Past, Present and Future

[Maira]

By early morning, Tomas was physically exhausted and emotionally at ease. Misha still wanted him, their bond apparently stronger than he had ever truly known, and the night's worth of love-making both making him happier and more content than he could remember being in more than 500 years. He was nearly asleep, Misha snuggled into his side, when a phone went off somewhere in the room. As Misha moved to get out of the bed to answer it, Tomas hissed and tried to grab at the man and keep him close but Misha moved too quickly. Giving up, Tomas rolled over and finally gave into the exhaustion.

He couldn't have been asleep long when suddenly he was being shaken awake. He didn't even have time to grump about being woken up before Misha blurted out something about needing to get to the Magda vaults and then to Japan. He rolled over and blinked at Misha in confusion. "Why the Magda vaults?" he asked before the last thing that Misha had said sunk in. When it did Tomas just looked at Misha like -he- was the one who was confused. Clearing the sleep from his throat he asked Misha, "You do remember that Thanos died a long time ago right?"

When Misha shook his head in disagreement, Tomas sat up and was going to say something more but Misha was now throwing clothes at him and bolting out of the guest room to get dressed himself. He stared at the open door that his mate had disappeared through, then down at the clothes in his lap, muttered, "I don't get it," and then got to work getting dressed. He had learned a long time ago to trust Misha and even if what he said sounded insane, surely there was some truth behind it.

Once he was dressed, Tomas went in search of Misha and found him trying to work the tangles from their night's activities out of his hair. Taking the brush from the older man, Tomas went to work on Misha's long locks and informed him, "Okay, so if Thanos isn't actually already dead and this isn't some crazy scheme to get me to a surprise party or something else absurd, we're going to need either Ransom or somebody from the deLorme clan to get us into the Magda vaults." Then, after a moment of concentrating on a particularly nasty snarl, Tomas asked, "What's really going on?"

[Demeter]

Misha looked up when Tomas took the hair brush from him. He reached up and held Tomas' hand for a moment. This had to be confusing for the younger man and he'd always hated keeping secrets from his mate. "I know some pretty big secrets, Tomas. It's true that Lorcaine delivered a mortal blow to his father. Rather, what should have been a mortal blow if Leonidas hadn't taken precautions with his only child."

Misha leaned into the strokes of the brush. Before, Tomas had always done this for him and it calmed him enough to think everything through in a logical pattern. "With the exception of Ransom, all of Thanos' children were conceived under the influence of a powerful aphrodisiac - Satoshi drugged his mate so that Thanos could do his duty and create an heir. I can assure you that Thanos did not want Lorcaine to inherit the clan. He was actually looking for a way to kick Lorcaine out when the rebellion happened. 

"As for your question, no, Thanos is not dead. In a matter of speaking. Leonidas cast a spell over Thanos when he was a little boy. This spell would cause him to go into a death like sleep if mortally injured. But something went wrong. He should have awakened once the wound healed but he's been asleep all time. 

"Remmie and some of Oshiro men smuggled his body, along with Solaris and Satoshi, to the Japanese mountains where they have been hiding for the same reasons we've been hiding."

Once Tomas had combed through the tangles, Misha did his hair, doubling the length over into a tail. "That's one of the few reasons why I had to remain hidden. I have the knowledge of where they are. Ransom is protected by Delorme and few people know where Thanos is. The last of the honorable Magda blood bearers are safe. But now, Satoshi's father said that Thanos' heart arrested several times during the night. The spell that was meant to protect is now going to kill him unless we can lift it. We'll need Ransom to get into whatever is left of the Magda compound but I can get us into the vaults."

They left after securing the house and setting the dogs to their guard duties. Misha called up a tow company, offering them four times the going rate if they could get the SUV unstuck from the mud. Within a few hours, they were on their way to Cedar Valley. While they drove, Misha asked just how bad it had gotten for Ransom. 

[Maira]

Once the SUV was freed from it's muddy prison, Tomas handed the keys to Misha. The older man was more familiar with the local terrain and if what he said was true, they needed to make good time to get to Ransom. While his mate maneuvered through the hills and tiny little towns of the Olympic Peninsula, Tomas made a quick call to Ransom. "I'm not sure of all the details so please don't ask for any, I just need you to be waiting at Darius's house when I get there." He looked to Misha and mouthed the word 'time' with a question in his eyes, then relayed their ETA to his friend. When he got an affirmative from Ransom, Tomas said goodbye and slipped his phone in his pocket.

Almost immediately after he'd hung up, Misha asked the one question that Tomas had hoped he never would. He wanted to know how bad things got for Ransom. Tomas suddenly found himself wishing he was the one driving so that he'd have an excuse not to answer his mate. As it was, he found himself staring out the window silently for a long time before his thoughts became coherent enough to share them.

Clearing his throat, Tomas begged, "I'm sorry but I can't tell you everything now, not when I'm going to be seeing him soon. He'll see it in my eyes and with his father's life on the line I can't have him worrying about me or reliving his past. Please understand that I -will- tell you, just preferably after a lot of alcohol and when I won't be expected to see him for at least 48 hours." He looked out of the corner of his eye at his mate and cringed slightly at the undecipherable look on the older man's face. With a sigh, he added, "I had to use my blood to heal him more times I can remember."

[Demeter]

The storm that had blown through a few days ago had washed everything clean. That night, after purposefully barring his annoying younger brother from his apartment, Ransom had made love to Kai by candlelight. He supposed it was a good thing that Remmie was such a good sport about things, Ransom thought as he stretched out on the front lawn, otherwise he might just have been subjected to his brother's unless bag of practical jokes.

While waiting for Tomas to return to the main DeLorme house in Cedar Valley, Ransom had decided to be outdoors. The sky was clear, the sun was shining, and the temperature was perfect for being lazy. He'd spread a blanket out on the lawn and was curling using Kai's lap as a pillow. The younger man seemed content to be used thusly and was running his fingers through Ransom's hair. Every once in a while, he'd reach up and pull Kai down for a kiss.

Ransom and Kai weren't the only ones waiting for Tomas. Remmie had invited himself to the party and Darius was there by request. Ransom opened one eye and sighed as he saw Remmie climbing up the side of the house, using the English Ivy as a ladder. "Harm a single leaf and I'll kill you," he said.

Remmie, halfway between the first and second floors, rolled his eyes and searched for another foothold. "You'd think that my devoted older brother would be more concerned about me risking my neck then some plants. Plants are replaceable. I'm not."

"Grandfather Oshiro has other grandsons. You're not that special. It took me two whole years to train that ivy to only grow there."

Remmie climbed up another few inches. "Thinks he's sooo special just because he is the last known member of the Magda clan," he said to the wall. When he received no snarky response, Remmie peered over his shoulder and groaned. Ransom and Kai were making out again.

While he was very happy that his brother had found love again, it was his solemn duty as little brother to be as annoying as possible. Remmie was pretty sure that getting in the way of Sexy Time with Kai was the pinnacle of being an little brother. Wasn't that why he'd been locked out of Ransom's place the other night.

Remmie plan to find a hose and give the two a good soaking was put on hold when a black suv turned into the drive. Ransom, hearing the car, turned away from Kai and blinked. A few things confused him.

First, the suv was liberally coated with mud. Second, Tomas was in the passenger seat. Just what had he been doing and who had he been doing it with? Ransom got his answer the moment the driver rounded the back of the vehicle.

It was like the last seventy five years hadn't happened. The braids, the bells, the quietly expensive clothing were all the same. Before anyone could say anything, Ransom exploded with a cry of "Misha!" and was off the ground and bounding across the driveway to tackle the man.

Misha, not prepared for Ransom's explosive response to his presence tumbled to the ground. Remmie, jumping down from the ivy, crouched next to Kai and patted the bewildered looking man on the shoulder. "Nothing to worry about; Misha is like Ransom's grandfather. He is Tomas' mate so, Tomas should back off now that he'll be getting laid regularly," Remmie said before scurrying over and leaping on Misha as well. After all, the man was like his Grandfather as well.

It was easy to push Remmie away but Ransom clung to him. Misha sat on the ground and tried to sooth the younger Alati but his sudden appearence had pushed Ransom just a little too far. It took a while before Misha was able to hand Ransom over to Kai.

He eyed the young Mutari, noticing the way the two held each other. But that would be a discussion best kept for later; every minute wasted on other things was a minute that could be used saving Thanos.

Misha explained that Thanos, as well as Satoshi and Solaris, still lived but the spells that had once saved the Clan Leader's life were now killing him. What was needed to save him was in the vaults on the Magda property.

***

Ransom stumbled along behind the others, only Kai's grip around his waist keeping him upright as the small group hurried down the overgrown road to the Magda Estate. Misha had survived that final beating and was returned to them. His parents were alive. And he was setting foot on the clan grounds for the first time in two and a half decades. Emotionally and mentally, this day was overwhelming.

After accessing the vaults, Ransom stepped back to let Misha through the door. They needed his blood in order to open the main gates of the vault, he thought. He could still remember the night that Father and Satoshi had brought him here to code him into the spells.

Shaking his head, Ransom turned and with Kai at his side, descended into the vaults. The air in the tunnels was cool and slightly musty. Ransom wrinkled his nose and followed the group. Off to one side would be the burial hall, for clan members and the great warriors. On the other, the halls and chambers and alcoves that housed the clan's wealth.

Ransom gave a little smirk. Father had coded him into the access spells but never added Lorcaine. His baby brother had run the clan into debt trying to get at the riches buried beneath his feet.

Ransom ignored the search for the document that Misha was after. The elder Consort seemed to know exactly where it was. Instead, he bee-lined straight for the small alcove that held his personal treasures.

What he sought was prominently displayed. The case was open, showing off the throwing daggers that Claudio had commissioned for him as a wedding present. He plucked one from the case and ran his finger against the edge. He tested the weight, tossing the blade up and down a few times before gripping the short handle and throwing it.

A yelp and curse came from the main chamber and Ransom laughed at his brother's grumblings. He turned to see Kai staring at the case of blades. He came up behind Kai and wrapped his arms around the young man. "They were a gift from Claudio. He'd commissioned them especially for me and gave them to me on the night of our mating ceremony. He'd them spelled to carry a bit of himself so that he'd alway be near me. I had them placed in the vaults after his death so that no one else could touch them."

Ransom reached out and brushed his finger over the trinkets. "Some of this stuff was his. I guess I should give his sword and shield to Carma," Ransom, nudging the mentioned items. He pulled his gaze away from the shelves and looked at Kai.

He blinked. The Mutari was pale, shaking and sweating. Frowning, Ransom turned him and gave the man a little shake. "You okay," he asked.

And then Kai fainted, pitching backwards and slipping from Ransom's hold to crash into the shelves filled with Ransom's mementos.

[Maira]

Kai wasn't sure that he liked the whole situation that was forcing Ransom back to his old home, the scene of years of abuse and torture. Even if he had been told he wasn't allowed to go with, he would have gone. He wasn't about to leave his lover to confront all of that alone, no matter how well adjusted he seemed most of the time.

Aside from worrying over how Ransom was handling being back at his old home, Kai started to feel a little off himself as soon as Ransom unlocked the vault. Following Misha and the others inside, Ransom at his side, Kai had to fight the sudden wave of dizziness that hit him while going down the stairs. Almost luckily, Ransom was to absorbed in his own thinking to notice Kai's unsteadiness. Why on earth was -he- having issues down here? Was it the anger the thoughts of Ransom being abused brought to the surface? Or was it something else? Maybe he was scared of being underground?

The dizzy feeling only got worse the farther down they went into the vault and once they finally entered the vault proper, his dizziness was verging on nausea. What the hell was wrong with him? How could he be there for Ransom if he was the one freaking out and on the verge of loosing his lunch?

Lost in the overwhelming feelings of dizziness and nausea, Kai completely missed the dagger throwing and Ransom's reminiscing over Claudio's possessions. It wasn't until the older man grabbed him and gave him a little shake that Kai realized something was really really wrong. When Ransom asked if he was okay, Kai felt himself shoved away and a different presence surged through him to the surface. The suddenness of it all put Kai's body into shock and without any warning, blackness took him.

*****

"Get out of my way!" growled an unfamiliar voice and Kai felt himself shoved away. It wasn't dark anymore, but Kai didn't understand why the vault looked different. Nobody else was down here and there weren't nearly as many items on the shelves.

Turning to see who had shoved him, Kai came face to face with an unfamiliar man and he blurted out, "Who the hell are you?"

The other man stiffened and answered, "I'm Claudio and I'm you." Kai couldn't help but blink at the man. What did he mean that they were the same? When Kai didn't say anything, Claudio explained impatiently, "I'm you, or more accurately you're me reborn. Ransom and I are meant to be together for eternity and our souls call to each other. When I was killed, my soul found a way to come back to him and that was through you." Then, with a bit of a growl he demanded, "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my mate and you're in the way. Move!"

Kai felt darkness taking him again as Claudio approached him but instead of giving in, Kai reached out and grabbed Claudio's arms. "No! He's mine now and I won't just go away. Its my turn now and we share or you don't get him at all."

The furious look on Claudio's face took a while to go away but when Kai wouldn't let go of him, eventually the look shifted to one of acceptance. "Fine," he muttered softly and the vault faded away to darkness again.

*****

When Kai woke, it was with a screaming headache. A pain-filled moan escaped him before he'd even opened his eyes or moved. He heard rustling nearby and suddenly Ransom's scent drifted to him, followed quickly by the man's strong warm hands taking one of his between them. Despite the pain, a smile turned up the corners of his mouth and he whispered hoarsely, "Sorry about this." Ransom just shushed him and asked if Kai needed anything, and if he knew why he had fainted.

His voice a little stronger, Kai slowly opened his eyes and answered, "A glass of water would be nice." Immediately Ransom left his side and poked his head out the door, ordering whoever was outside to get water. As soon as he was seated next to him again, Kai tried to shift to a more upright position. The pains in his head were shooting down his spine and behind his eyes causing him to groan and close his eyes again. "Okay," he muttered, "no sitting up just yet..."

Once the pain dulled to a throb, Kai opened his eyes again and smiled nervously at Ransom. Taking a breath, he finally answered him about why he had fainted. "I had a really strange dream while I was out. If it wasn't just totally my subconscious messing with me, then I just had an encounter with your mate Claudio." Ransom was clearly trying to hide some sort of emotions from him, Kai wanted to know what they were but decided he needed to finish first before asking. "Claudio told me that I am actually just him come back to you because your souls are tied together. I fainted because Claudio tried to force his way back to you..." Ransom couldn't hide the shock anymore and Kai cringed. Was Ransom going to be mad with him for not letting Claudio have control?

[Demeter]

Ransom didn't want to move Kai from the floor of the vaults but the others convinced him to. The stale, musty air of the rooms could be the cause of his illness, Misha had said, and that being in the fresher air would help. Ransom allowed Kai to be moved but vowed he was staying with the man till he was better.

He'd been without his parents for more than five hundred years; an extra day or two wouldn't matter. Not when his concern was Kai.

There were few structures on the estate that had survived the fire set by Lorcaine's men. They'd burnt the property when it became obvious that they were losing the battle against Darius. It was that same fire that had burnt most of his body. It had taken Genesis years to heal the damage and return his skin to its smooth, near flawless state.

They took Kai to the conservatory, abandoned long before the fire and now it had grown wild. There were no longer any textiles in the building but Ransom had them set Kai down on the thick layer of moss growing over the floor. Once Kai was situated, he shooed them along. He'd stay here with Kai while the others finished what they'd set out to do. Once they were gone, Ransom sat quietly and waited for Kai to wake up.

While he waited, he stared picking at the moss. He remembered that the pattern of the conservatory's tile floor had been done in a mosaic and he wondered how bad the damage was. In fact, the whole ruin of the estate was starting to make him twitch. The Magda clan may not have been the biggest or the wealthiest but, by the gods, the estate had been a showplace.

By the time Kai woke, Ransom had a small area of tile cleared. He abandoned the task to tend to his lover. Kai's words about Claudio made him freeze. In that moment, it all made sense. His connection to Kai, the pure, raw intensity of his feelings for the young Mutari, made complete sense. Grinning widely and laughing, Ransom pounced on Kai, completely forgetting that the man had just crashed into stone shelves filled with items that could have impaled him.

When he caught Kai's devastated look, Ransom frowned. "Kai, what's wrong? Does something hurt?" He asked. It took a bit but he got the answer. Kai was afraid that Ransom would want Claudio back. Stunned, Ransom sat back so that he was straddling Kai and just blinked. And then he smiled. "I always forget how young you are. It's not really a thing anymore but most Alati have actual soulmates. The souls of two, or more, Alati are bound together because they are perfect for each other. The souls are bound together for eternity and not even death is powerful enough to break that bond. If one partner does die, he will be reborn with a new body but old soul. These souls seek each other out, finding the one that completes them.

"Its rare for the memories of the old soul to awaken. I've only heard out it happening with the body is in danger. But, Kai, this explains so much. You were meant to be with me. Now, I need to speak with Claudio. Can he hear me?"

When Kai nodded, Ransom started talking. "Claudio, you were my first true love. You are also an idiot and I'm still pissed at you."

Ransom rolled away from Kai and started pacing. "You left me alone, Claudio. Its very grand, and protective and nobel of you to have sacrificed yourself for me but you left me alone! You left me and that monster did horrible, unspeakable, humiliating things to me. He made me do those things to others. And you weren't there to comfort and care for me, like you promised.

"For five hundred years, he tortured me. He loved taunting me about how you'd rather die then stay for me. I know you did it out of love and protection but everyone else didn't throw themselves on Lorcaine's sword!"

Ransom stopped his pacing while facing away from Kai-Claudio. His hands gripped a fat tree branch. "Do you know how many times I wished I could die? That Tomas didn't have the ability to save me? At least once a day for five hundred years. And at least twice a day for the threes years I was bedridden and burned. All because you left me.

"And you want to know what happened next? Kai happened. While you were snoozing away, Kai showed up. First as a sweet little boy who didn't fear my scarred face. Then as an amusing teen who took the time to teach me about microwaves, television, computers and the doorbell. And now as a loving, generous young man who is healing all my broken bits."

Ransom turned from the tree and dropped to his knees beside Kai. "It's Kai that I need now, Claudio. I know that you love me, Claudio, and I will always treasure our time together but its Kai that I need now."

[Maira]

Through Kai, Claudio listened to Ransom's words and when the other man declared that it was Kai that he needed now and not him, Claudio slipped back into Kai's subconscious where he could watch and come forward if needed. Kai blinked rapidly at the sudden emptiness and quiet in his mind, then he whispered, "He left." When Ransom looked at him curiously, Kai repeated, "He left," and added, "Claudio isn't here anymore."

Feeling more himself, and in significantly less pain, Kai moved slowly and managed to get himself into a seated position. About the time he got upright, the water he'd asked for arrived so he took a few sips before asking, "So, we're soulmates huh? I hope this means that the ring I've got hidden in my sock drawer isn't likely to be getting returned?"

Taking a few more, bigger, drinks of water Kai waited to see if Ransom would catch the meaning of his last question. Sure, maybe this wasn't the most appropriate time to pop the question but, all things considered, Kai figured now was as good a time as any. He knew who Claudio was, knew that the man had been married to Ransom, and if they were truly soulmates like both Ransom and Claudio had told him, then they weren't going to be separating anytime soon.

[Demeter]

For a moment, Ransom’s mind just went blank but when he finally pulled the dots together, he squealed and jumped on the man. “You are not returning that ring! The moment we are home, that ring is going on my finger and never coming off!” he said before kissing Kai silly. The men his grandfather sent to fetch them found the two men sprawled on the floor of the conservatory floor, laughing and making up outrageous wedding reception menus.

Later that night, after they’d been safely tucked into a room at Grandfather Oshiro’s estate, Ransom sat up and stared at a sleeping Kai. He’d gotten lucky, finding this man twice in his life. And the news that his parents were still alive. On their arrival at the house, Grandfather Oshiro had told him that Thanos had been saved. Shivering slightly, awed by his luck, Ransom returned to Kai’s side and crawled back under the covers.

In the morning, Grandfather was going to escort them to the stronghold that housed his parents and his new siblings.

***
In the chilly pre-dawn, Solaris stood on the stronghold’s walls and watched for her father-in-law. The last 24 hours had been extremely emotional. First, the threat of Thanos’ death and then Misha swooping in like an avenging angel to save his son. News that her first and second born children had survived the terror of Lorcaine. The reunion with Remi and the removal of the spells that had kept him from remembering their location had been emotional. Watching Misha work with a Reaper to correct the rune spell on Thanos had been emotional. Thanos waking had been emotional.

And yet she wasn’t all that emotional about the upcoming reunion with Ransom. She hugged herself, silently chiding herself for being a horrible mother towards Ransom. The hybrid was the son of the man she loved yet Solaris had no motherly or loving feelings towards her first born. And she knew that Ransom felt the same about her. This reunion was more for Satoshi and Thanos then her.

At the same time she spotted the caravan of Satoshi’s father, her daughter, Tranquility bounded up to her. The girl was excited to meet her eldest half-brother. Requiem, at three, could care less about any of his siblings, Solaris thought as she watched Tranquility bounced.

***

Satoshi tore himself away from Thanos’ bedside, confident that Misha would watch over the man’s natural sleep. He made it to the front hall in time to see Ransom step into the room, holding the hand of a stranger. He trembled when Ransom shouted, calling him father and running towards him. He held his boy, the child that he and Thanos had raised together. He watched through watery eyes as Ransom stepped back and introduced him to Kai, who was Claudio reborn.

Satoshi, normally rather stoic, clutched the young Mutari to him and welcomed him into the family.