rabenhorst (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rabenhorst) wrote2008-08-22 07:16 pm
rabenhorst) wrote2008-08-22 07:16 pm
(no subject)
Title: Worlds Collide; Chapter 2
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
seinen_no and fonulyn
Rating: NC17
Pairing: Die and Kaoru
Disclaimer: We own no one, only our dirty imaginations.
Summary: As children the son of the Lord and the slave-boy were best of friends and the most important persons in each other’s lives. That was torn apart when the son of the Lord was sent away to get his education, and the boys were denied every form of keeping in contact. What happens when they meet again after all those years, now grown to be gorgeous young men, both bound by their place in the society?
Comments:
seinen_no: We're back^^ Okay, I admit things go quickly and we might have missed to stretch the emotional development further to make it more believable, but you know us, we can't wait x)
Let me tell you all that I was pleasantly surprised about all your nice comments and that you indeed are interested in the story. As I said before, it's very dear to us (well okay, every story is, but with this one, I had my doubts if it's 'public' material) and thus it made me really happy. I hope this chapter won't disappoint you either!
fonulyn: As said above, the emotional development maybe is a tad bit too fast in the fic but we wrote it in a rush (not like anyone was hurrying us but like we were writing like in trance without thinking much in advance XD) so we might've overlooked something. BUT I don't really mind and when I re-read the thing I decided not to do anything to it. I hope that you will enjoy reading it too and that the second chapter pleases you^^
And feel free to add our journal if you like the stories!
Plus, the archive .
Previously happened: Part 1
Worlds Collide
Chapter 2
Despite everything things seemed to be completely normal when the morning came. Both, Die and Kaoru acted totally normal, just like they were supposed to, and if one didn't know to look for something it would've passed by totally unnoticed that anything had happened. Something had changed though and it was visible in their tired expressions, in the lack of the sparkle in the redhead's eyes.
Although he didn't fully understand the reason why, Kaoru kept on greedily demanding Die's presence at night. A part of him was still hoping that they would be able to forget their bad beginning and at least talk about the past decently. Yet, nothing like that happened. They didn't talk more than needed, the lord's son only claiming Die's body as his own but never really getting what he was seeking, a piece of his heart and soul. Anyways, at least he could make sure that nobody could lay hands on the other man and touch his perfect soft skin, smell his sweet scent. It was better than nothing, he kept on telling himself.
Somehow Die had managed to numb himself as much as possible, just shutting everything out of his mind during those nights. He was still utterly disappointed that the friendship that had been between them, seemingly had just died and there was nothing left of the feelings. Still he was too afraid to do anything, to say anything. What else would he accomplish with it but to get his suspicions confirmed? He simply didn't want to hear Kaoru say that it had been just the pathetic, empty promises of a child.
Unnoticed by either of them, Tanaka was watching his brother and the redheaded slave. He didn't notice any of the mixed emotions between them, only saw how his brother spent every night with the other man, his childhood friend. Towards Kaoru, he acted as if nothing had happened though, tried to keep his disdain for him down until the perfect opportunity appeared to hit his brother where it hurt.
First he only tried to see if there was one night when Kaoru didn't want Die to be with him, and thought he'd grab the opportunity once given. It began to look like the chance would never come until their father surprisingly announced that he would go hunting together with his eldest son and would stay away over night. That was the moment where Tanaka sensed his chances.
A huge part of Kaoru was glad to get out of the palace once again, to ride on horseback and enjoy the nature of his home country. Besides, he had always liked hunting, loved the skill it demanded, just prey and man. But then suddenly, he realized that this would mean to leave Die alone, to be unable to see him that night. Although there obviously weren't any feelings between them, he still didn't want to leave the redheaded slave to anybody else. However, of course he rode out with his father, accompanied by Tanaka's best wishes. That fact alone should've raised Kaoru's suspicions, but the joy that his half brother was finally friendly towards him drowned out every reasonable doubt.
Die had almost dared to hope that he could sleep one night in his own bed and try to sort out the mess inside his head. But as soon as the hunters were gone, Tanaka sent for him, saying he wanted to see him immediately. Tanaka was left in charge while his father and brother were away, and naturally his every wish was fulfilled. He enjoyed the power he had, determined to use it to hurt his older brother as much as possible.
The long ride and the fresh air cleared the mists in Kaoru's head and for the first time, he saw the answer to his question. He had just begun everything the wrong way and made up his mind to talk to Die once he was back. Not only to apologize for his ruthless behaviour but to really talk to him about what had happened in the past ten years, to tell him how much he had missed him and how disappointed he was about the turn things had taken. Once he had come clear about that, his mood brightened and he managed to enjoy the forest and finally the hunt, oblivious towards what his friend had to endure while he was gone.
Die had learned to deal with everything his duties included, sharing a bed with someone as a part of those. He just locked himself away from the situation, pretending he wasn't even there and allowing the other man to do whatever he wished. But now that he had spent so many nights only with Kaoru, it was hard for him to go to someone else's room in the evening. No matter how emotionless the things they had shared had been, he still had been there with his old friend, and in the few fleeting moments he spent there afterwards he could pretend everything was fine between them again.
That night, when Kaoru was curled up in his blanket beside the fire after a successful hunt, he stared into the flames, hypnotized by their enchanting light-play. A smile formed on his lips when he remembered something from his childhood. One day, his father had decided that he was old enough to sleep alone in his room, but the young boy had been afraid to stay there alone, fearing the creepy shadows of the darkness.
---
"Die, I don't wanna sleep there. The room is huge and the carvings on the ceiling show creepy figures," the slightly older boy gave away, looking at his friend with huge eyes.
They were sitting in the yard and Die instantly turned his attention away from the sky he had observed until then, to look at his friend. "But it's just shadows there, nothing to be afraid of." He smiled, that honest smile of his. Although in reality he wasn't so sure if he could've slept in that room alone himself either.
"But the wood is creaking and the wind howls. I'm sure it's haunted." The other boy nodded convinced. "The wing of the house is godforsaken and it's only me there. I will never be able to close an eye."
"I'll come there with you." The redhead spoke without thinking, just trying to make his friend feel better. "Nothing can harm us if we're both there."
"Really?" Kaoru sounded relieved and was smiling again instantly. "If we're together, the ghosts will stay away."
---
Back then, it mightn't have been a big deal, but now that the young man thought back at this incident, he clearly remembered how they had slept under the same blanket, clinging to each other because both of them had been equally afraid of the creepy dark room.
The next day Kaoru's father wasn't very lucky with hunting, and instantly became grumpy about it. So they all ended up leaving back home rather early. Tanaka was awaiting them in the yard already, something in his self-pleased content smile striking Kaoru as odd when he looked straight at his brother. Tanaka took the reins of Kaoru's horse in the pretence to help him dismount, but something sent a cold shiver down the older son's spine and made his hackles curl. Still, he didn't show it and got off his horse, a smile on his lips. "We've been quite successful yesterday, but since father was unlucky today, he decided to come home. Kept a good eye on the palace?" he asked casually, took the reins out of his brother's hands and led the horse down the track until a servant took care of it.
"I took good care of everything." The pleased smile was still like glued to the younger brother's lips, as he stressed the last word unnecessarily much.
It again caused an unpleasant twitch in Kaoru's stomach, but he only nodded, seemingly ignoring the teasing undertone. "That's good." He didn't look the other man in the face, but gazed futher ahead, searching for a sign of the redhead somewhere. It wasn't very likely for Die to be outside though, because his duties were to help in the household. Still, Kaoru would have wanted to talk to the other man straight away and get things clear between them.
"Looking for the redheaded slave?" Tanaka smirked knowingly, shifting so that he was standing a bit closer to his brother, keeping an eye on his expression. "It might be that he won't be usable for the next few nights."
Kaoru inhaled with a sharp, hissing noise, but otherwise managed to get his expression under control. "That's his problem. I want him tonight," he growled and quickened his steps. His heart had begun to beat frantically and now he wanted to see Die even more urgently than just a second ago. Dinner was over anyways and his father had told everybody he would go to his room, still too frustrated that he hadn't shot the impressive deer in the morning. So once they were standing in the huge entrance hall, Kaoru beckoned a servant to send for Die.
When the servant informed Die of what he was expected to do, he instantly dragged himself to Kaoru's room. He was truly aching, couldn't even remember when someone had last been as rough on him as Tanaka the previous night. But he tried to just look as casual and normal as possible, waiting patiently for the young master to arrive.
When Kaoru stepped into his chamber, the other man was already undressed and lay on his bed, just like he had ordered him to do all the other nights. Somehow, everything Kaoru would have wanted to tell him had vanished from his mind and he could only stare at the vulnerable figure in front of him. The redhead didn't even dare to look straight at the other man and kept his eyes cast somewhere to the side. He felt so tired, and wished Kaoru would just get over with whatever he wanted and let him go and sleep then. He hadn't been able to sleep the previous night at all, and it was adding up to his miserable state.
Kaoru saw the bruises on Die's hips, saw the traces of his brother's roughness on his legs. It caused his throat to dry up and hatred well in his heart because he knew this hadn't been about satisfying needs, this had been about hitting him where it hurt and he had to admit that Tanaka had found his soft spot. Silently, he put out the lights and crawled into bed. Yet instead of urging Die to lie down on his back or ordering him on his fours, he simply curled up against his back closely, wrapping one arm around his waist; just holding him.
Die flinched at first, his whole being stiffening when he felt the other man's body pressing against his. What was this? He hadn't expected anything like it, not even close, and he was taken completely by surprise. But as Kaoru made no move to do anything else, only kept him close he slowly began to relax in the embrace, even enjoying the way he was held, the way they were just silently sharing the warmth. For the first time in days an honest smile appeared on his lips, and when he closed his eyes, something much like contentment came to life somewhere inside of him.
Kaoru's heart was beating fast and it took long before it came back to normal and he realized that Die wouldn't pull away. Somehow he had expected that since everything he had done before had caused the other man to become tense, the look in his eyes emotionless. But when he felt Die relax, he was able to enjoy the closeness as well, this moment being more intimate than their previous encounters. The younger man couldn't even believe this was really happening, fearing that any moment the young master would just go back to the patterns they had repeated before. When nothing happened though, he was beginning to pleasantly drift off, the tiredness overcoming him.
For the first time, Kaoru got a grip on the feeling the reunion with the other man had evoked in him and he found a word for it. Love. Maybe he had loved Die as a friend when they had been young, but now he loved him as a man, including the certain tickling feeling in his stomach and the spinning of his head when he only thought about him. That was the only explanation why the mere thought of other men touching the redhead had infuriated him so much. But it was forbidden by the goddess; by the law even. Noble men and slaves weren't supposed to share feelings, could never live beside each other as equals.
For this night, Kaoru didn't allow those thoughts to darken his mood though and he only enjoyed the wonderful sensations the realization made course through him. When he was sure that Die was fast asleep, he pulled him even closer against his chest, planting a soft kiss between his shoulder blades.
It had been long since Die had slept this well, without any disturbing dreams haunting his sleep, without waking up in the middle of the night due to a nightmare he couldn't even remember anymore when he woke up. Although he was asleep it seemed that his subconsciousness was still aware of the closeness. Somewhere in the middle of the night he turned around in his sleep, only to snuggle up closer against the warm body beside him.
When the first warm rays of the sun were peeking into the room, Kaoru awoke from the most pleasant dreams he had had in ages. He blinked a couple of times to focus his gaze, but what he saw instantly elicited a warm smile on his lips. Die's head was resting on his chest, his arm fastened tightly around his shoulders as his own was wrapped around the other man's waist. Their legs were entangled so much that it seemed impossible to tell which belonged to whom.
As if sensing that the other man was awake, it didn't take long before the redhead stirred slightly, blinking tiredly. He still looked more asleep than awake when he tried to focus his gaze and realize where he was. When his eyes fell on Kaoru's face he flinched a bit though, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Don't." The other man's voice was raspy due to the lack of use. "I won't hurt you." Actually those hadn't been the first words he had had in mind to tell Die, but he was afraid that the redhead could just leave him like he had done after having sex.
It made Die smile slightly, although there was insecurity laced in his gaze still. "I fell asleep." It was a dumb thing to say, and he knew it instantly after the words had left his mouth, but somehow he couldn't come up with anything more decent to say, his heart beating nervously in his chest.
"I am sorry." The words were only whispered and Kaoru certainly didn't mean he was sorry that Die had fallen asleep. He wanted to apologize for his rude behavior, for hurting his friend emotionally and for using him in the worst way possible. There were so many things on his mind he wanted to tell the redhead, but as he was now looking into those warm eyes, he couldn't remember how to form words anymore. Kaoru had really fallen for the other man and the magnitude of this realization caused a cocktail of mixed emotions to run through his whole being. It was an overwhelming, for his brains inprocessable, realization and he couldn't help but to be a bit afraid of the consequences.
"It's alright." The redhead's smile faltered a bit, but he still looked the other man honestly in the eye, really meaning what he said. A part of him was certain that he was still asleep, that this was too good to be really happening. It had to be just his imagination.
"No, it isn't." The auburn-haired man shook his head. "But I can't make it undone anymore." He didn't blink, his eyes still fastened on Die's since he was trying to read his emotions. "Please forgive me." If only he had managed to talk to the other man before he had begun to order him to his room every night. Then it would have been more credible when he now told him that he had fallen in love. Like this though, Kaoru didn't dare. First, they had to get everything else straight between them, had to rebuild the trust they had shared when they had been children.
Silently Die nodded, his eyes still on the other man's. He didn't know what to say, didn't even dare to try voice his incoherent thoughts. Besides, he still wasn't sure where this would lead them. He was a slave, and technically he shouldn't even look straight at his master without given permission. Somehow Kaoru's presence calmed him down though, made him relax somewhat and believe that he wouldn't get yelled at a moment later.
Slowly, anxious not to scare the younger man, Kaoru reached out his hand and cupped his cheek, softly caressing it with his thumb. Die's silence caused a twitch in his stomach, because first he thought that this meant he would never forgive him, but then, he understood why the younger man didn't say anything. He was a slave, acting like he was supposed to and probably didn't dare to speak his mind. "It's okay. Just please say something," he begged, unable to bear the silence any longer.
"I - " Die began, falling silent just the very same moment. He cast his eyes to the side, trying to sort out his thoughts. When he looked back at the other man, he was smiling though, looking somehow shy. "I missed you."
"I missed you too," Kaoru breathed out relieved, a melancholy smile appearing on his face. "I missed you so much." It wasn't a lie, because in the first years of his absence, when he had still the strong belief of a child that every person was equal, he had cried a lot at nights, thinking about his best friend who had been so far away. "Die, I-" He couldn't finish the sentence, didn't dare to.
For a moment, the younger man just looked questioningly at his old friend, waiting if he'd go on. When he didn't speak, Die mustered up the courage to break the silence. "How was it? To be there, I mean..."
"Lonely." The young heir's gaze roamed through the room restlessly, trying to remember the emotions he had had while being away from home, from Die. "I only survived the first couple of months because you once told me that I shouldn't be such a sissy." The small, melancholy smile was back and he looked at the other man again. "You know, the more they taught me, the more I saw what your life would be like, and I swore that I would be strong, because you had to suffer more."
"It's not that bad... I'm used to it. And it's my place." Die repeated what he had been taught, still trying to convince himself of it. It was partly true, because most of the time he was okay with his life, knowing that there were so much worse things than being a house-slave. But with each passing day he became a bit more restless, began to see the flaws in the way people lived, and he just couldn't accept that one's destiny, status and whole life, was decided by birth.
Kaoru bit his bottom lip. So they had broken his friend already, had made him accept his fate and do as he was told. Where had the always smiling redheaded boy gone who had had such a strong will? Was he dead or did he still hide somewhere inside this slave who used to be the most important person in Kaoru's life? Suddenly, his eyes caught the mark in the other man's neck, and he touched it gently. "Do you remember how much I wanted one like that too?"
The words made Die smile, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "I remember. I was crying when they did that, and you told me to stop whining since I at least got something cool like that."
"I envied you so much and if the guard hadn't stopped us, we would've gone and made one for me too. I still remember you with the knife and the ink, saying that it would do." The young lord smiled dreamily as he remembered that moment. At a moment's notice, he became serious though. "It's unfair." He meant their current situation, the fact that his best friend and the one he had fallen in love with was a slave and had to do whatever he was told; didn't have a free will of his own.
"That you didn't get one?" The redhead obviously didn't follow the trace of thoughts completely, looking puzzled. He had been still somewhat lost in the memory.
"That you are a slave," Kaoru answered dryly, averting his gaze again.
"Oh." Die nodded slowly. Did that mean that the other man didn't believe in the structure of their society completely? But they were taught that people got what they deserved, and if someone was born a slave it meant that he had done something bad in his former lives. Besides, Die had never heard of anyone of the noble society who didn't believe in that.
All of a sudden, Kaoru became very insecure. It was dangerous to speak about things like that with a slave. What if they had infiltrated Die's mind so much that he would run to his father and tell him that his son violated the goddess' laws? That would certainly lead to some very unpleasant questions or even worse. But he refused to believe that the other man had become a brainless machine who only followed orders. To Kaoru, it came clear that Die probably had reasonable doubts to trust him. Maybe they should first work on this before discussing things which’s mere mentioning could endanger both of their lives. "May I ask you something?" With voicing this question alone, he did something unusual already, if not breaking the law.
It startled younger man, and for a moment he just stared at his counterpart. Slowly he nodded though. "Of course." There was nothing ordinary in the situation, and he had no idea how to react to anything.
The other man swallowed hard, trying to figure out how to put it. "When I was out hunting with my father and Tanaka..." he purposefully avoided to address him as his brother or half-brother, but then didn't know how to go on and just stared at Die for a moment. "I mean when he ordered you to spend the night with him. Did he mention me in any way?"
"Yeah... He said that finally it's his chance." Die swallowed against the lump in his throat, nodding a bit to confirm the words. The remembrance of that night still made an unpleasant shudder run along his spine. "And..." He hesitated, not finishing the sentence.
Kaoru grit his teeth, hatred welling up inside him; pure, burning white hatred. If he hadn't been certain that it'd only cause more troubles he would've gone straight to Tanaka and make him pay for that. Kaoru knew better though and took a few deep breaths to calm down. "Please tell me." His voice was faint and he used his hand which still rested on the other man's waist to pull him closer.
"He said that it'll be fun to find out what makes me so precious that you never share nights with anyone else anymore. And that he'll make sure I'll be of no use at least for the following week." The words just flowed out of the redhead's mouth, because once the barrier was broken he couldn't hold them back any longer.
"I'm so sorry that you had to suffer because of me. I never wanted to get you into troubles. I just-" Kaoru bowed his head, unable to look the other man straight in the eye. "I just wanted to be close to you again."
"It's alright, I can live through it." Die tried to smile soothingly at his friend. A small cheerless laughter escaped him though. "Although he kept his word when it comes to the latter thing."
"He's a jealous piece of scum." Kaoru growled lowly and subconsciously pulled Die a bit closer to himself still as if to show him that he was safe there. "He did that," this time Kaoru looked directly into his friend's eyes, "because he knew that this would seriously hit me." Ashamed, he averted his gaze, adding under his breath: "Maybe I shouldn't have come back."
The redhead closed his eyes for a short moment, trying to calm down. The other man's words caused his heart to beat a bit faster. 'Because he knew this would seriously hit me'... Could those words mean what he thought they meant? "Don't say that." He didn't even realize he was speaking before the words left him, his voice soft and pleading. "It's good to have you here."
"I'm just a huge failure; abandoned my only friend. No, even worse, I abused him, too afraid to just admit that I missed him. On top of that, I disrespect my father and his plans for my future. I'm no good, believe me." Kaoru truly felt this way, because he knew that, with his homecoming, the troubles had begun and it was only a matter of time until his father would find out his true motives for spending every single night with the redheaded slave. Tanaka would make sure that it happened rather sooner than later. And then, Die's life would be in danger, because it was always the slave to be blamed for seducing the master and bewitching his heart. Kaoru would probably only be sent away and lose his hereditary title.
"But you were afraid... and people act irrationally when they're afraid. Don't worry about it, really." Die searched for the other man's gaze, even daring to bring his hand up to touch his cheek. "I'm fine. Don't blame yourself." He couldn't deny that the way Kaoru had treated him had hurt him badly. At that moment though nothing else mattered but to make him feel better again, to soothe him.
Overwhelmed by the confusing mixture of emotions inside him, Kaoru practically launched forward and pressed his lips on Die's in a desperate kiss. Only when he felt those warm, soft lips on his own, he suddenly became afraid that Die could think that he was again taking advantage of him. So he quickly withdrew, averting his gaze. "Sorry."
"Don't be." The redhead smiled, this time honestly which was shown in the small sparkle in his eyes. He didn't completely know why, but the short kiss had raised this certain happiness in him. It was something special, something that was usually forbidden even.
"Thank you." An small smile appeared on the young heir's lips and he closed his eyes for a moment, trying to savor the unknown pleasant sensation which was lingering in his stomach. Then, he noticed that it was quite late already and he knew it would mean trouble for the redhead if he didn't leave right away and attend his duties. "I think you will have to go now..." One could clearly hear the disappointment in his voice as he would've just wanted to stay there together with the other man and pretend that they were the only people on the planet.
"I know." Reluctantly, Die detached from the embrace, his movements slow as he withdrew further. He slipped into his clothes, without looking at the other man, before turning his eyes on him. He didn't know what to say, and thus simply smiled at him. He needed to run though, or otherwise he'd be in serious troubles.
Before he could slip though the door, Kaoru held him back, lifting his arm. "Die?" He smiled insecurely. "Would you join me again tonight?" It was new to him to feel uncertain, because he was used to just take what he wanted. But it wasn't completely unpleasant, this new feeling which became stronger with every moment they spent together.
"Alright." The redhead nodded instantly, smiling. It was weird to be asked, since normally he only got ordered around, nobody ever asking him what he thought or wanted. It made him feel nice, somehow weird in a good way.
Once the redhead was gone, Kaoru sat up in his bed and thought about a believable explanation for his father why he wanted only Die to serve him at nights. Maybe it would be sufficient to say that he had taught the slave how he liked it best and that he just didn't want to exchange him in the near future. He remembered that his father, after he had abandoned Tanaka's mother, had had a certain fondness for a young slave boy for some time. So he decided to try it that way, got dressed and went out to search for the lord who was probably thanking the goddess at this time of the day. This would be the best moment to talk to him as his father was usually relaxed and calm then.
Meanwhile, Die headed to the kitchen, knowing he had to be there to help with setting breakfast. He wasn't even considerably late, and only received a dark glance from the head servant. He couldn't hide his good mood though, his smile a bit wider than usually and his eyes sparkling. Somehow it felt enormously good to know that there still was something special between him and the young master, that not everything had just died. He was somewhat nervous though, especially when his mother approached him, curious why he was in such a good mood.
She had been worried, because the lord's youngest son had been so rough on him and still he had been ordered to spend the night with the heir the night after. "Daisuke," she smiled insecurely, "you feel good?" She didn't understand why her son was in such a good mood, easily doing his work while she thought he would be aching all over.
"A bit sore." Die admitted with a smile although it was obvious that his mother knew that much already. "But nothing I can't deal with." He shrugged, trying to look casual while his heart was beating frantically, because he was nervous of what his mother might ask.
"Only a bit?" She tilted her head, inquiring him with her glance. Then suddenly, she grabbed his arm and pulled him a aside. "What happened last night? I brought you some of the salve, because I thought after two rough nights, you'd be seriously hurt," she whispered. "And why are you in such a good mood?"
"Well, last night wasn't exactly rough..." The redhead averted his gaze, chewing on his bottom lip nervously. "But thanks still. The salve will come in handy."
"Just take good care of yourself and don't cause any troubles," the woman admonished him before she squeezed his forearm gently and then attended her duties.
In the meantime, Kaoru had found his father in the temple. The lord was standing in front of the huge stone which symbolized the goddess, and seemed to be lost in thoughts. Kaoru watched him for a while, waiting for the perfect moment to catch up with the older man before he went to breakfast.
It took some time as the lord was totally lost in his thoughts, but finally he turned around, a bright smile instantly appearing on his face when he spotted his son. "Kaoru! Having a bit of fresh air before breakfast?"
"Yeah." The young man nodded, smiling back. "I slept well and am perfectly rested, so I thought about thanking the goddess before breakfast."
"That's a good habit," the older man stepped closer, resting his hand on his son's shoulder. "She's what guarantees peace and order in our world, so we must be thankful for her."
"I know, father." Kaoru tried not to show that deep inside he thought this whole goddess-worshipping went a bit too far in this country. He had always thought so though and knew that some young men shared this opinion. "We don't want to draw her eternal wrath on us and make us slaves in our next lives, do we?"
"Of course not. We shouldn't risk becoming a part of the scum." It was clearly visible in the old man's features what he thought about slaves in general. He had believed in this his whole life, and there was nothing that would change his mind.
Kaoru ignored the comment, knowing that it was futile to discuss basic things like that. "That's right. But father, speaking of it. May I ask you something?" Better over with it soon, he thought and so went straight to the point.
"Of course, son." The man turned to look the younger one in the eye. "Just out with it."
Kaoru nodded, taking a deep breath. "You probably noticed that I spent the last nights with Daisuke, the redhead." He waited for his father to nod and then went on. "Well, I taught him well and now he knows how things work. But when we were out hunting, Tanaka used him and now he's spoiled again. See, I enjoy it when I don't have to give orders all the time but when the slave just functions." He deliberately talked like that, objective and in a business-like tone because it wouldn't have made sense to tell his father that he certainly didn't want his brother to hurt his slave and with it make him unusable for a couple of days.
A small frown appeared on the lord's forehead. "I see. Then tell Tanaka to use someone else." He patted his son's shoulder, smirking at him. "I know what you mean. I never want to share my current favourite either. And you picked well, the redhead has the looks."
"And the body." Kaoru nodded, hiding his relief well. "So you allow me to tell he's only for me? I thank you father. That's very generous of you."
"Of course. We have plenty of slaves, and since you had your eyes on him first you can have him." The man nodded. "Your brother never showed any interest in him before either."
"Thank you father." Kaoru couldn't hide a wide, relieved smile. "You know, our slaves are much better than uncle's." He followed the older man outside the temple. The air was still fresh and clear, although it was certain that the sun would soon be burning hot again.
"Everything is better here." The lord winked, stopping on his tracks for a moment. "And it's good to have you back home."
Kaoru wasn't so sure about the latter, but he smiled at his father and nodded. "I'm glad to be back too. I missed things here."
"I know how it is to miss home. I was sent away to study as a young boy too." The lord began a long explanation of it while they were strolling back towards the castle, intending on getting some breakfast. His son listened patiently, only nodding or adding an agreeing sound here and there. In reality, he was searching for Die with his eyes, hoping to spot the redhead somewhere. After the last night, he had come clear that he would do anything to rebuild the trust between them and then, when the time had come, he would confess that he had fallen in love.
As usual, Die was there to see that everyone had enough food and enough to drink, carrying trays from the kitchen and serving the people around the table. As there were several slaves to help, he happened to drift to the other end of the table, further from Kaoru, but couldn't help to cast a glance at him every now and then.
When Kaoru spotted him, his smile widened a bit and he inwardly thought that, if things went according to his plan, he could once convince his father to give the redhead to him as a personal slave. After all, he would inherit everything once anyways and it wasn't very uncommon for fathers to give their sons a couple of slaves after reaching a certain rank. With this thought, he sat down next to the lord and began to eat hungrily.
Somehow the happenings of the past night was like a new beginning for them, as if they had waken up from a nightmare and things would turn out fine from then on.
Author:
seinen_no and fonulynRating: NC17
Pairing: Die and Kaoru
Disclaimer: We own no one, only our dirty imaginations.
Summary: As children the son of the Lord and the slave-boy were best of friends and the most important persons in each other’s lives. That was torn apart when the son of the Lord was sent away to get his education, and the boys were denied every form of keeping in contact. What happens when they meet again after all those years, now grown to be gorgeous young men, both bound by their place in the society?
Comments:
seinen_no: We're back^^ Okay, I admit things go quickly and we might have missed to stretch the emotional development further to make it more believable, but you know us, we can't wait x) Let me tell you all that I was pleasantly surprised about all your nice comments and that you indeed are interested in the story. As I said before, it's very dear to us (well okay, every story is, but with this one, I had my doubts if it's 'public' material) and thus it made me really happy. I hope this chapter won't disappoint you either!
fonulyn: As said above, the emotional development maybe is a tad bit too fast in the fic but we wrote it in a rush (not like anyone was hurrying us but like we were writing like in trance without thinking much in advance XD) so we might've overlooked something. BUT I don't really mind and when I re-read the thing I decided not to do anything to it. I hope that you will enjoy reading it too and that the second chapter pleases you^^ And feel free to add our journal if you like the stories!
Plus, the archive .
Previously happened: Part 1
Chapter 2
Despite everything things seemed to be completely normal when the morning came. Both, Die and Kaoru acted totally normal, just like they were supposed to, and if one didn't know to look for something it would've passed by totally unnoticed that anything had happened. Something had changed though and it was visible in their tired expressions, in the lack of the sparkle in the redhead's eyes.
Although he didn't fully understand the reason why, Kaoru kept on greedily demanding Die's presence at night. A part of him was still hoping that they would be able to forget their bad beginning and at least talk about the past decently. Yet, nothing like that happened. They didn't talk more than needed, the lord's son only claiming Die's body as his own but never really getting what he was seeking, a piece of his heart and soul. Anyways, at least he could make sure that nobody could lay hands on the other man and touch his perfect soft skin, smell his sweet scent. It was better than nothing, he kept on telling himself.
Somehow Die had managed to numb himself as much as possible, just shutting everything out of his mind during those nights. He was still utterly disappointed that the friendship that had been between them, seemingly had just died and there was nothing left of the feelings. Still he was too afraid to do anything, to say anything. What else would he accomplish with it but to get his suspicions confirmed? He simply didn't want to hear Kaoru say that it had been just the pathetic, empty promises of a child.
Unnoticed by either of them, Tanaka was watching his brother and the redheaded slave. He didn't notice any of the mixed emotions between them, only saw how his brother spent every night with the other man, his childhood friend. Towards Kaoru, he acted as if nothing had happened though, tried to keep his disdain for him down until the perfect opportunity appeared to hit his brother where it hurt.
First he only tried to see if there was one night when Kaoru didn't want Die to be with him, and thought he'd grab the opportunity once given. It began to look like the chance would never come until their father surprisingly announced that he would go hunting together with his eldest son and would stay away over night. That was the moment where Tanaka sensed his chances.
A huge part of Kaoru was glad to get out of the palace once again, to ride on horseback and enjoy the nature of his home country. Besides, he had always liked hunting, loved the skill it demanded, just prey and man. But then suddenly, he realized that this would mean to leave Die alone, to be unable to see him that night. Although there obviously weren't any feelings between them, he still didn't want to leave the redheaded slave to anybody else. However, of course he rode out with his father, accompanied by Tanaka's best wishes. That fact alone should've raised Kaoru's suspicions, but the joy that his half brother was finally friendly towards him drowned out every reasonable doubt.
Die had almost dared to hope that he could sleep one night in his own bed and try to sort out the mess inside his head. But as soon as the hunters were gone, Tanaka sent for him, saying he wanted to see him immediately. Tanaka was left in charge while his father and brother were away, and naturally his every wish was fulfilled. He enjoyed the power he had, determined to use it to hurt his older brother as much as possible.
The long ride and the fresh air cleared the mists in Kaoru's head and for the first time, he saw the answer to his question. He had just begun everything the wrong way and made up his mind to talk to Die once he was back. Not only to apologize for his ruthless behaviour but to really talk to him about what had happened in the past ten years, to tell him how much he had missed him and how disappointed he was about the turn things had taken. Once he had come clear about that, his mood brightened and he managed to enjoy the forest and finally the hunt, oblivious towards what his friend had to endure while he was gone.
Die had learned to deal with everything his duties included, sharing a bed with someone as a part of those. He just locked himself away from the situation, pretending he wasn't even there and allowing the other man to do whatever he wished. But now that he had spent so many nights only with Kaoru, it was hard for him to go to someone else's room in the evening. No matter how emotionless the things they had shared had been, he still had been there with his old friend, and in the few fleeting moments he spent there afterwards he could pretend everything was fine between them again.
That night, when Kaoru was curled up in his blanket beside the fire after a successful hunt, he stared into the flames, hypnotized by their enchanting light-play. A smile formed on his lips when he remembered something from his childhood. One day, his father had decided that he was old enough to sleep alone in his room, but the young boy had been afraid to stay there alone, fearing the creepy shadows of the darkness.
"Die, I don't wanna sleep there. The room is huge and the carvings on the ceiling show creepy figures," the slightly older boy gave away, looking at his friend with huge eyes.
They were sitting in the yard and Die instantly turned his attention away from the sky he had observed until then, to look at his friend. "But it's just shadows there, nothing to be afraid of." He smiled, that honest smile of his. Although in reality he wasn't so sure if he could've slept in that room alone himself either.
"But the wood is creaking and the wind howls. I'm sure it's haunted." The other boy nodded convinced. "The wing of the house is godforsaken and it's only me there. I will never be able to close an eye."
"I'll come there with you." The redhead spoke without thinking, just trying to make his friend feel better. "Nothing can harm us if we're both there."
"Really?" Kaoru sounded relieved and was smiling again instantly. "If we're together, the ghosts will stay away."
Back then, it mightn't have been a big deal, but now that the young man thought back at this incident, he clearly remembered how they had slept under the same blanket, clinging to each other because both of them had been equally afraid of the creepy dark room.
The next day Kaoru's father wasn't very lucky with hunting, and instantly became grumpy about it. So they all ended up leaving back home rather early. Tanaka was awaiting them in the yard already, something in his self-pleased content smile striking Kaoru as odd when he looked straight at his brother. Tanaka took the reins of Kaoru's horse in the pretence to help him dismount, but something sent a cold shiver down the older son's spine and made his hackles curl. Still, he didn't show it and got off his horse, a smile on his lips. "We've been quite successful yesterday, but since father was unlucky today, he decided to come home. Kept a good eye on the palace?" he asked casually, took the reins out of his brother's hands and led the horse down the track until a servant took care of it.
"I took good care of everything." The pleased smile was still like glued to the younger brother's lips, as he stressed the last word unnecessarily much.
It again caused an unpleasant twitch in Kaoru's stomach, but he only nodded, seemingly ignoring the teasing undertone. "That's good." He didn't look the other man in the face, but gazed futher ahead, searching for a sign of the redhead somewhere. It wasn't very likely for Die to be outside though, because his duties were to help in the household. Still, Kaoru would have wanted to talk to the other man straight away and get things clear between them.
"Looking for the redheaded slave?" Tanaka smirked knowingly, shifting so that he was standing a bit closer to his brother, keeping an eye on his expression. "It might be that he won't be usable for the next few nights."
Kaoru inhaled with a sharp, hissing noise, but otherwise managed to get his expression under control. "That's his problem. I want him tonight," he growled and quickened his steps. His heart had begun to beat frantically and now he wanted to see Die even more urgently than just a second ago. Dinner was over anyways and his father had told everybody he would go to his room, still too frustrated that he hadn't shot the impressive deer in the morning. So once they were standing in the huge entrance hall, Kaoru beckoned a servant to send for Die.
When the servant informed Die of what he was expected to do, he instantly dragged himself to Kaoru's room. He was truly aching, couldn't even remember when someone had last been as rough on him as Tanaka the previous night. But he tried to just look as casual and normal as possible, waiting patiently for the young master to arrive.
When Kaoru stepped into his chamber, the other man was already undressed and lay on his bed, just like he had ordered him to do all the other nights. Somehow, everything Kaoru would have wanted to tell him had vanished from his mind and he could only stare at the vulnerable figure in front of him. The redhead didn't even dare to look straight at the other man and kept his eyes cast somewhere to the side. He felt so tired, and wished Kaoru would just get over with whatever he wanted and let him go and sleep then. He hadn't been able to sleep the previous night at all, and it was adding up to his miserable state.
Kaoru saw the bruises on Die's hips, saw the traces of his brother's roughness on his legs. It caused his throat to dry up and hatred well in his heart because he knew this hadn't been about satisfying needs, this had been about hitting him where it hurt and he had to admit that Tanaka had found his soft spot. Silently, he put out the lights and crawled into bed. Yet instead of urging Die to lie down on his back or ordering him on his fours, he simply curled up against his back closely, wrapping one arm around his waist; just holding him.
Die flinched at first, his whole being stiffening when he felt the other man's body pressing against his. What was this? He hadn't expected anything like it, not even close, and he was taken completely by surprise. But as Kaoru made no move to do anything else, only kept him close he slowly began to relax in the embrace, even enjoying the way he was held, the way they were just silently sharing the warmth. For the first time in days an honest smile appeared on his lips, and when he closed his eyes, something much like contentment came to life somewhere inside of him.
Kaoru's heart was beating fast and it took long before it came back to normal and he realized that Die wouldn't pull away. Somehow he had expected that since everything he had done before had caused the other man to become tense, the look in his eyes emotionless. But when he felt Die relax, he was able to enjoy the closeness as well, this moment being more intimate than their previous encounters. The younger man couldn't even believe this was really happening, fearing that any moment the young master would just go back to the patterns they had repeated before. When nothing happened though, he was beginning to pleasantly drift off, the tiredness overcoming him.
For the first time, Kaoru got a grip on the feeling the reunion with the other man had evoked in him and he found a word for it. Love. Maybe he had loved Die as a friend when they had been young, but now he loved him as a man, including the certain tickling feeling in his stomach and the spinning of his head when he only thought about him. That was the only explanation why the mere thought of other men touching the redhead had infuriated him so much. But it was forbidden by the goddess; by the law even. Noble men and slaves weren't supposed to share feelings, could never live beside each other as equals.
For this night, Kaoru didn't allow those thoughts to darken his mood though and he only enjoyed the wonderful sensations the realization made course through him. When he was sure that Die was fast asleep, he pulled him even closer against his chest, planting a soft kiss between his shoulder blades.
It had been long since Die had slept this well, without any disturbing dreams haunting his sleep, without waking up in the middle of the night due to a nightmare he couldn't even remember anymore when he woke up. Although he was asleep it seemed that his subconsciousness was still aware of the closeness. Somewhere in the middle of the night he turned around in his sleep, only to snuggle up closer against the warm body beside him.
When the first warm rays of the sun were peeking into the room, Kaoru awoke from the most pleasant dreams he had had in ages. He blinked a couple of times to focus his gaze, but what he saw instantly elicited a warm smile on his lips. Die's head was resting on his chest, his arm fastened tightly around his shoulders as his own was wrapped around the other man's waist. Their legs were entangled so much that it seemed impossible to tell which belonged to whom.
As if sensing that the other man was awake, it didn't take long before the redhead stirred slightly, blinking tiredly. He still looked more asleep than awake when he tried to focus his gaze and realize where he was. When his eyes fell on Kaoru's face he flinched a bit though, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Don't." The other man's voice was raspy due to the lack of use. "I won't hurt you." Actually those hadn't been the first words he had had in mind to tell Die, but he was afraid that the redhead could just leave him like he had done after having sex.
It made Die smile slightly, although there was insecurity laced in his gaze still. "I fell asleep." It was a dumb thing to say, and he knew it instantly after the words had left his mouth, but somehow he couldn't come up with anything more decent to say, his heart beating nervously in his chest.
"I am sorry." The words were only whispered and Kaoru certainly didn't mean he was sorry that Die had fallen asleep. He wanted to apologize for his rude behavior, for hurting his friend emotionally and for using him in the worst way possible. There were so many things on his mind he wanted to tell the redhead, but as he was now looking into those warm eyes, he couldn't remember how to form words anymore. Kaoru had really fallen for the other man and the magnitude of this realization caused a cocktail of mixed emotions to run through his whole being. It was an overwhelming, for his brains inprocessable, realization and he couldn't help but to be a bit afraid of the consequences.
"It's alright." The redhead's smile faltered a bit, but he still looked the other man honestly in the eye, really meaning what he said. A part of him was certain that he was still asleep, that this was too good to be really happening. It had to be just his imagination.
"No, it isn't." The auburn-haired man shook his head. "But I can't make it undone anymore." He didn't blink, his eyes still fastened on Die's since he was trying to read his emotions. "Please forgive me." If only he had managed to talk to the other man before he had begun to order him to his room every night. Then it would have been more credible when he now told him that he had fallen in love. Like this though, Kaoru didn't dare. First, they had to get everything else straight between them, had to rebuild the trust they had shared when they had been children.
Silently Die nodded, his eyes still on the other man's. He didn't know what to say, didn't even dare to try voice his incoherent thoughts. Besides, he still wasn't sure where this would lead them. He was a slave, and technically he shouldn't even look straight at his master without given permission. Somehow Kaoru's presence calmed him down though, made him relax somewhat and believe that he wouldn't get yelled at a moment later.
Slowly, anxious not to scare the younger man, Kaoru reached out his hand and cupped his cheek, softly caressing it with his thumb. Die's silence caused a twitch in his stomach, because first he thought that this meant he would never forgive him, but then, he understood why the younger man didn't say anything. He was a slave, acting like he was supposed to and probably didn't dare to speak his mind. "It's okay. Just please say something," he begged, unable to bear the silence any longer.
"I - " Die began, falling silent just the very same moment. He cast his eyes to the side, trying to sort out his thoughts. When he looked back at the other man, he was smiling though, looking somehow shy. "I missed you."
"I missed you too," Kaoru breathed out relieved, a melancholy smile appearing on his face. "I missed you so much." It wasn't a lie, because in the first years of his absence, when he had still the strong belief of a child that every person was equal, he had cried a lot at nights, thinking about his best friend who had been so far away. "Die, I-" He couldn't finish the sentence, didn't dare to.
For a moment, the younger man just looked questioningly at his old friend, waiting if he'd go on. When he didn't speak, Die mustered up the courage to break the silence. "How was it? To be there, I mean..."
"Lonely." The young heir's gaze roamed through the room restlessly, trying to remember the emotions he had had while being away from home, from Die. "I only survived the first couple of months because you once told me that I shouldn't be such a sissy." The small, melancholy smile was back and he looked at the other man again. "You know, the more they taught me, the more I saw what your life would be like, and I swore that I would be strong, because you had to suffer more."
"It's not that bad... I'm used to it. And it's my place." Die repeated what he had been taught, still trying to convince himself of it. It was partly true, because most of the time he was okay with his life, knowing that there were so much worse things than being a house-slave. But with each passing day he became a bit more restless, began to see the flaws in the way people lived, and he just couldn't accept that one's destiny, status and whole life, was decided by birth.
Kaoru bit his bottom lip. So they had broken his friend already, had made him accept his fate and do as he was told. Where had the always smiling redheaded boy gone who had had such a strong will? Was he dead or did he still hide somewhere inside this slave who used to be the most important person in Kaoru's life? Suddenly, his eyes caught the mark in the other man's neck, and he touched it gently. "Do you remember how much I wanted one like that too?"
The words made Die smile, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "I remember. I was crying when they did that, and you told me to stop whining since I at least got something cool like that."
"I envied you so much and if the guard hadn't stopped us, we would've gone and made one for me too. I still remember you with the knife and the ink, saying that it would do." The young lord smiled dreamily as he remembered that moment. At a moment's notice, he became serious though. "It's unfair." He meant their current situation, the fact that his best friend and the one he had fallen in love with was a slave and had to do whatever he was told; didn't have a free will of his own.
"That you didn't get one?" The redhead obviously didn't follow the trace of thoughts completely, looking puzzled. He had been still somewhat lost in the memory.
"That you are a slave," Kaoru answered dryly, averting his gaze again.
"Oh." Die nodded slowly. Did that mean that the other man didn't believe in the structure of their society completely? But they were taught that people got what they deserved, and if someone was born a slave it meant that he had done something bad in his former lives. Besides, Die had never heard of anyone of the noble society who didn't believe in that.
All of a sudden, Kaoru became very insecure. It was dangerous to speak about things like that with a slave. What if they had infiltrated Die's mind so much that he would run to his father and tell him that his son violated the goddess' laws? That would certainly lead to some very unpleasant questions or even worse. But he refused to believe that the other man had become a brainless machine who only followed orders. To Kaoru, it came clear that Die probably had reasonable doubts to trust him. Maybe they should first work on this before discussing things which’s mere mentioning could endanger both of their lives. "May I ask you something?" With voicing this question alone, he did something unusual already, if not breaking the law.
It startled younger man, and for a moment he just stared at his counterpart. Slowly he nodded though. "Of course." There was nothing ordinary in the situation, and he had no idea how to react to anything.
The other man swallowed hard, trying to figure out how to put it. "When I was out hunting with my father and Tanaka..." he purposefully avoided to address him as his brother or half-brother, but then didn't know how to go on and just stared at Die for a moment. "I mean when he ordered you to spend the night with him. Did he mention me in any way?"
"Yeah... He said that finally it's his chance." Die swallowed against the lump in his throat, nodding a bit to confirm the words. The remembrance of that night still made an unpleasant shudder run along his spine. "And..." He hesitated, not finishing the sentence.
Kaoru grit his teeth, hatred welling up inside him; pure, burning white hatred. If he hadn't been certain that it'd only cause more troubles he would've gone straight to Tanaka and make him pay for that. Kaoru knew better though and took a few deep breaths to calm down. "Please tell me." His voice was faint and he used his hand which still rested on the other man's waist to pull him closer.
"He said that it'll be fun to find out what makes me so precious that you never share nights with anyone else anymore. And that he'll make sure I'll be of no use at least for the following week." The words just flowed out of the redhead's mouth, because once the barrier was broken he couldn't hold them back any longer.
"I'm so sorry that you had to suffer because of me. I never wanted to get you into troubles. I just-" Kaoru bowed his head, unable to look the other man straight in the eye. "I just wanted to be close to you again."
"It's alright, I can live through it." Die tried to smile soothingly at his friend. A small cheerless laughter escaped him though. "Although he kept his word when it comes to the latter thing."
"He's a jealous piece of scum." Kaoru growled lowly and subconsciously pulled Die a bit closer to himself still as if to show him that he was safe there. "He did that," this time Kaoru looked directly into his friend's eyes, "because he knew that this would seriously hit me." Ashamed, he averted his gaze, adding under his breath: "Maybe I shouldn't have come back."
The redhead closed his eyes for a short moment, trying to calm down. The other man's words caused his heart to beat a bit faster. 'Because he knew this would seriously hit me'... Could those words mean what he thought they meant? "Don't say that." He didn't even realize he was speaking before the words left him, his voice soft and pleading. "It's good to have you here."
"I'm just a huge failure; abandoned my only friend. No, even worse, I abused him, too afraid to just admit that I missed him. On top of that, I disrespect my father and his plans for my future. I'm no good, believe me." Kaoru truly felt this way, because he knew that, with his homecoming, the troubles had begun and it was only a matter of time until his father would find out his true motives for spending every single night with the redheaded slave. Tanaka would make sure that it happened rather sooner than later. And then, Die's life would be in danger, because it was always the slave to be blamed for seducing the master and bewitching his heart. Kaoru would probably only be sent away and lose his hereditary title.
"But you were afraid... and people act irrationally when they're afraid. Don't worry about it, really." Die searched for the other man's gaze, even daring to bring his hand up to touch his cheek. "I'm fine. Don't blame yourself." He couldn't deny that the way Kaoru had treated him had hurt him badly. At that moment though nothing else mattered but to make him feel better again, to soothe him.
Overwhelmed by the confusing mixture of emotions inside him, Kaoru practically launched forward and pressed his lips on Die's in a desperate kiss. Only when he felt those warm, soft lips on his own, he suddenly became afraid that Die could think that he was again taking advantage of him. So he quickly withdrew, averting his gaze. "Sorry."
"Don't be." The redhead smiled, this time honestly which was shown in the small sparkle in his eyes. He didn't completely know why, but the short kiss had raised this certain happiness in him. It was something special, something that was usually forbidden even.
"Thank you." An small smile appeared on the young heir's lips and he closed his eyes for a moment, trying to savor the unknown pleasant sensation which was lingering in his stomach. Then, he noticed that it was quite late already and he knew it would mean trouble for the redhead if he didn't leave right away and attend his duties. "I think you will have to go now..." One could clearly hear the disappointment in his voice as he would've just wanted to stay there together with the other man and pretend that they were the only people on the planet.
"I know." Reluctantly, Die detached from the embrace, his movements slow as he withdrew further. He slipped into his clothes, without looking at the other man, before turning his eyes on him. He didn't know what to say, and thus simply smiled at him. He needed to run though, or otherwise he'd be in serious troubles.
Before he could slip though the door, Kaoru held him back, lifting his arm. "Die?" He smiled insecurely. "Would you join me again tonight?" It was new to him to feel uncertain, because he was used to just take what he wanted. But it wasn't completely unpleasant, this new feeling which became stronger with every moment they spent together.
"Alright." The redhead nodded instantly, smiling. It was weird to be asked, since normally he only got ordered around, nobody ever asking him what he thought or wanted. It made him feel nice, somehow weird in a good way.
Once the redhead was gone, Kaoru sat up in his bed and thought about a believable explanation for his father why he wanted only Die to serve him at nights. Maybe it would be sufficient to say that he had taught the slave how he liked it best and that he just didn't want to exchange him in the near future. He remembered that his father, after he had abandoned Tanaka's mother, had had a certain fondness for a young slave boy for some time. So he decided to try it that way, got dressed and went out to search for the lord who was probably thanking the goddess at this time of the day. This would be the best moment to talk to him as his father was usually relaxed and calm then.
Meanwhile, Die headed to the kitchen, knowing he had to be there to help with setting breakfast. He wasn't even considerably late, and only received a dark glance from the head servant. He couldn't hide his good mood though, his smile a bit wider than usually and his eyes sparkling. Somehow it felt enormously good to know that there still was something special between him and the young master, that not everything had just died. He was somewhat nervous though, especially when his mother approached him, curious why he was in such a good mood.
She had been worried, because the lord's youngest son had been so rough on him and still he had been ordered to spend the night with the heir the night after. "Daisuke," she smiled insecurely, "you feel good?" She didn't understand why her son was in such a good mood, easily doing his work while she thought he would be aching all over.
"A bit sore." Die admitted with a smile although it was obvious that his mother knew that much already. "But nothing I can't deal with." He shrugged, trying to look casual while his heart was beating frantically, because he was nervous of what his mother might ask.
"Only a bit?" She tilted her head, inquiring him with her glance. Then suddenly, she grabbed his arm and pulled him a aside. "What happened last night? I brought you some of the salve, because I thought after two rough nights, you'd be seriously hurt," she whispered. "And why are you in such a good mood?"
"Well, last night wasn't exactly rough..." The redhead averted his gaze, chewing on his bottom lip nervously. "But thanks still. The salve will come in handy."
"Just take good care of yourself and don't cause any troubles," the woman admonished him before she squeezed his forearm gently and then attended her duties.
In the meantime, Kaoru had found his father in the temple. The lord was standing in front of the huge stone which symbolized the goddess, and seemed to be lost in thoughts. Kaoru watched him for a while, waiting for the perfect moment to catch up with the older man before he went to breakfast.
It took some time as the lord was totally lost in his thoughts, but finally he turned around, a bright smile instantly appearing on his face when he spotted his son. "Kaoru! Having a bit of fresh air before breakfast?"
"Yeah." The young man nodded, smiling back. "I slept well and am perfectly rested, so I thought about thanking the goddess before breakfast."
"That's a good habit," the older man stepped closer, resting his hand on his son's shoulder. "She's what guarantees peace and order in our world, so we must be thankful for her."
"I know, father." Kaoru tried not to show that deep inside he thought this whole goddess-worshipping went a bit too far in this country. He had always thought so though and knew that some young men shared this opinion. "We don't want to draw her eternal wrath on us and make us slaves in our next lives, do we?"
"Of course not. We shouldn't risk becoming a part of the scum." It was clearly visible in the old man's features what he thought about slaves in general. He had believed in this his whole life, and there was nothing that would change his mind.
Kaoru ignored the comment, knowing that it was futile to discuss basic things like that. "That's right. But father, speaking of it. May I ask you something?" Better over with it soon, he thought and so went straight to the point.
"Of course, son." The man turned to look the younger one in the eye. "Just out with it."
Kaoru nodded, taking a deep breath. "You probably noticed that I spent the last nights with Daisuke, the redhead." He waited for his father to nod and then went on. "Well, I taught him well and now he knows how things work. But when we were out hunting, Tanaka used him and now he's spoiled again. See, I enjoy it when I don't have to give orders all the time but when the slave just functions." He deliberately talked like that, objective and in a business-like tone because it wouldn't have made sense to tell his father that he certainly didn't want his brother to hurt his slave and with it make him unusable for a couple of days.
A small frown appeared on the lord's forehead. "I see. Then tell Tanaka to use someone else." He patted his son's shoulder, smirking at him. "I know what you mean. I never want to share my current favourite either. And you picked well, the redhead has the looks."
"And the body." Kaoru nodded, hiding his relief well. "So you allow me to tell he's only for me? I thank you father. That's very generous of you."
"Of course. We have plenty of slaves, and since you had your eyes on him first you can have him." The man nodded. "Your brother never showed any interest in him before either."
"Thank you father." Kaoru couldn't hide a wide, relieved smile. "You know, our slaves are much better than uncle's." He followed the older man outside the temple. The air was still fresh and clear, although it was certain that the sun would soon be burning hot again.
"Everything is better here." The lord winked, stopping on his tracks for a moment. "And it's good to have you back home."
Kaoru wasn't so sure about the latter, but he smiled at his father and nodded. "I'm glad to be back too. I missed things here."
"I know how it is to miss home. I was sent away to study as a young boy too." The lord began a long explanation of it while they were strolling back towards the castle, intending on getting some breakfast. His son listened patiently, only nodding or adding an agreeing sound here and there. In reality, he was searching for Die with his eyes, hoping to spot the redhead somewhere. After the last night, he had come clear that he would do anything to rebuild the trust between them and then, when the time had come, he would confess that he had fallen in love.
As usual, Die was there to see that everyone had enough food and enough to drink, carrying trays from the kitchen and serving the people around the table. As there were several slaves to help, he happened to drift to the other end of the table, further from Kaoru, but couldn't help to cast a glance at him every now and then.
When Kaoru spotted him, his smile widened a bit and he inwardly thought that, if things went according to his plan, he could once convince his father to give the redhead to him as a personal slave. After all, he would inherit everything once anyways and it wasn't very uncommon for fathers to give their sons a couple of slaves after reaching a certain rank. With this thought, he sat down next to the lord and began to eat hungrily.
Somehow the happenings of the past night was like a new beginning for them, as if they had waken up from a nightmare and things would turn out fine from then on.
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I really like it when a fic makes me visualize things^^ But then again, if there's too much descriptions then it leaves no room for the reader's imagination and I dunno if it's a good thing either XD *senseless babbling*
Kao is teh man 8D And no one likes Tanaka anyways XD
Thank you for reading, and for dropping a comment!^^