Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Dragons and Yaoi ❯ Part 8 ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ characters. I'm not getting any profit while using them.

Warnings: Yaoi (male x male). Mirai Trunks x Gohan. Bishounen (“pretty boy”). Absolute OOC.

 

Dragons and Yaoi

 

by chayron (lttomb@yahoo.com)

 

Part 8

 

Each passing day was pushing him closer to the other side of the broadside. He had to finally choose. It couldn't last any longer.

 

Athara stood by the board, gripping the wood and gazing forward while cold wind was tearing his lavender hair around him. There was no land seen yet. But soon, pretty soon it will be there, it will emerge from the white vapor with all its choices and dangers. Though, he wasn't even sure if there was much of a choice for him. Even if he chose to leave Delaros, he'd be hunted by both sides; how would the people on the shore know that he chose to leave Delaros? And the other side…he doubted if they would ever give up on their prophecy - if needed they would tie and drag him to Angus.

 

He didn't want to go to Angus. He had no business there. That was Delaros and the others' dreams. He was sure that he would change the future. He only didn't know into better or worse. And he also wasn't sure if he needed to intervene at all - he had to maintain control over the sorcerers and mages - that he knew for sure - but he wasn't sure if he needed to change something.

 

“Athara?”

 

Athara's sapphire eyes swept over Darius then came back to watch the horizon.

 

“I have decided,” Athara said.

 

Darius held his breath. He didn't know Athara very well but he didn't wish any harm for the teenager; he'd prefer Athara would choose his side - he quite liked the teenager. Darius had been dreading this moment - each wave brought them closer to the land, and each wave made him more and more restless over what decision Athara would finally make.

 

Darius stood at the younger man's side, waiting for him to say something more, but Athara seemed to have forgotten about his existence at all. He just watched the distance as if already trying to read the outcome his decision made.

 

Looking at that slender figure and unusually colored hair made Darius uneasy - sometimes Athara seemed not to belong to this world at all. It was a joke of a cruel fate that such decision had to be made by such a sweet disposition man… Mostly Athara reminded him of a lost child. Though, sometimes…sometimes Athara made his hair stand on end. He knew there was more to Athara than his appearance and that sweet smile, but still he didn't manage to figure out what it was which made him a bit uneasy around the younger man.

 

“So?” Darius finally broke the silence.

 

Blue eyes shifted to his side, as if Athara had finally remembered that Darius was there.

 

“I won't go with Delaros. As soon as the ship is moored, I'll leave. Of course, I'll try to take Gohan with me.”

 

Darius nodded. He felt relieved, but now there were other problems he had to solve, even if those weren't his. “How do you plan to get away from Delaros?”

 

Athara shrugged. “It won't be a problem,” he waved off. “The real danger will be those mages and sorcerers who now are fighting in Jahuda. I can't tell which of the groups won, but there was a bloody fight. Half of the city is wiped out and burned to ash. Whichever the group will meet us at the port - it will be not pleasant.”

 

Darius stared at Athara. “There's a war?” he chocked out finally. He turned to look at horizon in disbelief. It seemed so calm and sleepy…there was war going on somewhere..?

 

“And what did you think would happen?” Athara's sapphire eyes concentrated on Darius' face. He chuckled, turning away. “Don't tell me that shit now. Any fool saw this coming. And you are not a fool; you knew why you went with your enemy… The prophecy divided the folk. Though, the prophecy is only an excuse to get rid of the Council. The Council had too much power for its own sake. I doubt there was a prophecy at all - somebody created that tale to scare the Council, to make its roots tremble. You know how it reacted to the prophecy of someone taking over the power and creating a new dominion… I am not the most likeable person between your members, am I..?” Athara chuckled at Darius' stunned face.

 

“Actually I don't care about your Council,” Athara said in a serious voice. “This is not my war. You can squabble like children if you want, but I won't participate.”

 

“This is your war!” Darius sharply turned to look at Athara. “People are losing their lives out there!”

 

Athara calmly smiled at Darius, a smile that sent shivers down Darius' spine. “Now… I have never asked for that, did I..?”

 

“You are a sorcerer and it makes it your war!”

 

“Ah,” Athara chuckled, “let's not divide people into criterions - I'm as much a person as I am a sorcerer… I find this squabbling irritating. I shall end it one day, but I still hope you can solve it all out without my interference…”

 

Darius rubbed his forehead in frustration. He hated when Athara became like this. “You have been drinking again?”

 

Athara's silver laughter rang over the sea surface. “Yes, I have,” he nodded. “For me it is easier to think when I drink,” he said.

 

Darius sighed. “You are the only one… Come,” he took Athara by his forearm. “Let's go downstairs. You should either finish yourself off or go to sleep.” He doubted it was a good idea to leave Athara in this state alone - the entire ship had been following Athara like rutting dogs. And though while drunken, Athara became sharper, drunkenness still was drunkenness.

 

Darius tugged Athara towards the stair once again. At first Athara resisted then just let himself be led downstairs.

 

“Can't believe that moron lets you walk by yourself…” Darius muttered under his breath while guiding Athara to his cabin. “He must have lost his sanity…”

 

“Gohan is playing poker. Again.” Athara pouted.

 

“He is trying to make up for something,” Darius smirked. “If you finally stopped sitting with your legs crossed, he'd lose all interest in any cards…”

 

Athara blushed fiercely. With a heated face, he let himself be led into his cabin and seated onto the bunk. He watched Darius' back as that went to the table. Darius took a mug, lifted the colorful jug and filled it brimful.

 

“Here,” Darius reached out the mug for Athara.

 

Still slightly blushing, Athara took the mug with his both hands and pressed it to his lips.

 

Darius watched Athara drink, the mug cradled in Athara's palms. The younger male had taken his cloak off. The long lavender hair that Darius never ceased wondering about was loosely falling down Athara's shoulders, beautifully framing the regular features. Athara was wearing a light brown tunic and dark breeches underneath it. The tunic was well made: trimmings at the neckband, wristbands and rim. Well, sure it was well made, Darius chuckled, for it was him who “designed” it for Athara after all. Even though he wasn't attracted to the same sex, he could appreciate pulchritude when he saw one, and Athara was the incarnation of beauty.

 

“I'm glad you are not a woman…”

 

Athara's long eyelashes fluttered in surprise. He choked on the water he had been drinking. After the coughing fit passed he raised his head to look at Darius.

 

Darius smiled at Athara's surprised gaze. He approached the younger man and took the mug from his hand. He chuckled then brushed a strand of lavender hair behind Athara's ear. He softly laughed at Athara's wide eyes. “C'mon,” he raised Athara by his arms, “you need to get some sleep,” he raised the covers from the bunk then helped Athara to take his boots off and tucked the younger man in.

 

Darius extinguished the kerosene lamp and left Athara to sleep.

 

XXXXX

 

“Athara?”

 

Athara roused from the sleep at the sound of knocking. Blinking, he looked around the room while trying to understand why he woke up.

 

“Athara?”

 

“It's not locked,” Athara said after he realized it was Gohan knocking.

 

“Yes, it is.”

 

“Must be Darius…” Athara muttered under his breath. He got up and barefooted padded to unbolt the door. On his way he looked at the kerosene lamp that immediately flared to life.

 

“Hey,” Gohan smiled down at Athara after the shorter man let him in. His pupils dilated at the sight of half naked and tousled Athara. He wondered if Athara was wearing anything under that nightwear…

 

“Something happened?” Oblivious to Gohan's admirations Athara watched Gohan's face.

 

Gohan nodded. “I was told you went wandering through the ship. Alone. At night.”

 

“Oh…” Athara went to sit down on the bunk. “I just wanted to think…”

 

Gohan frowned. “You told me you'd go straight to sleep.”

 

“I was planning to, but on my way I decided to go upstairs,” Athara yawned.

 

“Athara,” Gohan suddenly reached out for the younger man's chin and lifted it up to look at the blue eyes. “Never ever wander alone. Especially not on a ship where half of a crew is trying to figure out a way how to screw you…”

 

Athara angrily smacked Gohan's hand away. “You and Darius are unbearable! Don't do this, don't do that…! Just leave me in peace!” he got up.

 

Athara startled as Gohan's heavy palms fell onto his shoulders, pushing him back to sit onto the bunk.

 

“Listen, Athara. You do know what you look like, and behaving as carelessly as you do, it's like you are flaunting against everyone, coercing them to fuck you.”

 

Athara glared at Gohan. “Nice choice of words.”

 

“I just told the truth. And as much as you don't like it, you know that I'm right,” Gohan sighed, letting go of Athara. “Promise me that you'd never go walking as you did yesterday.”

 

Athara pushed Gohan away as he tried to stroke his hair. “Stop ordering me around!” He marched to the table to get some water.

 

“Athara…” Gohan sighed at the younger man's back.

 

Athara turned around to glare at him. But his anger started melting at Gohan's look. Gohan seemed to be tired and sad.

 

“Fine,” Athara muttered, brushing his long lavender hair behind his ear. He poured a mug for himself. “Want some?” he asked Gohan.

 

“Yes, all of that,” Gohan muttered before simply pinning Athara to the table and pushing his leg in between Athara's thighs. Yes, he didn't wear anything under that nightwear. Excited by the thought, he muffled Athara's surprised gasp with his mouth.

 

Athara's surprise turned into a hot liquid that pooled down in his lower stomach. Even if he didn't want to accept it, he liked it when Gohan demonstrated his dominance. He felt like a cheap slut for liking this, but he couldn't help it.

 

Gohan smiled into Athara's mouth at the younger man's half-hearted attempts to push him away. He knew the younger male liked that - he could feel it. He raised his knee higher.

 

Athara tried to protest against the contact by pushing at Gohan's chest but his wrists were seized and pushed behind his back where Gohan locked them with his one hand. Athara shivered as Gohan's wet tongue brushed just behind his ear.

 

Gohan suckled on Athara's neck while listening to his quickened breathing. He pushed the lavender-haired man against the wall so that his shoulders pressed against it. He rubbed his knee forward and back against Athara's crotch, earning soft moans from the slighter man.

 

“You love that, don't you…?” Gohan purred into Athara's ear, biting him on his left earlobe. He felt Athara's body shiver. “You love when I take control over you like that…” He smirked as Athara's stormy gaze locked with his. He pressed his knee to Athara's groin firmer, which made Athara grit his teeth and those stormy eyes cloud with angered lust. Yes, he knew Athara loved that…

 

He could feel Athara's drumming heartbeat behind that light nightwear. He smiled into the pale neck as the slighter man struggled to get his wrists free. He nibbled on Athara's skin then softly blew, making Athara shiver in his arms. His free hand traveled down Athara's side then up, this time underneath the nightwear. Athara's smooth skin flawlessly slid underneath his hand. He could feel Athara trembling. He hadn't actually believed when Darius warned him to be considerate with the younger man…but it seemed…

 

Gohan proclaimed victory as Athara's head fell back to lean on the wall, the younger man's mouth opening to pant. Athara's eyes were closed, his long eyelashes fluttering against his flushed skin. Gohan trailed his palm higher, to Athara's chest to play with the nipples.

 

Athara's body jerked against Gohan's as he pinched and rolled his right nipple between his fingers. Athara bit his lip and turned his face to the side. Gohan watched pleasure, confusion, protest and disbelief mixing on Athara's blushing face. Gohan played with the hardened nipple then his palm pushed to the other side of the younger male's chest. He felt Athara's bare thighs enclose his leg. A quick roll of Athara's hips let him feel that Athara loved this kind of attention.

 

Gohan let go of Athara's wrist in order to take his nightwear off. Beautiful, that was the first word that came into his mind after Athara became completely naked against him. The shadowed satin skin under the kerosene lamp… Mmmm… If he had ever had doubts about authenticity of Athara's hair color, now he lost them all; soft lavender hair curling on Athara's lower stomach made them disappear.

 

Catching Athara's wrists again, Gohan removed his free hand from Athara's chest to cup the flushed face. He watched the heavy eyelashes flutter open. The lust that he saw in the deepest bottom of blue made his own knees tremble. With a groan he enclosed those rosy lips with his own.

 

Athara felt dizzy with need when Gohan's tongue slid into his mouth then pulled back and slid in again. The mimicking thrusts made his body flushed with need. He groaned into Gohan's mouth when the older man's tongue dominated his mouth completely.

 

Not letting go of Athara's wrists, Gohan pressed the slighter man's shoulders against the wall. Lifting Athara's left thigh, wrapped it around his waist. His palm slid over Athara's bare thigh, then to his buttock.

 

Athara's breathing hitched as he felt a fingertip press against him. He gasped as Gohan pierced the ring. He struggled against Gohan's grip on his wrists, but the other man held firmly. Athara contently groaned while testing his boundaries once again and feeling that he was still being held down.

 

Watching Athara's face, Gohan pushed his finger up to the knuckle. Athara loved that; he could feel the lavender-haired man shivering while his muscles were gripping on his finger while trying to get it even deeper. He pulled out then pushed it into Athara again. He bent his finger and brushed over the place that made Athara grunt and his body jerk. Athara let out a long moan when he repeated that. Not wasting time, he pushed another finger into the other male. Athara's moans increased.

 

Gohan watched Athara's fluttering eyelashes while that loudly panted, being completely overwhelmed by that what Gohan's fingers were doing inside him. Gohan leaned his head forward to inhale the scent of Athara's hair.

 

“Why don't you spread your legs for me?” Gohan's husky voice sent an exciting wave of shivers down Athara's spine. “I know you ache for something much bigger…” He roughly drove his fingers forward, almost lifting Athara together with his hand. “You want me to fuck you…” He felt Athara's muscles spastically clench and unclench. “You want that so badly that you are ready to beg for it, aren't you…?” Gohan tugged at Athara's wrist to show the other was his to do everything he wanted.

 

Until now Athara didn't actually realize what people meant by “dirty talk”. Now he could only whimper as Gohan's words went straight to his groin. He arched his backside to make more place for those fingers that were forcing their way inside him.

 

Athara groaned as the fingers inside him picked up pace and firmly brushed over that spot inside him over and over. He tossed his head back as he felt it approaching.

 

“Not without me,” Gohan drove his fingers into Athara for a last time.

 

Athara's hooded eyes opened to look at Gohan who was unfastening his breeches. After tossing Gohan's shirt away, Athara tried to get more friction to his front but then his eyes widened at a small bottle of salve in Gohan's hand.

 

“You think I'm too full of myself?” Gohan grazed at Athara's ear, making the younger man moan. “Maybe…but it's better than to be caught unprepared… Don't you think that?” he husked into Athara's ear while lifting the other man by his waist higher to get himself room to coat his leaking member with the salve.

 

Shivering at his own touch he lubricated himself. He then finally let go of Athara's wrists to firmly grasp the lavender-haired man by his waist while he lowered him onto himself. Athara's mouth formed an “o” while he was guiding himself inside the other man. Athara hid his face in Gohan's shoulder crook while his hands grasped at Gohan's shoulders. Gohan heard the younger man wince. He fully sheathed himself in Athara then stilled to let him adjust.

 

“Sshhh,” he panted out while nuzzling his cheek against Athara's. “It gets much better…” he reached in between them to enclose Athara's softened erection with his palm. He felt Athara grasp on his shoulder tighter. “You'll love this…” he husked into the slighter man's ear while stroking him. “You won't realize how you had lived without this…”

 

He could feel short heated puffs on his neck. Athara's pants were increasing while he continued to stroke the man. Athara was pushing his hips up against his hand. He could feel that the tight constriction around his member was loosening.

 

Not ceasing to stroke Athara, he drew his hips back then pushed up again. As much as he simply wanted to throw Athara onto the bunk and fuck him senseless there was a considerable wince heard from those luscious lips.

 

“Relax,” Gohan dipped his thumb into the slit making Athara whimper but this time in pleasure. “Let me in,” he licked Athara's earlobe. “It's so hot inside you…” he felt Athara spasmodically clench and unclench around him.

 

He pushed Athara up against the wall tighter. “C'mon,” he squeezed his palm, “I know you love me up there…” he pulled out to push back in again. “Yes, that's right,” he purred, feeling Athara's back arch, and the younger man's thighs wrap around his waist firmer. Feeling Athara loosening, he pushed in and out several times more then angled his hips. Athara's silver voice filled the cabin.

 

Athara was much lighter than him and it was easy to hold him like this, which presented this perfect opportunity to use this position. He watched the other's open mouth and fluttering eyelashes. He leaned down to swallow moans that were fleeting those parted lips.

 

“Oh Gods…” he groaned, releasing Athara's mouth. He pushed into Athara harder and faster. Now he was easily sliding in and out, the muscles completely relaxed. Listening to Athara's quick pants and groans, he leaned his burning forehead onto the younger male's shoulders. Athara's fingers entangled into his hair. He smiled into the pale neck as Athara ripped the band out of his hair, letting his hair flow over his back. It seemed Athara really had a fetish.

 

Athara's hands gripped his hair, then shoulders and arms. Athara was eagerly meeting him, the eagerness turning into desperation while he grinded against him. He felt like a rutting beast. The only thing that he was able to think was about the pleasure he was receiving. A thought crossed his mind that he might hurt Athara, though, from the other's labored pants and groans it didn't seem like this.

 

Feeling Athara approaching, he opened his eyes to out-watch that. The sight completely stole his breath away: Athara's flushed face shining with ecstasy, his rosy lips open to draw so needed air, long lavender hair tousled and falling down his chest and to his groin and over his shoulders while he pushed Athara up and down onto him.

 

“Yes…” he groaned when Athara's movements became frantic. He felt Athara constricting around him. With a loud groan Athara arched against him. He felt hot liquid shoot against his stomach. “Mnnhmn… Athara…” he groaned, his senses overloaded by the sight and that tight constriction around him. “Ghhh!” he tossed his head back as his orgasm claimed him. Wanting to draw the pleasure out, he pushed in and out several times until he completely softened.

 

When he opened his eyes he found Athara's blue ones watching him. He wearily smiled at Athara before leaning to kiss him. When he drew away the eyes were still open, a wistful and serious expression in them. He felt a little weird, as if Athara seemed to muse over what just happened. Usually he didn't do that. After sex he preferred not to overdo with thinking.

 

He carefully pulled away from Athara who then lowered his legs to the ground. Not saying a word, the lavender-haired man started to look around for his nightwear.

 

“Athara?”

 

Athara turned to look at him with those blue eyes of his. He wasn't sure what he wanted to say to Athara. He wasn't even sure why suddenly everything got so awkward. He just gazed at those blue eyes, wishing and begging for that strangeness to go away.

 

The blue rippled and widened and softened and moistened.

 

“Athara, sweetheart,” he grabbed Athara into his embrace. “What's wrong, baby? Did I hurt you? I didn't want to. I'm so sorry! What do you want me to do? I'm sorry. Don't be like this. Please, I'll…” he knew he looked like a babbling idiot, but probably he had never felt scared like this in his entire life. He just wanted for everything to be okay. “I love you so much… Please…”

 

The moist blue widened.

 

He watched Athara's wide and wet eyes and felt like crying himself. Instead he smiled and kissed those wide in disbelief eyes. “Athara…”

 

“I… Umm…” Athara shifted in Gohan's arms. But he didn't say anything, just looked at Gohan then lowered and turned his head away. He wanted to push Gohan away but after a light struggling let himself be lifted and carried over to the bunk.

 

Gohan laid Athara on the bunk then leaned over him. “What's wrong? You didn't like it?”

 

Athara's eyes moistened again. He shifted on the bunk to pull a cover on him to cover his nakedness. He blushed under Gohan's eyes. “You know that I did…”

 

“Then…?”

 

Athara was silent for some time. “Will you go with me after everything has ended?” he looked at Gohan's dark eyes.

 

Oh. Gohan felt both relieved and concerned. “What do you mean by “everything”?” he asked.

 

“Will you?” Athara's blue eyes searched the dark ones.

 

“Athara…” Gohan uneasy shifted. “Well, sure I'd follow you everywhere, but…I don't exactly understand what you mean… You are talking unclear. And when will that “when” be…? You know I promised Delaros…”

 

Athara nodded. “Yes, I know… I'm sorry… But later…” Athara's breathing quickened. “I mean when he won't need your services anymore… There's… The things…” He halted, entangled and not being sure how much he should say to Gohan.

 

Gohan looked at the blue eyes which lowered to the side. “Why suddenly this topic?” he asked after Athara didn't say anything, which was the same as the confirmation. “Did something happen?”

 

Athara shook his head, refusing to talk. “Will you go with me?” he repeated.

 

Gohan silently looked at Athara's face. “You don't believe that I'd bother staying at your side after this, do you…?”

 

Athara's fingers gripped the sheet firmer. His eyes lowered away from Gohan's face.

 

“Athara… You, silly thing…” Gohan stroked Athara's hair after the younger man turned away from him. “You think I just…” he hid his bitter smile in Athara's neck. “Gods, Athara, I just want you even more now…”

 

Athara didn't answer anything again. Gohan was right - he didn't feel secure and had been avoiding getting intimate with him exactly because of that. Now he felt vulnerable as ever and it was even worse that he couldn't say the truth to Gohan.

 

“All I can think about is you…” Gohan sighed as the other man was silent. He brushed Athara's hair out of his way and kissed the younger man's neck. “Gods, I swear,” he softly laughed then, “you're like a woman. No, even worse,” he playfully tickled Athara's side, wanting to disperse those bad vibes that hung over them.

 

With a frown on his face, Athara turned around to look at him. He cracked a smile after looking at Gohan who was grinning down at him. “So you'd look for me then? If somehow we got separated…?” he softly asked.

 

“I'd overturn the world only to find you…” Gohan chuckled, confirming.

 

Athara chuckled, too.

 

Gohan's face then got a very serious expression. “I don't know what the hell is going on between you and Delaros, but…I suppose you can trust Darius?”

 

Athara nodded. “Darius is fine. But…” he sighed. “Doesn't matter,” he shook his head. There was a small problem… He couldn't leave Gohan with Delaros, because after he'd be gone, Delaros might simply use Gohan as the bait to lure him back…

 

“What happened between you two…?” Gohan blinked at Athara innocently, “Don't get insulted or anything, but it can't be that he has just realized that you are a pretty lousy apprentice… And he also seems to be straight…So…”

 

Athara watched Gohan's face for some time then burst out laughing. He couldn't stop laughing for about five minutes. He then smiled as Gohan leaned close to him to kiss the tip of his nose, “And if you think that… then what do you imagine I'd do later?”

 

“Well… I suppose you'll go back to your father, and I'd simply get a job as a guard or a henchman and stay at your side until you get old and senile and then I'd find a much younger lover and die of too much fucking…” Gohan shrugged, smiling.

 

Athara blinked at him. Only now he realized how little did Gohan know about him. And it was his own fault. “No,” he shook his head, “I'll never go back there. I have no one to go back to.”

 

“But…your father…”

 

“Despite him being my biological father, we were separated long ago, and I know nothing of him,” Athara shook his head.

 

“But, Athara…” Gohan muttered.

 

Athara shook his head again, refusing to talk. “When it's over, I'll go somewhere far away.”

 

Gohan watched Athara's face silently. He still didn't get what Athara was talking about, but the other man didn't want to explain which quite bothered him. “But what are you going to do?” he asked then. “Sure, I can work for us both, but I doubt you'd want a “housewife status”…”

 

Athara's blue eyes widened then he smiled. “Don't worry about that. It might appear than I can do more than you think…” he smiled while lifting his head to nuzzle Gohan's neck.

 

“Yes, you really can do more than I thought…” Gohan smirked before leaning to fully kiss Athara on his mouth. For now he just wanted to enjoy the moment.

 

XXXXX

 

After several days, the first thing Athara realized after he woke up in the morning was that they weren't moving. The ship stood still. He could perfectly feel that; his sense of balance was still quite sensitive to bigger waves.

 

After dressing Athara went upstairs. He found unexpected silence. The sailors were standing at the broadsides, looking somewhere in the distance.

 

After looking around, Athara approached Gohan who was talking with Delaros and Darius.

 

“What's going on?” he asked.

 

“Well, the sea has frozen…” Darius rolled his eyes at the obvious.

 

Athara crossed his arms over his chest. “I see that. Now tell me why that happened.”

 

“We don't know,” Delaros said.

 

Athara's blue eyes concentrated back on the frozen sea. Oh, he perfectly knew. And he knew that both sorcerers also knew. They probably thought he was going to get scared out of his mind. He sighed mentally and uncrossed his arms.

 

“Let's just hope we'll pass each other somehow…” Athara curled a lock of lavender hair around his finger while watching the distance. “If not, it will get nasty.”

 

Darius and Delaros looked at Athara, then Delaros nodded. “We need to get going. I'll go to talk to the captain.”

 

Gohan considered what he had heard, and realized that he didn't get anything from what was said. “Can anyone of you explain what is going on?” Despite he spoke to all of the three persons, he looked closely at Athara, for he didn't actually expect Darius or Delaros to explain anything.

 

“Yes,” Athara nodded, turning around and going back to the stairs, Gohan, with a sudden interest, following him. “Someone froze the sea.”

 

“Someone froze the sea?” Gohan repeated numbly. “Why? Is that possible at all? We are very far away from the shore… Such power…”

 

“Yes,” Athara nodded. He finished climbing down the stairs and turned to the kitchen. “Not one person. Many of them…”

 

Gohan's eyes widened. “You mean there is a mob of sorcerers that for some reason wants the sea frozen…?”

 

“No. There's a mob of sorcerers that wants us dead and because of this reason they froze the sea,” Athara explained while opening the doors. “And they just might succeed…”

 

“Okay…” Gohan muttered. Sometimes Athara was very logical and precise. That for some reason happened then when something bad occurred or when Athara was drunk out of his head. “Athara, what is going on? Why those sorcerers or whoever they are wants Delaros dead? And why did you suddenly get concerned about Delaros several days ago? And what did you mean by “when everything is over”? Is Delaros involved into something fishy and that's why all those people are trying to get him?” Gohan peppered Athara with questions while sitting down at the table and watching Athara, who went to look through the pots. He hated when Athara did that. At least for once Athara could have simply sat down and explain everything while looking into his eyes.

 

“Something like that,” Athara nodded. He sighed then. He knew he was being unfair but he couldn't do anything about it. He hated lying but it was the only way.

 

Gohan sighed too. “Come here,” he reached out for Athara after he found some fried eggs. He smiled as Athara obediently approached and sat down next to him.

 

He didn't speak much about these things with Athara. First, because Athara didn't to want to talk about it and tended to get upset. Second, because he himself had a pretty good imagination as to what was going on. He supposed that he knew most of the things Athara chose to remain silent about. And third, because they didn't have time to speak - these last days they didn't do anything else, only fucked. He had loved that. And, as Athara still wanted to sit next to him, it seemed the feeling was mutual.

 

Though, he noticed that instead of relaxing and enjoying their blossoming relationship, Athara became more tense and nervous. He knew the younger man was hiding things about Delaros. He supposed that maybe Athara even wanted to run away from the man. Though, he didn't know anything for sure - Athara just kept silent.

 

XXXXX

 

It took two hours to convince the captain to leave the ship. Most of the men were sure that the trip over the currently frozen sea was going to be a suicide - nobody knew for how long it was going to last. It might happen that, while on their way to the shore, they could simply drown.

 

But in the end, with a good amount of money and good eloquent speech, half of the men were ordered to set off.

 

TBC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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