Altered Threesome

------------------------

Tachibana sat at the kitchen table, taking in the quiet; both Ryuhou
and Kazuma had gone out earlier to visit and buy groceries, while
he\'d stayed to wait for the doctor. But now he was alone again, the
doctor\'s words ringing in his ears--his leg was healing nicely, but
the scars on his arm were a mystery.

Raising his left hand, Tachibana set it down on the table and opened
his eyes. He studied the thin marks, the way they made spider-webbing
across the back of his palm. He traced them with the fingers of his
other hand, his thoughts drifting.

When the pair returned Ryuhou made it to the door first--and paused,
in a way that Kazuma realized he was hiding something. But Kazuma was
stubborn, and he slipped past him. His eyes were drawn immediately to
the scars Tachibana was idly studying. Something cold ran through
him, and then he turned toward the kitchen with his bag of
groceries. \"Hey there--did the doc come by?\"

Tachibana\'s gaze didn\'t waver, his fingers still moving slowly over
the marks. \"Yeah.... He just left a few minutes ago.\" He curled his
hand into a fist, watching the muscles tremble, the knuckles whiten,
until he finally let it go. \"Said my legs almost completely healed.\"

\"That\'s good to hear.\" Ryuhou frowned slightly as he came forward,
shifting his bag to one arm so he could set his hand over
Tachibana\'s. \"Guess that means you\'ll be up and about soon?\"

Tachibana stared at their hands, at the way their scars seemed to
continue over both their flesh. He raised his eyes. \"Yeah. It\'s a
little sore, but...not too bad.\" He nodded at the bag Ryuhou was
carrying. \"Want me to take care of that?\"

\"I think we can handle at least one more meal on our own,\" Ryuhou
said lightly, giving Tachibana\'s hand a squeeze. //It doesn\'t do any
good to worry about it, after all.// He started back towards the
kitchen, where Kazuma was already putting things away. \"Is there
anything in particular you want?\"

\"No. Not really.\" He watched the pair move around the kitchen,
putting things away and preparing dinner. They were quiet--too quiet.
Kazuma especially. Tachibana finally had to look away, scowling
faintly. //They\'re just ignoring it. We all know that this can\'t be a
good thing--look what happened to Kazuma\'s arm! We should be thinking
about it, at least...should talk.//

Ryuhou glanced back briefly at Tachibana as they worked--they\'d been
able to get some chicken meat, and were busy mixing it with various
vegetables for stir-fry. He\'d figured it would be simple enough for
the two of them, given how distracted they already were. //Now
Tachibana\'s quieted down, too. This…isn\'t good, for any of us.// He
frowned slightly as he asked Kazuma to take care of the ric/But/But
Tachi\'s all right, and that\'s what matters.//

Eventually the silence got to him--it wasn\'t like them. Tachibana
pushed to his feet, leaving behind his cane as he headed towards the
door. \"I\'m taking a walk,\" he said quietly over his shoulder. //I
just...need to get out of here. I can\'t be here like this.// He
grabbed at his left wrist, holding it tightly as he started to limp
out.

Ryuhou glanced back sharply, ready to protest, but the words didn\'tach ach him. //Tachi....//

\"Be careful,\" Kazuma said in his place, not lifting his gaze from
what he was doing. \"Don\'t wanna open up that leg of yours again now
that it\'s almost healed.\"

Tachibana didn\'t respond as he limped out across his small yard, his
chest tight and trembling. //Damnit, I....// He didn\'t make it far,
coming upon a stretch of weed-like grass. Dropping onto it, Tachibana
stretched out on his stomach with the beginnings of a sob. //This
power...these scars...I know what they mean.// He pressed his face
into his right arm. //All those people....//

When it seemed that everything was just about finished, Ryuhou left
the finishing touches to Kazuma in search of their companion. //Tachi…
has this been harder on you than we thought?// He ventured out into
the yard, expecting he would need to go into town to find the missing
Tachibana, and was startled to find him just outside in the
yard. \"Tachi?\" Concerned, he hurried forward. \"Hey--Tachi?\"

Tachibana had rolled onto his left side, staring at his arm stretched
out before him. He was shivering a bit now that the sun had gone
down, but he had barely taken notice of the change. When Ryuhou
approached him, he glanced up a moment before turning his attention
back to his hand. \"Is dinner ready?\" he asked quietly.

\"Tachi....\" Ryuhou felt a little shiver go through as he crouched
down in front of him. \"Are you all right?\" he asked softly,
hesitating only a moment before reaching out to touch his hair. \"What
are you doing?\"

\"Hmm?\" Tachibana watched as his fingers curled idly, feeling his
flesh stretct wat was getting harder to see without the
sunlight. //Ryuhou....// He finally let his hand fall, glancing up at
Ryuhou in the dimness. \"I\'m just...thinking.\"

Ryuhou wasn\'t sure what to make of that, but he slipped his hand into
Tachibana\'s, squeezing it lightly. \"You\'re all right,\" he said
firmly, his other hand sliding over Tachibana\'s side. \"You were an
officer of HOLY, you know--something like this shouldn\'t be enough to
shake you.\"

His eyes widened faintly. //When I was an officer of HOLY....//
Tachibana\'s fingers tightened faintly. \"I didn\'t kill anyone,\" he
replied softly. \"In HOLY.... I never killed anyone in HOLY....\"

\"Tachi...?\" //What…does that have to do with anything?// \"Hey, don\'t
talk like that,\" he said quietly. Ryuhou gave his arm a tug, hoping
to draw him back inside and end this.

Tachibana looked back to his hand. \"There was a ship, you know,\" he
said quietly, remembering the flash of the sun on the metal hull. \"I
tried to stop it, but my bow wasn\'t enough. There were...so many....\"
He shivered, curling up. //And I knew I wasn\'t strong enough. I knew
I dn\'dn\'t fight them like...you two could have....//

\"A ship...?\" Ryuhou frowned, and his hand tightened subtly around
Tachibana\'s. \"What happened?\"

\"There was a whole force,\" he went on, closing his eyes. \"I couldn\'t
keep them from landing, but....\" Tachibana shuddered, and he suddenly
pulled his arm in close to his chest--it was starting to ache
again. \"They...they were heading for the town and…and I
just...burned....\" He gripped his wrist tightly, curling around it.

\"Tachi....\" Ryuhou sighed. It hadn\'t occurred to him before that
Tachibana would never have used his power in such a way before--for
that kind of killing. But then...he wasn\'t sure he had,
either. //Maybe only Kazuma\'s had that experience.// His eyes
thinned, but already he was using his greater strength to tug
Tachibana off the ground, into his arms. \"It\'s all right,\" he said
quietly. \"Stop that, now. We...do what we have to.\"

Tachibana curled tighter, though he was grateful for the other\'s
warmth. \"It hurt,\" he murmured. \"And now....\" He raised his hand,
staring at the scars again. A low, bitter chuckle escaped from
him. \"I just...wanted to protect everyone. I wanted to protect you,
too. To...do some good....\"

\"You did,\" Ryuhou quietly assured him, taking Tachibana\'s scarred
hand and lowering it from his sight. \"Tachi, listen to me. We\'ve
always had to fight to protect this place. As long as they keep
coming, we\'ll fight. We\'re not wrong because of that.\"

Sighing, Tachibana leaned into his lover. //I just wish...I could
have been stronger for you.// He finally managed a weak nod. \"I
know.... I know, Ryuhou.\" He gradually got himself to relax, to
finally push himself into a sitting position--his head spun briefly.
Tachibana rubbed at his temple. \"Sorry....\"

\"It\'s okay.\" Ryuhou glanced up, hoping Kazuma hadn\'t seen any of that
just now. He thought he might have seen a shadow against the kitchen
window, but he wasn\'t sure. \"Are you going to be all right?\" he
asked, briefly rubbing at Tachibana\'s back.

Tachibana nodded. \"Yeah, I just....\" He wiped at his eyes, brushing
back his hair. \"I need some more sleep, probably. Let\'s...go
eat.\" //Kazuma might worry--I don\'t want to worry him. I don\'t want
to be a hindrance to them.//

\"Okay.\" He helped Tachibana back to his feet, brushing a bit of dirt
off his shoulder. \"Come back to the bed tonight--I\'ll sleep between
you and Kazuma, if you need protection.\" He turned slightly toward
the house, waiting for Tachibana to follow.

He smiled a little at that, limping along behind Ryuhou. //I\'m
just...not as strong as them. They don\'t care about the scars--they
just accept them.// Tachibana tried to hurry, to better keep up.

By the time they came inside Kazuma had already set the table, and
was gulping down a beer. Ryuhou frowned but didn\'t comment as he and
Tachibana took their seats. \"Thanks. It looks good.\"

\"You made most of it,\" Kazuma reminded him, picking out the
vegetables with his fingers to eat first. His eyes flickered to
Tachibana. \"You okay?\"

Tachibana nodded as he sat, reaching out to grasp Kazuma\'s arm
briefly. \"I\'ll be fine,\" he assured, turning for his food and
breathing in. \"Mmm…smells really good.\" He started in with a bit of
chicken, sighing happily at the taste. \"Think you can keep your feet
to yourself tonight?\" he asked teasingly, already looking forward to
sleeping with the pair again.

Kazuma lifted an eyebrow. \"I dunno, you\'re pretty irresistible,\" he
replied, pausing in his eating for another long drink of beer. They
didn\'t have to know this was his second. \"Does that mean you\'re back
in bed with us tonight? Keeping me away from this lug?\" He kicked
Ryuhou lightly under the table.

\"I doubt I could do that.\" Somehow, he was feeling much better, as if
telling Ryuhou had cleared some weight from his chest. Tachibana sent
him a grateful look, digging into his meal with more energy. \"But
you\'ll have to behave for a bit, at least.\"

\"I don\'t know about that,\" Ryuhou said with a slight smile. Something
still felt a little off between them, but if Tachibana was doing
better, that was enough for him. He realized suddenly that he was
starving, and dug eagerly into the meal.

\"I\'ll behave,\" Kazuma assured, sending him a leer. All the same he
leaned closer to Tachibana, kissing his cheek faintly. //Be all
right, okay?//

Tachibana leaned briefly into Kazuma\'s lips, grateful for the
concerned affection. He caught the other before he could escape too
far, offering a soft kiss. //I...will be all right. Just give me a
little more time....//

Kazuma closed his eyes briefly and slipped back, devoting himself
back to his dinner. //We\'ll be okay. Just…..// He took another long
gulp of his beer, already planning on a third before long. //No,
no \"just.\" It\'ll be fine.//

---

Tachibana finally came out of the bathroom, sighing to himself as he
made his way to the bed. The others were getting ready themselves as
he climbed in. //It\'ll be good to be back with them,// he thought,
arranging the blankets over his lap. //They were gone for a while,
then I was with the or..or....// He smiled faintly to himself. //But
it\'ll be okay, all of us....//

As soon as Tachibana was done in the bathroom Ryuhou took it over,
and Kazuma was suddenly glad he\'d had his chance first. He hopped
lightly on the bed, crawling over to Tachibana. \"Can I at least get a
kiss?\" he asked lightly. He was still feeling pretty buzzed from the
beer he\'d been drinking all evening, and he was certain that if he
could at least get a kiss he\'d be satisfied.

Tachibana lay back with a sigh, running a hand down Kazuma\'s
chest. \"I suppose that\'s pretty harmless,\" hncednceded, tilting his
head. //Though...he smells like beer.// He passed his thumb over
Kazuma\'s lips. \"You\'re okay, right?\" he asked, just to be sure.

\"Hm? Oh, yeah. Just a little buzzed.\" Kazuma giggled, passing his
tongue over Tachibana\'s lips. \"Sure is good having you back,
buttercup.\"

\"Don\'t get carried away,\" Ryuhou advised as he emerged from the
bathroom. \"He\'s still recovering, you know.\"

Smiling, Tachibana settledselfself a bit better, enjoying the warmth
of Kazuma\'s body so close. //I\'m...not that bad, though. Just my
leg.// He ran a hand lightly down Kazuma\'s side. \"I\'m all right,\" he
said reassuringly. \"Just…glad to be back.\"

\"Glad to have you,\" Kazuma replied, but his eyes were drawn suddenly
down to the scars twisting across Tachibana\'s arm. He\'d been doing
everything he could to avoid it, to just...ignore them, but he wasn\'t
feeling too clear at the moment. He leaned back, frowning severely.

\"Something wrong?\" Ryuhou stepped forward, tugging his shirt over his
head.

Kazuma glanced over his shoulder, and jumped a little, as if...he\'d
forgotten how deeply the scars had affected Ryuhou as well. After
their last battle, especially, a long pair of scars had carved into
his shoulders and chest where his armor would usually form. It...was
frightening, and without thinking he crawled suddenly to the bed edge
as if in escape.

\"Kazuma?\" Tachibana sat up, watching the other with concern. He
had...never seen that look on his face before. Had never see his eyes
quite so wide.... He glanced over at Ryuhou briefly, though his
attention turned quickly back to his distraught lover. \"What\'s wrong?\"

\"Fuck it,\" Kazuma muttered under his breath, shivering a little as he
slipped off the bed and headed for the door. Ryuhou took his arm but
he quickly jerked away. \"Godamnit it all...\" //No. No, I…don\'t want
to see them like that.//

\"Kazuma--\" Ryuhou sighed in frustration as the other left, his
shoulders sagging. //What the hell…?// He glanced to Tachibana. \"Did
I...say something?\"

Tachibana slowly shook his head, crawling off the bed and pulling to
his feet. \"Let me talk to him,\" he asked softly. He took Ryuhou\'s
hand a moment to gather his courage. //It\'s probably me. He
was...looking at my arm.// \"I\'ll be back, though, okay? I\'ll try to
bring him.\" Leaning close, he offered a quick kiss to the elder\'s
cheek before hurrying after Kazuma.

Ryuhou sighed, but there wasn\'t anything else he could do. With a
quiet sigh he lowered himself to the bed.

Kazuma didn\'t end up going very far. He realized how stupid he was
being, that it wouldn\'t do any good to be upset, but he couldn\'t help
it. He sagged with a heavy sigh into the main room\'s sofa, letting
his head fall back. //Damn it.//

Tachibana found him easily, slowly lowering himself to boy boy\'s
side. \"Hey.\" He shifted closer, keeping his left arm out of
sight. \"You okay?\"

Kazuma pressed his lips thin; he should have known better than to
think they\'d leave him alone. He dragged a hand over his
face. \"Sorry,\" he offered vaguely.

\"You don\'t need to apologize,\" he replied, wiggling close enough to
touch the other\'s hair. \"It\'s...hard for all of us.\" Tachibana rested
his head against his arm over the back of the sofa, looking off into
the dark room, not really focusing on anything.

\"Yeah, I know.\" Kazuma was silent a moment, just listening to
Tachibana\'s quiet breath in the room. \"Hey....\" He blinked up at the
ceiling. \"Don\'t fight anymore. All right?\"

Tachibana closed his eyes--he\'d almost been expecting something like
that, but.... \"That\'s not fair,\" he replied in a whisper. \"You know I
can\'t just sit behind if...something were to happen.\" Dropping his
arm, Tachibana shifted so he could rest his head on Kazuma\'s
shoulder. \"I want to protect everyone too, but....\" He sighed. \"I\'ll
be careful, okay? I just...hate sitting here, watching you two go
off, and feeling like I can\'t help you at all.\"

\"That\'s not good enough,\" Kazuma replied stubbornly. His fi tig tightened in his lap. \"I don\'t want you to end up looking like Ryuhou
and me. That\'s the whole reason we\'re doing this, after all.\"

\"Kazuma....\" He curled faintly. //I can\'t just...not help. I can\'t
just sit here if something happens.// Tachibana slid his right arm
through his lover\'s. \"I can\'t do what you two do--I know that.
I...shouldn\'t have gone off on my own like that, and I won\'t again.
But....\" His hold tightened. \"If they come here--if they attack this
town--I will try to protect everyone. I\'ll be careful, but I can\'t
promise I won\'t fight for Mimori-san or Kanami-chan...or any of them.\"

\"Damnit Tachibana...\" Kazuma pulled away from him, climbing to his
feet. He wrapped his arms around himself as if the room had suddenly
grown cold. He knew it was the only answer--the best he could have
hoped to hear--but it didn\'t make it any easier. \"Ryuhou and I....\"
But he faltered, glaring down he fhe floor.

//What do you want me to say? I can\'t just....// Tachibana remained
on the couch, leaning heavily against the sofa back. \"Kazuma...I\'m
worried, too.\" His shoulders hunched up near his ears, wishing he had
something warmer than a T-shirt on. \"I\'m worried about what\'s
happening to us, but....\" //Fuck it--I don\'t care it pisses him off.
I\'m suffering, too.// \"I\'m almost glad. I don\'t want to have to fight
like that again--I don\'t want it to hurt like that--but I don\'t
regret it, if it means I did some good, like you.\"

\"It\'s not that easy!\" Kazuma retorted heatedly, turning on him. \"You
don\'t even know what\'s happening to us--what those *fucking* scars
mean!\" He was shaking a little, and hoped that, somehow, Tachibana
wouldn\'t notice.

Taana ana flinched at the harsh tone, and though he wanted to he
wasn\'t able to face Kazuma just yet. He stared off across the
room. \"You don\'t know either,\" he replied, tone shivering. \"But even
if you did...you\'d still fight, wouldn\'t you? Even if you knew that
every scar was only going to bring you more pain...you\'d keep
fighting. You and Ryuhou both would.\" His left hand clenched around
his knee. \"Am I so different from you...that I can\'t feel the same?\"

Kazuma stared down at him helplessly; he couldn\'t hang onto his anger
like this. \"Tachi....\" He turned away again. \"There\'s no need for
that. I understand how you feel, but you might as well let Ryuhou and
I handle it. There\'s no point in you getting hurt and ruining your
body when we can take care of it with half the effort.\"

Tachibana finally raised his head, and after a moment climbed to his
feet to move closer. \"I will,\" he assured quietly, slipping up behind
Kazuma to lean against his back, cheek against his shoulder. \"I know
I can\'t do what you two can, and I won\'t try. Just...please don\'t be
mad. It\'s not like I\'m going to go looking for trouble. I
just...wanted to protect our home....\" //Please understand, Kazuma.//

Ka loa lowered his head, but he couldn\'t fight
anymore. //Tachibana...dt tat talk like that.// His posture sagged a
little. //This isn\'t really about what you did, anyway, because I
understand that. I just.... //\"I know.\" He licked his dry lips. \"I
understand--I do.\"

\"Good.\" He wrapped his arms around Kazuma\'s waist, hands pressed to
his chest as he held him tightly. //Let\'s not worry anymore, then.
Let\'s just keep going, like we have been.// Turning his head, he
whispered a few soft kisses over the boy\'s shoulder. \"Will you...come
to bed now?\" he asked softly. \"We\'re gonna start worrying Ryuhou....\"

\"Ryuhou....\" Kazuma pressed his eyes tightly shut. He didn\'t want to
say it, but he could see all too clearly the dark scars engraved into
the flesh of his two lovers, and he shivered. \"You know...it\'s
getting harder. Returning from my Altered form.\"

Tachibana\'s arms tightened. //Kazuma....// He pressed his face
between the boy\'s shoulderblades. \"I wish I knew...how to better help
you,\" he whispered. \"Maybe now...I can try to see what\'s happening to
us. But let\'s worry about that tomorrow.\" Raising his head again, he
touched their cheeks together. \"We\'re all tired, right?\"

//I can\'t. I can\'t just ignore it anymore!// Kazuma\'s fists began to
tighten again. \"Something\'s happening to us,\" he continued
quietly. \"Every time we Alter it\'s like...we leave something behind.
I don\'t want that to ha any anymore.\" Another shiver passed through
him. \"Not to you, or Ryuhou...\"

Tachibana fell quiet, feeling the tension in his lover\'s body
and...not knowing what to do about it. \"Kazuma...I\'ll work on it,\" he
finally replied. \"I was able to fix your arm, right? That one
time....\" He slowly came around, arms still around Kazuma\'s waist as
he faced him. \"We know some of what my Alter can do, without changing
my body. If you and Ryuhou could let me...study, I guess, maybe I can
see what\'s going wrong. It\'s....\" His head lowered a slightly,
unsure. \"It\'s worth a try...isn\'t it?\"

\"Tachibana...\" Kazuma sighed, giving in as he leaned into the other\'s
body. \"I\'m...\" //I\'m scared.// He wrapped his arms tightly around
Tachibana\'s shoulders. //I\'m so scared. I don\'t want this to happen
to you. I don\'t want to lose Ryuhou...not anyone else....//

Leaning in, Tachibana offered a soft, reassuring kiss. \"We\'re in this
together,\" he assured quietly. \"I\'ll try, okay? If I can\'t fight with
you...then I\'ll just keep you going.\" He smiled lightly and ran both
hands through Kazuma\'s hair. //I\'ll take care of you both, if that\'s
all I can do. I\'ll find out what\'s wrong with all of us.// Tachibana
kissed him again.

Kazuma kissed him back, still shaking as a quiet, dry sob rose in his
throat. //Don\'t leave me.// He tugged Tachibana against his chest,
trying to forget everything.

//Kazuma....// Ryuhou, who had watched most of the scene from the
bedroom doorway, lowered his eyes briefly. //I didn\'t know it was
bothering him this much.// He slipped back into the room, tugging his
T-shirt back on for when the pair retd.
d.

When he was finally released, Tachibana didn\'t move far, keeping
their forehead together. \"We\'ll be okay,\" he assured again. \"All of
us, okay? Now...let\'s rest.\" He kissed Kazuma softly, urging him to
follow as he took a step back towards their bedroom. \"Ryuhou and I
will take care of you, okay?\"

\"Yeah...\" Kazuma scratched the back of his head, as he followed
Tachibana into the bedroom, already cringing a little at the thought
of facing Ryuhou. //He must have heard all that.// But when they
entered Ryuhou was waiting for them calmly, though he did notice the
addition of the shirt.

Tachibana silently led Kazuma to the bed, urging him down beside
their companion. One glance told him that Ryuhou had indeed heard
almost all of what had happened. //Let\'s just...take care of each
other, okay? Let\'s just stay close tonight.// He lay down at Kazuma\'s
side, pressing close and offering a few soft, scattered kisses to his
cheek and shoulder. \"Are you okay?\" he asked quietly.

\"Yeah. Yeah, I\'m okay.\" Kazuma tilted his head back, welcoming
Tachibana closer against him. //I\'m sorry, guys.// He reached out to
Ryuhou, tug him him close as well. \"C\'mere, bitch.\"

Ryuhou snorted, but allowed himself to be drawn into a firm
kiss. //I\'m scared, too, Kazuma. But we\'re here, and that\'s all we
have right now. Let\'s keep it.//

Tachibana sighed in relief. //At least that is normal.// He reached
out, touching Ryuhou lightly, meeting his eyes. //We\'ll be okay. I\'ll
see to it.// He turned his head so that his nose and lips could brush
against Kazuma\'s shoulder. \"Sleep well,\" he whispered.

Kazuma smiled slightly as he let Ryuhou go, relaxing back into the
mattress. \"You, too,\" he murmured, drawing his fingertips briefly
over Tachibana\'s cheek. \"Night, both of you.\"

\"Night, punk,\" Ryuhou retorted, though he was already drawing up
against him. He twisted his leg around Kazuma\'s, hoping maybe to pin
him down enough to keep him from kicking their companion in his
sleep. \"Goodnight, Tachi.\" //And thank you.//

------------------
Th
The End!

Thanks for reading.

PS--Quick shameless promotion! I have another fic up in the original section, under Drama, called \"Of Truth and Trust.\" If you enjoyed this story, I hope you\'ll check that one out as well. Thanks! >^.^<