The door opened with a bang. Kaede walked into his room and went straight towards the cabinet near his bed and opened a drawer to start rummaging for his leather gloves that he normally uses for hunting. After finding it, he was about to set out when he stopped and turned to walk to his bed. Leaning down he stuck his hand under the bed and took out his most recent treasure. He has never had many prized possession before. One was his sword, another was his horse and the last was this ingeniously inflated ball made from tough hide for him to play when he would get bored with his sword practicing. The object he held in his hand was probably by far the most prized one of them all. It was the golden shoe of one redheaded lordling named Hanamichi. He wanted to find more about this redhead but with Arashi, who knew more about him than he did, always seemed to be out being courted by the redhead's brother, Aota. Kaede sighed and placed the shoe back in it's hiding place under the table and walked out. He needed to find a way to find the redhead at once! He couldn't help thinking about the do'aho during his practices in sword and ball playing and he couldn't even find salvation in sleep since his dreams were constantly being invaded by the redhead, whether it would be his arrogant smiles, his warmth, his breath...
Kaede was disgusted at himself. He was mooning like a maiden in love. If this was the effect of being fey, then he would rather be dead by his own sword.

But that would mean missing the feel of Hanamichi's smooth skin on his hands. And his flaming red hair... What would it feel if I run my fingers through it...

Kaede shook his head in annoyance. If he kept thinking about the redhead and his attributes all day, he would never concentrate on his hunt. Striding out of the room he banged the door shut, ignoring the hinges creaking in protest. ~~~~

Kaede grumbled inwardly. He has not managed to capture a single animal for his hunt that day. Choosing the stop for the moment, he led his horse at his favourite resting spot a few miles into the forest. The lordling let the black mare graze the sweet grass growing there while he went to sit under a tree where little yellow flowers grew on the branches, scattering themselves among the green foliage. Leaning against the trunk he let out a sigh of weariness. To his dismay, all through the hunt he has been thinking about the person he has tried to avoid thinking all day. It was damn troublesome.

The raven-haired lordling let his body slide down the trunk to lay on the soft grass and moss when suddenly he saw something that made his blue fox-eyes grow wide.

There was a hideous creature hanging by the branch of the tree he was lying under and the two stared and stared at each other until the inhuman being lost its grip and fell with a hurtful 'thump' on the ground. Fortunately, Kaede managed to scramble away before he was fell upon.

"Itee..." the creature winced.

Kaede took out his sword and pointed it towards the furred-and-feathered being, waiting for it to make a threatening move. Finally the creature looked up and glared at the raven-haired lordling through it's unruly dirty hair.

The two began another bout of staring until Kaede finally asked not so politely, "What are you?"

"A person," the being snapped irritably, "I work at your kitchen."

Kaede gave a look of disbelief. Someone this conspicuous would hardly escape his attention.
Then again he has never ventured anywhere in the castle that couldn't afford peace and quiet for his naps or sword fighting. Without a comment, he sheathed back his sword and laid down on the spot beside the creature. The furred-and-feathered being blinked in puzzlement. He has never met a person, let alone a lord, who didn't mind being close to him at the first meet. The raven-haired lordling didn't seem to care for he was at that moment settling down to sleep when he saw a scene that made his eyes snap open before they had a chance to shut.

A bird has just landed on top of the being's head and started twittering in a conversational way. It was even tame enough to let a furred hand scratch it's smooth head. Then a squirrel scampered down the tree, over Kaede's face and up the fur and feather body of the being before him. Stopping to perch onto one shoulder it began chattering into the being's ear and Kaede thought he heard a low growl coming from the creature.

When Kaede saw more small creatures coming up towards the decidedly inhuman person, the raven-haired lordling had to sit up to watch and believe it. The creature who was probably taller than he was looked like he was about to tear his fur and feathered dirty hair because of the endless noise the animals flocking around him were making.

Finally, the being exploded, "Urusai!!"

The animals finally either scampered or flew away and the last one which stubbornly stood it's ground was the bird with the orange streak around it's neck. With a final chirp it flew away in a huff, leaving the two humans in peace.

"You speak their language?" asked Kaede after a while.

The creature looked at him as if he just realised that the lordling was still there before he answered, "I-Iie... I don't know what they're saying but I can understand them."

Kaede thought about it. Surprisingly he didn't fall asleep and that Hanamichi was able to note. Kaede's train of thoughts has side-tracked from the original subject to the redheaded lord who has managed to capture his heart. Why was the reason this time? Yesterday it was because of the sun setting reminding him of the colour of redhead's hair and just now it was because of the doe's glassy eyes which reminded him of the redhead's soft brown ones. And now.... he couldn't help but think that the creature's arrogant voice seemed familiar to him...

"Hey, what're you thinkin' about?" asked the creature rudely.

"None of your business," Kaede intoned.

The creature shrugged, "Ch. Whatever."

Then there was silence but Kaede felt a pair of eyes staring at him in scrutiny. Turning his head to his left he saw that the creature was looking at him again.
"What?" snapped the raven-haired lordling in annoyance.

The creature turned his head away as he shuffled his foot, "Nothin'."

Kaede huffed and was about to shut his eyes, hoping that temporary oblivion would rid his mind off of the redhead, when the creature spoke, "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

Before Kaede could say 'no', the creature spoke again, this time hesitantly, "Have you... have you ever been in a situation where you couldn't stop thinking about someone?"

Kaede looked at the furred-and-feathered being in surprise.
"Well, have you?" the creature asked in irritation.

Kaede would've liked to tell the creature off for a much deserved peace and quiet but something about the creature before him made him want to answer the query. That and the words used by the creature was exactly what he was feeling at the moment. It was a new feeling for him and if he could get some help delving in deep to find the answer and probably a cure to this sickness, it wouldn't hurt to talk. Maybe get a strain on his jaw but that would only probably be it.

"Hai," the lorlding nodded simply.

The grin from the creature surprised him, "Me too... Your heart beats fast, you get stupid troubled thoughts...."

"All you can feel is the warmth, the touch..."

"...you close your eyes and all you can see is that person..."

"...even in your waking moments..."

"Hai!" the creature laughed in joy, "At last someone understands me! What do you think it might be? The people I've talked to said that I'm in love. Hah! That's stupid!"

Kaede arched an eyebrow, "Why is that stupid?"

"Well... I mean... I was talking about a man..."

Kaede sat up, "You too?"

"Nani?!"

"I was thinking about a man."

The being's eyes went wide and behind a few stray strands of fur and dirty hair, Kaede could see that it was liquid brown in colour.

The creature sputtered, "Iie!! I am NOT in love! So NOT in love!"

"You are and so am I," said Kaede cooly.

The being went silent before he asked breathlessly, "Who?"

Kaede was about to speak when he remembered who he was talking to - a being covered head to toe with dirty animal feather and fur that he has just met a few minutes ago claiming to be part of his father's servant household.

"Why should I tell you?" Kaede asked haughtily.

The creature hmphed irritably and scowled, "Fine. Then I won't tell you either."

"Fine."

"Fine."

At that moment the same orange single-streaked bird flew on top of the being's head and began to chirp. The creature grumbled and looked to the sky to see the sun high up overhead.
"Hn. It's time to serve lunch," the being said to himself before turning to Kaede, "Hey, aren't you going home to eat."

Kaede back laid down on the soft grass and said simply, "I've got a horse. I can make it back home quicker than you do."

The creature scowled but before Kaede could blink, the creature began to sprint towards the direction of the castle in an amazing speed as he hollered, "I bet you can't!"

Kaede allowed himself a small smile. He would give the baka fifteen seconds before he let the creature eat his dust. Closing his eyes against the sun's glare filtering through the trees, the image of the grinning redhead appeared in his mind. The lordling cursed and stood up. He might as well start now.


~~~~

There came a knock on the door before a low voice came through the oaken barrier, "It's me, Kaede."

"Enter," Arashi told him. Her brother walked in holding a small package in his hand. Closing the door tightly, Kaede unwrapped the bundle and threw the shoe to the lady. Arashi caught it deftly and inspected it with surprise, "This is..."

"The do'aho's shoe. All I know is his name. What more can you tell me?"

Arashi arched an eyebrow, "Why the interest?"

When Kaede didn't answer, Arashi sighed and told him, "He ran away from his kingdom to escape a forced marriage. With him, he brought along his three outfit, the...dowry from the bride. That is all I know. Where he is now, I have no knowledge of."

Kaede took the shoe back from his sister and said quietly, "I want to see him again."

Arashi was highly curious at her brother's statement but knowing Kaede's secretive nature she held back her speculation. What she said instead was, "I don't know how we can go about it this time. Lord Aota is bound to catch up to Hanamichi sooner or later and I don't dare to lure him out this time round."

Kaede nodded in agreement. It was too risky. The last time was close enough for Aota to find Hanamichi. Too close to his liking.

Arashi shrugged finely, "You do have his shoe, brother. He is bound to come to take it back. Better keep it close by your side."

Of course! He was holding the answer in his hand all along, Kaede chastised himself. All he can do now was wait.


~~~~

Hanamichi pondered on what has happened that night behind the hedge outside the Rukawa castle. He has been thinking about the fox-eyed lordling all day that it seemed ridiculous. But he couldn't help it! The way Kaede held him, the way he looked deeply into his eyes, and the way he touched him .... ARGH!! Why did it have to happen? Why did Kaede do that? And why couldn't he forget about it? But most importantly, why was it that he didn't think that it was weird at all? The opposite in fact that he wished for it to happen again.

The redhead scowled under his raggedy disguise. All that trouble to get into the ball to meet Haruko and his brother beat him to it. And he lost one of his shoe. It was his favourite outfit among the three and losing one of the golden shoe was a big loss in his book. He guessed that either Kaede or Arashi has it because only they knew of his presence that night. Maybe he could creep into the inner rooms of the castle and hunt for it without anyone finding out.

Kaede let his body fall onto the red armchair with a weary sigh. It was raining outside and so he was confined in the castle until the weather clears up. Next door, Arashi was entertaining Lord Aota in the tearoom again. The two have been seeing each other much lately and so one could guess that there would be a proposal from the handsome lord soon.
The raven-haired lordling was tired of staying in his room so he took it upon himself to visit the study. There were no books that were of interest to him so he let himself sit down on the armchair beside the window. He was slowly getting tired of nothing to do when he saw the first ray of sunshine peeking through the heavy curtains of the study-room. Relieved that he needn't be confined in the place any longer, Kaede stood up and strode up the stairs to get his sword and put on his riding gear.

When he was done he was about to walk out of his room when he realised that something was amiss. The blankets of his bed were untucked on the edges and, remembering that the curtains were drawn open before were now left falling down to cover the window. The lordling narrowed his eyes as he unsheathed his sword slowly before walking towards the curtains silently. With a quick flip, he drew the curtains open and hiding behind it was the feather-and-furred creature he met in the woods.

"WAHH!!" the startled creature cried clutching something to his chest. When Kaede saw what it was, his blue eyes burned with anger. Pointing the sword to the creature's neck he demanded, "What are you doing here? And give me back the shoe!"

"I-I just came to take this back for the owner," the creature glared at him to show that he was not intimidated at all. He was, however, afraid that someone would have heard his cry just now and come barging in. And someone did.

The servants who were at the first floor cleaning the rooms were startled by the cry and one of the head maids knocked timidly on the door, "Young Master Rukawa. Are you alright?"

"Come in," commanded Kaede and three servants walked in. One of them was the servant girl and Hanamichi's crush, Haruko.

The creature groaned, "Oh no..."

"Fool?!" gasped one of the older servants when she recognised the feather-and-furred being, "What are you doing here?"

"I-It's not what you think!" pleaded the creature, particularly to Haruko who was looking at him in shock.

"Get some people to tie this creature up!" ordered Kaede and everyone, except Haruko who looked on worriedly, obeyed to get some help.
"You dare to steal something precious from me."

"No! I told ya I was going to give it back to the guy who owns it," the creature persisted but then he stopped to ask in disbelief, "Precious? Really?"

"Who is this guy you speak of?" asked Kaede, ignoring the creature's question, "I don't believe you."

The creature heard the people outside rushing to help their young lord so he had to think fast. He couldn't move for Kaede has positioned the swords precariously close to his throat that he could feel the sharp prick of the metal point.

"Then would you believe me if I told you that it is mine?" asked the creature hurriedly, panicked at hearing the oncoming men about to arrest him. He was stronger than all of them but he couldn't risk getting Haruko hurt in the process... and he knew Kaede would try to stop him and the fox-eyed lordling will undoubtedly end up being hurt...
Hanamichi shook his head. This was no time to think about Kaede's wellbeing! The fox is an experience swordsman, goddammit, so he can take anything I can dish out!

"Impossible! You lie!" growled the raven-haired lordling angrily.

"I do not!" shot back the creature, "You stubborn fox!"

The raven-haired lordling snorted, "If you fit the shoe I'll not only release you, I'll let you live in this castle as a permanent guest!"

Furious at the patronising words from Kaede, the creature held his head high and said, "Alright! I'll hold you to it!"

Before Kaede could stop him, the creature managed to slap the sword away and slipped on the shoe without any trouble. Vaguely, Kaede could hear the gasp from the servant girl behind him but he was busy staring at the golden shoe which could fit on the creature so perfectly.

"Who are you?" demanded the raven-haired lordling hoarsely, "Where is lord Hanamichi?"

"You made a promise," reminded the creature haughtily, "So you should release me and allow me to stay here permanently."

Kaede glared at him before he nodded in acknowledgement, "Yes. I shall keep my promise. You are as of now a permanent guest in this castle and I shall treat you with respect."

Suddenly, the window burst open and in came the small animals and birds flowing into the room and crowding the creature before anyone in the room had a chance to react.

The servant girl shrieked in terror and Kaede had to shield his eyes to protect himself from the force of the animals and birds flocking onto the creature. When the animals and birds cleared away, he was presented with a sight that took his breath away. There standing before him was the redheaded lord he was looking for, dressed in the outfit as glorious as the sun - and wearing both of his shoes.

What came out of the redhead's mouth was unexpected but not surprising, "You stupid animals! I didn't ask you to do that!!"

While Hanamichi was busy shaking his fist at the shadow of the disappearing woodland creatures, Kaede stepped closer towards him slowly.
"Hanamichi... I've..."

"Fool?! Is that you?" gasped Haruko gazing at the redhead in amazement.

"H-Haruko..." the redhead blushed shyly, "Hai. It's me..."

"You-"

Before she could finish what she was saying, Kaede has pushed her out the door.

"Hey!" protested Hanamichi, stepping forward to stop him but Kaede has already shut the door tight. The raven-haired lordling turned around to look at the redhead with his dark blue eyes full of amazement and... hunger. For the first time in his life, Hanamichi felt terribly uncertain and anxious.

"As I was saying..." began the Kaede, walking leisurely towards the redhead like a cat about to attack a mouse, "I've been waiting for you to come back. As promised you will now live with me in the castle, preferably in my room."

Sensing that Kaede was getting too close for his comfort, Hanamichi backed away until his thighs hit the side of the bed. With nowhere else to go, except to crawl up the bed, Hanamichi let Kaede stand close to him that their chests were touching. A warm finger across his cheek brought back the odd feelings that assaulted him when he and the raven-haired lordling hid behind the bushes that night of the last ball.

Hanamichi gasped and he could breathe in Kaede's warm exhalations. They were that close. What happened next shocked the redhead that he forgot to breathe altogether. The raven-haired lordling kissed Hanamichi tentively at first but when Kaede found out that he liked feeling the redhead's soft lips against his, he licked his lips moist and began a kiss meant to serve his hunger. Not only that, it also left both of them reeling of the act. The redhead tried to back away from it but the other lordling wouldn't allow it, following the redhead so that their kiss wouldn't break until they were both lying on the bed with Kaede on top.

Suddenly the door slammed open and watching at the two with utter amazement were Arashi, Lord Aota and a few of the servant household.

"Well, this is a definite improvement," murmured Arashi when she noted that her brother didn't seem to be getting up soon.

"Shimatta..." groaned the redhead pushing Kaede off of him.

"Hanamichi?" Aota finally spoke before grabbing his brother for a crushing hug, "Hanamichi! We've been looking all over for you!"

Hanamichi returned his brother the embrace and whispered, "I'm sorry I ran away but I can't marry her, Aota. Please, don't take me back there."

Aota released Hanamichi and held him at arm's length, "Don't worry, Hanamichi. The wedding was called off a month ago. It's true that we were searching for you for the marriage but when it was called off Kouichiro and I wanted to find you to tell you that you are free."

"Ee! Honto?!" demanded the redhead grabbing his brother by the lapels.

"Aa," chuckled Aota before Hanamichi released him to sit down with a relieved sigh on the bed. While Aota ruffled his brother's red hair playfully, Arashi looked at Kaede with a meaningful smile. Kaede pretended not to notice.

The day was fine and there wasn't even a hint of grey clouds to signal any oncoming rain. Arashi has never been happy in all her life as she stood beside her husband after they have taken the vows of marriage. The men smiled and the ladies wept for joy. It was a much anticipated and happy communion and everyone rejoiced when Lord Aota and Lady Arashi were pronounced husband and wife.

The reception after the wedding was a big affair and everyone got to meet and mingle with the new relatives acquired after the marriage. As usual, Kaede decided to become a wallflower, standing in solitude while he watched with disinterest at the people milling about him.

When a redheaded lord with a suit meant to impress (and impressed he was) walked up to him, the raven-haired young man walked up to met the redhead halfway.

"Enjoying yourself?" grinned Hanamichi to his partner as he handed Kaede a glass of wine.

"Hardly," murmured the fox-eyed lord, accepting the drink to drain in one gulp. Hanamichi was the only companion he cared for but as a brother, he wanted his sister to know that he was beside her on the joyous occassion. He didn't need to hear to know that people were whispering behind his back about he and the redhead. His parents have feigned cluelessness of their relationship for they loved him and respected the redhead just as much. Besides, they have heard stories of other lords with other men even when those lords were already married and with children.

"Hey, there's aunt Iboshi," said Hanamichi, waving cheerfully at an elgant lady being the centre of attention by men and women alike. A young woman as beautiful and powerful as her deserved the admiration of her peers. After proving to others that she could maintain the loyalty of her people by single-handedly maintaining efficient administration of the mines and lands around her of her late husband's, she managed to escape the need to marry to acquire safety and dependancy.

"I haven't met her before," said Kaede.

"Well you should," nudged the redhead, bringing Kaede to meet his favourite aunt.
"She was the one I was nearly married to."

Kaede's fox-eyes widened in surprise and before Hanamichi could hold his aunt's outstretched hand, the raven-haired lord pulled the redhead back by the back of his suit.

"Nanda yo!" hissed Hanamichi when Kaede refused to release him, "What's the matter with you?"

Kaede didn't speak but his eyes and the small frown on his otherwise impassive face conveyed everything that Hanamichi was taken aback. Then the redhead began to chuckle. The fox was jealous!

Saying an apology to his aunt, Hanamichi excused himself and pulled Kaede with him out of the hall to escape the crowd.

"Baka kitsune," scolded Hanamichi affectionately, "She's my aunt. The reason why I ran away. Sure she's beautiful and rich..."

The redhead broke off to snicker at the fox-eyed lord's scowl before he continued, "But I don't love her the way I love you."

Kaede blinked in surprise at what the redhead has said. He and Hanamichi has never touched that 'L' word before and it not only rooted him to the ground, it also made him feel that the words were perfect to describe their feelings for one another. Taking one of the redhead's hand to place it against his pale cheek and pink lips, Kaede murmured softly, "Love you too, do'aho."

"Do'aho?" grinned the redhead cupping Kaede's other cheek with his other hand, "I thought you promised that you'd give me respect when I fit the shoe."

The fox-eyed lordling lifted his mouth to kiss the redhead's lips, "I didn't say where."

"Huh?"

"It might mean only in bed," whispered Kaede biting Hanamichi's lower lip.

The redhead sighed as he allowed his raven-haired lover to nibble his lips, "Hmmm...I can live with that."

~Owari



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