To Dance By Moonlight

Chapter Twenty Nine

"Tsuki?" Taichi moved slowly toward his friend, making no sudden movements, just in case. "Tsuki. I'm here now. It's alright." He kept his voice low so the two outside wouldn't hear him.
Kei's head came up from where it had been, resting against his arms. He'd drawn himself up into a ball, his back to the corner he'd crammed himself into, and he looked horrible.
"My god, Tsuki! What have they done to you?" Taichi was on his knees directly in front of the younger man. He reached out, attempting to check for any bruises or bumps.
"No, stay back!" Tsuki cried out, nearly pushing Taichi off balance. But he was too weak.
"Tsuki, look at me!" Taichi urged. "It's Taichi. I'm your friend, remember?"
Groggy burnished gold eyes scanned his features, and then all at once, Kei relaxed. So much so, that Taichi had to catch him up in his arms so he wouldn't crumple completely to the floor.
"BRING FOOD AND DRINK! NOW!!" He yelled toward the door. Umeda peeked in.
"Everything alright?"
"No, dumbass! Just bring some food and something to drink."
"It's his own fault for barely eating anything since we brought him here."
"Will you just get the food? Make it broth and bread for right now."
"Fine."
"No. No broth," Tsuki said with a tired voice.
"You idiot. You ate next to nothing because you thought they'd poison you?"
Tsuki nodded. "When I figured out they weren't, I was too used to eating enough to keep from being too hungry."
"Yeah, well, you need to keep your strength up. We'll get you home soon, alright?"
"Home? To the palace?"
"Where else?" Taichi smiled softly. "Someone is desperate to find you, and he won't stop until you're home."
"Tetsu."
"Yeah. Now, I'm going to need you to hold yourself up for a little longer. You need to eat, and rest. I'm going to stay with you until you do that."
"Are you my guardian again?"
"Yes. So, please don't misunderstand when I act like I'm back in the clan, okay?"
Tsuki nodded. "I'll try."
"Even better, if you act like you barely tolerate me, it'll make everything more believable."
"Except they already know we're friends."
"Still. A little show of distrust might go a long way, right?"
"If you say so."
"I do." He was quiet for a few moments, and then, "they're coming back. I'm going to let you go, so you keep yourself from falling over."
"Right."

Umeda brought in the tray of broth, bread, and water. Soekawa brought in a chair, and then explained to Taichi what they did while Tsuki was left to eat. Taichi told them he understood, and then made sure they were gone before spooning some broth to Tsuki. When Tsuki turned his head, Taichi chuckled, and took a sip of broth from the bowl. Then, he ripped off a piece of bread and ate that too. Finally, he took a long sip of water, and then waited. After several long minutes, he took another spoonful of broth and held it out for Tsuki, who leaned forward and sipped.

The process was repeated until Tsuki couldn't eat anymore, and Taichi was satisfied. He yelled for the two guards to fetch the tray and chair, and then ordered for a pillow and a blanket.

"It's a wonder he's still alive, the way you've been treating him," he groused.
"Sleeping without a pillow and blanket won't kill him," Umeda argued. "Besides, the boss didn't say we had to."
"Maybe not, but I'm Tsukishima's guardian now. He's under my care. Bring me a pillow and blanket."
"Fine."

The man trundled off, and Taichi returned his attention to Tsuki, who was struggling to stay awake. What gave Taichi a little more hope was the tiny smile he saw on Tsuki's lips. At least he hadn't lost all hope.

~*~

That evening, Kuroo sat at his table, eating Fatima's wonderful food, as they discussed everything about the day. They hadn't really discovered anything new from the people; nothing about the area and building where Kei was being held, and nothing about the Eagle Clan. It was frustrating, to say the least.

"I don't know, Nekomata," Kuroo was saying as he ripped apart another chunk of bread. One more to add to the ever growing pile on his plate. "I have this feeling they are about to make a run for it. I'd rather not let them get that far."
"Kuro, the guards rotate out, so there are plenty out to cover night shifts."
"I know that..."
"And if they do manage to slip through our net, he has Taichi with him," Nekomata assured him.
Ji, tired of seeing the bread being torn apart but not eaten, passed Kuroo the dish of herbed olive oil and a pot of honey.
"Eat the bread. I worked hard on that."
"You made it?" Kuroo asked, and took a bite. Ji smiled as he started demolishing the pile on his plate.
"No. Mine was absolutely terrifying. But Fatima did make it, and she'd be pleased to know how much you loved it."
"Are you sure we can't use him out there?" Kuroo looked at Bokuto. And then dodged an apricot. "Fine. I won't ask again."
"Much obliged."
"Anyway, I still want to send a few people out to keep an eye on that building. I don't need anyone telling me they got away."
"Well, prepare for it, just in case," Nekomata reasoned. "And don't you dare throw a fit because it happened. We're dealing with experts at smuggling people. They're going to pull out all the stops to get out of town without being noticed."
Kuroo sighed. "I'll keep that in mind."
"You do that."
"If it's alright..." Eita started to say, but Kuroo glared at him.
"I already thought of you when I had the idea, so the answer is yes. But!" he overrode Semi's thank you. "You are limited to being the runner. Understand?"
Semi looked about ready to object, but remained silent, and nodded.
"Nekomata?"
"Already have three men in mind, my lord. I'll go get them ready. Semi? Would you please join me?"
"Sure."

~*~

One hour later, the small group made it to the building adjacent to their target. They had two hounds with them, one to sniff out Kei's scent, and one for Taichi. Releasing them, their handler hid in the shadows nearby. Both dogs took a few minutes, but eventually both ended up at the small hole in the wall, wagging their tails.

A shrill whistle, and the dogs came immediately to their handler, who guided them away. He came inside their hideout, and handed his teammates something one of the dogs brought him. It was another piece of fabric tied around what looked like... a blond ponytail! All the men looked at each other, and handed Semi the whole thing.

He hid it in his robes, and nonchalantly exited the building, and once he was safely away, he took off running back to the palace. This wasn't good. It wasn't even remotely good. If he knew anything about the clan he escaped from, this was one of their oldest tricks in the book.