*revives* I is back! I can't even apologize for a delay, since I more or less disappeared. I do plan on being back though and am looking forward to adding a new chapter very soon. ^^

Hisoka's fingers were still running through Tsuzuki's hair when he felt those black ears slowly raise up from their flattened position. He had no idea just how much time had passed since either neko had said a word. Tsuzuki shifted only slightly and the prince was able to catch a glimpse of one of those violet eyes. Afraid to move, Hisoka kept himself as still as possible to avoid startling the other. "I . . . I want to tell you . . . A-as my master . . . y-you have the right to know wh-what happened in my past . . ." The spike of anger that went through Hisoka caused his hand to twitch, but seeing the look in those violet eyes, he managed to keep the reaction to just that.

"I am asking . . . as a friend, Tsuzuki. You were hurt and you have not been able to talk about it, which means you probably have not been able to deal with it like you should." He returned as gently as he could. "If you are not ready to talk, then all it will do is hurt you. I don't want you to be hurt." A blush ran over his face, and he hoped beyond all hope that the other hadn't seen it. With a quick breath, Hisoka continued. "If you want to stop you can, if you would like to continue, you can. It is entirely up to you."

Violet eyes stared into his own green eyes as he waited for a response. The silence and lack of reaction from the other was beginning to make him nervous. He was able to catch a hint of fear and nervousness came into his eyes, before there was a faint smile. It didn't reach his lips, but Hisoka caught the look in his eyes. His brother had often used that to smile instead of an actual smile. Yet again he had to thank his brother for giving him some insight into emotion without the use of his powers.

"Thank you . . . H-hisoka." He took another breath and turned the hand covered by Hisoka's, so that he was able to hold onto the somewhat smaller hand. A warm feeling rushed through the prince's hand and arm, and he was shocked when his body didn't immediately reject the touch. There was no barrier for his powers and the swell of conflicting emotions did cause him a headache, but Hisoka forced himself to push through it and listen to the other. He was not about to let this flaw cause more injury to the neko before him. Tsuzuki had already suffered enough it appeared. "I . . . think . . . I am ready to tell s-someone . . .

"W-when Muraki said he would . . . 'study' me . . . I was really scared. I still didn't know what happened that last time when I apparently . . . messed everything up . . . He took me back to his house and to the exact same room he was carving all of those symbols into me. The room was covered in papers and markings. I couldn't read anything and I got a really weird feeling. He tied me to the table and took my wrist and began cutting lines." Tsuzuki turned over both of their hands to reveal the ugly scar he had been rubbing earlier. "They were small little cuts at first and began to get deeper and . . . his grip on my arm got tighter. I got really dizzy . . . and then I blacked out . . . when I woke back up my wrist looked like this and I was in a carriage on my way back to the slave house." Hisoka's eyes couldn't leave the scar on the wrist, finally getting a direct look at it. The multiple lines were obvious in the different lines and the angles. He couldn't believe someone would do that to anyone.

"Tari and I promised we'd never never talk about what we did when we were sent away with one another. It bothered him cause when he got to the slave house he would hear all these stories . . . he came from a rich family . . . and it was so different . . ." Tsuzuki seemed to relax a lot more when he talked about his friend. There was a small pang of jealousy, hearing the other talk about his brother's slave. He knew that his brother and the other had bonded, but he couldn't help the pang. "I never wanted ta hurt him . . . Tari . . . was my only friend . . ." Tsuzuki's other hand began tracing the scars, his other hand tightening on Hisoka's hand. He glanced up at him then gave him a small smile. "T-thank you . . . for that . . . H-hisoka." The grip on Hisoka's hand relaxed some and the prince felt Tsuzuki pull away slightly and he could feel the nervousness run through him suddenly. Hisoka couldn't help or explain the small ache he felt as the other put some distance between them. "I . . . I haven't t-told anyone about any of this . . . I . . . don't want to force my burdens on other people . . ." The neko admitted his head looking down at his lap.

Hisoka frowned slightly and used his free hand to move Tsuzuki's chin, so that he was looking back at his face. "That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard." He stated simply. "If it wasn't for all of the things I tell Tatsumi, I don't know what I would do. I mean, even my father uses advisors and guidance every once in a while." His eyes never left the slightly wide violet ones before him. "People just want others to know about their lives. Sometimes they practically scream it out without saying anything." He stopped suddenly, a bright blush crossing his face as he realized just what he had done. The prince watched him for a reaction, his tail curling around himself a little nervously.

"I . . . n-never thought about that . . . t-the training always said that what happens to me doesn't matter . . . it's my master that matters and that's it . . ." He shifted a little and Hisoka felt that wave of nervousness, but it felt like he was fighting with something engrained so deeply in Tsuzuki that his entire mind was rejecting it. His hand tightened on the other neko's and he caught his eye.

"They're wrong. I care about what happens to you. I want you to be . . . to be happy . . ." It slipped out before he could stop himself and he felt the blush spread and deepen all through his face. By now he must be as bright as a tomato. It was said and there was nothing he could do to take it back, at least, without undoing all of the work he had done before. He took a deep breath and decided to continue. "It matters to me . . . I want . . . you to be able to talk to me . . . if you have any burdens . . ."

Tsuzuki's face began making weird looks and those strange powers of Hisoka's could feel the complex emotional trail. It was all over the place and Hisoka could feel the headache begin to form behind his eyes, but he refused to break the contact. He wanted to make sure the other understood and with Tsuzuki, it seemed that physical contact helped with that. He had seen how close his brother's slave had been when Tsuzuki had admitted to washing his hair. And what he felt from the neko seemed to confirm that touch spoke more than words ever could. "T-thank you . . . Hisoka . . ." A genuine smile slowly appeared on his face and tears formed at the corners of his eyes. The biggest shock of Hisoka's life came when the neko slave quickly released his hand and launched himself at him. Tsuzuki's arms wrapped around Hisoka's small shoulders and pulled him into a loose hug.

Watari fell into step right behind his master as they traveled the road back to the palace. He was in complete shock as his master had taken his hand as they turned to leave and even as they walked down the road, their hands were still in one another's. The prince had been very cordial with the townspeople who came up to speak with them. He had a reputation for not being the most social, so most of the interactions were simply an exchange of greetings. However there were enough people speaking that the two were not given much privacy to speak until they were behind the palace gates. Tatsumi turned to Watari, his eyes reflecting a hint of nervousness. There was a bit of silence before Watari decided to break it with a small smile.

"Your mother is absolutely wonderful and the dresses she showed us were absolutely amazing." He gently squeezed the larger hand his own was in. "I can see her influence in you." That seemed to break Tatsumi's silence and nerves. His lips cracked into a very small smile. It lit up his face as the smile reached into his eyes.

"She really took to you. It was a good sign she wanted to fix your hair. It's her way of showing that she approves." He reached up, gently moving a stray curl back where his mother had placed it. Watari's face heated and he knew he had to have one of the brightest blushes on his face. "Hisoka is the only other person I have introduce her to." He added as they walked through the halls.

"I'm so glad, Mast-Tatsumi." Watari said with a shy, but genuine smile on his face. It was the first time since he was taken from his home that he did not feel like a slave. Here he was, walking down a hall with someone who was treating him like an equal—who had even introduced him to his mother. But then a shift of his head reminded him of the collar the other had strategically hidden. In the end, though, he was still a slave and the prince was his master. Before everything went down, things could have been so different. They may have actually had the chance of becoming friends.

"Is everything all right, Watari?" He asked quietly as he led Watari into the room. "You look upset." Ice blue eyes were now looking into his own with concern filling them. The hand on his own gently pulled him closer, as the other large hand reached up to his face. Watari nearly melted into a puddle right there. "Is something wrong?"

"Not at all, Tatsumi." He answered quietly, leaning a little into the hand on his cheek. When he saw that his answer was not being accepted. He gave him a weak smile to show he understood. "Just caught up in the past for a moment." The prince nodded gently and slowly led him to the windowsill bench. He gently helped Watari to sit, then sat beside him. Their hands were still linked and he was a bit startled when he felt the larger thumb run along the back of his hand.

"Would you like to talk about it?" The offer shocked him and Watari knew his eyes had widened. He just stared up at those blue eyes, searching them intensely. There was no malice in them, just concern and a genuine interest in the neko. He hesitated for a moment before he nodded gently. The prince gently squeezed his hand.

"Just . . . so you know, I was not born into slavery like Tsuzuki. My father was the younger son of a nobleman. He married my mother and they got into the textile industry. They owned a fabric store that some of the townspeople ran. I have three older brothers who were all prepared to take over the family business. My mother and father were preparing to marry me and my sisters off to grow our family name." He smiled a little. "We were all pretty happy together. But then, the shop burned down when my father was there. He died and the shop was destroyed. My older brother took over, but he wasn't able to deal with all of the debt. When the collectors came he made a quick decision and sold me to them instead of paying the debt."

Lost in the past, Watari had completely forgotten where he was, or even who he was talking to. He felt a hand squeeze his own and after a blink his own eyes focusing slowly on the other sitting next to him. "Tsuzuki was the first person I met at the slave house who was nice. He was my roommate and he gave me the brightest smile I had ever seen on his face when we met." The smile grew on his face as he remembered the day they had first met.

"Tsuzuki is definitely a unique individual. I have never met anyone like him." That deep voice brought him back to the present again. He looked up at him. "I know my interactions with him have been very limited, but the affect he has had on Hisoka is obvious to me. It is a miracle." Watari nodded very slowly. He was not able to bite back the comment that first surfaced.

"He and Tsuzuki are a terrible match. When he snaps at him, Tsuzuki's heart is absolutely crushed." Immediately he threw his free hand up to his mouth. His eyes were wide and he was absolutely panicked. As he watched, Tatsumi simply reached out and brought his hand down.

"It's all right. I understand. Hisoka does not exactly have a level head. I know Tsuzuki must ache when his temper is out of control, but . . . when he is close to someone, he makes up for those times in his own way." Tatsumi gently laid the other hand in Watari's lap. "He has bonded to Tsuzuki, and will do everything in his power to protect him, and make sure he is not harmed by anything—past, present, or future." Watari hardly believed that based on what he was seeing, but he had to admit that he knew very little about the other prince. Tatsumi knew him better, but Watari knew Tsuzuki. He knew the other would not be able to handle that temper much longer.

"Shall we have lunch with them, then? Then you would be able to make sure Tsuzuki is all right, and I will be able to check on Hisoka." Immediately, Watari jumped up and wrapped his arms around his master's neck and shoulders. "Thank you!" He beamed, kissing his cheek. The large arms wrapped around him and he felt the deep laugh rumble through his chest. "Let's go invite them."