Twilight Lake

Ryo stood silent as Karu circled him. He felt his instructor's hands on his wings and glanced at Lee who sat watching them. Karu lifted the tip of Ryo's wing and watched Ryo's response to the movement. Another year and a half had gone by since the defeat of Levin and his acceptance of the throne and now that his twentieth birthday had passed, new things were expected of him. He watched Karu carefully. He knew the old demon was leading up to something. 

"You are fully grown," Karu said and Lee clapped his hands ecstatically. 

"You know what this means, don't you?" Lee asked and Ryo stared at him. 

"Yeah. I'm a foot taller than I was. My wingspan has also increased," Ryo said and Karu sighed. Had he retained nothing from the classes he had taken so many years ago?

"It means that it is time for you to turn your thoughts to parenthood," Karu said and Ryo spun around. He knew Karu was going to say something but he wasn't expecting that. 

"What?!" Ryo exclaimed and Karu continued speaking as if nothing had happened.

"You have two options. One is to go southwest to the demoness village and choose a potential mother. The other option is to journey to Twilight Lake."

“Wait a second, can't we discuss this logically? I mean, don't I deserve some time off?” 

“If you want the bloodline to continue, you must sire a son.” 

“Why does this have to be discussed now? I mean I'm barely twenty years old. I seriously don't believe that this matter can't wait a few months.” 

"You mentioned a Twilight Lake," Lee said and Karu looked at him. 

"Legend has it that the water in this lake has the ability to temporarily change one's gender," he replied. 

"So you mean I could...?" Lee asked and Karu nodded his head. 

"In theory yes. I know that such things as magic are extremely abstract to us but according to some obscure tales, as long as the act is committed within an hour of your immersion in the water, you would be able to have his child. Apparently, your ancestors have done this on occasion simply because they refused to make love with anyone else than their chosen lover. I suppose that is why there is no clear bloodline for the king's mate. That riddle has stumped me for many years but I digress," Karu commented. Ryo shook his head as the topic of the conversation suddenly sank into his mind. He was by no means a slow demon, but matters such as child bearing completely bypassed him. 

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ryo asked as he stepped away from Lee. Lee's eyes were star-struck as he gazed lovingly at Ryo. This was not a reaction common to Lee and it made him nervous. Granted that Lee's normal personality lay bordering obsessively annoying but the current aura around him was something that Ryo could not place and he felt slightly threatened.

"Lee can temporarily become a woman so that you can impregnate him," Karu explained and Ryo yelped in surprise when Lee latched on to his arm.

"I'd do anything for you baby," Lee said and Karu coughed loudly. Ryo glanced at him as he tried to figure out the logic in what had just transpired. Had he been hearing things wrong? That couldn't have been what Karu had said, could it?

"The road will be treacherous. You will have to journey across the ocean to the land of the arcdemons," Karu said and Ryo looked at him as Lee ran his fingers through Ryo's hair. 

"The what demons?" he asked as Lee laid his hands on Ryo's waist. Ryo tried his best to stay focused as Lee ran his hands down his hips.

"The arcdemons. When Shorel built the kingdom, he sent an expedition across the ocean. The demons fell in love with some feathered creatures. The result was the arcdemons, a demon with the wings of a bird." 

"So they're like the human conception of angels? Stop Lee." 

"Yes. They will provide you safe passage to Dragon Valley. Although dragons are our distant relatives, they are not completely reliable. You will have to be on your guard in the valley. Once you get through you must prove your worth to the guardian of the lake." 

"All this sounds dangerous. Stop Lee. You're dividing my attention." 

"Only for you would I become a woman," Lee said as he leaned close to him. Ryo pushed him away slightly. All of this was entirely too strange for his liking. He had to be dreaming or something. Perhaps he was under the influence of a tainted piece of meat. This entire situation could not be reality.

"Once the act is done, you will not be able to move Lee until the egg appears. Wrap it in cloth and immediately begin the journey home. I will send for a demoness to act as a nursemaid as soon as you leave," Karu said as Ryo dragged his claws across his skin. He winced in pain and sighed. He certainly wasn't dreaming. 

"What the hell? You're willing to have a temporary sex change for offspring?" Ryo asked as Lee continued to stroke his middle. 

"I'm willing to do anything for you baby," Lee said as he embraced Ryo. Ryo looked at him as if he were insane then glanced away. 

"God you scare me. Arrgh! Stupid humans and their slang. I'm still using terms I picked up in the city." 

"Lee has decided. Therefore it must be done," Karu said. 

"But I don't know if I'm ready for something like this. Lee would you stop?" Ryo asked and Lee grinned. 

"You're ready for something, honey," Lee said as he watched Ryo's middle. 

"You need to leave tomorrow morning. Make sure you wear your father's medallion. It originally belonged to Shorel. It will prove your royalty to the guardian of the lake. Without it, you will be in grave danger. The guardian is trained to kill first and ask questions later. You must not lose it," Karu said.

 

"Fine. Come on Lee," Ryo said and led Lee out of the throne room. 

"I know what you want, baby," Lee said as he opened the door to the bedroom. 

"I don't know if I can do it to you if you were a woman." 

"Just do what you usually do." 

"Lee honey, it's not the same thing." 

"I know darling." 

He watched Lee push down his pants and grinned. Lee stroked his middle and Ryo closed his eyes. Why would anyone willingly change gender? Why did Lee care so much for him? This seemed to be an awfully big sacrifice to make and yet Lee was completely willing to do it regardless of the potential danger. Was he in possession of his senses?

"Things were getting tight in there, weren't they?" Lee asked as he removed Ryo's briefs. 

"You didn't have to do it so intently out there," Ryo said as Lee ran his hands over Ryo's groin. 

"The idea of having a child with you just got me so emotional." 

"You scare the hell out of me." 

"First off, I love you baby. Second, I don't want to share you." 

"Why the sudden possessiveness?" Ryo inquired and Lee folded his arms.

"You know how I get with women. You saw how pissed off I got when Asa clung onto you," Lee said and Ryo frowned.

"So you're willing to become one just to keep me from making love to someone else?" 

"With what you do to me, I refuse to share you with anyone else." 

"Honey..." 

"What do you want me to do with it?" Lee inquired. 

"Clean me out baby," Ryo said and Lee grinned.

"I like your thinking." 

"I'm not mentally ready for kids." 

"You don't have a choice dear. The direct bloodline must be carried on." 

"Doesn't anyone care what I think?" 

"Honey, you know what has to be done." 

"I finally get some peace in my life and now I've got to think about children?" Ryo asked as Lee stroked his skin. "This entire thing just doesn't seem fair."

"You won't see him much honey. It will be as if you don't have a son," Lee said and Ryo frowned.

"That doesn't mean anything. I'll still know I have one. I seriously don't think I can do it. Not now at least." 

"You don't have a choice baby." 

"Lee..." Ryo said and Lee smiled.

"Hang on honey. I'll clean you out in a second," Lee replied and Ryo bit his lip.

"I can't hold out much longer." 

"I know. That tasted good." 

"You are an idiot." 

"Why? I'm willing to do this for you. This will make out relationship even stronger." 

Ryo pushed Lee away from him and turned to the window. He closed his eyes and thought about the journey they were about to undertake. He flinched as Lee stroked his tail. Why were things so complicated? He wasn't mentally ready for offspring. Why did he get dragged into such a predicament? He was the king. He was supposed to make the rules. Why didn't anyone listen to what he wanted? Wasn't that how things were supposed to be, after all? He  gave the orders, not everyone else.

"What's on your mind honey?" Lee asked and Ryo sighed. 

"I can't do this," he replied. 

"Yes you can." 

"I'm not ready for this. Can't you understand?" 

"Not really." 

"Look, I'm not sticking my neck out for this. I'm not ready for offspring." 

"Like I've been saying, you don't have a choice." 

Ryo bared his teeth and Lee drew back. Ryo was in one of his moods again. He sat on the bed and watched Ryo's actions. Ryo climbed onto the windowsill and crouched low. His tail twitched restlessly and Lee's eyes shook with tears. 

"Would you shut up?" Ryo asked and Lee looked at him. 

"I didn't say anything," Lee said and Ryo glanced at him. 

"No but your actions speak clearly. Quit pouting." 

"You can't ignore this baby." 

"I wish I could ignore it." 

"Shut up. You're neglecting your duties as a king. Is that what you really want? Do you want to deny our heritage?" 

Lee yelped in pain as his face turned with the brunt of Ryo's blow. Ryo's gaze darkened as he jumped out the window. He was not prepared to do what was requested of him. He refused to do it. He landed in a tree and wrapped his tail around a branch. He stared up at the sky and sighed. Couldn't Lee understand his position? He sighed as he placed his head into his hands. He whimpered as he thought of the terror he experienced living in the wild. He could not give birth to a child. He stood up and sighed as he jumped out of the tree and landed feet first on the ground. His eyes narrowed as he walked into the woods. He was being followed and he knew who was following him. Lee acted so much like a woman at times that it was actually frightening. 

"Hold it right there baby," Lee said and Ryo glared at him. 

"What do you want?" Ryo asked. 

"I can't believe you're running out on me." 

"I'm not running out on you. I'm not ready for this. How many times do I have to say this?" 

"You've got to act like a king. As Karu said, you don't have a choice. It is your duty so stop acting like a child and do it." 

"Fuck it." 

"What?" 

"You heard me." 

"Would you shut the hell up?" 

Ryo brought a hand to his bloody cheek. His eyes dilated in rage as he spun away from Lee. He clenched his hands in anger and walked away. No one understood how he felt. Especially not Lee. Lee was entirely willing to do anything to help the kingdom. Usually he was entirely too willing to help Ryo but somewhere along the lines, Ryo had been lost. If he was just going to be shoved to the side like an unwanted toy then he didn't need any of this. He could go back out into the wild if he absolutely had to.

"Come back here, you bastard." 

"No! I've told you that I'm not ready, damn it! Now leave me alone," Ryo growled and pushed Lee away from him. He drew his sword and pointed it at Lee. Lee's eyes grew wide as he gazed into Ryo's eyes. His eyes had reverted to the state that they had been when he fought against Levin. He felt a chill run down his spine as he remembered how brutally Ryo had killed the false king and glanced away. He didn't want to witness that side of Ryo's personality again. 

"Fine. I'll be here when you're through sulking," Lee said. 

"Damn you," Ryo hissed and disappeared. 

"I didn't think he'd be so stubborn. Now I wish I hadn't taught him to harness his power," Karu said and Lee spun around. How long had he been standing there? He was always amazed at how the elder demon always seemed to sneak up on them. 

"I'll be glad when his attitude gets back to normal," he said and Karu sighed. 

"You shouldn't have pushed him. Striking him didn't help anything." 

"How did you know?" 

"I saw the whole thing. Lee you are quite headstrong like your father was," Karu commented and Lee turned away. The last thing he needed at this point in time was a reminder of his father's suicide. "Don't worry, young one. I'm sure he'll choose the right thing once he cools off."