CHAPTER 14

A/N – Hello everyone! I know... the last chapter was a bit dull and not very much happened. Therefore, in today's update the focus is back on Kid and his mishaps (because there will be a few...) Again, you have been warned about this a while ago;) That being said, enjoy!

The chill which had settled into Kid's bones only got worse as the prince led him down the corridor towards his chambers, his hand held securely in the blue-haired boy's black gloved one. Now it was a really bad moment to be second-guessing himself about the way he'd been playing his cards, in the face of the huge awkwardness he would very soon have to face and furthermore, the young shinigami was unable to shake off the nagging thought that he was going down a very wrong and dangerous path. After all, he had just wanted Asura out of his way and to put any suspicions the prince might have had to rest, but by no means had he intended and sought to gain such intimacy with Black Star. Well no, 'intimacy' was hardly the right word – for he hardly suspected any affection being involved – this was just a plain distraction, Kid decided as the ornate double doors of the bedroom were closed in his wake and the prince carefully spun the key in the lock. He wasn't being reckless and hurrying as a man in a fit of passion either, no, the young prince was taking his time as well as his precautions, that was for sure.

And then his bare back hit the soft, cool mattress and there was no more room for analyzing thoughts. Black Star's mouth was on his again, this time with more of an intention to explore than to just tease. It wasn't so bad, if he tried not to think of it too much or tried to imagine being with someone else instead of the prince. Maybe the Emerald brat would bite at his bottom lip like that? She had a feral side which he'd seen plainly when they'd fought and the blonde may have been an innocent girl, but she was certainly wild.

"That is just amazing," Black Star said, breaking the sloppy kiss, making the reaper open his eyes and find the other boy's face hovering above him, very close. The blue-haired boy pulled at one of his fingerless gloves with his teeth and tossed it away carelessly, before using his index finger to trace one black ink line going down Kid's collarbone. It followed it slowly, carefully, all the way down the shinigami's torso and stomach, where it picked the trace of another, until coming prudently to a halt at the hem of his slacks.

"Kid…"

"Yes, Milord?"

The turquoise eyes watched him with unexpected seriousness all the sudden, yet the prince's gaze was soft. His thumb stroked the shinigami's chin, in the same time carefully holding it in place, as if to prevent him from turning his head away and avoid looking at him. Not that his guard would ever think of backing away from meeting his stare, Kid wasn't going to let Black Star see any fear or intimidation.

"You certainly have some skills, but… have you ever done this before?"

The reaper inwardly cursed himself heartily, for once he was completely caught off-guard and it was hard to - just on the spot like that - come up with some lie Black Star wouldn't immediately see through. Suddenly he couldn't think anything past the F word and very nearly said it out loud. Why the hell couldn't they just get it over with without the asking of stupid questions? Kid was at least grateful that, being a shinigami, his naturally very pale complexion would not allow for any sort of blush - no rosy tint would ever spread on his cheeks no matter how heated they were – because that would have definitely been the ultimate disaster and humiliation.

"I… um… it-it's complicated," he stuttered unsuccessfully, much to the blue-haired boy's amusement.

But the prince was thoughtful enough to contain it to a wide grin and he buried his face in the crook of Kid's neck, stifling a chuckle. "I get it," he said with unexpected gentleness, stroking the reaper's bare shoulder. "I want this, but if you're really not up for it… you know, it will be a bit painful…"

As if my job wasn't painful one way or the other on a regular basis…

"It doesn't matter."

Black Star shifted again, propping himself on his elbows on top of his guard as he searched his eyes once more, curious. "No? What matters then?"

"You, Milord."

The prince grinned again, wider if possible, before placing a quick peck on the tip of the shinigami's nose.

It wasn't that Black Star didn't love his wife, or that she did not stir enough passion in him, the prince had confessed afterwards. But she was delicate, all women were for that matter, and he would not allow himself to fully let go with her. And of course, having to restrain himself was slightly bothersome… Was that supposed to make either of them feel better, Kid wondered, absentmindedly chewing on his thumbnail as he stared at the ceiling.

It was dark already and a soft breeze was inflating the large silk curtains of the balcony, carrying inside the heated air of the Citadel. Black Star was fast asleep, his muscular arm draped over the young shinigami's body, holding him close under the covers. As far as Kid was concerned, this cuddling was far more awkward than anything, the prince should really have kept this kind of gestures for his wife only. Speaking of which, what if Princess Tsubaki found out about this? She wasn't going to say anything, of course, being the meek wife that she was, but he knew that she would suffer. Guilt ate at him all the more since, well, the prince had purposefully made the whole thing rather… enjoyable.

No, no! That's not the word! Not enjoyable, but… some parts were good. But it doesn't count, because Black Star is a boy. Making out with Chrona was enjoyable, yes, that was… but Chrona is also…sort of… half a boy. Oh, what the hell?! This was so absurd, Kid had dealt with so much tougher stuff for almost as long as he could remember, only to find himself now confused about such stupid things!

'I think I want to see where this line goes…and this one…and this one...'

Kid bit his lower lip at the recollection of Black Star's fascination over his tattoos. He had wanted to know if they'd hurt and what they meant, genuinely curious and asking questions softly as he slowly discarded their clothing, never hurrying, allowing pressure to build gradually for the both of them. There was no harshness in the prince's touch, no brutality, yet he wasn't as gentle as he seemed to be endlessly intuitive when it came to finding soft spots.

The blue-haired boy sighed in his sleep, nuzzling his nose into the side of his neck, the arm around his waist slipping lower, the warm hand eventually resting on top of his thigh.

'I want you to just let go, Kid.'

Well, he had eventually, but overall letting go wasn't a good idea. Letting go was where the danger lay, where the recklessness ruled and things otherwise meant to be carefully concealed accidentally let loose. He did not trust the prince, it was obvious that he couldn't trust him – or anyone else for that matter – and some fleeting moments of pleasure weren't going to make him forget that.

Chrona nearly jumped from the small bed as his master walked into their room with a gloomy expression and promptly slammed the door shut in his wake. Pale blue eyes wandered questioningly over the young shinigami's aggravated features as Kid took a minute just standing there, with his back stuck onto the hard wood and clearly resisting the urge to hug himself. He had been gone all night and now he knew that his servant would ask-… no, his servant would guess the reason for his absence. How horribly uncomfortable this was, although he would normally trust the magic child and tell him everything. But after the rather heated make-out session he'd had with Chrona as a girl… It had been more than just an experiment, he knew that she liked him on some level and Kid wouldn't hurt her by giving a detailed account (or any sort of account, for that matter) of him sharing the bed with the prince.

"Are you alright, Master?"

The reaper sighed, avoiding his servant's gaze. "Yes, it's just… now with Asura gone I think Gur Kylee will put much more pressure on the situation. He's done this one concession to the young prince, gave in to his whim and 'sacrificed' his precious ward. Now he will expect to see some results. I've only come back because I've got a couple of hours off and there he was, waiting around to question me!"

Chrona nodded slowly, his eyes still trained on his master's face. "Did last night bring any results, then?"

Oh… here it comes. "Not really. I had to remain by the prince's side all night because he had a really… strange fit. It turns out he doesn't really trust the magic monsters too much for his protection and he… Well as you know at the games he openly spoke of his hostility towards the Ourouboros and of Asura's threats. He thinks there's more to it than the ramblings of a frustrated bastard, actually."

"And yet he does nothing to show more compliance and ease his situation," the pink-haired boy observed.

Kid shrugged awkwardly in reply. "Did you speak to Master Eibon of what I asked you?" he wanted to know, relieved that he had a reason to change the subject.

Chrona finally stood from the bed, somewhat stiff and it was then that the young shinigami noticed that his servant had been on edge the whole time. "Indeed, Master. I have."

"And?"

"Well… for one, he showed no surprise when I told him about the Emerald girl."

The reaper snorted. What else is new? Of course he isn't surprised! I wonder what would surprise the bastard?

"But he also said that from his point of view, she is not an Emerald, regardless of what blood may run through her veins. This girl was not raised under his roof, which means she is not part of his family and he will never see her as such. That being said… there will be no alteration to his initial orders."

Kid shook his head, he hadn't really expected anything else. No, Gods forbid that Eibon would relieve them even of a part of their task. But taking in his servant's tense posture he suddenly realized there was more to it than just that. Maybe there was something else Eibon wanted him to do?

"Well?" he asked, willing the matter to be out in the open. There was no point in delaying the inevitable and he preferred to know whatever bullshit was going to hit him so that he could at least be prepared.

The pink-haired boy gulped visibly, frightened and… Pained? The reaper cringed, intuiting something very wrong all the sudden.

"Well, Master, I asked… but I don't know if this was because I asked, although it might very well have been… I know I shouldn't have asked Master Eibon about Mistress Elizabeth and Mistress Patricia… but he is the only one we are allowed to speak to…"

Kid could never understand why Chrona always insisted on using the girls' full names like that when everyone else would simply call them Liz and Patty, even the rest of the servants. Perhaps this was his way to express his deep and particular affection for the two sisters and the reaper also suspected that on some level 'Mistress Elizabeth' was the more special of the two, as far as Chrona's male side was concerned. But now he was really worried. Had the sisters finally decided to leave home and make a living on their own as weapons? He had hoped that his father might have changed their mind in respect of that dangerous and reckless pursuit.

"And he said that…um… well, that he thought it would be best if Mistress Elizabeth and Mistress Patricia spent some time in his house, at least until this is over. I mean, until our mission is completed."

A heavy silence fell between the two of them as the servant stared down at his boots, fidgeting and visibly terrified at the news he'd just delivered, while Kid sat down on the bed slowly, cold shivers running down his spine as he helplessly buried his face in his hands. Right now he wanted nothing more than to curl up on the bed and pull the covers over his head. But of course, he couldn't let Chrona see him in such a state, it would have discouraged the poor magic child to no end.

"You don't think he really would hurt them, do you, Master?"

The young shinigami bit the inside of his cheek as a deep scowl crept onto his face. "No, as long as we do what he wants us to and we succeed with the task, no, I don't think he will…" he replied with some reluctance.

The Great Wizard Eibon's warning was clearly there, he had better do what he'd been told, without seeking further ways to avoid it. Damn it! The Emerald girl… I'll have to do something to see her again, soon. And then… what? Kid had no idea what then. He would have to come up with a plan and have things progress towards the achievement of his mission and fast.

"Indeed, let's just hope for the best. It will be alright," Chrona concluded after a while. "Think of it no more, Master. You should try to get a bit of rest, after all, you did have a sleepless night of watch…"

Oh, by Death! Kid stood up abruptly, facing his servant with an air of determination at which the pink-haired boy only raised an eyebrow. "Nothing happened last night with the prince, okay? Absolutely nothing! So fuck this already!" he hissed, shoving his index finger under the other's nose.

"Then why are you so mad?" came a very innocent question in reply.

"I am not mad! I am perfectly calm!" the shinigami shouted and Chrona only sighed and shook his head as his master hurriedly stepped into the adjacent bathroom and slammed the door shut as hard as he could.

To be continued