FASH: Christmas Break is here! And with it is some free time to write some other stuff, don't worry though, I'll get the next chapter of Play Date up once I figure out how Sena's going to react to meeting Kakei while he's in his uniform. Getting back to this fic though, you'll notice that I'm not using the Japanese honorifics, for some reason I thought using them would clash with this style of writing (sort of), so I'm just using sir, ma'am and the like.

Disclaimer: Shin/Sena would be so much more canon if I owned it. (Actually Anyone/Sena would be more canon, but you already knew that.)

""-speech

''-thoughts

Sena had been very young when he first came to the Shin family to work as a stableboy with his father and he had already known a great deal about them. Because of their high status, mostly due to their breeding of racing horses, a great amount of stories were always flying around about them in town. But there were some things that only the people who worked within the house or had ties with the family knew and gossiped about and although Sena hardly ever left the stables he did hear things from time to time.

Way back when he himself had hardly been a year old the heir to the Shin clan had suddenly disappeared, and at just two years old to boot.

There was speculation that a rival family or a jealous clan had kidnaped him and put him to death or even raised him as one of their own just to further spite his parents.

But the rumor that was by far the most interesting was the one told by stern faced men, hunters employed by the Shin household, their voices so low as they exchanged words that even though they were in the stables with their horses Sena had to strain his ears to hear them.

Shin Seijuro had been raised by bears was the gist of that rumor, somehow after being kidnaped he ended up in the forest in the care of a mother bear.

They'd claim to see him from time to time, a wild figure, not very tall but broad with long hair and covered in dirt, watching them through the trees as they hunted. Beastly but unmistakably human.

It wasn't long before the lady of the house heard the rumors and began to order search parties to go out and look for her son, each time they came back without him and the hope in her eyes would fade just a little more.

Being a stableboy was a rather lonesome occupation, his father was often too busy with his own tasks to speak with him so Sena often found himself imagining what this beast of a boy would be like. Could he talk to bears? How had he survived in the wilderness for so long? Did he eat raw meat?

The horses had no answers for his questions and although over the years many search parties had formed to try and find him they all came back unsuccessful and by the time Sena reached his fourteenth year he was fairly certain that all of his questions would remain unanswered. So even as he helped prepare the horses for another search, this time lead by an up and coming tracker, he felt as though he could already predict the outcome.

The search party left early in the morning and came back late in the evening just as the sun was about to set, by that time only he and his father were the only ones left in the stable to tend to the horses, and although Sena could hear them celebrating as they went towards the house he assumed that they had found something interesting, a clue to where Shin Seijuro's whereabouts might be, because not even Hiruma would be able to find him so fast.

As the men began bringing in their horses they talked excitedly amongst themselves, too many voice at once made it impossible for Sena to make anything out, and it wasn't like they'd answer if he asked them anything, he was just a stableboy after all.

But still... That must have been some clue they found.

-x-x-x-

Hiruma smirked as two of his men dragged the wild boy closer to the Shin residence, it hadn't been too hard to track him down. After gathering up the data on where the Shin-boy had been spotted during which times of the year and what time of the day it was merely a matter of setting up an ambush downwind and waiting.

Shin Seijuro may have been raised by bears, but a good, solid hit to the back of the head had rendered him harmless.

He proudly entered the house without bothering to knock and made his way to the drawing room, grinning widely at the middle-aged woman who'd been doing embroidery until he came into sight.

"Ma'am, I've brought home your son." He stated and the embroidery dropped from her limp fingers.

"You're sure?" She stood up, hands beginning to shake.

"Go see for yourself, he's right outside."

She ran past him and he followed behind her at a slower pace, grin widening as she approached her long lost son, running her hands along his face and through his hair.

"He's just like his father when he was younger." She said, chocking on a sob before taking a deep breath to pull herself together.

"Take him inside, I wish to have him properly groomed for when his father comes home in the morning."

Hiruma frowned and motioned at his men to stay where they were. "I wouldn't advise that ma'am, the shock of waking up in a different location may cause him to turn violent. We should keep him outside."

"I'm his mother! I know what's best for him and I'm sure that deep down he'll remember me." She motioned the two men carrying the unconscious boy inside and Hiruma sighed.

'Women always have to have their way don't they? I'd better stick around for when the inevitable happens.'

The boy had stayed unconscious long enough to be given several warm baths to completely rid him of the years of grime and dirt that had stuck against his flesh. His mother herself washed him the third time around, scrubbing him down with a bar of soap and a cloth until his skin was pink from the friction and the smell of the soap had infused itself onto him.

She pulled him out of the bath with some help and dried him off with a large towel before wrapping another dry one around his waist and having him sat down in a chair in her husband's study.

There she took out a pair of scissors and began to snip away at his long locks, a dreamy expression flickering over her face as she ran a hand through his now short, clean hair and she leaned over to press a kiss against his forehead.

"Welcome home Seijuro." She said just as his eyelids began to flutter open.

Whatever his mother had expected him to do upon seeing her was certainly not what she got.

He tore away from the chair and her embrace and growled darkly before lunging towards a pair of men who had been edging closer to him to restrain him and with a mighty slap of his hand both of them tumbled to the ground.

More people rushed into the room at the sound of the commotion and Shin ripped past them, tumbled down the stairs and broke the front door off of it's hinges on the way out, the towel that had been wrapped around his waist coming undone as he ran.

Hiruma heard the noise but made no move to stop what he knew was going on. He'd only move from his seat when the lady of the house asked him too, preferably with her eyes glued to the floor and her cheeks a rosy red, admittance enough that she had been wrong. Until then he'd sit in the kitchen, smirking as the sounds of chaos surrounded him.

It wasn't long before she arrived just as he pictured she would, eyes downcast and cheeks flaming.

"Please go out and find him. He... He may have made it half way to the forest by now."

"No, he's still on the grounds." Hiruma replied as he calmly stood up and her eyes finally snapped onto his figure.

"How do you know?"

"To get to the forest he would need to go through the town and I highly doubt that having a naked boy running through the market place wouldn't cause an audible commotion." He strutted past the lady of the house on his way to the broken door. "Don't worry, I'll have your boy back before your husband gets home."

-x-x-x-

When Sena first heard a hurried shuffle of someone entering the stable he had assumed it was his father, coming back from preparing the studs for the night in their separate pens, and didn't turn away from his task of brushing down the last mare before her rest. But when a low growl reached his ears he pulled himself away from the task to look over to where the sound had come from.

He cautiously moved over to the empty pen near the entrance, thinking that maybe a hunter's dog had somehow strayed from it's master's side and his eyes widened when he discovered that wasn't the case at all.

The boy in front of him backed himself into the corner and snarled, the muscles in his legs clenching as though he would spring forward any second, even though he was obviously favoring his left leg.

Sena had dealt with frightened mares before, but while nervous mares might kick they certainly wouldn't tear him apart. But this, this wild boy was nervous and wounded, a combination that Sena knew could turn out to be quite disastrous on his part.

He immediately lowered himself to the ground on his hands and knees, hoping that his lower stature would make him seem less of a threat, he avoided looking into the other boy's eyes or baring his teeth in case he took it as a challenge, then he began speaking in a slow whisper that would help calm a frightened horse down, he just hoped it would work in this situation.

He must have been whispering nonsense and an occasional 'please don't hurt me' for several minutes before he heard another shuffle.

The boy was moving forward.

His hushed whispers became a little faster and he desperately wondered where the group who had brought the boy who he was assuming was Shin Seijuro had gone.

When he heard him shuffle forward again he lifted his eyes up only to turn them away twice as fast. Back when the older boy had been shrouded in shadow he hadn't noticed that he wasn't dressed.

This was terrifying and embarrassing at the same time, maybe he should have curled up into a ball and kept his mouth shut.

He couldn't help but flinch when a hand was pressed against his face and his reverent whispers stopped.

The hand resting on his face smelt strongly of soap and he resisted the urge to breath the foreign scent in deeply, even as the hand trailed over his nose in a curious fashion.

Sena looked up from under his eyelashes to see that Shin was running his opposite hand over his own nose, comparing them. Then the hand on Sena's face moved over his cheek to his ear, then along his jawbone, then to his lips. All the while Shin's other hand copied the movement on his own face.

Shin's hand drew away from his face and feeling slightly braver Sena looked up into his eyes. They were intelligent, calculating eyes that Sena really wouldn't have expected on a boy who had been raised in the wild, it made him nervous.

Shin's hand had begun to trail along his arm, lightly moving across his hand to the tips of his fingers, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Sena slowly lifted his hand and held it out for Shin to examine closer, instead the boy pressed his own against it as if to compare once again, then he threaded their fingers together, doing the same with their other hands, and leaned forward so that their foreheads were touching.

Sena held his breath and tried to calm himself down, his heart felt like it was beating a mile and minute and although Shin seemed to be content with whatever this was who knew if he'd be like this for long.

From outside the stable Hiruma watched, just as he had been ever since Shin had begun to curiously move forward. The boy had calmed down considerably because of the stableboy and it would be very unwise for them to barge in and separate them, this time he would make sure his opinion was taken more seriously.

The lady of the house had objections of course, as did the stableboy's father. It was already cold and dark out and who knew what could happen? But both had agreed to Hiruma's terms in order to ensure the safety of both of their sons, no one wanted the Shin-boy to go on the rampage again.

"We'll wait until they're asleep, which shouldn't be too much longer, then we'll bring them away from the stable, but it seems like his son is the only thing that's keeping your son calm so I suggest that wherever you end up laying him down to rest the other boy should not be far off. Are you both alright with that?" He asked, although he honestly didn't care about their opinions very much, just as long as his advice was followed this time around.

The two parents nodded.

"Good, now it's just a waiting game, don't let anyone else near the stable, who knows what will happen if Shin junior hears someone approach and decides they're trespassing on his territory."

Back in the stable Sena was beginning to feel faint from the strong smell of soap that was emanating from the boy directly in front of him. It hadn't been so bad when it was only the hand but he wasn't used to the flowery smell he was completely surrounded by and he was afraid that if he so much as parted his lips to breathe through his mouth Shin would notice and something bad would happen.

He clenched his eyes shut and tried to tell himself that this was all just a very strange dream.

It was really late now and Sena couldn't help but wonder where on Earth his father, or anyone for that matter, was, surely they hadn't abandoned him as if he were some sort of sacrifice?

A stray wind blew in and he shivered, unable to help it.

Shin pulled away with a frown before shuffling backwards, further into the pen where the wind wouldn't be able to reach them. Sena really felt as though he had no other choice but to follow, so follow he did.

After being pulled snugly into the corner Shin had once again begun an exploration of sorts, his fingers trailing along the seems of Sena's shirt and fingering the buttons.

Figuring that for now Shin wasn't dangerous and in need of something to do to pass the time Sena once again began to whisper about small things:

"This is a stable." " That's a button." and the like, not bothering to tense up when Shin leaned in closer to hear better.

But he did tense up when once again the other boy's fingers began trailing across his lips as he spoke and he turned to look at Shin, who was moving his mouth to mirror the movements of Sena's own.

"Do you want to talk?" He asked slowly, trying to ignore the way Shin's fingers kept running over his lips curiously. "You need to do more then just move your lips for that." And despite his better judgement he gently pulled Shin's hand away from his mouth and held it to his throat so that he could feel the vibration of his vocal chords.

"Do you feel that?" He asked again and Shin's hand pressed a little closer, making it slightly harder to breathe.

Shin lifted his own hand to his throat and waited for something, Sena assumed it was for him to speak again.

"My name is Sena. Can you say that? Sena. Se. Na." With the hand not gripping Shin's at his throat he pointed to himself. "Sena."

Shin's voice was rough as he first began to try and mimic Sena's words without much luck and he became more frustrated with every failed attempt.

"Now, now, no need to get mad. I'm sure that you'll get it sooner or later, besides, your parents are going to make sure that you're well educated. You'll be talking up a storm in just a couple months, I'm sure that'll happen..."

He wasn't sure how long he'd babbled on for when his eyes began to feel heavy and he was dimly aware that Shin's hand had moved away from his throat to intertwine with his own once again.

Then there was darkness.

When Sena awoke it was to the sounds of a scuffle, followed by the shattering of glass. He quickly sat up and looked around.

'This isn't my room.'

There was another smash followed by a muffled yell.

"When I told you to keep the two of them close I meant in the same room!"

There was a thunder of footsteps coming closer and the bedroom door swung open.

"Get out of bed and come with me kid, we need you to do something for us." Hiruma ordered before swiftly turning around, leaving Sena little choice but to leap out of bed and run after him.

By the time they reached the stable for the mares a small crowd had already gathered on front of it but upon seeing Hiruma they parted to create a path, their eyes slowly moving from the blonde to the brunette behind him.

The lord and lady of the house were the closest to the stable but neither had dared to enter, for good reason too, the almost inhuman, enraged snarls that were coming from the inside would be enough to ward off the bravest of men.

Thankfully it was late enough in the morning that all the mares had been let out to go graze on of the family's pastures, otherwise Shin would have had a very good chance at being kicked by a frightened horse.

Hiruma turned and gave him an almost apologetic look. "He's angry because he was separated from you, or at least that's the theory, so get in there and calm him down before his sprained ankle from yesterday gets worse."

"Go in there? Are you serious?"

"I'm sorry to say so, but yes. Now hurry it up." He maneuvered himself behind Sena and began pushing him inside. "Just do whatever it was you did last night and you should be fine."

Sena stumbled inside and immediately the angry sounds stopped. He slowly looked up to see Shin standing in front of him in a pair of blue nightclothes, looking almost relieved for some reason.

"Uh, good morning." Sena greeted, although he was certain that Shin wouldn't understand. "Listen, we've got to go back outside." He began slowly as he reached for the other boy's hand and Shin eagerly intertwined their fingers.

"Do you understand? We need to go." Sena motioned with his other hand at the doors to the stable and began his attempt to lead the other boy out.

Instead of following Shin pulled him closer and glared at the people beyond the door, growling lowly in his throat.

When he spoke again his voice had begun to shake, he really wasn't fond of the growling. "Don't be that way, don't you want to come out here and meet your mom and dad? They're humans too, just like you and me. They won't hurt you." He tried to make himself sound as reassuring as he could but once again when he tried to lead Shin out of the stable the boy kept him back.

"Se... Nnn..." Shin's eyebrows furrowed together as he tried to say the name. "S...Ennn."

Sena quirked his lips up in a smile, still wary about baring his teeth in case the other boy took it as a threat. "Sena, that's my name. Remember?"

"Sennn..."

While Shin was busy trying to pronounce the name Sena had begun leading him outside without the other boy realizing it until they had stepped outside the entrance.

Immediately Shin hunched over and held Sena close as if to protect him.

"Calm him down and give the two a bit of space!" Hiruma ordered and everyone obeyed.

"Don't worry, no one will hurt either of us, it's all going to be alright." Sena was whispering again as slowly and calmly as he could. "These people are going to take good care of you, your parents wouldn't let them do you any harm, you'll be fine without me." He assured as he tried to free himself from Shin's embrace, but Shin's arms just wrapped tighter around him.

"Oh dear, I won't leave if you don't want me to but you really need to loosen up that grip or else I'm afraid you might crush me." He tried to take a deep breath without avail, thankfully Shin seemed to notice and loosened his hold, although he still didn't let him go.

"Uh, I think he's calmed down now." He said, his voice still a little softer than the tone he would normally speak in but he was still heard due to everyone else's silence.

"Alright, we need you to try and lead him inside the house, after that we'll take care of as much of this as we can."

A task easier said then done but whenever Sena slowly inched forward Shin would follow to close the gap that had been created between them. Although Sena could just tell that he was still shooting untrusting glares around at everyone.

'I wonder how much they'll be able to take care of without me around?' He thought when they finally entered the house, Shin tensing up even more then normal and Sena tried to comfortingly run a hand along one of the arms that was wrapped around his upper torso.

"It'll all be okay, you'll see."

The first part of the day was a blur of medial checkups and, on Hiruma's orders, Shin and Sena were to never be separated during any of the processes.

When it finally came time for them to eat a very late lunch Sena lead Shin into the kitchen and tried to get him to sit down in the chair by standing him in front of it and pressing down on his shoulders in the hopes that the pressure would make his knees bend so that he could sit.

Shin just stared at him curiously before moving his own hands onto Sena's shoulders and pushing him down.

Shin's attempt was much more effective then Sena's.

'Maybe if I tried to show him it would work better?' Sena sat down into a chair and looked up at Shin expectantly before moving towards him and once again pushing down on his shoulders.

This time Shin did sit, although he looked rather uncomfortable about the position.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to this soon." Sena assured him and Shin had just begun moving his hand, probably to curiously map his lips or vocal chords again, when his mother came into the room with two bowls of soup.

"I'll take it from here dear." She informed Sena as she handed him a bowl of soup before sitting herself right across from her son and attempting to spoon feed him the broth.

Shin refused to open his mouth.

Sena ate his own soup slowly, taking notice of the way Shin's eyes flickered over in his direction as if to constantly reassure himself that Sena was there.

'I don't really understand why he's so focused on me, he should realize by now that everyone is the same as him, shouldn't he?' After watching another failed attempt to get the older boy to eat he stepped forward.

"Ma'am, would you mind if I tried?" He asked meekly and she turned to him, eyes laden with unshed tears.

"I suppose he wouldn't mind if it were you." She muttered sadly before standing up and leaving the room.

Sena sat down in the chair she had occupied uncomfortably. "You really should be nicer to your mother you know." He set his own bowl of soup aside and took Shin's.

"Sennn..." Shin frowned a little. "Na."

The brunette couldn't help but smile. "Very good, but now it's time to eat." He held out the spoon which Shin stared at suspiciously.

"Not having much luck eh?"

Sena started at the voice and Shin glared darkly at the blonde who had appeared behind the brunette.

"Uh, Hiruma, sir. Um, I guess not really." Sena nervously sputtered and the tracker loomed over him.

"And why do you suppose that is?" He asked and Sena shrugged. "Come on, I'm sure you can think of something."

"Well, he must be able to smell that it's food, he saw me eating mine, but maybe he's suspicious about what's in his?"

"Good, what else do you think might factor into this?"

"Well, um, he's not used to utensils and isn't really sure of what to do with them?"

Hiruma patted his head in a friendly manner, smirking a bit when Shin growled. "And what do you suppose you could do to prove to him that the contents of his bowl are okay and get rid of the spoon so that he'll eat willingly?"

"Well, he could just drink it from the bowl couldn't he? And I could drink some first to show him it's alright?"

"We don't know if he'd be able to drink it properly, he may end up tipping the bowl too far back and get covered with hot soup. At times like these it's easiest to just mimic birds."

Sena blinked slowly, not entirely sure if he liked where this was headed. "What do you mean by that?"

"Take a mouthful of soup and slot your lips over his so that it drains into his mouth."

Sena went bright red and Shin looked at him curiously.

"B-bu-but-"

"It's not like you're kissing him, go on and feed him, I'll make sure no one else comes in." Hiruma cackled as he left the kitchen and Sena was left staring at Shin who stared back silently.

'Alright, this is for the greater good right? The greater good.' Sena brought the bowl to his lips and took in a mouthful before moving over to where Shin was sitting.

'I just hope this works and he doesn't kill me for it.' Sena clenched his eyes shut and leaned over Shin, one hand was cradling his jawbone and pushing in at the hinges slightly in the hopes that Shin would get the message and open his mouth.

The older boy did so and with a sigh Sena held his lips against Shin's, allowing his to open and transfer the soup into Shin's mouth.

When it was over Sena stood back, flushing darkly even though he knew it really hadn't technically been a kiss.

"I just want you to know that I'm not doing that for you again, you have to eat it from the spoon next time." He ordered, but Shin just sat there, licking at his lips in contemplation and ignoring the spoon that Sena was holding out to him.

"Why must you make me do things the hard way?" The brunette sighed before taking another mouthful of broth.

This was going to take a while.

When they were finally finished lunch, Sena wasn't able to help but think that Shin had enjoyed it a little more then what was natural, they were lead into the drawing room and Sena smiled in relief when he saw that his father was there.

"Dad!" He surged forward and wrapped his arms around his father's waist. "Are you here to take me home?"

"Well, yes." He father replied in an uncertain tone as Shin began to angrily stare at him. "But I'm afraid that afterwards you'll be coming right back here."

"But why? I thought I would only stay here until he calmed down." Sena slowly unwrapped his arms and took a step back only to find himself on the receiving end of an embrace. Shin's arms coming around him and tucking Sena's head under his chin as he stared at the other people in the room challengingly.

The lady of the house sighed. "His strange attachment to you is why we need you to come back right after you've packed up your things. From now on you are no longer a stableboy but are to be Seijuro's constant companion until he becomes used to everything and you aren't the only one who can calm him down. Until then you'll be living here with us."

"I'll still be able to visit my mom and dad though, right?" He asked and Seijuro's father nodded.

"Of course, we wouldn't dream of completely isolating you from your parents. We just need you to keep Seijuro calm until he realizes that he's safe here."

Seijuro's mother stepped forward and in response he tightened his grip around Sena, growling lowly in his throat when she reached forward to pry them apart.

She looked at Sena and her eyes flickered with jealousy for one terrifying moment before it was gone. "If you wouldn't mind detaching yourself from my son, the sooner you leave the sooner you can get back here."

"Okay..." Sena gripped at Shin's arms and gently pushed them away and turned around, biting his lip when he saw that several men had gathered behind Shin, probably to restrain him in case he tried anything once Sena left.

"Listen Shin, I'll be right back, okay?" He brought up a hand and trailed it along Shin's cheeks, smiling a little when the older boy nuzzled against him, at least he had stayed calm so far. "I just need to go get a couple of things with my dad and then I'll come right back, so you've got to be good while I'm gone." He slowly retracted his hand and stepped back, Shin moving to follow him but he was held back by two pairs of hands griping him, one pair on each of his arms.

"You'll be alright Shin, no one is going to hurt you." He took another step back and Shin stared at him, eyes dawning with a comprehension Sena wouldn't have thought he was capable of.

"Go quickly before he realizes what's going on." The lady of the house ordered but it was already too late. Shin had begun to thrash around, snarling and eyes going wild.

"Sena! Sena!" He chanted as Sena ran from the room, intent on coming back as quickly as possible.

With a sigh Hiruma ordered one of his men to knock the boy out, ignoring the enraged sound his mother made as he became limp.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" She hissed and her husband laid his hands upon her shoulders, trying to calm her down.

"Dear, don't you think that Hiruma's been making the right choices so far? I think we should just go along with what he wants."

"But why did he have to knock him out? Couldn't he just keep him restrained?"

Hiruma sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know about you but I find it more humane to have a 'free spirit' knocked out as opposed to restrained. This way when Sena comes back we don't have to worry about your son trying to tackle him to the ground or steal him away. The longer the stableboy is away the more possessive Seijuro will get of him and then you'll never be able to separate them. By knocking him out when he wakes up it won't seem like Sena's been gone as long."

The mother, instead of commenting on his plan instead asked: "The boy's name is Sena?" And Hiruma snorted, wondering what kind of employer didn't know the name of their employees.

"Yeah, why?"

"Seijuro, he was talking. His first word was 'Sena'." Her eyes flashed with jealousy again and this time the expression stayed longer before she was able to calm herself down.

"Follow me, I'll show you to his room."

-x-x-x-

Although Sena had packed his things as quickly as possible saying goodbye to his mother was taking far too long than necessary.

"Mom, I'm a fifteen minute walk up the road, I'm sure they'll let you in whenever you want to visit me."

"But it will be so strange, cooking only for two. Are you sure you have to go?" She held him tightly against her, even tighter then Shin held him and he struggled for breath for a moment before answering.

"Mom, he really needs me to keep him calm. I can't just leave him alone without anyone to trust."

His mother looked down at him earnestly. "You're such a sweet boy Sena, no wonder he trusts you so much, he must be able to tell what a wonderful boy you are, even if he grew up in the wild." She pressed a kiss against his forehead. "Maybe once he's settled down a bit you could bring him over for a visit?"

"I'll see what I can do mom, but I don't think his parents will want him to stray far from the house." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll come back to visit soon, I promise."

He exited his home and walked back to the Shin residence, his father staying silent beside him until they reached the property and he excused himself, needing to get back to work.

"I'll see you tomorrow then." Sena called back as he began walking up the stone path towards the house, pausing at the front door and wondering if he should knock since technically he lived here now as well.

He decided to knock just to play it safe and the lady who answered the door quickly recognized him and began leading Sena up the stairs and past many doors until they stopped at the very last one.

"The lord and lady of the house wished for their son to be far away from any noise that might startle him, so the three rooms closest to you are currently unoccupied. Once he begins to adjust to his surroundings we'll have you moved to the room directly beside him, but for now you'll be sharing." She explained and she slowly rested her hand on the doorknob, hesitating for a moment on wether or not is was safe to open the door before she pushed it open, sighing in relief when she saw the figure sleeping on one of the two beds in the room.

"Dinner is at seven o' clock sharp, there's a clock on the night stand with a chime so it will be easy for you to know when the time is drawing near. If you feel like resting up instead just don't bother coming down and we'll make sure that you have a good breakfast ready for you in the morning."

She gently ushered Sena inside and closed the door behind him.

The brunette moved forward to check on Shin curiously. 'Did he really fall asleep? Or did someone knock him out?'

He had been expecting to come into the house and find it sounding much like the stable had that morning, it was a bit less frightening to enter a room when the other occupant wasn't up to make angry, inhuman noises.

With a small smile he ran a hand through Shin's hair and tucked a stay lock behind his ear. He wasn't too bad when he was sleeping peacefully, almost like a completely normal human.

Sena pulled himself away and began unpacking his things and putting them away in the wooden dresser that was located between the two beds. Inside there were already a multitude of clothes meant for Shin and Sena trailed his fingers along the soft fabric before a thought struck him.

'If he can't dress himself because he doesn't know how, does that mean I'm going to have to dress him?'

His thought were interrupted by and knock on the door and he quickly turned around and answered it. It was the same girl as before.

"Sorry to disturb you, but the lady of the house just informed me that if you're going to be joining them for supper tonight she wants you to have a bath, so if you wouldn't mind following me..."

Sena followed after her obediently and entered the bathroom, where the tub was already full of lightly steaming water.

"If you don't mind changing out of your clothes now so that I can take them to get them washed and fetch you a proper pair of pajamas it'll be much appreciated." She turned around. "I won't look or anything."

Sena blushed but did as she asked and when she left, shutting the door behind her he allowed himself to sink into the bath with a sigh.

He'd only ever bathed in cool water in a cramped tub, but he could fully stretch out his legs in this one, he could get used to this.

He closed his eyes and wondered what it would be like to fall asleep surrounded in such heavenly warmth, not that he could find out. He needed to make this quick in case Shin woke up soon.

He dunked himself under the water and furiously began scrubbing at himself with the bar of soap that had been resting on the ledge of the tub before dunking himself under the water again.

When he removed himself from the tub he dried himself off and looked at the pajamas folded neatly by the door. He hadn't even heard it open again.

He slipped the soft material on and padded out of the bathroom towards his shared bedroom where he began to strip out of the pajamas, figuring that he'd need actual clothes for when he went down to eat.

'I wonder if Shin will wake up in time for dinner? But even if he does it's not like I can... 'Feed' him in front of everyone.'

He had just slipped on a pair of pants when Shin awoke with a start behind him.

"Sena?!" He scrambled out of his bed and lunged towards the brunette, wrapping his arms around him securely as they both fell onto Sena's bed.

"Yes, that would be me." Sena somehow managed to say calmly, even as Shin gripped him in a bear hug of nearly the truest sense. "I'm happy that you're excited to see me, but you have to let go." He tried to worm his way out of the older boy's grip but instead of loosening his arms he moved so that his legs had wrapped around the boy as well.

Sena was securely trapped, much to Shin's obvious delight.

"Sena." He nuzzled his nose into the brunette's hair and drifted off to sleep, leaving Sena in quite a predicament. He was hungry and fairly uncomfortable with no way to break free and have some supper.

'Well, at least he's warm.' Sena snuggled a bit closer to him, solely for the purpose of stealing some of Shin's body heat.

'This makes two nights that I've fallen asleep with a boy right next to me. I wonder how many more times I'm going to have to go through this?'