They arrived at the village an hour or two after nightfall and rode to an inn near the centre of the village. They dismounted and took the saddlebags before handing the reins to a waiting stable boy. The innkeeper's eyes widened slightly at the sight of Misaki.
"This is my servant. You have nothing to fear from him," Saruhiko said in reassurance.
The innkeeper nodded and showed them to the room that had been prepared. Misaki noted that there was only one bed.
"Well, I guess they thought that a servant would sleep on the floor," Saruhiko muttered, obviously displeased. "They're just too insular. Another reason I hate travelling around."
"Any reasons you might have for liking travelling?" Misaki asked as he pulled out a loose tunic for sleeping.
Saruhiko smiled. "Just a few. I have something I want to show you on the way to the next village."
"Any chance you'll tell me before then?"
"Not a snowflake's chance in hell," Saruhiko laughed as he took out his own sleepwear and headed to the bath.
Misaki scratched behind one of his ears contemplating their relationship. They'd started out as true master and slave and they'd progressed to something where the boundaries were becoming increasingly blurred. For one, he was no longer a slave, but rather a servant and it had become known in the town that he was now allowed to speak. Saruhiko himself had begun treating him as more of an equal rather than a subordinate. He wondered if the boundaries even still existed.
And then there was the matter of his own feelings. He'd come to see Saruhiko as more than the cherished friend and master he'd seen him as at first. He wanted to give warmth to Saruhiko's life and he'd succeeded. But he no longer knew where he stood. If one could be lost in a relationship, he definitely was. And even if his feelings were returned, what future was there for a relationship between a kitsune and a human. With his long lifespan, he'd end up watching everyone around him age and eventually die. He sighed. There was no easy solution, it seemed.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Saruhiko. He jerked his head towards the bath, indicating that it was free, scattering water droplets that caught and refracted the light from the candles in the room.
When he came out of the bath, Saruhiko was already in bed. He patted the small space next to him.
"Here, you don't have to sleep on the floor."
Misaki slipped in beside Saruhiko and felt strong arms being wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer. He brought a hand to rest on one of Saruhiko's, just being comforted by the warmth of Saruhiko's breath against his neck and his chest against his back.
"Hey, Saruhiko, what are we? Like what am I to you?" Misaki whispered.
Saruhiko took a moment to answer. "You're my family. You're the one who's always there; the one I can always lean on if I need to. I guess you've become the constant in my life and I'd feel a gaping hole if you weren't there anymore. You mean more to me than so many other things now. I don't know what I'd do without you."
He pulled Misaki closer and whispered, "Misaki, don't ever leave me."
"I won't," Misaki whispered back, lacing his fingers together with Saruhiko's.
Long after Saruhiko's breaths had evened out, Misaki lay awake. He'd throw everything away just to stay with Saruhiko. He didn't know why, but in that moment, he just felt like crying.
The next morning, he was woken up by Saruhiko shaking him awake.
"Hey, I have to attend to something first. Why don't you check on the horses and meet me at the village square so I can bring you on the inspection rounds?"
Misaki nodded. It would definitely give him some time to think. He dressed and made his way to the stables.
"I just don't know what to do," he whispered to Tsubaki. "I mean, I like him. I like him a lot. But I don't even know if he really thinks of me the same way."
Tsubaki harrumphed at him and he replied, "Yeah, I wish you could talk. Then maybe I could ask you or Ryuu what I should do."
At the mention of his name, Ryuu turned his head towards Misaki and lipped at his ear. Misaki twitched it away just in time.
"Ryuu, I've told you a million times, my ear is not a sugar cube or a carrot or anything edible. I swear you're just as stubborn as your master and I just hope Tsubaki doesn't ever pick this up from you."
As if to prove him wrong, Tsubaki nipped the tip of his other ear.
"Oh, the two of you are hopeless!" Misaki stroked Tsubaki's muzzle as Ryuu snorted.
Just then, the stable door flew open and Misaki was tackled to the ground.
"Just what do you think you're doing with the Captain's horses, you filthy demon? Bewitching them? I'll bring you to the village square for a public whipping. Oh, the Captain will be so pleased that we managed to stop filth from bringing harm to him. We'll surely perform well on the inspection this year!"
Misaki saw the fist coming to strike him and then nothing.
A/N: Relatively short chapter that I wrote during my study breaks while I was studying for mid-semester exams. There'll be a longer bit up as soon as I finish it!
