"Was it worth it, in the end?"

"...Yes."

"Who are you?!  Where is Tao?"

Kyungsoo stared up at the prince with envious eyes.  A golden prince, with such fair features.  He had wished for such a prince once, when he too had been young. 

And it was touching, almost, the way the man was so desperately shaking him, screaming into his face so hard that spittle was flying from his mouth.  Not that it changed a thing, though.

"WHERE IS HE?"

Kyungsoo stretched a hand out beyond the prince's head, reaching out toward the sky.

"Gone - far beyond our reach.  You won't have to worry though - where is now, he is of no threat to anyone anymore."

His words only seemed to alarm the man more.

"Gone?!  What do you mean by gone?!"

Kyungsoo shook his head. 

"You must know - of all the many things Tao was, he wasn't evil.  He hated himself, couldn't stand what he was becoming, and yet he couldn't bring himself to leave because he loved you.  More than you know.  It's because of that love that he - that he -"

The words that Kyungsoo left out had Kris pulling back with blank fear written over his face.

"What's he done...?"

Kyungsoo stared at him with wide eyes that told him everything and nothing.

With renewed fervor, he gripped the witch's shoulders, shaking him roughly.

"WHERE IS HE?  I need to follow him -"

"- you can't - "

"- he needs me - "

"- he's been alone all this time -"

"- I've been at his side all along -"

"- all he wanted was you -"

"- he ALWAYS HAD ME!" 

Kris' confession shocked them both, and Kyungsoo fell silent, staring up at the man who was taking in heaving breaths, eyes staring blankly at the dirt beside him.

Kyungsoo took a deep breath, pushing out from prince's slackened grip.  He stood, wrapping his robe tighter around his thin shoulders.  After a minute of hesitation, the witch closed his eyes.

"...Love is cheap, love is fleeting, in the mouths of men.  Tao loved you enough to sacrifice all that he had.  Are you willing to do the same for him?"

A cryptic finger pointed toward his waistband, and Kris looked down, seeing only the withered, brown paper that remained tucked there as it always had been, fluttering lightly in the wind.

And when he looked up, Kyungsoo was already almost gone, just a bare trace of him left - a whisper floating on the wind, ebony feathers fluttering softly to the ground.

"You've always known where to go."

Kris sat on Pearl's saddle, in the middle of the crossroads. 

The white horse shifted in her place, swaying side to side as if to reflect her master's indecision.

In his hand, he clutched the old paper in his hands. 

One path led home, to a life of normalcy, to a woman with soft features, golden hair, and sparkling blue eyes.  The other path led back across the roads that had led him here, to a man whose body was all hard muscles, whose eyes breathed fire into his soul, whose curved smile was sweeter than any kiss.

In his heart, he only had room for one - a name on the tip of his tongue, a word in his heart that started off as a whisper and now ended as a scream that drew all of his attention, taking with it all of his longing.

Kris made his decision then and there, directing Pearl in the opposite direction as he dug her feet into her sides, urging her to leave. 

And as they rode off into the distance, chasing the vapor trail that was fast disappearing, a forgotten brown paper flew off into the wind, dissolving quickly into dust.

Fly like the wind, Pearl.

Hastening through the yellowed tall grass, past the drifts of snow, into the Nava Archipelago and out through the ruined jungle kingdom, across the great sand sea, beyond the beautiful sands of Migki's Reef, and back to those green, green grasslands.

For seven days and seven nights, Kris rode without stop, toward a far-away kingdom, lost in time.

His eyes remained on the horizon, chasing the memory of a man who called out to him in his dreams, more captivating to him than any princess in the world.

On the seventh day, Pearl burst through those metal gates, just barely reaching the courtyard on legs that could walk not one step more, her legs already folding underneath her as she collapsed in exhaustion.

Kris leapt from her back, wasting no time as he ran underneath the great stone archways. 

Tiny met him in the inner courtyard, howling at him with a note of something that set him into unease.

Without even a word said on his part, she bent down, silently offering her head to which Kris clambered on, hanging tightly onto the ridges of her scales.  She rose quickly but steadily, lumbering across the enclosure to set him down across from an open window.  He slid off her nose, throwing himself through the gap and tumbling back to his feet.  In front of him was a single wooden door, still slightly ajar. 

Looking back to the dragon behind him for reassurance, she puffed hot air in his direction, jerking her head forward toward the door.

Kris needed no further encouragement, already pulling it open as he dashed in, letting it slam shut behind him.

He wasn't sure why, but his heart was leaping into his chest, a sense of urgency coming stronger and stronger as he sprinted down the stairs, taking them two at a time. 

Nearly tripping over a ragged stone, Kris cursed.

He pried the helmet off his head, tore the shield from his back, pulled the sword from his belt - casting them all aside so they would no longer weigh him down. 

When he finally reached the bottom, he stumbled to the ground on unsteady feet, breath heaving in his chest as he turned to face what lay beyond - a long, long hallway, dimly lit.

There was something lying on the ground, near the very end, and his eyes caught on what looked like - what looked like -

What began as a slow walk soon turned into a full-on sprint as that image became clearer and clearer to him.

"TAO!"

Pulling the crumpled form from the floor, he realized with gripping terror that the man felt like deadweight in his arms. 

There was blood - far too much blood, a trail from the door -

Pushing the other onto his back, Kris watched as the man's head lolled back along the floor, those once bright eyes still staring vacantly up at the ceiling, unseeing.

Time stood still.

"...n...o."

Grasping a hand, Kris pressed a hard kiss into it, waiting for something - anything to happen. 

But Tao remained silent, and unmoving.

"...T-tao?"

He shook the man's shoulder frantically, slapping the other's face, all the while feeling something wet begin to build behind his eyes when the body did nothing but flop at his touch.

"Come on - this isn't funny, TAO, please - wake - UP!"

Kris began to press desperate kisses all over the man's face- over his brow, across his cheeks, across the cold flesh of his neck - only to breathe in deep the scent of death that had already began to linger there.

"...n-no!  ...NO!!"

Kris carried Tao gently in his arms, eyes never straying from the sight of the man who was curled up so peacefully, as if just asleep.

The tears were never-ending, but Kris didn't care to wipe them anymore.  He let them fall bitterly from his eyes.

He took his time climbing up the stairs, because this time, there was no longer any need to rush. 

Tao's arm fell off from where it had lain on his chest, swinging in the air with each step Kris took.

He had to struggle to keep moving, biting his lips to keep muffled the sobs that began to bubble up from within his chest.

He laid him down to rest on the bed, leaning down to arrange his arms over his chest, to tuck away a stray hair behind the man's ear.

Shifting slowly on the soft blankets that sank underneath his weight, Kris lay down beside Tao, sliding a hand over the other's and weaving their fingers together.  He drew in close, pressing a trembling kiss to a cold cheek, pulling back just slightly to whisper into a deaf ear.

"I've come, Tao.  I'm so sorry for making you wait so long."

The body in his arms lay quiet, but Kris still paused, as if listening to a response only he could hear.

"You were right all along.  You can call me idiot from now on, if you want to.  I just... need to hear it from your voice."

"Please," Kris begged, "...just- just one more time!"

"Don't leave."

Gripping his wrist tightly, struggling not to fall sleep.

"...I'm afraid."

Standing at the head of that small boat, laughing carelessly as water splashed against his face.

"It's wonderful out here - I've only seen - but I've never actually been -"

Patting at his face delicately, the sight so ridiculous that Kris had no choice but to laugh.

"...ugh, you're the worst!"

Milky white skin and jet black hair lit by soft candlelight.

He was making those sad noises again.

Lit from the back with moonlight, illuminating him in such a way that made it seem as if his skin was glowing.

Dewdrops hanging from his heavy eyelashes, a single bead of water quivering on the bow of his lips.

"You like me, don't you?"

He turned, smiling brilliantly.

There was something about the way the sun was striking him just right -

When the dam broke, it left Kris shaking in its wake, only able to sob bitterly with every harsh breath he took.

"I'm so sorry - I came too late.  I came - too - late!" 

Lifting himself from Tao's body, he stared one last time at the face he had grown to love. 

Kris cupped the other's cheek with a hand that trembled.

"I- I don't care if you're not female - I don't care if you never had golden hair or blue eyes.  I think you're beautiful, no matter what you ever looked like.  I might not be your prince charming - but I promised you I would come - and I'm here, Tao!"

Kris drew closer.

"And I don't care - if we're not meant to be - I just wanted to stay here forever, by your side."

Kris pressed a kiss into those frozen lips.

Kris slowly pulled away.

He hadn't known what he had been expecting, really.

There was no magic spark, no singing of angels, nothing to indicate that anything at all had happened.

Eyes nearly blind with tears, he sank his face into Tao's chest, gripping the man's body tightly to him as he cried for the both of them, and the love they had missed.

He never noticed the silent trails of golden magic that emerged from the air like glitter, only to settle deep into Tao's skin, restoring color to cold cheeks and blue lips.  After a minute, there was flickered movement under closed eyelids as jet black hair began to fade away into a new, vibrant color. 

Kris could feel the body beneath him shifting - at first, he thought it was due to his own broken sobs - but when finally, fingers twitched within his grip, he froze in his spot, not daring to believe - there was no way -

"...Kris?"

Kris slowly pulled away, still gripping the hand tightly to his chest as he turned toward the voice.

Hair of sunshine gold - eyes as blue as the sea.

Kris didn't care about Tao's changed appearance.  He only cared that those eyes, regardless of the color, were staring back at him, blinking in bewilderment and disorientation.

"...Am I... Am I in heaven?"

Kris couldn't think to speak at all, his only response a small, trembling smile.  He placed a hand on Tao's cheek, delighted to feel the warmth underneath.  A hand covered his, and he watched as Tao struggled with realization. 

"Tao." 

Kris leaned in closer, only to feel soft fingers on his lips stopping him in his path.  When he opened his eyes, he realized that Tao remained afraid - disbelieving.  He took those fingers into his, slowly pulling them away.

"I've waited so long to love you," Kris whispered, already pushing Tao back into the bed.

"And this time, I won't - " Lips pressed again his own,  "- let -" Another kiss that had Tao trembling, "-you­-" Tao gasped into the third, "-go."

Tao threw his arms around Kris' shoulders, leaning up into him even as he began to weep openly.

And around them, the castle began to creak and groan with the sounds of thousands of hushed yawns, the spell that had been cast all those years ago finally beginning to unravel.

"...if this is a dream - oh - don't let me wake up!"

"It's no dream.  It's just you and I."