beren_writes (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
beren_writes) wrote2006-10-31 08:43 am
beren_writes) wrote2006-10-31 08:43 am
Fic: Dragon Saga 03 - Dragon's Heart 02/04, Jrock RPS, NC17/18, Gackt/Hyde/Megumi
Other Fic
Title: Dragon's Heart 02/04
Series: Dragon Saga 03
Link: To the rest of the Dragon Saga
Fandom: Jrock
Pairing: Gackt/Hyde/Megumi (various combinations)
Rating: NC17/18
Disclaimer: Hyde and Gackt and any other people you may recognise are real, this isn't and I definitely don't own them or have any copyright to any part of any of them. I do not believe any of this happened it is simply a story created around known facts about those involved.
Warnings: mentions of past non-con, threesome, vampires
Summary: Megumi has an announcement that means Gackt finally takes her and Hyde to Kyoto to meet the elders of the clan. Hyde finds out that his vampire status is not so much an accident as it is destiny and the relationship between the three changes significantly because of it.
Author's Notes: Thanks to Soph for the beta. This took me a lot longer to write than I expected, but it is finally done. You have to have read the rest of the Dragon Saga to understand this one.
Word count: 6,183
Previous Chapter
Chapter 2 Secrets Revealed
"What's going on, Kado-kun?" Gackt asked the moment the doors to his office closed behind them both as they walked in. "You lit up the moment you saw Hyde with me and when we came out of the shrine you were positively glowing. You know why Hyde passed out, don't you."
"Of course," Kado replied with his usual enigmatic smile, "but I must say I hadn't expected to see him so soon. A child of chaos must have crossed your paths because I did not believe I would be meeting your Hyde for several years yet."
Gackt frowned; the number of times Kado had been wrong in a prediction could be counted on one hand, and the children of chaos as Kado called those individuals who were capable of circumventing what he saw, were always trouble. There was no doubt in Gackt's mind who their trouble had been.
"Lee," he said without any doubt, "it must have been Lee. I would never have turned Hyde except to save him."
"Yes you would have," Kado said placidly, sitting down on one of the ornate chairs, "but that is a tale that will no longer be told."
The desire to ask about that comment almost had the better of Gackt then, but he knew from experience that if Kado said he would not talk about something his companion would stand firm. What would have happened to him and Hyde in the future had Lee not interfered was not a subject he was going to find out about no matter what he asked.
"What happened to Hyde?" he turned his curiosity back on to the present.
"He was overwhelmed," Kado told him and he could not help feeling momentarily irritated when that was all Kado said.
It seemed to be a general methodology for Kado to make those around him work for any information, and just occasionally Gackt wanted to strangle the ancient vampire.
"Why?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even and pointedly ignoring the partial smile on his companion's face.
"Because he is a seer," Kado said with such little fanfare that Gackt almost didn't take it in, "or he will be, given a century or two."
Gackt sat down as the implications of Kado's words settled in his mind; this was big, far bigger than he had ever expected.
"Your Hyde is my great, great, add many more greats in here, grandson," Kado said with a broad smile this time, "and he will eventually take my place. I've been seeing his face for about fifty years now, but I had believed he would come to us somewhat later than this."
"You knew he was coming and you didn't tell me?" Gackt was incredulous; something this important to the clan was not something that was ever kept secret.
There were two roles in the clan which were sacrosanct, that of High Dragon and the role of Guardian Seer, both of which were closely linked. No other clan in Japan could claim to have a seer and fate always brought the next one back to the Dragons, always from the same line and always destined to take the place of their ancestor. At least it explained why Hyde had been so interesting to him even as a mortal; it was destiny.
"Had I told you, you would never have gone into the world again," Kado said without the slightest trace of remorse, "and since you became High Dragon you have given far too much of yourself to the clan. You needed to let go for a while and it is not as if we do not have time. Your Hyde will not begin to come into his full powers for several decades yet and you both seem to be enjoying what you are doing."
"But he's a seer," Gackt protested; seers were so rare that they were a treasure and just letting Hyde wander around for years without having him brought to the safety of the clan seemed like madness.
"And his destiny is with us," Kado said simply; "nothing could have stopped that, not even an army of chaos."
"He was almost taken by another clan," Gackt said as his mind showed him images of how he had found Hyde that night.
"But you were there to bring him to us," Kado pointed out. "Destiny cannot be avoided, my young friend, and I have learned to trust in such things over my long life. We are often too cautious."
Gackt wasn't sure if he wanted to rant and rave or just accept what his friend said; he had never been a big believer in destiny.
"The baby," he said as it occurred to him why this could be happening.
"Quite unprecedented," Kado said with a nod, seemingly pleased that he had brought it up, "but necessary. The line cannot be broken and so the seemingly impossible has occurred; Hyde must pass on his legacy and so he has fathered a child. Had this Lee not interfered I believe Hyde would have come to us after having had a family."
Gackt decided he needed a drink.
"Sake?" he asked Kado and waited for a nod before standing to retrieve the set he always had sitting on his book shelf.
The whole ritual of filling their cups for each other for the first round gave him time to think and the burn of the liquid down his throat was a welcome distraction. Things were becoming far too complicated too fast for his liking.
"You must bond with Hyde as quickly as possible, of course," Kado said just as Gackt took a second sip of sake.
He was almost sure his friend had timed that deliberately as he choked on the rice wine.
"You said we had time," he said, as he brought his spluttering under control, "why do we have to bond so soon?"
"Because his full power may take time to develop, but parts are already beginning to manifest," was the calm response. "Surely you have noticed he is empathic and is blocking it. It will drive him mad if he does not accept it soon and his connection to the ancestors is already open and the only way to stabilise it is for you to bond with him. He must be bound to the clan through you."
As soon as Kado had announced that Hyde was a seer, Gackt had known that this was inevitable, but the fact that Kado had been talking in decades and centuries meant he had been sure that it was not an issue yet. The problem was that bonding involved a very intimate ritual that basically came down to blood and sex and he could just see Hyde reaction to that.
"He's happily married and not interested," Gackt pointed out, thinking of what a hideous mess this was all turning out to be.
Surprisingly Kado laughed at that.
"You can lie to yourself, Little Dragon," Kado said, using the nickname Gackt had not heard since before he took the mantel of High Dragon, "but you cannot lie to me, and I was not suggesting you take him from his wife; she will need your strength as well. If this child is to survive the beautiful flower must also be bound to our clan."
Gackt's sake cup bounced onto the rug as his fingers failed to hold it. His mind filled with every denial, but there was one thing he knew without a shadow of a doubt; Kado had never, ever been wrong.
"She's mortal," he grasped the one flaw he could see in Kado's plan.
"And will remain so for some time yet," Kado replied, sipping his sake elegantly, "but either you or Hyde will turn her eventually; it is unclear which. Hyde has already prepared whether he realises it or not; he has carried part of her essence with him since the first time he tasted her blood and should he turn her she will return to that moment in age. I would suggest you do the same when you bond with her. She will make a very fine law giver one day."
There was news and then there was the sort of news Kado delivered; Gackt really didn't know what to think.
"I could bond with them and then leave them be," he said eventually, looking at Kado very carefully.
"You could," the other vampire acknowledged, sipping more of his drink.
"But I shouldn't," Gackt did not need to ask a question, he knew from the way his companion had spoken that his suggestion was wrong.
"It is your choice, my friend," Kado told him, white eyes seeming to look directly into his soul, "destiny cannot control your heart, but a difficult path now will see you at the top of the mountain later."
Gackt sat silently in his chair for a while, looking at his hands and contemplating the situation. There were so many factors and one of them was quite obvious to him.
"He was hurt," he said eventually, feeling the guilt well up inside of him, "I did not arrive in time to save him. I cannot ask this of Hyde so soon."
"You must," Kado said simply; "it is the only way to heal him."
Now Gackt looked up again, straight at his companion.
"I know what happened, Little Dragon," Kado told him openly, "I have seen his heart. He is of my line and his mind is open to me. He hides from his gifts because they came to be in that moment when he was most broken and it is this which will destroy him unless you help him to heal. For a mortal there are other ways and ironically more time, for your Hyde you are the only solution."
"But the idea will horrify him for so many reasons," Gackt could not see how any of this would help Hyde at all.
Hyde seemed to just about be putting what happened in Taiwan behind him and this would open up that wound all over again. He knew for a fact that Hyde had only begun having sex with Megumi again recently and he could only imagine what the idea of having a man in his bed would do to his friend.
"He loves you, although he refuses to admit the whole of his feelings even to himself," Kado told him with a certainty that had all of Gackt's attention. "This will not be easy for either of you, but your Hyde denies what he is to himself and it is destroying him. Only this will bring him any peace."
Gackt did not know what to say to that; it appeared he had no choice.
====
Hyde was really getting fed up of surprises and he was not in the greatest mood when he woke up and realised he'd made an idiot out of himself again. The shrine had been interesting to say the least and he sat up, rather annoyed that he seemed to have overreacted.
"Feeling better?"
He almost jumped out of his skin as he looked over to see Kado standing quietly by the wall.
"Yes," he said, his tone sharper than he intended because of his annoyance, "thank you," he tacked on the end.
He had to be the laughing stock of the clan by now; his first bit of proper vampire tradition and he had wimped out.
"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Hyde-san," Kado said as Hyde continued to berate himself mentally.
When he looked up from where he had started glaring at the bed, Hyde realised Kado was much closer than the other vampire had been before and to his surprise he didn't feel in the slightest bit on edge. He appeared to be alone in his bedroom; sitting on the bed half naked with a strange male vampire not more than three feet from him and it sparked no trepidation in him at all. He was so amazed by this that he almost forgot his irritation completely.
"You are wondering why my presence does not alarm you," Kado said with a small smile.
It occurred to Hyde that he had no idea what Gackt had told the elders of his clan and he could feel the edges of shame creeping back into his thoughts as he realised they might know everything. He looked away from his companion again, hoping that his lack of composure was not being noted.
"When I spoke of shame, my child," Kado said in an almost serene tone, "I was speaking of everything."
Hyde definitely did not want to have this conversation, but it wasn't as if he could just run away. He and Megumi needed the clan's help to figure out what was best for their baby and if what Gackt had told him earlier was true then their best bet was Kado.
"How many people has Gatchan told?" he asked, hoping to at least be prepared for it in the future.
"No one," Kado said and Hyde looked up to see a sad smile on his companion's face, "I can read your mind, my child, and I see your pain."
He did not know how to respond to that; he felt exposed and vulnerable and yet it was easier as well. Part of him realised that he did not have to try and explain anything to Kado; the older vampire simply understood.
"We are kin, Hyde-san," Kado continued to speak and Hyde chose to just listen, "you are of my line. The clan has been expecting you since the last Dragon chose to continue his journey on another plane and I have seen your face in my dreams for longer than your lifetime."
"Why?" was the only sensible question that Hyde could think to ask.
Kado sank down onto the bed to sit next to him.
"Let me tell you a little about your life," the white haired vampire said and patted him lightly on the arm. "Since you were very small you have always known your own mind; when offered a choice, many times you instinctively know which is the right decision; you can read a crowd of people and know almost exactly what to do to enflame them, but you do not make friends easily because it takes you a long time to become comfortable around new people; sometimes life saddens you because you know that there is positively no way to fix certain things. These things have always been aspects of you and it took you a long time to realise that not everyone else was the same."
Hyde just sat there, almost dreading what was coming next.
"All your ancestors have these traits to some degree, Hyde-san," Kado continued, "it is our gift and to a few, a curse. Once, so long ago that it is lost in the mists of time, one of our ancestors was saved by a vampire prince and in gratitude he swore fealty to his new lord. His thanks were so sincere that his oath bound our family to the clan of his lord for eternity. He became the first Guardian Seer and, when his life came to an end, one of his descendants took his place, and so it has been down the generations. I am the fifth and you will be the sixth."
Too many thoughts seemed to be trying to gain access to Hyde's brain as he stared at Kado in disbelief.
"I'm not a seer," he said with all the confidence he could gather, since this was that one step too far from what he had always thought was reality.
"But you are, my child," Kado said in a kindly, grandfatherly way that really did not match the young face looking at Hyde, "and you will come into your gifts as I did and as those before me did. Do not worry, I will be here to guide you; I have no intention of giving up on life just yet and it will be centuries before you are ready to take my place, but you must accept who you are. This is why you and your lovely wife have achieved the impossible; our line cannot be broken and you were taken by a child of chaos before your time so fate has changed the rules."
This was just too bizarre; Hyde had expected to come to Kyoto, meet a few people and find out that by some quirk of genetics he and Megumi had managed something very rare, but not impossible. He had never expected to hear anything about psychics or being singled out even more than he seemed to have been already.
"Why me?" was the question he finally settled on.
"It is time," Kado replied simply, "and you are the product of the generations at this moment. You have already felt the beginning of the awakening of your powers, Hyde-san, and you must accept them. Your reaction to the ancestors was an example of what will continue to happen unless you choose to understand what you are."
"But that was just in the shrine," Hyde said, not understanding the connection to anything from the rest of his life.
Kado gave him another sympathetic smile and he knew some other revelation was on the way. He really didn't need this now, but the very frustrating thing with Kado was that he knew instinctively that what the vampire told him was true.
"And your sensitivity to the dead will only develop slowly," Kado reassured him kindly, "but you will begin to notice them at times. What is already affecting you is your empathy."
An instant denial leapt into Hyde's mind, but he did not voice it as a memory swamped him. His mind filled with the recollection of evil and for a moment he could no longer see Kado, all that his thoughts would show him was Lee's mocking face. It took him what seemed like an eternity to banish the image and he lost all track of the world around him, only slowly coming back as he felt calm caring seeping into him.
When he finally knew where he was again he found that he was no longer simply sitting up in bed; Kado was gently cradling him in his arms, rocking him and talking to him quietly. He had not had a flashback this bad in a long time and he was shaking as he struggled to push it away. Only when he had himself more or less back under control did Kado finally release him, helping him to sit up and gather himself together as well as possible.
"Yes," Kado said gently as Hyde did his best to put his composure back together, "that was when it first broke free. You have been repressing it since, but it has broken free on more than one occasion. When our line become vampires we are erratic creatures and we need a ground for our powers or they begin to drive us mad."
Hyde looked up at that, shocked by Kado's words, but at least it gave him something else on which to focus.
"Ground?" he asked, using the need to know to banish the last of his flashback.
"The Guardian Seer is always bound to the clan," Kado told him with simple honesty, "specifically to the High Dragon."
That confused Hyde somewhat.
"But I am bound to Gatchan," he said, not sure what Kado meant; "he made me."
Kado inclined his head in acknowledgement of the statement.
"I was also made by my Dragon," Kado explained calmly, "but that bond is between child and maker, not clan and individual. There is a far more intimate bond that will tie the power of the clan to you through Dragon-sama."
"Intimate?" Hyde did not like where the conversation was going.
"It is a ritual of sex and blood," Kado said with stark honesty.
"Why?" asking a question was the only way Hyde could stop himself rejecting everything out of hand.
"Because vampires are base creatures and those are the things which rule us," Kado was clearly not trying to avoid the fundamentals of the subject.
For a few moments Hyde sat in silence looking at his ancestor and let his mind mull over what he was being told.
"And when is this supposed to happen?" he asked, uncomfortably suspicious that he already knew the answer.
"As soon as possible," Kado told him in a no nonsense tone.
"I'm married with a child on the way," Hyde pointed out, feeling vaguely angry now; he had come here to protect his wife and baby and the first thing that was being suggested was that he be unfaithful.
Kado did not seem to care about his tone and continued to look at him with complete calm.
"I have already spoken to your delightful wife," the white haired vampire said eventually, "while we waited for you to wake up. It is not just you who must be bound to the clan; for your child to survive she must bind herself to the Dragons as well."
Hyde forgot his own anger and was instantly outraged for Megumi; she wasn't even a vampire and Kado had dared suggest this.
"Peace, Hyde-san," Kado said and Hyde felt a wave of calm float down over him, "I speak only of that which must be done. If there was another way I would give it to you, but this is how it must be."
"And what did the High Dragon have to say about this?" he asked, still annoyed, but no longer irrational.
Hyde wanted someone to blame and at that moment Gackt felt like a very good target.
"This is not his doing, Hyde-san," Kado said with a completely serious expression on his face, "and he was as distressed by the necessity as you are. He loves you a great deal and he would never have asked this of you. He holds the power of the clan within him and this power must be accessed to save you and your child."
It was not that easy to placate Hyde's anger and he continued glaring; he needed something tangible to be the cause of this, the answer that it was his lot in life did not sit well with him. He would have said that man was firmly in charge of his own destiny, but he had learned too many things lately for that to be completely true.
"Why isn't he here explaining this?" he asked, wanting at least some valid reason to be annoyed with Gackt.
"Because I told him I had to do it," Kado said in what seemed to be his normal reasonable tone. "You would have reacted even more badly to him telling you the truth and neither you nor he need more stress in this situation. Do you have even the first idea how much he cares for you?"
That brought Hyde up short because he had to shake his head. He knew intimately what Lee had thought of him and yet he didn't have anywhere near the same knowledge about Gackt, the man who had saved him. It was obvious Gackt cared, but exactly how much the older vampire had never revealed.
"When he has told people he loves you it has not been the joke the media believe it to be," Kado said, revealing that he knew a great deal about Gackt's career as well as his clan position. "You have felt the attraction between you many times, but this runs far deeper than that. He would have let you live your life never giving him more than friendship; that is how much he loves you, child. I am not often permitted to see into the heart of our Dragon-sama, but I have seen this; this is why I knew I had to be the one to speak with you."
Hyde sat silently after Kado had told him everything in such stark truth and his anger slowly melted away. There was no one to be angry with; this was no more Gackt's fault for saving his life and making him a vampire than it was his fault for not running in the other direction when Lee had approached him.
"And Megumi?" he asked, needing to know everything before he could think about the situation properly.
"Is a most open minded young woman," Kado said with a small smile. "You bond your wife and your maker together, Hyde-san, it is that simple, and they share the love of friends, but nothing more."
That at least made sense.
"And after?" he wanted to understand what this would really mean.
"With others I would say that once the bond is secure they could return to what they had been, but you will not be able to," Kado said completely honestly. "I believe that Megumi and even our Dragon-sama could put what you must do behind them, but you cannot."
That wasn't really what Hyde wanted to hear.
"You are an empath, child," Kado told him gently, "and once you have felt the truth you will not be able to go back. The strength of your soul amazes me, but once you have touched the beauty the three of you will produce you will not be able to give it up. Let me show you what I see."
When Kado reached towards him Hyde did not shy away and he looked deep into the white eyes staring in him as Kado placed finger tips on each of his temples. For a moment it was like vertigo as if he was spinning out of control and then he was watching a scene play out in front of him:
He was sitting with Megumi in a place he did not recognise and they were laughing about something on a screen built into the table behind which they were seated. His hair was almost completely white, only streaked with dark lines here and there and when he looked up towards the door his eyes were pale, but not yet white like Kado's.
"Gatchan," he heard himself greet warmly, "we have a new message from our trouble maker; it seems it is far more exciting away from here."
"I would have said it was more peaceful here without the young to run under our feet," Gackt replied, but, as Hyde watched, his friend walked behind his future self and Megumi.
He could not take his eyes off the three as they exchanged warm kisses of greeting before bending over the screen again. It was clear even to Hyde that all three were very much devoted to each other. He did not think this was the near future either, but he did not know when it was and the scene began to fade before he could see anything that would tell him.
"When is that?" he asked as soon as Kado's face swam back into view.
"Approximately two hundred years from now," Kado replied openly. "It is one of two futures I see and now is the pivotal moment. I told our Dragon-sama this and I will tell you as well, a difficult path now will see you at the top of the mountain later."
Hyde stared at his hands for a while, worrying on his lip with his teeth as he tried to think this through. It seemed so fantastic, so completely out there and crazy, but it was clear what Kado thought.
"I need to speak to Megumi," he said eventually; this was not something he could decide on his own.
"Of course," Kado said as if that was the exact response he had expected, "when you have made your choice ask your attendant to bring you to the Dragon-sama's rooms."
Hyde was nodding and Kado was leaving before the underlying implication of those instructions made it through to his muddled brain. It was very clear what Kado thought was going to happen next.
====
When Kado had spoken to him, Hyde had felt many things, but afraid was not one of them. When the seer spoke of things they seemed so logical and reasonable, but he had had longer to think about it now and he could not shake the real fear which had taken hold of him. He had never told Gackt what Lee had done to his mind, pretending to be him; he had only admitted that Lee had confounded his mind before simply raping him and Hyde was terrified that he would freak the moment Gackt tried to touch him in any sexual way at all. Yet here he was outside Gackt's rooms with Megumi at his side.
They had talked for a good hour and come to the only sensible conclusion; they had to do this. Hyde had no idea how they were going to do it, but he could be very pragmatic when he had to be and he definitely didn't want to go insane. Kado opened the door just as he raised his hand to knock.
"Welcome," Kado said with a smile and vacated the doorway to let them in.
Hyde let Megumi go first and then followed his wife into the room. He made himself walk into the room without hesitating, but it took more effort than he wanted to admit. The simple idea of sex had him terrified. Even Gackt looked awkward, standing on the other side of the room. The only person who appeared remotely relaxed was Kado and Hyde was pretty sure his ancestor had looking calm in every situation down to an art form.
"Hyde-kun, Mei-chan," Gackt greeted politely and Megumi smiled back at their friend, but Hyde just did his best not to bolt.
"This is ridiculous," he decided loudly as an awkward silence threatened to engulf them and he became exasperated with his own psyche.
Willing himself into motion he stopped hovering just inside the doorway, took Megumi's hand and led her to an ornate looking couch and sat down. If he was going to panic he was going to do it in comfort at least.
"Quite," Kado said with a smile, "this awkwardness serves no purpose. You all know what must be done and as friends I am sure you will find a way for it to happen."
As Hyde watched, Gackt actually closed his eyes as if the singer was having a quiet talk with himself and when his friend looked back at him again most of the tension was gone. Gackt even managed a pleasant smile.
"I apologise for my behaviour," Gackt said and Hyde couldn't help but feel his friend was perfectly sincere about that; "you are both very welcome here."
He nodded an acknowledgement and Megumi gave a quiet, "Thank you."
"What are we going to do?" Hyde asked what he knew was on all their minds.
It wasn't that he was feeling suddenly brave; he just needed to know what to expect.
"If I may," Kado said in a tone Hyde was sure was meant to be calming, but which didn't seem to be working too well on him, "all three of you must become comfortable with each other."
It sounded so obvious, but Hyde didn't see how that was going to be possible as he tried not to become too worked up. When Kado walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder he accepted the feeling of calm that flowed over him from the ancient vampire; it helped, although it didn't solve the underlying problem.
"How?" he asked, willing to take any advice.
His logical side told him that they needed to solve this dilemma, but he could not think how.
"There must be no barriers between you all," Kado said when Gackt nodded at the seer to go on. "When you finally come together there must be as little transition as possible; it must be a natural progression."
It all sounded reasonable.
"But how would you suggest we accomplish this, Kado-kun?" Gackt asked and Hyde was glad that he was not the only one who did not see how to reach their goal.
Kado gave a small smile at that.
"I would suggest you spend time together as nature intended," Kado said and Hyde wasn't much clearer.
"I don't understand," he admitted and looked to Megumi and Gackt.
Megumi at least was looking confused, but Gackt seemed to have caught on.
"I believe that Kado-kun is implying we should be naked," Gackt said without seemingly remotely embarrassed by the suggestion.
Hyde felt his face heating up just at the idea.
"You're kidding," he said, trying to get his head around the suggestion.
Megumi appeared to be reserving judgement.
"Actually, it is a sensible suggestion," Gackt replied, causing Hyde's heart to beat a little faster. "Familiarity leads to comfort and if we were to spend time together without clothes the move to eventual intimacy will be less traumatic."
Hyde looked to his wife to see if she had anything to say since his instincts were rebelling loudly, but his logical mind could not find any objection to the theory.
"It sounds like it might work," Megumi said, although she sounded somewhat unsure.
"These rooms have everything we may need," Gackt said and Hyde was sure his friend was seriously considering their options, "and if we sequester ourselves in here we could attempt what Kado-kun is suggesting."
It was one of those moments where Hyde had no idea what to say; the whole idea had a strange kind of logic and yet was ringing every alarm bell in his head. The main question in his thoughts was could he do it anyway? He was having enough trouble just being there fully clothed and removing his last line of defence was not an idea he relished. Of course they had to do something and everyone was looking at him expectantly to see what he was going to say.
"Okay," he eventually said, reluctant, but seeing no other solution.
Kado gave him a smile for trying.
"Then I shall leave you, my friends," the ancient vampire said, sounding pleased. "Do not worry, Hyde-san," Kado told him in a quieter tone as the vampire went to leave, "you will be fine. Just remember that the best lovers are always friends first."
He nodded and watched his ancestor leave, but he could not help feeling incredibly nervous when he turned back to Gackt and Megumi.
"I believe this will only become more awkward the longer we think about it," Gackt said with the stark honesty Hyde had begun to value from his friend. "I think it would be better to act immediately."
Megumi nodded her agreement and Hyde gave his consent as well; if he was going to do this he knew it had to be before his insecurities had the better of him. He was not surprised when Gackt was the first to move, after all it was Gackt who had told the world that he liked to wander around hotel rooms naked.
Hyde just stood there staring as Gackt slowly began to strip off his clothes; he couldn't quite make himself believe they were going to do this and Gackt was almost naked before he felt hands on his shirt. He turned to find Megumi carefully undoing his buttons and he blinked as he realised his wife was already completely naked. How he'd missed that he would never know.
"I will be here for you," she said quietly as she continued to undress him and he was so dazed that he let her.
Only as she pushed his shirt off his shoulders did his mind kick back into gear as he felt eyes on him and his instinctive reaction was to grab on to the material and keep it. It took a lot of effort to look up and see Gackt watching and allow Megumi to remove his shirt completely. When she returned after folding and placing it on the side and reached for his belt he caught her hand; he had to be part of this or it was useless. His fingers were shaking as he pulled the buckle free, but he followed through with the button and fly and pushed his remaining clothes off at the same time.
Begin naked and vulnerable made him want to run and hide somewhere safe and he had to keep reminding himself that here was safe. Neither Megumi or Gackt would ever hurt him and he did his best to gather himself and stop the threatening panic attack.
"Would anyone like a drink?" Gackt asked, striding across the room with complete confidence. "I have a very old cognac that was a gift from a visiting member of a European family; I think both of you might like it."
"Thank you," Megumi replied for them both since Hyde was having enough trouble just standing there.
He had no idea how Gackt could just act as if nothing had changed and prayed that he would begin to settle down soon.
End of Chapter 2
On to next Chapter
Title: Dragon's Heart 02/04
Series: Dragon Saga 03
Link: To the rest of the Dragon Saga
Fandom: Jrock
Pairing: Gackt/Hyde/Megumi (various combinations)
Rating: NC17/18
Disclaimer: Hyde and Gackt and any other people you may recognise are real, this isn't and I definitely don't own them or have any copyright to any part of any of them. I do not believe any of this happened it is simply a story created around known facts about those involved.
Warnings: mentions of past non-con, threesome, vampires
Summary: Megumi has an announcement that means Gackt finally takes her and Hyde to Kyoto to meet the elders of the clan. Hyde finds out that his vampire status is not so much an accident as it is destiny and the relationship between the three changes significantly because of it.
Author's Notes: Thanks to Soph for the beta. This took me a lot longer to write than I expected, but it is finally done. You have to have read the rest of the Dragon Saga to understand this one.
Word count: 6,183
Previous Chapter
Chapter 2 Secrets Revealed
"What's going on, Kado-kun?" Gackt asked the moment the doors to his office closed behind them both as they walked in. "You lit up the moment you saw Hyde with me and when we came out of the shrine you were positively glowing. You know why Hyde passed out, don't you."
"Of course," Kado replied with his usual enigmatic smile, "but I must say I hadn't expected to see him so soon. A child of chaos must have crossed your paths because I did not believe I would be meeting your Hyde for several years yet."
Gackt frowned; the number of times Kado had been wrong in a prediction could be counted on one hand, and the children of chaos as Kado called those individuals who were capable of circumventing what he saw, were always trouble. There was no doubt in Gackt's mind who their trouble had been.
"Lee," he said without any doubt, "it must have been Lee. I would never have turned Hyde except to save him."
"Yes you would have," Kado said placidly, sitting down on one of the ornate chairs, "but that is a tale that will no longer be told."
The desire to ask about that comment almost had the better of Gackt then, but he knew from experience that if Kado said he would not talk about something his companion would stand firm. What would have happened to him and Hyde in the future had Lee not interfered was not a subject he was going to find out about no matter what he asked.
"What happened to Hyde?" he turned his curiosity back on to the present.
"He was overwhelmed," Kado told him and he could not help feeling momentarily irritated when that was all Kado said.
It seemed to be a general methodology for Kado to make those around him work for any information, and just occasionally Gackt wanted to strangle the ancient vampire.
"Why?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even and pointedly ignoring the partial smile on his companion's face.
"Because he is a seer," Kado said with such little fanfare that Gackt almost didn't take it in, "or he will be, given a century or two."
Gackt sat down as the implications of Kado's words settled in his mind; this was big, far bigger than he had ever expected.
"Your Hyde is my great, great, add many more greats in here, grandson," Kado said with a broad smile this time, "and he will eventually take my place. I've been seeing his face for about fifty years now, but I had believed he would come to us somewhat later than this."
"You knew he was coming and you didn't tell me?" Gackt was incredulous; something this important to the clan was not something that was ever kept secret.
There were two roles in the clan which were sacrosanct, that of High Dragon and the role of Guardian Seer, both of which were closely linked. No other clan in Japan could claim to have a seer and fate always brought the next one back to the Dragons, always from the same line and always destined to take the place of their ancestor. At least it explained why Hyde had been so interesting to him even as a mortal; it was destiny.
"Had I told you, you would never have gone into the world again," Kado said without the slightest trace of remorse, "and since you became High Dragon you have given far too much of yourself to the clan. You needed to let go for a while and it is not as if we do not have time. Your Hyde will not begin to come into his full powers for several decades yet and you both seem to be enjoying what you are doing."
"But he's a seer," Gackt protested; seers were so rare that they were a treasure and just letting Hyde wander around for years without having him brought to the safety of the clan seemed like madness.
"And his destiny is with us," Kado said simply; "nothing could have stopped that, not even an army of chaos."
"He was almost taken by another clan," Gackt said as his mind showed him images of how he had found Hyde that night.
"But you were there to bring him to us," Kado pointed out. "Destiny cannot be avoided, my young friend, and I have learned to trust in such things over my long life. We are often too cautious."
Gackt wasn't sure if he wanted to rant and rave or just accept what his friend said; he had never been a big believer in destiny.
"The baby," he said as it occurred to him why this could be happening.
"Quite unprecedented," Kado said with a nod, seemingly pleased that he had brought it up, "but necessary. The line cannot be broken and so the seemingly impossible has occurred; Hyde must pass on his legacy and so he has fathered a child. Had this Lee not interfered I believe Hyde would have come to us after having had a family."
Gackt decided he needed a drink.
"Sake?" he asked Kado and waited for a nod before standing to retrieve the set he always had sitting on his book shelf.
The whole ritual of filling their cups for each other for the first round gave him time to think and the burn of the liquid down his throat was a welcome distraction. Things were becoming far too complicated too fast for his liking.
"You must bond with Hyde as quickly as possible, of course," Kado said just as Gackt took a second sip of sake.
He was almost sure his friend had timed that deliberately as he choked on the rice wine.
"You said we had time," he said, as he brought his spluttering under control, "why do we have to bond so soon?"
"Because his full power may take time to develop, but parts are already beginning to manifest," was the calm response. "Surely you have noticed he is empathic and is blocking it. It will drive him mad if he does not accept it soon and his connection to the ancestors is already open and the only way to stabilise it is for you to bond with him. He must be bound to the clan through you."
As soon as Kado had announced that Hyde was a seer, Gackt had known that this was inevitable, but the fact that Kado had been talking in decades and centuries meant he had been sure that it was not an issue yet. The problem was that bonding involved a very intimate ritual that basically came down to blood and sex and he could just see Hyde reaction to that.
"He's happily married and not interested," Gackt pointed out, thinking of what a hideous mess this was all turning out to be.
Surprisingly Kado laughed at that.
"You can lie to yourself, Little Dragon," Kado said, using the nickname Gackt had not heard since before he took the mantel of High Dragon, "but you cannot lie to me, and I was not suggesting you take him from his wife; she will need your strength as well. If this child is to survive the beautiful flower must also be bound to our clan."
Gackt's sake cup bounced onto the rug as his fingers failed to hold it. His mind filled with every denial, but there was one thing he knew without a shadow of a doubt; Kado had never, ever been wrong.
"She's mortal," he grasped the one flaw he could see in Kado's plan.
"And will remain so for some time yet," Kado replied, sipping his sake elegantly, "but either you or Hyde will turn her eventually; it is unclear which. Hyde has already prepared whether he realises it or not; he has carried part of her essence with him since the first time he tasted her blood and should he turn her she will return to that moment in age. I would suggest you do the same when you bond with her. She will make a very fine law giver one day."
There was news and then there was the sort of news Kado delivered; Gackt really didn't know what to think.
"I could bond with them and then leave them be," he said eventually, looking at Kado very carefully.
"You could," the other vampire acknowledged, sipping more of his drink.
"But I shouldn't," Gackt did not need to ask a question, he knew from the way his companion had spoken that his suggestion was wrong.
"It is your choice, my friend," Kado told him, white eyes seeming to look directly into his soul, "destiny cannot control your heart, but a difficult path now will see you at the top of the mountain later."
Gackt sat silently in his chair for a while, looking at his hands and contemplating the situation. There were so many factors and one of them was quite obvious to him.
"He was hurt," he said eventually, feeling the guilt well up inside of him, "I did not arrive in time to save him. I cannot ask this of Hyde so soon."
"You must," Kado said simply; "it is the only way to heal him."
Now Gackt looked up again, straight at his companion.
"I know what happened, Little Dragon," Kado told him openly, "I have seen his heart. He is of my line and his mind is open to me. He hides from his gifts because they came to be in that moment when he was most broken and it is this which will destroy him unless you help him to heal. For a mortal there are other ways and ironically more time, for your Hyde you are the only solution."
"But the idea will horrify him for so many reasons," Gackt could not see how any of this would help Hyde at all.
Hyde seemed to just about be putting what happened in Taiwan behind him and this would open up that wound all over again. He knew for a fact that Hyde had only begun having sex with Megumi again recently and he could only imagine what the idea of having a man in his bed would do to his friend.
"He loves you, although he refuses to admit the whole of his feelings even to himself," Kado told him with a certainty that had all of Gackt's attention. "This will not be easy for either of you, but your Hyde denies what he is to himself and it is destroying him. Only this will bring him any peace."
Gackt did not know what to say to that; it appeared he had no choice.
====
Hyde was really getting fed up of surprises and he was not in the greatest mood when he woke up and realised he'd made an idiot out of himself again. The shrine had been interesting to say the least and he sat up, rather annoyed that he seemed to have overreacted.
"Feeling better?"
He almost jumped out of his skin as he looked over to see Kado standing quietly by the wall.
"Yes," he said, his tone sharper than he intended because of his annoyance, "thank you," he tacked on the end.
He had to be the laughing stock of the clan by now; his first bit of proper vampire tradition and he had wimped out.
"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Hyde-san," Kado said as Hyde continued to berate himself mentally.
When he looked up from where he had started glaring at the bed, Hyde realised Kado was much closer than the other vampire had been before and to his surprise he didn't feel in the slightest bit on edge. He appeared to be alone in his bedroom; sitting on the bed half naked with a strange male vampire not more than three feet from him and it sparked no trepidation in him at all. He was so amazed by this that he almost forgot his irritation completely.
"You are wondering why my presence does not alarm you," Kado said with a small smile.
It occurred to Hyde that he had no idea what Gackt had told the elders of his clan and he could feel the edges of shame creeping back into his thoughts as he realised they might know everything. He looked away from his companion again, hoping that his lack of composure was not being noted.
"When I spoke of shame, my child," Kado said in an almost serene tone, "I was speaking of everything."
Hyde definitely did not want to have this conversation, but it wasn't as if he could just run away. He and Megumi needed the clan's help to figure out what was best for their baby and if what Gackt had told him earlier was true then their best bet was Kado.
"How many people has Gatchan told?" he asked, hoping to at least be prepared for it in the future.
"No one," Kado said and Hyde looked up to see a sad smile on his companion's face, "I can read your mind, my child, and I see your pain."
He did not know how to respond to that; he felt exposed and vulnerable and yet it was easier as well. Part of him realised that he did not have to try and explain anything to Kado; the older vampire simply understood.
"We are kin, Hyde-san," Kado continued to speak and Hyde chose to just listen, "you are of my line. The clan has been expecting you since the last Dragon chose to continue his journey on another plane and I have seen your face in my dreams for longer than your lifetime."
"Why?" was the only sensible question that Hyde could think to ask.
Kado sank down onto the bed to sit next to him.
"Let me tell you a little about your life," the white haired vampire said and patted him lightly on the arm. "Since you were very small you have always known your own mind; when offered a choice, many times you instinctively know which is the right decision; you can read a crowd of people and know almost exactly what to do to enflame them, but you do not make friends easily because it takes you a long time to become comfortable around new people; sometimes life saddens you because you know that there is positively no way to fix certain things. These things have always been aspects of you and it took you a long time to realise that not everyone else was the same."
Hyde just sat there, almost dreading what was coming next.
"All your ancestors have these traits to some degree, Hyde-san," Kado continued, "it is our gift and to a few, a curse. Once, so long ago that it is lost in the mists of time, one of our ancestors was saved by a vampire prince and in gratitude he swore fealty to his new lord. His thanks were so sincere that his oath bound our family to the clan of his lord for eternity. He became the first Guardian Seer and, when his life came to an end, one of his descendants took his place, and so it has been down the generations. I am the fifth and you will be the sixth."
Too many thoughts seemed to be trying to gain access to Hyde's brain as he stared at Kado in disbelief.
"I'm not a seer," he said with all the confidence he could gather, since this was that one step too far from what he had always thought was reality.
"But you are, my child," Kado said in a kindly, grandfatherly way that really did not match the young face looking at Hyde, "and you will come into your gifts as I did and as those before me did. Do not worry, I will be here to guide you; I have no intention of giving up on life just yet and it will be centuries before you are ready to take my place, but you must accept who you are. This is why you and your lovely wife have achieved the impossible; our line cannot be broken and you were taken by a child of chaos before your time so fate has changed the rules."
This was just too bizarre; Hyde had expected to come to Kyoto, meet a few people and find out that by some quirk of genetics he and Megumi had managed something very rare, but not impossible. He had never expected to hear anything about psychics or being singled out even more than he seemed to have been already.
"Why me?" was the question he finally settled on.
"It is time," Kado replied simply, "and you are the product of the generations at this moment. You have already felt the beginning of the awakening of your powers, Hyde-san, and you must accept them. Your reaction to the ancestors was an example of what will continue to happen unless you choose to understand what you are."
"But that was just in the shrine," Hyde said, not understanding the connection to anything from the rest of his life.
Kado gave him another sympathetic smile and he knew some other revelation was on the way. He really didn't need this now, but the very frustrating thing with Kado was that he knew instinctively that what the vampire told him was true.
"And your sensitivity to the dead will only develop slowly," Kado reassured him kindly, "but you will begin to notice them at times. What is already affecting you is your empathy."
An instant denial leapt into Hyde's mind, but he did not voice it as a memory swamped him. His mind filled with the recollection of evil and for a moment he could no longer see Kado, all that his thoughts would show him was Lee's mocking face. It took him what seemed like an eternity to banish the image and he lost all track of the world around him, only slowly coming back as he felt calm caring seeping into him.
When he finally knew where he was again he found that he was no longer simply sitting up in bed; Kado was gently cradling him in his arms, rocking him and talking to him quietly. He had not had a flashback this bad in a long time and he was shaking as he struggled to push it away. Only when he had himself more or less back under control did Kado finally release him, helping him to sit up and gather himself together as well as possible.
"Yes," Kado said gently as Hyde did his best to put his composure back together, "that was when it first broke free. You have been repressing it since, but it has broken free on more than one occasion. When our line become vampires we are erratic creatures and we need a ground for our powers or they begin to drive us mad."
Hyde looked up at that, shocked by Kado's words, but at least it gave him something else on which to focus.
"Ground?" he asked, using the need to know to banish the last of his flashback.
"The Guardian Seer is always bound to the clan," Kado told him with simple honesty, "specifically to the High Dragon."
That confused Hyde somewhat.
"But I am bound to Gatchan," he said, not sure what Kado meant; "he made me."
Kado inclined his head in acknowledgement of the statement.
"I was also made by my Dragon," Kado explained calmly, "but that bond is between child and maker, not clan and individual. There is a far more intimate bond that will tie the power of the clan to you through Dragon-sama."
"Intimate?" Hyde did not like where the conversation was going.
"It is a ritual of sex and blood," Kado said with stark honesty.
"Why?" asking a question was the only way Hyde could stop himself rejecting everything out of hand.
"Because vampires are base creatures and those are the things which rule us," Kado was clearly not trying to avoid the fundamentals of the subject.
For a few moments Hyde sat in silence looking at his ancestor and let his mind mull over what he was being told.
"And when is this supposed to happen?" he asked, uncomfortably suspicious that he already knew the answer.
"As soon as possible," Kado told him in a no nonsense tone.
"I'm married with a child on the way," Hyde pointed out, feeling vaguely angry now; he had come here to protect his wife and baby and the first thing that was being suggested was that he be unfaithful.
Kado did not seem to care about his tone and continued to look at him with complete calm.
"I have already spoken to your delightful wife," the white haired vampire said eventually, "while we waited for you to wake up. It is not just you who must be bound to the clan; for your child to survive she must bind herself to the Dragons as well."
Hyde forgot his own anger and was instantly outraged for Megumi; she wasn't even a vampire and Kado had dared suggest this.
"Peace, Hyde-san," Kado said and Hyde felt a wave of calm float down over him, "I speak only of that which must be done. If there was another way I would give it to you, but this is how it must be."
"And what did the High Dragon have to say about this?" he asked, still annoyed, but no longer irrational.
Hyde wanted someone to blame and at that moment Gackt felt like a very good target.
"This is not his doing, Hyde-san," Kado said with a completely serious expression on his face, "and he was as distressed by the necessity as you are. He loves you a great deal and he would never have asked this of you. He holds the power of the clan within him and this power must be accessed to save you and your child."
It was not that easy to placate Hyde's anger and he continued glaring; he needed something tangible to be the cause of this, the answer that it was his lot in life did not sit well with him. He would have said that man was firmly in charge of his own destiny, but he had learned too many things lately for that to be completely true.
"Why isn't he here explaining this?" he asked, wanting at least some valid reason to be annoyed with Gackt.
"Because I told him I had to do it," Kado said in what seemed to be his normal reasonable tone. "You would have reacted even more badly to him telling you the truth and neither you nor he need more stress in this situation. Do you have even the first idea how much he cares for you?"
That brought Hyde up short because he had to shake his head. He knew intimately what Lee had thought of him and yet he didn't have anywhere near the same knowledge about Gackt, the man who had saved him. It was obvious Gackt cared, but exactly how much the older vampire had never revealed.
"When he has told people he loves you it has not been the joke the media believe it to be," Kado said, revealing that he knew a great deal about Gackt's career as well as his clan position. "You have felt the attraction between you many times, but this runs far deeper than that. He would have let you live your life never giving him more than friendship; that is how much he loves you, child. I am not often permitted to see into the heart of our Dragon-sama, but I have seen this; this is why I knew I had to be the one to speak with you."
Hyde sat silently after Kado had told him everything in such stark truth and his anger slowly melted away. There was no one to be angry with; this was no more Gackt's fault for saving his life and making him a vampire than it was his fault for not running in the other direction when Lee had approached him.
"And Megumi?" he asked, needing to know everything before he could think about the situation properly.
"Is a most open minded young woman," Kado said with a small smile. "You bond your wife and your maker together, Hyde-san, it is that simple, and they share the love of friends, but nothing more."
That at least made sense.
"And after?" he wanted to understand what this would really mean.
"With others I would say that once the bond is secure they could return to what they had been, but you will not be able to," Kado said completely honestly. "I believe that Megumi and even our Dragon-sama could put what you must do behind them, but you cannot."
That wasn't really what Hyde wanted to hear.
"You are an empath, child," Kado told him gently, "and once you have felt the truth you will not be able to go back. The strength of your soul amazes me, but once you have touched the beauty the three of you will produce you will not be able to give it up. Let me show you what I see."
When Kado reached towards him Hyde did not shy away and he looked deep into the white eyes staring in him as Kado placed finger tips on each of his temples. For a moment it was like vertigo as if he was spinning out of control and then he was watching a scene play out in front of him:
He was sitting with Megumi in a place he did not recognise and they were laughing about something on a screen built into the table behind which they were seated. His hair was almost completely white, only streaked with dark lines here and there and when he looked up towards the door his eyes were pale, but not yet white like Kado's.
"Gatchan," he heard himself greet warmly, "we have a new message from our trouble maker; it seems it is far more exciting away from here."
"I would have said it was more peaceful here without the young to run under our feet," Gackt replied, but, as Hyde watched, his friend walked behind his future self and Megumi.
He could not take his eyes off the three as they exchanged warm kisses of greeting before bending over the screen again. It was clear even to Hyde that all three were very much devoted to each other. He did not think this was the near future either, but he did not know when it was and the scene began to fade before he could see anything that would tell him.
"When is that?" he asked as soon as Kado's face swam back into view.
"Approximately two hundred years from now," Kado replied openly. "It is one of two futures I see and now is the pivotal moment. I told our Dragon-sama this and I will tell you as well, a difficult path now will see you at the top of the mountain later."
Hyde stared at his hands for a while, worrying on his lip with his teeth as he tried to think this through. It seemed so fantastic, so completely out there and crazy, but it was clear what Kado thought.
"I need to speak to Megumi," he said eventually; this was not something he could decide on his own.
"Of course," Kado said as if that was the exact response he had expected, "when you have made your choice ask your attendant to bring you to the Dragon-sama's rooms."
Hyde was nodding and Kado was leaving before the underlying implication of those instructions made it through to his muddled brain. It was very clear what Kado thought was going to happen next.
====
When Kado had spoken to him, Hyde had felt many things, but afraid was not one of them. When the seer spoke of things they seemed so logical and reasonable, but he had had longer to think about it now and he could not shake the real fear which had taken hold of him. He had never told Gackt what Lee had done to his mind, pretending to be him; he had only admitted that Lee had confounded his mind before simply raping him and Hyde was terrified that he would freak the moment Gackt tried to touch him in any sexual way at all. Yet here he was outside Gackt's rooms with Megumi at his side.
They had talked for a good hour and come to the only sensible conclusion; they had to do this. Hyde had no idea how they were going to do it, but he could be very pragmatic when he had to be and he definitely didn't want to go insane. Kado opened the door just as he raised his hand to knock.
"Welcome," Kado said with a smile and vacated the doorway to let them in.
Hyde let Megumi go first and then followed his wife into the room. He made himself walk into the room without hesitating, but it took more effort than he wanted to admit. The simple idea of sex had him terrified. Even Gackt looked awkward, standing on the other side of the room. The only person who appeared remotely relaxed was Kado and Hyde was pretty sure his ancestor had looking calm in every situation down to an art form.
"Hyde-kun, Mei-chan," Gackt greeted politely and Megumi smiled back at their friend, but Hyde just did his best not to bolt.
"This is ridiculous," he decided loudly as an awkward silence threatened to engulf them and he became exasperated with his own psyche.
Willing himself into motion he stopped hovering just inside the doorway, took Megumi's hand and led her to an ornate looking couch and sat down. If he was going to panic he was going to do it in comfort at least.
"Quite," Kado said with a smile, "this awkwardness serves no purpose. You all know what must be done and as friends I am sure you will find a way for it to happen."
As Hyde watched, Gackt actually closed his eyes as if the singer was having a quiet talk with himself and when his friend looked back at him again most of the tension was gone. Gackt even managed a pleasant smile.
"I apologise for my behaviour," Gackt said and Hyde couldn't help but feel his friend was perfectly sincere about that; "you are both very welcome here."
He nodded an acknowledgement and Megumi gave a quiet, "Thank you."
"What are we going to do?" Hyde asked what he knew was on all their minds.
It wasn't that he was feeling suddenly brave; he just needed to know what to expect.
"If I may," Kado said in a tone Hyde was sure was meant to be calming, but which didn't seem to be working too well on him, "all three of you must become comfortable with each other."
It sounded so obvious, but Hyde didn't see how that was going to be possible as he tried not to become too worked up. When Kado walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder he accepted the feeling of calm that flowed over him from the ancient vampire; it helped, although it didn't solve the underlying problem.
"How?" he asked, willing to take any advice.
His logical side told him that they needed to solve this dilemma, but he could not think how.
"There must be no barriers between you all," Kado said when Gackt nodded at the seer to go on. "When you finally come together there must be as little transition as possible; it must be a natural progression."
It all sounded reasonable.
"But how would you suggest we accomplish this, Kado-kun?" Gackt asked and Hyde was glad that he was not the only one who did not see how to reach their goal.
Kado gave a small smile at that.
"I would suggest you spend time together as nature intended," Kado said and Hyde wasn't much clearer.
"I don't understand," he admitted and looked to Megumi and Gackt.
Megumi at least was looking confused, but Gackt seemed to have caught on.
"I believe that Kado-kun is implying we should be naked," Gackt said without seemingly remotely embarrassed by the suggestion.
Hyde felt his face heating up just at the idea.
"You're kidding," he said, trying to get his head around the suggestion.
Megumi appeared to be reserving judgement.
"Actually, it is a sensible suggestion," Gackt replied, causing Hyde's heart to beat a little faster. "Familiarity leads to comfort and if we were to spend time together without clothes the move to eventual intimacy will be less traumatic."
Hyde looked to his wife to see if she had anything to say since his instincts were rebelling loudly, but his logical mind could not find any objection to the theory.
"It sounds like it might work," Megumi said, although she sounded somewhat unsure.
"These rooms have everything we may need," Gackt said and Hyde was sure his friend was seriously considering their options, "and if we sequester ourselves in here we could attempt what Kado-kun is suggesting."
It was one of those moments where Hyde had no idea what to say; the whole idea had a strange kind of logic and yet was ringing every alarm bell in his head. The main question in his thoughts was could he do it anyway? He was having enough trouble just being there fully clothed and removing his last line of defence was not an idea he relished. Of course they had to do something and everyone was looking at him expectantly to see what he was going to say.
"Okay," he eventually said, reluctant, but seeing no other solution.
Kado gave him a smile for trying.
"Then I shall leave you, my friends," the ancient vampire said, sounding pleased. "Do not worry, Hyde-san," Kado told him in a quieter tone as the vampire went to leave, "you will be fine. Just remember that the best lovers are always friends first."
He nodded and watched his ancestor leave, but he could not help feeling incredibly nervous when he turned back to Gackt and Megumi.
"I believe this will only become more awkward the longer we think about it," Gackt said with the stark honesty Hyde had begun to value from his friend. "I think it would be better to act immediately."
Megumi nodded her agreement and Hyde gave his consent as well; if he was going to do this he knew it had to be before his insecurities had the better of him. He was not surprised when Gackt was the first to move, after all it was Gackt who had told the world that he liked to wander around hotel rooms naked.
Hyde just stood there staring as Gackt slowly began to strip off his clothes; he couldn't quite make himself believe they were going to do this and Gackt was almost naked before he felt hands on his shirt. He turned to find Megumi carefully undoing his buttons and he blinked as he realised his wife was already completely naked. How he'd missed that he would never know.
"I will be here for you," she said quietly as she continued to undress him and he was so dazed that he let her.
Only as she pushed his shirt off his shoulders did his mind kick back into gear as he felt eyes on him and his instinctive reaction was to grab on to the material and keep it. It took a lot of effort to look up and see Gackt watching and allow Megumi to remove his shirt completely. When she returned after folding and placing it on the side and reached for his belt he caught her hand; he had to be part of this or it was useless. His fingers were shaking as he pulled the buckle free, but he followed through with the button and fly and pushed his remaining clothes off at the same time.
Begin naked and vulnerable made him want to run and hide somewhere safe and he had to keep reminding himself that here was safe. Neither Megumi or Gackt would ever hurt him and he did his best to gather himself and stop the threatening panic attack.
"Would anyone like a drink?" Gackt asked, striding across the room with complete confidence. "I have a very old cognac that was a gift from a visiting member of a European family; I think both of you might like it."
"Thank you," Megumi replied for them both since Hyde was having enough trouble just standing there.
He had no idea how Gackt could just act as if nothing had changed and prayed that he would begin to settle down soon.
End of Chapter 2
On to next Chapter