Summery:
Inspired by Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) by Florence And The Machine. Kurogane accompanies Tomoyo-himeon a trip to a foreign country where cats roam the palace and the magic isn't what it seems. Fai is a mystery, beholden to the king for reasons he won't explain and bound by something he won't reveal. He's secretive, standoffish, infuriating, trapped and Kurogane can't help but like him, even if he's not sure he's heard a single true word from him yet.
Chapter: I start spinning slipping out of time
Warnings: Sexual content, strong language
AN: Thank you so much for all the Favorite Stories and Story Alerts! And a BIG BIG thank you totokyoblackbird her wonderful, inspiring review, it's the only reason you're getting a chapter this week^^' Please keep them coming!
Please review and enjoy~
Dinner was... loud. It amazed the ninja, the sheer amount of noisethat was constantly blaring at Versailles. His head was still ringing and his stomach was steadily churning. He had yet to discover any dish that agreed with him; everything was cooked to death, fatty, gamy, sweet, or unappetizing in some way he couldn't describe. Every meal left him feeling heavy, even the fish, which would have been fine if not for the sauce it was smothered in.
The ninja growled and shifted onto his side, shoving blankets further down his waist. He was used to spending all day training and patrolling, then sleeping like the dead for a few hours before doing it all again. How in hell was he supposed to to be still all day and then sleep for ten hours? It was infuriating, not to mention the fact that the beds were nothing like the futons he was used to; his was high off the floor, with posts at each corner and a gauzy white canopy draped over it. There were far too many pillows, most of which he'd already thrown to the floor, and blankets that were too heavy for the season. He didn't understand how a bed could be that uncomfortable but it was making him restless. The sheets stuck to the slick skin of his back as he rolled over, staring at the window. The curtains hung limp, untouched by any breeze. Through the gap he could make out a black night sky and sparkling clusters of starts.
In Nihon he would spend hours roaming the castle roof before going to sleep. It wasn't just for Tomoyo-hime's benefit but for his as well; he always slept better after a breath of fresh air, something his room was severely lacking.
It was after minutes of idle staring that he released a grunt and ripped the twisted sheets away from his legs, swinging them over the side of the bed before standing and crossing to the window.
He flicked the latch open and eyed the center; it was painted over, sealed. It took a solid push to force the window open but once he did an electric summer breeze rushed through, sending the curtains billowing towards the ceiling. It brought with it the smell of lavender, heady and consuming.
Without thinking he grabbed the sill with both hands and brought one foot up, ready to climb out.
He paused, perhaps due to Tomoyo-hime's constant lecturing about what was, and was not, proper behavior for them as guests. He always thought she made too big a deal of etiquette but then he thought of how he would react upon finding a guest's bodyguard traipsing around the roof at Shirasagi. Not well, was his understated conclusion, and he narrowed his eyes in thought.
He wasn't afraid of the royal guards, far from it; they were undertrained, loud, clumsy. He wasn't afraid of his princess either, but he was... wary, of what sort of reaction his getting in a fight would garner... He wasn't quite sure what she would do but 'cruel' and 'unusual' were the words he generally associated with her punishments.
Then again... he glanced around, looking at the small area of flat roof before him, then craning his head up towards what was above him; there wasn't a singly sentry anywhere but ground level. It was pathetic really, how poorly coordinated their defenses were, but in this case it served his purpose so he let it go, levering himself out the window and onto the roof, glancing at the rows of windows on either side of him before jumping and effortlessly grabbing hold of the ledge above him, pulling himself easily onto the very top of the building.
It was no feat of balance to walk along the edge of the roof; the fresh air was cool under the moon and swaths of stars swirled through the sky. He could find all the same constellations his father had shown him when he was a child; Hotohori, the star and Nuriko, the willow. The moon was a sliver and the stars had nothing to compete with; they shone out of the blackness like cat's eyes.
He walked for a few minutes, just strait, staying close to the edge. He kept his footsteps quiet, unsure of whom he was walking over. With the spacial-illusion-whatever he could really be over anyone'srooms, or even more than one at a time.
He could see the rest of the city from where he was and he dropped down to sit. Even that late at night there were lights blazing.
In Nihon the nights were quiet; Shirasagi was relatively removed from the city and the only real noise was the crickets, chirping at all hours of the night. In France he could hear the general hum of humanity and it irked him.
He rolled his eyes at himself. He was a ninja, as he often had to remind himself; he was supposed to be adaptable, not some homesick fool. He hissed out a slow breath as he rocked onto his back, watching the stars like they might disappear.
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It was some time later that he heard the familiar creak of a window being forced open. He jolted upright, straining to hear the rustle of cloth and a faint grunt of exertion.
Fingers latched onto the ledge before him and, faster than he could roll backwards and disappear into the darkness, faster than he thought was possible, the owner of the hand swung themselves up onto the ledge into a crouch, head bowed as they caught their balance, tousled hair floating in the breeze.
Tousled blonde hair.
The concubine
ありがとう,
ハッピーハロウィン
ShingetsuXMangetsu
