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wednesday_10_00) wrote2009-03-18 04:21 pm
wednesday_10_00) wrote2009-03-18 04:21 pm
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Flesh & Blood 11: Everyone Loves Kaito!
While reading this book (specifically, the dream sequence [OH GOD OH GOD HIS DREAM LOLOLOLOLOLOL ]), I realized that somewhere along the line here, I seem to have gotten over my hatred of Vicente. He just makes me laugh so much, how can I keep hating him? Poor Vicente. *pets him*
Also, I didn't think I could do the reunion scene justice as a summary...okay, I'll admit it: I just couldn't bring myself to make fun of it. :( Anyway, enjoy those few pages as a full-blown translation. (A million thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
spacealien_vamp for the beta, and to collarnojutsu for her advice on how to not gross readers out with a kiss scene.)
Kaito, Vicente and Raul are in the king's quarters, which provides the best view of the chapel below. They're watching mass so that Kaito can "predict" what will happen to the commanders of the Armada. As they watch, Kaito reminisces about eating the same food as the king (poison-tested food is the best!), and how Vicente is socreepy sweet in insisting that Kaito keep eating to get his strength up. Ostensibly, Kaito is still on England's side, but he tells the truth about any officers he sees, and even answers all of Vicente's questions. Kaito (who obviously has never heard of Stockholm Syndrome) is Torn: he hates Vicente for that whole kidnapping thing, but Vicente is so nice to Kaito, and always rescuing him and stuff. Unfortunately, Kaito knows that the Spanish Armada is Doomed and Vicente is probably going to die during the attack on England, and any attempt to save him will likely result in changing history as we know it. When Kaito gives Vicente advice to keep from dying, Vicente is all "You don't want me to die? :DDDD " and Kaito's like, "Fine, I admit it, I don't! But I'm still mad at you! >:( " Then Vicente thanks Kaito, and Kaito is overwhelmed with the feeling that he's betrayed England. He thinks back to how he heard Drake's Drum just before he went back in time; at the time he had assumed that it was because Vicente was in England, but now he thinks that he himself was the danger to England. Sickened, he slides to the floor in a half-faint and Vicente carries him off to his room.
Some time later, Philip, Vicente, and Kaito are strolling around the palace garden. Philip and Vicente are walking a little ways behind Kaito and discussing his health. They ooh and ahh over how cute and innocent and adorable he isPhilip's in love with Kaito, too??, and then segue right into this Evil Plot that Vicente has to stop, which just happens to involve Ana, the king's former mistress and the woman with whom Kaito and Vicente are going to go stay. (The king's palace is so full of spies, it's deemed unsafe for Kaito the Delicate Flower.) As they're discussing this massively confusing Evil Plot, Kaito has a coughing fit and Vicente runs off to make sure he's okay. But it turns out Kaito was just singing to himself and breathed in funny. Then he notices he has a thorn in his hand, and Vicente pulls it out and then licks the wound when a drop of blood comes out. [I, uh...but...isn't that a Japanese...never mind] Kaito freaks out and snatches his hand back. Vicente is too busy thinking about how adorable Kaito is to care, not that Vicente is at all attracted to Kaito, because (all together now) Vicente is NOT GAY. He's just...concerned. Like an older brother would be. An incestuous older brother
Meanwhile, Geoffrey and Kit, killing time while they wait for word about Kaito, are touristing around Ávila, visiting St. Vincent's grave, which apparently looks very depressing. Vincent's torture and death leads to some interesting topics, like the relative appeal of Nigel whipping someone vs. being whipped by someone. [Oh, Kit.] Also, Geoffrey gives Kit some love advice, but they both sound very hopeless about the whole thing. [Oh, Kit. ;_;] Back at the inn, they find Nigel deep in discussion with a guy who turns out to be a servant ofRaul Miguel, named Pablo. Pablo tells them that there's going to be an opportunity for one of them to see Kaito, which of course immediately causes Geoffrey and Nigel to fight about who is more like a five-year-old should be the one to go ("Me!" "No, me!" "You're a poopyhead!" "I know you are, but what am I?"). Kit, suddenly the voice of reason, points out that Vicente has seen both of them before, which means they are not ideal for the job (which Pablo, who does not want to be caught and killed, heartily agrees with) and it's decided that Kit will go. While he goes up to his room to change for the journey, Geoffrey apologizes to Nigel for being five, and they officially make up [yay!] and are cute again. Once they're done hugging, Pablo is like, "Um, guys, I'm still here..." and turns the conversation to the fact that he hates Raul's Miguel's--oh, we can actually call him Raul now--Raul's guts and wants to stab him in the back. [Side note: I just love how Pablo hates on Raul in the most ridiculously respectful language possible: ご自分だけが有能だと自惚れていらっしゃるあの方. Come on Pablo, if you were REALLY pissed you'd call him あの野郎, or at least あのやつ.] The guys are totally on board with this and fork over money to Pablo in exchange for his insider information. Nigel and Geoffrey give Kit messages for Kaito (Nigel's message, "The two of us came to rescue you, like you wanted" makes Kit sulk, and Geoffrey refuses to say anything romantic on the grounds that he'll wait to say it in person, he just wants Kit to tell Kaito to take care of himself), and Kit and Pablo take off.
Kaito and company are on their way to Ana's castle...OF DOOM!!!!...no, sorry, it's just a normal castle. Prison. Prison castle. On the way, Kaito gives the castella the king gave him away to some orphan kids. Vicente, for the 8 millionth time, tells Kaito how generous, kind, and wonderful he is (like an angel!), which just makes Kaito and possibly the readers uncomfortable. The orphans give Kaito a marigold, which he twirls around in his fingers (just like Geoffrey was doing while visiting St. Vincent's grave! I SEE WHAT U DID THAR), and he starts thinking about how Geoffrey was always teasing him and making him do things he didn't want, but it's Geoffrey that he prefers. When they get to the castle, they're surprised to see a bunch of Romani performers gathered around, singing and playing instruments. One of them is trading jokes with Ana, and her son is Not Amused. He's about to use force to get rid of them, when Vicente is all, "Wait, I know that guy!" Turns out it's Cervantes (which makes Kaito almost fall out of his cart).
They head up to meet Ana, who immediately joins the We Love Kaito Fan Club when he gives her tips on how to dye hair. Then Kaito and Vicente quietly discuss Raul and how he's Sneaky and Possibly Evil, and Kaito is just wishing there was a way he could warn England about him when he spots Kit watching him and chokes in surprise. He starts coughing, which of course makes Vicente worried, but Kit uses the opportunity to suggest that he have a look at Kaito later. Kaito's a little worried--is Kit there to help him or kill him?--but doesn't let on that he's met Kit before.
In his room, Kaito is worrying about Kit (though slightly distracted by spunky!Leo). Leo goes off to run some errands, and Kit comes in, making some snarky comment about Kaito wanting to stay with the Spanish because they're so nice to him. Kaito's all, "No! Don't kill me!" But Kit says he's just teasing and gives something to Kaito--it's the key to Geoffrey's chest, which Kaito thought he lost when he got thrown overboard back in volume 8. Kit tells him it's from Nigel (it relieves Kaito to hear that Nigel's fine, since he'd had no way to know if he even survived his very serious injuries). They discuss Raul and his evilness, Kaito Juan's model ship to Kit, and Kit's all, "Wow, you'd be a great spy!" [Um, Kit? Are you...serious? Because Kaito would be the WORST SPY EVER. What kind of spy angsts about his enemies possibly dying?] Kit lectures Kaito about the seriousness of the mission and how he can't try to save Vicente because that will jeopardize Geoffrey and Nigel, and gives Kaito his messages, which makes Kaito happy but embarrassed. Just when Kaito is hugging Kit (and Kit is grudgingly admitting that Kaito's an OK kid), the door opens and Vicente walks in. Before he sees them, Kit and Kaito jump apart and Kit pretends to be examining Kaito's throat. Kit says he has some medicine that Kaito can take, and Vicente agrees, as long as he can take it first to check for poison, because Kaito isa special flower an "irreplaceable treasure." Kit's like, "Wow, you've got it bad!" and Vicente gets all defensive because he's NOT GAY but Kit's like, "Chillax, dude, it was just a joke," (which seems to make Vicente even more uncomfortable) while going *nudge nudge wink wink* at Kaito. Kit's parting message to Kaito is for him to take care of himself--a coded reminder of Geoffrey. Thus it makes Kaito feel even more miserable and guilty when Vicente also shows concern for his well-being ("I've been telling you to eat, you're so skinny!"), and when Vicente tries to pat Kaito on the head, Kaito ducks away. Vicente asks him if what Kit said was bothering him, and assures Kaito that he's NOT GAY. This kind of puzzles Kaito, who knows that there's no way Vicente could feel that way about him [AHAHAHAHAHAHA GOOD ONE, KAITO--wait, he's serious?], and is so preoccupied with his own moral dilemma that he completely forgot Kit made such a joke. Vicente is visibly relieved that Kaito didn't take it seriously, seeing as how he's NOT GAY and all, wouldn't want there to be any awkward realizations misunderstandings, and then asks Kaito if he'd like to meet this Cervantes guy, which of course, Kaito would.
Back at the inn, Geoffrey and Nigel's sleep is interrupted by a lot of shouting downstairs. Geoffrey, who's bored out of his mind, decides to go see what the fuss is about, and Nigel follows to keep him out of trouble. They discover that a Romani man is causing a fuss because the owner won't let him in, but he insists he's supposed to meet someone (namely Nigel and Geoffrey). Nigel manages to calm everyone down and they meet with the man, Luca, outside. Luca tells them that he's been asked by Kit to travel back and forth between here and Ana's castle every two days. He gives them a bag and leaves. The bag contains Juan's ship model (which Luca's lack of care busted into little pieces, oops) and a letter from Kit, telling them that Kaito is fine. There's also a secret message--written in lemon juice, because apparently 16th century spies are the equivalent of 20th century ten-year-olds--telling them who the ship is from. They're shocked to hear that Juan is still alive and touched that Kaito managed to get the ship to them, but happy because they think it'll only be a little bit longer before they see Kaito again.
Vicente keeps having the same skeevy dream about Kaito, which just happened to start around the time Kaito was examined for evidence of sodomy. [Agh, Vicente, GROSS.] The dream starts out right after the "examination," when Kaito is telling Vicente how Geoffrey would never hurt him, Vicente says "I'll never let anyone touch you again" (just like he really did), and then continues "anyone other than me" (which of course, he did not really say), and proceeds to have his wicked way with Kaito. Vicente finds this dream very strange because Kaito is a boy and Vicente is NOT GAY. Alonso interrupts Vicentegleefully reliving thinking about his dream to invite him to go hunting. At first, Vicente doesn't want to go and leave Kaito alone, but Alonso convinces him that Kaito is probably sick of him hanging around all the time and would like a little time to himself, so Vicente agrees to go.
While Vicente is off hunting, Kaito is chatting with Ana. (They've told her that Kaito can speak/understand simple Spanish, though their conversation doesn't look all that simple to me.) They're discussing family when Kaito looks out the window at the performing Romanies, and notices that two of them are just standing there, not singing or dancing. And, in fact, one of them has an eye patch. Just as he's thinking, Nah, can't be, Raul leans over and murmurs in Kaito's ear (about how good-looking the guys are, hahaha)...in English, *gasp* *shock*. [Side note: I just have to say, it is really, really DUMB to assume nobody around you can understand the language you're speaking, and doubly so given that Kaito has been doing the exact same thing.] Raul also reveals that he knows Kaito understands Spanish and they switch for Ana, who doesn't know Englishunless she, too, is playing dumb. Raul explains that he has Geoffrey and Nigel's trust, and that he'll have them killed unless Kaito agrees to work for Raul. Oh, and he'll also let Kaito meet with one of them. Kaito isn't sure what to do, but then realizes that Raul is hiding his full plan from Ana--she doesn't know Raul is planning on stealing Kaito out of her castle. Kaito decides the only thing to do is play along, hoping that they'll see an opportunity to foil Raul's plan, and gives Geoffrey and Nigel the all-clear signal.
[excerpt from chapter 10, pages 211-218]
With his hood pulled low to keep his face hidden, Geoffrey could only look at his own feet as he climbed the steps of the tower. Even so, there was something he could sense. The only guards are the two by the entrance?...Well, I suppose that's enough to keep one woman imprisoned. Just like the windows, the door to the tower was covered by iron bars, kept shut by a huge lock. And the only ones who could open it were the guards.
"There are two connected rooms that make up the duchess' private chambers," said Raul, when they had reached the top of the stairs. "Kaito is in the room closest to us. Kit and I will head into the far room, so the two of you can feel free to do some catching up. Also, the duchess wishes to speak with you; I'll call for you when the time comes."
Geoffrey nodded. It was time. As he thought this, his stomach seemed to flip over. It seemed he was unusually nervous. This is stupid...it's Kaito in there, Geoffrey told himself, stepping forward.
"There you are...So sorry to keep you waiting." Hearing the voice of Raul, who had gone ahead, Geoffrey's heart began to pound. There was no answer, but he was definitely there.
In that room--was Kaito.
Damn...! He couldn't stop his legs from shaking. If he kept walking like this, he'd trip over his own feet and fall over. He didn't want Kaito to see that, so he used closing the door as an excuse to turn around and take a deep breath. Then he took off that annoying robe.
Calm down. Don't let him see your face all pinched like this. You should be wearing a great big smile for this happy occasion. Having somehow managed to pull himself together, Geoffrey turned around. The first thing he noticed was the door directly opposite him. Raul and Kit had already gone though, and it was tightly closed. Where's Kaito...? Geoffrey looked to the right side of the room. The flame of the candles, there to light the windowless room that was dark even in midday, flickered with his slight movement, and so did his faint shadow on the wall. Geoffrey's attention was caught by that; the next second, his eyes opened wide.
"...!" There was another, slightly smaller shadow on the wall. Geoffrey immediately turned his head, and his eyes fell on the boy standing there silently.
"Ah..." Feeling the strong gaze upon him, the boy let out a sound that was almost a gasp. He was thinner than Geoffrey remembered. No, wasting away was more like it. Looking closely, his bright red hair was showing black at the roots. The color spoke of the time the two had spent apart.
"Kaito..." Geoffrey's voice was rough. He wasn't sure what kind of expression was on his face. At any rate, it certainly wasn't a great big smile. As proof, Kaito looked as if he were about to cry.
"Dammit..." A sharp pain stabbed at his chest. He didn't want to see that look on Kaito's face. He hadn't come here to make him look that way. He wanted Kaito to always be smiling, to only feel happiness. Overcome by emotion, Geoffrey moved his legs, which had finally stopped shaking, taking large strides over to Kaito, who had shrunk into the corner of the room like a trapped rabbit.
"It's me...Kaito." Kaito just stared at the hand stretched out before him. Frustrated, Geoffrey grabbed Kaito's thin waist and pulled him into a hug. He felt like Kaito's bones would snap in two if squeezed too hard, but he couldn't make himself loosen his grip. He was afraid that if he did, Kaito would vanish like a dream.
I can't bear it anymore. I never want to feel that way again. The scent that came from the hair his lips were pressed against wasn't a pleasant lavender, but an unfamiliar and cloying sweetness. That only heightened Geoffrey's fears. Had Kaito changed? Was he the same person Geoffrey used to know? Was that why, even while holding him, he was stiff and unmoving in Geoffrey's arms? But then...
"Geo...ffrey..." Just when Geoffrey's anxiety had reached its peak, he heard a hoarse voice from near his chest. The arms hanging limply at Kaito's sides slowly crept up and encircled Geoffrey's back. Gently, as though they were handling delicate glass. "Is it really you...?"
Hearing those words, Geoffrey understood. Kaito felt the same way. Unable to believe that Geoffrey was really there, and afraid that he would disappear when Kaito reached for him, he was completely at a loss.
What cowards we are...! Geoffrey's lips, which had been pressed tightly, loosened a little. But it couldn't be helped. It was because there was nothing more important that made that person unbearable to lose. Losing him was more frightening than anything else. Being separated had made the two of them realize that.
"It's really me...See?" Geoffrey pulled away slightly, took Kaito's hand, and pressed it to his cheek. The soft fingers gently caressed his face. When he narrowed his eyes in pleasure, Kaito's expression softened, too.
"Yes...and it's really you." Seeing the corners of his mouth turn up, Geoffrey couldn't hold back any longer. Even if the scent surrounding him was different, Kaito hadn't changed a bit. The boy in Geoffrey's arms was the same Kaito he'd fallen in love with. When he threaded his fingers into the soft hair and pulled him closer, Kaito's big eyes opened even wider.
"Ge...Geoffrey?"
"Shh, did you forget? You close your eyes when you kiss," whispered Geoffrey with a smile in his voice, and Kaito lowered his eyelids. But then they popped right back open. After making sure that Geoffrey was still there, he seemed to be overcome with happiness, and lunged forward to kiss Geoffrey. Their lips touched briefly, just the chaste peck of a little bird. That was probably enough to satisfy Kaito. But Geoffrey wanted to taste more. Until his heart, frozen from loneliness, had completely thawed.
"Mm...hm..." Geoffrey pressed their lips together again, slipping his tongue into Kaito's mouth. Geoffrey ran his tongue along Kaito's and sucked lightly on it. At first, Kaito was so surprised his tongue remained stiff, but led on by Geoffrey, he began to answer awkwardly. Geoffrey wasn't the only one who felt this desire. Kaito felt the same. Geoffrey's heart, which had been empty during Kaito's absence, filled with happiness.
"I came to get you, Kaito..." he whispered between kisses, and a tear slid down Kaito's cheek. "Don't go anywhere, ever again...You belong here with me." The arms embracing Geoffrey tightened. That was Kaito's answer.
"I'm sorry...I...wanted to believe you would come...but I kept thinking I'd never see you again...s--so...I'm really happy you came." Warm tears dampened Geoffrey's chest. Kaito's journey to Spain, and the days he'd spent here, must have been filled with anxiety.
"Since you disappeared, it's been like my world was dead. I would breathe in, and breathe out. Just that, every day. No matter what I did, nothing moved my heart. My obsession with getting you back was all that kept me going. " Geoffrey followed the tear tracks on those soft cheeks with his lips as he spoke. Only in front of Kaito could he reveal this weakness. "I love you, Kaito. Stay by my side. Without you, I'm useless."
Kaito slowly stroked Geoffrey's hair and said, "That's why you stopped caring about your appearance?"
Geoffrey was startled. "What?"
"Those rags you're wearing! The tailor from the Strand would be crying about how he lost his best customer!"
Apparently he'd gotten back enough of his spirit to make jokes. Geoffrey looked down at Kaito's teasing eyes and smirked. "It's a last-minute disguise, but Raul Toledo seemed to like it. Said I was irresistibly wild."
"Hmph."
"You like me better as a gentleman?"
"It's not bad. Fancy clothes suit you better. But I'm not sure you've ever been a gentleman."
So, he also had the spirit to show cheek. Geoffrey grabbed the nose that was slightly red from crying and tweaked it.
"Mrph....!"
"I beg to differ. If I were a less civilized man, your purity would have been in danger the day we met."
Kaito's eyes clouded slightly. "That's true. You would never hurt me. But I..."
As he was wondering what was wrong, Kaito touched Geoffrey's hair again and said, "You cut so much of your hair off...Is this part of your disguise, too?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry..."
It seemed that Kaito's dark expression was because he thought he'd forced Geoffrey to make a sacrifice. Geoffrey gently stroked Kaito's back. "There's no need to worry. My hair will grow right back. I'll grow it out as long as you like, so you can wash it to your heart's content. By the time we get back to England, my house will be done. Your bath, too."
Hearing that, Kaito smiled again. The untroubled smile that Geoffrey had been longing to see. "That's right. I can't wait to see it."
"And that's another reason we need to get out of here safely." Geoffrey kissed Kaito's cheek and whispered, "You probably heard from Kit, but watch out for Raul."
[Okay, I lied about not making fun of it: I was totally tempted to translate Kaito's tear as a "single emo tear."]
Kaito and Geoffrey continue to discuss the situation--Kaito tells Geoffrey that Raul doesn't know that they know his true identity, and that Ana doesn't know what Raul is really planning. Geoffrey tells Kaito not to get angry if he flirts with Ana, and they head into the fray.
That evening, Kaito is alone in his room. He's leaving a note (the contents of which I guess we're not going to see until volume 12) in the front of a book for Vicente, hopefully to be found after he's gone the following day, because he's worried about Vicente's safety. However, this is causing various feelings of guilt, because A) he wishes he could do more to help Vicente and B) he's worried that he's going to somehow change history. As he's mulling over this, Leo shows up to say that dinner is ready, and apparently Vicente is all proud because they're feasting on some wild boar that was his first kill on a hunt. On the way there, one of Ana's servants stops Kaito to tell him that she wants to see him after dinner.
At dinner, Vicente and Kaito leave Leo to a drinking contest with Alonso [hee!] and sneak off to a quiet corner tomake out eat. Vicente happily chatters about taking Kaito hunting (after they teach him how to ride a horse) and kisses him on the forehead when he agrees to go. Kaito pulls away, feeling horribly guilty [I say again: WORST SPY EVER], but manages to convince Vicente that he's just hungry. His guilt only worsens, though, when Vicente starts asking him about his day. ("You know, the usual, playing the piano, chatting with Ana, making out with your sworn enemy...") The subject turns to reading, which gives Kaito an opportunity to drop a hint about the book he left his secret message in. After a while, though, Kaito gets sick of Vicente's clinginess kindness and asks to be excused.
He heads to Ana's room, where he finds the duchess in a bad mood. It turns out that Geoffrey, in an attempt to drive a wedge between Ana and Raul, said "see you tomorrow" to Ana as a goodbye. When Ana asks Kaito what this could possibly mean, he plays dumb, but she's not fooled, and pulls a knife on him. Ana wants to keep Kaito for herself, and says the way to do that is to kill him right now. She doesn't really care about Raul's Evil Plot--she only wanted to piss off Philip anyway. They start to struggle; Ana wonders if she'll be executed if she kills Kaito, and says how sad Geoffrey and Vicente, the ones who love Kaito best, will be. When Kaito looks surprised, she's all, "What you didn't realize Vicente was in love with you?" Kaito doesn't believe her at first, because Vicenteis NOT GAY seems to care for him like a little brother, but then remembers that he also believed that Nigel cared for him like a little brother [*sniffle*]. Speak of the devil, Vicente is outside the room, yelling and trying to break the door down. Ana says that Vicente will probably kill her before Philip does, and so she'll let Kaito go, because she wouldn't be able to stand that. [Ana...has Issues.] She lets him go, and he starts coughing. She rubs his back and says, "I'm sorry for treating you so roughly. I didn't know you were so seriously ill." Kaito's confused, until Ana wipes the blood off of Kaito's mouth and shows it to him. Oh noes! Kaito has The Incurable Cough of Death tuberculosis! Vicente comes in, and Ana and Kaito manage to convince him that their little spat was no big deal, and Vicente picks up Kaito to carry him back to his room. But then Kaito realizes Vicente might catch his tuberculosis and asks to get down...but then he starts thinking about how he's put Geoffrey in danger, too, with their kiss earlier that day, and how they can't ever kiss again...Kaito sort of sinks to the floor, and Vicente ends up carrying him to his room anyway, where he holds Kaito's hand all night.
The next morning, Vicente and Alonso are heading off, Vicente to answer Philip's mysterious summons, Alonso to keep him company. (Alonso, wants to be friends and mentions that he doesn't get along with Ascoli [who, as you probably will not remember from volume 10, hates Vicente], which makes me happy because they're reallyslashy fun together.) Alonso teases Vicente about how clingy he is to Kaito, and then asks what the king's mysterious summons were about anyway. Vicente says the letter didn't say, which makes Alonso suspicious--and rightly so, because the letter is of course a fake. They turn around to race back to the castle; Vicente realizes that it must be a plot for Geoffrey to steal Kaito away. And of course, he realizes that everyone ever Kit and Alonso were right, he's totally in love with Kaito. But he vows to get Kaito back, even if it makes Kaito hate him forever...
***
Thoughts:
With the revelation that Kaito has the Incurable Cough of Death, I can now only see a couple basic ways the series can end:
A. ROCKS FALL, EVERYBODY DIES. (i.e. Kaito dies of tuberculosis, Geoffrey and Vicente kill each other in a duel, etc.)
I am forced to dismiss this summarily, because while it is possible (in fact, sometimes when I think about it, this almost seems the most likely option...this is a historical drama, after all), but I'm just SO invested in these characters that I feel like this ending would drain a little of my will to live.
B. Kaito goes back to the future with Geoffrey.
In this scenario, will it be just Geoffrey (Because Nigel and Vicente killed each other in a duel? Or because they didn't tell Nigel? Because Nigel would never choose to not go.)? Or would other characters go also? Either way, this would, I think, be the happiest ending, but seriously, what would he/they do in the 21st century? I just can't picture this. Although, I admit, I am seriously a sucker for out-of-place-person-in-a-modern-world-setting stuff, so I would kind of love to see Geoffrey all OMG! over modern England.
C. Kaito goes back to the future, alone.
This would almost piss me off more than A. In this scenario, Kaito would probably meet and fall in love with some descendant of Geoffrey's who just happens to look and act exactly like him, and I would beat my head on my desk until I've forgotten the whole series.
D. It was all a dream.
I have to throw this out there, as a possibility, because there was a lot of talk about dreams in the beginning of the first book, but I don't think Matsuoka would actually go there. Maybe. I hope. >.<
To sum up: No matter how I think about it, things are not looking good right now. I really don't like not knowing whether I'm going to get a happy ending or not. :| She's just trying to scare us, right? Right?
...right?
*crickets chirp*
orz
P.S. I can't wait until the next book, when Geoffrey tries to kiss Kaito, and Kaito's like, "No, you'll get tuberculosis!" and Geoffrey's like,"What's tuberculosis??" "FUCK THAT, I'LL KISS YOU WHENEVER THE HELL I WANT" except that what's probably actually going to happen is that Kaito will suddenly become Noble and pretend to not love Geoffrey in order to save his life and I'll throw the book at the wall a lot. -_-;;;
Also, I didn't think I could do the reunion scene justice as a summary...okay, I'll admit it: I just couldn't bring myself to make fun of it. :( Anyway, enjoy those few pages as a full-blown translation. (A million thanks to
spacealien_vamp for the beta, and to collarnojutsu for her advice on how to not gross readers out with a kiss scene.)Kaito, Vicente and Raul are in the king's quarters, which provides the best view of the chapel below. They're watching mass so that Kaito can "predict" what will happen to the commanders of the Armada. As they watch, Kaito reminisces about eating the same food as the king (poison-tested food is the best!), and how Vicente is so
Some time later, Philip, Vicente, and Kaito are strolling around the palace garden. Philip and Vicente are walking a little ways behind Kaito and discussing his health. They ooh and ahh over how cute and innocent and adorable he is
Meanwhile, Geoffrey and Kit, killing time while they wait for word about Kaito, are touristing around Ávila, visiting St. Vincent's grave, which apparently looks very depressing. Vincent's torture and death leads to some interesting topics, like the relative appeal of Nigel whipping someone vs. being whipped by someone. [Oh, Kit.] Also, Geoffrey gives Kit some love advice, but they both sound very hopeless about the whole thing. [Oh, Kit. ;_;] Back at the inn, they find Nigel deep in discussion with a guy who turns out to be a servant of
Kaito and company are on their way to Ana's castle...OF DOOM!!!!...no, sorry, it's just a normal castle. Prison. Prison castle. On the way, Kaito gives the castella the king gave him away to some orphan kids. Vicente, for the 8 millionth time, tells Kaito how generous, kind, and wonderful he is (like an angel!), which just makes Kaito and possibly the readers uncomfortable. The orphans give Kaito a marigold, which he twirls around in his fingers (just like Geoffrey was doing while visiting St. Vincent's grave! I SEE WHAT U DID THAR), and he starts thinking about how Geoffrey was always teasing him and making him do things he didn't want, but it's Geoffrey that he prefers. When they get to the castle, they're surprised to see a bunch of Romani performers gathered around, singing and playing instruments. One of them is trading jokes with Ana, and her son is Not Amused. He's about to use force to get rid of them, when Vicente is all, "Wait, I know that guy!" Turns out it's Cervantes (which makes Kaito almost fall out of his cart).
They head up to meet Ana, who immediately joins the We Love Kaito Fan Club when he gives her tips on how to dye hair. Then Kaito and Vicente quietly discuss Raul and how he's Sneaky and Possibly Evil, and Kaito is just wishing there was a way he could warn England about him when he spots Kit watching him and chokes in surprise. He starts coughing, which of course makes Vicente worried, but Kit uses the opportunity to suggest that he have a look at Kaito later. Kaito's a little worried--is Kit there to help him or kill him?--but doesn't let on that he's met Kit before.
In his room, Kaito is worrying about Kit (though slightly distracted by spunky!Leo). Leo goes off to run some errands, and Kit comes in, making some snarky comment about Kaito wanting to stay with the Spanish because they're so nice to him. Kaito's all, "No! Don't kill me!" But Kit says he's just teasing and gives something to Kaito--it's the key to Geoffrey's chest, which Kaito thought he lost when he got thrown overboard back in volume 8. Kit tells him it's from Nigel (it relieves Kaito to hear that Nigel's fine, since he'd had no way to know if he even survived his very serious injuries). They discuss Raul and his evilness, Kaito Juan's model ship to Kit, and Kit's all, "Wow, you'd be a great spy!" [Um, Kit? Are you...serious? Because Kaito would be the WORST SPY EVER. What kind of spy angsts about his enemies possibly dying?] Kit lectures Kaito about the seriousness of the mission and how he can't try to save Vicente because that will jeopardize Geoffrey and Nigel, and gives Kaito his messages, which makes Kaito happy but embarrassed. Just when Kaito is hugging Kit (and Kit is grudgingly admitting that Kaito's an OK kid), the door opens and Vicente walks in. Before he sees them, Kit and Kaito jump apart and Kit pretends to be examining Kaito's throat. Kit says he has some medicine that Kaito can take, and Vicente agrees, as long as he can take it first to check for poison, because Kaito is
Back at the inn, Geoffrey and Nigel's sleep is interrupted by a lot of shouting downstairs. Geoffrey, who's bored out of his mind, decides to go see what the fuss is about, and Nigel follows to keep him out of trouble. They discover that a Romani man is causing a fuss because the owner won't let him in, but he insists he's supposed to meet someone (namely Nigel and Geoffrey). Nigel manages to calm everyone down and they meet with the man, Luca, outside. Luca tells them that he's been asked by Kit to travel back and forth between here and Ana's castle every two days. He gives them a bag and leaves. The bag contains Juan's ship model (which Luca's lack of care busted into little pieces, oops) and a letter from Kit, telling them that Kaito is fine. There's also a secret message--written in lemon juice, because apparently 16th century spies are the equivalent of 20th century ten-year-olds--telling them who the ship is from. They're shocked to hear that Juan is still alive and touched that Kaito managed to get the ship to them, but happy because they think it'll only be a little bit longer before they see Kaito again.
Vicente keeps having the same skeevy dream about Kaito, which just happened to start around the time Kaito was examined for evidence of sodomy. [Agh, Vicente, GROSS.] The dream starts out right after the "examination," when Kaito is telling Vicente how Geoffrey would never hurt him, Vicente says "I'll never let anyone touch you again" (just like he really did), and then continues "anyone other than me" (which of course, he did not really say), and proceeds to have his wicked way with Kaito. Vicente finds this dream very strange because Kaito is a boy and Vicente is NOT GAY. Alonso interrupts Vicente
While Vicente is off hunting, Kaito is chatting with Ana. (They've told her that Kaito can speak/understand simple Spanish, though their conversation doesn't look all that simple to me.) They're discussing family when Kaito looks out the window at the performing Romanies, and notices that two of them are just standing there, not singing or dancing. And, in fact, one of them has an eye patch. Just as he's thinking, Nah, can't be, Raul leans over and murmurs in Kaito's ear (about how good-looking the guys are, hahaha)...in English, *gasp* *shock*. [Side note: I just have to say, it is really, really DUMB to assume nobody around you can understand the language you're speaking, and doubly so given that Kaito has been doing the exact same thing.] Raul also reveals that he knows Kaito understands Spanish and they switch for Ana, who doesn't know English
[excerpt from chapter 10, pages 211-218]
With his hood pulled low to keep his face hidden, Geoffrey could only look at his own feet as he climbed the steps of the tower. Even so, there was something he could sense. The only guards are the two by the entrance?...Well, I suppose that's enough to keep one woman imprisoned. Just like the windows, the door to the tower was covered by iron bars, kept shut by a huge lock. And the only ones who could open it were the guards.
"There are two connected rooms that make up the duchess' private chambers," said Raul, when they had reached the top of the stairs. "Kaito is in the room closest to us. Kit and I will head into the far room, so the two of you can feel free to do some catching up. Also, the duchess wishes to speak with you; I'll call for you when the time comes."
Geoffrey nodded. It was time. As he thought this, his stomach seemed to flip over. It seemed he was unusually nervous. This is stupid...it's Kaito in there, Geoffrey told himself, stepping forward.
"There you are...So sorry to keep you waiting." Hearing the voice of Raul, who had gone ahead, Geoffrey's heart began to pound. There was no answer, but he was definitely there.
In that room--was Kaito.
Damn...! He couldn't stop his legs from shaking. If he kept walking like this, he'd trip over his own feet and fall over. He didn't want Kaito to see that, so he used closing the door as an excuse to turn around and take a deep breath. Then he took off that annoying robe.
Calm down. Don't let him see your face all pinched like this. You should be wearing a great big smile for this happy occasion. Having somehow managed to pull himself together, Geoffrey turned around. The first thing he noticed was the door directly opposite him. Raul and Kit had already gone though, and it was tightly closed. Where's Kaito...? Geoffrey looked to the right side of the room. The flame of the candles, there to light the windowless room that was dark even in midday, flickered with his slight movement, and so did his faint shadow on the wall. Geoffrey's attention was caught by that; the next second, his eyes opened wide.
"...!" There was another, slightly smaller shadow on the wall. Geoffrey immediately turned his head, and his eyes fell on the boy standing there silently.
"Ah..." Feeling the strong gaze upon him, the boy let out a sound that was almost a gasp. He was thinner than Geoffrey remembered. No, wasting away was more like it. Looking closely, his bright red hair was showing black at the roots. The color spoke of the time the two had spent apart.
"Kaito..." Geoffrey's voice was rough. He wasn't sure what kind of expression was on his face. At any rate, it certainly wasn't a great big smile. As proof, Kaito looked as if he were about to cry.
"Dammit..." A sharp pain stabbed at his chest. He didn't want to see that look on Kaito's face. He hadn't come here to make him look that way. He wanted Kaito to always be smiling, to only feel happiness. Overcome by emotion, Geoffrey moved his legs, which had finally stopped shaking, taking large strides over to Kaito, who had shrunk into the corner of the room like a trapped rabbit.
"It's me...Kaito." Kaito just stared at the hand stretched out before him. Frustrated, Geoffrey grabbed Kaito's thin waist and pulled him into a hug. He felt like Kaito's bones would snap in two if squeezed too hard, but he couldn't make himself loosen his grip. He was afraid that if he did, Kaito would vanish like a dream.
I can't bear it anymore. I never want to feel that way again. The scent that came from the hair his lips were pressed against wasn't a pleasant lavender, but an unfamiliar and cloying sweetness. That only heightened Geoffrey's fears. Had Kaito changed? Was he the same person Geoffrey used to know? Was that why, even while holding him, he was stiff and unmoving in Geoffrey's arms? But then...
"Geo...ffrey..." Just when Geoffrey's anxiety had reached its peak, he heard a hoarse voice from near his chest. The arms hanging limply at Kaito's sides slowly crept up and encircled Geoffrey's back. Gently, as though they were handling delicate glass. "Is it really you...?"
Hearing those words, Geoffrey understood. Kaito felt the same way. Unable to believe that Geoffrey was really there, and afraid that he would disappear when Kaito reached for him, he was completely at a loss.
What cowards we are...! Geoffrey's lips, which had been pressed tightly, loosened a little. But it couldn't be helped. It was because there was nothing more important that made that person unbearable to lose. Losing him was more frightening than anything else. Being separated had made the two of them realize that.
"It's really me...See?" Geoffrey pulled away slightly, took Kaito's hand, and pressed it to his cheek. The soft fingers gently caressed his face. When he narrowed his eyes in pleasure, Kaito's expression softened, too.
"Yes...and it's really you." Seeing the corners of his mouth turn up, Geoffrey couldn't hold back any longer. Even if the scent surrounding him was different, Kaito hadn't changed a bit. The boy in Geoffrey's arms was the same Kaito he'd fallen in love with. When he threaded his fingers into the soft hair and pulled him closer, Kaito's big eyes opened even wider.
"Ge...Geoffrey?"
"Shh, did you forget? You close your eyes when you kiss," whispered Geoffrey with a smile in his voice, and Kaito lowered his eyelids. But then they popped right back open. After making sure that Geoffrey was still there, he seemed to be overcome with happiness, and lunged forward to kiss Geoffrey. Their lips touched briefly, just the chaste peck of a little bird. That was probably enough to satisfy Kaito. But Geoffrey wanted to taste more. Until his heart, frozen from loneliness, had completely thawed.
"Mm...hm..." Geoffrey pressed their lips together again, slipping his tongue into Kaito's mouth. Geoffrey ran his tongue along Kaito's and sucked lightly on it. At first, Kaito was so surprised his tongue remained stiff, but led on by Geoffrey, he began to answer awkwardly. Geoffrey wasn't the only one who felt this desire. Kaito felt the same. Geoffrey's heart, which had been empty during Kaito's absence, filled with happiness.
"I came to get you, Kaito..." he whispered between kisses, and a tear slid down Kaito's cheek. "Don't go anywhere, ever again...You belong here with me." The arms embracing Geoffrey tightened. That was Kaito's answer.
"I'm sorry...I...wanted to believe you would come...but I kept thinking I'd never see you again...s--so...I'm really happy you came." Warm tears dampened Geoffrey's chest. Kaito's journey to Spain, and the days he'd spent here, must have been filled with anxiety.
"Since you disappeared, it's been like my world was dead. I would breathe in, and breathe out. Just that, every day. No matter what I did, nothing moved my heart. My obsession with getting you back was all that kept me going. " Geoffrey followed the tear tracks on those soft cheeks with his lips as he spoke. Only in front of Kaito could he reveal this weakness. "I love you, Kaito. Stay by my side. Without you, I'm useless."
Kaito slowly stroked Geoffrey's hair and said, "That's why you stopped caring about your appearance?"
Geoffrey was startled. "What?"
"Those rags you're wearing! The tailor from the Strand would be crying about how he lost his best customer!"
Apparently he'd gotten back enough of his spirit to make jokes. Geoffrey looked down at Kaito's teasing eyes and smirked. "It's a last-minute disguise, but Raul Toledo seemed to like it. Said I was irresistibly wild."
"Hmph."
"You like me better as a gentleman?"
"It's not bad. Fancy clothes suit you better. But I'm not sure you've ever been a gentleman."
So, he also had the spirit to show cheek. Geoffrey grabbed the nose that was slightly red from crying and tweaked it.
"Mrph....!"
"I beg to differ. If I were a less civilized man, your purity would have been in danger the day we met."
Kaito's eyes clouded slightly. "That's true. You would never hurt me. But I..."
As he was wondering what was wrong, Kaito touched Geoffrey's hair again and said, "You cut so much of your hair off...Is this part of your disguise, too?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry..."
It seemed that Kaito's dark expression was because he thought he'd forced Geoffrey to make a sacrifice. Geoffrey gently stroked Kaito's back. "There's no need to worry. My hair will grow right back. I'll grow it out as long as you like, so you can wash it to your heart's content. By the time we get back to England, my house will be done. Your bath, too."
Hearing that, Kaito smiled again. The untroubled smile that Geoffrey had been longing to see. "That's right. I can't wait to see it."
"And that's another reason we need to get out of here safely." Geoffrey kissed Kaito's cheek and whispered, "You probably heard from Kit, but watch out for Raul."
[Okay, I lied about not making fun of it: I was totally tempted to translate Kaito's tear as a "single emo tear."]
Kaito and Geoffrey continue to discuss the situation--Kaito tells Geoffrey that Raul doesn't know that they know his true identity, and that Ana doesn't know what Raul is really planning. Geoffrey tells Kaito not to get angry if he flirts with Ana, and they head into the fray.
That evening, Kaito is alone in his room. He's leaving a note (the contents of which I guess we're not going to see until volume 12) in the front of a book for Vicente, hopefully to be found after he's gone the following day, because he's worried about Vicente's safety. However, this is causing various feelings of guilt, because A) he wishes he could do more to help Vicente and B) he's worried that he's going to somehow change history. As he's mulling over this, Leo shows up to say that dinner is ready, and apparently Vicente is all proud because they're feasting on some wild boar that was his first kill on a hunt. On the way there, one of Ana's servants stops Kaito to tell him that she wants to see him after dinner.
At dinner, Vicente and Kaito leave Leo to a drinking contest with Alonso [hee!] and sneak off to a quiet corner to
He heads to Ana's room, where he finds the duchess in a bad mood. It turns out that Geoffrey, in an attempt to drive a wedge between Ana and Raul, said "see you tomorrow" to Ana as a goodbye. When Ana asks Kaito what this could possibly mean, he plays dumb, but she's not fooled, and pulls a knife on him. Ana wants to keep Kaito for herself, and says the way to do that is to kill him right now. She doesn't really care about Raul's Evil Plot--she only wanted to piss off Philip anyway. They start to struggle; Ana wonders if she'll be executed if she kills Kaito, and says how sad Geoffrey and Vicente, the ones who love Kaito best, will be. When Kaito looks surprised, she's all, "What you didn't realize Vicente was in love with you?" Kaito doesn't believe her at first, because Vicente
The next morning, Vicente and Alonso are heading off, Vicente to answer Philip's mysterious summons, Alonso to keep him company. (Alonso, wants to be friends and mentions that he doesn't get along with Ascoli [who, as you probably will not remember from volume 10, hates Vicente], which makes me happy because they're really
***
Thoughts:
With the revelation that Kaito has the Incurable Cough of Death, I can now only see a couple basic ways the series can end:
A. ROCKS FALL, EVERYBODY DIES. (i.e. Kaito dies of tuberculosis, Geoffrey and Vicente kill each other in a duel, etc.)
I am forced to dismiss this summarily, because while it is possible (in fact, sometimes when I think about it, this almost seems the most likely option...this is a historical drama, after all), but I'm just SO invested in these characters that I feel like this ending would drain a little of my will to live.
B. Kaito goes back to the future with Geoffrey.
In this scenario, will it be just Geoffrey (Because Nigel and Vicente killed each other in a duel? Or because they didn't tell Nigel? Because Nigel would never choose to not go.)? Or would other characters go also? Either way, this would, I think, be the happiest ending, but seriously, what would he/they do in the 21st century? I just can't picture this. Although, I admit, I am seriously a sucker for out-of-place-person-in-a-modern-world-setting stuff, so I would kind of love to see Geoffrey all OMG! over modern England.
C. Kaito goes back to the future, alone.
This would almost piss me off more than A. In this scenario, Kaito would probably meet and fall in love with some descendant of Geoffrey's who just happens to look and act exactly like him, and I would beat my head on my desk until I've forgotten the whole series.
D. It was all a dream.
I have to throw this out there, as a possibility, because there was a lot of talk about dreams in the beginning of the first book, but I don't think Matsuoka would actually go there. Maybe. I hope. >.<
To sum up: No matter how I think about it, things are not looking good right now. I really don't like not knowing whether I'm going to get a happy ending or not. :| She's just trying to scare us, right? Right?
...right?
*crickets chirp*
orz
P.S. I can't wait until the next book, when Geoffrey tries to kiss Kaito, and Kaito's like, "No, you'll get tuberculosis!" and Geoffrey's like,
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I miss G-Defend summaries.
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I was re-reading the character interview translations the other day and thinking how much fun that was. We had some good times with G-Defend. :(
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I thought Kaito intentionally kept the model disassembled so that it would be easier to hide.
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