shining with love. "Sometimes I forget that you aren't his birthmother. I doubt you will ever realize how much it means to me, how much you love him. Thank you for being such a perfect woman, Eri-chan," he whispered and kissed her again, before he left to go and check on Sand and Satoshi.

Eryn made the bed up with clean, sweet-smelling sheets, fluffing the pillows and putting a summer-weight comforter on the bed. As she worked, she murmured a soft prayer in elven, invoking the protection of all the Seldarine on everyone in the house, and especially on Satoshi. By the time she was done making the bed, she could see the delicate traceries of her divine magic, visible only to her, sealing the doors and windows and forming a protective shield around the bed.

Sand helped Satoshi to remove his t-shirt and sleep pants, careful to avoid tugging on any of the new gashes and gouges from whatever evil was so intently pursuing his beloved husband. The air around them both was slightly charged with arcane energy, Sand still very much alert.

"I do not know if you want to shower fully, saiai. Perhaps we can sit you on the shower stool, and you can hold that leg out?" Sand looked slightly dubious. "I do not think there is any plastic wrap in here, although I can run to the kitchen and get some."

Satoshi shook his head, sounding scared when he answered, "No, please don't leave me alone. I can hold my leg out of the way. There should be a bucket in the cupboard under the sink. I can use that to rest my foot on. Please don't leave me alone."

Sand lifted Satoshi's chin to look him in the eyes. "I will not leave you, then. Do not worry, watashi no kokoro." Sand looked in the cupboard and found the small bucket, placing a small towel on its bottom to cushion Satoshi's foot. "That should help a bit."

Sand turned on the shower, adjusting the water to a comfortable temperature and using the hand-held shower head to rinse Satoshi off carefully, starting with his thick hair and being especially careful to use a gentle stream of water to flush the wounds on Satoshi's back and legs. Even so, Sand winced, knowing that it had to sting, and he pressed a kiss to Satoshi's temple. "I am so sorry, saiai. I do not mean to cause you pain."

Satoshi turned his face to seek out Sand's lips and murmured as he nibbled on Sand's chin, "This is not pain. What happened in that room was pain, and when my ankle broke was pain. But this, this is not pain. It just hurts a little, but that's just because I'm a whiny idiot." He tried to smile as he spoke, but the fear in his eyes made his smile seem disingenuous.

"You have been very brave," Sand assured Satoshi. "I will admit that my hand trembles right now like leaf in a windstorm." Sand lifted his head, feeling the pull of divine magic, and he smiled a little as he turned back to Satoshi. "Atara is calling down the protection of the Seldarine. Can you feel it, just a little?"

Satoshi nodded his head slowly, cocking his head a little as if to listen. "Is that, that weird tingle that I get at the back of my head?" Satoshi scraped his teeth over his lip, tearing open the small wound he had gnawed into his lip the night before, and his eyes went a little distant for a few moments. "It sounds beautiful," he said quietly, with great reverence in his voice.

"You hear it as music?" Sand looked pleased. "I imagine it is beautiful in all the ways it can be felt or touched or heard." He stroked Satoshi's hair lovingly. "I will add some of the protections I learned in the Weave, and between our two forms of magic, I think we can rest tonight safely."

Satoshi blushed faintly, and almost whispered as he dunked his head under the flowing water, "I can hear music in everything. Even in you. The most beautiful sound I know is your heart. Yours and the kids' hearts."

"Aishi teru, watashi no kokoro." Sand's voice was soft, but the light shining in his eyes was only for Satoshi.

There was a gentle knock on the bathroom door, and Satoru's voice came through the door. "Satoshi-kun? Masato-san? May I come in?"

Satoshi looked at Sand urgently, and Sand reached for a washcloth so that Satoshi could make himself decent. Sand slung a small towel around his own slim hips.

"Come in, tousan," Sand called, looking up with a smile for Satoru as he came in. "We are nearly finished. I just want to be sure I have left nothing in any of Satoshi's cuts."

Satoru lifted the folded pajamas that he was holding and smiled a little when he spoke, "I brought you pajamas. How are the cuts? Are they bad?"

Satoru moved over the shower and Satoshi leaned forwards to let Satoru look at his back, as he answered, "They burn like crazy, but I don't think they're that deep. Are they still bleeding?"

Satoru inspected the cuts gently and hummed a little in his throat. Sand noticed that Satoru avoided touching the burn scars on Satoshi's back, and Satoshi shivered slightly when Satoru's fingers brushed against the edges of his scars.

"They are bleeding a little still, but okaasan says that helps to clean out the wound," Sand replied. "I would like her to look at these, though." Sand stroked Satoshi's hair tenderly. "If you do not object, of course, saiai."

Satoshi shook his head. "No, I want to get rid of these. I don't want to end up with scars from that... that... thing," Satoshi answered with a tremor in his voice.

Sand nodded. "Then we will ask okaasan to heal you." Sand turned off the water and reached for a towel to wrap around Satoshi to dry him off.

Satoru held out his hand to Satoshi, and said, "Here, let me help you dry off, so Masato-san can wash off. You are covered in glass dust as well."

Satoshi reached out his hand, trying to rise without letting go of the towel.

Sand chuckled slightly, watching as Satoshi attempted to keep himself covered, and ducked under the water fully, letting it rinse through his long hair thoroughly.

Satoru handed Satoshi a dry washcloth and averted his eyes as he took the towel to dry Satoshi off. Satoshi leaned against the towel rack to keep the weight off his broken ankle while Satoru worked, his free hand clutching the washcloth tightly to his privates. A faint blush crept up his cheeks when Satoru dried his backside and legs gently, and then he shivered as Satoru quickly ran the towel over his scarred back and side.

Sand watched, trying not to smile a little at his shy and beautiful husband, washing quickly and turning off the water before reaching for a towel to dry off. Sand noticed Satoru's eyes flickering to look at his back, and his smile emerged. "I will tell you the whole story behind those one day, tousan, if you wish."

Sand knelt to help Satoshi get his pajama pants on, slipping them under the towel and standing gracefully to kiss Satoshi gently on the lips. "Shall I brush your hair?"

Satoru nodded at Sand with a smile, then he cupped Satoshi's face between his hands and kissed him on the forehead. "I'll leave you two be now. I love you, Satoshi-kun. My sweet little boy. And I love you, Masato-san. Son," Satoru said softly and hugged Sand tightly before he turned and left the bathroom.

Satoshi sighed a little and nodded at Sand. "Let me brush your hair then?"

"I would enjoy that, saiai." Sand helped Satoshi put on the pajama shirt and settle his crutches, and they went out into the hall and down to the guest room. Satoru and Eryn were waiting there, Eryn looking tenderly at Satoshi.

"Alright, sochi-san, let me take a look at what that hag did to you." Eryn helped Satoshi to sit on the bed and ease off the pajama top, and she nodded. "Nasty piece of work, isn't she? We can heal this up perfectly, without a trace."

"Do not forget the legs, okaasan," Sand said. "They are gouges mostly, about as deep as those gashes."

Satoshi blushed heavily as Sand mentioned the scratches on his back and mumbled into his chest as he spoke to Eryn. "Can you fix those over the clothes? I don't know how I feel about exposing my butt to you."

Eryn smiled at Satoshi sweetly. "Of course I can, my dear. Just relax and lean on Masato and let me work my healing." Eryn let the warm energy rise as she held her hands over the gashes on Satoshi's back, her magic healing the wounds without leaving the faintest mark behind. Much to Satoshi's relief, he could feel the healing extend beneath his pajama bottoms, and down along his legs as well.

Satoshi let out a small sigh of relief as he felt the magic heal his wounds, and he shuddered slightly as he finally relaxed into Sand's arms. Suddenly he sobbed loudly and large tears rolled out of his lashes, as he whispered in a trembling voice, "I was so scared."

"Oh, saiai," Sand replied, holding Satoshi close and kissing his soft hair. "Of course you were scared. I was scared myself, when I felt you being pulled away from me. I did not want to let you go, but for a moment, I was so afraid that you would be hurt worse because I was holding onto you so fiercely. But then I realized that was what she wanted, to make me let you go, and I was so very angry at her then." Sand kissed Satoshi's hair again. "I will never let her have you, watashi no kokoro, never."

Satoshi clung to Sand almost desperately as he started crying in fear, and his words were hard to understand through his sobs. "I felt like I was being torn in two, but I didn't want you to let go. I held on to you with all my strength, and I knew that you wouldn't let go. But she was so angry that you wouldn't let go."

Satoshi struggled to gain control of his sobs, but he only managed to make himself choke a little as he tried to force his tears back. "I fell into such a deep sleep. I was so tired and so low that I fell into a very deep sleep. And then I started to have a nightmare about what happened at the pond. And that's when she started pulling me out of the bed."

Satoshi sobbed even louder, looking up at Satoru. "I know this is the same thing that tried to get me when Yuji pulled me into the pond at Kenji's house. And when I fell into the pond in the park when I was a kid. I just know it. It feels the same."

"It's alright, my sweet boy," Eryn soothed, rubbing Satoshi's back gently as Sand held him close. Satoru leaned in to wrap his arms around both Satoshi and Sand.

"I'm glad Masato held on, and didn't let you go. If he made her angry, we know he did the right thing," Satoru said, his own lashes wet. "We're not going to let her have you, my sweet son. It took me all this time to find my way back to you, and I can't lose you now."

Satoshi fisted his hand in Satoru's t-shirt and clung to his father and Sand desperately, as he cried. There was a timid knock on the door and Momo came in to wrap his arms around both Satoshi and Satoru, trying to reach to encompass Sand as well.

Sadao hovered in the doorway, uncertain, but obviously wanting to come and help as well.

Eryn waved Sadao in, urging him to come over to the bed as well. "You're a part of this family now, Sadao-san. Don't be shy."

Sadao wrapped his arms around Satoru and Satoshi from the other side, his eyes locking with Momo's eyes for a moment as they both clung tightly to the stricken imp. Sand was crooning gently, his faintly scarred fingers stroking Satoshi's hair as he opened his bond to wrap his love around Satoshi. Satoshi shifted a little, burrowing in closer to Sand, and a faint glow was visible for a moment, looking like it came from beneath Sand's skin.

Momo gave Sadao an almost apologetic smile over Sand's head, and Sadao blinked his eyes a couple of times, before he shook his head and closed his eyes as he rested his chin against Satoshi's shoulder, his hand reaching up to tangle in Momo's hair.

Momo smiled at Eryn as he felt the strong fingers of his lover tangle in his hair and that smile told Eryn that Momo was now utterly confident that he and Sadao would last a lifetime together.

Slowly Satoshi's tears dried and his sobs slowed down, but his bond with Sand was pulsing with a jumble of emotion, the strongest of all utter exhaustion.

"I know, saiai, I know. We are all tired now, I think." Sand looked around at all the beloved faces, his smile sweet and radiant. "I think Satoshi needs to sleep now, as do we all. Thank you all so much, for your love and your strength. I believe we will be able to rest now without any more interruptions."

Sadao patted Sand's shoulder as he nodded, and Momo pressed his forehead against Satoshi's temple quickly as he whispered, "Aishi teru, onii-san," which won him a small weak smile as Satoshi whispered back, "Aishi teru, ototou-san."

Momo slung an arm over Sadao's shoulder and kissed him sweetly on the cheek as they both bid good night and left the room.

Satoru kissed Satoshi's thick hair before he rose and offered Eryn his arm. "Good night, my sweet sons. Sleep well," he said quietly and walked out with Eryn.

Satoshi sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve as he nuzzled into Sand and started to draw his feet up on the edge of the bed, but the cast got in his way and he only managed to tuck one heel up on the edge of the mattress, the cast covered leg resting on the floor. "Masato-chan. My ankle itches like crazy."

Sand smiled very gently. "Do not tell our queen," he said softly, and whispered a cantrip, a small gentle hand scratching the itch away as Satoshi sighed in bliss. The cantrip did earn Sand a little pout and Satoshi told him, "Oh, that's cheating. Ninety percent of the pleasure of scratching is actually getting to scratch it. But that feels better, poldoramin." Satoshi gave Sand a sheepish little grin and tilted his face up for a sweet kiss, Sand pouring out his love as he pressed his lips to Satoshi's lips.

Sand eased Satoshi's cast-covered leg onto the bed, and helped him to settle into the comfortable bed, pulling up the clean sheets and lightweight comforter as he cradled Satoshi in his arms. "This part, you can tell her," Sand murmured, and the glow from his telkiira intensified as a powerful shield of protective magic wrapped itself around the husbands and then spread outward to encompass the house, pushing any residual evil out and away.

[ERR HELP?]

What was your pen name in the archive? Also, if you can let us know the subdomain and story name, we can check and see what our records show, if anything.

Thanks!

[Sandcastles and Fireworks]

Haedrith made a neat entry in his ledger and closed it carefully, placing his pen back on the stand. Sitting back, he rubbed his eyes lightly with the tips of his fingers, feeling more and more frustrated by the moment.

Haedrith had gone to the Apprentice Master and described the young elf wizard to the Master carefully, only to be told that no apprentice of that description was a member of the Tower. The Master did tell Haedrith that those mages who were visiting the Tower but who were not members often brought their own apprentices as well, and he would have no record of those young elves. Haedrith had thanked him politely, and returned to his library.

That avenue of inquiry had proved a dead end, but Haedrith still had the young elf's terrified claim that his master would turn him into a drider. It was a rare mage in Evermeet who would deal with the drow, and Haedrith did not think it was something any sane mage would brag about openly, either.

Because Tower Reilloch prided itself on the wideness of its scope of knowledge, Haedrith had a fairly extensive collection of tomes and scrolls related to the drow and their Dark Seldarine, and to the Underdark where they built their vast dim cities and waged their brutal wars against each other and just about everyone else. Haedrith had never met one of the obsidian-skinned elves, but he had learned their language just to read some of the tomes.

According to the tomes, driders were a punishment visited upon the drow by their goddess, Lloth, the Spider Queen. Those drow who fell into disfavor were turned into creatures with the upper body of a drow and the lower body of a giant spider. The drow also dealt with demons freely, and even mated priestesses to glabrezu demons to produce draegloth, vicious warriors that were actually seen as a sign of Lloth's favor.

Haedrith reasoned that any people capable of that would think nothing of binding a balor to their service, and this mage that had kidnapped Erion had either been allied with drow or, Corellon defend them all, been a drow himself. Haedrith's turquoise eyes widened as he considered the possibility of a drow loose in Tower Reilloch. That was enough to send the graceful sun elf all but tearing out of the Tower to find Khaleth.

Khaleth was at his home, and when he took a look at Haedrith's expression, he dragged the librarian out into the garden.

"What's got you looking like a pixie got in your smallclothes?" Khaleth asked, arching a brow at Haedrith.

"Drow." Haedrith put a hand on his chest, his heart thundering as he caught his breath.

Khaleth looked briefly startled. "Where?"

"In the Tower, you idiot mage!" Haedrith smacked Khaleth's shoulder in frustration. "Try to pay attention and follow along."

"You run in and gasp one word at me, and I'm expected to follow along?" Khaleth snorted a little. "You need a vacation. Preferably one very far away from here. Perhaps even on another Plane."

"Khaleth, try to focus," Haedrith snapped. "Erion's kidnapping, if you'll recall? I was trying to leave it be for a bit, as you advised, but this apprentice came in and was poking about in the section reserved for the Lower Planes. Since Erion mentioned a balor, that made me curious, and I went to offer my help, in my capacity as Master Librarian."

"And the apprentice was a drow?" Khaleth asked, his blue-green eyes wide.

"If you please, Master Idiot. The apprentice was quite nervous and tried to hide the tome he was reading, and then shrieked something about his master turning him into a drider before he ran off with the tome." Haedrith looked triumphant, and sat back.

Khaleth narrowed his eyes and looked at Haedrith, pained. "That's it? Did you see the tome?"

Haedrith shook his head. "I didn't need to see it. I know every tome in the library."

"That's possibly the saddest thing I've ever heard," Khaleth said, looking at Haedrith and shaking his pale head.

"Would you stop that?" Haedrith demanded. "I have a life! I have two lovers who are very devoted and enthusiastic! I am not a pathetic elf locked away in a dreary parchment-filled room in a dank Tower, you overgrown faerie!" Haedrith shoved Khaleth hard, frowning at his friend.

"I'm sorry," Khaleth replied, looking contrite. "You're upset and I'm teasing. Go on, please?"

Haedrith ran a hand through his red-gold curls. "The tome was On Tracing Bloodlines and True Names of the Lower Planes and the young elf took it and fled like the Lower Planes were on his heels. Whoever his master is, he's not kind. I decided to ask the Apprentice Master about him."

"Haedrith! What part of 'talk to no one' was difficult for you to comprehend?" Khaleth had gone quite pale.

"I'm not a complete idiot. I told the Apprentice Master that a young apprentice had left a trinket in my library, which looked to have some sentimental significance. I have a reputation for being very orderly and precise, and it's entirely believable that I'd track down an elf to return something." Haedrith patted Khaleth's shoulder. "I described the apprentice, but the Master didn't know him. He said he might have been apprenticed to a visiting mage."

"Which is when you decided it had to be a drow? Like dhaerow wouldn't stick out in the Tower?" Khaleth shook his head. "Have you taken up lotus to while away the hours with your scrolls?"

Haedrith grabbed a silk cushion from a nearby bench and threw it at Khaleth. "You've heard, no doubt, of glamors? Those simple little spells that can change appearances? Maybe when you were actually studying as opposed to hiding from your master?"

"The Tower's warded," Khaleth protested, fending off the cushion.

"Not if the enchantment is on an artifact, and reinforced with faerzess," Haedrith exclaimed triumphantly. "I can read drowic quite well, and they can use the natural magical ambiance of the Underdark to bind spells onto jewelry and such. Like their House insignias that let them levitate."

Khaleth clutched the cushion Haedrith had thrown at him, his blue-green eyes wide. "Wait, you're on to something here. That could work. It could fool the wards."

"Now, if you want to talk about a nightmare come alive, think of a drow possessing ancient high magic." Haedrith looked at Khaleth levelly. "We need to get to the bottom of this, and I have a plan."

X X X

"Are you awake?" Haedrith peered around the tall stack of tomes on the long table, his red-gold curls tumbling over his shoulder.

Khaleth looked up at his friend. "I am now," he muttered, turning another page of the tome he was pretending to read.

"Good. Has anyone been checking out the shelves we're interested in?" Haedrith kept his voice so low that no one further away than Khaleth could have heard him.

"No, and the little pendant I cooked up has been quiet as well," Khaleth replied just as softly. "If anyone's using faerzess magic, it isn't in the library. I need a reason to wander the Tower."

"With your luck, you'd just run into your master, and you know how well that'll go." Haedrith shook his head. "I'll sneak you up some food in a little while." He turned and walked slowly away, stopping to adjust a tome and tidy a scroll or two on his way back to his desk.

"Perfect," Khaleth muttered gloomily, and let his head fall forward onto the tome again.

[Wrong Area]

http://comics.adultf...hp?no=600060825 - X-Men in comics

Exact same story is also under X-Men. http://xmen.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=600090901 My thought is that the one under Comics needs deleting.