Chapter Text
Sweat trailed down Edmond’s back, the morning sun showing no mercy to his lithe body. Panting, eyebrows furrowed and gaze focused, Edmond showed no mercy to his sparring partner. His sword strikes were precise, and his footwork was coordinated flawlessly. In mere moments, Dante found himself at the end of Edmond’s sword, out of breath. He had to put his hands up in defeat.
“You are quite the formidable opponent, Sir Edmond. It is no wonder your country relies so heavily on you.” Dante wiped sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. He was shirtless, in only his training pants, his bronze skin reflecting the sun's harsh rays. The heat in Solaria was no joke, even to the Sun Lord himself.
Edmond found himself no better; his top was long gone and his training pants were saturated with sweat. The sun had kissed his skin, leaving in its wake a red hue and a few freckles. He panted, lowering his sword.
“As are you, Sun Lord. It is not very often I get to train with someone as adept as you are.” Edmond held out his hand, and Dante gripped and shook it firmly.
The men patted their sweat-soaked bodies down with towels and chatted while drinking water; discussing sword techniques and matters of the like.
Karu felt his heart throb in his chest from his perch behind a tree. His eyes remained focused on a single figure, watching the way his hands moved around his sword, the way his hair flowed with his movements, just as graceful as the man who bore it. His face was flushed, and it was not from the heat alone.
He thought he had gotten over these… feelings? -Whatever one would call it- after the experience he had during the last Wintertime Ceremony. After all, they no longer sang or practiced together.
But even now, Karu found himself hiding and watching. The way his muscles flexed as he struck, the way his sword always hit directly where he was aiming, how his graceful feet never missed their next step. It was like watching someone dance across a stage. He watched, and watched, and watched, until he couldn’t take it anymore.
“Grrr… Garu, you don’t understand! We can use that Human Knight to make us stronger! I can take over humanity that way!” Karu closed his eyes and fought internally with his other half.
‘I know! I am just saying it’s okay to think Mr Edmond is pretty! Master also thinks Mr Edmond is really pretty.’ Garu responded.
Karu audibly scoffed. “I DON’T THINK HE’S PRETTY! It is simply for strength purposes! Nothing more!” The heat on his cheeks told another story, and Garu knew he would get nowhere with the conversation otherwise.
‘Okay, Karu. We can ask him.’ Garu resigned himself, and Karu hmmphed in victory.
“Good! Now… we just need to find him.” Karu was still in the place he had watched Edmond train from, high up on a tree branch. However, lost in his conversation with Garu, he hadn’t seen either the Sun Lord or Sir Edmond leave. He surveyed the area; disguised wolf ears twitching as he tried to locate the knight from a distance. His smell was still present, but he was nowhere to be found otherwise. With a huff, Karu jumped down from the tree. He was not prepared to drop directly in front of Edmond himself.
“W-Wah! Human knight!” Karu tumbled back in an attempt to avoid making direct contact with the knight on his way down, and Edmond was startled enough to take a few steps back himself.
“O-Oh! Karu!- I was just coming by to offer you one of the drinks the Sun Lord’s Butler made. I apologize if I startled you.” In Edmond’s hands were two brightly colored beverages, orange in hue. Resting one in the crook of his elbow and against his chest, he reached down to Karu, offering to help him up. Karu stared for a second, debating, before deciding to stand on his own.
“How.. Did you know I was here the whole time?” Karu asks. One might mistake his quiet tone for embarrassment.
“Oh, Uhm… Yes, I saw you while I was training with Dante earlier. It is quite hot outside, so I thought I would bring you a drink.” Edmond looked at him earnestly.
Karu huffed in response. “Your perception is surprisingly sharp, Human Knight… this might just work…” Karu pondered to himself as his sentence ended off, and Edmond tilted his head in confusion. “Alright! I will accept your beverage, Human Knight!” He reached out his hand towards Edmond, who placed one of the cups in it. Karu huffed in victory as he took his first sip. It was good!
“I’m glad I could… be of service?” Edmond said with a small, confused smile, still unsure of just what Karu was going on about. Edmond grunted and sat down by the base of the tree, relishing in the shade it provided. He was still shirtless, his mild sunburn even more visible now than it was while he was training. Karu averted his eyes and promptly sat next to Edmond.
“I… grrr… I was..” Karu struggled to find the words. Edmond sipped on his drink while waiting patiently. “Human knight! I… I command you to train me!” His voice shook, and he internally facepalmed at himself at how cringy it sounded. However, he held firm. Chest puffed out, expression fierce and targeted at Edmond.
“Train you? As in.. Exercise?” Edmond asked.
Karu groaned. “No! Like… With your sword! How you fight!” Karu made a few impressions of Edmond’s sword with his hand, as if he was attacking the air.
Realization lit in his eyes immediately. “Oh! You mean sword fighting! Do you want sword lessons?” Edmond leaned in closer to Karu. Karu quickly averted his gaze. He could see the sweat on Edmond’s chest.
“I..I.. Yes! If you do this… When I take over humanity, I… I will make you my first and only knight!” Karu picked up the pieces of his confidence and matched Edmond’s enthusiasm.
Edmond was beaming. He had a big grin on his face, and his eyes seemed like they were sparkling.
“Oh! Oh! Okay, how about we start tomorrow? The Sun Lord should have training equipment, and we are going to be here for a few more weeks anyway.” Edmond was unusually intense.
Karu gulped. “Y… Yes! The sooner we train, the sooner I can dominate humans!” Karu could feel his heart pounding out of his chest, and heat building in his face. He was prepared to be rejected, or haphazardly accepted. He was not prepared for the passion and enthusiasm Edmond had at the idea. It startled him a bit, if he was being honest.
‘I told you he would say yes! Mr. Edmond is so nice like that. Do you think he would train me too?’ Garu had happily watched the entire interaction. Karu felt slightly mortified but… also proud.
“Of course he would! We can take turns.” Karu said. “Soon, you'll be as strong as me!”
“Does Garu want to train as well? I wouldn’t mind.” Edmond had picked up context clues on the one sided conversation.
Karu nodded. “But… But you train me first!” Karu demanded pointedly, face flushed.
“Of course, I can train you first, Karu.” Edmond said. His voice soothed over Karu’s aggressive nature like honey; it was very reminiscent of listening to him sing. Karu coughed to clear the feelings away. Standing up with a stretch, arching his back, Edmond sighed.
“Alright, I need to attend a meeting with the Sun Lord. I will get supplies ready tonight, so how about we meet tomorrow just before sunrise?” When Edmond glanced back at Karu, his expression was flustered.
“Oh- uh- I mean- Yes! Tomorrow. Before sunrise. I will be there. You better not be late, Human Knight!” Karu looked away after he said that. The view was too much. Shirtless, sweaty, back arched, ass pronounced. Edmond had no idea just how his fine-tuned body played Karu’s heart.
“I will see you then. I shall be off!” With that, Edmond took his empty cup left. He walked away spritely, clearly pleased with the new development.
Karu took a few minutes to compose himself. ‘Man… Mr. Edmond sure is pretty…’ Garu voiced the admiration that Karu held. He lashed back.
“He's- It’s not that he's pretty! He is just really strong!” It was a useless fight. Karu’s body was Garu’s body too, and he could feel just how much heat seeing the knight caused. With an exasperated sigh, Karu grabbed the cup Edmond gave him and left the shade of the tree, heading into Dante’s estate.
≪ °❈° ≫
Karu rested the remainder of the day, wanting to be sure he would last the entire training session. Garu, taking the front, wandered around the massive estate, trying his hardest to be on his best behavior. It was quite difficult.
Every time he saw an interesting plant or a cool room or even sometimes a person, he couldn’t help but feel excited. His tail would wag. His ears would alert. He really tried.
It came to a head when Dante found him in his office. Garu was marveling at the trinkets on the desk, tail swinging excitedly behind himself. A huff alerted Garu to his presence. He felt anxiety spike- his tail stilled and ears shot forward.
“Did I give you permission to snoop in my personal office, wolf yokai?” Dante’s arms were crossed, and he looked stern. Garu bowed his head, tail instinctively tucking itself away.
“M-Mr Sun Lord, I am… I am sorry! I didn’t realize this was your office. I was exploring- like an adventurer- well, not really- but-” Garu was fumbling over his words.
Dante rolled his eyes and sighed. It’s not like he thought the young wolf yokai was scrounging for secrets. He was observing a potted flower on his desk, one he received as a gift from Yakumo. He found it hard to remain mad at someone so innocent, especially when his literal tail was tucked between his legs. Rubbing the bridge of his nose with one hand, he waved the other at Garu.
“Just…. Never mind. Next time, ask. Entering people's personal spaces without permission is a sign of disrespect. If this happens again, you won’t be let off so easily.” Garu’s expression lightened.
“Y-Yes, Mr Dante! Thank you!” Garu immediately jumped into Dante’s personal space, rubbing his face affectionately against his tunic. Dante held his hands up and away, unsure of how to handle the sudden shift in behavior. His cheeks flushed red, and he begrudgingly patted Garu’s head.
“Mr Dante, did Mr Yakumo give you that flower? It smells like his farm.” Garu questioned innocently.
Dante looked away. “Yes. It was a gift for inviting him to the Sunburst Festival. He said these flowers would survive the conditions in Solaria… and so far they have.” The flower branched off into smaller sections of blossoms tightly clumped together. They were golden in hue and seemingly thrived.
“Oh wow! They remind me of the sun! Bright and gold and pretty, ehe.” Garu walked back over, tail swishing happily behind him. He tilted his head and looked closer at the blossom, sniffing it.
“It smells like you, Mr Dante!” Garu’s tail wagged faster. The Sun Lord felt his face flush even hotter. “It’s spicy and earthy! Oh wow, Yakumo is so cool for picking this out!” Garu turned, and his blue eyes seemingly radiated delight.
“Garu-Garu! There you are! Darling is looking for you!~” Blade’s voice crashed in the room.
Dante physically startled. “Alright, everyone-”
Before Dante could finish his reprimand, Eiden chimed in. “How about we leave Dante’s office, yeah? I don’t think he needs us here.”
Dante could almost sigh in relief. Almost. As Garu followed Blade out of the office, they could overhear him telling Blade about the flower. Eiden stole a glance at the desk, catching a glimpse of the golden buds.
“Sorry, I swear they usually are better about privacy.” Eiden laughed nervously. He apologized for the men as if they weren't fully grown.
Dante huffed. “It is not your job to tell them what to do. They need to learn on their own.”
Eiden smirked, sidling closer to Dante until their bodies were touching. Dante flushed, looking away, but didn’t back up.
“You know… Yakumo picked right. That flower smells just like your essence…” Eiden spoke quietly and close to Dante’s ear, breath hot. He smelled the clothing against Dante’s skin, making his heart throb. “Sweet… Spicy… Hot~” Dante’s breath caught in his throat. Eiden closed the distance, saving Dante from having to find the words.
≪ °❈° ≫
“Blade, you said Master was looking for me? Do you know why?” Garu and Blade were sitting on plush stools in a lounging area, eating from a plate of dried fruits that one of the servants set out.
“Oh! Darling wanted to check on you! He said he hadn’t seen you today-” Blade examined a dried banana slice before popping it in his mouth and resumed talking while chewing “I think he misses you! He heard from Little Ed that Karu-Karu would be taking sword lessons!” Blade took a small fork and pretended it was a sword, waving it around. Garu giggled at the display.
“Oh yeah! I am going to as well, Karu says he wants us to be big and strong!-” Garu leaned closer to blade, putting a hand by his mouth as if to shield his words “-But, between you and me, I think it’s because Karu thinks Mr Edmond is very pretty.”
Blade’s eyes widened and he leaned in closer as well. He had read about sharing secrets in a book called 183 Things To Do At An All Girls Slumber Party .
“Little Ed is very pretty. Every time Darling sees him, his body temperature increases by .2 degrees!” Despite leaning in and shielding his mouth as well, Blade talked at full volume. The sound of someone clearing their throat caused Garu to jump.
“A-hem. Sharing secrets, are we?” Edmond’s face was warm. He had heard what Blade said.
“Oh! We were just talking about how K-” Before Blade could finish, an uncharacteristic Garu covered his mouth and smiled.
“That's right! We keep secrets. Right, Blade?” Garu looked into Blade’s eyes, waiting for the realization to settle in. After a few seconds, Blade nodded against Garu’s hand quickly and smiled.
“Never mind! I can’t tell you because it is a secret! Sorry Little Ed.” Blade smiled, showcasing his pointy teeth. Edmond just shook his head, willing the flustered thoughts to go away.
“Mm.. Anyway, Garu, since you are here, I wanted to ask you personally if you would also like to partake in sword lessons?” Edmond’s embarrassment was quickly replaced with a gleam of excitement.
Garu immediately matched his enthusiasm. “Yes! Karu said we should get stronger. I am really excited!” His tail thumped against his stool with vigor. Edmond looked pleased.
“Very well. I expect both you and Karu to be present then. Now, I must attend to some knightley business before the day ends. See you later.” Edmond kept his composure but was gleaming underneath it all. After he left the room, Garu’s tail thumped even more vigorously, hitting Blade a few times as well. Blade giggled and grabbed his tail, feeling the tug and pull as it attempted to wag happily.
“I am sooooo excited! Karu and I are going to be so cool. I wonder if we will be as good as Sir Edmond! Do you think we could protect Master better?” Garu was spouting a hundred questions a minute.
“Darling thinks Little Ed looks cute while he fights! Darling will also find Garu-Garu and Karu-Karu cuter as well!” Blade’s smile showed his spiked teeth, and the two men rambled for hours. By the time Eiden finally came back out from Dante’s office, it was already late into the evening.
≪ °❈° ≫
“Will Master think we are cool?” Garu was lying on Eiden’s body, his tail firmly against Eiden’s side. They were in Eiden’s room in Dante’s estate, clothed in night wear. Garu was in boxers and an oversized shirt (one of Eiden’s, no less), and Eiden was shirtless in sleep shorts. He brushed his fingers through the hair on Garu’s nape, humming in response to his question.
“I already think you and Karu are super cool.” Eiden’s smile was nothing but genuine as he continued to pet the wolf yokai.
“Mr Edmond looks so excited to teach us as well! I hope it goes well… I am a little nervous. I’m used to fighting with my claws.” Garu held up his hand, summoning long talon-like claws from the tips of his fingers. Eiden took his hand and gently stroked over the extended nails.
“I think it's a good chance for you two to get to know Edmond better. And he could learn a lot from you two as well.” He ended the statement with a small laugh before wrapping his arms tightly around Garu, flipping him onto his back.
“Awu- Master!” Garu’s tone was playful as he landed with a puff on his back. Eiden kissed up his jaw and to his neck, before nuzzling closer and inhaling.
“Pwahh- You always smell so good, Garu-” Eiden started aggressively sniffing right against Garu’s ear, making him squirm. “I could smell you for days! Ahah!” Garu’s laughs grew more and more as Eiden’s hands made their way to his sides, pinching him.
“He needs to learn-” Eiden blew a raspberry right against Garu’s Adams apple, making him squeal “-How to have fun!”
Both of the men collapsed into fits of giggles, hugging tightly. Their faces were flushed. It took them a few minutes to calm down, and when they finally did, Eiden was spooning Garu close to his chest. Garu’s tail was draped over Eiden’s hip.
“I really am excited to see how this goes. Just make sure to take it easy sometimes- and I mean that for both of you!” Eiden jabbed into Garu’s side, as if directing the attack on Karu. Eiden let out an unceremonious yawn, burying his hair into Garu’s ruffled head.
“Goodnight, Garu. Good luck tomorrow..” Eiden leaned over and put out the candle on his nightstand with his fingers, then snuggled closer to Garu. They fell asleep entangled in blankets and limbs.
≪ °❈° ≫
The sun wasn’t even up when Karu woke up. He was tangled in bed with Eiden, who was snoring soundly against his head. Karu huffed. It wasn’t that he hated cuddling with Eiden; it was just embarrassing to wake up in such a compromised position so often. Well, tonight it would be his choice on where to sleep, so he could take his own room. As for now he had something he needed to get ready for.
Karu slipped out of the bed as carefully as he could, stretching and willing his limbs to cooperate with him. He shook out his ears and tail, yawing. Waking up early was never too difficult, but it wasn’t like it was easy either.
Karu slipped out of the shirt and grabbed one of his basic black compression tops. For shorts, he grabbed his usual ones. A rather simple outfit, what he assumed would be perfect for training this morning.
Karu didn’t get nervous. His heart definitely didn’t beat hard, he definitely wasn’t already sweating, and he definitely didn’t rehearse what to say in the mirror. He was totally normal about it.
‘It’s okay to be nervous! Master says he gets nervous a lot. It means you're excited!’ Garu’s attempt at soothing Karu only made him growl.
“Quiet! I am not nervous. I am going to kick ass. Just you watch!” Karu whispered this, wanting to keep Eiden asleep. He grumbled to himself as he left the room.
Now, getting to the courtyard would be difficult. He knew vaguely where it was; if he tried hard enough he could smell it. However, that did not make navigating the hallways any easier. Getting only slightly lost, Karu made it to the courtyard just as the sun's rays began to break past the sandy landscape.
Edmond was already outside; his hair was in a ponytail and he had a thin white tank top on top of his usual white and blue leggings. He was rummaging through a bag of items before he noticed Karu.
“Karu! Good morning! You are just on time. We can get started right away. Have you stretched yet?” Edmond was very enthused, and Karu felt heat flood his cheeks.
He shook his head no as he answered. “I-... No, I have not, but the mighty Karu does not need to stretch! I am already very flexible!” As if to demonstrate, Karu leaned down and touched his toes, putting his hands on the floor and folding his body in a show of intense flexibility.
Edmond gave a small laugh. “While stretching is good for flexibility, we will stretch to protect our muscles.” Edmond flexed his bicep as he said it. “We have tons of muscles, and if you overwork one area too much it can cause damage. When we stretch, we get blood in our muscles, which help prevent any damage and promote fast healing. Understood?”
Karu stared blankly. Not a single word Edmond said resonated in his head. Edmond sighed.
“Ah.. Alright. We do it because it's good. Let’s just… begin, shall we?” Edmond walked a few steps towards Karu until they were about 6 feet apart. Karu watched anxiously. “Just copy what I do, simple enough.”
And Karu did just that. The wolf yokai’s body was limber as ever and easily kept up with this part of the warm up. They touched their toes, stretched their shoulders, forearms, hands, and fingers. While he still didn’t know why they needed to do this, he knew that Edmond was really strong, so if he did it then it must be right. After around 10 minutes of meticulously stretching every muscle, Edmond let out a sigh of relief and rolled his shoulders.
“Alright. We need to start with the basics. Knowing you well enough, I know you are strong, so we don’t need to do any strength training. So we will start with grip.” Edmond hands a wooden rapier to Karu, and took one for himself as well.
“I use a rapier. It's a type of sword. They are known as an extremely offensive weapon, however, any basic moves I teach you can translate to other sword types,” Edmond explained as Karu shifted the wooden rapier in his hand, getting a feel for the handling of it.
“Now, there are many ways to hold a rapier. However, the way I was taught, we grip it like this-” Edmond demonstrated, slipping his pointer finger through a gap along the top of the guard while his other 3 fingers remained underneath. The hilt rested comfortably against his hand that way. Karu tried to replicate it, struggling to find the correct grip. Edmond sighed and smiled, taking Karu’s hand in his.
“Like this, here-” Edmond guided Karu’s finger through the T on the hilt, securing Karu’s hand underneath his own. “It is more like a… pinching motion. Use the rest of your fingers lightly. You don't want to death grip the rapier. Most of the work is done between this finger and this finger.” Edmond firmly pressed on Karu’s pointer finger and thumb.
Karu could feel his body vibrating. Edmond’s hand was soft and calloused against the back of his, and the sensation sent a chill down to the base of his tail, causing it to flick.
“I… I got it! You can… back off, human knight!” Karu pulled away from Edmond’s hand, causing Edmond himself to puff.
“I am just showing you how to properly hold the rapier. If you develop a bad habit of holding it wrong, you will mess up the very foundation of sword play.” Edmond crossed his arms as he examined Karu’s grip. Karu growled.
“Sword fighting is just holding it and swinging it, yeah? Worrying about this is pointless! Just show me how to swing it!” Karu barked at Edmond.
Edmond’s gaze steeled. Karu could feel his stomach drop. Edmond walked over to the supplies and picked up his usual white sword, embellished with sapphire gems to match his gemmed hand. He tossed the sword butt first at Karu.
“If you are so sure that it is so easy, then take me on, right now.” Edmond stood with a wooden rapier in hand. Karu’s hands shook as he caught the real sword. It was heavier than he anticipated, but not so heavy it was useless. Trying to remember how Edmond showed him to grip it, he slipped his pointer finger around the T and clenched.
“Are you an idiot! This is a real sword! I could seriously hurt you!” Karu felt his ears airplane, and he took a few steps back to distance himself from Edmond. In response to this, Edmond scoffed.
“You will not even last 10 seconds. There is no way that sword will even come close to me. Now, are you a coward? I said come at me!” Edmond yelled and opened his arms; an invitation. Karu growled.
“Alright…. You asked for it!” Karu lunged at Edmond, swinging the blade directly at his chest. Before he could process what even happened, he fell flat on his face. He felt a dull jab on his back.
“Amature. You left your body completely open, you didn’t calculate my position at all, and on top of that, you closed your eyes as you swung!” Edmond pushed the tip of his wooden blade harder into Karu’s back, who hissed at the pain.
“Sword fighting is not for the mentally weak or incapable. It is a testament to courage, patience, and repetition. If you cannot listen to my instructions, you will never be allowed to touch a sword again. Do you understand?” Edmond emphasized his point with one last push of the blade before pulling it off of him and stepping away.
Karu had been properly humbled, so much so he wasn’t sure how to respond. He pulled himself onto his hands and knees and stared at the ground. He could taste blood, and saw some drip from his face onto the ground. His sinuses burned with the threat of crying. He gritted his teeth and willed himself to stop. Come to your senses. Calm down. Breathe. Like how that human slave tells Garu to when he cries.
…
In the blink of an eye, Garu popped into his body. Stunned and a little put off by the pain, he looked up at Edmond’s stern face. His tail instinctively pulled between his legs. Edmond’s look immediately softened.
“... Garu?” Edmond asked inquisitively. Garu nodded as he pushed himself up and brushed himself off.
“Hi, uh… Karu said he was done for today. If it's okay, can I have a turn?” Garu asked. He couldn’t meet Edmond’s eyes.
Edmond stepped close and patted his head affirmatively.
“Yes, you can. When Karu is ready, he can have his turn too. First, let's get you cleaned up.” Edmond pulled on Garus’s hand and led him to a bench, where Edmond promptly checked his face. Karu had bitten his tongue, and he got a bloody nose from the impact. Otherwise, he was okay. He could see a healer after their training and be right as rain.
Teaching Garu how to hold the sword was about the same as Karu, however, without the pushback. Garu, feeling bad about getting further than Karu, called the morning off after he had properly learned how to grip. Edmond seemed a bit disappointed but didn’t fight it.
Karu didn’t make an appearance for the rest of the day, and he refused to talk to Garu about what happened. Radio silence.