A/N: This is the last part of this long thing and wow was this a ride. More of a conclusion from all of Hiroki's grief and Nowaki feeling helpless at the fact that he can't do anything. There will be a few characters making appearances and this will end at a good note. I originally wanted to make this more dark but I'm liking the way this ended.

You can ask me questions if you're still confused about some of the things in this fic. I hope I tied some loose ends in this long chapter. Either way, I have no problem in answering questions! :)

Thank you all so much for reading and tell me what you think.

-Lucicelo

Whispers in the Darkness (Part Two)

The slap echoed through the whole room.

Hiroki touched his bruised cheek as his mother screeched and shaking her closed fists. "How dare you reject this new prospect?! She was perfect! Now I have to go explain to her parents on why you didn't present yourself to the meeting!" Without giving him time to answer, she continued on. "Stop with this supposed husband of yours. He is not real! You are such a dis-"

"Yes he is!" Hiroki glared at her silhouette as he rubbed his aching skin. "I love him. I married him under the gaze of our families. People who are better than you." Raising his voice only unwrapped more of her wrath. It wasn't worth it.

"You disgusting disgrace! How dare you say this to me!"

Hiroki rubbed his cheek and straightened himself up. "You can't do a thing to stop me. You are not marrying me off just so you can parade the fact you are connected to a strong family."

"Yes, you will." She gritted out in indignation. "You will not embarrass me. I did everything a mother should do to raise her child. You have to do what I say without talking back to me."

"I am twenty-eight!" Hiroki told her as he tried controlling the volume of his voice. "Married for a whole year and he still loves me. I'm much happier than you are with my father if you are pushing these women onto me." He dodged a lamp thrown at his head and it shattered on the wall. "You don't even deny it. You know it is true. He doesn't give a damn about you."

"Shut up you disgrace!"

The sound of a gong went off through the whole room.

Hiroki gritted his teeth as he covered his ears. The sound made his body vibrate and him dizzy from the noise. He thought the room spun all around him and he tried blocking everything out. He crouched on his knees. His head split from the repetition and it didn't relent. Looking up, he saw his mother standing tall. Her form hidden with the shadows of the room. She had no indications of hearing the gong.

Another hit. Hiroki shut his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows. Each time either one of his parents visited, he heard those ear splitting sounds. When the mail got delivered to his door, he heard them as well. Anything provoked those instances of torture. He assumed he had something wrong with his mind. No one around him noticed anything different.

Complete silence was what he wanted.

"Stop hunching like that and face me!"

"Quiet!" Hiroki cried as he kept his eyes shut. "Go away! Cut me out of your life, I don't give a damn. Just leave me alone!"

"How dare yo-"

Hiroki grabbed remnants of the broken lamp and threw them without a care. "Can't you listen! Go away!"

Nowaki didn't have to search for his husband for long. He located Hiroki in the library. This was one of the many places he found him slumbering. He was slumped over his usual reading desk, his face on the book. There was a stack right next to his head which Nowaki moved a few inches away. The height made it a hazard. In Nowaki's eyes it was a danger since it could had fallen on Hiroki. Not that they did any damages. He sighed as he brushed Hiroki's bangs from his forehead. His hand curled around Hiroki's shoulder and shook him without too much force.

Hiroki's eyes snapped open in fear. His hand formed into a fist as his body shook. He didn't notice the different atmosphere he opened his eyes into. Lost in a daze, he launched a fury of punches to the person who dared to touch him. In his panic, he didn't recognize the person in front of him. His ears blocked from his fury of thoughts. He thought he heard someone telling him to stop but he kept on punching.

Nowaki didn't panic as he dodged Hiroki's fists. Each time Hiroki woke up from a real bad dream, he actually hit himself. He never hit anyone else. No one else caught him when he was asleep. He made sure to inform the staff about knocking and asking before the door. They had to wait until Hiroki responded before entering. He wasn't questioned over it. It was normal procedure. Although, he used to let them come and go from inside of his room.

After married life, he told them to resume this notion. He didn't want anyone to catch him in the throes of passion with his husband. Also, it helped Hiroki with his nightmares. He would had felt mortification over someone catching him on his weak side.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice the fist coming to his face. Hiroki managed contact. Nowaki held his reddening cheek. His eyes wide as he tried not to react strongly in front of him. He knew Hiroki didn't mean to hit him. In all honesty, it was a tap. Nothing throbbed in his cheek or ached. He rubbed the area a bit before taking his hand off. Reaching out, he held Hiroki's hands in a firm grip.

"Hiro-san!" Nowaki exclaimed, in an exasperated tone he snapped. "Hiroki!"

Hiroki came to his senses as he looked up. "N-Nowaki?" His eyes widened when he saw the small bruise on Nowaki's cheek.

Nowaki tried to smile but it turned into an awkward one. "Hiro-san..."

Hiroki felt utter embarrassment. His face went bright red. He thought he hit the woman who called herself his mother. To have actually made contact with one of the people who darkened his life. Looking at his hands, he saw no cuts from the tight grip he held those broken pieces. They were flawless. No blemish or bruising. He was back in his dreams and his actions had consequences.

He hit Nowaki. Nowaki's face had the small bruise to prove it.

His hands trembled. Nothing made sense. Everything in his dreamland exuded happiness. He tried his hardest not to do anything which would disrupt the natural flow. The luck he acquired in this world had not failed him.

Hiroki gritted his teeth and hid his eyes with his bangs. He ruined everything. After this, his world would crumble and he would return back. He didn't want to go back. With all of his strength, he snatched his hands away from Nowaki. Then, he ran off in shame. The door hitting the wall in a slam.

Nowaki followed after him. No hesitation as he went on a full sprint. His long legs made him catch up to Hiroki as they went inside of the garden. He couldn't lose Hiroki without talking to him first. One of the first problems they had were from lack of communication. They still had this problem. He couldn't let Hiroki close up on him once again.

"Hiro-san! Wait come back!" Nowaki ran after him through the maze of roses. "I'm not mad! Please stop!"

Hiroki slowed down and looked back. His eyes wide with fear as Nowaki reached out his hand and placed it onto his shoulder. Hiroki averted his eyes and couldn't look at him. This made Nowaki's heart ache.

"Hiro-san...I am not mad." He turned him around and placed his hands on Hiroki's shoulders. "Trust me, it felt like a tap."

"But that bruise..."

"A bruise." Nowaki touched his cheeks and felt it on his left side. "Hiro-san, you went for my right side."

"That isn't making me feel better."

"This one," Nowaki presented his left side while giving Hiroki full eye contact. "I got this morning during my time with my sword instructor. He caught me off guard and he knocked me over."

"Don't lie to me." Hiroki muttered.

Nowaki rubbed Hiroki's shoulders. "I'm not. Have I lied to you?"

"No..." Hiroki placed his forehead on Nowaki's chest. "I'm so sorry...I was still out of it and-"

Nowaki pressed a kiss on top of Hiroki's head as he wrapped his arms around him. "You don't have to say anymore."

He needed to go visit Hiroki's parents.

This had to stop.

"Nowaki!" Fuyumi kissed his cheeks before giving him a hug. "How nice of you to visit us. I'm so sorry we took a bit to come answer you. The staff have the weekend off and we were all the way at the end of the manor. Come in, come in." She moved out of the way and Nowaki came right inside. "Soshi has already prepared some tea so we have something to offer."

"There's no need." Nowaki told Fuyumi as he walked alongside her. "I have been meaning to ask you two some questions but my duties have prevented me from coming to visit. Before it comes up, Hiro-san has taken a trip to the hot springs outside of the kingdom. He needed a break after such a hectic week. It seems like he never sleeps so I told him to go ahead without me."

"After such a huge celebration, Hiroki tires out so quickly. He's not one for such long exposure to people." Fuyumi processed Nowaki's sentence as he frowned. "He doesn't sleep?"

"Well...I'll tell you all about it when we are all together." Nowaki rubbed his palms. "Do you have any plans for the day?"

"Not at all! We have all the time to spend with you." Fuyumi informed Nowaki as she opened the door to the main area.

Entering inside, Soshi closed his book and placed it on the table in front of him. "What a surprise. You never come around this area." Nowaki walked toward him and shook his hand." It's no fun now that you are not afraid of me."

Nowaki chuckled with nervousness. "Ah...I still sort of am."

"Good." Soshi had a satisfied air to him.

Fuyumi walked toward them and motioned Nowaki to the seat across from. "Sit, let me serve you some tea." Before Nowaki could object, she handed him a cup with a small plate underneath.

Nowaki sat down on his seat, before he asked anything he cleared his throat. "Has Hiro-san always had nightmares?"

Fuyumi and Soshi turned to him with wide eyes.

"You..you know about them?" Fuyumi uttered as he fiddled with her fingers. "H-How?"

Nowaki answered. "We share the same bed. It was not hard to figure out when he falls asleep in my arms. In a really bad one, he always hurts himself in some way. A few days ago he hit my face but it wasn't that hard. Why does he have so many nightmares? Did something happen to him when he was little? Please, I can't figure this out on my own. Whenever I try to ask, he blocks me out."

Soshi muttered. "I thought...I thought he was over them..shit."

Fuyumi placed her hand on her husband's arm with a frown. "We have to tell him. It's not like Hiroki has believed us whenever we tried telling him the truth. Those nightmares warped his mind to believe..."

Soshi licked his lips. "I know dearest." Soshi glanced over at Nowaki when he told him. "Hiroki...Hiroki is cursed."

Nowaki almost dropped the cup he held in his hands but he kept a good grip on it. "C-Cursed? How? By who?"

Soshi averted his eyes in shame. "It was my fault."

Fuyumi kissed her teeth. "No. It was that blasted wizard who couldn't take rejection with grace. I keep telling you not to blame yourself." Her eyebrows furrowed. "You see Nowaki, a wizard proposed to me when I was in courtship with Soshi. Our fathers were best friends so that family must had thought a marriage was evident between us. My father never discouraged those rumors. The wizard insisted with gifts and presenting his magic as a means to trump my husband's offers." She held Soshi's hand. "I was already in love with Soshi so I rejected him without a second thought."

Soshi cleared his throat. "In the end, he cursed me. Nothing happened for years so we thought he bluffed just to scare us. When Hiroki was born, the problems started. He slept well but he woke up screaming or crying from his nightmares. This happened every single time he went to sleep. He claimed we were not his parents when he started to speak. After he grew older, he did everything in his power to not disobey us. Granted, I am a strict man but I never lifted a hand against him in reprimand."

Fuyumi blinked back her tears. "We thought...maybe leaving this home would help him get rid of his fears. Since you had not complained about Hiroki, we assumed this curse had a time limit. This was why we never talked about it with you."

"He knows about this curse right?" Nowaki inquired. "Please tell me he knows."

"We tried explaining everything to him ever since he was a child. Each time, he yelled at us or closed himself from everyone. He wouldn't look or speak to us for days." Soshi rubbed his temples. "That boy has aged me much quicker from all of my worrying."

Fuyumi added in. "And we have tried asking different wizards to help us. We pleaded their help and they turned us away even when we offered them money. The wizard who cursed my husband comes from a great and honorable line. They wouldn't dare mess with anything pertaining to their magic. After what happened with Hiroki..we never attempted to add more children. Most of our time was making sure Hiroki had the most peaceful life."

Nowaki sighed. "I didn't think Hiro-san..had something so serious." His face hardened. "But placing curses through the method that wizard placed on you was low. He must had known you two planned children and hit it where it hurt you both." He turned to both of them. "How many wizards have you tried asking for help?"

Fuyumi's eyes widened in shock. "Nowaki, there is no way you can find someone. The wizarding society rarely opens up to help anyone. I don't know about the status now after a few decades but I don't think it changed."

"I will offer whoever I find anything I have anything they desire. Money is no object to me." Nowaki explained as he placed his cup on the table. "I know first hand that money changes minds. I will do everything in my power to make Hiro-san have some peace."

Soshi nodded his head. "Let me find the old list I have of these wizards, I left some of them crossed out. They might help you."

"Eh?" Nowaki watched him walk out of the room in a hurry. "You have two a list?"

Fuyumi took a long gulp of her tea before she responded. "I remembered the names of wizarding families when my father still associated with them. We didn't visit some of those families because Hiroki's health declined. It lasted for a few years and it didn't relent so we gave up on the chase. Hiroki needed us both here in the kingdom. We had to take care of him."

Nowaki declared. "I will do everything in my power to help him. Trust me."

"We do." Fuyumi told him as she rubbed her hands together. "Maybe Hiroki can stay here with us for the meantime?"

Nowaki smiled. "I'm sure he will feel better with you two than by himself at the castle. A majority will be gone for that huge ball in the next kingdom and my parents are off in negotiations. He needs people who know him well."

Soshi returned and handed Nowaki an old piece of parchment. A whole list of names were crossed out, the ones of the bottom were left clean. Nowaki looked through the names and recognized some of them. A name popped out in particular.

He heard of one wizard from this family. This man had gotten banished years earlier due to marrying a different person than the family intended for him. He lived a solitary life where the only way to find his home was through hearsay.

Hiroki was worth going through all of this work.

Days later, Nowaki pulled out his favorite trunk and placed it beside his bed. He took out his comfortable clothing and his usual overdecorated clothing. Folding them in alignment on the bed, he grabbed one pair of boots other than the ones he wore. He had packed some gold in two smaller ones. A few minutes before he came in his bedroom he had some staff take them to the carriage.

He grinned when the door opened with a creak, "Welcome back," He added his clothes inside of his trunk and moved them around in the right places. "I thought you were going to read in the rose garden until breakfast."

"I got word from one of the staff that you were leaving." Hiroki stated and Nowaki nervously laughed. "Why? This is really sudden of you to do. You have nothing to do outside the kingdom from my knowledge."

Nowaki pressed down his clothes with his weight. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you yesterday. I have some business with some acquaintances. They might come back with me to visit." He shut his trunk and made sure it stayed closed. "I will try to get back as soon as possible." Grinning at Hiroki, he reached out his hand and Hiroki placed his hand on his palm. "You can stay with your parents, I visited them the other day and they said they missed having you back."

Hiroki scoffed as he squeezed Nowaki's hand. "They were grinning ear to ear when I moved out to marry you. It seemed they were happy to get me out of their home. I don't blame them, I was a pain."

"They were happy for you. Besides, we are supposed to cause our parents some headaches. It happens." Nowaki kissed the back of Hiroki's hand. "You know...my parents were thrilled when I married you." Hiroki arched a brow. "I never showed interest in anyone and then you came along. They knew I was in love after I continued on talking about you. They still tease me about it to this day."

Hiroki quirked his lips up. "I thought it was my job to tease you about the embarrassing stuff you did before we got married."

Nowaki pulled Hiroki into his arms with a blush. "Then, I can do the same and you can't complain about it."

"You have a good point there," Hiroki got on his toes and kissed Nowaki. "How long do you think you will be gone?"

"Maybe a week? It depends on how long it takes me to find these people. They tend to travel around so I might have to ask in each town."

"It seems like too much work for some people you don't even know." Hiroki commented as Nowaki rubbed his sides and settled on his hips. "Can't these people just come over here themselves?"

Nowaki shrugged his shoulders. "I can't send letters to a non-existent address. It's better to talk to them in person anyway. Besides, you can see this as an opportunity to have a small vacation from me. What do you think?"

"Then, I'll go back home. I might as well annoy the old head cook for old times sake. That old fart will hate me by the time I have to leave." Nowaki tried not to laugh and hid his face in Hiroki's neck. "Are you leaving right now or later on in the afternoon?"

Nowaki answered. "Someone will come in here to take my trunk in the carriage after breakfast." Twirling Hiroki around, he pushed him onto the bed. "So no one will come in here." He winked with a suggestive grin. "I told them we would go in the kitchen together when I was ready. No one will come interrupt us."

Hiroki grabbed a fistful of Nowaki's shirt, "Then, let's be quick about it. I'm not going to take a chance in someone barging into the room. We have horrible luck in the smallest brushes of affection in daylight." He flipped them over and he had his hands on Nowaki's slacks. "I'm not that hungry for breakfast anyway."

Hiroki covered his ears as a malicious laugh echoed through the room. He crouched down onto the floor as he tried to make himself small. It grew louder. The chairs in what he called his classroom, quivered from the impact. Students sat on their desks, their hands continued on writing. Their attention focused on the unvoiced words they wrote on their papers. He wanted to scream at them. Make them react to the noise which made him want to bash his head open. Nothing made them turn their heads to his direction.

Footsteps came close to him as he peeked over his shoulder. He saw the silhouette of a tall man with a wicked smile. A smile which almost presented all of his teeth. He took off his hat and mockingly bowed. Hiroki's face hardened when he recognized the clothing. The blackest suit which almost blended in with his grey world. The sharp white accents made it pop out. The one person he never wanted to see. His father.

"You should accept our proposals. That would make all of this misery go away."

"Quiet!" Hiroki snarled as he glared at him. "Never."

His smile grew bigger which made Hiroki gulp. "I can make your life even worse. Don't test me. I have given you plenty of chances since you turned into a teenager." The bells rang and Hiroki flinched. "Ah...before I forget." He opened his jacket and threw more envelopes in front of Hiroki's feet. "A new shipment of suitable women for you."

Hiroki grabbed onto them and threw them at his father's body. "I will not pick one. Go back to that miserable wife of yours."

This made his father's smile falter. Hiroki got up on his feet and watched the man disappear from his sight. He appeared in front of his body seconds later. Hiroki made a strong front as his father curled his hand around his throat. Constricting his airways and his eyes water. He was lifted off of his feet and he panicked as he thrashed around. This made the grip even harder.

"Stop struggling. Useless child. Do your duty before I get nasty." He growled as his nails dug in Hiroki's neck. "I have been really patient with you. More patient than I should have been. I don't care if you get old and wrinkled, you will submit."

Hiroki stopped struggling as he concentrated on trying to get air inside of his lungs. He managed to keep himself together when he saw that evil smile. Nothing bode well for him whenever this man located him. He missed having Soshi pat his shoulder or ruffle his hair. The man who didn't once hurt him in any shape or form.

He shouldn't had left his home for work.

As it turned out, the wizard wasn't hard to find. It took lesser days than Nowaki expected. He found him through a bar which was located a few towns away from the kingdom. The wizard frequented the place on the weekends. The bar keep gave him an extensive map on where to locate the wizard's home. He had accompanied him back home when he drank enough to fall asleep on the bar. His spouse didn't come pick him up half the time so the bar keep had to do it. It was no big deal on his end. The wizard didn't cause him any trouble unlike other patrons he had coming through his doors.

Nowaki held the map with one hand while he held the reins of his horse with the other. He had two guards on each side of him. A carriage followed right behind them with some of his belongings, most of the trunks filled with gold. He needed something to sway the wizard to help him. Although, from the testimony of the owner of the bar, the wizard helped out people. No matter the problem, he didn't reject a job. There were times he rejected an offer.

Nowaki hoped he wasn't one of the unlucky ones.

A banished wizard had nothing to lose. He didn't adhere to the guidelines of the wizarding family they were born under. They were free to use their magic in whatever matter they chose. Nowaki looked on the bright side, the man had a lot of positive feedback.

When the cottage came into view, Nowaki held back the urge to make his horse gallop. Gulping, he maneuvered his horse in the right matter and stopped in front of the home. He stared at the ivy covered cottage, the map scrunching in his hand. Nervousness filled him but he braved it out as he hopped off of his horse. He went to the door. Giving a good knock, he waited there while his guards stopped right beside his steed.

The door opened and a young blond man met his eyes. He observed him with scrutinizing eyes and Nowaki kept his face unfazed. Having walked through plenty of people who judged him, this young man didn't make him quiver. He seemed too young. The wizard he heard about was decades older. This young man didn't seem like he had any magical training whatsoever.

"Excuse me, Miyagi-san lives here right?" Nowaki inquired as his guards moved beside him. "I need to inquire him about some personal business. I will give him compensation if he agrees."

The guards presence made the young man's eyes widen as he snapped. "What do you want with him? He has not done anything wrong. He won't do any illegal shit for you either."

Nowaki raised his hand up and told him. "We are not here to arrest him." He turned to them. "Please, back away a little bit and stay out here."

"But your highness, we cannot do that. We have to stay near you at all times." One of the guards said.

"I'll be fine." Nowaki informed them as he turned the young man with a tender smile. "Please inform Miyagi-san that Prince Nowaki Kusama is here to see him."

"Yeah right, you're not the damn prince." He gave Nowaki a once over and noticed his intricate outfit. "..You're the actual prince aren't you?" Nowaki nodded his head, "I'll go get him." He bowed before he hurried away from the front door.

He was far away when the guards snickered. Nowaki covered his mouth with the back of his hand. At times, he laughed too hard and the young man might get offended.

A dark haired man walked through one of the doors with the younger man holding his arm. "Shinobu-chin, there is no way he is here. Besides, what the hell would he want with me?"

Shinobu huffed. "I am not delusional. He is at the door."

Nowaki coughed in his fist to get their attention. "Excuse me, I'm sorry for the intrusion but I need a favor. I will try not to take too much of your time." Both of them whipped their heads toward the entrance.

"Told you!" Shinobu slapped Miyagi on the shoulder.

Miyagi's eyes widened as he immediately bowed. "Welcome, your highness" He straightened up and pointed out the guards behind Nowaki. "Do they have to be in here?"

Nowaki shook his head. "Not at all." He put up his hand as he walked inside and the closed door automatically.

"No offence, but I don't really trust guards." Miyagi waved his hand. "Bad experience in the neighboring kingdom. Anyway, follow me." He patted Shinobu's head as he walked into a highly decorated room.

Nowaki followed Miyagi without a question. He quickly glanced at all of the trinkets in the room. He stopped in the middle, watching Miyagi get up on a floating chair. This made him do a double take. He had not watched much magic in his life so it still instilled wonder. His family never had anyone who had magical properties. A true rarity for him to witness magic.

Miyagi summoned a pipe into his hand. He lit it up with a snap of his fingers and blew a line of smoke in the air. A simple mixture of herbs without tobacco. Shinobu had complained about the stench many times for him to switch. He went into the persona of a wise wizard. The atmosphere from the possessions he had from his travels made it all grander.

Shinobu rolled his eyes at the display when he said, "Make sure not to make shit explode this time." He shut the door, leaving them alone in the room.

"Explode?" Nowaki inquired in confusion. "Have you-"

Miyagi laughed with vigor. "He's kidding! Now...what were you going to tell me?"

Nowaki gulped. "Well...my husband is cursed." He scratched the back of his head. "More like..he got a curse transferred onto him. This wizard cursed my father-in-law due to an infatuation with my mother-in-law. I guess there was a mix up with their parents and he assumed he would marry her."

Miyagi scoffed. "All of this for a scorn love? This is something that is penalized in the code. Haven't they tried getting someone to lift it off of him?"

Nowaki shook his head. "Since this wizard was from a high ranked family, no wizard wanted to help them."

Miyagi almost dropped his pipe in shock. "Are you serious?" He furrowed his eyebrows as one name popped into his head. He groaned. "I already know which family you are talking about."

Nowaki's eyes widened, thinking Miyagi was about to reject him he bowed low to the ground. His forehead touched the ground as he begged. "Please...please lift this curse off of him. Knowing he has suffered for so many years..it is horrifying. I can't do anything to comfort him through this. I will give you anything you want. Just name it and I will bring it right away."

Miyagi put his hands up. "You misunderstand. I don't give a shit about that family. Half of my family members have married into them which is how I know their tactics. I'm surprised your mother-in-law's father actually befriended them without it benefiting those people. Did they own any lands or have a high title?"

Nowaki lifted his head up, his nervousness clear on his face. "She was set to inherit her father's lands if she married. My father-in-law moved in with her due to his brother taking rule of his lands. That wizard probably saw an opportunity to marry her for that reason."

Miyagi rubbed his chin while he twirled his pipe with his fingers. "Yes...that would do it. But to curse her intended because of the rejection. How childish. I would had assumed he would curse her instead..."

Nowaki didn't hear anything else from Miyagi as he inquired. "Are you going to help?"

Miyagi didn't hesitate to smile. "I will help, no problem!" He hopped off of his seat and landed on his feet. "I can tell you really love this guy." He crouched down and patted Nowaki's shoulder, "I am not about to sponge you out of your money so I'll charge a small fee. Although, I have to see the guy first before I tell you the exact amount."

Nowaki assured him. "Anything. I don't care how much you ask."

Miyagi scratched the back of his head. "Good thing you came to me. Most of the wizard that I have known would charge way more. Now stand up already your highness. You're making this awkward for me. Where is your beloved anyway?"

Nowaki sheepishly stood up and patted down his slacks. "He's staying with his parents."

Fuyumi almost ran out of the main room after she got the news Nowaki made it back. Halfway there, she slowed down. Lost in her thoughts, she managed to dodge one of the maids who carried a tray of food. She managed to give her a smile as she kept on walking. It made her nervous. Nowaki shouldn't have returned early. Such an extensive search required more than a month or even two months. The list her husband gave him had ten wizard families left uncrossed. There was no possible way he went to each home. Especially in such a short amount of time.

She sighed as she made a sharp left into a hallway which lead straight to the front doors. No use thinking about it. Maybe Nowaki found someone without any problems. He had a charming way he handled people. She slowed down her steps when she heard someone chuckling. When she saw Nowaki, one of her oldest staff pinched his cheeks with the biggest grin. She almost gave into laughing. Making it to the front door and caught Nowaki's embarrassed gaze.

Nowaki almost pleaded with his eyes for her to intervene. He even motioned with his eyes for her to help him out. Fuyumi made her presence known as she coughed into her hand. Hiding her smile behind her enclosed fist, her eyes still on Nowaki. A pout formed on Nowaki's face, he probably saw the amusement in her face.

The older woman turned and almost jumped in surprise at her presence. "Sachiko."

Sachiko let go of Nowaki's face and patted his shoulders. "Ah, your grace. Apologies but he has the most pinchable cheeks. A lot like my grandchildren, I couldn't help myself."

She smiled. "It's quite alright. Nowaki surely understands." Nowaki smiled as he nodded. "You are dismissed." She curtsied before she excused herself.

Fuyumi pulled Nowaki into a loose embrace. "Nowaki, welcome back. You returned faster than we expected. Did you find someone to help?"

Nowaki nodded his head with delight. "Yes, I did." Miyagi popped up beside them in his colorful robes. "This is Yoh Miyagi. He said he needed to take a look at Hiro-san before conducting anything."

Miyagi bowed. "Your grace, it's a pleasure to meet you." He adjusted the bag straps on his shoulders. "So...where is the cursed one?" He almost flinched when he saw the stricken expression on Fuyumi's face. "Sorry uh..so where is your son?"

Fuyumi bit her lip as she fiddled with her gloved hands. "Hiroki is...asleep in his room. Last night, he had a real bad one and he hasn't come out of his room since. I pass by every so often and I don't hear anything. I assume he's asleep."

"Can you lead the way?" Miyagi inquired.

"Yes, of course." Fuyumi moved out of the way as Miyagi and Nowaki entered inside.

Soshi arrived at the front lobby. "So, you came back." Out of breath, he stopped right next to his wife. "And you are?"

Miyagi bowed again. "Yoh Miyagi."

Fuyumi held her husband's hand. "I was about to lead him to Hiroki's room. He will help us." Soshi turned to Miyagi with an incredulous expression but said nothing. "Now, gentlemen..." She walked on ahead with Soshi right next to her.

Nowaki and Miyagi followed right behind them. The atmosphere went down in an instant. Each minute that passed, Miyagi felt the pressure through his bones. He shivered. The bad energy traveled toward him in waves. He rubbed his temples and concentrated on not showing his discomfort. Curses were a dozy. Depending on the level of the wizard, they leaked out bad energy which other wizards took notice.

He kept his head up and concentrated on the paintings which hung on the walls. The serene scenery made him relax. He took in deep breaths and thought of Shinobu burning cabbage back at their cabin. This almost made him snicker out loud.

When everyone stopped, Miyagi turned his head toward the door and he took a step back. "Wow..."

Fuyumi opened the door. "He's right in here."

Miyagi entered Hiroki's old bedroom, he whistled out loud when he saw the dark aura pouring out of him. "Wow, now this one is worse than I expected." He went to Hiroki's bed and hovered his hand over his body. "That curse has done a number to his mind to deteriorate the body."

Fuyumi held her husband's hand when she inquired. "Do you think you can help?"

Miyagi gave her a reassuring smile. "Give me a few hours, I will make sure to strip it out of him. I have entered into worse jobs." He pushed up his sleeves and placed his bag in the bed. "You can stand outside or go in the sitting room."

Soshi told him. "We will all stay outside of this room." Nowaki and Fuyumi nodded their head in agreement.

Miyagi cracked his knuckles. "Alright. Don't panic if you see flashes of light coming from in here."

Hiroki glanced at the light which appeared out of nowhere. He turned around and saw a new man walking through his door. One thing was different about him. He saw his whole face. Features clear as day. Full of life and confidence. He wore some tacky and ugly robes that Hiroki wondered where he came from. The bright colors clashed. No one in his life ever wore such garments.

It made Hiroki back away. Those colors made his eyes hurt and pushed him into a state of confusion. The dull grey tones dispersed which each step the man took toward him. Bringing forth the colors Hiroki saw in his dreams. All he wanted to do was run away from this man as fast as possible.

"Who the hell are you?" Hiroki sputtered out. "Get out of my house! How did you even get in?!"

"Yoh Miyagi at your service," Miyagi bowed with a grin. "Your excellency."

Hiroki's eyes widened as he put his hand behind his back to grab onto a book. "I repeat. Who are you?"

Miyagi rubbed his temples. "C'mon, your excellency, this place isn't real." Hiroki threw the book at Miyagi who waved his hand to stop it. It fell to the floor which made Hiroki back away to the wall. "Okay..that was a stupid thing of me to say...you see...I was sent here to get you."

"Sent here?"

"By your husband and your family."

Hiroki glared at him. "Did my parents send you here to screw around with me?"

"Not the parents you are used to." Miyagi said as he walked closer to Hiroki. "Fuyumi and Soshi Kamijou are your parents. Not the ones in these dreams of yours."

"Liar! This is reality. My husband and those people are in my dreams! They are too good to be real. I refuse to believe you."

Miyagi observed Hiroki from his spot and said nothing else. Putting his fingers under his chin, he rubbed the slight stubble. He didn't expect Hiroki's mind to believe these illusions. Then again, he had these nightmares since he was a child. He couldn't differentiate from what started as nightmares into reality. Having seen such cases, they got to this extreme. No one placed cursed on someone to transfer onto a child.

Chanting a few words, he took in a deep breath and moved his fingers around. Lifting up his hand, light gathered in his hands. The light spread all around his hand and he noticed the dark aura surrounding Hiroki gradually went away.

"What the-" Hiroki saw light coming from the man's fingers. "What are you doing?"

Miyagi smiled. "Kid, you need to relax. This won't work if you don't relax."

Hiroki glared at him. "I am not going to relax. Go away."

"Your excellency, the fact I am calling you by your title is evidence enough. These are dreams...well nightmares. Fuyumi and Soshi are real. Prince Nowaki Kusama is real. Your in laws are real." Hiroki slumped to the floor and stared up at him as the colors surfaced in the room. "None of this is real. I know this will take years to trust your surroundings but know you won't have these again."

"Are you sure?" Hiroki had hesitations as Miyagi crouched in front of him. "You are not screwing around with me right? I do not want to come back here. Tell me I am not crazy."

"You are not crazy, your excellency." Miyagi said firmly as he placed his glowing hand on Hiroki's head. "Nothing here will hurt you anymore. You can go back to your family without worrying about sleeping again."

"Done!" Miyagi skipped out of the room and bowed to Nowaki. "He won't have any more of those nightmares. It is all clear from his system and I added in a charm to repel anything from happening again. That took out a chunk of my energy, the person who placed this curse had a lot of power to make it last this long."

Fuyumi went past Nowaki and Soshi as she held Miyagi in her arms. "Thank you! Thank you so much! I have waited so many years to hear those words." She sobbed in his arms as Miyagi stretched out his arms when he saw Soshi's glare.

Nowaki entered the room and saw Hiroki sitting on the bed. Hiroki stared at everything in the room, pinching his arm throughout the whole time. He hurried to his side and grabbed Hiroki's hand in a tender grip. Hiroki turned his eyes toward him. Lingering on his face as he observed him. They stared at each other and didn't speak a word. Hiroki placed his quivering hand on top of Nowaki's forearm.

Using his other hand, Nowaki brushed away Hiroki's hands from his face. He noticed the visible bags under Hiroki's eyes. Hiroki always tried staying awake every single night. He heard from the staff that Hiroki stayed up in the library all night whenever he left the kingdom on his duties. This worried him but he never followed up on his concerns. Hiroki was a night owl. He did it pretty often. It wasn't an odd thing to him but his staff still voiced their opinions.

He should had investigated all of this further. Asking Hiroki's parents about his sleeping habits might had given him some insight in his life. Most of the time, he slept like a log. He didn't wake up when heavy storms went through the kingdom. Nowaki licked his chapped lips and felt so much fault. All he could do now was support Hiroki through his new life without this curse hanging over him.

Hiroki's voice broke when he asked. "Did you...know about all of this? The fact I was cursed..."

"I figured out the whole truth from your parents. They explained everything a few weeks ago on that visit I told you about." Nowaki leaned forward and kissed Hiroki's cheek. "You had me so worried. Miyagi-san assured all of us that you won't have those horrible nightmares again."

Hiroki nibbled on his bottom lip. "You can't be so sure about that..."

Nowaki gave Hiroki's hand a soft squeeze. "We just have to trust him." He sighed. "It was a good thing your father gave me his old list. I wouldn't have recognized Miyagi-san's last name otherwise."

Hiroki let out a hollow laugh. "I have to apologize..." Hiroki flinched when he heard Fuyumi's sobs. "I made them suffer so much...and you as well."

"A parent always worried about their child, Hiroki." Soshi walked inside and stood right beside the bed. "Before you say anything else, you were never a burden. We love you too much to have let this bring us down." He patted the top of Hiroki's head. "You are undoubtedly strong."

Hiroki felt the prickling of oncoming tears as he hunched his shoulders. "Thanks...father."

Soshi coughed into his hand and averted his eyes away from his son. "I'm just stating what I am thinking."

Fuyumi ran inside of the room and held Hiroki tight in her arms. Hiroki's tears spilled from his eyes as he cried into her hair. Nowaki let go of his hand as both of them held each other tight. Fuyumi's tears seeped through Hiroki's shirt. She reassured Hiroki as he kept apologizing to all of them. Running her fingers through his hair.

Miyagi stood at the door and had a relieved smile on his face. He didn't dare disturb their touching moment to inform them about his payment.

Nowaki could pay him after everyone basked well into their new formed happiness.

Years later, Hiroki laid next to Nowaki as they watched the clouds floating in the sky. His face gathered a more healthy tone and he gained a good amount of pounds from the lack of stress. He wrote out his experiences throughout the years in a long series of stories. It turned into his own form of therapy whenever he went into an episode. They lessened in the last year and he prided himself in getting through this with his support system. His parents visited him often to bridge their shaky relationship. Nowaki made sure to spend any free moment with him.

He had to admit what happened to his in laws. They were his family and he didn't want them to find out from a third party. Although, the people who knew about the curse were his parents, Nowaki, Miyagi and even his lover Shinobu. His in laws held him close and didn't judge him for it. They noticed his radical change that they wondered what caused it. Their lack of judgment brought him relief.

Hiroki shuffled closer to Nowaki when he took hold of his hand. They had remained in a nice silence without forcing conversation between the both of them. After so many years, they learned some facial expressions between each other which didn't need explaining. Yet, they understood they still had a lot to learn.

An explosion was heard in the distance as Hiroki scrunched up his face.

He regretted letting Miyagi and his lover move in a cabin on the grounds. It was an act of thankfulness for his help. Despite the fact Miyagi got paid his money after the emotional moments passed. There was always some sort of explosion due to some wayward spell or a potion the wizard was cooking in his home. He heard Shinobu complaining from a distance.

"Hiro-san...they will settle down... don't worry." Nowaki yawned.

Hiroki frowned. "This is getting ridiculous. Every single day Miyagi is making something explode. The staff are not even bothered by it anymore. What if someone comes to bomb the palace?"

Nowaki turned to him with a smile. "Hiro-san, this kingdom has an alliance with most of the neighboring kingdoms. We are all in peace. I don't think there will be a war to warrant us fearing bomb attacks." He let out a sigh. "We still have to keep an eye on the kingdom in the mountains."

"That's true." Hiroki relaxed in the grass and tried to ignore the next explosion. "Also, tell me you kicked out that old fart from my library. He mixes up my literature with his crap. Some of his stuff is actually good but he brings in those trash romance novels."

Nowaki chuckled as he rubbed Hiroki's hand. "Just tell him to stop bringing them in, unless you enjoy his teasing."

"Hell no." Hiroki snapped, he crossed his arms over his chest. "His brat should take better care of him not messing up my beloved library. I have already told him to distract him with walks in the garden."

"He might catch our roses on fire."

"...Never mind. I'm telling him to stop it and go into town instead." Hiroki huffed as Nowaki lifted himself up with his arm and looked down at him. "Yes?" Nowaki wiggled his eyebrows which made Hiroki snort. "Stop that, you are being ridiculous."

Nowaki smiled. "But it made you laugh." He got closer to Hiroki and kissed him. "I love you."

Hiroki's face warmed as Nowaki kissed him again. "You only tell me every single day." Nowaki interlaced their fingers. "I love you too..."

Nowaki laid on top of him. They both smiled as Hiroki wrapped his arms around Nowaki's neck. Bringing him close to his body, they shared more kisses. Their bodies molded together in perfect alignment. Nowaki's red cape covered the both of them as they continued on kissing.

They got interrupted when another explosion happened and Shinobu screeched in indignation.

The end.