Disclaimer: I do not own Servamp or any of the characters


"How does this horse move again?" Tetsu studied the chess pieces that Misono took out. They finished setting up camp and Misono decided to play chess with Lily to pass the night. It was Kuro's turn for night watch but he was sitting against a tree with his eyes closed so Misono took it upon himself to take over his shift. When he told Tetsu his plan, he offered to stay up with him.

"That pawn is a knight, not a horse. Shouldn't you go to sleep? Lily and I will be okay by ourselves." Misono tried to persuade Tetsu to leave. He was planning to talk to Lily privately but it was clear he wouldn't be able to when Tetsu shook his head. Misono couldn't help but worry that Tetsu suspected him of something from the way he wouldn't leave his side.

"I'm not tired. Anyways, I don't think it's fair to make you stay awake by yourself. We're friends." The two words made Misono happier than he thought it would. He never had a very lose friends outside of his family and Lily so he didn't know if Tetsu was right.

"You can do whatever you want but don't complain to me when you are tired tomorrow." Misono blushed and turned away from him. He could feel Tetsu's eyes on him as he looked at the chess board curiously. Tetsu didn't seem like a person who would be interested in chess so said, "This is a two person game and I don't think you'll have fun watching us play."

"I like watching people play. Hugh tried to teach me how to play chess once but I'm not really good at it." Tetsu said and watched Misono and Lily play. He was very aware of his weaknesses so he always admired people like Misono. "He said that the best way to win is to know your opponent. Hugh was always able to predict my moves and I could never win."

"Don't feel so bad about not being able to play chess well. I've never won once against Misono and we've known each other since he was born. I remember when he was small, he was the sweetest boy and would pick flowers for the servants every day to thank them for their hard work. The gardener had a heart attack when he saw what Misono did to his garden."

"Lily, we're playing chess so this isn't story time." Misono quickly cut him off. Lily had no shortage of embarrassing stories to tell and Misono didn't want Tetsu to hear any of them. He turned to Tetsu to see his reaction but he didn't laugh or look condescending.

"I hope Wonderland's prince is as kind as you and treat his people well." Tetsu whispered to himself. He didn't intend for Misono or Lily to hear it but they did. To Tetsu, there was nothing he could do about his marriage and didn't think asking about the prince.

"I might be bias when I say this but I think the prince is wonderful and kind. I'm certain that once we reach Wonderland and see who he is, you'll agree with me." Lily said confidently and Misono rolled his eyes at his words. His tones were teasing and his words were towards Misono just as much as they were for Tetsu. "In fact, by the time we arrive you'll be so in love that—"

"Focus on the game, Idiot." Misono defeated Lily's bishop. He gently threw the captured pawn at Lily to warn him not to say anything further. Lily only chuckled and Misono wondered what he was planning. "What's the point in playing chess if you're not going to give me a challenge?"

"I was just making conversation with Tetsu. Have you ever been in love before Tetsu?" Even though the question was directed to Tetsu, Misono dropped his pawn and it clattered across the board. Tetsu didn't seem flustered by the question as he merely picked up the pawn and handed it to Misono.

"I have." Tetsu nodded and Misono's hands stilled for a moment. He didn't know why his stomach felt uneasy for a moment until Tetsu went on. "I love my parents and all my friends. I also love my kingdom and my subjects."

"I was asking about romantic love." Lily chuckled and Tetsu tilted his head in confusion. Honestly, he had never been in love before and it never crossed his mind. "Well, I wanted to give you advice for a happy marriage. Our prince means well but sometimes he makes mistakes so be patient with him."

"Okay, that's enough Lily. Concentrate on the game," Misono tried to stop the conversation desperately. He loved Lily like a brother but there were times he frustrated him to no ends.

"I'm a little tired so I'm going to sleep for the night. How about you play with Tetsu? Since you've never played with him before, you won't be able to predict his moves and he'll be more of a challenge than me." Lily stood and Misono was glad that he no longer had to worry about his meddling. "Have fun you two!"

"Just go already!" Misono screamed in frustration as he rearranged the board. Tetsu sat across him and Misono suddenly felt nervous since he could feel him staring at him. "You can move first. Do you want me to go over how the pieces move again?"


"Tetsu has really taken a liking to Misono, haven't he?" Mahiru commented to Kuro as he watched the pair from a distance. Misono and Tetsu were still playing chess despite the late hour. Kuro didn't respond and appeared to be sleeping against a tree but Mahiru knew that he was awake. Despite appearances, he could tell that Kuro was fully alert and keeping watch.

A part of Mahiru wanted to tell Misono that he didn't need to stay up because Kuro was awake and only appeared to be sleeping. But he was glad he didn't since it seemed like Tetsu and Misono were becoming closer. Tetsu never told him directly, but Mahiru knew that he had some reservations about going to Wonderland. Hopefully, with a friend like Misono, he could adjust to his new life easier.

"Kuro, do you think—" Mahiru's sentence was cut off by his own yawn. He had to admit that he was tired because he was a simple advisor and didn't have much experience travelling. He wanted to stay up with Kuro a little longer but he found it hard to fight his need to sleep. Without any hesitation, Mahiru leaned against Kuro and closed his eyes.

"Don't complain. You're always using me as a pillow so let me borrow your shoulder this once." Mahiru said when he felt Kuro shift slightly. They have known each other long enough for Mahiru to be able to predict his words and make a counter argument. He could feel Kuro eyes on him and smiled to himself when he guessed Kuro's next words correctly.

"What a pain. My arm's going to fall asleep." Even though Kuro sounded exasperated, he didn't push Mahiru away. Instead, he pulled Mahiru's cloak more securely over his shoulder to keep him from catching a cold. Mahiru's breathing was even and Kuro knew that he was already asleep. Kuro pulled his focus away from Mahiru and scanned the camp.

Aside from Tetsu and Misono's chatter and the sound of the fire cracking, it didn't seem like anything was out of place. But Kuro felt as if someone was watching them in his gut and he tightened his hand over Mahiru's. He sensed that someone had been following them for a while now but he didn't tell anyone because it was nothing but a gut feeling.

That feeling became an alarm whenever it became dark. But the person didn't leave any hint of where he was hiding which irked Kuro. If the person could hide himself so thoroughly, he was dangerous. Kuro pretended to be asleep but strained his ears and looked around the edge of the camp under hooded eyes.

Something glinted in the bushes and Kuro reacted quickly. He threw his dagger into the bush and his sudden movement woke Mahiru. Kuro roughly pushed Mahiru towards the wagon. "Hide underneath the wagon and don't come out until I say it's safe."

Kuro didn't look back to see if he followed his instruction. Mahiru was still confused and could only stare after Kuro as he ran into the bushes. Misono was equally shocked and didn't know what prompt Kuro into actions. Tetsu, on the other hand, appeared calm and followed Kuro into the forest.

"Hey, don't just run off, Tetsu!?" Misono chased after the pair. He never expected Kuro to be so fast and Misono struggled to follow them. Tetsu looked over his shoulder and saw Misono falling behind and slowed his steps. He kept Kuro in the corner of his eyes as he held out his hand to Misono. "Where is Kuro going?"

"I don't know but he only gets serious like this when there's danger." Tetsu told him. Misono was out of breath when he caught up to them and he took Tetsu's hand to keep himself from falling. Without any warning, Tetsu began to run again and pulled Misono behind him. He held onto his hand securely so Misono wouldn't fall behind again.

"Wait, if there is danger, you should go back to the camp where it's safe!" Misono argued but Tetsu shook his head. When he turned back to Misono, he could see a determined glint in his blue eyes.

"If there is danger, I can't go back and hide. I'm a prince and I'm not going to let my people get hurt. Kuro's my friend so I'm going to help him." Tetsu's hand tightened around Misono's slightly, as if he wanted to communicate his feelings with more than words. Misono understood how he felt all too well and ran quicker to match Tetsu's pace.

When they reached Kuro, he was fighting with a masked assassin. Kuro expertly dodged the man's whip and he aimed his claws at his neck. But the man evaded him and Tetsu's brows furrowed. It was rare for anyone to be so skilled that they could challenge Kuro. He drew his sword and searched for an opening to help Kuro. Misono took out his throwing knives as well and studied the man.

There was something familiar about the assassin's movements. But Misono wasn't given much time to place where he knew him before the assassin turned away from Kuro to attack Tetsu. Misono stepped in front of him and raised his throwing knives. The moment the assassin saw Misono, he faltered. Before Misono could take advantage of his hesitation, he ran away.

"Don't brother chasing him." Kuro stopped Misono before he could run after the assassin. He sheathed his sword and his shoulder relaxed so it was obvious that he had no intention of fighting further. His demeanour was once again of lazy knight. "He's probably gone by now. Going after him will be too much trouble. You'll have another chance to fight him probably. He's been following us this entire time."

"Guard duty should be done in pairs from now on. If he is following us, we should be cautious. We can assume that he wants to kill Tetsu to interfere with the alliance."


Con: He has bad judgement about people. Misono scratched out the con he wrote the first day they met. Whenever Tetsu told him that Kuro was a skilled knight, Misono didn't believe him and questioned his judgement. But, after seeing Kuro fight, Misono had to admit that Tetsu was right. Pro: He has good judgement about people even if they appear to be unreliable.

"Misono?" He looked up and quickly closed his notebook when he saw that it was Tetsu. It was still night so he doubted that Tetsu could read what he was writing but Misono still tucked the book into his bag. Tetsu sat next to him and looked down at his hands. "I just wanted to thank you for trying to protect me."

"Is that all?" Misono didn't understand why Tetsu seemed so nervous to tell him something so small. With the dim lighting of the fire, Misono couldn't tell if Tetsu was blushing or if his face was red because of the fire's glow. "I really didn't do much since he ran away before we could actually fight. Anyways, I'm your knight so it's my duty to protect you."

"Oh," Tetsu seemed a little disappointed with Misono's answer. He could see Tetsu frown slightly and his expression tugged at Misono. For a reason he couldn't name, Misono didn't want to see him unhappy.

"Don't make a big deal out of it. We're friends so of course I'm going to protect you. You'll do the same thing if our positions were reversed, wouldn't you?" Misono pointed out. At his words, Tetsu smiled and nodded. It was small but Misono felt his heart quicken a little in reaction. "If you want to thank me though, you want to take the next watch shift with me?"

"I would like that." Tetsu agreed without any hesitation.


I was able to finish this for Tetsu's birthday. I had an actual bday fanfic planned for him and wrote half of it but I wasn't able to complete it due to writer's block.