I trudged around the area surrounding my hut, venturing further and further to gather herbs and wild fruit.
It’s such a horribly warm day today. I hate days like this.
The food near my hut had been drying out, so I was now wandering quite far from my hut. And as luck would have it, I had forgotten to bring the wet compress I’d made for myself to keep my body heat in control.
If only things would remain cold all the time, life would be so much more enjoyable. But no, the weather insisted on changing every season.
I sighed, and then paused. Speaking of change… there’s definitely an imbalance in energy somewhere.
Usually I maintained a meticulous balance in my vicinity, but right now something was slightly off. Venturing further and further, I spotted a maraga crouching protectively over something.
…What? That’s a female so… did she give birth to a baby out here? Peering closely, I realized it was a person. The person riding this passed out?
As I approached, the maraga whined in warning. Ignoring her, I kept advancing slowly. There was no indication where she came from or who she belonged to.
Approaching the clearly apprehensive creature, I smoothly moved her off the person underneath. Shocked, the large animal struggled, but was powerless against me. Then I froze.
This… this can’t be… can it? He had a mask on his face, but I immediately spotted his short, bright blond hair. Please, please tell me that’s not- I took the mask off him gently. …It is. It’s the prince himself. How did he get all the way out here?!
Dumbfounded, I scooped his delicate body into my arms. He seemed completely drained of energy. …I suppose… I shouldn’t just let him… perish here. It wouldn’t do just yet to have this kingdom be hit with a tragedy of this size. I still had work I needed to get done.
But what is causing the imbalance? It’s clearly coming from him…
As I headed off toward my hut, the maraga ran toward me, but then slowed down, as though realizing that if she hit me, the prince would get hurt.
These animals are more intelligent than I thought. I am glad for that.
She followed closely behind me, and I took Prince Shuba into my hut.
Where do I keep you… There wasn’t much furniture here, and the small cot was probably far more uncomfortable than anything he was used to. Well it’ll have to do.
Unceremoniously dumping him onto it, I immediately began searching him for the source of the energy disturbance. Before long, I found it.
There it is! There… I lifted up the pendant. Its energy was so painfully strong, my heartbeat rose in near panic. But it existed and was right in front of my eyes.
I can’t believe it… I was right all along…but I was sure this was kept in his drawer… why didn’t I find it that time?! Staring at it, I wanted very much to simply take it off him. But that would be stupid. He would suspect me right away. And yet, it was also necessary to remove it, for the sake of his recovery.
Eventually, I decided to take it off of him, and placed near the cot on the floor. Slowly, his breathing began to become more regular as his body regulated its own energy circulation.
People have no idea what powerful tools they’re messing with when they try to help him…I shook my head and headed toward the corner of my hut I called my “kitchen”. There, I began preparing some howa juice for him. There were plenty of wild howa berries in this area, and though they are naturally very sour, I added plenty of sweeteners in an attempt to make it more palatable.
“Mrgh…”
I glanced over as the prince made a sound. Quickening my speed, I finished the juice, gave it a taste, then walked back over to the prince as his eyes opened slightly.
“Where…am I?” he asked weakly.
“Hello again, Rayoha,” I set the juice beside the cot and took the wet compress I had made for myself.
“K-Kano?!” he tried to sit up, startled.
“Don’t move, please,” I forced him to lie down again. “You’re still very weak. And your head – there’s quite a bump from your fall of the maraga you were riding.”
“How did I get here?”
“I can’t be certain, but it appears you were riding a maraga out by yourself, and somehow ended up in the wilderness. I found you while gathering food.”
He frowned. “Right…I… I think I ran away… I wanted… that’s right… it’s my birthday, isn’t it?”
“…I’m quite sure your birthday was yesterday, Rayoha.”
“Y-yesterday?! I’ve…I’ve been out for a whole day! Oh no, oh no… people might have noticed by now… this is not good. Not good at all…”
“If… I may ask, why did you leave?”
He lowered his eyes, looking rather like a guilty, sad child. “I just… I wanted a taste of the outside world for once. Just for a bit. But… I’m such a fool. I’m so… so stupid.”
Tears welled up in his eyes.
Oh no…please don’t cry. Ugh. I knew I should do something, but this was far out of my realm of expertise. Awkwardly placing the wet compress on his forehead and patting him over it. “There, there…it’s okay…”
“No, it isn’t,” he sniffled a little and wiped his eyes. “I’m so irresponsible. I’ve caused trouble for everyone and what if something had happened to me? I can’t believe I just let myself get so carried away…”
“It’s fine. It’s only been a day. …haven’t you ever slept for a day at a stretch?”
He peered up at me. “Yes…”
“Then let’s hope no one has tried to enter your room and I can sneak you back in the way I visited you last time.”
“…you’re going to carry my all the way up the side of the castle?!”
“Yes. I can do it.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, but seemed to lack the energy to question it. “Fine… Oh, and… thanks for saving and helping me.”
“My pleasure, Rayoha.”
“…Are you always like this?”
“…Like what?”
“You’re so polite. Stiflingly polite. I don’t think you’re always like this. You’re just talking to me like this because I’m royalty, aren’t you?”
I frowned at him instinctively. Can’t you just accept it and be quiet?
“There we go. That’s more like it.”
“What did I do?”
“Your face. For a moment, you looked very annoyed with me. That’s what you’re really like, aren’t you? Irritable, curt, unsociable. I could tell from your vibe last time too. You cake on the flowery speech but you can’t control your face as easily.”
“I don’t know what you mean, Rayoha,” I attempt to clear my facial expression. “I’m polite to you because I have no reason to be rude.”
“Ha, your expressions are so funny! …It’s okay. You’re… cuter this way, when you’re just yourself,” he smiled a little, as though amused at my effort to keep a straight face.
Why is he trying to provoke me? I’m far stronger than him and he knows it. Is he just assuming I wouldn’t touch royalty?
Wordlessly, I kept adjusting the compress. He placed a hand over mine, moving it aside and handling the compress himself.
“Anyway, I’ll stop annoying you,” he forced himself to sit up, leaning heavily on the wall. “Really, I am grateful you saved me.”
I got up, waving a hand dismissively. “Think nothing of it, Rayoha. I didn’t do much.”
“Can you not call me that? It’s so… stuffy.”
“What would you prefer I call you?”
Shifting a little, he scratched his head. “Shuba. That’s my name. So you should call me that.”
“What?” I frowned at him again. “I’m sorry but, that’s a rather inappropriate way for me to-”
“Who decides that, you or me?” snapped the prince. His tiredness seemed to have left him testy. “Everyone always treats me with such formality. One, because I’m prince, two because they think they have to walk on eggshells around me because of my illness. Just be normal! Even Nyera, after so many years of knowing me, won’t just call me Shuba. Why not? I just want a friend!”
“Fine,” I decided not to argue. If he wanted me to call him that, what did I care? “Shuba. Is that better?”
He paused for a moment, before smiling. “So much better. It may be a small thing… but I’ve never heard anyone call me that other than my father. It makes me very happy.”
“I’m glad. Do you want juice, Shuba? I made you some howa juice. Apologies if it isn’t very good,” I picked it up and held it out to him.
He took the glass and swallowed its contents in one long gulp. “Ah…that was refreshing. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. Would you like anything else?” I took the glass from him and began cleaning up around.
“No, thank you,” He looked around. “It’s quite bare in here, isn’t it? How long have you been living here?”
“Oh…” Hmm, what should I tell him… “A… year. Yes, it’s been a year.”
“Oh! So it hasn’t been long,” he scratched his nose. “If I’d been able to visit, it’d have been fun to freshen this place up. Maybe paint the walls or throw in some new furniture.”
“I’m quite okay like this, Ra- Shuba.”
“Good job remembering,” Shuba let out a little giggle.
I glanced at him. In a weird way…he’s rather cute. Not…impossible to tolerate.
“Did you build this place yourself?”
“I did.”
“Wow! You did so well!” He looked around with his mouth open in admiration. “It looks so sturdy!”
Of course it does. I have a lot of experience. “Thank you.”
He seemed to be gaining energy rather fast, as he pushed himself off the wall and stretched a little. I wasn’t surprised, given the perfectly maintained energy balance and the fact that his necklace was removed.
Speaking of which, he doesn’t seem to have noticed his missing pendant at all.
After some time, he got up shakily. “What do you do by yourself?”
“Just… gather food, go to the nearby town, maybe read something,” I shrugged. “Nothing much.”
“You’re…quite alone yourself, aren’t you?” he glanced at me. “You don’t seem to have any friends, family, or even acquaintances.”
“…I suppose you can say that.”
“Isn’t that lonely?” Shuba scratched his head. “Or is it just me that feels that way?”
“Different people have different preferences,” I shrugged again. “I don’t mind being alone.”
“But… do you mind being around people?”
I blinked at him as I finished sweeping the floor with my handmade broomstick. “I…suppose not. Are you asking because you want to be around me?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I want to meet you more.”
“Why?” I was genuinely confused. Why would he want to spend time with someone he rightly called out as unsociable and irritable?
“Why not? You saved my life, tell good stories, and your face is honest,” he tilted his head and smiled. “At least right now it is. It shows what you’re thinking and I like that. And you agreed to call me Shuba.”
“…Okay, I suppose…it wouldn’t be bad to see you again, if it was possible,” I responded slowly, carefully choosing my words. I didn’t want to indicate I would try to meet him. But that he was free to try if he wanted.
“Great! Then I will find ways for us to meet,” he stretched. “I should go back. Can you take me? Or will it be too dangerous in the middle of the day?”
“…I can manage.”
“Then…let’s go,” he headed out, his steps still unsteady. But there was something else to his mannerism.
“You don’t seem very enthusiastic.”
“Mm…don’t I?” he smiled and patted the maraga, who approached him enthusiastically, delighted to see he was okay. “Come, ride behind me.” He put on his face mask and climbed on. Reaching for his collar, he yelped. “My pendant! Oh…I didn’t even realize it was missing!” He looked around frantically.
…Sigh. “…Oh, my apologies, Shuba. I’d taken it off because you would be uncomfortable sleeping with it. Let me go get it.”
When I retrieved it, Shuba smiled cheerfully and took it, not suspecting a thing. “Thank you!” He started to wear it.
“Ah- don’t put it on!”
“Huh?”
“When you’re being very active, it’s especially important to let your body regulate its own energy. Even if yours under-produces light energy, using external help makes it harder.”
“Oh…I didn’t know that,” Shuba took it off and pocketed it.
This boy…why is it he never questions anything I say? I mean…this time it’s actually for his own good…but even so…
“Are you getting on or no?” in the meantime, Shuba had adjusted himself and was patting behind himself on the maraga’s back. She didn’t fight me this time, perhaps because I hadn’t harmed the prince.
“Right,” I took the hand he outstretched toward me and got on.
“Wait- huh?” He turned and snatched my hands unexpectedly.
I cringed as he inspected them closely. He was staring at the deep red scars across them in the shape of rectangles.
“I noticed something was off when I kissed your hand that night. But…on both hands…it’s nearly identical!” He held them both together. “If…you don’t mind me asking, what caused these?”
“…Grasping onto something extremely hot with both hands,” I answered curtly, hoping not to have to answer any more.
He looked up, seeming to read my tone. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. Let’s go.” Turning around, he nudged the maraga to move.
As we retraced his path, we remained silent and attentive. At the castle, Shuba put his maraga back in the stable, then looked up at me as though asking my plan.
“Hold on,” I picked him up smoothly, holding him close.
He gasped, his ears tinged pink, and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “R-right…let’s go!”
Sneaking up toward the side of the castle, I grasped on, using one arm to work my way up and the other to hold him. Luckily, the castle had enough awnings and ledges to help my climb.
Once at his window, I peered in. His room was empty. “Here.” I opened the window and deposited him into the room.
“Thank you,” he took his mask off. “That was…that was absolutely incredible. You’re so strong, Kano.”
“Thank you,” I looked around and prepared to descend. “Try to get some rest, okay? And clean off before anyone notices you smell like the wilderness.”
“I will,” Shuba approached the window, the grabbed my hand and gave it a quick kiss. “There. Now you can go.” With that, he dove into his bed, as though suddenly a little shy.
He’s so strange. I mused. “Goodbye.” With that, I made my way down.