Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story they belong respectfully to Kouji Ouji, Hiroko Utsumi, Kyoto Animation.

Warning: Themes of shounen-ai/yaoi/homosexual relationships and whatever, you know all that good stuff, fluffy and also some mild OOC-ness… and timeskip's… If any of this bothers you then you have the option of not reading.

Music: "Lapis Lazuri" by Eir Aoi

A/N: I bet you weren't expecting such a fast update, huh? ;3

X

X

Haruka didn't eat. Or rather he'd lost his appetite entirely as far as Sousuke could tell after his meeting with Rin. Even when Sousuke laid out dried mackerel with their lunch, Haruka didn't even try lifting a finger for the plate much to Sousuke's dismay. Instead, he eyed the food solemnly, uninterested before he buried himself under the bedcovers for the next couple of hours. Sousuke tried again in the hopes of getting him to eat something during dinner but the most Haruka could force down was a few measly bites and drinks of water.

Haruka continued the same process the next day, worrying Sousuke even more since he was adamant about opening shop for a few hours. His decision came as a shock to Sousuke.

Was Haruka really feeling up to it?

Would he be able to do his work despite not feeling well?

It terrified Sousuke, and being worried for his master, Sousuke tried to stop him, or at least reason with him. Unfortunately, the look of annoyance Haruka wore after he voiced his concerns made Sousuke give up the fight within an inch of losing his temper, however he kept close to Haruka afterwards—observing his behavior just in case.

They set up a tent at the edge of the marketplace, but there was no actual stall. In its place however, Haruka had a large tarp laid out on the ground and on top of it were his wares, many of which were imports from wherever Haruka had traveled to before purchasing Sousuke in Sano. Customers came through like a hurricane—many of them interested in what Haruka had to offer. His small wood carvings and shell necklaces were especially popular amongst the children and women and when asked where they'd come from, Sousuke was surprised to learn that Haruka had made them himself from raw materials gathered from his homeland of Iwatobi.

When hours had passed and a good portion of Haruka's jewelry and small knickknacks had been sold, Sousuke was dumbfounded to find his master frowning ever so slightly while they packed his wares. "Is there something wrong?" He asked, concerned for him.

Haruka sighed in response. "Not really, it's just I'll need to replenish my stock." He replied, tying up a satchel. "This tends to happen. No matter how many I manage to make before each trip it always runs out..."

"Isn't it a good thing though? It shouldn't be that surprising really." Sousuke commented, as he began taking the tent down. "Overtime your work will go out of stock eventually so it shouldn't come as a shock when you run out due to popularity and need to make more."

Haruka gave him a perplexed look. It took Sousuke by surprise too and seeing the other's expression, Haruka quickly looked away with a huff. "I suppose you're right but it gets troublesome when I have to travel back home to get the material I need."

This time Sousuke couldn't help but furrow his brow at Haruka as he tried to understand the logic behind his words. "If that's the case then why are you doing this in the first please?"

"Because I want to..." Haruka muttered, clearly unwilling to explain himself.

Haruka's words didn't sound all that convincing to Sousuke anyways and it made his frown deepen. It was obvious that his master was dodging him with his vague answers and that upset Sousuke considerably. "Then what is it that you plan to do since you seem so adamant in not returning home to restock your shells?" He countered challengingly.

And this time Haruka shot a menacing glare at him, biting his lower lip which Sousuke noticed was beginning to tremble.

Sousuke in reaction however, scowled back at him, unwilling to back down. He half expected Haruka to lash out at him for his disobedience this time but instead, his master proceeded to finish whatever he was doing and in the process flat out ignored him. Without saying a word, Haruka within minutes left Sousuke to finish the rest of the packing by himself and from where he stood, Sousuke was downright appalled by Haruka's childish behavior.

He was an adult, right?

Whatever the case, Sousuke finished putting away their things and squaring them away in due time without Haruka. However the repeated lifting of boxes and goods left his right shoulder sore from the stress of doing all the work by himself.

Upon returning to the inn, Sousuke did his best to disguise the pain pulsing up and down his arm—going so far as to grumble at Haruka's form lying lazily on the bed. He heard Haruka snort at him, but Sousuke brushed it off in favor of dragging himself over to the basin of water that was in the corner of the room. Reaching for the towel hanging on the wall with his good arm, Sousuke dropped the cloth into the basin to soak. Carefully, he pulled off his loose shirt, being mindful of his sore shoulder as he gritted his teeth tightly and held back a wince. Once he was free from the shirt, Sousuke threw it to the side on top of his satchel. Afterwards he looked back down at the basin, reaching into the container and grabbing the towel. When he pulled it out of the water, he proceeded to wring it out as best he could of the excess liquid. Once he was satisfied, he then began wiping the sweat and grime from his face, neck and upper body.

The towel was cool and refreshing against his skin. Sousuke enjoyed the feeling very much in fact, and closed his eyes for a moment. He took his time wiping himself down, saving his shoulder for last but as he moved his hand towards the sore area, he couldn't help but feel nervous somehow.

Feeling as if eyes were staring at the back of his head, Sousuke decided to take a peek over towards where Haruka laid and he was met by the sight of his master sitting up on the bed with wide blue eyes. The two of them ended up just staring silently at each other and eventually Haruka decided that enough was enough and within moments stood up from the bed and walked towards him with purpose.

"Your shoulder, it looks painful."

Immediately Sousuke's whole body whipped around, and he stared at Haruka in shock. "How do you know?"

This time it was Haruka's turn to frown. "It's an angry red—it wasn't difficult to not notice." He replied, getting closer to him. "It was my fault you're hurt, wasn't it?"

Sousuke just shook his head. "Its fine, I can take care of it."

"I made you do all that work by yourself though." Haruka insisted, ignoring his words of assurance. "At least let me help you."

"I told you, its—"

Haruka didn't seem to want to hear Sousuke's excuses though and instead gripped his hand tightly which left Sousuke speechless and unable to finish his sentence. "Please, Sousuke..."

Sousuke wanted to say no at first but the troubled expression Haruka wore was disheartening even for him. With a heavy sigh, Sousuke nodded his head stiffly in agreement, handing the towel off to Haruka which he took back gently. In a circular motion, Haruka rubbed the towel against his shoulder as gently as possible. Despite how careful Haruka was though, Sousuke couldn't help but wince when one dab in particular hit a raw nerve. This made Haruka stop just moments from pressing the towel against his skin again.

As he stared down at the shorter male, he could see the way Haruka's eye's fell to the ground guiltily.

"I'll be alright—really."

"But if I hadn't been so stubborn this wouldn't have happened…"

Sousuke couldn't find himself arguing against that part and he hummed in agreement. "You're right, you were being childish and I had to pay the price because of it."

Haruka pouted at him. "Are you trying to rub more salt into the wound?"

"Maybe." Sousuke's eyes glinted, the corner of his mouth lifting up into a lopsided grin.

"How kind of you." Haruka mumbled, depositing the towel back into the basin to soak again in the cool water.

"Just doing my job as your servant."

"No more jabs, I don't want to keep arguing with you today, Sousuke…" Wringing out the water from the towel, Haruka then proceeded to press the wet cloth against Sousuke's shoulder. "Does it feel good?"

"Heavenly…" Sousuke replied with a content sigh, enjoying the cool sensation of the towel against his heated shoulder.

Although the look of satisfaction was obvious to see on Sousuke's visage, Haruka still felt deeply guilty for what he'd done. "I'm sorry that I caused you such pain…"

"It's nothing for you to worry about, Haruka—honestly, this isn't the first time nor will it be the last." Sousuke tried to reason. "And besides, this is minor, I've actually had worst experiences in the past because of this shoulder of mine."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Haruka glared softly at him, the pressure against Sousuke's shoulder lightening as he pulled the towel away.

Sousuke however just shrugged, taking the wet cloth from Haruka's grasp only to press it against his shoulder himself. "You can look at it that way if you want."

"Still…" Haruka's dejected mindset continued.

"You're the only master who has ever apologized to me." Sousuke admitted; his voice quiet but clear enough for Haruka to hear. "You're the only one who has been the closest to me, who has cared about me, I suppose but you're also the most frustrating one I've ever had."

"What are you talking about? Are you saying that I shouldn't care about you?" Haruka's deep blue eyes stared up at him, wide and mesmerizing him in a way that Sousuke couldn't describe. "That's stupid—if you honestly thought I wouldn't care about you, you're stupid."

Well that did it, Sousuke thought as he watched Haruka begin turning around to head back towards the bed. He was walking away from him and just the thought of it suddenly frightened Sousuke. Without thinking, Sousuke's free hand shot out only to catch Haruka by the wrist. Unfortunately, because of his recklessness, the sudden movement of his free hand extended towards his shoulder; the one causing him discomfort and as a result he grunted from the sharp pain. Stumbling forward, Sousuke managed to keep himself from falling on top of Haruka, however he had no choice but to lean against him for support.

Panting, Sousuke slowly moved to press his forehead against Haruka's shoulder. Haruka in turn, although surprised, nevertheless wrapped his arms around Sousuke, steadying him as best he could. Being so close to his master, Sousuke felt as though he was being anchored to him and he was reassured by that as he closed his eyes.

"Sousuke, stay with me." Haruka whispered in Sousuke's ear as he began helping him towards the bed. "You're going to be fine."

It took until he was laid out on his back for Sousuke to register that he had been moved. Looking up at Haruka, he saw the way concerned blue eyes stared down at him and when Haruka's hand moved to cup his cheek, he couldn't help but smile softly at the gesture. "That's funny, and here I thought I was taking care of you. When did we switch places?" He asked, closing his eyes again.

"We're companions—it's only natural that we take care of each other." Haruka replied, sweeping Sousuke's bangs off to the side, his touch feather light against his tan skin.

"Companions huh? Last time I checked, I was your slave." He mumbled.

"Stop it already, you're not just a slave."

"Then what am I to you?" Sousuke persisted, wanting to keep the conversation going as he opened his eyes now.

The blank countenance Haruka wore was disconcerting to Sousuke. And the fact that he was taking his sweet time answering him only served to grate on his nerves even more.

What did Haruka truly think of him?

Why was he bought in the first place?

What could Haruka be thinking?

And just what in the world made Haruka tick?

Sousuke wanted to understand those things, but from the way Haruka shook his head at him—it became obvious that he wasn't going to have those questions answered. Not yet it seemed. Or maybe not at all, he feared.

"Just rest, okay?" Haruka replied instead, his voice gentle as he touched his cheek again. "I'll fetch you something to eat, so stay put."

"No but—"

"Rest." Haruka said sternly, this time getting up and walking towards the door without waiting to hear what else Sousuke had to say.

Alone in the room, Sousuke clenched his fists tightly and glared up at the ceiling. Haruka truly was frustrating. The kindest person he'd ever met as well as the cruelest if he could make Sousuke feel so twisted and conflicted inside.

X

X

Even though he was far away from the room, Haruka felt his heart pound in his chest as he moved about the inn's small kitchen. The owner had been kind enough to let him use the space and as he stirred a pot of bowling soup over an open flame, his thoughts kept traveling towards Sousuke.

When they had first met, Haruka had the vague notion that Sousuke was assertive but he hadn't expected him to be so brutally forthright either. He had a tendency to act sarcastic on some occasions and his attitude made him fearless. Because of that, there was confidence in the way he held himself. And he was most definitely unafraid of Haruka no thanks to that aspect and it was a known fact that Haruka would never follow through with punishing him. Haruka just couldn't see himself even trying to no matter how often Sousuke offended him.

It just wasn't right to him.

Whatever the case, Sousuke's presence was comforting for him as well as frightening but only because he made Haruka feel so small sometimes. He didn't regret buying him in Sano though; that much Haruka was sure of and he hoped Sousuke would continue to stay with him the longer they traveled together.

Hope…

Just thinking about that word began to turn Haruka's mood sour.

Sighing to himself, Haruka finally managed to finish cooking the hearty pot of soup. He ladled two bowls of it, setting aside some bread along with it and leaving the rest for whoever happened to want any—he didn't particular care. Settling the meal on a long tray, he then made his way back to his room silently. Opening the door was a factor that went unaccounted for but luckily there was someone in the hallway to help him. Once Haruka managed to get back inside, he found a bored looking Sousuke and snorted at the male's display.

"I'm back." Haruka said.

"I can see that."

Haruka went to place the tray on the floor next to the bed. "Sit up, will you?" He asked, bending down to grab a bowl.

Sousuke did as he was told, using the pillows to help prop himself up. When he was finally comfortable, he was dumbstruck to find a spoonful of soup being placed in front of his face and from that spoon, he found himself staring at a very expectant Haruka.

"Open your mouth."

"E-excuse me?!" Sousuke practically shrieked. "What are you doing?!"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm feeding you."

"I'm not an invalid you know?" Sousuke grumbled, clearly irritated now. "I can feed myself just fine."

"Didn't I say not to argue with me anymore today?" Haruka glared at him. "Just let me feed you."

Conflicted, Sousuke just shook his head no, feeling the heat crawl up the back of his neck as Haruka grew more impatient with him. For goodness sakes, he was not a child anymore...

"Sousuke, swallow your pride, damn it ." Haruka began to seethe. "I don't care what you think, traditions be damned for all I care—now open your mouth so that I may feed you. I will not have you starve just because of your stubbornness."

The threat in Haruka's voice was certainly a shock, one Sousuke hadn't expected to encounter at all. Actually, he didn't think Haruka even had it in him to act in such a manner. And seeing the determination burn in his deep blue eyes, Sousuke couldn't help himself from being drawn in by them. Before he even realized it, he'd opened his mouth, allowing Haruka to slip the spoonful of soup in.

The taste of the broth burst throughout Sousuke's mouth. And when he began to chew, he was struck to find himself tasting chicken.

"Is it good?"

Sousuke swallowed his mouth full of soup. "I-It's… It's delicious…" He admitted, the tips of his ears burning with embarrassment.

"I'm glad to hear that." Haruka replied, dipping the utensil back into the bowl to spoon more of the soup. "Ahh."

"You really are making me feel like a child though…"

Haruka shot him a stern look. "That's enough out of you for one day."

Sousuke couldn't bring himself to continue arguing, nodding his head in defeat as he resigned himself to his fate. It was certainly a peculiar situation he'd gotten himself into, he thought, opening his mouth and eating more of the delectable soup. Peculiar indeed…

At some point, Sousuke managed to finish his food begrudgingly, Haruka never once letting him try to feed himself. The few moments that Sousuke did try to take the spoon from him, he was met with fierce opposition, leaving him tongue tied and kicked to the curb like a dog with its tail between its legs while Haruka glared him down. It was similar to how a mother would scold her child and in this case, the child was Sousuke.

Haruka, after tending to Sousuke, went ahead and ate his own dinner which Sousuke suspected had gone cold but his master didn't seem to care, finishing his own food anyways without a single complaint. Haruka checked his shoulder, soaking the towel again and using it to ease some of the pain. Sousuke appreciated the gesture greatly but he didn't voice this; not even knowing where to begin let alone how to properly thank Haruka for what he'd done for him thus far. Whatever the case, Haruka didn't bother asking for a thank you either and so Sousuke left it at that.

It was only when Haruka crawled into the bed and laid beside him did Sousuke thought again to thank him. However as he opened his mouth to speak, the words couldn't come up, leaving Sousuke sitting there and staring at the blue eyed man while looking like a fish out of water. It was thoroughly embarrassing although the confusion was evident on Haruka's face, it didn't take long for him to make a chuckling noise. No sooner did the sound reach Sousuke's ears, Haruka decided at the next moment to press his face into the pillow, concealing his expression from the other male the second he turned to look down at him.

Fending sleep, Sousuke gave into his cowardice, keeping silent but the previous thoughts still lingered in his mind. Long after Haruka fell asleep, still unaware that Sousuke had yet to slumber himself, Sousuke slid his body down so that he could lay on his back instead of continuing to be propped up against the pillows. He was closer to Haruka this way and turning his head towards him, Sousuke was puzzled by the way his master looked as if he were frowning in his sleep.

It was worrying and from his perspective, saddening.

Sousuke had a few ideas as to why that was so, mostly having himself to blame but the murmuring coming from Haruka caught him off guard and his ears strained to listen. Inching a little closer, he just barely managed to catch the word's, 'Makoto' and he made a slight noise.

A name?

Obviously, Sousuke had no idea who that was.

A friend?

A relative?

A lover even?

The last one left Sousuke a little shaken though, however the possibility of it being true was just as plausible, he couldn't deny.

Still, the thought made him uncomfortable. Closing his eyes, Sousuke hoped he could get through the hours before sun rise peacefully but Haruka didn't seem to want to let him as he scouted closer to his companion. It was like Haruka was searching for something, maybe even someone from the way he pressed against Sousuke's side and hung onto his arm. And observing the way Haruka curled up into a ball, whimpering quietly, Sousuke couldn't find it in him to push his master away and instead he moved closer, pressing his nose into Haruka's hair as he closed his eyes again and sighed shakily.


A/N: I made an outline but I'm pretty sure I'll improvise wherever once I start writing because I did that here! Ku, fu, fu, fu.