Shirayukihime and The Lost Fox

Chapter 10: Stay Out of This, Prince Charming

Akira POV

After Prince Raj had fled back to his kingdom, Shirayuki was frantic at seeing me walking around without support. Even after I had assured her that I was fine about fifteen times over, she was still in disbelief.

We were now back inside the red bricked house where we first met. "How did you even get away from that guard?" She asks, changing the subject for now. A sly grin grew on my face.

"I slipped one of his daggers off of him and cut the ropes." I reply. Mitsuhide slams his hand down on the table. "That still doesn't explain all of the chaos in the room! What the heck happened in there?!" I stay silent, lips pursed together. I exhale through my nose and look out the window. "Fine. I'll tell you what happened.

"That bastard tied me to a chair, threatening to sell me because of my rare eye color. He said I would fetch a nice price." My lips curl into a snarl. "But he said he might keep me for a while, for what I don't want to imagine. Only the gods know what he would have done if he saw my ears and tail. So I only did what was reasonable. I fought my way out. The chaos that you saw in there was the result of our fight. We both fought hard, but I fought harder. I knocked him down unconscious, and that's how you found me." I haven't looked at them at all through this. I didn't want to see their pity.

But the silence was so unbearable.

I finally turn to face them. They were indescribable. The emotions on their faces were so mixed that I couldn't figure out what they were feeling. Mitsuhide was looking at the floor, avoiding eye contact. Kiki was in a similar state. Shirayuki just looked at me, eyes showing pity. I didn't look at her for long. But Zen was different. He didn't show pity. Instead, he looked at me with wide eyes of surprise.

It stayed silent for a moment, air thick with tension. Finally I stand up and walk to the door. "I'm going to get some air." I mumble to them as I open the door.

I walk silently along the pathway, deep in thought. Unknowingly, I had led myself to the downed tree that Zen and Shirayuki were talking at. I sit down and stay there for I don't know how long.

Unconsciously I begin to scratch my forearm. It felt odd not having that damn fox sitting on my arm all the time. But there was a sense that something was off. Something was different.

Slowly, I roll back my sleeve. My eyes widen with surprise. "No. No no no..." I mumble, my stomach turning into knots. "This can't be...!"

Where the fox armlet used to sit, there was now a tattoo of a running fox. It was multiple pieces, fitting together like a jigsaw to form the fox. I stare at it for a moment longer, before putting my head in my hands. "I can't escape it, can't I?" I mumble to myself, voice cracking. I felt my palms grow wet with tears. "I can never go back..."

"Go back where?"

My head shoots up from my hands. My eyes look around before finding Zen watching me. He'd been watching me. How much has he seen? What did he hear? This isn't good. I quickly stand up and hastily wipe the tears from my eyes. "N-nowhere..." I mumble as I tug my sleeve down further. I avoid his gaze, knowing that he would see that it was a lie.

After a moment of silence, I turn back towards the house. "I better go back." I say as I pass by him. "Wait!" Zen calls out to me, but I ignore him. "Hey, wait!" I ignore him again and continue to walk. I hear him give an irritated sigh. "Damn it, Akira. I said wait!"

His hand closes around my wrist, stopping me from going any further. "Look at me for one second. Just one second!" He tells me firmly. I reluctantly turn my eyes to meet his. "What's going on? What are you hiding, Akira?" He gazes at me calmly.

My gaze hardens into a glare. "Stay out of my business, Prince Charming." I yank my hand away from his grip with a huff. "There's nothing you can do, anyways." I say quietly.

"Prince Charming?" I hear Zen snort. "You know, you tend to do that a lot." He calls after me. I pause in my tracks. Slowly I turn back towards him. "Do what?" I ask cautiously. He was trying to bait me, and I knew that. But I was curious.

"Push people away."

I give a halfhearted laugh. "I'm used to doing things on my own. I hate having to rely on others." I say as I turn back towards the trail. "But you know you can rely on us now, right?" He calls out once again. I pause.

'Can I really rely on these people?'

The thought passed through my head without my consent. It gave me a little bit of hope. But I quickly shot it down though. Why should I rely on them? It's not like I'm going to be sticking with them for much longer.

As if hearing my thoughts, Zen said, "You should start relying on us. After all, you are going to be sticking around longer than you think." I could hear the smirk in his voice. It took a moment for what he said to process.

"Huh?" I said as I quickly turn to look at him. He looks at me, seemingly amused by my reaction. "You heard me." He says. "You're coming with us to the palace. You're going to be a guard." He gives me a large grin. I stand there, processing the words he said to me.

Finally, it clicked together.

"E-eh? EH??"