~~~ Chapter 4 ~~~
Spar
Kise couldn't stop the proud smile that adorned his face. The blond practically skipped down Castle Kasamatsu's corridors as he made his way back from his plot of land. After his first visit with the prince himself, the Yellow Knight visited the farm frequently to see how the development was going as well as to get to know the serfs that ran it. They were all decent people, he supposed. As much as Kise wasn't fond of the peasants, he took Yukio's words to heart and treated the lower class with the upmost respect. He was even pleasantly surprised how kind the people were – however, that isn't to say that Ryouta liked them.
The personal guard – decked out in fine clothing with his long, bastard sword strapped to his side – skipped down the halls in search for his prince. While humming a tuneless song to himself, he almost missed the sound of clanging metal. But because of his trained ear and his uncontrollable urge for combat, the blond perked up to the sound.
With an even higher sense of eagerness, Kise followed the commotion until he was standing in front of an open parlor. The tile reflected beautifully emphasizing the intricate patterns on the ground. High chandlers hung above, and rows of unlit candles ran around the parameter of the room. Any sort of table of chair was pushed to the side to allow maximum space for the two bodies that were utilizing the area.
Poking his head inside, Ryouta's jaw dropped at the scene in front of him. Before the Yellow Knight was Prince Kasamatsu and a stranger engaging in a duel. The unknown brawler held a normal sword, but the noble wielded a sharpened katana. Both figures were unarmored, but they didn't seem to be landing fetal blows, so that put a weight off Kise's shoulders. However, that didn't stop the knot that was forming around his chest.
The member of the Knight of Miracles was astonished with the spar that was going on in front of him. The unknown party was dismissed from his thoughts; he was mediocre at best anyway. Ryouta's real focus was on Yukio. The prince moved so fluidly. He would stab and slash at the other with such force and countered with perfect precision. It took a lot to impress the blond, but watching Kasamatsu's smooth but deadly movements left him dumbfounded. The way the raven haired male fought with the sword, how his muscles rippled under his skin, the intense look in his eye, and even the sweat gathering on his brow had Kise mesmerized.
With intricate movements, Kasamatsu disarmed the other male and held the blade to his throat. The ferocity in the prince's eye look all too familiar; it looked like the high Kise would be on when he was also in combat. For a moment, the blond feared that the noble would plunge his blade through the unknown's throat.
A beat passed and Kasamatsu lowered his blade. He chuckled lightly as he exchanged pointers and comments with the other. At the sight of Yukio grinning in such a way made Kise's heart clench. Ryouta didn't realize how good the noble looked when he wasn't frowning. He should do that more often; he looks so handsome, the blond thought to himself. Wait, what am I thinking? Kise questioned. He then shook his head to rid the idea (it didn't really work).
The two then started to walk towards the blond which caused him to panic. They're gonna think I was watching them! But I kind of was, but that's not the point! Ryouta thought in a panic. He took a step back and then forward. His feet fumbled under him as he debated whether to run or approach the two. He frantically looked back and forth stiffly as he was still deciding when Kasamatsu noticed the blond.
With a knit of his brow the prince questioned, "Kise?"
At the call of his name, the knight froze with a flinch. "Uh . . ." he stammered. He straightened himself out and tried to shake the frazzled thoughts from his mind. The personal guard tried to save what little dignity he had left, but it was in vein as he reopened his mouth. "Y-you're a r-really good swordsman, K-Kasamatsucchi," the blond commented stiffly. He offered the other a tentative smile as he finished his sentence lamely. Why was he so tongue tied? Hell, why was he so disoriented and nervous? He's never had this problem before, even in the face of the king! And why was his face heating up so much; oh god it felt like it would burst into flames!
Kasamatsu was taken aback. To get such a complement from a swordsman prodigy such as Kise was more than flattering. The prince could feel his face heat up from the observation, much to his dismay. Why was he getting all flustered from one dumb comment?
"T-thanks," the prince replied as he tripped over his tongue. It was embarrassing for a noble such as him to stumble over a simple word. Clearing his throat to try to distract the blond of his obvious flustered state, Kasamatsu turned his attention to the ash-blond haired colored male. "Oh, um, by the way, this is Nakamura Shinya. He's also a knight and a guard here. You two will actually be working together a lot."
Kise finally turned his attention to the other male. The fellow knight was shorter than the blond, that was the first thing he noted, and he was wearing thick framed glasses. They were different than what he was use to seeing – the small circular ones – but these were rectangular and framed his face better. The ash-blond locks were messy atop his head even though they were dampened with sweat. He wasn't really anything special, Kise decided in his mind.
However, he put on a gentlemanly front for the prince's sake. "Hello there! My name's Sir Knight Kise Ryouta!" the blond greeted. He decided to keep the meeting short this time around – he knew he might get a kick to the head if he made his intro any longer or flashy.
With a bow, the stranger introduced himself, "It's a pleasure to meet, and soon work, with you. I'm Nakamura Shinya." Kise respectfully bowed back. Nakamura then turned to Kasamatsu and said, "Speaking of work, I should probably get back to that."
With a chuckle, the prince replied, "Alright then. Thanks for giving me a work out Nakamura."
"It was my honor, my prince. It was nice to meet you, Kise," the man said in parting. With another bow to the noble and knight, the guard left the two in the large parlor.
Without being prompted, Yukio said as he watched the man leave, "Nakamura has been one of the longest working knights here. He's a great swordsman and a loyal, noble man. He deserves more credit." The words seemed to be like an afterthought for the noble; as if he were muttering it to himself.
But Kise heard it. He looked down at the raven haired male to see the other knitting his brows in thought for a moment. With a sigh, Kasamatsu broke out of his mind and back to reality. He then looked up at the Yellow Knight and asked as he wiped his forehead on the collar of his sweaty shirt, "Anyway, what can I help you with Kise?"
He tried – he really did – not to notice the skin that was revealed under the shirt that was lifted up. Kise only got a glimpse – really, just a peak – of the toned muscle of the noble's stomach. Ryouta only now (when Kasamatsu was sparing) noticed how attractive the prince was. And now he knew that he's got a great body too? Oh man, I'm in trouble, the blond thought.
Although when the prince asked his question, Kise almost missed the black haired male's words. Shaking his head to get himself to concentrate, the knight replied weakly, "O-oh, I just came to check up on you."
Kasamatsu nodded his head in understanding. As far as the noble knew, Kise went to manage his lands and just returned. It was only natural for the blond to find and reassure himself that the prince was fine.
An awkward – or at least awkward for Kise – silence enveloped the two. And with the expanseness of the room, the quiet was making the blond knight even more uncomfortable. Not knowing what to do, Ryouta fidgeted with his hands for a bit and subconsciously rested his left on the hilt of his blade. His finger tapped away on it, trying to fill this empty void with some sort of sound.
Yukio, upon seeing this, saw this as not a sign of restlessness, but as the Yellow Knight itching to battle. With a slight raise of a brow, Kasamatsu asked, "You wanna spar, Kise?"
The question caught the knight off guard – which was ironic to say the least. The blond guard flinched at the noble's words and looked down at him with wide eyes. He ran different responses of declining in his head, but they all seemed to yield the same results of him being kicked or things far worse. Not wanting those to be the outcome, Kise nodded his head silently flashing the smallest of smiles.
When Ryouta appeared a bit sheepish like that – Yukio didn't know why – the prince couldn't help but think it looked adorable; like a puppy asking for permission. But as soon as the thought arose, Kasamatsu shook it off as he grabbed his katana from its sheath. Kise followed the noble's movements and brought out his bastard sword. Yukio had to try hard to not gawk in awe. The weapon really was a master piece. The dark metal gleamed in the sunlight beautifully, which was an odd thing to say to a thing that's probably been stained with blood multiple times in its career.
The blade was ten times wider than Kasamatsu's own sword and almost twice as long. The hilt was worn down to a point where grooves were indented in the leather right where the Yellow Knight held it. The weapon seemed like it weighed a ton, but Ryouta swung it around as if it was weightless.
The noble's brow furrowed further, as he got into a fighting stance. His steely blue eyes met with warm brown ones. Yukio final thought before charging the Knight of Miracles was, What am I getting myself into?
Did I mention that this is going to be a slow-burn story? Well, their sexual tension is going to be growing and intensifying for a while!
Also, I'm not saying that these works are in progress right now, but I had the thought of making this part of a series where we get to see all the lives of all the Miracles and their princes(ses).
Tell me what you guys think on that idea as well as what you thought about with this chapter! If there are any errors please tell me! I want this to be some of the best writing I've got!
Thanks lovelies~!
Stay awesome ^^
