Sorry for the delay in posting. Two cars in our family broke down and sister had a huge fight with her boyfriend that scared us a bit. Plus we went to see a Rocky Horror viewing that was awesome To make up for it I'll update with two chapters (maybe three if I get around to finishing it tonight)

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He felt warm and safe. That was the first thought as Hisoka slowly began to return to consciousness. The scent was familiar and there was no uncomfortable bombardment of emotions. It reminded him of the times he had gone to his brother's room when they were younger. Even though they were the same age Tatsumi always seemed to be so much older than he was. It was comforting when they were young, but as they got older Hisoka found it increasingly frustrating that he never could catch up to his brother. It was worse because he actually had to rely on him to help when his strange powers sent him over the edge. At this rate he would never become a good king.

A sound pulled him further from sleep and he quickly opened his eyes. Those strange powers told him there was no one around, but there it was. His ears flicked back and forth as he tried to locate the source of the light snoring. Opening his eyes he caught sight of Tsuzuki right beside his face. He jumped back on the bed about ready to shout at the other when he noticed that the neko was asleep. His arms were folded on the edge of the bed and his head was resting comfortably on those arms. Hisoka frowned watching him sleep. Where was the bombardment of emotions that left his head spinning? It was as if the other wasn't there. More than slightly annoyed he reached out to touch one of those arms. Touch made his powers go crazy and he could feel so much more, so much it hurt. This time, however, there was only a slight content purr that slipped through is mind. Without even realizing it Hisoka relaxed against the bed. As soon as he did realize he snapped his hand back to his body cradling it as if it had been burned. He didn't understand. How could it go from overwhelming to so faint he had to actually try to feel it?

"Hisoka? Are you awake?" His brother's voice broke through the silence. Confused green eyes shot to the door as Tatsumi and the slave he had been given walked into the room. He had trouble reading Tatsumi, but that wasn't normal and that intense hatred from the blonde came in loud and clear. What was up with Tsuzuki? "There's a spell on him. You shouldn't be overwhelmed anymore." Hisoka frowned his ears lowering. He looked down at Tsuzuki. Tatsumi didn't know spells, it had been something their father was absolute about. Hisoka learned basic magic, enough that would keep the wool from being pulled over his eyes, but Tatsumi was not to learn any. A guilty feeling surged through him and Hisoka realized exactly what had happened.

"That slave knows a spell." He watched his brother as the tail swayed. There was no feeling of worry coming from the blond slave, which told Hisoka that his brother was going to be protective of his present. He waited for the response.

"Which saved you from dealing with Father's wrath when you rejected your present from him." Blue eyes never left his own and Hisoka was forced to admit defeat. If their father ever found out about what he had just done—Hisoka shuddered at the thought. He would have to keep quiet about the other if he wanted Tatsumi to stay quiet about the scene he had caused earlier. Just great, his brother had blackmail on him. Sometimes Tatsumi was too opportunistic when it came to his secrets. "Since you seem to understand, you should probably start getting ready. The ball is in about an hour." Hisoka's eyes widened. Had he really been asleep that long? "Go on then and don't forget to bring Tsuzuki with you. Father wants to show them off at the ball." Hisoka didn't need special powers to pick up the repressed anger in his voice.

With a sigh Hisoka got up from the bed. He shook Tsuzuki a bit more roughly than he knew he deserved. "Hey, get up." When the neko didn't immediately awaken Hisoka growled and grabbed his ear. "Idiot, get up." He hissed pulling back slightly. Since he knew just how much that hurt he was careful not to pull too hard. Still the slave let out a yelp of pain and fell all the way back on the floor with a rather loud thump. Hisoka's ears flattened at the sudden sound. He looked down at Tsuzuki something in him wanting to make sure the other was all right. It had sounded like he had been hurt pretty badly. Sleepy violet eyes looked up at him with a hint of confusion in them. Had that idiot really not been hurt at all by a fall like that?

"Master?" Tsuzuki rubbed his eyes to get the sleep out of it then sat up on the stone floor looking up at him as if nothing had happened. Hisoka muttered under his breath then picked up the chain pulling at it. "We're leaving." Still grumbling under his breath he pulled Tsuzuki out of the room. His tail bristled and swayed in irritation. This one slave seemed to get under his skin even worse than his mother did. What made it worse was the fact that Tsuzuki was even trying hard to please him. With a growl he pulled Tsuzuki into his room and sat him down by the window. Somehow he would have to make this neko look presentable to a crowd of people. He had to look good enough to be worthy showing off by his father's standards. The first problem was the bruise on his cheek and the second was his eyes. Those odd colored eyes devalued him, even if Hisoka rather liked the color.

He paused in his evaluation flushing. Where had that thought come from? No, he didn't like the color of his eyes. Tsuzuki was just a present from his father that he had to deal with. With a shake of his head he turned his eyes back to Tsuzuki. The sheer clothes would show him off, that was the point of them, but Hisoka refused to leave him in them and parade him around. He'd start from ground zero. "Go take a bath." Hisoka ordered as he pointed to the bathing chamber connected to his room. One of the other servants was tasked with making sure the water there was appropriate a bath should Hisoka decide to get one at any point in time. He thought it wasteful, but right now he was grateful. He didn't want anyone seeing him act like this. Alone and with that damn spell he was able to focus on his own thoughts and emotions and he wasn't liking what he was feeling.

Immediately at the order Tsuzuki got up from the window and followed the direction Hisoka was pointing in. Once Tsuzuki was out of sight he turned to his wardrobe. While Tsuzuki looked young he knew there weren't many of his clothes that would fit the other. He was so much more well built than Hisoka himself and he had to have at least a foot of height on him. There was two possible outfits. His mother had gotten them for him in the hopes that one day he would grow into them. Since he had hit the age of adulthood he wouldn't grow anymore and therefore had no use for the clothes. Only a slightly selfish side of him kept him from just giving them over to his brother. They would fit Tsuzuki and a part of him thought that the black would draw out the color of his eyes making them more of an asset. He would make this slave into something his father would be proud of. It would make up for the fact that Hisoka himself wasn't.

"Master?" Hisoka turned toward the voice and immediately turned his back his face bright red, his eyes wide, and his ears flat. Even though he had only seen it for a second the image of Tsuzuki standing in the doorway completely naked and dripping wet was burned into his retina. He couldn't close his eyes without seeing it. "Master? Is everything all right?" He could hear the steps as Tsuzuki moved closer. His entire body felt like it was on fire. His face burning brighter he swallowed and tried to speak.

"I'm fine." He barked with a tremble in his voice. Instead of attempting to speak again he threw the clothes at Tsuzuki keeping his head low and his eyes focused out the window. "Put those on." Once he managed that out he turned back to the wardrobe trying to hide his blush by pretending to be looking for his own clothes. He needed to teach this one modesty or else Hisoka would forever be as red as a tomato. There was a rustle of fabric and Hisoka wanted to bang his head against the wardrobe to get the images out of his head. After what sounded like a struggle there was silence and Hisoka dared a glance toward him.

He had been right about the clothes. They seemed to fit Tsuzuki well, almost too well and the darker color drew your attention to those violet eyes. Hisoka felt drawn toward the other and didn't realize he had taken a step closer until his tail brushed up against the end of the wardrobe. His face brightened into a blush again and he forced his feet to remain where they were. His attention was finally drawn away from his own reactions when he saw Tsuzuki shift uncomfortably. "What?" He asked, not intending for his voice to be so demanding and harsh. It was the wince that made him realize just how mean he could sound. That was the way he'd always spoken, there wasn't anything he could do about it now.

"I've never had clothes this nice before." Tsuzuki explained shifting again. As Hisoka watched he realized it looked like he was trying to keep his skin from touching the expensive fabric as if just the touch would contaminate the fabric. Hisoka absolutely under no circumstances thought that it was cute. Instead he folded his arms and gave the other a stern look.

"You'll have to get used to it. If you look bad it reflects poorly on my father's decision to choose you." Seeing Tsuzuki tremble Hisoka tried to figure out if it was the thought of disappointing the king, Hisoka's father, Hisoka or if it was the tone of his voice. He'd have more time to figure that out later. For now he was fine with the fact that his message had hit home and Tsuzuki had stopped shifting as much. The desired result reached Hisoka turned to other important tasks. "Go sit by the window and don't turn around until I say so." With a slight jump Tsuzuki did as he was told. He sat down on the window and turned to look out it. Tsuzuki wasn't exactly the sharpest sword, but he was eager to please. Hisoka turned back to the wardrobe and began scanning for something new his mother would have thrown in fairly recently. She'd throw a fit if he didn't wear something he hadn't worn before.

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Following his new master around the palace was nerve-wracking. Watari didn't know where they were going and he had no idea if he should even add to his mental map since a slave could easily be killed for knowing too much magic. He had used the spell and outed himself in the hopes of saving his only friend. Now he wasn't so sure he could save himself. His ears were low and his tail swaying nervously as he followed the taller neko through the web of halls and the thousands of rooms. They walked through only one door and Watari was shocked when it opened up into the most amazing garden he had ever seen. His experience with gardens was not exactly extensive, but it amazed him to see all of the plants, flowers and even a few sculptures. A small tug of his chain reminded him that he had stopped dead in his tracks while his master had continued on. Startled he moved to catch up surprised to see that Tatsumi had waited for him. The prince led him to a covered bench and sat down gesturing for Watari to do the same. Carefully Watari settled himself at his master's feet looking up, but not quite able to meet those deep blue eyes.

"Come sit up here." It wasn't an order, but the deep voice always made Watari want to do what he said. Slowly, he brought himself to his feet. His ears were still low and he nervously betrayed his training and sat down on the bench next to the prince. His eyes focused on his own bare feet as he waited for Tatsumi to say something. The silence seemed to last forever and Watari continued to shift minutely on the seat, his ears flicking back and forth. "How did you learn that spell?" Watari shifted again nervously.

"I was taking out the trash at the slave house and found the book." His ears continued to flick and his tail swayed before curling around himself. "After being taken away from home I missed books so I picked it up and read it in my off time." He closed his eyes looking at his feet. Trying hard to not look as nervous as he was he attempted to look up at the prince. Deep blue eyes were completely unreadable as they looked down at him. That intense gaze caused him to squirm for two reasons. "I learned a few spells from that book. Just . . . just spells I thought would be helpful to my future master." The silence continued and Watari was sure he would break down into tears at any moment.

"Resourceful. I wish I had thought of that." Watari still couldn't bring himself to look up at his master. He wasn't sure what to make of that answer although part of him had hope that it was a good sign. There was that silence again, the kind that hung in the air and made Watari's chest tight. He wanted Tatsumi to say more, to explain what he meant. It felt like his heart would stop any moment if something wasn't explained. "Thank you."

His ears perked up and he looked up with wide eyes. Those ocean blue orbs were locked on his own amber eyes and Watari could see the gratitude in them. "M-master?" He asked not sure he had heard him right. Sure, he had been thanked before, but it was by Tsuzuki or one of the other slaves in the house. It was just expected of him to work for his master so he had not expected the prince to thank him for anything he did.

"Thank you. Hisoka would have been in a lot of trouble if Father had found out he rejected his gift. Thank you for helping to make it work." The prince went on ahead to explain. Somehow Watari was sure his heart had stopped in those few moments. A small blush appeared on his face and he looked down again unable to look into that deep blue without melting to the ground.

"Y-you're welcome." It took all the power in him to keep himself from saying that he hadn't meant to help the selfish brat of a prince, but had wanted to help Tsuzuki. He shifted in his spot then decided he couldn't keep information like that from the prince especially after he had thanked him. "I . . . I didn't mean to help him . . ." His mind kept telling him to stop pushing his luck, but his heart didn't want to keep anything from the prince and Watari had always listened to that over common sense. "The prince was hurting Tsu . . . he tries so hard to please everyone . . . I didn't want to see him broken because his first master found a flaw in him . . ." Watari tried to hold back the names he wanted to call Hisoka, but he wanted his master to understand. "Tsu tries so hard to make up for . . . for his flaw. I wanted to . . . to try to make him happy . . ."

"I see. Well, I still want to thank you for helping Hisoka, no matter how accidental it was." Tatsumi reached over and gently pet him. No matter how hard Watari tried he couldn't suppress the purr as the hand ran through his long hair. It felt so good. "You and Tsuzuki are close?" The prince asked as he continued to run a hand through his hair. It took a moment for the other to process the question and he nodded slowly.

"He was the first friend I made when I was sent to the slave house. We went through training together even though he'd been in it much longer than me. Tsu was born in the slave house so I would tell him stories that I could remember from the time before." Watari explained slowly slipping back into the past. He and Tsuzuki would curl up together under the thin blanket. As Watari would speak Tsuzuki would listen with wide eyes as if no one else existed in the world. It felt like a little brother. While sometimes it made him ache for the family he once had he was glad he had found a new one. No matter how flawed or emotionally messed up Tsuzuki was Watari still thought of him as his only family and would do anything he could to make his life better. "I was so happy we were going to be sold to the same place. I could still watch over Tsu and make sure he wasn't hurt." It wasn't until he had spoken that Watari realized just how much he had said. Hesitantly he looked up at his new master feeling the hand in his hair still.

"That would explain things a little. It probably amplified his own feelings. He wouldn't even realize it wasn't just from him." So the prince did understand what had happened to his brother. Watari desperately wanted to know, but at the same time thought he had pushed his luck too much to ask. "This stays here. If anyone else hears about this it will get all of us in serious trouble, not just you, understand?" The threat hidden in the deep voice startled him and he nodded in understanding. "Hisoka has this ability to sense other people's emotions. We're not sure how he got it, but he's had it for as long as either of us can remember." Amber eyes widened at the news. "I think, Hisoka feels the same as Tsuzuki so when he felt Tsuzuki's emotions they mingled with his own and amplified them both. That's probably what caused the problem earlier." Tatsumi's ears flicked slightly and his tail swayed a moment as he considered the thought. "He wouldn't even notice if that was it either."

There was another moment of silence between them and Watari couldn't help, but finally ask. "Master, are . . . are you upset with me for . . . for knowing spells?" Even his body was begging him to stop pushing his luck. His mouth found it hard to form the words he knew needed to be asked. He lowered his head again his hands rubbing the tie to the robes that hung down by his thighs. If his luck held out he knew he couldn't afford to push his master's patience anymore.

"I'm not upset. Spells are useful. I wish Father had allowed me to learn some." Watari decided to hazard a peak up at him. His eyes had a far away look and he didn't seem to be focusing on anything in the garden. They sat like that for a few minutes before the prince turned his head back to face him. "We should go back inside. If you aren't ready for the ball in time the queen will throw a fit. Trust me, while they're fun to watch you don't want to be the cause of one of those fits." Tatsumi stood up and Watari quickly followed. He felt a tug at the chain and found it was hanging from his neck, no longer in his master's hand. The prince began walking and Watari scrambled to follow him a small blush on his face from the gesture of trust his master had showed in him.

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Whee! \o/ I want to thank the peoples for my few reviews. I lurve them and they help remind me this story exists (as does the slow server at work). Hopefully I can finish this before school starts. School seems to be the kiss of death for stories. I'll work my hardest to finish.