krystalkatzficz | The Tattoo chapter forty-one (Reply)

Nino laughed loudly as he made Tsunami gallop, his hooves thundering over the now dry earth, leaving the prince and his uncle in the dust behind him. He could hear Yoshida giving a loud whoop of joy and Ohno an impressed pleased noise and he hung back a little calming the horse down.

“Seriously my nephew I have a mere that would produce fine foals with your beast…” His uncle said yet again and Nino smiled stroking the horse’s neck “I hope that when your business in the palace is concluded you will consent for them to mate, the foals that he could have…”

“I think that Tsunami would like that…” Nino said clicking his tongue and urging the beast on again knowing that Tsunami preferred to move more quickly than others. He didn’t move to far away though settling for a gentle trot a few feet ahead.

"There is something different about my nephew this morning..." Yoshida mused softly and Nino pretended that he couldn't hear them focusing on Tsunami waiting for Ohno's response.

"Different my lord? How so?" The prince asked softly and Nino sat a little straighter in the saddle as he felt the warm gentle eyes upon him moving over his back.

"It would appear that he is more carefree..." His uncle hummed and Nino bit at his bottom lip mentally cursing as he gripped the reins of the horse a little tighter. That would be the kind of thing that the spies of his lord would notice and report eagerly back to his lord but it was something that he could not help. For the first time in his life he could see the end of his servitude, he felt guilt at being so happy at leaving the man that he owed so much too but he wanted the freedom for his boy. Takayuki deserved a life that was not overshadowed or ruled by his lord's whim and as his protector and father Nino was the one that had to provide that. Of course his happiness was not solely due to the promise of freedom much of it was due to the fact that Ohno loved him and had made love to him again. "Granted I have not known him long and a darkened nature would be expected after all that befell him..." Yoshida's voice cut into his thoughts causing him to listen again somehow realising where this was going before the older hummed and continued thoughtfully "but you found him early or so you both claim..."

"My lord..." Ohno started but Yoshida waved his hand around for silence and Nino noticed that the prince did as he was told, inclining his head a little.

"Please let me finish, my prince...it is clear to me that there is a true love between you so I wondered how my nephew would still appear to be so lost in the dark of the past…”

“Forgive me uncle” Nino said softly reining in Tsunami and falling into step beside them “I did not mean to be so lost in the past…I confess that meeting you again after all this time as well as joining my love in the palace and leaving my son has made my mood unpleasant…My love settled much of my mind last night…And we sent my letter to Takayuki this morning so now I am at peace again, I apologise for worrying you…”

“I thought as much…I apologise for the doubt but having a small measure of my family returned to me is a joy greater than I have known…I just fear losing you…”

“No, it is nice that you care uncle…But I promise that we will not lose each other again, I have hope that you will teach my boy about the horses…”

“It would be my pleasure…”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Masaki smiled sadly as he saw Takayuki sitting in the middle of the drive way his eyes not leaving the closed gates. He had been that way every hour of the day since Nino had left, the only time he wasn’t sitting there was when he was asleep. Masaki was worried but he knew that his lord was growing more irritated with the boy and soon even he wouldn’t be able to calm him. He took a breath his eyes glancing around a few times before he took a breath and walked forward, Nino had asked him to look after the boy and that was what he was going to do.

“Taka-kun, what are you doing out here?” He asked softly causing the boy to jump a little and turn around so quickly he almost tripped his cheeks flushing a little.

“Ah, Masaki…Um does the lord need me?”

“No…But you should not just sit here…” Masaki smiled placing a hand on his forehead, relieved that it felt normal. Takayuki’s beautiful face was puzzled for a moment but he relaxed against him a smile forming over the wonky teeth “The heat will get to your head and you sick…”

“I can’t go in! I am waiting!” The boy pouted and Masaki’s smile slipped away pity filling him as he told the boy gently;

“Nino will be gone for a long time…”

“I know but he promised that he would write! So I’m waiting for my letter!” Takayuki told him in a loud rush his hands clenching at his sides and his eyes fixated on the path again looking like he was about to cry. Masaki sighed sitting down beside him his arm wrapping around his should drawing him into his body and kissing the top of his head his hand moving gently up and down his arm.

“He has not been gone for many days…He will not have had much to write about…” He told him, and Takayuki slumped against him his whole body heaving a few times and it wasn’t long before tears started rolling down his cheeks soaking into the yukata that he was wearing.

“I know…But…He’s gone with the prince and for-forgotten me! He’s never coming back…” Takayuki wailed and Masaki held him rocking him gently from side to side kissing at the top of his head, not for the first time, questioning his lord’s judgement at keeping him here away from Nino. There was much about his lord that disturbed and horrified him but for some reason he loved the older man, he had never been shown the dark that he knew that was somewhere in Sakurai’s heart but he had shown him the broken man that would hold him and cry as he begged to be forgiven and the lost little expressions that he gave when he thought that nobody was looking. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe that he could change him but his father had always told him that nobody was beyond forgiveness.

“He will come back, his home is here…” Sakurai said startling them both and Masaki turned but didn’t release the boy hugging up closer to him as he felt the boys hands hold him even more tightly nails digging into his arm almost painfully. He managed to smile a little his eyes softening as they moved over the older man’s face as he knelt down beside them “And you are here, if there is anything in this world that I am certain of then it is that, my spider loves you and would never leave you…But for now you must be strong as you wait, Takayuki, like my spider is strong…Can you do that? Can you be strong for our spider?”

“Strong like Fath…Nino-sama? I can be strong like him!” Takayuki nodded slowly sniffing as he pulled out of Masaki’s arms and rubbing his nose and eyes with his hands giving a weak watery smile and Sakurai smiled ruffling his hair a little his hand moving down his face to cup his cheek his thumb catching the remaining tears.

“Good boy…Now go and wash your face, if my spider has promised that he will write to you he will write” Sakurai said confidently with a gentle note to his voice that made Masaki’s heart warm a little “I am positive that he will already have written to you, but you must remember that it will be a few days before the letter reaches you…So do not despair…”

“I will try, lordship, sir” Takayuki whispered bobbing up and down like a rowboat on the ocean and Masaki smiled squeezing his arm.
“Good and from now on I will ask that you do not sit here…It will serve you no good…Now go and clean yourself up…” Sakurai nodded and Takayuki scrambled to his feet almost tripping over his robes in his haste to get away and Masaki laughed a little shaking his head and shuffling closer to his lord. “Did you fear that I had come to molest him?”

“No…The thought did not cross my mind, my lord…”

“Sho…Remember you must always call me Sho…” Sakurai whispered softly tugging him into a kiss that was intermingled with incoherent words that sounded almost like pleads.

TBC
A/N: The first half of the next part is SakurAiba too I hope that that’s okay…^_^