The light coming through the window had turned orange when Hiei entered his room. He'd spent the last half hour with his ailing mother. She had been very ill for several months now and her condition was ever more rapidly deteriorating.
Perhaps it was best that his sister would soon be leaving. She would not have to witness their mother's inevitable decline. His mother was unable to leave her bed anymore and did not even recognise Hiei much of the time.
Hiei wished his father were still alive. Then he wouldn't have to bear this burden alone. More and more of his family's responsibilities were landing on his shoulders and he felt that he was ill-prepared for them.
And the brewing tension between the other countries did not bode well for the future. Tourin's prince, King Raizen's only child, had vanished one year before, leaving the country without an heir. Raizen was young enough to father another son, but was unmarried. Rumour had it that he had been so devoted to the prince's mother that, after her death while giving birth to the prince, he vowed to never lay with another woman.
Stupid, Hiei thought as he sat on the end of his bed and removed his boots. He threw them towards the closet. They made a satisfying thumping noise as they hit the wood of the closet doors. He knew it was childish, but he didn't care right now.
And Barasono had troubles of it's own. The king had remarried about a year ago and fathered a son. The king's first son, who was technically the heir, had been betrothed to Reikai's princess Botan, who had been adopted by the king as he could have no children of his own.
The union was supposed to unite both of their countries and promote economic growth. Barasono was rich in agriculture, producing exotic fruits and vegetables, and Reikai was situated on the coast, specialising in trade.
But something very unfortuitous had happened that threw the contract into jeopardy. The prince had been traveling to Reikai when he had abruptly disappeared. Disappeared without a trace. Reikai had sent soldiers to assist in finding him, but they had come back with only apologies. The future of the alliance between Barasono and Reikai was now very uncertain.
It wasn't until Hiei was preparing for bed that he caught a glimpse of fiery-red out of the corner of his eye. He stepped around the bed, shirt dangling from one hand, to see the slave from earlier sitting on his heels beside the bed. Hiei had entirely forgotten about him.
The boy's head was submissively lowered, his eyes on his hands, which were folded in his lap. He wore a simple white robe and his hair had been washed and brushed. It shone like a beacon in the rays of the setting sun. Hiei had an urge to touch it, to see if it was as soft as it looked.
"Slave," he said.
The boy's head rose, forest-green eyes wide and wary. Other than that movement, the boy did not acknowledge the summon in any other way.
It was then that Hiei recalled the wardings he'd noticed on the boy's arms when he'd first seen him.
"Stand up," Hiei ordered, tossing his shirt onto the bed.
The boy stood slowly, keeping his eyes lowered. Hiei thought he noticed the slightest bit of trembling.
The robe hid the boy's frame behind swaths of cloth, but judging from the boy's sallow cheeks and sunken eyes, Hiei suspected that he was malnourished. That would have to be remedied.
"Take off the robe."
The boy was definitely trembling as he slid the robe from his shoulders. He held it in his hands for a moment, uncertainly, before laying it on the bed. Hiei saw a faint dusting of red blossom on his cheeks.
Definitely malnourished, Hiei decided. His skin had been scrubbed raw and pink but, on the whole, it was an improvement on his earlier state of uncleanliness.
Curiously Hiei took hold of the boy's bruised wrist and studied the wardings. He'd seen slave wardings before, as the palace slaves were always warded, but these were much denser than those.
Hiei released the boy's bony wrist and ordered, "Turn around."
The boy did, putting his back to Hiei. His shoulder blades protruded from beneath his skin. The markings covered almost all of his back, inky black lines intersecting in strange and mystic signs. Hiei thought he recognised some of the patterns which had also been used on the palace slaves, but many more were unfamiliar to him.
Fascinated, Hiei tried to calculate the cost of such intricate wardings as he ran his fingers lightly over the shivering skin. Staggering. He doubted that even he could afford it. This boy had a king's ransom of black ink on his young body.
Why would someone go to so much trouble? Most slavers requested only the minimum of wards necessary to control a slave to save on cost. What was so special about this one?
Eventually Hiei realised that the boy was tense, every muscle strung tight as a bow. His shivering had increased as Hiei's hand had moved lower. His fingertips now pressed lightly into the small of the boy's back. Hiei took pity on him and retracted his hand.
"Put the robe back on," he said.
The relief on the boy's face was clear as he retied the sash. It made Hiei's heart sink into his feet. He didn't want this boy to be afraid of him. The slave was beautiful, in a vulnerable way that made Hiei feel warm inside.
Seb had a good eye. He knew the sort of look Hiei was attracted to. He'd chosen well.
The boy returned to sitting on his heels on the carpet, his head bowed. Hiei began to consider the sleeping arrangements. Should he make the boy sleep on the floor? That was where most slaves slept unless their masters wanted to make use of them. The carpet was thick and the room was not cold. It wouldn't be so bad for him. The boy must certainly have slept in worse places.
But…
Hiei didn't entirely make up his mind until he was about to get into bed.
"Slave," he said.
Green eyes blinked up at him from beneath red bangs.
"Stand up," Hiei ordered.
The slave stood slowly, keeping his eyes lowered. Hiei noticed that his hands were shaking.
Hiei brushed his hair back from his face, twining his fingers in the soft strands. His hand brushed the shell of the boy's ear.
Hiei leaned forward, his lips meeting with the slave's. He had to tilt the boy's face down in order to reach him. The boy didn't try to pull away but he didn't respond either. Not until Hiei probed at his lips with his tongue. The slave parted his lips and Hiei began to explore the inside of the boy's soft, wet mouth.
He broke the kiss long enough to get the slave on his back in the bed, head cushioned against full pillows, his hair fanning out over the covers. The boy offered no resistance or protest, allowing Hiei to spread his legs and settle between them, submitting himself quietly to Hiei's caresses.
He'd have to be gentle, Hiei decided. There was no telling how fragile the slave's physical state was. His bones jutted out from beneath his skin and Hiei suspected that he would bruise easily. His wrists were already bruised, maybe from some kind of restraint, Hiei guessed.
Hiei's fingers slid beneath the robe as he continued to kiss the redhead. He could feel the slightly raised outline of the wards on the slave's hips but otherwise, his skin was soft and smooth.
But something was starting to bother Hiei. He pinched lightly at the skin on the slave's thigh. He was rewarded with a soft gasp against his lips. Hiei pulled away from the slave's mouth to stare down at him.
The slave's green eyes were glistening. Hiei watched as a single small tear slid from the corner of one eye to run down along the side of his nose.
"Shit!" Hiei cursed. He slid off the redhead and off the bed. He paced along the carpet, furious with himself, furious at Seb and furious with the world in general.
He couldn't do it. He just couldn't do it. It didn't feel right. Now he could understand his sister's dislike of slavery much better. It was no wonder that she hated the practice.
It felt wrong. It felt dirty. And his sister would kill him if she ever found out about this.
This was all her fault. He'd had to sit through her arguments with his parents at the dinner table over precisely this subject. He'd had to listen to her point of view. Maybe some of her points had sunk in like the poisonous fangs of a snake.
"Shit," Hiei muttered again. He turned back to the bed. The slave was staring at him, his eyes wide. The hands clutching at his robe were shaking badly.
Hiei walked over to the bed and leaned over him. He cupped the slave's cheek with one hand. Eyes still wide with fright, the slave tried to turn his head, his lips pressing against Hiei's palm. Hiei moved his hand to the slave's forehead, brushing his hair aside.
"It's all right," he said gently. "It's all right." He was unused to using such a tone but he did his best.
Green eyes stared uncomprehendingly up at him, full of confusion and desperation. And beneath that was a dark undercurrent of fear, threatening to drag the boy down into it's depths.
"You're all right," Hiei told him. "I'm not going to…" Hiei almost choked on the word. "Rape you," he finished.
Because that was what it would be. Rape. This boy wasn't here because he wanted to be. Even if he gave no protest, it would still be rape because he hadn't chosen this. It had become a matter of survival for him. If he didn't submit, then something far worse would happen to him.
Hiei lay down beside the boy and pulled the blankets up over both of them. The slave rolled onto his side, putting his back to Hiei.
"Sleep," Hiei told the slave.
But sleep didn't come easily for either of them that night. Hiei's mind wrestled with his feelings. He was attracted to the boy. It shouldn't be complicated. It should be simple. The boy was his. His to use in whatever way he wanted.
But what he wanted was something more than mere tolerance. Something more than apathetic compliance.
He wanted something genuine. Something that he shied away from giving a name to.
Something that the boy might not ever be able to give him.
-0-
The boy curled up tightly beneath the covers, fighting to hold back his tears. He was very relieved that his new master had, for some reason unknown to him, changed his plans for the night.
But that relief was tempered with shame. Shame that he had submitted himself so meekly to the young lord's attentions. He would have gone along with it. He would have allowed himself to be violated just for the privilege of sleeping in a proper bed. Of being embraced by warm covers and plump pillows.
It had been months since he'd slept on a surface that didn't make his neck cramp and his back ache.
He'd been terrified as he watched the lord pace and curse. He was sure that he'd done something horrifically wrong. Angered the man in some way. He'd thought that surely he was about to be punished. When the lord had returned to him, he'd tried to show that he was willing to comply, willing to give him whatever he wanted.
But now he didn't know what the lord wanted. No punishment had come. The boy was completely confused.
The bed was warm and comfortable. Sleep called to him with the voice of a loving mother.
But he couldn't ignore the soft breaths of the lord behind him. He had escaped being violated tonight but would the lord keep his promise tomorrow night? Or the night after? The boy had little hope of that. A promise made to a slave was nothing more than a feather on the wind. Surely it would be gone tomorrow, as if it had never been.
-0-
Hiei woke to find himself warm and comfortable. A little too comfortable. He was pressed up against a warm body. The sweet scent of some sort of flower teased his nose, along with soft wisps of hair. Red Hair.
Hiei tightened his arms around the body and closed his eyes, hoping to go back to sleep. It wasn't to be.
The body he held tensed and then shifted, trying to move away from Hiei.
"Stop it," Hiei grumbled. The boy froze. But he was still tense and Hiei couldn't get back to sleep. Growling, he threw the covers off and got out of bed.
The boy rolled over to watch him as Hiei gathered up a set of clothes. The morning sun set his hair aflame.
Hiei looked down at the bundle of clothes in his arms, realising that he had nothing except the robe for the slave to wear. If he were intending to leave the slave here in his room all day, that wouldn't be a problem. But he'd planned on bringing him out with him today. What was the point of keeping him locked up in his room? The poor boy would be bored to tears.
Hiei got one of the maids to fetch a set of clothes for the boy. His request was met with puzzlement from the girl when he asked for clothes of good quality. Clearly, she thought that the quality shouldn't be an issue. Not for a slave.
But, for Hiei it was. He wasn't like Seb, who liked fancy clothes, but he did like his clothes to be well-made. They took more punishment and lasted longer. Good quality clothes also gave him an air of respectability that helped make up for his short stature.
There was no way that Hiei was going to dress the boy in rags. He was sure that would reflect poorly on him as the boy's master.
Or maybe this way of thinking was once again his sister's fault.
Hiei took the boy with him into the bathroom. This was his private space and the maids had already prepared a hot bath for him.
The boy stared with trepidation at the bath as Hiei began to remove his sleeping pants.
"Get undressed," Hiei said impatiently.
The boy did so with obvious reluctance. He kept his eyes averted from Hiei as he did so. His long red hair hung forward to hide his blushing cheeks.
Like a shy maiden, Hiei thought to himself. It really was endearing. Thoughts of last night tickled his mind like teasing fingers. The feel of the boy's mouth, warm and pliant, his soft skin…
Hiei shook his head to clear it. No. He'd said he wouldn't rape him. And he wouldn't. He was not a cruel person, though some of his staff might disagree. He had a temper but he'd never been one for torturing helpless creatures. His anger flared up like a flame but was gone just as quickly, as if it had been doused with water. He didn't enjoy the pain of others.
This boy was fortunate that he hadn't ended up with one of the other nobles that Hiei was acquainted with. Most of them belonged to wealthy families and never needed (or wanted to) work. They had too much spare time on their hands and nothing useful to fill it. That led them to indulge in petty cruelties, constantly trying to outdo each other in some macabre competition that really had no prize.
Hiei preferred to fill his time doing something useful. Yes, he had money and he didn't really need to work at this point, but he found it satisfying.
It also made him feel superior to those soft, fat nobles who sat around and wasted their days. And that, more than anything else, made it worth it.
He gestured for the boy to precede him into the tub. The boy stepped into the water and sank down, his knees up to his chest. He looked less like a shy maiden and more like a frightened child hiding in a closet now. Hiei followed him in.
The tub was easily big enough for the two of them. Hiei had fond memories of bathing together with his sister in this tub when they'd been children.
This slave was not as good company as his sister had been, though. He kept as much distance between himself and Hiei as the tub would allow and did his best not to brush against Hiei. Hiei washed himself and ordered the slave to do the same. The slave avoided Hiei's gaze the entire time.
Hiei couldn't take his eyes off the boy, though. The black marks on his arms drew his attention. It was as though the marks hid a message that needed to be deciphered.
Hiei was surprised when he saw the slave fully dressed in his new clothes. He looked, actually, very decent. The maid had done a good job guessing the slave's size. The brown cotton shirt was tucked into black slacks. The boy had even neatly buttoned the cuffs. Hiei doubted that he looked as good in his own nice clothes.
The leather collar peeked out from beneath the shirt, though, a reminder of what this boy truly was.
But that hair…
Hiei eyed the thick mass thoughtfully. "Can you plait your hair or something?" he asked.
The boy nodded. He reached up, fingers twining in the strands as he tamed them into a long braid.
Hiei felt a measure of pride as he realised that this was the first time that the slave had communicated directly with him. Before, all he'd been doing was following Hiei's orders. Was this progress?
And why did Hiei care? Did it matter if the slave liked him or not? Did it matter how he felt at all?
It shouldn't matter.
Hiei shrugged off the thought as the boy finished his braid. He stood, patiently waiting for Hiei's next instruction.
"Follow me."
Hiei didn't bother to check if the slave was following or not as he walked down the hall. The enticing scent of a cooking breakfast led him to the dining room.
His sister sat at the long table, patiently waiting for him. Her long aqua hair was tied back and her eyes sparkled at him, so much like his own, but holding much more warmth. The plate before her was empty.
"Good morning, brother," she said with a smile.
"Morning," Hiei said. He took his seat, motioning for the slave to kneel beside him on the floor.
Yukina stood and moved around the table to get a look at the boy.
"Oh, he is pretty," she exclaimed.
Hiei wasn't surprised that Yukina already knew about the boy, even though she'd arrived back from the palace late last night. The maids were as gossipy as a flock of hens and more than happy to share their news with the sweet lady.
"But, honestly, Hiei…" Yukina's voice held a reproachful tone.
Hiei braced himself for the lecture that he was sure would follow Yukina's words but, instead, she frowned down at the boy. Finally she pursed her lips and shook her head. Hiei almost sighed in relief. She'd decided to let it go. Probably that was because she realised that the boy could have ended up in a far worse situation if Seb hadn't purchased him.
Anyway, what could they really do at this point? Sell him to someone else? Freeing him was impossible thanks to the wardings.
The boy stared up at Yukina, eyes wide. She gave him a friendly smile. "What's your name?" she asked him kindly.
The slave's head lowered. Yukina raised her eyes to give her brother an inquisitive look. Hiei shrugged in return.
"He's mute," he said. "He doesn't have a name."
Yukina's pretty face twisted into a very unladylike scowl and Hiei realised that he'd said something that offended her. His sister had far too soft a heart.
"Everyone has a name," she said. "Even him. He just can't share it."
Hiei felt annoyance surge up inside him. He loved Yukina but she had some strange ideas. "Well, of course he must have had a name at some point," he snapped. "But what does it matter now?"
Yukina gave him a light swat on the back of his head. The slave was looking up at them again, curiosity in his emerald eyes.
"It matters," she said.
Hiei was stumped as to why it mattered but Yukina seemed to think that he should already know the answer to that. Rather than continue the argument, Hiei gave a shrug of acquiescence. It was easier than trying to sway her to his point of view.
Yukina didn't particularly approve of the practice of slavery. That was why their family kept so few of them. He hadn't specifically asked Seb to find him one, but the man seemed to feel that Hiei needed the company.
Seb had been his father's advisor and handled most of their financial affairs. Hiei felt that the man didn't always give him the respect he was due as the lord of the house but Seb was very competent and loyal. He'd known the twins since they were babies so it was natural for him to think of them as children, even though they were now grown.
The maids began to bring in the breakfast dishes but Yukina remained where she was.
"You should give him a name," she told Hiei.
"What?" Hiei glared at her. "Me?"
"Yes. You," Yukina said, exasperated.
Hiei eyed his waiting breakfast with longing. He couldn't start eating until Yukina took her seat, though. To do otherwise would be rude.
"Why don't you give him one, Yukina?" Hiei suggested.
"You should," Yukina protested. "He belongs to you."
"I can't think of anything," Hiei grumbled, though he hadn't even tried.
Yukina frowned, studying the slave. He studied her back, his gaze interested.
"What about…" She thought for a moment, her eyes distant. "Kurama," she said with finality.
"What? Why Kurama?" Hiei inquired. That seemed very random to him. He'd expected her to choose something like the name of a flower or perhaps a famous historical figure.
"Don't you remember?" Yukina asked, smiling at him. "That was the name of the mountain that Mother and Father took us to many years ago. We went there to pay our respects to the old gods."
Now Hiei remembered. Mount Kurama was a sacred place. There was a temple there dedicated to the wild gods, the gods that Hiei's ancestors worshipped.
Theirs was a dying religion, though. The more that Reikai traded with other countries across the sea, the more their own ways were eroded, replaced by the ways of the foreigners, which were new and exotic to the people of Reikai.
The foreigners believed that there was only one god, not many, as Hiei's people believed there were. This god held absolute power while the gods of Hiei's people were each much more limited. Some held power over wind, others water, earth, fire or light, and many other things besides. Each had a domain and were bound to it, unlike the god of the foreigners, whose domain encompassed all things, living or dead, in this world.
Some people said that the presence of foreigners and the waning faith would anger the wild gods and earn their wrath, but Hiei didn't really believe that. The old gods were symbols. They had no influence over this world. They didn't answer prayers. Like the one god of the foreigners, they didn't even truly exist.
Though he did like listening to his mother's stories of the old gods.
"But why name him after a mountain?" Hiei grumbled.
Yukina's expression turned melancholy. "We were happy then," she said quietly. "We were all together. I thought it might be nice if his name reminded you of a happy time."
A typically sappy reason, Hiei thought as he watched Yukina smiling down at the slave. But he'd asked her to choose a name. He could hardly complain now.
Besides, he wanted his breakfast.
"What do you think?" Yukina asked the slave. "Would you like to be called Kurama?"
The slave gave no answer. Instead, his eyes moved to Hiei.
Yukina frowned. She'd obviously been expecting some kind of affirmative answer.
"You don't like it?" she asked uncertainly.
Hiei sighed, wondering how she could be so dense about some things. "He probably prefers his own name," he grumbled.
To his surprise, the slave acknowledged his words by nodding shyly, then dropping his eyes to the floor.
Yukina's face dropped in disappointment.
"Oh. But we don't know your original name," she said sadly. "So I guess this will have to do for now."
She returned to her own seat, much to Hiei's relief. A maid placed a bowl down before Kurama. Hiei was halfway through his own meal before he glanced down to check on the slave. Kurama had finished his meal and was patiently waiting for him to finish as well.
Hiei knew that most lords made their slaves eat like dogs without the use of their hands, but Hiei didn't approve of that. It was a messy process. He passed Kurama a napkin and the slave used it to wipe his mouth.
Kurama would be mostly eating leftovers from the lord and ladies' own meals but Hiei was sure that this food was probably far better than what he'd been given in the slave cages. The traders spent as little as possible on the slaves in order to maximise their profits.
Someone should tell them that a healthy slave was more likely to sell for a good price than one that was a hair's breadth away from death, Hiei thought sourly.
After breakfast, Yukina and Hiei made their way to their mother's room, Kurama following along behind them. Hiei gave him no instructions so he hung back against the wall as the siblings approached the bed.
The woman laying there was beautiful, Kurama thought. She and her daughter could have been twins. They looked so much alike, though Yukina's face was young and vibrant, while her mother's was weary and sickly.
"Miko?" the woman asked as she stared at Hiei with fogged, hopeful eyes.
"Mother, that's Hiei. Your son," Yukina said gently, patting her frail hand.
Kurama noticed a maid standing on the other side of the room, next to the window. Her hands were clasped before her. She looked nearly as tired as her lady. Her eyes briefly met Kurama's and she smiled thinly. Tentatively, Kurama returned the smile. Did she not realise he was a slave? With these nice clothes, probably not.
And he supposed he should have been kneeling instead of standing, but Hiei didn't seem to care one way or the other. In fact, Kurama was being completely ignored right now.
Kurama's stomach was pleasantly full for once. The food wasn't what he was used to from home, but far better than recent fare. There had been too much meat and not enough vegetables for his liking but it had been hot and fresh. The food the slavers had fed him wasn't even fit for the pigs. That was when they bothered to feed him at all.
And, even then, getting food was hard as he had to fight with the others in his cage for his fair share. Luckily, there were never more than a handful of slaves in one cage.
It wasn't long before Hiei began edging back from the bed, putting more and more distance between himself and the woman who lay there. She continued to refer to him as Miko, despite her daughter's gentle reminders.
Finally, Hiei stood beside him, against the wall. He glared past the bed and out the window, his arms crossed.
Kurama wished he could say something. He could sympathise with this man's situation, more than he knew. But he couldn't say anything.
The night hadn't gone as Kurama had expected it to at all. He'd been sure that he was going to be raped. But, no. Hiei had settled for just his company. What did he want from Kurama, then? Did he find Kurama repulsive? Had Kurama done something that displeased him?
He wished he knew what it was. That would be useful information if Hiei decided to break his word.
Maybe the lord should just get a dog. A large, furry, slobbering dog with a fluffy tail, Kurama thought. His lips twitched upward at the vision of the lord being drooled over by such a creature, it's poofy tail wagging enthusiastically as Hiei tried to shove it off him.
"What are you smiling about?" Hiei grumbled from beside him.
Kurama glanced down at him. Hiei stared back at him, his strange crimson eyes somehow not as threatening as they usually were.
Kurama turned his gaze away, feeling uncomfortable with the scrutiny. Only to meet another pair of crimson eyes. Yukina smiled at him from where she sat on the bed. There was something knowing and amused in her look. She stood, brushing her hands along her skirt as she did so. She then turned and bent to kiss her mother's forehead.
"We'll come and see you tonight, Mother," she promised.
As they were leaving, Hiei muttered, "She doesn't even know what time it is." He slouched, making him seem even shorter than he already was.
"Hiei…" Yukina's tone was reproachful and weary, but she said nothing more.
"You should take Princess Botan up on her offer and stay at the palace," Hiei told her. "Don't wait. There's nothing you can do here."
"We've talked about this," Yukina said, her jaw set stubbornly.
Princess Botan. Kurama's heart skipped a beat. That name was familiar to him. It was ironic that he'd found his way so close to the princess despite the best efforts of his enemy.
Not that it would do him any good. She didn't know who he was. No one knew who he was.
"There's no point in you being here," Hiei said. "You could help us more if you were in the palace. You need to think about your own future."
Yukina frowned. "She doesn't have much time left," she said quietly. Her fingers fisted in her skirt, bunching up the fabric.
"She might have days," Hiei pointed out. "She might have months. The healers don't know. How long are you going to wait? The palace is nearby anyway. If she gets worse, then you can come straight back here."
Yukina still didn't look quite ready to give in to Hiei yet. He was being practical, Kurama could see that. But Yukina was unlikely to appreciate his practicality in the face of her pain. Kurama knew that he would feel the same way. He'd been very irrational when his own mother was ill.
"I'll think about it," Yukina said reluctantly. That was as far as she was willing to commit.
The twins separated and Kurama continued to follow Hiei, wondering what the day would hold for him. He truly had no idea what to expect. This little lord was not treating him as he should treat a slave.
In a way, that made the situation all the more disconcerting for Kurama. He hated uncertainties. He preferred to know where he stood. It made planning for the future much easier.
Kurama decided that he would have to test the waters a little. Find out just what Hiei would tolerate and what he wouldn't. It was the only way to find out just what the lord wanted from him.
And once he knew that, perhaps he could manipulate the situation to his advantage. Find ways to minimise the punishments he would receive, or at least, minimise the damage they did. He had learned through harsh experience when he was with his first master, that, depending on how he behaved, he could sometimes spare himself a harsher punishment by committing a lesser infraction and earning himself a less severe one. That would sate his master for a time, sparing Kurama from worse atrocities.
Hiei paid him no attention as he walked through the halls, expecting Kurama to follow, though he was not leashed. The wards buzzed low beneath his skin, content for the moment as Kurama was doing nothing to set them off. The fabric of his shirt rubbed against them. Kurama was grateful for the long sleeves as they hid most of the marks. If his hands were out of sight, then no one would even know that he was warded.
A warm bed, good food, nice clothes. This was certainly a welcome change for him. But Kurama couldn't help but feel cynical. As if this were nothing more than a cruel joke. Surely it was too good to last.