Forever Caged [Complete]

Chapter 29: Why


A little while later, Cherry banged mercilessly on Arna's door. "Wake up! Dinner time!" Arna groaned and wanted to bury his head under the pillow.

Reyvn bolted up with a start, heart pounding. He stared at the door, and it took him a handful of seconds to realize where he was. There were no chains, no strange moving shadows, no bottles filled with vile liquids, and most importantly, no Rendell and no Koumori. He sighed in relief, then lightly stroked Arna's shoulder. "Come on, let's eat."

Arna grabbed a pillow and pulled it over his head. "I can't just eat this?" he asked before getting up. "Alright."

Reyvn smiled slightly and shook his head, and helped Arna get up. They made their way to the kitchen, and sat down. Shinda finished setting the table, and grinned at them. "You two look like you had a good nap. Feel better?"
Reyvn blushed a little and nodded.

Arna flopped down in his seat. "Oh yeah." Cherry set a fully dressed roast in front of them and Arna then realized how hungry he was.

Shinda went ahead and cut it, serving some to everyone before sitting down and helping himself. Now that he finally saw Reyvn in a good light and had a clear view of him, he started noticing things. He left him alone though, chatting instead with Cherry, dolling out little compliments while they ate and idly conversed. Reyvn remained silent, just enjoying the meal.

Arna scarfed down what was on his plate, leaned back and sighed. "So... now what?"

Reyvn was thinking to himself, and was starting to get frustrated. He looked up at Arna, frowning, and said, "Do you think if I weren't so pretty that people would stop wanting to hurt me?"

Shinda was almost done with his plate, and the question caught even him off guard. He glanced between the boys, uncertain of how this would turn out.

Arna let out a chuckle, surprising Cherry. "Nah, the world is a mean place. They'll just hurt you in a different way if you don't become strong." He poked at Reyvn's side. "You're of a noodle-y constitution yourself. Get strong like Shinda and I bet people won't fuck with you as much."

Reyvn's frown faded at Arna's answer. It wasn't what he'd been expecting at all. He twisted his face slightly in thought, not liking the poke to his side. "I guess so." He sideglanced at Shinda, and just finished eating. He took both his and Arna's dishes to the sink for cleanup, and Shinda joined him. When Reyvn was done, Shinda bent to whisper something in his ear. Reyvn leaned back, giving the taller requiem a funny look, then nodded. He went to Arna and offered him a hand up. "Where now?" he asked softly.

Arna took the hand. "I dunno. Where do you wanna go?"

Reyvn gave him a small smile. "Well, I need to talk with Shinda, so if you want I can take you back to your room."

Arna's smile drooped just a little. "Sure. I probably need to sleep while this heals up anyway."

Reyvn slid his arm around Arna again and went to his bedroom, and sat down on the bed after they got there. "Is there anything else you want?"

"Uh... well..." Arna blushed a little. "I don't really want you to leave just yet."

Reyvn tilted his head, watching Arna. "I guess Shinda can wait. What is it?"

Arna pulled Reyvn down and held him. "I was just scared that you were gonna die earlier. I'm still kinda scared." He shook his head. "Wait, Shinda? He knows something or something?"

Reyvn laid down with Arna, hugging him. He shrugged as best as one could while laying down. "I guess so. He just said he had information about me and wanted to talk later." He smiled softly at Arna, looking up. "You don't need to worry about me dying. I...used to hope I would, but now I have something to live for."

Arna was confused for a moment. "You have somethi-" It clicked after a few seconds. "You don't mean me, do you?"

Reyvn blushed, not having expected Arna to catch on so quickly. He nodded, closing his eyes as he smiled. "Yes."

Arna held Reyvn close to him, his heart racing. All of a sudden, he couldn't think of anything to say. His mind raced for something to respond with, anything that didn't make him sound stupid, but he could only come up with three little words. He kissed Reyvn's forehead and said, "I love you."

Reyvn's face flushed. This was so completely not what he was expecting. He gazed up at Arna, stunned. Love? The last time he'd heard those words together was before his mother was killed. His arms tightened, and he moved to press his lips gently against Arna's. "I love you, too," he whispered.

Arna let Reyvn kiss him back. His head swam when Reyvn spoke, those words echoing in his head like a beautiful melody. He held Reyvn closer, pressing his body against him, and never wanting to let go.

Reyvn continued to kiss Arna, growing more passionate. He slid his hands down the other boy's sides, taking the time to enjoy the feel of his body.

Arna's lips parted and he let out a soft noise at Reyvn's touches. He carefully held Reyvn's face in his hands, stroking his cheeks gently.

Reyvn slid his tongue between their lips, his hands finding their way under Arna's shirt. They circled to his back and glided upwards, massaging as they went.

Arna blushed and let his tongue slide around Reyvn's. He was hesitant to slide his hands down, so he did so slowly, feeling Reyvn's body under the turtleneck he wore.

Reyvn's hands paused while his tongue explored Arna's mouth, letting himself get lost in the moment. He pressed against Arna, enjoying the feel of the gentle hands sliding down his back and sides.

Arna blushed and slipped his hands up under Reyvn's shirt, trying to be careful of any marks there. His passion was growing more heated, and he tried to stem it a little, not wanting to get carried away.

Reyvn gasped, and pulled away some. He gazed at Arna with full blue eyes, and shook his head gently. "I...think we should stop," he whispered. "I'm not sure if the drug has worn off entirely yet, and..." He bit his bottom lip, pausing.

Arna was slightly surprised when Reyvn pulled away. "Is everything alright?"

Reyvn nodded. "Yes, but, if we go farther, I don't want it to be because the drug is still having an effect."

Arna sighed and smiled. "That's alright. We don't have to do anything you don't want." He chuckled a little. "Besides, with my leg, what could we do?"

Reyvn smiled back, and almost wished he hadn't stopped. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

Arna pulled him close and kissed him softly. "It's alright. You still need to talk with Shinda, right?"

Reyvn kissed back, but started to tense up. "Right." He didn't want to leave now. Arna was so warm and comfortable, and it made him just want to stay and sleep.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. "May I come in?" came Shinda's voice.

Reyvn sat up, looking at the door. "Speak of the devil," he muttered.

Arna blushed and sat up. "Uh, yeah. Door's open," he called out. He cursed silently.

Shinda cracked the door open, peeking around the edge of it before stepping in. He shut it quietly. "Sorry. I interrupt something?"

Reyvn shook his head quickly.

"Hm." Shinda sat on the chair at the small desk opposite Arna's bed, just looking at the two for a moment. He locked his silvery eyes with Arna's. "I thought that since you two were so close, that you might as well hear what I have to say." He looked back to Reyvn. "Now, first, I have some questions."

Reyvn nodded. "Ok."

"Do you remember either of your parents?"

The question caught Reyvn off guard, and he stilled. "I...remember both of them. But not much about my father."

Arna looked at Reyvn. He hadn't spoken much about his past, save for whatever sparse details he mentioned about Koumori, so he clung to every word.

"Great. Do you remember their names?"

Reyvn frowned, thinking. "Vaguely. My mother's was...Eishalei, I think. My father vanished when I was about six, but mother spoke of him often. She called him a lot of pet names, now that I think of it, but once I heard her call him Arhlel." He shook his head softly. "Why does that matter though?"

Shinda smiled, and felt his heart rate jump. "Well, I didn't wanna say anything at dinner, but you look a lot like a guy I know. Although, I haven't seen him in a few years. He was always talking about a son and wife he had to leave behind, because he was one of our city's soldiers. A wife with that very name."

Reyvn's eyebrows shot to his hairline and he almost jumped out of the bed. He scooted to sit on its edge, intent on the conversation now. "You mean you know my father? He's alive?"

Shinda chuckled. "I know him, yes. But like I said, it's been a few years since I've seen him, so I'm not sure what's been going on with him."

Reyvn bit his lip. "You said he talked about us. Did he ever tell you my name?"

Shinda made a face, pondering as he sifted through his memories. "You know, I'm sure he did, but...I just can't seem to remember it right now. I'll let you know though as soon as I do."

Reyvn's shoulders sagged. "Oh. All right."

Shinda smiled at him. "Ah, don't be upset. I wanted to tell you this because I thought you might like to go look for him."

Reyvn tensed again. "Yes!" He blinked, startled by his own loudness. He tried to calm down a bit. "I mean...I'd love to find him."

Shinda chuckled. "Which brings me to the next question. What happened to your mother?"

Reyvn sagged yet again, looking away. "She...was murdered when I was eight. By a feyth, I think."

Shinda frowned. "I see...I'm sorry." He shook his head, red-streaked black curls sliding around his shoulders. "Well, anyway, if this soldier I know really is your father, that would make me your cousin."

Reyvn looked back to Shinda, startled. "Cousin?"

Shinda nodded. "Your father's brother's son. So that also means you have a couple aunts and uncles, plus their kids which are also your cousins."

Reyvn sat there for a moment, stunned. "All this time...I thought I didn't have any family."

Shinda gave the boy a half-smirk, a little sad. "If we'd known what had happened to your mom, we would've come to snatch you away in a heartbeat. It's fine for some of us to leave our residences, but no child is allowed to be alone. You are the perfect example of why."

A thought struck Reyvn then, and he said, "Requiem isn't the real name for our kind, right? It's just a nickname? I heard you talking about it to that demon before you killed him." He didn't want to say Rendell's name, thinking that just speaking it would resurrect the bastard.

Shinda's eyes narrowed, and he sat up straighter. He didn't want to tell Reyvn that Rendell might not really be dead yet. "No. The proper name is 'Ymensatill.' The other races never knew what to call us because we refused to tell them, so once the final wars ended, they simply called us the Requiems. You might have noticed it when you sing - and don't tell me you never sing, because all of us do - things move according to your will, and the notes and words you use. That is our magick. Even our screams produce an effect. And because we sing, and because of our tragic history, others saw fit to think of it all as sad songs."

Reyvn listened intently, soaking up the information. "I knew some of that, but...That still doesn't explain why people like to hurt me."

Shinda sighed, shutting his eyes as he organized his thoughts. "We were sought out as sex slaves, entertainers, and other similar things, all because of our beauty and talent. Some wanted us so they could harness our powerful magick, and some just wanted to...consume us. And I mean that exactly how it sounds. The magick we hold draws all sorts of people to us, and honestly there isn't much they can do to help it. We just have to be stronger than they are to keep from getting hurt. If we are weaker, it draws out their predatory desires."

Reyvn nodded, frowning. "That...explains everything." He closed his eyes, sighing softly.

Arna was more than a little dumbstruck by all this information. It certainly explained why his own master was drawn to the boy, but he wanted to think his own affections were deeper than that. "Whoa... That means you got a family lookin' for you! I bet if you tell Master, he'd help you find them."

Reyvn looked up at Arna, a little startled. The boy had been silent this whole time, and Reyvn had almost forgotten he was there. He smiled slightly. "You're right. Lesara likes treasure hunting too, so he'd probably be eager to go."

Arna nodded, then pulled a pillow up to hug it. "I'm sure you can learn to fight too. I saw those blades you had, and they looked pretty dangerous. You're really smart, so you'd probably learn to use them pretty quick." He was trying to put together what this all meant for him and Reyvn. He didn't want Reyvn to leave his side, but he knew the day would come eventually. He shook the thought from his mind, then turned to Shinda and asked, "So how long did you suspect you were his cousin?"

Reyvn nodded at Arna's words, not sure what he was getting at.

Shinda looked at the redhead, and shrugged. "Honestly, when I got my first good look at him. Which wasn't until we got home and I was stitching up your leg. I wasn't certain until dinner, but then I'm still not entirely sure. Could be two entirely different people with the same name."

Arna nodded, and hugged Reyvn. "Well, now you know, right?" He rested his head on Reyvn's shoulder and sighed softly.

Cherry's voice rang through the hall. "Shinda, dear. I think it best to leave the boys alone. Tough day and all, ya know?"

Shinda stood up. "Yeah, yeah, I'm done here," he called to her. He smiled at the boys then went over and patted both their heads. He leaned down next to Reyvn's ear, and whispered, "I don't smell the drug on you if you're worried about that." He stood back up and grinned, then left them alone, shutting the door behind him.

Arna looked at Reyvn. "What he just say? Something about a bug?"

Reyvn blushed, looking back to Arna. "Uh, yeah. It's nothing. Why don't we just sleep? I'm worn out."

Arna flopped back. "Sure." He then looked away sheepishly, thinking he had been rude. "You don't have to stay if you don't want."

Reyvn laid down next to Arna, snuggling close. "Of course I want to stay."

Arna wrapped an arm around Reyvn, and sighed happily. "You're more than welcome to."