krystalkatzficz | The Tattoo chapter forty

The room that Yoshida led them to was three times bigger than the one in the inn but it was cold and dusty and the only place that he and Ohno would be able to sleep in any comfort was by the fire and that would make it no better than the inn. At that moment the prince was in the bathing house and Nino was trying to work out how he should sleep. He normally slept nude but he didn’t think that it would be fair for Ohno to see him that way but if he wore something that was restrictive it would stifle him and he would be even less likely to find peace in his dreams.
Playing over his dilemma in his mind he looked down at the sleeping roll that Ohno had claimed. It was further from the fire and nearer to the all piles of dust that clung to the floor and Nino was moved by his consideration. On the bed were the prince's weapons, they were amazingly made and well taken care of, the polished wood shiny in the light of the oil lamps that surrounded the room.

Casting a quick look at door and finding it still empty Nino knelt down and let his fingers carefully stroke the wood of the outer casing before pulling the blade out. Even to Nino, who barely used blades of any type, the blade of Ohno's katana was beautiful. The metal was so carefully tended that it sang almost like a bird as it cut through the air and was almost blue in colour. Masayuki had told him during that one day they were together that a smith was only ever able to achieve that look in the steal if it was folded countless times over what was required for a serviceable blade.

Few people were able to play with the metal for that long and have it hold it's strength and durability, Masayuki himself had only managed to make one set in his life that he was proud of, making them the most costly but effective of weapons. Anyone that could have a weapon that finally made treasured it and Nino could see that the prince did.

Carefully running his fingers down the blade it could tell that it was oiled and polished as finely as the scabbard and, to his amazement, there was the etching of a dragon that appeared to be shimmering with a deeper blue running up the blade and at the top, right beside the clawed hand of the dragon, was a flower. A jasmine, Nino realised quickly as his finger moved over it, like his sister. He picked up the hamidashi and removed that too from its scabbard noticing that the etching was there too exactly the same but in smaller detail.

"Do my weapons please you, my tiger?" Ohno's amused voice sounded out around the room and Nino felt his heart stop inside his chest his tongue running nervously across suddenly dry lips.

"I apologise, my lord, I noticed their beauty and...I...I couldn't help but see that they have the emblem of a dragon...is that in reference to your tattoo..?" Nino asked with a nervous jolt as he quickly placed the katana and hamidashi down again a hot burning flush creeping up into his cheeks as he stood and turned to look at the lord his blush getting deeper and hotter when he saw the man was bare from the waist up his hair loose around his shoulders. Ohno noticed his reaction and smiled a little his eyes flashing playfully moving closer to him all seeming to flex his muscles as he did so causing the candle light to play on his skin.

"Yes, I had them forged by the finest smith there was and then I made the etchings because of this..." Ohno nodded as soon as he was only a foot away his fingers lazily stroking the black tattoo on his hip “The person that gave this deemed it as an insult, a way to show that he had beaten me in combat...I turned it into something else...Something more threatening…the flower I added for my sister, so that I would always know the reason that I fight..."

"They are truly beautiful and your story of the etching is something that I can relate to...." Nino admitted slowly taking a step backwards trying to fight his racing heartbeat needing to regain control over the situation and he couldn’t do that when he could feel the heat rolling off of the prince’s body and breathe in his amazing scent. Ohno let out a chuckle nodding as he bent down and slid his blades home with a swishing of metal.

"Yes I can understand that with the mark on your back...It gives us the drive to know that although we were beaten we survived to grow stronger..." Ohno nodded sitting down as close to the fire he could and beginning to comb his hair with his fingers. Nino pressed his hands behind his back touching his skin trying to feel the tattoo but knowing that it was seamless, as much as he hated it, it belonged to him as much as his hair did now.

"When he first saved me my lord said something to me which has always confused me greatly..."

"I imagine that Sho has said a great many things that would leave you confused..." Ohno murmured thoughtfully and Nino had to quickly stop a chuckle before it started knowing that he should be defending his lord. The prince smiled though seeing the amusement in his face "I was with him for just a little over a week and yet I saw so many sides to him that I was almost convinced that I was looking at three different men all with the same face..."

"I must admit that my lord was out of sorts this week, I imagine that it had much to do with you..." Nino whispered softly sitting down in his own roll mat his mind going over the miles to his lords castle and his boy his heart aching that Takayuki was not there with him. Normally the first night of his mission was a chance for them to both let their guards down and be free tonight he could only hope and pray that Masaki had protected him and his lord had not given in to his desires.

"Your cub will be well, Tiger" Ohno told him gently, his voice cutting though his darkening thoughts like his blade through air and Nino gulped wondering yet again at this mans power to read him when nobody else could. his eyes rose slowly to face Ohno his heart quickly thumping as he saw the gentle smile on the face. It was one of those genuine smiles that Nino rarely saw but wished he did. There was none of the flirt just a real concern and need to reassure him. It made his face seem softer and more handsome. Nino couldn't believe that he had once thought the prince plain, in just a week he had become one of the most beautiful men that he knew and it felt as if he would do almost anything to keep him smiling like that. Licking his lips and trying to free himself from his confused thoughts his raised an eyebrow and questioned him silently for answer "I meant only that he has a faithful pup that will keep him from harm..."

"I hope so..."

"He will, Masaki is the caring type..." Ohno shrugged "so tell me of your reason of being confused and maybe we can make sense of it together..."

“He said that the beast that branded me instead of killing me so that he could find me again..." Nino told him with a long sigh his eyebrows knitting together he began to chew on his tongue "Do you see why it is confusing? Why would he do that? Why would he do all of that and not just keep me with him?"

"You were nothing but a child then, you would have made him an easy target for any passing bandit..." Ohno answered quickly and certainly as if it all made sense to him "With his need for discretion it would have been impossible for him to keep you…He would have not been able to keep you safe..."

"You make it sound as if he was trying to protect me…” Nino growled angrily his eyes flashing as his whole body tensed finding it impossible that the shadow would be the kind of man that would offer anyone protection. He was a monster and he would pay for what he had done.
“I do not pretend to know the inner workings of the mans mind, Tiger, but it is the only thing that fits the facts and makes sense...If there is truth in what I say you will only find out when you and he meet again..."

"You think that possible?" The assassin hissed eagerly hope for the confrontation and Ohno nodded slowly a grim expression on his face as he answered;

"I know it...if he did intend to keep you safe, Tiger, do you think that he would stray too far away?"

TBC
A/N: I'm sorry I promised that they would be moving on but they like to talk...>.< I hope that this was okay ^_^