"We have to land down there" "I don't know...do we really have to?" "Lui, they are still your parents" "I can be rejected like you, right?" "Lui, the whole last year consisted of running away from your parents. You're slowly having to face your fear" "But I don't want to..." "You're not a small child anymore. Now come on." Lui sighed. "Okay...Luinor down" Luinor started to land and Fafnir followed him.
The two were on the road for two extra years. At first they only wanted to do one but Lui had always refused to see his parents again. While Free could understand his partner's insecurity, he knew that Lui couldn't run away forever. Also, he was 19 when he decided to leave, so he was old enough to know what he wanted. And honestly, what parent would despise their child just because they were looking for their soul mate? That just didn't make sense. Although Free was a bit scared of Lui's father's reaction but that was understandable.
The two dragons landed in the front yard of the Shirosagi house. Free dismounted, but Lui stayed on Luinor's back. "Bambie, don't you dare" "What? No...Of course not..." Free sighed and climbed onto the silver dragon. "Free, don't do anything rash!" The blonde wrapped his arms around his partner's body and slid off Luinor with Lui in his grip. "Free! Stop!" "No, you wanted to run away again but not with me!" De La Hoya carried the smaller one toward the front door. "No! Free! Let's talk about it again" But Shirosagi's entreaties and pleas fell on deaf ears. Free didn't let go of him. Even when they stood in front of the door, he still held the blue-haired. Free rang the bell while Lui kept trying to escape even though he knew it wasn't working.
When the door opened, the blue-haired young man closed his eyes. He didn't want to see whoever had opened the door for them. When nobody said anything, the blonde nudged his soulmate. "Say hello to your mother" Lui wanted to act like a stubborn toddler but he knew that Free had him under control. He opened his eyes slightly and saw his mom's purple eyes. Lui didn't know if and what to say...He had been gone for 2 years...Hadn't contacted her or anyone else for 2 years. What did she think about him? Was she angry? Disappointed? Did she even want to see him again?
As Terra took her son in his arms, he knew how she really felt. "Mom..." "It's so nice to know you're okay...I was worried..." Lui didn't know how to react. But the tears found their way on their own. He hugged his mother tightly and was glad to be home again. "Everything's okay?" "Yes...all good" Lui wiped away his tears. Free put his hands on Lui's shoulders. "See? Wasn't that bad after all" "Oh shut up" "Oh Free, it's nice to see you're here too and that you're fine too" "Lui was always ready to help me, so mo surprise that I'm doing great" "I told you to be quiet!" "Come in. You must be tired. Are you hungry?" "Mom, we're old enough to take care of ourselves" "Thanks, but we've already eaten, but I wouldn't mind a nap" "That's typical..." "Says the glutton" "I warn you, Free De La Hoya" "I'm not afraid of people who are shorter than me" "But you should!" Free approached Lui and picked him up. "FREE!!!" "We'll be up there then. Thanks Terra" Free went up while Lui desperately tried to get away from him. "Are you giving up?" "No! I never give up!" Free entered Lui's room and threw the smaller one on the bed. Then he climbed over the blue-haired and looked at him. "Are you sure?" "Yes!" Lui tried to get the upper hand but Free was stronger. "Just accept that I'm stronger" "No!" Shirosagi really tried everything to get the blonde away but it didn't work. Frustrated, Lui finally let it go and accepted his loss to Free. Noticing his small partner giving up, De La Hoya smiled and leaned down. "Nice that we agree~" He kissed the smaller one, which Lui replied, slightly annoyed. "That's pretty frustrating for you, isn't it?" Lui didn't say anything, just looked away.
Free lay down next to Lui and took him in his arms. "Oh Bambie. You're cute when you're annoyed" "Oh shut up and let me sleep" Lui turned his back to Free. "I thought you didn't want to sleep" Lui didn't say anything. "Okay sleep well Bambie" Free pulled the little one closer and then fell asleep. Shirosagi looked back for a moment, smiled slightly and then fell asleep as well.
Only towards evening did Lui wake up. Free was still lying next to him, asleep. The boy really could sleep all day. Lui rolled onto his stomach and nudged Free on the cheek. "Free? Wake up" Nothing. "Free?" Again nothing. "Free!" Just a grumble. "Free, you lazy sack, get up!" Lui hit him lightly on the cheek. "What's wrong...? I'm tired, let me sleep..." "If you sleep now, you'll be up half the night. Come on now, Free. Get up, I'm hungry" "But I'm not, so leave me alone..." "Free De La Hoya, get up now!" "Otherwise what?" "Otherwise I'll pull you out of bed" "Do what you can't help yourself" Lui growled. Free was a great person, no doubt about that, but the boy was so exhausting at times, especially when it came to sleeping. Shirosagi got up and grabbed the blonde's arm to pull him off the bed. With a jerk, Lui pulled the older one in his direction. "Come on" Lui tugged on Free's arm again and managed to pull the older one half out of bed. But instead of getting up, Free was still half asleep. Shirosagi took a deep breath. He grabbed the blonde's leg and pulled him completely out of bed. When De La Hoya made contact with the ground, he finally woke up. "Ow! What was that for?!" "Otherwise you wouldn't have gotten up!" Free sat up and rubbed his back and tailbone where he roughly landed on. "Nevertheless it wasn't necessary to pull me out of bed" "Yes it was. And now come on"
The two went down to the kitchen together to make something to eat. By the looks of it, Terra had cooked for the two of them in the meantime. After heating up their food, they entered the dining room. Lui stopped abruptly, causing Free to almost run into him. At first he was confused, but when he looked over Lui's shoulder and saw his father, he understood his partner's reaction. "Oh! Lui, Free, you're awake. Come to us." Lui wanted to go back to his room, but Free was blocking one way and his father was sitting right next to the other. And Shirosagi knew that his boyfriend wasn't going to let him escape. "Lui?" Lui looked at the blonde. "Let's sit down and eat at the dining table" Lui sighed softly and walked on. Free followed him and the two took a seat at the other end of the table. When the smaller one saw the other's smile, he was glad that Free didn't force him to sit closer to his parents. "So you two, tell me. Where have you been?" Lui looked at his partner, who was also looking at him. The blue-haired understood pretty quickly that Free wanted him to answer. "Time here, time there" "That means what exactly?" "That we were just somewhere" "Where for example" "Just somewhere in the world" "It would be very helpful if you explained to your mother exactly where you were" "What are you even interfering with?!" Lui looked at his father annoyed. He hated this man, you couldn't ignore that. "How do you talk to your father?" "Just the way I want it. Because I'm a separate person, in case you still haven't understood that!" "You don't have the right to talk to me like that" "Neither do you, so shut up!" "Lui!" "No, I'm tired that he still doesn't understand that I'm not his puppet and that I live my life the way I want to. I said it clearly 2 years ago! I don't care about the shit that I was forced to learn and do through him and stay with Free. He has known me for 4 years and better than who my father is supposed to be" "Don't talk nonsense, Lui. Your father only wants the best for you" "But has he ever wondered if that's what I want? Does he really know what's best and what I really want? No, of course not. Why should he? He never cared about me. You said it yourself. As soon as I was born, he was gone. The next time he showed up was when I was almost a year! I really don't understand why you stick by him. When was he ever there for us? When Grandma died, he wasn't even at the funeral, even though she was his mother! Whenever we needed him, he was never there. When he was there, he just scolded me and let you take care of him 24/7. Has he ever been interested in how we are really doing? Do you think I never noticed how you were on the phone in the evening and were crying? Do you really think I hate him just like that or because he yells at me for every little mistake? I haven't had any sympathy for this man for a long time so I don't care how he treats me but you're not like that and every time I see how unhappy you are, it makes me even angrier!"
Lui was so angry he couldn't contain his feelings. He just had to let out whatever was too much for him and he did.
"In the end it was all about you becoming something...that you lead a carefree life and that you have made provisions for your future" "I know and the thought of it is not wrong either, but you try that I can do it, what you didn't manage but I'm just not like you. I make my own decisions about what I want in my life and what I don't want and all I want now is to have Free by my side and to build a future together with him. I know that he loves me and I love him, which is why I want to spend as much time with him as I can. I also promised him that here he will learn everything he wants and I keep my promises" Lui looked at Free, who smiled. Shirosagi returned his partner's smile a little. "I want to be me... With my abilities, strengths but also weaknesses, because that's how I am and no different. I still want to study, that won't change anything, but I also want to support Free. Only when I'm sure that he's happy with what he's doing, I can still do my degree and study, but right now my relationship with Free is my top priority and you have to accept that, whether you like it or not" Lui grabbed his boyfriend's hands and immediately his heart raced like crazy. Having Free so close was just wonderful. The blonde was everything to him and he would do anything for him. The love he had for Free was immeasurable. Free returned these feelings by gently squeezing Shirosagi's hands. The two were so damn in love and it showed on them. De La Hoya softly whispered the words "I love you too" in Lui's direction, making the blue-haired smile even more.
"I can't say I'm pleased with your decision. It's good that you've found your soul mate, but I don't understand why you put his needs ahead of yours." "I'm not surprised. You're not even trying." Lui got up. "For me, this conversation is over. Come on Free" Free got up as well. "I'm right behind you" The two young men left the dining room and went into Lui's room. When Free noticed that Lui hadn't moved an inch after closing the door, he went to him and took him in his arms. Lui immediately hugged the blonde and was grateful for his support. "I hate him! I hate him so much" "I know...that's why I'm so proud of you..." Lui closed his eyes and enjoyed his partner's closeness. "I don't want to stay here anymore..." "I can understand...No matter where you go, I'll go with you" "I really appreciate that..." Free smiled and kissed Lui gently on the hairline . "I'm always by your side"
The next morning the two were in town having breakfast. As Lui said the night before, they went in search of a suitable school for Free, where at least the basics of writing, arithmetic and reading were learned. Although he could already do the simple things, since he had learned a few things from Lui, he needed at least a basic education in order to get a job. "Here, that's perfect. Right next to the university where I'm studying." Lui showed Free the site. "Sounds good. Then we can always meet up afterwards" "If there's time, yes" "If there is time?" "Just because our schools are next to each other doesn't mean that we finish at the same time. You can finish earlier or I can" "But that's stupid" Lui smiled. "If necessary, we can also meet somewhere. There is a coffee shop nearby, it would be a good place to meet. In the meantime, we can also do homework." "As long as we can be together" "There will always be a way, lunch break for example, we can go eat there together" "Like a date?" "Something like that, just with less time and romance" "Well, the main thing is that we are together and I can see you from time to time" "Well, we can take a look at the school beforehand and register you there if you like it" "Sounds like a plan" The two paid for their breakfast and made their way to Lui's home.
"What I haven't even asked you yet, how was it actually on your island? Didn't you ever learn anything there?" "Yeah, but it's not like it is here. Besides, I'm a special case because of the son of the chief of the tribe and all that" "And how was that? Tell me about it" "There's not much to tell" " Then just tell me about your family. Who are your parents? How did you grow up? What was your everyday life like?" Free thought for a moment before beginning to speak.
"My parents are amazing people, especially my mother. I've always looked up to her, she was my role model. Her name is Abelia, she's a wonderful woman. I got most of my looks from her. The blonde hair, the dark eyes...when I left the island it was difficult to look at myself in the mirror as I always saw her but now it pleases me. She is forever in my heart. She is a doctor so she taught me a lot about medicinal herbs, ointments, medicine and such, for which I'm really grateful. I learned a lot from my father too. As you know, he is the chief of our tribe, Agni. From him I learned the most important things, like hunting, fishing, starting fires and above all having a very open but dignified demeanor, just what a tribal chief needs, according to my father. At the same time I was tutored by the tribal elder. I also learned to read and to write the language of our ancestors. So my day was often just studying, it wasn't until I got older that I got more free time to take care of Fafnir and live my own life. The memories I have of my childhood are wonderful but unfortunately it wasn't always like that..."
Lui noticed that Free wasn't feeling well. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to" "No...I want to tell you..." Lui took Free's hands in his and held them tight. "I...I...You have to understand I didn't mean to..." Free had never been so frantic. "Hey, it's okay. No matter what happened, you're not a bad person and I love you even after you told me." The blonde nodded. "I killed...a...child...I really didn't mean to...It was an accident...It was behind a bush...And I was hunting...And then...They celebrated me for it...I killed my first human from the outside...It was an innocent child who had no parents anymore...I didn't want it...It was so cruel...They wanted Fafnir to eat the body but I was able to stop them from forcing Fafnir to do so...I don't know what happened to the body but its blood was used to draw the symbol on my forehead during the ceremony...And even then...my accidental murder was glorified...I felt so gross and guilty...I'm so sorry..."
Lui pulled Free towards him and put his arms around him. "I'm so sorry...that you had to see and experience something like that..." "I was almost a child myself..." "And you should never have experienced something like that, but it was an accident and that's why I don't blame you. I love you anyway, I promise you." The blond nodded slightly. "I really didn't want to remind you of something like that..." "It's okay...that's part of my life...whether on purpose or not..." Lui gently stroked the blond hair. Free took Shirosagi's free hand and laced their fingers together.
They had probably both experienced things in their past that had shaped them.
"Hey...Would you like to go on a little trip? Not very far but so that you can think about something else?" "Yes, why not...I think a trip would definitely do me good now" "Yes, I knew that and that's why I, your super boyfriend, also made this suggestion" Free laughed a little. "What would I do without my Super Boyfriend?" Lui grinned and the two mounted their kites. "Ready Luinor? Then up" Luinor rose into the air. "Fafnir" Fafnir also got up and the two dragons fly off. "Where do you want to go?" "It doesn't matter, does it? The main thing is to be free, isn't that what you live by?" Free laughed a little again. "That's right. Well then, let's fly. Whoever gets over the sea first will be invited to dinner by the loser." "That's not fair. You had a head start" Luinor chased after Fafnir and the four made a race. More and more out towards the sea, because Lui definitely didn't accept his unfair defeat. The next goal of the race was the next island. They flew and flew, overtaking each other and trying to be on the next island before the other.
"There's the island! Whoever lands first is the winner" Luinor headed for the island.
"Free, stop him"
"What? Why?"
"This is Sola Island...our home"
"Wait, what?!"
"Wait! Lui!" But Lui continued to fly towards the island. "LUI! THIS IS NO FUN! COME BACK" But Free was unsuccessful in stopping his partner.
Fafnir let out a loud roar and managed to warn the silver dragon of the danger. Luinor flew higher, which didn't please Lui. "Hey! Play fair!" "You can't get any closer to the island" "Why not? Am I dying?" Lui laughed a little. "Yes" But his laughter suddenly stopped. "What was that?" Luinor flew up to Fafnir and Lui looked at his partner. "Is that a joke so you can win?" "No...I'm not kidding...That one...is Sola Island...Anyone who gets too close to the island dies..." "That down there...is Sola Island...your home?" Free nodded slightly.
"This is a joke, right?" "It isn't...The tall trees...The shape of the island...Fafnir's fear...This is Sola Island, I know that. We mustn't get too close or we might get killed" "I don't know if I can believe you" "I believe Fafnir. After all, spirit animals know where their homeland is. I can hear him and he warns me not to approach the island"
Lui looked at Luinor.
"What are you saying?"
"I can definitely sense Fafnir's fear, but from the island I don't sense any danger. Maybe it's because we don't know the seriousness of the situation. I think we'd better stay away...Fafnir's panic is always serious to take as he rarely panics"
"Okay, I trust you"
"Can we at least fly over the island for a moment? After that we can fly back again." Free didn't know what to make of it. "Only for a moment, please Free" "Okay but you stay close to me and far away from the island" "Promise" "Okay Fafnir, slow down, okay?" Fafnir wasn't sure.
"Are you sure?"
"Not really"
"Okay but really just for a moment...I don't want anything to happen to you"
"I know..."
Fafnir took off slowly, Luinor following him. Although Lui looked down, everything was only covered by the treetops. "Can you see anything other than trees?" Free also had his eyes down, but unlike Lui, he could see the imminent danger. "We're flying back" "But, that wasn't even a minute" "Lui!" "It's okay" Luinor and Fafnir heaved to. "Follow me, this is the quickest way" The golden dragon took off, followed by its partner. "Did you...see something?" "The residents, they're following us" "What?!" Lui looked down and indeed, on closer inspection, he could see people who were following them. "I thought they don't do anything unless we're too close" "They don't either...But they follow you to make sure we don't get too close after all" "And when are we too close to them?" Free looked down. "Fly higher" "Okay" Lui ordered his kite to fly higher. Free stayed down and kept track. "Fafnir, fly up"
Just as he was giving the order for the golden dragon to fly high, Fafnir flinched. "Fafnir!" The blond could see the arrow in his dragon's wing. "Shit...Fafnir, we have to go up...can you make it?" Fafnir tried to get up, but more and more arrows from the locals hit the golden dragon. It went so fast and the two flew towards the ground of the island. "FREE!"