It was so beautiful, so serene, seeming able to soothe the worst inner turmoil...

Even Ryou, with his heart fluttering painfully in his chest with anxiety, felt somewhat calmed.

It wasn't far now, to the apartment complex where Ken lived. Ken... Just the name set Ryou off again. Closing his eyes, he took a breath to compose himself and then stepped into the park, intending to calm himself down some before talking to Ken.

It would have worked, except that as wandered through the park... he saw the midnight beauty standing on a bridge, staring thoughtfully out at the water as the wind tossed his hair. Ryou's breath caught in his throat.

Then he took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts, and stepped towards his old friend.

"Ken-kun?"

Ken jumped and turned to face the speaker, his slanted eyes widening as he realized who it was. "Ryou?"

Ryou smiled, although it was a little forced, and waved before joining Ken at the railing. "Been a while, hasn't it."

Ken nodded slowly. "Yeah... what brings you down to Tamachi?"

"I wanted to see you." A moment of silence, broken only by the hushed whisper of the wind, carrying the sakura petals. Some of them got caught in Ken's silky indigo tresses, pale pink on dark blue against ivory white.

"Did you? For what?" The wind rushed between them, as though trying to push Ryou away from Ken, dissuade him from what he was going to say.

But though the dragon may need to ride the wind, the serpent stands firm against its influence.

"There's some things I need to tell you."

"For example?" Ken brushed a hand through his hair, dislodging several petals.

Ryou sighed. "Well... remember how I always used to be a big-brother figure for you?"

"Right..."

"Well..." Here comes the bomb, Ryou thought. "After a while, I started to realize that... well, I wanted to be more than a brother to you. I had a crush on you, Ken. I never told you because you were so young, I wanted to wait a while..."

Taking a deep breath, Ryou continued, closing his eyes so he wouldn't have to see the look on Ken's face just yet. "But then my parents moved... and I didn't get a chance to tell you, before we left... I know how you are with Daisuke, and I don't want to interfere with that, but I thought you deserved to know."

Silence. Again, only the wind spoke in those tense moments, and Ryou could feel the occasional silky touch of a sakura petal striking his cheek softly as it was carried by the breeze.

And then...

A sob.

Ryou opened his eyes, to see his amethyst treasure bent over the bridge railing, clinging to it with such ferocity that his knuckles were white. His shoulders were shaking as he stifled another sob.

"Ken..."

"Damn it, Ryou..." Ken choked. "Why... why?"

"Why what?" Ryou bit back tears of his own, hating to see Ken cry. The wind had whipped up to a fierce lament, howling at Ryou, echoing Ken's own tearful 'why.... why?'

"Why did you wait until now? Why didn't you tell me before, damn it? What were you so afraid of?!"

Ryou looked down. "I wasn't afraid," he whispered softly. "I thought it would be better... if I waited..."

"Until what? Until it was too late? Ryou, do you have any idea how I felt back then?!"

Ryou looked up at Ken. His eyes and cheeks were wet with tears, plastering his deep blue hair to his face. Ryou wiped some of his own tears away, facing that wild stare.

"I..."

"If you'd just told me, Ryou, if you'd just told me, I think I could have loved you! I was so lonely, and when you moved away I thought it was because you didn't like me anymore!"

"Wha... what?" The wind died down to a whisper as thin as Ryou's. "Ken... how could you think that? How could I not like you...?"

"My own parents ignored me in favor of my brother, I wasn't about to take anyone's feelings for granted!" Ken wiped furiously at his eyes, sniffling. "I could have loved you," he repeated in a hoarse, hollow voice.

"Please don't... don't say that, I think if I have to hear that again I will cry," Ryou sighed shakily, looking out at the river as it began to rain. Not a heavy rain, by no means even a drizzle, just a faint sprinkle like tears.

"You know," Ken said softly, his gentle voice made rough with tears, "Daisuke's a lot like you."

Ryou closed his eyes. "Is that why you love him?"

"I've often wondered." Ken turned to look at Ryou. "When exactly did you think I would understand your feelings?"

"I don't know. When you got to be the age I was, I think." Ryou looked up at the clouds, and a raindrop landed on his lips. A moment of silence passed between the two, this time broken only by the soft hiss of raindrops on the water.

"I still love you," Ryou offered quietly.

"I know," Ken replied just as quietly. 

Raindrops pushed the sakura petals across the surface of the river.

"Ryou?"

"Hai?"

"Do you love me enough to let me go?"

Ryou smiled a sad, old smile. "It depends on your definition of 'letting go'."

"Being able to love someone else someday, without necessarily forgetting me."

"I hope so."

"I hope so too... for your sake, if nothing else."

Ryou looked up at the clouds again, and then turned to look at Ken. Ken looked back at him, at the teenager who'd suffered more than his lot in the last few years, and had known all too well what a bad hand he'd been dealt. In that respect, they were not wholly dissimilar - perhaps Ryou was even better than Ken, in that he hadn't allowed his darkness to drag him down.

Ryou sighed. "I should go, okaasan will be expecting me soon..."

"Ryou."

Ryou turned to face Ken. "Hai?"

Ken placed a hand lightly on Ryou's shoulder and leaned up to kiss him softly.

He couldn't have explained why he did it. It was not out of romantic attachment, but rather out of some indefinable level of the multi-faceted thing that is love. Ryou did not tense, did not overreact, merely allowed Ken to hold their lips together for a few warm, secure moments in the soft shower of raindrops and petals, before they pulled away from each other quietly.

Ryou opened his mouth to say something, then smiled, thinking better of it, and shook his head. He turned, waving once, and walked away, heading back towards the subway station to return home.

As he walked, he looked, once more, at the sky. He'd lost his chance at one pair of wings, and watched the feathers scatter all around him, but maybe, in time...

Perhaps the serpent could one day become a dragon, and fly in a new sky.