Intertwined Destinies (Chapter 32)
“I always thought that the marks were the only thing you wouldn’t be able to conceal. The stories all say so. That people can spot witches because of their mark,” Ohno said as his fingertips wandered over the dark lines. They looked as if there was a painting inked into Nino’s skin. Ohno had thought that the part might feel different, but it was just as silken as the rest of his skin.
“That would be stupid, though,” Nino said, moving away to pull up the robe again because he felt slightly cold. There was no other way that explained the slight shiver running through his body. “But I understand the wish.”
“When did you get it?”
Nino moved around and lifted an eyebrow as he was back face to face with Ohno. “A dragon burned it into me.”
Ohno paled at the thought of that all, frowning when a small giggle reached his ear.
“Sorry, your reaction. I was born with it. It’s a birthmark, so to say.”
“Huh… I never heard of a birthmark of that kind,” Ohno mused but relaxed when he realised that Nino had not been hurt like that by anybody even his beloved dragons.
“You have never met someone like me before,” Nino said, wriggling his eyebrows with a giggle. “My whole family has the mark of the dragon burned into their skin. It shows our status.”
“Is it always the same?”
“It should be,” Nino said with a shrug. “I’ve never really seen my mark so I can’t say if mine is the same as my parents had. But my mother had the same as my grandfather had. Since the line of dragons ran in her blood, I think I got the same mark.”
Ohno thought about the long body of the dragon depicted on Nino’s back, the tail curling around his hipbone with the wings wide open on the middle of Nino’s back and hummed. “It’s beautiful at least so far I can tell. Any painter would be envious that something like that exists under your skin.”
“Nobody will see it, though,” Nino said with a frown. “Not that close at least,” he breathed as he closed his eyes. People probably would need to see it if, no when, he reclaims the throne. Nino stood when he could hear rustling that announced the returning of their friends. He righted his robe and closed the belt around his hips securely so that the cloth wouldn’t fall down again.
“If we make camp here we should start with the fire,” he said at the moment the other two stepped into the clearing. There was a frown on Jun’s face when he saw him awake, and he was clearly unhappy that his lord had been alone with him.
“We can continue now that you are awake again,” he said with a frown.
“It’s late, it would be silly to walk through the forest during night,” Aiba said with a sigh. “And I want to check you over. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.”
“You are exhausted,” Aiba disagreed. “I can see the shadow in your eyes. You need to take care of your body, or…”
Nino lifted his hand and nodded. “Okay, but I’m honestly fine.”
“We are allowed to worry when you faint,” Ohno took Aiba’s side who nodded at his words and Nino groaned before he agreed that night here would not hurt.
Ohno helped Jun with the fire while Aiba checked Nino over and told him to rest as much as possible while they would take care of the rest. Nino sighed but laid back down to the bedroll that Aiba had prepared. He rolled on his side and closed his eyes to doze a little until Aiba made him eat dinner and then settle down again. He listened to the other men settle down around them, opening his eyes again when he heard the calm, regular breathing that meant that the others had gone to sleep. He was not really surprised to see Ohno on a roll beside him, his eyes glittering in the dark as they were on him. He had gotten used to feeling the other eyes on him and slowly, the burning feeling they left on his skin was more comfortable than not.
“You should sleep.”
“You as well.”
Nino smiled softly as he nodded and got more comfortable. “And I will, when you stop staring at me as if I will vanish.”
“But won’t you?” Ohno asked in an almost inaudible voice, Nino had to strain to hear it. He chuckled as he shook his head.
“No, my place is here, for now, to travel with you.”
Ohno nodded, and Nino watched him relax and settle down slowly. He smiled when he saw how the other closed his eyes with a small sigh.
“And I don’t think that being happy I’m born makes you a bad man,” he whispered, smirking when Ohno’s cheeks turned pink as the other feigned sleep.
-
“What do you have against Nino?” Ohno asked Jun curiously as he watched Nino talk with Aiba and laughing about something that the other had said. It was hard to pull his eyes away and look back at Jun, who sighed as he tugged at his hair.
“It’s complicated to explain to my lord.”
“Try. You are free to share your mind with me, and I won’t punish you,” he said with a frown. “Jun, to make sure: I won’t ever punish you for talking your mind. It will be important to me that you are honest with me. I also need your help when we are in the city, and I need to know I can trust you.”
“I will always be on your side, my lord. I don’t care what happens to your father but only to you. Your father is cruel.”
“Yes,” Ohno whispered with a sigh. He knew how cruel his father could be. He rules with fear in the people, even the closest advisers feared him.
“I wanted to see you on his place,” he mumbled with a frown. “And I don’t think that will be possible with him around, will it?”
“I fear not,” Ohno agreed with a smile. “It’s Nino’s place, not mine. My grandfather did horrendous things to his family and look at what it made out of our beloved lands. They are changing, but not in a good way.”
“I know,” Jun said, almost sullenly. He had just always looked up to Ohno and maybe, just maybe, idolised him a little bit too much.
“He will be good, don’t fear.”
“Do you trust him?”
“Yes, with all my life and yours as well.”
“Okay, then I will follow you and him,” Jun said as he stared to the floor. He knew that Ohno had never been to happy about his heirloom of the kingdom, and this might make him more content now, then it was okay, somehow. “You have feelings for him?”
“I’m attracted to him,” Ohno agreed softly. He didn’t know what his feelings were precise.
Jun nodded with a frown, as he bit his lips. “I understand. So now I shall protect you both.”
“I believe Nino is very capable of that for himself.”
Jun clicked his tongue as he nodded. “That is true so far. But he draws attention to himself. And if you want to be safe in the city, so close to your father then he has to change his appearance, you as well, my lord.”
Ohno’s eyes twinkled as he nodded. “I trust you to come up with something,” he said before he sighed when Nino declared that they should go. He agreed with the other even if he would like to stay hidden inside the woods for just a bit longer, hiding away from all their duties and dangers.
-
“Are you sure that Niji will be there when we are in the city?”
“Yes,” Nino said as he nodded slightly, looking at Ohno beside him. “We are bonded so I can communicate with him. I also know if he is in danger as the other way around and Niji has ways to reach me fast.”
“That’s good then,” Ohno said relieved. “I still don’t understand why he had to leave.”
“Because,” he mumbled. “There might be a war, and they needed to be warned. Niji is swift. It made the most sense to send him.”
Ohno nodded as he stared to the path in front of them, strolling beside of Nino, a concentrated frown on his face. Nino felt his fingers twitch as if to touch him, but he held back the best he could. He shouldn’t be too forward or brash. The tension between them was already strange enough.
“My lord?”
“Yes?”
“Can you tell me about your father?”
“If you stop calling me my lord,” Ohno said as he looked him over with a soft smile on his face. “But there is not much to tell, I fear, your highness.”
There was a teasing in his voice that made Nino blush slightly as he lowered his eyes to the ground. “How should I call you then?”
“I would like it if you used my given name, Satoshi. But if you can’t bring yourself to do so, then I would at least ask you to call my Sammy again.”
Nino’s lips quirked a little at those words as he nodded. “Okay, then, can you tell me about your family, Sammy?”
“I suppose I can try at least.”
“That would be stupid, though,” Nino said, moving away to pull up the robe again because he felt slightly cold. There was no other way that explained the slight shiver running through his body. “But I understand the wish.”
“When did you get it?”
Nino moved around and lifted an eyebrow as he was back face to face with Ohno. “A dragon burned it into me.”
Ohno paled at the thought of that all, frowning when a small giggle reached his ear.
“Sorry, your reaction. I was born with it. It’s a birthmark, so to say.”
“Huh… I never heard of a birthmark of that kind,” Ohno mused but relaxed when he realised that Nino had not been hurt like that by anybody even his beloved dragons.
“You have never met someone like me before,” Nino said, wriggling his eyebrows with a giggle. “My whole family has the mark of the dragon burned into their skin. It shows our status.”
“Is it always the same?”
“It should be,” Nino said with a shrug. “I’ve never really seen my mark so I can’t say if mine is the same as my parents had. But my mother had the same as my grandfather had. Since the line of dragons ran in her blood, I think I got the same mark.”
Ohno thought about the long body of the dragon depicted on Nino’s back, the tail curling around his hipbone with the wings wide open on the middle of Nino’s back and hummed. “It’s beautiful at least so far I can tell. Any painter would be envious that something like that exists under your skin.”
“Nobody will see it, though,” Nino said with a frown. “Not that close at least,” he breathed as he closed his eyes. People probably would need to see it if, no when, he reclaims the throne. Nino stood when he could hear rustling that announced the returning of their friends. He righted his robe and closed the belt around his hips securely so that the cloth wouldn’t fall down again.
“If we make camp here we should start with the fire,” he said at the moment the other two stepped into the clearing. There was a frown on Jun’s face when he saw him awake, and he was clearly unhappy that his lord had been alone with him.
“We can continue now that you are awake again,” he said with a frown.
“It’s late, it would be silly to walk through the forest during night,” Aiba said with a sigh. “And I want to check you over. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.”
“You are exhausted,” Aiba disagreed. “I can see the shadow in your eyes. You need to take care of your body, or…”
Nino lifted his hand and nodded. “Okay, but I’m honestly fine.”
“We are allowed to worry when you faint,” Ohno took Aiba’s side who nodded at his words and Nino groaned before he agreed that night here would not hurt.
Ohno helped Jun with the fire while Aiba checked Nino over and told him to rest as much as possible while they would take care of the rest. Nino sighed but laid back down to the bedroll that Aiba had prepared. He rolled on his side and closed his eyes to doze a little until Aiba made him eat dinner and then settle down again. He listened to the other men settle down around them, opening his eyes again when he heard the calm, regular breathing that meant that the others had gone to sleep. He was not really surprised to see Ohno on a roll beside him, his eyes glittering in the dark as they were on him. He had gotten used to feeling the other eyes on him and slowly, the burning feeling they left on his skin was more comfortable than not.
“You should sleep.”
“You as well.”
Nino smiled softly as he nodded and got more comfortable. “And I will, when you stop staring at me as if I will vanish.”
“But won’t you?” Ohno asked in an almost inaudible voice, Nino had to strain to hear it. He chuckled as he shook his head.
“No, my place is here, for now, to travel with you.”
Ohno nodded, and Nino watched him relax and settle down slowly. He smiled when he saw how the other closed his eyes with a small sigh.
“And I don’t think that being happy I’m born makes you a bad man,” he whispered, smirking when Ohno’s cheeks turned pink as the other feigned sleep.
-
“What do you have against Nino?” Ohno asked Jun curiously as he watched Nino talk with Aiba and laughing about something that the other had said. It was hard to pull his eyes away and look back at Jun, who sighed as he tugged at his hair.
“It’s complicated to explain to my lord.”
“Try. You are free to share your mind with me, and I won’t punish you,” he said with a frown. “Jun, to make sure: I won’t ever punish you for talking your mind. It will be important to me that you are honest with me. I also need your help when we are in the city, and I need to know I can trust you.”
“I will always be on your side, my lord. I don’t care what happens to your father but only to you. Your father is cruel.”
“Yes,” Ohno whispered with a sigh. He knew how cruel his father could be. He rules with fear in the people, even the closest advisers feared him.
“I wanted to see you on his place,” he mumbled with a frown. “And I don’t think that will be possible with him around, will it?”
“I fear not,” Ohno agreed with a smile. “It’s Nino’s place, not mine. My grandfather did horrendous things to his family and look at what it made out of our beloved lands. They are changing, but not in a good way.”
“I know,” Jun said, almost sullenly. He had just always looked up to Ohno and maybe, just maybe, idolised him a little bit too much.
“He will be good, don’t fear.”
“Do you trust him?”
“Yes, with all my life and yours as well.”
“Okay, then I will follow you and him,” Jun said as he stared to the floor. He knew that Ohno had never been to happy about his heirloom of the kingdom, and this might make him more content now, then it was okay, somehow. “You have feelings for him?”
“I’m attracted to him,” Ohno agreed softly. He didn’t know what his feelings were precise.
Jun nodded with a frown, as he bit his lips. “I understand. So now I shall protect you both.”
“I believe Nino is very capable of that for himself.”
Jun clicked his tongue as he nodded. “That is true so far. But he draws attention to himself. And if you want to be safe in the city, so close to your father then he has to change his appearance, you as well, my lord.”
Ohno’s eyes twinkled as he nodded. “I trust you to come up with something,” he said before he sighed when Nino declared that they should go. He agreed with the other even if he would like to stay hidden inside the woods for just a bit longer, hiding away from all their duties and dangers.
-
“Are you sure that Niji will be there when we are in the city?”
“Yes,” Nino said as he nodded slightly, looking at Ohno beside him. “We are bonded so I can communicate with him. I also know if he is in danger as the other way around and Niji has ways to reach me fast.”
“That’s good then,” Ohno said relieved. “I still don’t understand why he had to leave.”
“Because,” he mumbled. “There might be a war, and they needed to be warned. Niji is swift. It made the most sense to send him.”
Ohno nodded as he stared to the path in front of them, strolling beside of Nino, a concentrated frown on his face. Nino felt his fingers twitch as if to touch him, but he held back the best he could. He shouldn’t be too forward or brash. The tension between them was already strange enough.
“My lord?”
“Yes?”
“Can you tell me about your father?”
“If you stop calling me my lord,” Ohno said as he looked him over with a soft smile on his face. “But there is not much to tell, I fear, your highness.”
There was a teasing in his voice that made Nino blush slightly as he lowered his eyes to the ground. “How should I call you then?”
“I would like it if you used my given name, Satoshi. But if you can’t bring yourself to do so, then I would at least ask you to call my Sammy again.”
Nino’s lips quirked a little at those words as he nodded. “Okay, then, can you tell me about your family, Sammy?”
“I suppose I can try at least.”