To Dance By Moonlight

Chapter Five

WARNING!! WARNING!!
WARNING!! WARNING!!

This chapter contains mentions of being forced to fight, drugging/rape, and human trafficking. If you cannot read this, I suggest waiting for the next chapter.

WARNING!! WARNING!!
WARNING!! WARNING!!

~*~

Kei watched warily as the Sheikh turned back to face him, a thoughtful, yet contrite, look on his face. It wasn't that Kei mistrusted him, not completely; he wasn't the one to identify them and make Ji pass out from fear. Still, he was friends with the man who was at fault.

Glancing at the Emir, Kei saw that he was concerned, and also remorseful. As he should be! Kei held Ji tighter against him, his hand cradling the back of Ji's head, fingers sifting gently through his hair, and whispering soft words in his ear. Maybe after this, Kiyoko-san would turn down their offer, and they could leave again. As much as he wanted to stay here, it no longer felt safe.

"How is he?" Kuroo's voice regained his attention. He was now crouched down so that Kei wouldn't strain his neck looking at him. The action softened his heart toward the man, even when it shouldn't.
"He'll have a huge headache once he comes to, but I have powders to help counteract it. He'll be fine."
Kuroo sighed with relief. "Is it alright if we talk?"
"Why? The Emir already told you about us," Kei said, not afraid to let him hear his angry sarcasm.
"It wasn't much, and clearly I was wrong," the Emir replied quietly. He was already seated on the floor, legs crossed, and his golden eyes filled with worry. Kei snorted, but said nothing.
"Is it alright if we talk?" Kuroo asked again, lowering himself further so that he, too, sat on the floor.
"Why?"
"I want to hear the truth. From you."
"Why?"
"Kei-chan," Kiyoko's soft voice said from behind him. He stiffened slightly; he'd forgotten she was still here. "Despite what just happened, I think you can trust the Sheikh."
"Can I?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the silver-gray gaze of the Sheikh. "Can I trust you? Can *we* trust you?"
"That's up to you. I can say 'yes' until I'm blue in the face, but in the end, it's you who has to make that decision." Kei kept his eyes on Kuroo, and then nuzzled into Ji's hair.

He couldn't help it; he wanted to trust Kuroo. His mind argued against it. They only just met, and things were off to a bad start. Kei would do well to keep his and Ji's past a secret only known between them, Kiyoko, and those they ran away from so many years ago. But his heart? Oh, his heart was already being a traitorous organ, fluttering every time Kuroo spoke. Finally breaking eye contact, Kei squeezed his eyes shut.

"I shouldn't," he whispered.
"I'm not going to force you," Kuroo assured him. "Do you need anything for him?"
Glad for the distraction of taking care of Ji, Kei opened his eyes and listed off his needs.
"The headache powders are in our trunk. We'll need cool water, a cloth, and a glass so he'll have something to drink."
"I'll get those," Kiyoko offered. "I'll have a pillow and blanket brought, too, alright?"
"Yes, thank you, Kiyoko-san."

Once she left, the anteroom was filled with silence. No one spoke, no one moved. They simply waited until Kiyoko-san returned with Hitoka-chan in tow, carrying the things Kei had asked for. He slowly let go of Keiji, and with Hitoka's help, lowered him to rest on the pillow and covered him with the blanket. Water was poured into a bowl and a cloth was soaked and wrung out. Kei placed this on Ji's forehead. Another was put in the water for when he changed them out. Hitoka mixed the headache powder in a glass of water, according to his instructions, and handed it to Kei, who set it down beside the bowl. He quietly asked her to keep an eye on Ji, and she nodded. Satisfied with everything, Kei placed his hand on Ji's chest, over his heart, and then looked up at Kuroo.

"What do you know of the Clan of the Eagle?" he asked quietly.
"Admittedly, not much more than rumors," Kuroo replied honestly. "They are a small clan of ruthless mercenaries, and I've heard they have their own troupe of dancers."
"Mostly true. There's more of them than anyone knows, even those within the clan, so I can't give you specific numbers. Not that I cared that much to find out. And the dancers are also skilled fighters."
"That explains why your Swords Dance looked so much like a sword fight," Bokuto entered the conversation. Kei looked at him sideways, but nodded.
"Everyone in the clan is taught to fight, including those of us who never wanted to, and in a real sword fight, would likely die immediately."
"Did they... force you?"
Kei nodded once. "We couldn't say no, couldn't refuse. If we did, we were... punished. Even if we were sick, they made us fight. Ji almost died..."
Kuroo's eyes were filled with concern, and questions he wanted to ask. Kei gave him a tiny smile, and was treated to seeing a faint pink hue show up across Kuroo's cheeks.
"How did you come to be a part of their clan?" Bokuto asked the question, this time.
"Bo," Kuroo warned, but Kei shook his head.
"It's fine." He faced Bokuto fully. "We weren't born into the clan, if that's what you're asking."
"It wasn't, actually," Bokuto replied. "I'd heard rumors of them 'scouting' in the towns they went to. Later, I'd find out several kidnappings occurred before they left. Often, those kidnappings involved murders."
Kei nodded. "Ji and I are from the same village. Our families were neighbors, so we grew up together. One day, members of the Eagle Clan came to our village under the guise of traveling bards. Ji was ten, I was nine. They were friendly enough, but we could tell they didn't care much for children. We left them alone. They stayed for a few days, entertaining the locals and playing their parts well. And then, they acted like they were leaving. Even stayed hidden long enough to give the impression that they were gone. Then, one night they came back, but as the raiders they truly are. They broke into homes, stole valuable belongings, especially the children they'd 'scouted' for. If anyone fought back, they were killed."
"Tsukishima..." Kuroo said softly, as if to stop him. But now that he'd started, he wasn't going to stop. They wanted to know.
"My dad and older brother. Both Ji's parents. All dead. We don't know if my mom survived. We haven't been back."
"Before he passed out, Akaashi said something about barely making it out alive? Was it during the raid?" Bokuto asked gently.
"No, it was much later, after we'd been part of the clan for some time. We were finally of age to be auctioned off to the highest bidder," Kei revealed. "We were... prepared... for those who were interested in buying us."
"Did they...?"
Kei nodded once, again, and then gave a little shrug. "Oddly, that wasn't the worst part. We were drugged first, so we barely even remember. We just know it happened, because we were told."
"How old were you?"
"Fifteen. Ji was sixteen."
"My god," he said quietly. Kei couldn't bear the look of pity in his eyes, so busied himself with taking care of Ji. Several minutes later, he heard Kuroo ask, "What was the worst part?"
Kei's eyes burned with tears he refused to shed.
"No one wanted to pay the high price the clan set for a pair of boys, so it was decided we had to be sold separately. We've been together all our lives. We weren't going to let them tear us apart. So we fought back. We used everything they taught us and turned it against them." He let out a little laugh. "We were dancers. We were the best in their troupe. We weren't fighters. Still, we made it out and ran away, even as wounded as we were."
"How bad was it?"
"Ji was cut across his shoulder. I was cut in the side. We were lucky it wasn't too deep, but I was still losing blood, so we were forced to find a doctor who could hide us while he tended to our wounds."
"And did you steal...?"
"No. We only took what was ours, and that was just the clothes on our backs. We kept running until we realized no one was chasing after us. Not too long later, we were found by Kiyoko-san, and she brought us back to her clan. We've been with them ever since."