Sorry about that everyone. I haven't been having the greatest time lately, so I haven't gotten much time to do anything. Here's another chapter, although it's probably bad. . I promise to write another soon, and I'll try to stay on top of things~
Shuuhei stared at the object in the palm of his hand, the light shaking with his skin. "It's you . . ." he murmured, staring at it. The same thing had happened back then, when he awoke to find the glowing orb beside him. He looked around, spotting a pool of crimson on the grass. Spider-thin fingers reached out to trace it and he suddenly hissed, pain exploding in his cheek. It was the gouges in his tattoo, the brunette suddenly realized. He raised his hand nad touched the four still-oozing scratches. Ichimaru. How had he forgotten? The fox-faced man was the one who inflicted them upon him.
All of a sudden he heard a noise, and for the first time since he had awoken, Shuuhei looked around. The hot springs was still there, letting off the much welcome heat. Sori was laying on his back near it, purring at some unknown dream. Across from them was an interesting array of rocks, leading up a small hill to vanish behind a curtain of willow trees. He heard a stamp against the ground and whipped his head to the side, seeing several horses in a small stable about twenty to thirty feet away from him.
"The hot springs!" He said. He'd found it, he'd actually found it. Shuuhei felt relief flood through him, sighing. The orb in his hand suddenly sparked and he dropped it, watching as it caught flame. His grey eyes widened as it grew for a moment, forcing the boy to skitter back. It lasted several seconds before the small gem of light was gone, replaced by nothing but smouldering ashes.
"Hey, you there!" Shuuhei looked up as he heard a voice, seeing someone running towards him. Before they got there, he quickly shoved the slumbering Sori into his bag, calming the cat as best as he could. "What's a mongrel like you doing in a place like this? This hot springs is for nobility only!"
"I'm one of Abarai Renji's servants, sir. I had to walk here, and I wasn't aware that I arrived, so I slept out here," the boy said. Several seconds pased, and Shuuhei wasn't sure if the man believed him. "Hmm, the Prince did say that he was waiting for one of his servants and to watch out for him. What's your name?"
"Shuuhei, my name is Shuuhei," he answered. The guard made a motion and then pointed to the trail. "He's inside sleeping. I'll bring you to him. Come." Shuuhei pulled himself up, forcing his cold feet to trail after the man. He was led up the rocky path, the grey stone beneath his feet shifting a bit as he went. The willow branches swayed in a warm breeze, the path winding to the left.
It opened to a large, grandly painted building, the sunlight from above reflecting off of the golden paint. Several crimson-painted poles lined the path leading to the door, the top containing several crystals that sparkled in the light. It certainly was an extravagent place; Shuuhei felt like he had absolutely no right to be there. "This way," the guard said, leading them around the right. He motioned to a tatami door painted with the symbol of a flying dragon, the silvery wings glowing. "The Prince is inside; be cautious when you go in." And with that, the man was gone, vanishing in the rays of golden light from above.
Shuuhei took a shaky breath, but just as he reached a trembling hand up to pull open the door, Sori began thrashing at his side. The cat hissed and sank his claws into his leg, dragging them down to form several jagged cuts. Biting back a cry, the servant fumbled with the bag before the white cat dashed off into the distance. He sighed; there would be no way to catch the animal now.
Turning back to the door, he drew it open, peering inside. It took several seconds for his eyes to adjust. In the darkness before him lay Renji, snoring softly underneath the thin covering of a black blanket. Shuuhei slipped inside, closing the door behind him. He crawled along the ground, settling beside the slumbering form of the prince. The servant set his bag beside him and shifted it over, fixing his clothes so he looked somewhat presentable. With that, he settled into silence; there was no way for him to hide the scratches on his face.
He looked away from the slumbering man, raising his fingers to trace the indented flesh. Shuuhei whimpered quietly. Would the tattoo still be there after they healed? The servant hoped so; it had hurt quite a bit to get it, and meant a lot to him. He grew lost in thought, fingers still flexing against his chin.
"Shuuhei, is that you?" The brunette jumped a bit, looking down at his master. He gave a small nod, turning his head so the cuts were out of sight. Immediately, Renji sat up and threw his arms around Shuuhei's neck, surprising the servant. "I'm so sorry that I made you walk all the way here. I went back to find you, but it was so foggy out that I couldn't see anything." He held still, letting the redhead do what he wanted. "Doesn't matter to me. I'm not dead, so there's no reason to apologize to me."
"Oh hush up. We'll get you a bath and then you can meet the noble I told you about!" Shuuhei forced himself to smile at the man. Fingers touched his chin and forced his head back so that they were staring at each other. He could see the look that went from shock to anger to sadness along Renji's face. "Shuu . . . what happened to you?" The prince's fingers traced them, his hand shaking. The brunette looked down at the ground. "I . . . got attacked by a fox. He wanted to take my cat away from me," he lied. If he told Renji about Ichimaru, he might never get the freedom that he wanted.
"I shouldn't have let you walk all the here like that," Renji said, his voice full of anger. At himself, or at Shuuhei? "Renji . . ." But the fire in his eyes made the servant fall silent. "Come, we'll get you a bath and then the doctor can look at you." Shuuhei did as he was told and let his master lead him to a private bath attached to his room. He pulled away his yukata, the black covered in dirt and the ends being to fray, and set it onto the floor as Renji moved the screen.
Inside was a small pool of warm water, probably a spin off of the hot springs above the inn. "Here, I'll let you wash up," the redhead said, avoiding looking at him. His master left without another word, and Shuuhei could practically see the anger in his trembling form.
Several minutes passed before the servant gathered enough courage to slip into the water. It felt wonderful against his skin, and he relaxed back into it with a sigh. If only he could stay like that forever, content with where he was. But there was still a noble to deal with.