A/N: Sorry this took so long to get out. I was suffering from writer's
block, but luckily it cleared up. I don't know when the next update will
be. School starts soon and I'm going to be swamped. Huge thanks to my
reviewers. You are the people that convince me to keep writing. Enjoy.
Kai and Rei stopped just outside of the forest, the sky having darkened to the point of not being able to see the road. Kai had just dismounted when an arrow hit the road right in front of Altair, causing the black horse to rear. Rei slid off the back, hitting the ground hard, coming to rest behind the frightened stallion. Kai grabbed Altair's bridle, tugging down with all of his strength. The great horse calmed down, all four feet back on the ground. The neko-jin was getting to his feet, tying to avoid jolting his head too much. A second arrow hit the road at Kai's feet, shattering at the impact. Dranzer was unsheathed, a ringing sound filling the silence.
Rei was sitting back on his heels, a sharp pain in the back of his head, threatening to throw him from the conscious world. With his superior night vision, he could easily make out the form of the archer hidden behind a low hummock. The archer was taking aim on Kai who was standing with Dranzer in hand, looking for an opponent. Concentrating, Rei ignored the feeling of his head splitting and scribing a rune in the air, tagging a small ball of green light on the archer. Kai heard a yelp behind him, and turned to find an archer swatting at a ball of green light with his bow. A flash of red light distracted him from the green light. He shrieked again, tossing his weapon at the knight. Dranzer slid through both, bow stave and string, leaving two halves lying in the field.
Rustling sounds reached Rei's ears and forcing himself to look up from the ground, he was greeted by the faces of five men. He scrambled to his feet, fear overriding pain. His hand flew to his dagger hilt, only to be stopped by a sword point at his throat. One of the other men held up a lantern. The man with the sword smirked, eyes locked on Rei's face. "Awww, is the kitty scared?" Rei's pupils were mere slits, golden eyes burning with suppressed rage. "Not as scared as you're going to be." Came the neko-jin's answer, voice deathly calm. A green light appeared at the center of his chest, quickly enveloping his lean figure.
*****
A shrill scream split the air, disturbing what little life was in the forest. Kai's head snapped up, distracted from the task of cleaning the blood from Dranzer. With a final sweep across the dead archer's body, he removed the rest of the blood. With a single fluid movement Dranzer was sheathed and the knight took off to find his charge. *I shouldn't have left him alone. The only weapon he has is that dagger and I'm not sure he can use that. *
When he came to where he had last seen Rei, he was shocked at the slaughter. One man had been disemboweled; his guts strew across the ground as he tried to crawl away. Another man's throat had been ripped out. The other three men had wounds that looked like they had been attacked by a creature with claws. A flash of white caught his eye, which happened to be Rei's shirt. The neko-jin was sprawled on the ground, not moving. Kai found a weak pulse, and let out a sigh of relief. Rei was alive but just barely. His breathing was unnaturally shallow and labored. Altair was standing to one side, not bothered by the smell of blood. Kai picked Rei up, careful not to jolt him too much. With a small amount of help from a boulder, Kai managed to get into the saddle with Rei cradled in front of him. Altair could sense his rider nervousness and took off in a ground-eating lope.
*****
"Does he have magic?" The healer turned her grey eyes on the knight, whose mahogany eyes were focused on the unconsious neko-jin. He nodded, running his fingers over Dranzer's hilt. "Good. Then nothing is wrong with him other then the fact that his magic reserves have been drained. Give it a couple of days and he should be fine. Just make sure he doesn't use his magic until he doesn't fell lightheaded." She swept from the room, leaving the knight to his charge. Kai settled back into the chair, mahogany eyes focused on the bed.
*I shouldn't have left him alone. There was no way; he could have taken all those men alone. So what is going on. I know he didn't use his magic. None of them were burned. * Kai took a sip of his wine, eyes roaming the room. It was the same one he had the last time he came through thirteen days ago. They had reached the town a day earlier than expected, Kai having pushed Altair has far as he could with out injuring the horse. Needless to say the bald innkeeper had been surprised to see the young knight from the tower, along with another person. He had immediately called a healer and sent them up to the best room in the inn.
*****
~What happened? I remember the five men and then.oh that answers alot. ~ Rei moved lower into the softness, trying to avoid jolting his body more than necessary. He vaguely remembered the last time he had drained his magic. He had been twelve and was bored with the books in the tower, so he had decided to play with his magic. That had led to him bed bound, and sore for five days. Cracking one eye open, he took in his surroundings. He was in the middle of a bed; a down comforter pulled up to his chest. A fire was crackling against one wall.
His golden eyes came to rest on Kai, asleep in a chair with Dranzer lying on the table close at hand. Rei moved to the edge of the bed and slipped out, trying to avoid waking the knight. He moved to the table, picking an apple from the bowl of fruit before making his way back to the bed. A warm hand closed over his wrist, stopping him. Gold met umber and something passed between the two. "You should be in bed." Rei sat on the bed, and pulling his knees to his chest took a bite of the apple. Kai poured him water and handed to him before taking a sip of his wine. "The best thing for me to do when I drain my magic is eat something" he slipped back under the covers "followed by sleeping."
Rei was still for several minutes before he started shivering violently. Kai raised an eyebrow, his peace shattered by the sound of teeth chattering. Rei looked utterly pathetic, golden eyes half-hidden, shivering even though the room was comfortably warm. "Sorry. Without my magic, I don't feel warm." The knight pulled his boots off and moved over to the bed, lifting the blanket. "Move over." The neko-jin moved closer to the edge of the bed. He could feel the heat rolling off of Kai in waves. Kai settled him self into the down into the feathered mattress, before looping an arm around the neko-jin and pulling him back against his chest. "Now go to sleep." Rei nodded and snuggled into the warmth before drifting off to sleep.
Rei was feeling much better when he awoke the next morning. A small amount of his magic had returned, bringing back much-needed warmth. Not that he wasn't pleased with the warm body next to him. In fact it was comforting. His room in the tower was always cold, no matter what he did. Carefully turning under the lean arm, Rei looked up at his savior.
Mahogany eyes were shielded against what little light penetrated the thick curtains on the windows. Rei lifted a hand to the pale face and tentatively touched his fingertip to the knight's cheek, between the two blue marks. The pale skin was unusually smooth, something one would expect from a small child, not a fighter. The blue markings were the source of another mystery. He gently ran his index finger over one of the markings, half-expecting to come away with a blue finger. He stared at his fingertip, which was completely devoid of color. ~That's odd. They didn't come off in the hot spring either. I wonder what it is. ~
"You know, If you scrubbed harder they might come off." Blushing furiously, Rei jumped, well as much as possible with an arm around oneself. He raised his eyes afraid that the knight would be upset with him.
Much to the neko-jin's relief the knight didn't seem upset, but reading him was like reading a stone wall. "Sorry, I was curious. You aren't mad, are you?" Kai cracked one mahogany eye open, eyeing the black-haired body in his arms. Rei's golden eyes were still slightly hazy with sleep, giving him the look of a kitten that had just woken up. He removed his arms from Rei and pulled his boots on before answering. "No I'm not mad." Without a second thought the knight gently brushed his lips against Rei's, leaving a very startled neko-jin in the bed.
*****
Rei shook himself from the daze he had fallen into and looked around the room. Dranzer was still on the table, ruby glowing with amusement. He slipped from the bed and stretched feline grace in every movement. The saddlebags were on the floor at the foot of the bed. ~Damn it. Of all the places to but the stupid things. ~ Reaching down, he nearly fell, balance still off from the magic drain. He steadied himself on the bedpost, waiting for equilibrium to return. Once it had returned he got his clothing from the bag and changed before starting the time consuming task of brushing and rebinding his hair. Allowing the movements of brush through hair to sooth him, he fell into a trance like state of mind. His mind drifted back to Kai and his cheeks flushed red.
/Downstairs/
*What the hell was I thinking? That's just the problem. I wasn't thinking! * Taking a sip of the hot tea in front of him, Kai retreated from the real world into a place where nothing but thought existed. *That ranks up there for stupid things I've done. I cannot afford to get attached to him. I don't want him to go through that pain. * The common room of the inn was deserted, making it easy for him to hear the approaching neko-jin. Rei sat down across from him at the table, nodding thanks to the serving girl as she placed a bowl of porridge in front of him. Kai was relieved that the neko-jin was not acting any different after their little interaction.
The knight got to his feet, leaving several coins on the table to pay for his and Rei's breakfast. "I'm going to do some training, so you're free to do what ever you want today. There's a market in the Town Square. I'll leave you." he was cut off by the neko-jin. "I have money. Don't ask why I would need money after living in a tower for twenty years but hey, I'm not complaining." Kai allowed a small smile to show, before heading upstairs to retrieve Dranzer.
*****
The sun was warm, driving away the early morning chill and slightly helping with the chill that still held tight to the marrow of Rei's bones. He had opted to leave his cloak at the inn, not wanting to have to worry about it. The streets of the town were slowly starting to fill with peasants from the out lying farms and settlements. The flow of people made it easy to locate the Town Square. Stalls were set up in neat rows, all carrying different goods. Candles in one booth, tools in another. The number of the things being sold in such a small place astounded him. More than once his sharp eyes caught females of various ages running their eyes over his body. And needless to say he was pinched more than once.
Rei wandered through the rows of stalls, nothing really catching his attention. He stopped at one stall that sported a variety of cloak clasps and other small metal trinkets. His eyes landed on two cloak clasps lying next to each other. One depicted a phoenix rising from flames while the second one displayed a tiger. He stuck a hand into his belt pouch, running his fingers over the smooth edges of the coins. He managed to get the stall keepers attention and with in seconds had the two cloak clasps in with his coins.
*****
Kai had just reentered town, when he was knocked to one side. Several people rushed by, headed for the Town Square. He had a sinking feeling that he would find a raven-haired neko-jin in the middle of trouble. Slipping through the crowd he came to the edge to find a very large, burly man holding a lithe, raven-haired figure up, at least three feet from the ground. "We don't need your kind of freaks here, killin' our chickens." No one was willing to move against the man. Kai could nearly feel the fear rising from the crowd around him. Dranzer flashed, showing his willingness to fight if need be.
Rei was needless to say, terrified. The man had a death grip on his shirt, and would probably not hesitate to kill him if he tried for his dagger. There was a rustling of movement on the edge of the crowd, followed by a flash of slate hair. The man holding Rei up stumbled to the left, dropping him. He landed on his feet, true to his heritage and looked on in wonder.
Kai had hit the big man with his shoulder throwing him of balance. Dranzer was out, held in a defensive position. The knight had taken up a spot between Rei and the man, who was still trying to get to him. The man moved forward with speed one wouldn't expect from a man so big. He came up short, Dranzer against his throat. Kai's eyes were cold, causing the man to step away even though the knight was shorter and considerably slimmer than he was.
"I suggest you leave him alone. We wouldn't want anything to happen, would we?" He smirked, not moving the blade an inch. He raised his voice, wanting to get his message to the crowd. "This young man," he pointed to Rei " is under Crown protection. I don't want to see anyone harm him." He grabbed the neko-jin and pulled him back to the inn. He pushed him up to the room, locking the door behind him. "What the hell happened? I leave for an hour and you get in trouble."
Rei turned to the knight, fear in his golden eyes. "Its not my fault that bastard can't tell the difference between a fox and a neko-jin. So don't get mad, it's not my fault. I was just walking and he jumped me." Rei was trembling, eyes welling with tears. He sat on the edge of the bed, toying with the end of his bound hair. Kai was still by the door; umber eyes fixed on the neko-jin. He crossed to the bed and sat down next to Rei, not close enough to touch. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Rei fiddled with his hair, eyes closed, desperately trying to stop the tears from falling.
The knight nearly jumped out of his skin when the neko-jin crawled into his lap. Rei wrapped his arms around Kai's neck, threading his fingers through the dark blue hair at the nape of his neck. Kai felt a warm wetness leaking against his neck where Rei had laid his head. He hesitantly put an arm around the distraught, figure, leaning back against the headboard. Rei calmed at the contact, his breathing evening out. He snuggled deeper into the embrace, smiling as the knight's second arm joined the first around him. "I'm sorry I yelled Rei. I just was.. worried." Rei smiled through his tears, knowing it was probably the only time he would get an apology. Kai kissed the top of the neko-jin's head, before resting his head on the raven silk.
*****
Rei shivered, a drop of rain falling from his hood to land on his nose. He leaned forward, forehead against the wet fabric of Kai's cloak. It had been raining since noon and as much as he had wanted to stop, the knight had put his foot down. His exact words had been 'either way we'll get wet. We might as well keep going so that at least we'll reach someplace warm later.' His legs were numb, and his cloak soaked through, causing his clothing to stick to him. The heat he could usually feel of Kai was lost in the small amount of space between them.
He let one of his hands creep under the edge of the knight's cloak, hoping to find some warmth. Moving slowly, he slid one hand under the hem of the shirt, trying not to alert the knight to his hand. He lay one cold hand on the knight's back, smiling as Kai jerked. Kai turned in the saddle, one slate eyebrow arched, questioning the cold hand. Rei smiled, golden eyes dancing with humor. The knight shook his head and turned back to the front, trying his best to ignore the hand.
His hand quickly warmed, causing it to start roaming. He ran the pads of his fingers over Kai's stomach, taking delight in the small shivers running through the hard muscle. His left hand joined the right in the warmth, mapping the warm flesh. He ran a hand up Kai's side, fingers finding a scar, appearing from the top of Kai's pants to curl around to between his shoulder blades. He felt the knight stiffen as he traced his index finger along the scar. He wanted to ask about it, find out who had marred the velvety soft pale skin, but he could feel the stiffness of the lean body and as much as he wanted to know, he didn't want to be on the receiving end of the knight's anger. So instead he slid his hand back to Kai's stomach, lacing his fingers together, palms resting comfortably on the warm skin, lulling him to sleep.
Kai smiled the weight of the neko-jin against his back warm and comforting. He wasn't sure what had possessed Rei to have a self-guided tour, but something had prevented him from stopping the raven neko-jin. *Damnit. I'm getting soft. * He slid one hand into his shirt, gently running his thumb over Rei's knuckles.
*****
The stable boy took Altair's reins not sparing a second glance at the knight and his burden. Kai had the saddlebags in one hand, a sleep neko-jin leaning against him with no interest in waking up. He set the saddlebags down on the wet pavement and stooped down, throwing the half-asleep Rei over his shoulder before picking the saddlebags back up. He pushed the door open, soaking in the warmth from the fire. Rei finally woke up completely, the warmth snapping him out of his prolonged nap.
The first thing he saw was the floor followed by a black cloak and the back of a very familiar pair of black boots. "Kai what's going on? Why am I upside down?" He was unceremoniously dumped on the floor. Golden eyes widened in outrage, meeting mahogany eyes reflecting the firelight with an almost demonic quality. "You were.." He was cut off as the innkeeper's wife; Tansy bustled into the common room. "What happened? I heard a bump. Oh its you." Her eyes flickered from the neko-jin on the floor to the knight before she smiled. "Oh just a lover's quarrel. Here's the room key. First door on the left."
She winked at Rei before going back to the kitchen, ignoring the shocked look on Kai's face. Rei bounced to his feet, grin reveling his fangs. He took the key from Kai's hand, placing a small, quick kiss at the corner of the knight's mouth before racing up the stairs. Kai stood there for several seconds before shaking himself out of the funk he was in and picked up the saddlebags.
The door was unlocked, for which he was glad. He was still wet, his clothing sticking in the most interesting ways. The room was exactly the same as the first time he had come through with the exception of the fire in the fireplace and the shirtless neko-jin on the bed. Rei had his hair out, slowly working through the long, raven strands with a comb and fingers. His hair was still wet from the rain, causing the slate strands to fall into his eyes.
He threw his cloak over the back of a chair, avoiding the golden eyes he knew were following his every movement. He pulled out a dry shirt from the saddlebags, pulling the wet one over his head in one smooth motion. He nearly jumped when a pair of warm hands slid along his waist, brushing the top of his pants. Raven strands drifted over his arms, standing starkly against his pale skin. "Kai, you're not mad at me are you?" Kai shook his head, lacing his fingers with the neko-jin's slightly darker ones. "I can't stay mad at you."
Rei smiled, his head resting on Kai's back, which unfortunately left him to eye the scar that marred the pale skin. Kai felt Rei's hot breath on the scar and stiffened, knowing what was coming next. "Kai how did you get this scar?" He felt the neko-jin lightly run a finger down the scar, stopping where it disappeared into his pants. For some reason the scar was ultra sensitive which lead to everything that touched the scar was amplified. He tightened his grip on Rei's fingers before answering.
"When I was about five years old, I took one of the best stallions from our stable. At that age I was an excellent rider. I had taken the stallion jumping and he slipped. I was thrown from the saddle and knocked unconscious. Aren broke his leg and had to be killed." The knight shuddered as he saw the horse's body in the courtyard. "Grandfather was less then thrilled that I had ruined such a good stud. Voltaire was a sadistic bastard. This was the first time he left a permanent mark. Most of the time it was bruises or emotional harm. This time he took a thin flaying knife and." Rei felt him shudder and he tightened his grip, determined to face this with him. "He dragged the knife up my hip and along my ribs before ending between my shoulder blades. He left me on the cold stone floor, bleeding. I was in bed for three weeks as it healed." Kai fell silent, the dancing flames washing his lean, pale form with golden light.
The silence that formed between the two of them was deep and seemed to clog the air. Kai had not said anything and the silence was driving Rei to distraction. During the entire telling of the story his eyes had never left the scar. He had noticed how sensitive it was on the numerous occasions he had run a finger over it. An impish smile lit his face, his golden eyes dancing with humor. He pressed his lips to the end of the scar, smiling at the shiver of pleasure that raced through the knight's slim body.
*****
The door creaked open to reveal Tansy, light from the hall adding to the shadows in the room. The fire had burned down to coals, leaving the room cold and lights less. She set the tray on the table and lit a candle looking for the room's occupants. She turned to the bed, a smile on her face. Rei had his head pillowed on Kai's chest, his leg thrown over the knight's. Kai had one arm wrapped around the neko-jin. She pulled a blanket from the wardrobe and spread it over them before leaving the room.
***** The valley sides rose high, the sheer cliffs grey and forbidding against the lighter grey sky. The road dropped down to the valley floor green-brown grass spreading out for miles, broken only by small farms. A large castle sat on a low bluff, the river glinting silver in the weak sunlight. Rows of trees could be seen in the distance, bare branches reaching into the sky like skeletal hands. No villages were visible but Rei was certain that there were some in the many miles in and around the valley.
The courtyard of the castle was huge, with numerous doors leading to the interior of the castle. Several horses were at a saddling post, waiting to be put back in their stalls. Rei jumped from Altair's back, landing with liquid grace on the slippery paving stones. Kai dismounted reins in hand. "You're going to fall doing that one of these days. I don't see why you don't dismount like a normal person." Rei smiled, flashing his fangs at the knight. "You're bent on spoiling my fun aren't you?" At Kai's nod he frowned before smiling again. "Oh well. So you own all of this."
Kai nodded again, pushing back the memories that surged against his self- built wall. "Welcome to Hiwatari Castle."
Kai and Rei stopped just outside of the forest, the sky having darkened to the point of not being able to see the road. Kai had just dismounted when an arrow hit the road right in front of Altair, causing the black horse to rear. Rei slid off the back, hitting the ground hard, coming to rest behind the frightened stallion. Kai grabbed Altair's bridle, tugging down with all of his strength. The great horse calmed down, all four feet back on the ground. The neko-jin was getting to his feet, tying to avoid jolting his head too much. A second arrow hit the road at Kai's feet, shattering at the impact. Dranzer was unsheathed, a ringing sound filling the silence.
Rei was sitting back on his heels, a sharp pain in the back of his head, threatening to throw him from the conscious world. With his superior night vision, he could easily make out the form of the archer hidden behind a low hummock. The archer was taking aim on Kai who was standing with Dranzer in hand, looking for an opponent. Concentrating, Rei ignored the feeling of his head splitting and scribing a rune in the air, tagging a small ball of green light on the archer. Kai heard a yelp behind him, and turned to find an archer swatting at a ball of green light with his bow. A flash of red light distracted him from the green light. He shrieked again, tossing his weapon at the knight. Dranzer slid through both, bow stave and string, leaving two halves lying in the field.
Rustling sounds reached Rei's ears and forcing himself to look up from the ground, he was greeted by the faces of five men. He scrambled to his feet, fear overriding pain. His hand flew to his dagger hilt, only to be stopped by a sword point at his throat. One of the other men held up a lantern. The man with the sword smirked, eyes locked on Rei's face. "Awww, is the kitty scared?" Rei's pupils were mere slits, golden eyes burning with suppressed rage. "Not as scared as you're going to be." Came the neko-jin's answer, voice deathly calm. A green light appeared at the center of his chest, quickly enveloping his lean figure.
*****
A shrill scream split the air, disturbing what little life was in the forest. Kai's head snapped up, distracted from the task of cleaning the blood from Dranzer. With a final sweep across the dead archer's body, he removed the rest of the blood. With a single fluid movement Dranzer was sheathed and the knight took off to find his charge. *I shouldn't have left him alone. The only weapon he has is that dagger and I'm not sure he can use that. *
When he came to where he had last seen Rei, he was shocked at the slaughter. One man had been disemboweled; his guts strew across the ground as he tried to crawl away. Another man's throat had been ripped out. The other three men had wounds that looked like they had been attacked by a creature with claws. A flash of white caught his eye, which happened to be Rei's shirt. The neko-jin was sprawled on the ground, not moving. Kai found a weak pulse, and let out a sigh of relief. Rei was alive but just barely. His breathing was unnaturally shallow and labored. Altair was standing to one side, not bothered by the smell of blood. Kai picked Rei up, careful not to jolt him too much. With a small amount of help from a boulder, Kai managed to get into the saddle with Rei cradled in front of him. Altair could sense his rider nervousness and took off in a ground-eating lope.
*****
"Does he have magic?" The healer turned her grey eyes on the knight, whose mahogany eyes were focused on the unconsious neko-jin. He nodded, running his fingers over Dranzer's hilt. "Good. Then nothing is wrong with him other then the fact that his magic reserves have been drained. Give it a couple of days and he should be fine. Just make sure he doesn't use his magic until he doesn't fell lightheaded." She swept from the room, leaving the knight to his charge. Kai settled back into the chair, mahogany eyes focused on the bed.
*I shouldn't have left him alone. There was no way; he could have taken all those men alone. So what is going on. I know he didn't use his magic. None of them were burned. * Kai took a sip of his wine, eyes roaming the room. It was the same one he had the last time he came through thirteen days ago. They had reached the town a day earlier than expected, Kai having pushed Altair has far as he could with out injuring the horse. Needless to say the bald innkeeper had been surprised to see the young knight from the tower, along with another person. He had immediately called a healer and sent them up to the best room in the inn.
*****
~What happened? I remember the five men and then.oh that answers alot. ~ Rei moved lower into the softness, trying to avoid jolting his body more than necessary. He vaguely remembered the last time he had drained his magic. He had been twelve and was bored with the books in the tower, so he had decided to play with his magic. That had led to him bed bound, and sore for five days. Cracking one eye open, he took in his surroundings. He was in the middle of a bed; a down comforter pulled up to his chest. A fire was crackling against one wall.
His golden eyes came to rest on Kai, asleep in a chair with Dranzer lying on the table close at hand. Rei moved to the edge of the bed and slipped out, trying to avoid waking the knight. He moved to the table, picking an apple from the bowl of fruit before making his way back to the bed. A warm hand closed over his wrist, stopping him. Gold met umber and something passed between the two. "You should be in bed." Rei sat on the bed, and pulling his knees to his chest took a bite of the apple. Kai poured him water and handed to him before taking a sip of his wine. "The best thing for me to do when I drain my magic is eat something" he slipped back under the covers "followed by sleeping."
Rei was still for several minutes before he started shivering violently. Kai raised an eyebrow, his peace shattered by the sound of teeth chattering. Rei looked utterly pathetic, golden eyes half-hidden, shivering even though the room was comfortably warm. "Sorry. Without my magic, I don't feel warm." The knight pulled his boots off and moved over to the bed, lifting the blanket. "Move over." The neko-jin moved closer to the edge of the bed. He could feel the heat rolling off of Kai in waves. Kai settled him self into the down into the feathered mattress, before looping an arm around the neko-jin and pulling him back against his chest. "Now go to sleep." Rei nodded and snuggled into the warmth before drifting off to sleep.
Rei was feeling much better when he awoke the next morning. A small amount of his magic had returned, bringing back much-needed warmth. Not that he wasn't pleased with the warm body next to him. In fact it was comforting. His room in the tower was always cold, no matter what he did. Carefully turning under the lean arm, Rei looked up at his savior.
Mahogany eyes were shielded against what little light penetrated the thick curtains on the windows. Rei lifted a hand to the pale face and tentatively touched his fingertip to the knight's cheek, between the two blue marks. The pale skin was unusually smooth, something one would expect from a small child, not a fighter. The blue markings were the source of another mystery. He gently ran his index finger over one of the markings, half-expecting to come away with a blue finger. He stared at his fingertip, which was completely devoid of color. ~That's odd. They didn't come off in the hot spring either. I wonder what it is. ~
"You know, If you scrubbed harder they might come off." Blushing furiously, Rei jumped, well as much as possible with an arm around oneself. He raised his eyes afraid that the knight would be upset with him.
Much to the neko-jin's relief the knight didn't seem upset, but reading him was like reading a stone wall. "Sorry, I was curious. You aren't mad, are you?" Kai cracked one mahogany eye open, eyeing the black-haired body in his arms. Rei's golden eyes were still slightly hazy with sleep, giving him the look of a kitten that had just woken up. He removed his arms from Rei and pulled his boots on before answering. "No I'm not mad." Without a second thought the knight gently brushed his lips against Rei's, leaving a very startled neko-jin in the bed.
*****
Rei shook himself from the daze he had fallen into and looked around the room. Dranzer was still on the table, ruby glowing with amusement. He slipped from the bed and stretched feline grace in every movement. The saddlebags were on the floor at the foot of the bed. ~Damn it. Of all the places to but the stupid things. ~ Reaching down, he nearly fell, balance still off from the magic drain. He steadied himself on the bedpost, waiting for equilibrium to return. Once it had returned he got his clothing from the bag and changed before starting the time consuming task of brushing and rebinding his hair. Allowing the movements of brush through hair to sooth him, he fell into a trance like state of mind. His mind drifted back to Kai and his cheeks flushed red.
/Downstairs/
*What the hell was I thinking? That's just the problem. I wasn't thinking! * Taking a sip of the hot tea in front of him, Kai retreated from the real world into a place where nothing but thought existed. *That ranks up there for stupid things I've done. I cannot afford to get attached to him. I don't want him to go through that pain. * The common room of the inn was deserted, making it easy for him to hear the approaching neko-jin. Rei sat down across from him at the table, nodding thanks to the serving girl as she placed a bowl of porridge in front of him. Kai was relieved that the neko-jin was not acting any different after their little interaction.
The knight got to his feet, leaving several coins on the table to pay for his and Rei's breakfast. "I'm going to do some training, so you're free to do what ever you want today. There's a market in the Town Square. I'll leave you." he was cut off by the neko-jin. "I have money. Don't ask why I would need money after living in a tower for twenty years but hey, I'm not complaining." Kai allowed a small smile to show, before heading upstairs to retrieve Dranzer.
*****
The sun was warm, driving away the early morning chill and slightly helping with the chill that still held tight to the marrow of Rei's bones. He had opted to leave his cloak at the inn, not wanting to have to worry about it. The streets of the town were slowly starting to fill with peasants from the out lying farms and settlements. The flow of people made it easy to locate the Town Square. Stalls were set up in neat rows, all carrying different goods. Candles in one booth, tools in another. The number of the things being sold in such a small place astounded him. More than once his sharp eyes caught females of various ages running their eyes over his body. And needless to say he was pinched more than once.
Rei wandered through the rows of stalls, nothing really catching his attention. He stopped at one stall that sported a variety of cloak clasps and other small metal trinkets. His eyes landed on two cloak clasps lying next to each other. One depicted a phoenix rising from flames while the second one displayed a tiger. He stuck a hand into his belt pouch, running his fingers over the smooth edges of the coins. He managed to get the stall keepers attention and with in seconds had the two cloak clasps in with his coins.
*****
Kai had just reentered town, when he was knocked to one side. Several people rushed by, headed for the Town Square. He had a sinking feeling that he would find a raven-haired neko-jin in the middle of trouble. Slipping through the crowd he came to the edge to find a very large, burly man holding a lithe, raven-haired figure up, at least three feet from the ground. "We don't need your kind of freaks here, killin' our chickens." No one was willing to move against the man. Kai could nearly feel the fear rising from the crowd around him. Dranzer flashed, showing his willingness to fight if need be.
Rei was needless to say, terrified. The man had a death grip on his shirt, and would probably not hesitate to kill him if he tried for his dagger. There was a rustling of movement on the edge of the crowd, followed by a flash of slate hair. The man holding Rei up stumbled to the left, dropping him. He landed on his feet, true to his heritage and looked on in wonder.
Kai had hit the big man with his shoulder throwing him of balance. Dranzer was out, held in a defensive position. The knight had taken up a spot between Rei and the man, who was still trying to get to him. The man moved forward with speed one wouldn't expect from a man so big. He came up short, Dranzer against his throat. Kai's eyes were cold, causing the man to step away even though the knight was shorter and considerably slimmer than he was.
"I suggest you leave him alone. We wouldn't want anything to happen, would we?" He smirked, not moving the blade an inch. He raised his voice, wanting to get his message to the crowd. "This young man," he pointed to Rei " is under Crown protection. I don't want to see anyone harm him." He grabbed the neko-jin and pulled him back to the inn. He pushed him up to the room, locking the door behind him. "What the hell happened? I leave for an hour and you get in trouble."
Rei turned to the knight, fear in his golden eyes. "Its not my fault that bastard can't tell the difference between a fox and a neko-jin. So don't get mad, it's not my fault. I was just walking and he jumped me." Rei was trembling, eyes welling with tears. He sat on the edge of the bed, toying with the end of his bound hair. Kai was still by the door; umber eyes fixed on the neko-jin. He crossed to the bed and sat down next to Rei, not close enough to touch. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Rei fiddled with his hair, eyes closed, desperately trying to stop the tears from falling.
The knight nearly jumped out of his skin when the neko-jin crawled into his lap. Rei wrapped his arms around Kai's neck, threading his fingers through the dark blue hair at the nape of his neck. Kai felt a warm wetness leaking against his neck where Rei had laid his head. He hesitantly put an arm around the distraught, figure, leaning back against the headboard. Rei calmed at the contact, his breathing evening out. He snuggled deeper into the embrace, smiling as the knight's second arm joined the first around him. "I'm sorry I yelled Rei. I just was.. worried." Rei smiled through his tears, knowing it was probably the only time he would get an apology. Kai kissed the top of the neko-jin's head, before resting his head on the raven silk.
*****
Rei shivered, a drop of rain falling from his hood to land on his nose. He leaned forward, forehead against the wet fabric of Kai's cloak. It had been raining since noon and as much as he had wanted to stop, the knight had put his foot down. His exact words had been 'either way we'll get wet. We might as well keep going so that at least we'll reach someplace warm later.' His legs were numb, and his cloak soaked through, causing his clothing to stick to him. The heat he could usually feel of Kai was lost in the small amount of space between them.
He let one of his hands creep under the edge of the knight's cloak, hoping to find some warmth. Moving slowly, he slid one hand under the hem of the shirt, trying not to alert the knight to his hand. He lay one cold hand on the knight's back, smiling as Kai jerked. Kai turned in the saddle, one slate eyebrow arched, questioning the cold hand. Rei smiled, golden eyes dancing with humor. The knight shook his head and turned back to the front, trying his best to ignore the hand.
His hand quickly warmed, causing it to start roaming. He ran the pads of his fingers over Kai's stomach, taking delight in the small shivers running through the hard muscle. His left hand joined the right in the warmth, mapping the warm flesh. He ran a hand up Kai's side, fingers finding a scar, appearing from the top of Kai's pants to curl around to between his shoulder blades. He felt the knight stiffen as he traced his index finger along the scar. He wanted to ask about it, find out who had marred the velvety soft pale skin, but he could feel the stiffness of the lean body and as much as he wanted to know, he didn't want to be on the receiving end of the knight's anger. So instead he slid his hand back to Kai's stomach, lacing his fingers together, palms resting comfortably on the warm skin, lulling him to sleep.
Kai smiled the weight of the neko-jin against his back warm and comforting. He wasn't sure what had possessed Rei to have a self-guided tour, but something had prevented him from stopping the raven neko-jin. *Damnit. I'm getting soft. * He slid one hand into his shirt, gently running his thumb over Rei's knuckles.
*****
The stable boy took Altair's reins not sparing a second glance at the knight and his burden. Kai had the saddlebags in one hand, a sleep neko-jin leaning against him with no interest in waking up. He set the saddlebags down on the wet pavement and stooped down, throwing the half-asleep Rei over his shoulder before picking the saddlebags back up. He pushed the door open, soaking in the warmth from the fire. Rei finally woke up completely, the warmth snapping him out of his prolonged nap.
The first thing he saw was the floor followed by a black cloak and the back of a very familiar pair of black boots. "Kai what's going on? Why am I upside down?" He was unceremoniously dumped on the floor. Golden eyes widened in outrage, meeting mahogany eyes reflecting the firelight with an almost demonic quality. "You were.." He was cut off as the innkeeper's wife; Tansy bustled into the common room. "What happened? I heard a bump. Oh its you." Her eyes flickered from the neko-jin on the floor to the knight before she smiled. "Oh just a lover's quarrel. Here's the room key. First door on the left."
She winked at Rei before going back to the kitchen, ignoring the shocked look on Kai's face. Rei bounced to his feet, grin reveling his fangs. He took the key from Kai's hand, placing a small, quick kiss at the corner of the knight's mouth before racing up the stairs. Kai stood there for several seconds before shaking himself out of the funk he was in and picked up the saddlebags.
The door was unlocked, for which he was glad. He was still wet, his clothing sticking in the most interesting ways. The room was exactly the same as the first time he had come through with the exception of the fire in the fireplace and the shirtless neko-jin on the bed. Rei had his hair out, slowly working through the long, raven strands with a comb and fingers. His hair was still wet from the rain, causing the slate strands to fall into his eyes.
He threw his cloak over the back of a chair, avoiding the golden eyes he knew were following his every movement. He pulled out a dry shirt from the saddlebags, pulling the wet one over his head in one smooth motion. He nearly jumped when a pair of warm hands slid along his waist, brushing the top of his pants. Raven strands drifted over his arms, standing starkly against his pale skin. "Kai, you're not mad at me are you?" Kai shook his head, lacing his fingers with the neko-jin's slightly darker ones. "I can't stay mad at you."
Rei smiled, his head resting on Kai's back, which unfortunately left him to eye the scar that marred the pale skin. Kai felt Rei's hot breath on the scar and stiffened, knowing what was coming next. "Kai how did you get this scar?" He felt the neko-jin lightly run a finger down the scar, stopping where it disappeared into his pants. For some reason the scar was ultra sensitive which lead to everything that touched the scar was amplified. He tightened his grip on Rei's fingers before answering.
"When I was about five years old, I took one of the best stallions from our stable. At that age I was an excellent rider. I had taken the stallion jumping and he slipped. I was thrown from the saddle and knocked unconscious. Aren broke his leg and had to be killed." The knight shuddered as he saw the horse's body in the courtyard. "Grandfather was less then thrilled that I had ruined such a good stud. Voltaire was a sadistic bastard. This was the first time he left a permanent mark. Most of the time it was bruises or emotional harm. This time he took a thin flaying knife and." Rei felt him shudder and he tightened his grip, determined to face this with him. "He dragged the knife up my hip and along my ribs before ending between my shoulder blades. He left me on the cold stone floor, bleeding. I was in bed for three weeks as it healed." Kai fell silent, the dancing flames washing his lean, pale form with golden light.
The silence that formed between the two of them was deep and seemed to clog the air. Kai had not said anything and the silence was driving Rei to distraction. During the entire telling of the story his eyes had never left the scar. He had noticed how sensitive it was on the numerous occasions he had run a finger over it. An impish smile lit his face, his golden eyes dancing with humor. He pressed his lips to the end of the scar, smiling at the shiver of pleasure that raced through the knight's slim body.
*****
The door creaked open to reveal Tansy, light from the hall adding to the shadows in the room. The fire had burned down to coals, leaving the room cold and lights less. She set the tray on the table and lit a candle looking for the room's occupants. She turned to the bed, a smile on her face. Rei had his head pillowed on Kai's chest, his leg thrown over the knight's. Kai had one arm wrapped around the neko-jin. She pulled a blanket from the wardrobe and spread it over them before leaving the room.
***** The valley sides rose high, the sheer cliffs grey and forbidding against the lighter grey sky. The road dropped down to the valley floor green-brown grass spreading out for miles, broken only by small farms. A large castle sat on a low bluff, the river glinting silver in the weak sunlight. Rows of trees could be seen in the distance, bare branches reaching into the sky like skeletal hands. No villages were visible but Rei was certain that there were some in the many miles in and around the valley.
The courtyard of the castle was huge, with numerous doors leading to the interior of the castle. Several horses were at a saddling post, waiting to be put back in their stalls. Rei jumped from Altair's back, landing with liquid grace on the slippery paving stones. Kai dismounted reins in hand. "You're going to fall doing that one of these days. I don't see why you don't dismount like a normal person." Rei smiled, flashing his fangs at the knight. "You're bent on spoiling my fun aren't you?" At Kai's nod he frowned before smiling again. "Oh well. So you own all of this."
Kai nodded again, pushing back the memories that surged against his self- built wall. "Welcome to Hiwatari Castle."