The sound of dishes and silverware being moved about and put away could be heard deep within the castle walls of the kitchens. Hot steam rose into the air which protruded from the hot ovens and boling water from the sinks. Dozens of boy slaves dresses in nothing but white lose togas were cleaning the dishes, ovens and floors after the long dinner for the Royal family.
The room was steamy, making the boys sweat in their work. The kitchens were bright, eveyrthing being fogged up, making things hard to see. The stone walls were covered in dust and spider webs, just like every place else the slaves worked and stayed at.
At one of the large sinks in the front of the kitchens stood Ken and Daisuke, who were both working on washing the dishes. The two of the were slave partners, meaning that they did most, to all their chores together. It wasn't a problem. The two were the best of friends. As Daisuke washed and Ken dried, the red-head decided it would be best if he started a conversation between himself and the indigo, just like the other slaves talked amongst themselves.
"Ken, are you alright? Master Claudius really hurt you this morning" stated Daisuke, looking at his friendly sympathetically.
"I'm fine" snapped Ken a bit too quickly. The indigo nearly dropped his plate from his own harshness. "Sorry Daisuke-san, I'm still jittery from this monring..."
"It's okay Ken...I'm just worried about you..." Daisuke whispered. Ken nodded his head, his hair pulled up in a loose bun with a tight old rag. "So..." started Daisuke again, wanting to change the subject. "Who do you think will be picked to serve Prince Takeru?"
Ken tensed up a bit before answering. "I don't know, but whoever is chosen I'll feel terribly sorry for. They'll be in for the worst of it. Having to serve an actual prince. I here he's really spoiled. I wouldn't want it to be me. Why do you ask?"
Daisuke shuffled his bare feet on the marble floor before answering. "Well...it's just that, earlier at dinner, I got the impression that...Master Claudius was going to chose you..." Ken froze. "For he gave you that evil glint of his to you after answering the King's question about it."
Ken dropped the plate he was drying, making it come shattering to the floor in peices. Ken clutched his head, as everyone else in the room froze in fear at the sound, knowing that they were to all get into severe touble for something like that. Several of the boys in the room looked at Ken and Daisuke angrily, yet did nothing to say what they felt.
"My my..." spoke the voice of Claudius as the kitchen doors burst open. The tall blonde took one good look at the place and sneered down his long thin nose. His black eyes focused in on Ken's hunched over form at the sink. "My little Pet...This certainly isn't your day...Was this morning's punishment not enough for you...?" When Claudius found that ken wasn't going to reply, he continued. "Well, it looks as though I just have to take away one of your privalages. I'll even let you choose."
Ken looked behind and over to his Master. Everyone else in the room was dead silent, afraid to move a muscle. They didn't want to become in the position Ken was in. "Choose what, Master?"
Claudius grinned. "Would you rather me take away food? Or rest?" he asked coldy. Everyone;s eyes in the room widened. "One of them will be taken away from you. So either you starve and get to sleep and rest...Or you eat...and go a full day of hard chores without rest...Which do you choose?"
Ken was silent, a look on his face that made him look like he had not heard the question. But Daisuke, still beside him, was surprised when Ken slowly stood up straight, and looked at his Master in the face, replying loud and clear. "I would rather you take away my food privelages, Master."
"Fine then" snapped Claudius. "I will. Now get back to work!" At the last command, which he'd screamed at everyone in the room to, he left with a swirl of his robes. The slaves inside the kitchen remained motionless for several minutes, then all eyes were on Ken.
Ken desperately wihsed his hair was done and not pulled back so that he could hide behind it as he saw everyone's faces. They were not happy. Daisuke sneered at everyone, putting a hand on his shoulder, turning Ken back to the sink.
"Ignore them" hissed the red head. "It wasn't your fault. It was mine. I had no diea you'd react like that." Ken shook his head, starting to clean up the mess he'd made by crouching down to pick up the porcelain peices.
"No Daisuke. It's not your fault. Watch your feet" Ken warned as Daisuke kneeled down beside the indigo to help. The two picked up the mess, throwing it all away in a nearby trash bag. Everyone was careful as they walked near the crash, afraid their feet would get cut by the sharp peices.
"Why did you react that way?" asked Daisuke after several moments of silence. Ken didn't reply right away. This made Daisuke worry all the more. He looked at the other boy's face, trying to read it. Ken had a sad, depressed look on his face. Not like that was anything new. Ken always looked as though he was about to cry, yet was always so cheerful. Daisuke could never actually say he'd ever seen Ken truly smile, with all his heart. They were always sad smiles. And now, the boy looked beyond redemption. He looked as though he'd lost everything. Why? That was what Daisuke wanted to know.
"I'm scared Daisuke..." whispered Ken after a while. "I don't wish for anything bad to happen. I don't..." He looked up into Daisuke's eyes. "I don't want anything to take us apart."
Daisuke knew what Ken meant. He meant their friendship. The two of them had been friends ever since they were babies and the nursery maids took care of them in the slave house. Daisuke shook his head. "That's what your worried about? Ken, no one can replace you. Nothing will happen. We'll be fine. Master Claudius may not even pick you, I was just saying-"
"But he will pick me! You know as well as I do I'm his favorite little 'pet'! And what if this Prince Takeru fellow is mean? What if he beats me worse than I'm already beaten? What if-" Ken rambled without knowing, getting hysterical.
"What if the world exploded and we were the only survivors? Ken, relax. Everything's going to fine. Trust me" Daisuke re-assured. Ken sighed, looking at the red-head's smile. The indigo nodded sadly, turning back to his work.
The moonlight seemed peaceful as the two boys slept in the tattered beds. Ken was sleeping peacefully for the first time in days now that Claudius had already beaten him. His sore eye twitched every now and then, proving that ken was dreaming.
Daisuke, on the other side of the room, was sleeping just as peacefully. His arm wound up around the back of his head, his other arm and legs flung about in odd places throughout the rest of his bed.
And just as the first ray of sunshine was preparing to break through, their door opened with an incredible force and a loud bang, scaring the two boys awake, not to mention out of their wits. They looked to the door and found Claudius grinning down upon them.
Ken's eyes fell when he found the blonde looking at him, and starting shuffling about in his spot as Claudius stepped into the cramped room.
"Greetings my little pet. However are you this morning?" asked Claudius in his silky voice.
"W-Well...sir" replied Ken, still not meeting his gaze. Claudius frowned.
"Well my pet, I have decided that the punishment I gave you last night is not enough. I have decided that instead of refusing to feed you, I am going to assign you a very importnat job. One that any other slave would die to have" explained the blonde, turning his back on Daisuke.
Ken's heart skipped a beat as it jumped up into his throat. Ken forced himself to breath as Claudius continued. "The job I am making you do is simple. Prince Takeru is arriving today. A day before he was said to. And he needs someone to wait upon him. That slave...I choose to be you..."
Ken nearly fainted. 'No...' he moaned inwardly. He shot a glance at Daisuke, who could only reply with a sympathetic look.
"Now that that is settled. I want you to dress yourself this instant, gather your things, and come with me. You start immediatly" ordered Claudius, stepped out of the room and into the hall.
Ken flinched and started gathering his belongings as quickly as he could. His three sets of clothes, his thin pillow, his two blankets, and his hair brush and hair tie. Daisuke then shoved his black shoes into his face before he left the room.
"Don't worry Ken, we'll see each other soon. Be strong!" whispered Daisuke inot his ear before the door was slammed into his face by Claudius.
Gulping, Ken looked up at Claudius, his hands full of his stuff. "Come!" That was all Claudius said before he started taking long strides down the dark hallway and towards the Prince's chambers.
Ten minutes worth of silent walking led them both to two large oak doors, both ravished with mystical carvings. Claudius turned to face Ken, his evil grin planted on his face.
"Beyind these doors, lie the Prince's Chambers. Now before we enter you must understand this. And only this. You are to do strictly what you are told, grant of the Prince's wishes, and if he so much as whines once about your performance you will be beaten so hard your dead mother will feel the pain! Now get in!"
Ken shivered in fear as he walked into the room, dread filling him as Claudius shoved him in, closing the doors behind him.
The large room was filled with black. It was still very early in the morning and Ken assumed the prince was still fast asleep. taking a look at the large king sized bed in the middle of the room, he saw a mountain of pillows and blankets and a small mound he guessed was the prince himself. Ken lookedaround, confused. He had no idea what he was meant to do. Just a bit ago he was safely in his own room with Daisuke, yet now was cruelly in a room he had no idea of.
Setting his belongings in the empty corner, Ken decided it best if he simply sat on the floor and waited for the prince to awake.
It wasn't for another two hours until the prince finally started moving about in his bed, moaning as he rubbed his eyes. Grunting, the prince sat up, pushing away the many pillows. Ken watched with interest as the prince's eyes scanned the room. It appeared the boy had not noticed his own new personal slave sitting in the corner just yet.
Ken watched as the prince stood and walked into the bathroom, lighting a candle and shutting the door. Ken took a deep breath, scared and nervous beyond reason of the type of stuff he'd have to do for the Prince.
When the prince exited the bathroom he was dressed and his blonde hair was combed. Ken slowly stood, and found a match, silently lighting all the candles in the room. Sensning a presence, the Prince turned to see Ken lighting candles.
"What are you doing in here?" demanded the boy prince groggily. Ken flinched, making an uneven bow.
"Me? Oh, I'm just lighting the candles for you M-Master" replied Ken, scared stiff as he stood straight again.
"'Master'? Oh for the love of all that is Holy! Yamato!" screamed the prince to himself. He looked back at Ken, looking him up and down. "I told him I didn't want a slave!" Putting his hands on his waist, he sighed. "My name is Takeru. You will not, repeat, not, call me Master, but Takeru. That is my name and that is what I wish for you to call me. What is your name?"
Ken blinked. He had not expected this sort of behavior out of the prince. "M-My name?" Ken pointed to himself. Takeru nodded. "My name is Ken."
Takeru nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "Well Ken. Pleasure to meet you. Looks as though I'm stuck with you. Might as well become friends huh?"
Ken nodded unsurely. This was not how Ken had expected things to go. The prince was so nice to him. And cute! Ken blushed as he thought this, but couldn't help thinking it was true.Daisuke seemed to be right. Maybe things wouldn't be as bad as he originally thought.