Handle with care [Chapter 9]
Title: Handle with care
Author: Axraxshi
Pairing: Matsumiya, Sakumiya (supposed to be, but it’s hardly mentioned)
Summary: When Jun conquered the Neen Kingdom, the castle and its lands weren’t the only prize that he received
Disclaimer: Don’t own the boys, just the retarded-ly named kingdoms
Rating: Mostly PG (except Chapter 5 which is NC-16)
[Prologue] [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2][ Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7] [Chapter 8]
Chapter 9:
Nino wasn’t sure if he was dreaming. Everything felt so nice and warm around him. It was as though he was lying on clouds. However, something inside him told him that he must be dreaming, for every time he opened his eyes, he saw his little brother and his tutor. He must definitely be dreaming. His only friends were locked up by that horrible Pine-tree kingdom prince, why would they be beside him?
He shut his eyes once more, refusing to wake up because he knew that if he did, it would be back to being treated like a slave by that monster.
“Nino?” he heard a voice call his name. Why did it sound so familiar? A soft hand was gently stroking the top of his head, so comforting that Nino didn’t want to think of anything but to savour the moment while it lasted.
“Nino…?” the voice came again. It sounded like the same voice which taught him how to read and write, the voice which chided him when he didn’t wanted to study, the voice which was always by his side taking care of him.
Sho?
“He’s awake!”
Nino didn’t realize he had said that that name out loud, but when he did, it caused him to open his eyes fully, curious as to why his dream felt so real. Instead of finding Jun hovering above him with an angry scowl on his face, Nino saw those warm slopping shoulders that he could always lean on.
“Sho…” smiled Nino, struggling to get up knowing that his beloved tutor was around.
“Your highness!” squeaked the older man in shock as the prince flung himself around his neck, hugging him as though he was going to disappear if he didn’t hold on tight. Sho could only smile at the knowledge of being back at the crown prince’s side. The weeks that he wasn’t were worse that hell for him. Was Nino eating well? What if he suddenly collapsed? Was Nino terrified without him by his side? All though thoughts haunted him during his time in the dungeons, making Sho more determined to fight his way back to his prince’s side.
“I’m so sorry, your highness,” sighed Sho at last, holding Nino close as the younger man buried his head in the crook of his shoulder, “I failed to protect you. I made you suffer all this time…”
Sho felt Nino shake his head softly, “It’s not your fault. If there’s somebody to be blamed, it would be….”
Nino knew that Jun was the sole reason why everything is so messed up, but for some reason he couldn’t blame him. He really hated the other prince for being such a jerk to him for the past week, he really did, but when he wanted to say it out loud, something stopped him.
In the end, Nino opted to change the subject, “Last thing I remembered I was at the Pine-tree kingdom, what happened?”
The tutor then explained everything that happened while the prince was unconscious, including the part when Jun set them free.
“But that’s not all,” said Sho, a hint of worry in his voice, “The night after we left, the rebels who had been plotting to overthrow the current ruler launched their plan. They invaded the castle at night in an attempt to assassinate the royal family,”
Was this what Ohno meant by something big was going to happen?
As though on cue, Kazuya entered the room, a frown on his face, “This is not good,” he sighed, approaching the two and sitting at the foot of the bed, “There has been word that the rebels succeeded. They’ve taken full control of the Pine-tree kingdom,”
“What about the royal family?” Nino could not help but ask.
Kazuya sighed once more, “The king and queen were banished rather than killed because the people still loved them too much to want them dead. It was the prince they were actually after. I’m not sure what happened to Prince Matsumoto,”
To Nino, no news is good news. It means there’s a chance that Jun was still alive. As to why he didn’t want the other prince dead, that was still a complete mystery to Nino.
“Kazu-nii, I’ll get this mess sorted out and our kingdom back on its feet,” said Kazuya reassuringly, ruffling his brother’s soft hair, “In the mean time, please get some rest,”
However, Nino didn’t want to rest. He had been in bed for so long that it made him feel more lethargic than ever. He had been kept indoors for so long that all he wanted was to go outside and walk around a bit.
In the end, the brothers managed a compromise because a pouting Nino is something nobody could resist. Nino was allowed out only if Sho was with him at all times and that he rode a horse instead of walking.
“Where did you get this horse from?” asked Nino as the pair navigated their way through the Neen kingdom town. The once bustling town was now covered in a layer of sorrow. The joyful laughter and merry chit-chat was now gone, making the whole town seem like a graveyard full with wandering souls with no purpose in life anymore.
“This was the horse that Prince Matsumoto lent us,” whispered Sho, not wanting to attract the wrong kind of attention. Having a grand white horse at times like these would make plenty of eyes stare and heads wonder how they still have enough fortunes to afford a horse, let alone a top grade one.
It might have been because Nino looked so small that the folks thought he was insignificant, or it might have been their lack of energy to care, but the pair managed to make their way to the forest.
The forest was the only place that hadn’t change at all since the war. The trees were still as green as ever and the atmosphere calming. Nino shut his eyes trying to forget everything that had happened to him in the past week. He tried to remember the time when his kingdom was still prosperous and how he would watch the lively city from his tower with a huge grin on his face.
The horse trotted slowly with Sho pulling its reins, guiding it in between the trees, no particular destination in mind. While walking, Sho could not help think that the horse that they ‘borrowed’ from Prince Matsumoto was extremely obedient. It seems to understand and followed every command that he gave it, and he was its master’s enemy.
Sho spoke too soon.
“Your highness!” cried Sho as he was pulled off his feet and dragged along the ground as the horse started galloping at full speed for no apparent reason. The tutor was rammed into a tree as the maniac horse turned a corner. Sho was being torn into two both physically and mentally. He wasn’t sure how long more he could hold on to the reins as the horse with his prince on it galloped as though its life depended on it. Letting go means lesser injuries would be inflicted on his already scratched and bruised body, but if he did, he wouldn’t be able to save his prince.
His will power lost to his grip as Sho felt the leather reins slip from his hands, causing him to finally come to a grinding stop after being yanked along the rough forest floor when his shoulder collided into a huge tree root.
“Ow…” whined Sho pitifully as he scrambled to his feet, rubbing his aching shoulder. The tutor wasn’t sure if his shoulder was dislocated or worse, broken, but he had better things to worry about. For one, a maniac horse was galloping around the forest with his prince on its back. Nino could get thrown off the horse and injure his already frail body! Or worse, they could get ambushed by some wild animals and be eaten by them! There could be rebels hiding in the forest waiting to make Nino prisoner once more!
Sho refused to let his thoughts run wild and hurried off in the direction in which the frantic horse had gone. The tutor, who was obviously build for studying rather than chasing after animals, didn’t managed to get far before realizing that he was no idea where he was going.
“Prince Ninomiya!” he cried at the top of his lungs, “Nino!”
Turing 360 degrees, all Sho saw were trees. No. No! He can’t lose Nino like that. He was going to find the prince even if his feet bled from walking! Picking a random path, Sho darted down it, praying that his intuition was right.
“Nino!” he tried once more. The only thing that replied his calls were the birds who chirped back at him, as though mocking his fail. Legs sore from running and after being dragged for several meters, Sho barely took two steps before collapsing onto the ground, his legs unable to carry him any further.
“Ahhhhhh!” screamed Sho, clenching his fists tightly before hitting the ground with them, “Stupid!” he cried, “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!”
Prince Kazuya was going to have his head for losing the crown prince like that, but Sho would gladly accepts his punishment for he felt worse that guilty for leaving Nino with a mad horse.
Just as Sho was about to resign to his fate, he heard a shout.
“Help!” a voice came echoing through the forest.
“Nino?” whispered Sho, unable to believe his good luck, “Nino, I’m here!”
“Someone, help!” the voice came again, somewhere from Sho’s right. Getting to his feet, Sho didn’t care if he had to crawl to Nino if his legs decided to betray him. Half-limping, half hobbling in the direction of the voice, Sho prayed to every single god that Nino was safe.
“Nino?!”
“Sho….?” He heard Nino’s voice, “Sho, I’m here!”
The prince’s voice spurred Sho on, making him ignore the pain in his legs as he fought his way to his prince. After staggering for a few more meters, Sho came across a river bank and found Nino kneeling beside it, the animal that caused it all to happen nuzzling something in Nino’s lap.
“Your highness, are you ok?” asked Sho worriedly, struggling to close the distance between him and Nino. Eventually, Sho managed to collapse beside Nino, and to his surprise, he found a body lying on Nino’s lap, making him squeak loudly.
“He’s hurt!” whimpered Nino, nursing the person in his arm, “We have to get him back!”
Suspicious as to why there was a random injured person by the river, Sho turned the person’s head slightly to see his face, only to get the shock of his life.
“Prince Matsumoto!” he yelped, falling backwards onto the ground in surprise, “What is he doing here? Why should we help him?”
Nino pouted, brushing the stands of wet hair away from the Pine-tree kingdom’s prince’s bruised and scratched face.
“I’ll get him back on my own then,” said Nino determinedly, getting to his feet as he tried to haul the bigger man. Being much smaller, and not to mention weaker due to his dystrophy, the only thing he succeeded in doing in causing Jun to fall on top of his small frame as the small prince fell back onto the ground.
Unable to forgive himself if something happened to Nino, and of course not wanting to see his prince in such a compromising position with the enemy, Sho reluctantly got to his feet and somehow managed to get the injured prince onto his own horse.
The time taken for them to get back to their kingdom took more than twice the amount of time necessary for Sho refused to get onto the horse despite his injury and Nino insisted that he would walk if Sho was walking too. In the end, the three men made into to the town after nightfall, which may have been a blessing in disguise as there weren’t any townsfolk around the question them.
“Where were you?! I’ve been worried sick!” shouted Prince Kazuya the moment they returned to the little hut where they were currently staying. Kazuya’s face was contorted in fury as he looked as though he was going to take the kitchen knife and stab the poor tutor multiple times with it.
“Please, Kazuya,” begged Nino, “There was an emergency,”
Kazuya was about to ask when he shut his mouth upon seeing the person that was slung over Sho’s shoulders. While the tutor treated the new comer’s injuries, the two princes stood back, one worried, the other confused.
“Is that…” began Kazuya, “Prince Matusmoto! What the hell do you think you’re doing?! Bringing him here,”
“He was hurt,” reasoned Nino, pouting, “I couldn’t leave him alone in the woods, he would’ve died!”
Unable to yell at his older brother, especially with that cute pout, Kazuya sighed in defeat, “Fine! But I want him out of here as soon as he recovers!”
The second prince stormed off and slammed his room door shut, obviously angry that his older brother would bring their enemy home, not to mention treat his wounds! He has never heard of something as outrageous as that!
Back inside, Nino kneeled down beside Sho as his tutor finished applying medication and bandaging up Jun’s injuries, “Thanks, Sho,” smiled Nino, hugging the older man tightly. The tutor could only smile as he patted the top of Nino’s head softly.
“Anything for you,” he said quietly.
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AN: And I'm back. This chapter was supposed to be Sakumiya, but somehow Matsumiya appeared in it. I wanted to keep Nino and Jun away from each other longer, but I just can't, so here you go.
Author: Axraxshi
Pairing: Matsumiya, Sakumiya (supposed to be, but it’s hardly mentioned)
Summary: When Jun conquered the Neen Kingdom, the castle and its lands weren’t the only prize that he received
Disclaimer: Don’t own the boys, just the retarded-ly named kingdoms
Rating: Mostly PG (except Chapter 5 which is NC-16)
[Prologue] [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2][ Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7] [Chapter 8]
Chapter 9:
Nino wasn’t sure if he was dreaming. Everything felt so nice and warm around him. It was as though he was lying on clouds. However, something inside him told him that he must be dreaming, for every time he opened his eyes, he saw his little brother and his tutor. He must definitely be dreaming. His only friends were locked up by that horrible Pine-tree kingdom prince, why would they be beside him?
He shut his eyes once more, refusing to wake up because he knew that if he did, it would be back to being treated like a slave by that monster.
“Nino?” he heard a voice call his name. Why did it sound so familiar? A soft hand was gently stroking the top of his head, so comforting that Nino didn’t want to think of anything but to savour the moment while it lasted.
“Nino…?” the voice came again. It sounded like the same voice which taught him how to read and write, the voice which chided him when he didn’t wanted to study, the voice which was always by his side taking care of him.
Sho?
“He’s awake!”
Nino didn’t realize he had said that that name out loud, but when he did, it caused him to open his eyes fully, curious as to why his dream felt so real. Instead of finding Jun hovering above him with an angry scowl on his face, Nino saw those warm slopping shoulders that he could always lean on.
“Sho…” smiled Nino, struggling to get up knowing that his beloved tutor was around.
“Your highness!” squeaked the older man in shock as the prince flung himself around his neck, hugging him as though he was going to disappear if he didn’t hold on tight. Sho could only smile at the knowledge of being back at the crown prince’s side. The weeks that he wasn’t were worse that hell for him. Was Nino eating well? What if he suddenly collapsed? Was Nino terrified without him by his side? All though thoughts haunted him during his time in the dungeons, making Sho more determined to fight his way back to his prince’s side.
“I’m so sorry, your highness,” sighed Sho at last, holding Nino close as the younger man buried his head in the crook of his shoulder, “I failed to protect you. I made you suffer all this time…”
Sho felt Nino shake his head softly, “It’s not your fault. If there’s somebody to be blamed, it would be….”
Nino knew that Jun was the sole reason why everything is so messed up, but for some reason he couldn’t blame him. He really hated the other prince for being such a jerk to him for the past week, he really did, but when he wanted to say it out loud, something stopped him.
In the end, Nino opted to change the subject, “Last thing I remembered I was at the Pine-tree kingdom, what happened?”
The tutor then explained everything that happened while the prince was unconscious, including the part when Jun set them free.
“But that’s not all,” said Sho, a hint of worry in his voice, “The night after we left, the rebels who had been plotting to overthrow the current ruler launched their plan. They invaded the castle at night in an attempt to assassinate the royal family,”
Was this what Ohno meant by something big was going to happen?
As though on cue, Kazuya entered the room, a frown on his face, “This is not good,” he sighed, approaching the two and sitting at the foot of the bed, “There has been word that the rebels succeeded. They’ve taken full control of the Pine-tree kingdom,”
“What about the royal family?” Nino could not help but ask.
Kazuya sighed once more, “The king and queen were banished rather than killed because the people still loved them too much to want them dead. It was the prince they were actually after. I’m not sure what happened to Prince Matsumoto,”
To Nino, no news is good news. It means there’s a chance that Jun was still alive. As to why he didn’t want the other prince dead, that was still a complete mystery to Nino.
“Kazu-nii, I’ll get this mess sorted out and our kingdom back on its feet,” said Kazuya reassuringly, ruffling his brother’s soft hair, “In the mean time, please get some rest,”
However, Nino didn’t want to rest. He had been in bed for so long that it made him feel more lethargic than ever. He had been kept indoors for so long that all he wanted was to go outside and walk around a bit.
In the end, the brothers managed a compromise because a pouting Nino is something nobody could resist. Nino was allowed out only if Sho was with him at all times and that he rode a horse instead of walking.
“Where did you get this horse from?” asked Nino as the pair navigated their way through the Neen kingdom town. The once bustling town was now covered in a layer of sorrow. The joyful laughter and merry chit-chat was now gone, making the whole town seem like a graveyard full with wandering souls with no purpose in life anymore.
“This was the horse that Prince Matsumoto lent us,” whispered Sho, not wanting to attract the wrong kind of attention. Having a grand white horse at times like these would make plenty of eyes stare and heads wonder how they still have enough fortunes to afford a horse, let alone a top grade one.
It might have been because Nino looked so small that the folks thought he was insignificant, or it might have been their lack of energy to care, but the pair managed to make their way to the forest.
The forest was the only place that hadn’t change at all since the war. The trees were still as green as ever and the atmosphere calming. Nino shut his eyes trying to forget everything that had happened to him in the past week. He tried to remember the time when his kingdom was still prosperous and how he would watch the lively city from his tower with a huge grin on his face.
The horse trotted slowly with Sho pulling its reins, guiding it in between the trees, no particular destination in mind. While walking, Sho could not help think that the horse that they ‘borrowed’ from Prince Matsumoto was extremely obedient. It seems to understand and followed every command that he gave it, and he was its master’s enemy.
Sho spoke too soon.
“Your highness!” cried Sho as he was pulled off his feet and dragged along the ground as the horse started galloping at full speed for no apparent reason. The tutor was rammed into a tree as the maniac horse turned a corner. Sho was being torn into two both physically and mentally. He wasn’t sure how long more he could hold on to the reins as the horse with his prince on it galloped as though its life depended on it. Letting go means lesser injuries would be inflicted on his already scratched and bruised body, but if he did, he wouldn’t be able to save his prince.
His will power lost to his grip as Sho felt the leather reins slip from his hands, causing him to finally come to a grinding stop after being yanked along the rough forest floor when his shoulder collided into a huge tree root.
“Ow…” whined Sho pitifully as he scrambled to his feet, rubbing his aching shoulder. The tutor wasn’t sure if his shoulder was dislocated or worse, broken, but he had better things to worry about. For one, a maniac horse was galloping around the forest with his prince on its back. Nino could get thrown off the horse and injure his already frail body! Or worse, they could get ambushed by some wild animals and be eaten by them! There could be rebels hiding in the forest waiting to make Nino prisoner once more!
Sho refused to let his thoughts run wild and hurried off in the direction in which the frantic horse had gone. The tutor, who was obviously build for studying rather than chasing after animals, didn’t managed to get far before realizing that he was no idea where he was going.
“Prince Ninomiya!” he cried at the top of his lungs, “Nino!”
Turing 360 degrees, all Sho saw were trees. No. No! He can’t lose Nino like that. He was going to find the prince even if his feet bled from walking! Picking a random path, Sho darted down it, praying that his intuition was right.
“Nino!” he tried once more. The only thing that replied his calls were the birds who chirped back at him, as though mocking his fail. Legs sore from running and after being dragged for several meters, Sho barely took two steps before collapsing onto the ground, his legs unable to carry him any further.
“Ahhhhhh!” screamed Sho, clenching his fists tightly before hitting the ground with them, “Stupid!” he cried, “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!”
Prince Kazuya was going to have his head for losing the crown prince like that, but Sho would gladly accepts his punishment for he felt worse that guilty for leaving Nino with a mad horse.
Just as Sho was about to resign to his fate, he heard a shout.
“Help!” a voice came echoing through the forest.
“Nino?” whispered Sho, unable to believe his good luck, “Nino, I’m here!”
“Someone, help!” the voice came again, somewhere from Sho’s right. Getting to his feet, Sho didn’t care if he had to crawl to Nino if his legs decided to betray him. Half-limping, half hobbling in the direction of the voice, Sho prayed to every single god that Nino was safe.
“Nino?!”
“Sho….?” He heard Nino’s voice, “Sho, I’m here!”
The prince’s voice spurred Sho on, making him ignore the pain in his legs as he fought his way to his prince. After staggering for a few more meters, Sho came across a river bank and found Nino kneeling beside it, the animal that caused it all to happen nuzzling something in Nino’s lap.
“Your highness, are you ok?” asked Sho worriedly, struggling to close the distance between him and Nino. Eventually, Sho managed to collapse beside Nino, and to his surprise, he found a body lying on Nino’s lap, making him squeak loudly.
“He’s hurt!” whimpered Nino, nursing the person in his arm, “We have to get him back!”
Suspicious as to why there was a random injured person by the river, Sho turned the person’s head slightly to see his face, only to get the shock of his life.
“Prince Matsumoto!” he yelped, falling backwards onto the ground in surprise, “What is he doing here? Why should we help him?”
Nino pouted, brushing the stands of wet hair away from the Pine-tree kingdom’s prince’s bruised and scratched face.
“I’ll get him back on my own then,” said Nino determinedly, getting to his feet as he tried to haul the bigger man. Being much smaller, and not to mention weaker due to his dystrophy, the only thing he succeeded in doing in causing Jun to fall on top of his small frame as the small prince fell back onto the ground.
Unable to forgive himself if something happened to Nino, and of course not wanting to see his prince in such a compromising position with the enemy, Sho reluctantly got to his feet and somehow managed to get the injured prince onto his own horse.
The time taken for them to get back to their kingdom took more than twice the amount of time necessary for Sho refused to get onto the horse despite his injury and Nino insisted that he would walk if Sho was walking too. In the end, the three men made into to the town after nightfall, which may have been a blessing in disguise as there weren’t any townsfolk around the question them.
“Where were you?! I’ve been worried sick!” shouted Prince Kazuya the moment they returned to the little hut where they were currently staying. Kazuya’s face was contorted in fury as he looked as though he was going to take the kitchen knife and stab the poor tutor multiple times with it.
“Please, Kazuya,” begged Nino, “There was an emergency,”
Kazuya was about to ask when he shut his mouth upon seeing the person that was slung over Sho’s shoulders. While the tutor treated the new comer’s injuries, the two princes stood back, one worried, the other confused.
“Is that…” began Kazuya, “Prince Matusmoto! What the hell do you think you’re doing?! Bringing him here,”
“He was hurt,” reasoned Nino, pouting, “I couldn’t leave him alone in the woods, he would’ve died!”
Unable to yell at his older brother, especially with that cute pout, Kazuya sighed in defeat, “Fine! But I want him out of here as soon as he recovers!”
The second prince stormed off and slammed his room door shut, obviously angry that his older brother would bring their enemy home, not to mention treat his wounds! He has never heard of something as outrageous as that!
Back inside, Nino kneeled down beside Sho as his tutor finished applying medication and bandaging up Jun’s injuries, “Thanks, Sho,” smiled Nino, hugging the older man tightly. The tutor could only smile as he patted the top of Nino’s head softly.
“Anything for you,” he said quietly.
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AN: And I'm back. This chapter was supposed to be Sakumiya, but somehow Matsumiya appeared in it. I wanted to keep Nino and Jun away from each other longer, but I just can't, so here you go.