Series: Opposite Ends||Title: Poorest Treasure
Characters: Shingo, Yuugo
Chapters: 1-10||Chapter Words: 500||Total Words: 500
Genre: Fantasy||Rated: G
Challenges: Diversity Writing: Arc-V Aus: Section G1: drabble novel; Valentine's Day To White Day Advent 2015, day 11, write about a birthday, marriage, or birth; Include the Word Boot Camp, #30, sofa
Notes: This was written for SilvorMoon's birthday. I've finished it all so will be posting once a week.
Summary: Shingo likes getting birthday presents. Who doesn't? But this birthday present has an attitude.

"A birthday present?" Shingo barely twitched at the words. It wouldn't be the first birthday present that he'd ever had. In point of fact, he could look around his room right now and see all sorts of birthday presents: fine clothing, magnificent jewelry, rare books, carvings of scented woods, priceless ornaments of all kinds. His only thought on yet another present revolved around where he could put it.

Oh, well. There had to be a space somewhere. Sooner or later all of this would be cleaned out and he could start gathering things again. Shingo liked things. Things meant people gave them to him or that he'd bought them himself – that he'd seen it it and wanted it and brought it home with him. Usually once he lost interest in it, he ended up stuffing it out of sight somewhere and going on to whatever next caught his fancy. He couldn't imagine this present, whatever it was, being any different.

He waved one hand with all the regality that he could muster. "All right, give it to me."

Perhaps it would be something very special. It was, after all, his sixteenth birthday and he was, after all, Prince of the Realm. Maybe not as high up on the social rankings as the Imperial Clan of Akabas, but definitely worth something impressive. His father told him that many, many times over the years.

The servant ducked their head and scampered out of the room. Shingo tried not to get distracted, though that new dart set that someone sent did seem very attractive.

"I told you, let go of me!" A strange voice snapped without warning. Shingo frowned; new people weren't allowed in this part of the palace. Only those who'd been through a very strict and severe process to determine that they weren't going to harm him or his father in any way crossed through those doors: or those who could be enspelled to make certain they wouldn't do that.

"Hush now," the servant's voice admonished whoever the stranger was. "It's time for you to meet His Royal Highness Prince Shingo of the clan of Sawatari."

"I don't want to meet him!" The reply came quick and fast and Shingo didn't think he'd ever met someone in his entire life who didn't want to meet him.

On his feet a heartbeat later, turning towards the door, all thought of playing darts out of his mind, he wanted to have words with whoever thought they could come into his palace and not want to meet him.

The servant stepped in, dragging a struggling figure with him, one that wore what had probably started off as a decent outfit but now was rumpled and a bit dusty, except for the golden collar around their neck. Their back was turned towards Shingo so he couldn't see what they looked like and they pounded on the servant's arm relentlessly.

"Prince Shingo, I present to you the gift from your father: your own personal slave, Yuugo."

To Be Continued

Notes: Someone is going to end up with bruises. Who might that be?