YnzYnz-chan, mrsklemzak74 , Freya Hikaru, kroscetish , yaoisthegame and anonymus Guests - I know that some lame "I'm sorry " doesn't cover it but, I'M SORRY! All I can say is that I warned you at the beginning that updates won't be so regular this time...
Chapter 7
It was not exactly what he expected to see after getting outside. There was no crowded street, no bazaars, no vendors... Maybe it was the loss of blood that made him hallucinate, but what surrounded him right now looked suspiciously like the palace court... Ok, so he got hurt in the palace grounds, but then he had been sold and there was no reason to keep him here. Unless the king felt grateful for saving the prince and let him stay until he wakes up. Whatever the reason, it was the only chance for Hanamichi to escape.
His wound didn't like the way he squeezed himself through the window and absolutely hated when he jumped down from the first floor. He felt sticky wetness on his chest and growled realizing that he had probably opened his stitches. Fuck. Just his luck. Now he would have to find a way to fix it before leaving the city. The realization made his eyes widen. He was going to leave... He was about to walk away from this place that in some twisted way became his new home. He was going to abandon his guild, the games and... His heart clenched. He would never see the fox again... And he wasn't even sure if the prince was really alright... He swallowed hard and tousled with his hair in frustration. Shit.
He was in the palace. He could find the prince for a moment, just to check on him... and maybe say goodbye... or something. But the palace was big and he was hurt... Then again, he couldn't just leave, without a word. He wanted to see the fox, to tell him that he didn't mean to be an asshole and his intentions were good...
...
Furuichi didn't know his master for very long but he knew that the young man was cool and collected to the point of being completely emotionless.
Until that day.
The prince's fist were clenched, his breathing was too fast to be normal and he was practically shaking trying to keep his fury inside. All that he spat to his frightened guards were two words: "Find him!"
The prince's pacing around the main hall was slowly driving Furuichi nuts. The eunuch wanted to help the man, no matter the cost. He loved the prince. He loved him from the moment he saw him. He was so different from his other masters. Kaede was young, wasn't a brute and looked so dignified and fragile, but it wasn't all there was. There was more and Furuichi was dying to find out everything about him. He wanted to become Kaede's solace.
He wanted to sooth his anger and frustration. He wanted to make him forget about worries and he was pretty sure that he would manage if he only got a chance. When ice blue eyes started to water he couldn't hold it anymore and against all better judgement he tried to talk.
"My prince, let me help you."
Cold blue eyes stopped on the eunuch for a moment, no trace of recognition in them. It seemed that he didn't deem Furuichi worthy to get an answer.
Suddenly the prince stopped and his eyes focused on the slightly ajar door to the terrace. Furuichi followed his eyes with his own and was pretty sure that he saw a black ribbon or something similar waving on the wind outside. In an instant all the tension seemed to leave the young royal. It was almost as if someone took a terrible weight off his shoulder. His face brightened. The ever present scowl disappeared and the perfect face relaxed; eyes softened and pink lips parted slightly forming something that was wonderfully close to a smile.
The prince moved forward and all Furuichi could see was him disappearing outside, pulled by a pair of strong tanned arms.
"GUARDS! Help! The prince is in danger!"
...
"Shit!"
"Idiot..." Kaede couldn't stop the smile from winning over his face completely. Hanamichi was there, holding him pressed against a wall. It really was him. He looked tired and weak but it was Hana. For the first time, he was finally the one to seek him, not the other way around! And he was here, still in the palace. For a moment there Kaede thought that the man ran away and he would never see him again. He wanted to sink in the slave's embrace and stay there forever.
"Where the hell were you? Everyone's been looking for you."
"I... " Hana couldn't find his voice. The prince was looking up at him; his beautiful face surrounded by shoots of wild vine. It was so disturbing and unexpected that he almost forgot what he came for. The world spun and he had to shake his head to chase the dizziness away. "I... needed to see if you're alright."
"I am. Thanks to you. You saved my life. But you need to stay in bed! You can't walk around like that. You're bleeding!"
"Akagi sold me. I'm on the run. I came to say goodbye."
"Don't move!"
"Fuck..."
Those fucking guards were the bane of his existence... Hanamichi didn't want to move anyway. He was so blissfully close to the gorgeous brunette; just mere inches away. Kaede smelled so nice. His slender shoulders were trembling slightly under the slave's touch and Hanamichi wondered how he tasted. He never had a chance to kiss him. Now the guards were going to take him away to his new owner. So it was now or never. He took Kaede's face in his hands.
"Stop it!" Sakuragi turned to the angry voice by the door. It was a young boy of rare beauty, most probably a eunuch. He looked exotic and expensive. Only his clothes cost probably more than Sakuragi! His head was held high with pride, almost towering over Sakuragi who was almost twice his size. "How dare you put your dirty barbarian hands on the prince?!"
Hana paused. He really was dirty, and covered in sweat. Kaede was clean and smelled wonderful. He had no right to get any closer. His hands dropped to his sides and he slowly turned to face the soldiers with slightly embarrassed expression. He wanted to say something but he was too tired and hopeless. He just dropped down onto a nearby bench and winced as the pain shot through his body.
"How dare you sit while the prince is standing! Get up! Guards! Take him!" The eunuch looked ready to kill Hana with his own hands. And even though he was just a slave, like Hanamichi, he still had this kind of presence that made the guards want to obey him. Luckily, their instincts didn't let them. They were looking from one slave to the other, and then at the prince, waiting for some words that would spare them the beating form the redhead monster who was now chuckling, truly amused.
"Heh... you've got balls to talk to me like that! I mean... wrong choice of words. Sorry. But even the guards know to keep their mouths shut while you..." He stopped talking as he felt fingers weaving into his hair, and rubbing his scalp. He looked up at the prince who was now also chuckling.
"I'm not sure if it's courage or just the fact that he doesn't know you yet. He's new. With time he will learn that the only way to make you do something is to ask nicely, so forgive him his manners."
Furuichi paled. The prince apologized for his behaviour! It was unacceptable. He dropped to his knees.
"Prince Kaede, I beg for your forgiveness!"
"Me?" In this one word the prince somehow managed to contain: 'I'm not the one you should be apologizing to' as well as 'Know your place' and 'Try doing this again and you'll die.'
Hanamichi's eyes widened along with eyes of other gathered people. They all felt the shiver run up their spines hearing coldness of this one word. The pale hand in red mane moved Kaede's cold face softened.
"Hana, you're warm." Then the prince bent down and pressed his lips to Hanamichi's sweat covered forehead. "You've got fever. Come on, you need to get back to bed." Those words were murmured right against the slave's heated skin, brushing it softly with the pale pink lips.
"No, I need to run." Sakuragi shook his head to rid himself of the tempting touch.
"Hn. Like I would ever let go!" The prince crouched down and busied his hands with checking Sakuragi's bandages. "Stop being stubborn for once and listen to me!"
"No."
"Yes! Damn it! For once do what I tell you!"
"As if!"
"Just... let them take you back to bed. They will carry you."
"No!"
"Don't be stupid! Why did you even left the bed? You should've called for me and I would come!"
Kaede rubbed his forehead tiredly. "The boy will change the sheets and air your room." Saying this he looked pointedly at the eunuch. For the life of him he couldn't remember the boy's name... "Hana's room is right next to mine. Go."
"My room?... What the hell do you mean?"
"Guess."
"You are the one who bought me?"
"Actually, I am!"
Akira was scratching his crazy hair, looking sheepish, cute and stupid all at once.
"Great, then let me go! I'll give you the money back."
"Sorry, love... You're a birthday present for the brat. I got discount since you were dying anyway..."
Hanamichi scowled. He didn't really expect Akira to let him go. He actually half expected the man to keep him as his own personal sex toy or something.
"... but now, you're going to bleed to death if you don't lay down, and then my money will go to waste."
Hanamichi grinned at him. "Asshole."
"Yea, I love you too. Come on. I'll take you back to bed."
"Don't touch him!" Akira's eyes widened at Kaede's vicious hiss.
"I really love how you're always so talkative around Hana, Kaede. It's really charming."
"Back off!"
"Fine, but you know you can't carry him by yourself and he won't let any of the guards touch him."
"I don't need help." Hana hated that they talked as if he were not there. His mind was still trying to wrap itself around everything he heard. He had been caught during escape once again but this time the prince was to be his master. He wondered what that would bring. Surely nothing good. It was true that he dreamed about the pale brunet but it did not mean that he would enjoy being his slave. He would never enjoy being anybody's slave. Ever.
He tried to get up but it was clear that he would fall if he let go of the chair. Kaede was instantly standing too, wrapping his arms protectively around the slave's body, trying to keep him up. Hanamichi tried not to laugh feeling the boy's face getting unnecessarily close, discreetly nuzzling the back of his neck. It felt so good and so surreal. He stretched out his hand and grabbed Akira's shoulder for additional support. The man leaned closer to be as helpful as he could. When Sakuragi's arm circled his shoulders they could hear Kaede's angry growl but no further complaints or threats, except one thrown at the soldiers.
"Doctor. Now!"
...
Furuichi was in a daze. He ordered some servants to change Sakuragi's sweat drenched sheets and stood on the side, staring dumbly out the window. The prince had another slave, which, just as himself, was his birthday present. Obviously people around here knew the red head well and feared him. Sendoh-san seemed to be the only at ease around that man while the prince... Furuichi's heart was beginning to shatter at the mere thought about the prince's attitude toward that brute. It was unthinkable... He was touching that man willingly and naturally, as if it was normal. While everyone knew that he hated to be close to people. He talked to that slave! It was obvious that they knew each other, but was there more? Could there be more? Was it even possible? No, it was ridiculous. This redhead was just some dirty barbarian and whatever interest in him the prince had it couldn't be anything serious. The man was a slave, and there was no place for someone like him in a royal male's surroundings. He was dangerous and crude. He obviously had no manners at all!
...But the prince seemed to not mind that boar's behaviour. On the contrary, it almost looked as if he enjoyed it... Absurd. All of this was absurd. And why was this man's room so close to the prince's? Even Furuichi was staying at the servant's quarters and he was supposed to be Kaede's bed warmer! And that look the Prince gave him when he instructed him about the location of the new slave's quarters... It was the first time Furuichi had ever seen any trace of warmth in those cold blue eyes.
Someone entered the room catching the eunuch's attention.
"Furuichi! What are you doing here?"
"Mitsui-san... Prince Kaede asked me to refresh the room." The slave bowed his head trying to hide the furious blush staining his cheeks. Few days earlier the soldier had cut his hair and it made him look even more handsome...
"But... he escaped..." Mitsui scratched his head. He wasn't used to his new haircut yet. Sakuragi had escaped and it made Mitsui kind of happy. Now the Prince would finally be able to get over his obsession and Akira would stop talking about the damn slave on and on. Then he also kind of liked the redhead. He respected him and liked to watch him play. He wanted to play with him and against him. He didn't want to see him wither away in slavery. In the last few days he wondered what Hanamichi living in the palace would bring. The only turn of events he could predict involved Akira being, as always, very touchy feely with the slave, and the Prince castrating the moron for touching what's his.
It was fine with Hisashi.
It's not like he needed Akira for anything. He didn't care about the asshole at all, and even more so, about what's between the idiot's legs. The man was insufferable. He was spoiled and crazy, and teased Mitsui just to watch him squirm and blush. The fucker.
He spent the whole week practically in the slaves guild drooling over Hanamichi. Mitsui also saw him smiling sweetly at the prince's new eunuch. It pissed him off. Akira was smiling at everyone and loved girly types the most, so Mitsui cut his hair to make him back off!
When he sobered he wasn't so sure if it was such a great idea anymore but, what's done is done! His new look didn't stay unnoticed by others, especially women, but Akira was yet to even recognize him while passing in the corridor. Or maybe he did recognize Mitsui, but simply lost his interest and ignored him, since the brunette didn't look like a eunuch anymore... Whatever.
Furuichi was drawing nearer and nearer. His pale cheeks were now covered in a rosy blush and he looked as if he were about to cum in his fundoshi... aside from the fact that he couldn't cum.
The door swung open and two guards entered the room. They saluted to Mitsui and then just stood there, keeping the door open and waiting. They could already hear Sakuragi's loud swearing, Kaede's hissing and Akira's whining.
"Don't call him that!" The prince was practically growling at his supposed friend.
"What did I say? I was just being nice, Kaede! You should try it too some day!"
"Shut up! Take that hand off him!"
"I'll drop him if I let go. Don't be jealous. You know my heart belongs to Hisashi."
Mitsui's heart stopped for a moment and then rebooted, hammering in his chest three hundred times a minute. What was that idiot blabbering about? How... ? Why...?
And then they entered, loudly scrambling through the door.
"Oh shut up, both of you! Yo! You, Mit-chi! Help me, before I strangle these two."
Mitsui? Akira's head snapped around so fast that he almost broke his neck. Then his jaw dropped and for the first time in his life he couldn't utter even one word.
It really was Mitsui, right in front of him. His hair was short and he looked ... so damn hot. And he was there so he probably heard Akira's idiotic halfassed confession.
Hanamichi just rolled his eyes at the dumbstruck broom head and moved to the bed with Kaede, leaving Sendoh in his weird state of being rendered speechless, or 'love struck', or just being an idiot...
Mitsui knew he should be surprised seeing Sakuragi who was supposed to be on the run. He should also apologize to the prince that he couldn't find his favourite redhead and the prince had to do it himself. Then, he should most probably say something about the prince practically getting into the slave's bed... in front of the guards... but he was too shocked by Akira looking at him like that... and saying those strange and unthinkable things earlier...
"Wait a moment, Hana. I'll fix the pillows." Kaede was crawling all over the sheets, punching pillows to make them more fluffy. Gods, the bed smelled like Sakuragi. Kaede wanted to curl up against the man and just bask in his warmth, smell and closeness.
Guards by the door moved.
"My prince, did you request a doctor's presence?"
"Yes."
Mitsui snapped into reality again. "No! Don't let him in yet. Prince Kaede, please, for crying out loud, step away from the bed."
Kaede didn't move, except the pupils in his eyes. He glared at Mitsui and spat: "No."
"Please, Prince Kaede, I beg you. You can't stay in the slave's bed. Please."
At this point Kaede was ignoring him completely once again, concentrating fully on pushing more and more pillows under Sakuragi's head.
"Please, Prince Kaede..."
Akira sighed heavily. He wanted to help his dear Hisashi... even though it was obvious that Kaede would treat him even worse.
"Come on, Kaede, don't act like a spoiled-..." He didn't expect that a thrown pillow could cause so much pain! Ok, there was only one person that could make Kaede do something, and luckily that person was very vulnerable against Akira's whining. "Haaaanaaaaa... do something."
Hanamichi sighed heavily. He was tired and cold. He had a fever and his head hurt. He didn't want a doctor and certainly didn't need any more pillows. He just wanted to sleep. The prince turned his back on him, shuffling with some towels or blankets or whatever. Sakuragi picked a hand fan from the bedside table and slapped his ass.
"Off."
Furuichi's shocked cry was completely ignored by everyone.
Kaede couldn't stop a smile from blooming on his blushing face.
"You'll pay for this!" And he threw himself at the slave, straddling his chest.
"Auch... fuck..." And forgetting about Hanamichi's injury.
"I'm sorry!"
The brunette instantly jumped to the floor.
"Doctor! Now!"
...
Hanamichi was asleep again. It was after midnight so Kaede didn't mind so much. The slave was still very weak but after drinking what that medic had given him, he calmed down and fell asleep. His body was hot like a furnace but it didn't stop the prince from lying pressed to his torso. He could hear Hanmichi's heartbeat. It was slow but even. It was calming Kaede's nerves. That day was exhausting. Keeping Hana in the palace was one truly nerve-racking task. He needed to either kill Akira or send him away because his fondness of Sakuragi crossed the lines Kaede wanted to keep untouched. Then there was Mitsui who seemed way too pleased with the prospect of Hana's escape, and the eunuch who was pissing Keade of with his behaviour. How dare he even look at Hanamichi? It was too much. Kaede needed to keep him behind the closed doors and stay with him all the time, just to make sure he doesn't try to escape again. He yawned and buried his face in Hanamichi's shoulder. The slave's smell was so arousing.
He got off the bed and opened the window further, letting more of the fresh ocean breeze in. It would cool his body and mind. When he gotten back to bed he didn't lay on Hana anymore. He curled himself into a ball with his back to the slave. After few minutes of waiting for sleep to come he moved backward, until his ass was firmly pressed to Sakuragi's side. The feverish man instantly wrapped his arms around the smaller body, seeking for warmth and comfort.
...
It wasn't so easy to be up to date with gossips when you were a king, but it was possible. To do that you just needed to have ears everywhere. People like Mitsui, loyal people, were informing Yoshifumi about everything that was going on but sometimes, when he really wanted to, he knew where to go, to hear a thing or two. Laundry room and kitchen were never a missed shot. What he managed to overhear this time made him very happy.
"Aaach, Mitsui. I'm so glad to see you."
"My lord?"
Yoshifumi Rukawa was radiating happines.
"I've heard servants talking about my son."
Mitsui paled. That just couldn't be anything good.
"And you know what they said?"
Hisashi didn't dare to take any wild guesses.
"No, my lord."
"They say he stayed for the night in his new slave's room. They say he's crazy about his new birthday present!"
Mitsui almost chocked. That was one very delicate matter. If Kaede really stayed with his slave then this slave was surely not Furuichi. And the king was about to find out one way or the other. And Sakuragi would be the one to pay the price for the young royal's reckless actions.
"This eunuch is really gorgeous, isn't he?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Heh... I don't really understand my son's tastes, but that boy... he's really pretty. He will take Kaede's mind off of that redhead brute."
What was he supposed to say? He had never lied to his king before. Technically he wasn't saying anything yet, but hiding the truth seemed just as bad.
"...Hopefully, my lord."
"So, tell me, how is that slave? He saved my son. I think he should get some reward... I would offer him his freedom, but... I'm afraid it may compromise the games... or maybe I'm over thinking things, huh? What do you think Hisashi?"
"I... I don't know what to say, my lord."
"Speak what you think."
"I think... I think he deserves to be free. He needs it. But... we don't want him to leave. Maybe he doesn't want to go back to his country? Maybe we should talk to him and find solution?"
"Is he hostile?"
"Toward silly soldiers that constantly try to prove they're stronger – yes. To me or you – no. He's really close with Akira."
"And my son?"
"Why do you even ask, my lord? He was willing to die for him. You've seen it."
"Is he still unconscious?"
"He has a fever, but he did wake up today."
"Good. Good. Keade's mother is finally coming. Could you please find out what stopped her so long?"
"Of course, my lord."
"And Mitsui... about the man who attacked my son. Did you confirm it?"
"Yes sir. He was from Shohoku. It looks like we're going to war."
Tsuzuku
