Author's Notes

To everybody who reviewed; thank you. I was floored by the positive response to this rather dark fanfic and I am incredibly grateful for all of your support. I hope you can continue to enjoy the story!

Now things get a bit darker in this chapter. Truth be told, I didn't find much academic documentation on whipping boys for European monarchy, and so I was unable to include extensive research in the story. However, from whatever I read, I deduced that these boys were often mistreated (people abusing their position as whipping boys, of course) and the only reason why they were not outright victims of mindless abuse was the fact that they were often noble children. Here, Rin is a commoner, and so that gives pretty much everybody in the castle hierarchic privilege over him. Deduce the rest.

I was kind of thrown off by the readers' perception of Haruka's father. I wanted to put him out there as an antagonist, yes, but an antagonist with a cause. The King is extremely devoted to taking care of his country, so much that he is pretty much running a tyranny in the name of peace. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, after all. This is important because he is the only model that Haruka has, and towards the end of the chapter, you will see how his father's mentality has begun to change him as well. Also, especially watch how Haruka changes throughout time! The progression of his personality is one of the key points in this chapter. Which, by the way, picks up where we left off last time. Please enjoy!

Warnings include physical abuse, child abuse, swearing, and attempted sexual assault on a minor. Acts of sexual nature are nothing graphic, nothing descriptive, all fitting for a T15+ rating.

At age thirteen, Prince Haruka lost a pair of expensive earrings.

At age fourteen, Prince Haruka lost his history textbook.

At age fifteen, Prince Haruka lost his favourite swimming suit.

…OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…

Haruka did not see Rin for the 24 hours that followed. That is not to say that he didn't try. However, still shaken by the events that had transpired in the court room, the child had not fought much when his maids, his instructors, and especially Makoto, had dissuaded him from trying to see his friend.

But 24 hours was as far as he could go drowning in his guilt. When nausea rose in his throat during lunch the next day, he knew that he could not go another second without seeing Rin.

Politely excusing himself from the dining table where he sat with some court members, he exited the room, barely acknowledging that Makoto had gathered up his dishes real quick and then had rushed out behind him.

"Prince Haruka?" Makoto asked, and yet his voice was drowned out when it reached Haruka's ears. Ever since the court room, everybody's voice had become distant, as if Haruka had been trapped in a glass box and was watching the world outside through the glass.

"I'm going to go see Rin," Haruka announced without flinching. "I assume he is in the infirmary."

"He is, but…" Makoto bit his lip, hesitant. "Are you sure that's wise?"

"Are you questioning me, Makoto?" Haruka bristled, and yet his eyes, bloodshot from the lack of sleep, held no authority to back up his words.

"No, Sire," Makoto sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "Just… Are you sure you're ready?"

"I'm ready…?" Haruka frowned, and then it dawned on him that it wasn't Rin they were trying to protect. It was him.

Because Rin's scars would heal, but would Haruka ever get over the guilt of having his best friend beaten because of him?

The Prince's throat went dry and he accelerated his pace.

"I have to talk to him. See how he's doing." Haruka's voice trembled minutely. "Apologize."

"As you wish," Makoto still looked uncomfortable, but Haruka was determined, and there was no stopping him.

They walked in silence to the infirmary, ignoring the worried looks from the servants bustling around the hallways, dusting and sweeping and maintaining the pristine image of the castle although it was nothing but that; an image.

Anger bubbled up within Haruka, but he swallowed it. Getting angry would solve nothing. But from now on, it was his duty to protect his friends. He would protect Makoto, and he would definitely protect Rin.

The infirmary was empty when they entered, to Haruka's relief. He did not need some noble with a stomach ache eavesdropping on him when he spoke to Rin. To apologize fully and completely, he had to break down his barriers, and he couldn't do that while keeping up pretenses.

"Your Highness?"

"Head nurse," Haruka addressed, turning to face the woman who had greeted them at the door. The nurse immediately bunched up her long dress and curtsied, and Haruka nodded to her. "Rise."

"Are you here to see your companion?" she asked softly, her kind eyes brimming with pity. Haruka hated that everybody treated him like glass when Rin was the one who was lying in an infirmary bed.

"Yes. How is he?" the Prince asked.

"He is asleep. We have given him medication for the pain but he will have to wear bandages for a while longer," she shook her head sadly. "The poor child…"

And though she was nothing but sympathetic, Haruka knew that the kind-hearted nurse resented him deep down inside, because without Haruka's mistakes, Rin would not even be in pain in the first place.

"Will you lead me to him?" he asked softly, fists clenching. His anger slowly changed course until it was redirected at himself only. It was his fault, after all.

"Your Grace," the nurse bit her lip. "Pardon my disrespect, but are you sure-"

"Lead me to him," Haruka cut in, eyes hard. "I wish to speak to him."

"But…" The nurse hesitated a moment longer, and then curtsied briefly again. "Alright. Allow me to lead you."

Haruka could not have asked for more. Makoto's footsteps clicked on the tiles as he followed Haruka, who followed the nurse through the silent room. The infirmary was meant for recovery, and yet Haruka could only get an eerie feeling from it.

Finally, the nurse stopped in front of the only drawn curtains, and softly opened them to expose the bed. Haruka held his breath.

Rin was lying asleep on his stomach, bright red hair splayed around his face as if he'd tossed around in his sleep. His eyebrows were furrowed, and his lips had scabs on them where Haruka guessed he'd bitten hard, whether from the pain, or the nightmares. His back was bare, the sheets drawn up to his shoulder blades, and so Haruka could only see a small part of the bandages that he knew extended down all the way.

Although he'd cried 24 hours ago, he suddenly felt the urge to bawl his eyes out again. But that would be shameful.

"May I stay?" he whispered, voice cracking, and he cleared his throat when he realized how pathetic he sounded. "I would like to watch over him for a moment."

"You may," the nurse nodded, watching Haruka as carefully as she watched Rin. "Highness, if I may… If you feel uncomfortable at any given time, it may be best for you to take your leave." And she looked nervous about the bold suggestion, but Haruka only shook his head.

"He's been through a lot for me. The least I could do is stay by his side despite everything."

"I see." The nurse nodded, and stepped back. "I will take my leave, then, and will be back in a few minutes."

"Thank you," Haruka nodded back to her, and she left with a third polite curtsy, drawing the curtains behind her and leaving Haruka and Makoto alone with Rin.

"Haru," Makoto was the first to whisper. "Are you alright?"

"Why?" Haruka only replied, eyes trained on Rin. "Why does everyone ask me that?"

Makoto did not reply.

"Why are they all concerned about me when Rin is the one who has been hurt so badly?" he gritted his teeth, fists clenching. "It's unfair. For Rin to be so ignored and I to be so exalted. He is as much of a man as I am, perhaps even more."

"Do not let anybody hear you. They might consider this blasphemy," Makoto warned him half-heartedly, and then sighed. "Haru… You have been hurt, too. It might not be as apparent as the scars on Rin, but you have scars and-"

"I have nothing," Haruka protested. "I have nothing that can even compare to the pain he has felt. I have no right to empathize because I have no understanding of what he's gone through." His eyes burned. "I really do know nothing at all…"

"Haru," Makoto interrupted, stepping closer to stand by his side. Together, they gazed at Rin, vulnerable, tiny Rin hidden beneath layers of sheets, bandages, and pain. "Your denial and your shame are your scars."

Haruka opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out. Perhaps Makoto was right. But he deserved no compassion. He was not a victim. He was the criminal.

So instead, he stepped closer, and hesitated only a second before gently setting his hand on Rin's.

The peace only lasted for a total of 7.4 seconds, one breath and a quarter, one simultaneous rise and fall of Rin's and Haruka's chests, before the boy in the bed wriggled, a tiny whimper escaping his broken lips.

"Rin?" Haruka breathed, heartbeat accelerating. He made a move to remove his hand and was shocked when Rin suddenly grabbed his wrist, nails digging into his skin.

"Haru…" the small boy called out softly. "Haruka…"

"Rin," Haruka repeated, tongue heavy in his mouth. "Are you awake?"

Rin took a moment, and Haruka thought that he had only been dreaming, but then his eyelids fluttered, exposing his eyes. His gaze immediately went to Haruka's, and the Prince noted how his eyes were no longer a raging fire, but drops of dried blood on the pavement.

"Haruka…" Rin breathed out softly, blinking to clear his eyes, and then to the Prince's surprise, he smiled. "Been a while."

"I am a Prince, and so address me as such." The words tumbled out of his mouth, and Haruka immediately regretted them, but then he realized how he never even meant them, and Rin knew it. It was a part of their relationship. Rin's smile only grew wider.

"Good to see you, too," he chuckled softly, and then began pushing himself off his stomach. The moment he lifted himself an inch off the mattress, pain spiked through his system, and he let out a small cry.

Haruka was tensed and ready to catch him in a second, and Rin was shocked at how quickly he'd reacted.

"I'm okay," he assured him, carefully getting off the mattress and turned around to sit on it. His limbs trembled with effort, but once he made it, pride surged through him. Pride at being strong in front of Haruka. Pride at being a worthy companion to the Prince.

"No you're not," Haruka replied without skipping a beat, however, and Rin's carefully-built façade crumbled.

"I…" he tried to defend himself, but no words came out. Instead, he hung his head. "You… You promised."

"I'm sorry." The words had left his mouth before he even thought about them, and it wasn't nearly enough to express how sorrowful Haruka felt about the entire situation. "Rin, I am so, so sorry this happened to you."

"Eh," Rin shrugged, and smiled at Haruka again. His smile was strained. "You couldn't have stopped it."

"But I could have prevented it," Haruka immediately interjected. "Rin… This is entirely my fault, and I hope you accept my sincerest apologies. Had I been aware at the time that you were to be punished in my stead, I would never have misbehaved. From this moment forth, you have my word as Heir to the Throne that I will never act out of turn-"

"Whoa. Slow down, your Highness," Rin cut in, and waited for Haruka to stop into a stunned silence before laughing out loud. It was a carefree laugh like he used to have, one that rang out joyfully as if he really was amused by the whole situation.

"Why are you laughing?" Haruka asked, panic welling up in his heart because he understood nothing.

"You're funny. Why else would I laugh?" Rin slowed down. "Haru, it's okay. I'll be okay. You couldn't have known. Nobody told me, or you, what I was supposed to be around here. Heck, maybe it's a good thing that we finally know my uses around the castle."

"No," Haruka found himself saying, eyes wide. "No, Rin. It is not okay. We should never have found out, not like this."

"I'll heal," Rin hummed. "I've had worse. Have I told you about the time I got in the way of a trotting horse? That wasn't fun at all. I was carrying a crate so I couldn't see and the horse literally smashed into me and-"

"Rin," Haru interrupted, and Rin's smile fell off his face. "Words can't express how sorry I am."

"It's alright." Rin fixed his messy hair some, not daring meet Haruka's eyes. "Really, it is. I mean, we all have a role to fulfill in this life. You are Prince, and I am your full-time companion, part-time whipping boy. Without you, there is no me, and there is no you without me."

Haruka's mouth opened in a silent gasp, and he turned to face Makoto, who was respectfully watching their exchange. The words rang out true in his head, and Makoto smiled at him, recognizing how he'd always said the same thing to Haruka. It was weird how Makoto and Rin were so similar. They were both the pillars that held Haruka up. Rin spoke true. Without him, without Makoto, the Prince was nothing.

"Still," he began softly again, turning back to Rin. "You are my companion. And as you say, my full-time companion. And thus, it is unacceptable for me to let you be hurt again." He looked at Rin, searching for forgiveness in his eyes.

And he was stunned because he did not find forgiveness in Rin's expression. In fact, he found nothing at all. And then, he realized it was because Rin felt like he had nothing to forgive.

Tears burned his eyes, and he swallowed hard to get over how incredibly devoted Rin was to him. He didn't deserve a companion –a friend- like him.

"Well, the whole 'playing in the leaves outside' idea was mine, so I'm as much to blame as you think you are. But alright. Maybe we should attend your lessons from now on, then," Rin shrugged good-naturedly.

"We will," Haruka nodded, expression grave. Rin watched him closely for a moment, and then sighed rather dramatically.

"Haru…?"

"Yes?" Haruka's head snapped to Rin, paying attention to every word he said. His expression was pained, and Haruka's heart clenched again. What had he done wrong now?

And then, Rin's face lifted again, and he was laughing at a moment's notice, leaving Haruka confused.

"You let me call you Haru! You're being way too serious," Rin laughed.

"You jerk!" Haruka gasped, his heart calming down after the scare. He'd really thought that something had gone wrong. And then, when Rin's laughter doubled, and even Makoto chuckled behind him, he realized what he'd said and covered his mouth.

"You swore!"

"You heard nothing of the sort," Haruka pouted.

"Makoto, Haru swore, didn't he?" Rin turned to the servant, who was hiding a smile of his own behind his hands.

"He did," Makoto nodded.

"Prince Haruka!" The correction felt a bit forced, so Haruka turned to Makoto to hide his red cheeks from Rin. "Don't encourage him, Makoto."

"Apologies, Highness," Makoto broke anew into a string of chuckles upon seeing Haruka's normally composed face burn up, and between him and Rin's laughter, Haruka could not help but give a smile of his own.

He was twelve and a half years old. Of course, he was also Prince of Iwatobi and Heir to the Throne, but he was twelve and a half years old, and for a second, stuck and embarrassed between his only two friends in the world, he finally felt like the child he was meant to be.

…OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…

The second promise was easier said than done. Ten years of being an airhead did not fade overnight, and though Haruka was determined, he did not have the discipline he needed at first.

The second time that Rin was hit on his account, it was two days after the original beating. During geography lessons, Haruka's attention faded for a while, interest lost when the instructor began talking about islands and peninsulas and trade routes and port towns. The instructor called his name, and when Haruka didn't answer, he made Rin stand up and put his fingers out, smacking them with a wooden baton.

Haruka did not respond to his name, but he did respond to Rin's yelp of pain.

And not just in geography. In history, when Haruka fell asleep, he woke up to Rin nursing a handprint on his cheek. During an official dinner, Haruka used the wrong utensils for the wrong dishes and Rin was made to sniff crushed peppercorns for the rest of the meal. In languages, when Haruka struggled to recite a poem he had been supposed to learn, Rin wore tight ropes around his wrists that cut him deeply by the time Haruka got the entire poem right.

And every single time, Haruka would apologize, and Rin would brush him off, saying that being hurt was nothing in comparison to the joy it brought him to be Haruka's companion. And yet Haruka would not believe him, because playing hide-and-go-seek in the courtyard for half an hour surely was not worth standing on a nail board for an hour. Rin would be mad to think like that.

And yet he did, and every time they played together, it seemed that the red-head forgot all about his pain and laughed as if he had not a care in the world. And, knowing that Rin would inevitably lose that smile in no time as soon as they returned within the castle walls, Haruka indulged him and played with renewed vigour for all the time they had left.

The punishments were small most of the time, and Rin quickly became desensitized to them. The cane stopped bothering him, the tender bruises did not keep him up at night, and he stopped crying. Haruka did not cry, either. Instead, he focused all of his efforts on becoming a better person.

When he was thirteen, the King left on a diplomatic mission. It slightly alleviated the stress on the young prince, who continued to apply himself in his studies without having the oppressive weight of his father's glare on his back at all times. And yet, he knew that when his father came back, he would be tested, and that was what drove him to work harder. Not out of desire to please, but out of anger, and fear.

When he was fourteen, the Captain of the Guard broke Rin's wrist.

He hadn't meant to, but he'd underestimated his own strength, and when Haruka failed to complete his horseback riding course in time, he cracked a practice sword down on Rin's wrists and had broken one of them. Rin had screamed like he hadn't screamed in a long time, and before he knew it, Haruka was off the horse and running to his friend's rescue. Despite protests from the Captain and murmurs from the court members wandering the halls idly, Haruka escorted Rin to the infirmary himself, and held his other hand whilst the nurse re-set his bones and bandaged his hand.

The anger festered inside the young prince, and as soon as Rin left to return to his own room at night, Haruka spun around, and right in front of a shocked Makoto, he punched the wall.

Makoto could only get him to stop after the fourth punch, and by then, Haruka's knuckles were broken. The next day, Rin and Haruka attended the lessons sporting matching bandages on their hands.

…OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…

"You're an idiot."

"I'll have you hanged for insulting a member of royalty," Haruka hummed, not taking his eyes off of the book he was reading. Behind him, Rin walked over to him and pulled a chair to sit next to him. Haruka felt the fire of his gaze burning right through him, but did not look up.

"You broke your fingers."

"He broke your wrist."

"Haru," Rin's tone was snappy, and unnaturally serious. This prompted Haruka to look up and arch and eyebrow.

"If you meant to say 'Prince Haruka', then yes, I am listening," he replied coolly.

"This isn't funny." Rin's eyes were steeled, and his lips were turned down in a frown. "You're not supposed to be hurt. That's why I'm around."

"Thing is, nobody hurt me. I did this to myself, and so nobody went against any rule," Haruka shrugged.

"Why would you do this to yourself?" Rin rolled his eyes, sighing.

"Because fate has been doing the same to you for years." Haruka looked over at his companion, accompanying his frown with one of his own. "Rin… Why do you not want me to share your pain? Why do you not want me to carry your burdens?"

"How many times have I told you that we both have our roles to fulfill? Your role right now is to learn to be a ruler. My role is to be there when you must be taught a lesson," the redhead sighed, and he really did sound sorrowful. "Haru… Prince Haruka… I only get hurt so that you don't have to be. You can't hurt yourself. If not for you, do it for me. So that my sacrifices don't lose their meaning."

He was playing Haruka, and the Prince knew it, but he never could refuse his friend anything. Rin meant a lot to him, and it was true that he had sacrificed a lot for him, and so the least he could do was indulge him in his rare demands.

"Alright. If I can help it, I will not get hurt again," Haruka nodded, his eyes shining with an unsaid promise. Rin seemed satisfied because he smiled, bid him good night, and left Haruka alone to study.

The next day, the King returned from his extensive diplomatic mission, and one of the first things he did was check Haruka's grades. When Makoto regretfully interrupted Haruka's and Rin's free time to announce to the Prince that his father wanted to see him, Haruka did not know whether to be happy or apprehensive. Happy because his father remembered his existence, or apprehensive because he had been called to his office.

Rin let him go and kept Makoto company for the whole hour that Haruka was gone. The two had not been especially close due to Makoto's fully loaded work schedule, but they were both common men, unconcerned by the laws of nobility, and so the rare moments they had together, they spent connecting on a level that Haruka would never have with either of them.

Rin was helping Makoto dust the furniture in the main entrance hallway when a maid rushed to Makoto, looking harried.

"Mako-chan!"

"Hmm?" the older boy cocked his head, putting his duster down and wiping sweat off his brow. Rin continued to work, not particularly interested with the maid.

"It's Prince Nanase. He requires your presence in his chambers at once!"

Now that, however, caught his attention. Immediately stopping his work, he briskly walked over to Makoto and the maid, glaring at her. He may have been a commoner with no rank in the castle, but his connections to the Prince made him a fearsome presence.

"What happened? Is something wrong?" he asked urgently.

"His Grace did not specify. He will not allow anybody to see him, however, and has requested Makoto's presence immediately," she repeated, and with a shared look of concern, Makoto and Rin knew that something must have gone wrong.

They were tearing down the hallways towards Haruka's chambers before the maid even had a chance to hurry them further.

When they made it, Makoto was the first to enter, not even bothering to knock on Haruka's room's door. The room was silent, a window open to air out the place. Asides from the billowing silk curtains by the window and the ruffling of the silk curtains around Haruka's four-poster bed, nothing moved.

And then, Makoto moved, and Rin was momentarily surprised (and jealous) that Makoto knew exactly where to find Haruka. He threw open the curtains around the bed, and Haruka's figure immediately came into view, knees drawn to his chest and face hidden in the crook of his arms atop his knees.

"Haruka!" the Prince's servant and his whipping boy cried out at the same time, rushing to see him. The Prince made no noise, and fear paralyzed both of their hearts at once.

"Haru, what happened?" Makoto pried softly, not daring to touch the Prince. Haruka did not reply and did not even move to acknowledge their presence.

Proper etiquette be damned, hot-headed Rin was obvious the one to leap across the chasm. Quite literally. He leapt onto the bed and took Haruka's shoulders, softly shaking him.

"Haru! Prince Haruka! Come on, Haru, what's wrong?" he asked urgently, throwing Makoto terrified glances. The servant returned them to him, and it was obvious that neither of them had never dealt with Haruka like this before.

And then, the Prince lifted his face out of his arms, exposing a large purpling bruise on his right cheekbone, and a trail of blood dried and smeared around his lip.

"Gods," Rin breathed, assessing the damage, eyes wide. He hadn't thought he'd ever have to see Haruka get hurt, because he was there to take it for him, and obviously, this meant that he had failed in his only duty.

Haruka's only duty was to protect his people. And Rin's only duty was to protect Haruka.

And finally, after all this time, Rin understood the shame and guilt and self-hate that Haruka had felt all of this time when he saw him get beaten because of his mistakes. It was pervading and suffocating, and Rin momentarily wondered if Haruka had been living with these demons this entire time. His own pain, his raised scars and spilt blood, they had nothing on the gripping agony of knowing that he had failed the one person that mattered most to him.

"Rin," Haruka softly called, voice raspy. Rin recognized it as his own voice when he had screamed for a long time. Haruka had been screaming. Rin wanted to scream, too. "Rin, I finally understand your pain."

And for the first time, Rin Matsuoka was overcome with uncontrollable anger towards Haruka Nanase.

"Stupid," he seethed, grip tightening on Haruka's shoulder. "Stupid, stupid, stupid…. Gods, how could you be so fucking stupid!?"

"Rin!" Makoto gasped, not knowing what to be shocked at anymore. If he was to be shocked at Haru's condition, Rin's reaction, or his own inability to act in a crisis such as this.

"How could you even say that!?" Rin continued without paying Makoto, or Haru any heed. "You have pain of your own, and I know because I feel it now, too, and your pain is nothing compared to mine! How could you even go as far as to submit to something like this?" Rin's eyes burned for a second longer before he stopped, loosening his grip. His hands shook, and he hung his head. "Haru… You promised…"

"I'm not good at promises. I'm sorry," Haru muttered, and then lifted his gaze to look at Rin. "I'm sorry, Rin."

"You shouldn't apologize to me," Rin huffed. "Apologize to yourself for putting yourself through this, why don't you."

"I didn't do this on purpose, if that's what you mean." And Haruka had the gall to sound offended. "I… There is only one person who is allowed to correct me in this manner…" And he trailed off, because he did not want to say it.

"This isn't fair," Rin gritted his sharp teeth until they hurt. "This is what I'm here for. It isn't fair to have this done to you. It isn't fair!"

"I must have deserved it." Haruka shrugged, and Rin wanted to give him a matching bruise on his other cheekbone for talking so lowly about himself. "My father was unsatisfied with my efforts and deemed it necessary to remind me that despite having a whipping boy, I would personally be set back into place if corrections through him were not enough to control me."

"What the fuck," Rin breathed out, and barely noted Makoto's horrified cry of 'Rin!' behind him.

"Rin, that is enough!" Makoto finally interjected, grabbing him by his unbroken wrist to tug him off the bed. Now boneless with shock and outrage, the red-head let himself get manhandled off the mattress and let Makoto take control of the situation. "Haruka, where else?"

And Rin, already devastated, felt breath leave his body when he realized that there could be more to it than just the bruises on his friend's face.

And there were more. Haruka hesitated just one moment before slowly undoing the buttons of his long-sleeved shirt. His collarbone came into view, along with it another nasty mark, and everything was bared to their eyes when he pulled the shirt up.

Fresh bruises of varying sizes splattered Haruka's chest and arms like abstract art gone wrong, reds fading into purples that violently marred the Prince's fair skin. Here and there, there was a long line of red chopping up the bruises, and when Haruka extended his legs and bent to pull his shirt over his head, Rin could see how many there were on his back as well. He recognized the lines as marks from a cane.

The King hadn't just knocked Haruka around in a fit of anger. He had called him to his study with the sole intention of beating him.

Rin felt like he should never have left Haruka's side in the first place.

"Haruka…" Makoto's trembling voice snapped Rin out of his horrified trance, and when he turned his eyes to the Prince, he shrunk and drew his knees back to his chest. Rin was simultaneously grateful because he hid the ugly marks from his view, but at the same time wanted to pull Haruka's limbs apart and hold him in his own two arms because Haruka did not need to be alone in this.

"Don't stare," Haruka huffed, turning his eyes away from their concerned glances, and the motion only served to tug at Rin's heartstrings because he recognized the emotion behind Haruka's eyes. He recognized it and he empathized, because he had felt the same way the first few weeks of his newly-revealed position as a whipping boy.

Helpless. Weak. Deserving of whatever had been done to him. Denying his status as a victim. And the bottling up of all of the hurt he felt, in his bones or otherwise.

"I… I will go get some ice and towels," Makoto stammered out finally, unable to stand seeing his friend in such a condition. He needed a breath of fresh air before he could go back and face what had been done to the only person in this world that he thought was untouchable.

Haruka did not reply, and Rin only threw him a worried glance. Makoto reassured him that he would be fine with a sad smile, and all but ran from the room.

Which left Rin with Haruka, and that's when he realized that he had no idea how to comfort Haruka and steal his pain away.

"You're overthinking this." And of course, Haruka was always the first between them to take control of the situation.

"You're not thinking through it enough," Rin mumbled. "Haruka… These are pretty bad." His eyes went to his friend's cracked lips. "You bled."

"I bit the inside of my cheek, is all. And perhaps they could've been worse, had I not worked hard in the past year to learn more," Haruka shrugged.

"He has no right to hurt you like this," Rin gritted his teeth angrily, knowing what Haruka would respond to that.

"He is the only one who has the right, actually." And it was said so matter-of-factly, so casually, so much as if they were only discussing the weather, that Rin could not help but bristle.

"Do you not care!?"

Haruka looked away. That wasn't enough of an answer for Rin, who sat down on the bed and scooted until he was next to Haruka with his back against the wall.

"Haru, answer me. Do you not care that this has been done to you?" he asked again, softer this time, because he was angry, but most of all, he was just sad. No fancy word pulled straight from one of Haruka's poetry classes could describe the feeling. Rin was purely and simply sad.

Haru still did not reply, and something in Rin told him that Haruka had become somebody else. Quieter. And that perhaps unlike the bruises, this was one wound that time would not heal.

Softly, slowly, as if he were taming a wild animal, Rin extended his hand, and gently took one of Haruka's in his. He hadn't touched Haruka in a long, long time. Nobody really could due to hierarchy differences. But Rin didn't care. At the moment, the Prince of Iwatobi did not need his whipping boy. For now, Haruka Nanase needed Rin Matsuoka.

"Promise me you'll be okay," he sighed, gently bringing Haruka's hand down onto the bed, and covering it with his.

And he knew it was futile, because Haruka had been exposed to something he never thought could happen, and Rin knew that he would forever be haunted by the thought that it could happen again. He'd have to live with the fear and the anxiety and the apprehension, and the guilt and the self-hate and the exaggerated nightmares. And unlike Rin, he would never be hurt enough to be desensitized to it all.

"Promises and I don't get along too well," Haruka mumbled, turning his eyes away at the blatant admission of weakness, and it took everything that Rin had not to drag him into a hug and cry into his hair.

Instead, he tangled their fingers together tightly, and they sat in silence until Makoto returned with the ice and towels.

…OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…

Rumours spread fast. Haruka wore long sleeves every day for the next couple of weeks to hide his body from prying gazes, but no amount of makeup could hide the large, swollen bruise on his face. All rumours seemed to settle on the fact that the King had beaten the Prince for misbehaviour, and slowly but surely, the court began treating Haruka like an uncontrollable, petulant child.

Though he was fourteen, going on fifteen, they would not ask for his opinions, or dismiss him when he gave them. They would talk to him as if they were walking on eggshells and would practically throw themselves at his feet begging for forgiveness when he even remotely contradicted them. The maids would constantly ask for his approval and permission, and the nobles would always bring back incredibly expensive gifts to him when they visited and coo at him for his praise.

Haruka had never been so miserable in his life. Once, he'd wanted to be the child he never got to be. And now, he just wished he had been careful what he'd wished for.

And yet for reasons that he often stayed awake debating at night, Rin and Makoto never left his side. They never abandoned him, they never treated him differently, and they never once doubted him. And he never honestly figured out how they did it, because on some nights, even he did not trust himself anymore.

And yet Makoto still tucked him in at night, even when he did not return his sincere well-wishes. And yet Rin still stood up and offered Haruka's instructors his hands out of his own free will when the teacher was displeased with his student.

And one some nights, where he'd really be too worn out to think of how blessed he was for the only two people that mattered in his life, he would realize that he would not still be alive without them.

…OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…

And so understandably, when he almost lost Rin, Haruka completed his transition into becoming somebody else.

He never ran the risk of losing him for good. As a whipping boy that the Prince was extremely attached to, Rin was a valuable asset to all the members of the court that had a position of authority. For that reason, everybody would always watch over Rin, as much as they disliked his person, and even the harshest nobleman would call maids to help Rin to the infirmary instead of letting him bleed out on the carpet after a whipping.

But it had become obvious from the first weeks since Rin's arrival that as long as his body was there, his mind did not matter. If Haruka saw Rin cry, if he heard him scream, he would be taught a lesson. And nobody really cared past that, to see how every punch left a crack in the commoner's soul.

By age fifteen, the court considered Haruka to be nothing but an underdeveloped mind.

By age fifteen, the court considered Rin to be nothing but a broken body.

In a bid to change their opinion of them, Haruka and Rin worked together in silent accord to fix things. Haruka studied through countless sleepless nights, and Rin always egged him on. In their free time, they trained their bodies through rigorous training, for if they could not act the part, perhaps they could look the part. Rin helped Haruka keep a track on his progress, and slowly but surely, Haruka got a better hang of his position.

Rin stopped being beaten. With nothing to complain about, the instructors did not have a reason to pull out the canes and the whips, and disregarded Rin to instead concentrate on educating their pupil. Rin was at the same time elated (because no matter how desensitized, getting beaten was never pleasant) and worried, because he knew that Haruka was wearing himself to the bone trying to avoid making mistakes. And yet, he succeeded, and if Haruka succeeded, no matter what that entailed for him, Rin supported him.

Rin went two weeks without being touched at all. And for the inhabitant crowd of the castle, it was bizarre to see the Prince's whipping boy not being whipped. After all, if he was not being used to discipline the Prince, then what was his purpose, exactly?

Questions only lasted briefly. Nobody bothered finding an answer. Rin promptly began being ignored.

And between a crowd of people who made it a point to ignore him, a busy Makoto running around doing chores all day, and a silent, withdrawn Haruka, Rin began to feel more isolated than he ever thought he would be. And so, he began to distance himself from Haruka a bit. He took his own free time, and rearranged his own schedule, only meeting up with Haruka to go to his lessons and meetings together. There, he almost wished he could be beaten, just once, just to bring back a certain familiarity and twisted sense of normalcy to their lives. Haruka handled the meetings and lessons very professionally, and yet his entourage was too stuck on the idea that he was still a spoiled child to see how intuitive and wise he really had become.

Rin was mad at them, but also mad at Haruka for never doing anything to defend himself.

He began helping out in the kitchen out of boredom. Outside of lunch hours, he took naps up in the fruit trees, fenced against the guards in need of training, and swam in the fountain in the courtyard. And yet he never really dreamed in the fruit trees, never really felt the rush in fencing against guards, and never really saw the cold water as doing anything else than suffocate him. But Haruka was no better. In fact, Rin almost wished that Haruka would be as suffocating as the water. It sure beat the fact that there was an almost tangible divide between them, one that could not be crossed in one leap.

They lasted three weeks with minimal contact outside of duty. In retrospect, neither of them knew how they survived so long without one another. At the time, however, the distance in their eyes was wide enough to convince them that they would be alright without one another.

And when Haruka almost lost Rin at the tender age of fifteen, he knew that he would have to appreciate what he had because he never knew when he'd lose it all.

It happened on a cloudy day. Haruka had fallen out of bed that morning, his morning tea had been cold by the time he'd gotten to it, and the business meeting he'd been invited to had gone 3 hours over its estimated end. He really shouldn't have thought that things would go any better in the afternoon.

But then again, he didn't expect things to completely go to hell in the afternoon, either.

He was reading over a contract for the new catering company for the castle when the door to his study was thrown open. Haruka sighed, because only one person would ever dare do something like that. And then, beyond being annoyed, he was surprised, because seeing as Rin's presence was obsolete in meetings now that he behaved, he hadn't seen his friend –his companion?- since the night before.

"Haru…"

"Rin, kindly knock on the door before disturbing me in my important work. Also, I do not recall having given you the permission to address me so lightly," he repeated almost mechanically, not looking up to see Rin.

And oddly enough, Rin didn't answer him. Only the sound of shifting clothes broke the silence. And after a total of 15.2 seconds, two breaths and then some, Haruka looked up.

Rin finished buttoning the last button on his trousers just as their eyes met.

Never mind the fact that the rest of his appearance was just as dishevelled. His shirt was unbuttoned to his chest, slipping off his shoulder, there was dried blood smeared on the side of his lips, and his hair looked messier than usual. And of course, what caused the most alarm was the hand-sized imprint on his cheek.

"Rin?" Haruka asked, immediately standing up. Rin's eyes refocused on Haruka and he immediately began buttoning his shirt, hands trembling as he slipped the buttons into the holes.

"Sorry, I really should have knocked," he mumbled. "Am I bothering you, your Highness?"

And it worried Haruka that it wasn't said with its usual irony laced between the letters. Something bad had happened. The familiar response of 'you're always bothering me, so it doesn't matter much' crossed his mind, but Haruka did not feel like it was something he would say anymore. Perhaps when he was younger, he would've. They'd both changed so much.

"What happened?" Haruka immediately asked, stepping around his desk to come closer to Rin. The latter avoided his gaze, and from experience, Haruka knew that he was afraid of admitting whatever he had to admit.

"Huh, funny story, actually," Rin smirked, but it was weak, and Haruka saw right through it.

"Out with it," Haruka pressed on, not liking Rin's hesitancy. Even when Rin had been beaten badly in the past, he'd never been so reluctant to speak about it.

"Truth is…" Rin winced, and then the façade completely fell. He bit his lip and his sharp teeth broke easily through the chapped skin. "Oh gods… Haruka, I hurt him."

"Who?" Haruka's blood ran cold. Rin was a commoner, one of the lowest-ranked people in the castle. Unless he'd hurt a servant, he could get into some serious trouble.

"I don't know who he was, I didn't recognize him, and I didn't see him too much," Rin was beginning to ramble, wringing his hands nervously, and Haruka did the only thing he could think of to calm him.

He took Rin's hands into his own and squeezed tightly.

"Hey. What happened, really?" he asked, a dead serious look in his eyes.

"Well I don't… really know. I was walking in a hallway and then there's a hand on my mouth and someone's grabbing me and pushing me into a broom closet and stuff…" Rin trailed off, unwilling to continue.

And Haruka was not stupid. He had a pair of perfectly working eyes. Plus, he saw the state Rin arrived in. And he could deduce what had happened. Not hearing it directly from Rin's mouth did not help in attenuating the intensity of the blow, though. Like a kick to the stomach, Haruka felt breathless.

"Did they…?" he started, but Rin shook his head, a weak smile tracing his lips.

"I bit his hand and locked him in the closet and ran," he chuckled shakily. "Sorry. In retrospect, that was probably a bad move."

"You have nothing to apologize for." And it was the truth. To have such an unspeakable act be attempted within the walls of his own castle… He would never allow it. "Rin. Are you alright?"

"Me? Yeah, yeah, I'm okay," Rin nodded, looking at the walls as if they were intricate works of art all of a sudden.

"Truthfully. You are shaken, I can see it," Haruka's grip tightened on his hands, to the point where it was painful. Only then did Rin realize that they were holding hands and he gently pulled them away.

"Yeah, but I'm shaken. That's really all there is to it." Haruka did not seem to believe him, and yet, that really was all there was to it. Rin was simply having trouble recovering from the sudden adrenaline pumping through his system. "Haruka. I promise. I'm okay."

And Haruka sucked with keeping promises, but he knew that Rin did not.

"Alright," he nodded. "Take me to this man."

By the time they reached the closet, Rin had composed himself and had steeled himself to face whoever had attempted to take everything from him. And it was a lot easier to do now that Haruka was with him.

He just had mixed feelings about the fact that there was a small crowd amassed around the closet when they got there. Apparently, the man had made a commotion and had gathered half a dozen people, mostly nobles, who were attempting to unlock the door.

"Who is the man in there?" Haruka inquired as they came closer, Rin trailing behind him unsurely.

"Highness," one of the ladies curtsied. "With all due respect, there is nothing to be concerned about. A servant is fetching the keys as we speak to open-"

"Milady, I did not express concern, I merely inquired," Haruka cut in coldly, and the entire crowd hushed at the display. Haruka straightened his back and glared at them. "Well? Will anyone give me an answer?"

"Sire, it is the Minister of Finances. It seems some dastardly fiend has locked him in the broom closet, surely for some evil deed," one of the lords around explained, and Haruka glared at him, too. Behind him, Rin sucked in a shaky breath and Haruka heard him whisper the word "Minister" as if to tide the shock of realization over.

"Milord, I did not ask for your assumptions. I required an answer of you, and that is all I needed," Haruka addressed him, letting no expression cross his face. He then turned to the door. "Somebody unlock this door."

"There is the servant with the key, your Grace," one of the ladies informed him, making way for a harried-looking servant who looked for a key amongst a bunch of others on a ring, and then unlocked the broom closet.

The minister came tumbling out, red in the face and absolutely fuming.

"This is an outrage! Absolutely impermissible! I demand that the Prince's whipping boy be hanged by the neck until dead for this act of violence!" he cried out, and as expected, the small crowd immediately began whispering amongst themselves.

"Minister," Haruka called, getting the man's attention. Said man turned, and his eyes widened when he saw the Prince, and then narrowed when he saw Rin behind him.

"Highness. Your whipping boy has committed an unspeakable act! He savagely bit me, hard enough to draw blood, then locked me in a broom closet and left me to rot. If the crowd had not found me, I could have starved!" he seethed.

"Minister," Haruka addressed again with utmost impassiveness. And yet, from years of knowing Haruka as a person rather than a figure, Rin could discern the anger hidden beneath the layers of distance that the Prince accorded to his words. "I believe that some weight off of your belly would have done you no harm."

The crowd erupted into whispers that hadn't even been subtle to start with.

"And, I would like to point out that is it you who committed an unspeakable act towards Rin Matsuoka," he continued on before the man could comment. "Rin was not unprovoked. He tells me you restrained him and intended to commit an assault of sexual nature before he was able to escape. In light of this information, I would regard you as a criminal instead."

"Your Highness!"

"Do you deny this claim?" Haruka asked again, arching an eyebrow.

"Absolutely! I am no common filth like your whipping boy is, Highness! I would not lie!" The man huffed, insulted with the fact that a commoner's word was being measured against his.

"And yet the 'common filth', as you referred to him, is more truthful than you are, Minister. There are marks of aggression on Rin that make me more inclined to believe in his accusations than yours," Haruka coolly replied, as if he was completely unbothered by the man's rage.

"Highness!" the Minister finally cried out, tone completely changing. "Please see reason! Your whipping boy has been completely useless for weeks, and he is just another commoner leeching off the palace's resources!"

"And that would entitle you to violate him in ways that no man should be subjected to?" Haruka's tone escalated just slightly, just enough for the temperature to drop a few degrees in the hallway. The crowd's whispers ceased, and unsure looks were exchanged between the nobles present. "I do not tolerate violence in my castle, Minister, and I certainly do not tolerate violence towards people I hold high in my esteem."

"High in your esteem?" the man scoffed. "Highness, I have been Minister since before your birth, and I beseech you to trust in my words when I claim that you still are too young to know-"

"Silence!" Haruka's voice was not loud, and yet, his tone was. The following silence that fell upon them would have been the same as the one that would have followed had Haruka raised his voice. Rin shivered. Even he had never seen this side of his friend. "You have committed crimes against Iwatobi and its people. What say you in your defense?" His tone was low, full of warnings.

"My defense?" the man thought for a moment. "I have no defense for I am not guilty. But you, your Grace, with all due respect, have no idea how the hierarchy works in this castle, and unfortunately for you, you will not learn until your mistakes come with consequences," he concluded, and removed his already loosened belt, folding it in half. When he made a move to approach Rin, the red-head stiffened, and if Haruka had heard the minuscule shuffle of his feet to hide behind the Prince, then that must have been his incentive to act.

He threw an arm out as if to shield Rin from the cracking of the leather, and despite his small stature, he was imposing enough to stop the Minister in his tracks.

"How dare you?" he enunciated in harsh syllables, a frown falling on his face. "How dare you insult a member of royalty in this manner?"

All of the present individuals froze, breaths caught in their throats.

"Rin," Haruka called. "Fetch the nearest guards."

"Sir," Rin nodded and bowed, just for show, regretfully taking his leave. Regretfully, for he had been stunned by the display of authority that Haruka presented, and he wanted to see more of it. And yet, he also wanted justice, so he broke into a run. However, as he ran down the hallway, he could still feel Haruka's presence, though he did not hear his voice.

But Haruka continued on nonetheless.

"Minister, by decree of Prince Haruka Nanase, Heir to the throne of Iwatobi, you are placed under arrest under the charges of attempted assault of sexual nature, physical assault, and treason." But he did not stop there, either. There was a fire in his veins, a fire fuelled by the thought of how close he'd come to losing Rin, and he knew that this sort of crime was what he was born to judge. "You may beg for forgiveness, but I will have no mercy. I will uphold all laws pertaining to your crimes and will preside myself over your trial to decide your fate. Until then, rot in the dungeons and repent for your crimes."

"Highness!"

"I did not give you permission to speak," Haruka glared up at the man, which shut him up effectively. Jaw dropped, the man stood frozen in shock, and perhaps some fear -Haruka hoped- until Rin returned with the guards.

The Minister was pushed to his knees and irons were snapped around his wrists. When the cold metal weighed down heavily on him, he seemed to snap out of his trance, and began struggling.

"Highness! Your Grace! Mercy!"

"Take him away," Haruka only ordered, nodding at the guards, who hesitated a split-second before escorting the man away. "There shall be no mercy for the filth of this world."

And nobody dared to breathe until the Prince did, much less speak up until the Prince did. Haruka gave them a moment to recover, and then paced towards the crowd. The nobles stiffened and made a move to get out of his way, and Haruka felt something akin to pride welling up inside of him.

"From now on, let it be known that I will put my foot down on injustice," he began, looking into the eyes of each and every noble to convey his message. "The lawless will find nothing but retribution from me, and the innocent will find solace in me. Go to the court. Whisper amongst yourselves." And though he was fifteen, and had been treated like a ten year-old for a long time, suddenly the weight of his words seemed to add in a few years of age to his name, and with that, a few years of experience. "My people are the ones I am duty-bound to watch over. Every soul within this kingdom is within my jurisdiction. I want the entire castle… nay, I want the entire kingdom to know that I, Prince Haruka, will uphold my duties and protect my people… Whoever the criminal may be, and whoever the victim may be."

Rin never realized that he had stopped breathing until his lungs burned for air. He gasped softly, and watched Haru's straightened back, his regal posture, and listened to words he never thought he would hear from someone as gentle as Haruka. He was becoming a King.

And in the process, he was losing everything that made him Haruka.

And when the Prince took a step forward to pass through the crowd, the nobles cleared him a wide passage, and bowed to him like nobody had bowed to him before.

With respect, and fear in their eyes.

…OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…

At age thirteen, Prince Haruka lost his ability to cry.

At age fourteen, Prince Haruka lost his innocence.

At age fifteen, Prince Haruka lost himself.

Author's Notes

There's an Easter Egg in this chapter for Skyrim. Did you spot it? Hint: It's an altered version of a dialogue from guards.

The punishments used on Rin were actually punishments used on whipping boys back in the 16th century. They were mainly whipped, as their name suggests, but sometimes, people didn't have the resources and got creative, I guess. The one about sniffing peppercorns particularly made me wince, urgh.

Also, I know that Haruka's father is going to get more hate this time, and I'm not justifying his actions because child abuse, or any kind of abuse, is unacceptable under any circumstances, but if we're going with the historical-cultural context of this fanfic, at the time, it was perfectly understandable for a father to beat up his children to discipline them. And so, to everybody's eyes, including Haruka's, the King did nothing wrong. Except Rin, because he's been through a hundred beatings, and he doesn't just know the facts; he's also aware of the emotions that come with abuse, and so he knows how much harm it's doing to Haruka.

There is so much to say about Haruka this chapter. Being beaten up by his father for the first time made him realize that he's powerless, too, and so he was unable to assume his authority as Prince for a year or so after because he kept demeaning himself, as well as enduring the demeaning attitudes from his entourage. The entire time, he had the right to tell people to shut the fuck up and sit their asses down, but he didn't, because he let people walk over him whenever he tried to raise his voice. Having Rin almost get raped was the final push he needed to make him realize that nobody would stand for the "weak", the bottom class citizens, unless he did, and so with that, he used his authority, and proved how commanding he really could be. His father would be proud of him... uwu

(And I know that rape is an overused plot device in most fanfics and it shouldn't be taken lightly, but the fact stands that back in those days, young men and women were often taken advantage of, especially if they were in a position where the other person had authority on them. Hence, a commoner being assaulted by a nobleman had no way of defending him/herself, because nobody would believe a peasant over a man with high ranks. Good thing Rin is feisty... And good thing he has Haru to clean up behind him).

And, of course, as you may have noticed... Haruka's not heading towards a good place right now. Hint hint, it's the same place that his father is. Haruka is slowly learning to rule through fear, despite his good intentions and his sense of justice. We'll see how that pans out next chapter.

I was overwhelmed by your comments and encouragements last chapter, so if it wouldn't be too much to ask, I'd always request feedback from my dearest readers! And criticism, if you have any! Thank you so much for sticking through, and cheers to you all!