Changing Shuu's age to nine rather than eleven. You'll see why soon. And Renji is a bit ooc and moody in this chapter, but I hope you enjoy~

The movement was swift and silent, Shuuhei wrapping his thin arms around Ichigo's throat. He clung there like he was told, eyes squeezed shut in fear. His frail form nearly rattled as they went, Ichigo being led along the open plain by Izuru. They were strange, but they had yet to say more, and the child was content with this as he didn't yet know whether to trust them. But the air was cold, and he was shivering uncontrollably by the time they got a quarter of the way to their destination.

"Ichigo! He's going to freeze to death; we have to cover him up," Izuru's voice called back to them. With a jarring motion and a few grumbles, their movements came to an abrupt halt. Shuuhei still held fast, trembling against the warmth below him. Hands pulled him away from Ichigo gently, setting him on shivering legs. A cloak was draped over his form, Izuru helping him slide his small arms into it. With a few quick movements, the top was buttoned and the hood was drawn over his head.

"Just relax, Shuuhei. We aren't going to hurt you, alright?" Izuru said, patting his head. He sensed that he was about to be lifted again when a gruff voice called out from a short distance away. The child swiveled his head in the direction of the stranger, one eye managing to get some visibilty from the oversized clothing. Shuuhei glanced to the side when he noticed Ichigo's body shift irritably; still he had not spoken.

The man wore nothing more than a thin black shirt around his torso and matching pants. His midsection was bare, and he wondered how the man wasn't cold. But what drew his attention was the strange colour of the newcomer's hair; it was electric blue. "Grimmjow, how is everything going?" Izuru asked.

This was the Grimmjow that Renji had spoken of. Grey eyes looked up at the tall man with curiosity. A tan hand extended forwards to rest on his head, giving it a small ruffle. "This is Shuuhei? Everything is fine; the others should be catching up with us soon." At the blonde's nod, the hood was tugged back so he could meet strangely sober blue eyes. "C'mere," Grimmjow said, kneeling so Shuuhei could clambour onto his back. The man, although the child did not know, already had a soft spot for him; not even seven years prior, the same thing had occured to himself.

His trembling had ceased slightly, the cloak providing a thin warmth. Grimmjow's body was warm as well, and he wrapped his arms around the man's neck quietly. Shuuhei caught the pointed glare in their direction from Ichigo but Izuru nudged him and they were on their way again. Grimmjow's running was smoother and more fluid, the child relaxing easily against the balanced strides. He fell asleep on accident.

Shuuhei awoke to darkness, hating that he was being forced to remember all of his past again. Those days had been horrible, leaving him to scavenge through the forest and avoid the bitter village people. They never welcomed him to begin with, but at least he felt safe when others were around. And his new life was no better. Giving a few blinks and deeming himself not ready to get up, he simply shifted the blanket, sinking back into the warmth. Although he couldn't quite sink into sleep again, his mind had wandered to a nicer place, one that was filled with calm and laughter.

He saw hmself running through the field, the dog running beside him. The sky was settled, with white clouds flying lazily across the sky. Shuuhei fell to the ground and began to act like a dog himself, growling at the white one before him playfully. His friend licked his face and he laughed, sitting against the ground to play with the dog's ears. He wasn't sure why the creature favoured him out of everyone, but the boy didn't mind; a friend was a friend, no matter what.

But suddenly, the world seemed to grow shadowed, the warmth being sucked from the air. Every bit of happiness drained from him, and Shuuhei opened his eyes before he could relive that horrid event once again. His gaze opened again as he realized he had, indeed, fallen asleep. He sighed softly, reaching up to rub at his eyes. As he glanced around, the brunette realized that he was no longer alone. Red filled his eyesight as someone looked down at him, a hand smoothing his hair gently.

Shuuhei started in surprise, realizing that Renji had come to his room yet again. The prince was allowed to do what he wished, but the newly nineteen year old had just gotten a room away from Izuru and Grimmjow, and he wanted to sleep his first night in it in silence. "Awake now?" He pulled the pillow over his head and grumbled something. A hand prodded his side and Shuuhei fought the urge to push the annoying redhead off of his bed.

"Come on; I'm taking you with me today, remember? We have to go visit that hot springs I told you about." The brunette sighed and pushed himself into a sitting position; even though Renji talked to him in such a manner, he wasn't allowed to disobey. "Why do I have to go to this one? You're only meeting with another noble; I'm sure they don't want a nasty little servant there," he said, scrunching up his nose at the statement. It had been told to him just the other day by another.

He heard the prince sigh and pull the teen to him. "This one's different." Shuuhei let out a small growl and tried to struggle from that grasp. "Stop touching me; we both know you're not supposed to." The redhead chuckled and sweeped his hand through the brunette hair. "Come now, I held you when you were little. This is no different, Shuuhei." But we're older now, he thought, relaxing in the others' grasp. Back then, it had been okay, but now, the king didn't seem to like how much time they were spending together.

And that's when Renji saw the tattoo on his face. The hold turned violent, the redhead shoving him back against the bed. "I thought I told you that you weren't allowed to mark yourself!" He hissed in anger. Shuuhei pushed at the hand latched against his throat. "Why did you get this horrid thing on your face?"

"B-because six is the n-number of your k-kingdom and you s-saved me when I was n-nine," the brunette gasped out, struggling to get free from the crushing grip. Grey eyes met burning crimson, but they softened as he gave his explanation. Renji removed his hand, allowing him thin gasps at the precious air around them. "Get up and be ready in twenty minutes." The door slammed behind him.

Shuuhei sighed and sat up, running his fingers over the bruised flesh of his throat. Even if their relationship seemed light and happy, underneath it was all about power and torment. Renji was allowed to treat him how he wished, the redhead was the prince and the brunette was nothing more than his servant. His slave.

When they had rescued him, he had been taken to a grand castle in which he lived as a member of the noble family until he turned fourteen. But something had happened, and the castle had begun the same isolation as his village. Shuuhei was pulled from the status of a noble and shoved into the life of a servant. Only he wasn't a normal servant; he was only allowed to fetch things and perform errands for the prince.

It was really no better than living out in the woods. No, it was worse, as he now had to do actual labour to stay alive. That had been his life ever since, doing whatever Renji told him to do, running errands, tending to the man, accompanying him on his journies.

And those were the worse.

Grimmjow and Izuru had quickly become his friends, and he had been allowed to stay with the gruff man and the quiet one. When they went on their travels, it was always Grimmjow, Izuru, and Ichigo that went with them. And allowing them to see him so defeated and broken hurt more than anything.

Shuuhei sighed and dressed in silence, pulling the thin black yukata over his frame. It was the same one he had used every single day for a while now. Red threads were weaved simply into the cloth, forming the dragon crawling from his shoulder, down his torso, and to his left hip. He snapped the choker that he had been given, which was almost more like a collar than anything, around his neck. But at least it managed to cover some of the bruises already forming there. The matching ones for his arms were slipped on in somber silence.

If Renji was truly angry at him, then this trip wasn't going to go all that well. Shuuhei sighed and pressed his forehead against the broken mirror hanging on his wall. A hand pressed against it, his grey eyes sliding shut as a brief flash of pain went over his face. "Why was I destined to live like this? Did I do something in a past life that brought all of this terrible stuff on me? Is there a reason I had my life taken from me before it even began?" He whispered brokenly.

But no tears left his eyes; there was no reason to cry over something like this.

Unknown to Shuuhei, Renji was leaning against the door, staring up at the ceiling of the dim hallway. He had heard every single word, and each one cut deeply into him. Without a sound, he turned and made his way down the hallway, a still silence fanned out around him.

In the darkness away from the grand castle, off into the north, shadows raced along the edges of where the darkness ended and the light began. The creatures could not step past it, and when one attempted, it shrunk back with a hiss. "Patience, young one," an even voice called out smoothly. It was a dangerous, cultivated voice that brought upon still silence the moment it graced the air. Every shadow paused in their movements, bodies held in tension as they waited for further word or action from the hidden man.

Dark eyes flashed in the shadows, and from around where the man sat, a loud wailing rose around him.

It was the baying of the tortured dead.

Hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. Kinda short, but there's a reason for it being like that. I'm not good with longer chapters, so enjoy for now~ xD -Shuu