Chapter 12

Araiso turned to look at Kasei quickly. Kasei smiled a bit, standing up. “Don’t get too cold in there,” Kasei said as he waved and walked out of the bathroom.

“Kasei!” Araiso called, but Kasei made no turn back. “Kasei!” Araiso shouted louder. He waited a second for Kasei to come back, and when he didn’t Araiso just slumped back into the water with a frown.

After a bit, Araiso went into the living room to see Kasei reading a newspaper.

“We’re baaaack,” Aranie called, rushing in dressed in a pink shirt and jeans. “Oh, Kasei you look so…”

“Glum,” Su said, walking next to her.

“Hey you two, have fun shopping?” Kasei asked, just turning the page.

“You’re bringing down my happy shoes, K,” Aranie whined, hurrying out of the room.

Su rolled her eyes, then walked over to Kasei, hitting him with the paper back in her hand.

“Ow!” Kasei looked to her.

Su glared at him, “And she just got new expensive ones, too.”

“Just how expensive?”

“Enough to make daddy turn in his grave,” Su nodded, leaving after her sister.

Kasei stared after the girls, mostly at the many bags in their hands. He didn’t say anything at first, then chuckled. “Turn in his grave, huh? Well if that’s how they want to get his attention…” Then he looked back to his paper.

Araiso watched Kasei for a moment, then hurried after the girls to inspect what they had gotten.

A while later, more into the night, Araiso came down barefoot to see what Kasei’d say. Aranie came down with him, glared when Kasei didn’t look up from the paper to Araiso and stomped her foot.

“What, Aranie?” Kasei asked, not looking up.

“Look it what we got for your friend.”

“What you… What?” Kasei looked up, eyes going wide.

Araiso smiled a bit as Kasei looked up. He grew instantly timid when he saw Kasei’s shocked face.

The prince stood there in a dark navy silk long shirt with a black warm winter coat over it. Around his neck tied was a long rich purple woven scarf with white thread sewn in. He had on expensive looking soft denim jeans with a pocket at the cuffs adorned in silver. And lastly, around Araiso’s neck was a very small quaint silver chain.

“Like it?” Aranie asked proudly.

Kasei stood up, walked over and circled Araiso for a moment. “How expensive was all this?”

Aranie put her finger to her lip as she thought. “The necklace was a good hundred. The pants were about two-fifty. We didn’t get him shoes cause we didn’t know his size. The jacket was about five-twenty-five. Oh! And the awesome shirt was about three-forty.”

Kasei’s stare turned to her. “Are you out of your mind?”

“What?”

“Dad’s fine with you two brats spending his paycheck on stuff for you - but when he finds out how much you’ve spent on this total stranger, we’re both-”

“Dead.” Came a very distinct older man’s voice from the doorway.

All three turned to see Kasei’s father dressed in a business suit with a raincoat over his arm and a briefcase in hand standing at the door. Next to him was a young man wearing glasses and slicked back black hair, dressed like a salary man.

“Yeah. That.” Kasei glared to Aranie.

The older man shook his head, “Kasei, who is our… very colorful guest?”

“Araiso,” Kasei nodded.

The man nodded, “Get him out of here.”

“Dad,” Kasei tried.

“Now,” The man shouted, making Aranie and Araiso jump.

Aranie pulled the nervous Araiso out of the room and upstairs while Kasei took the shouting from his father for a good two hours.

Finally, when things were quiet, Kasei sighed as he opened his bedroom door and closed it shut, locking it. He looked to his bed at Araiso sitting on the edge of it, the black coat sitting next to him.

Kasei shook his head, walking over to him. “Why’d you put it on? Why!” Kasei shouted, but didn’t raise his voice. Araiso looked up, opening his mouth to try and answer. “Don’t. You can’t talk remember? Human! Oh why… Why? Why? Why? Why did you have to put it on? It would have been fine if you just hadn’t…”

Nervously, Araiso reached his hand out to touch Kasei’s. Startled, and very angry, Kasei whirled around and slapped Araiso’s cheek so hard he knocked him down.

Kasei took a step back, not able to say anything for a moment. “One thousand, two hundred, fifteen dollars… That’s… My dad doesn’t have that kind of money to spend on someone that isn’t family… Barely even someone who is family.”

Araiso sat up slowly, looking to Kasei.

Kasei’s anger paused and his heart stopped. Araiso’s cheek was pure red, swelling and his blue eyes were filled with tears.

“A… Araiso.” Kasei moved to touch him.

Just at the sound of his name, Araiso bolted from the bed. He slammed into the door, fought with the handle a moment then, yanked it open and dashed down the hall. Kasei ran after him, watching as Araiso tripped and tumbled down the stairs. It only took Araiso a second to get up, shove Kasei away and dash out the front door.

“Araiso!” Kasei called, stopping at the porch, his voice drowned out by the rain.

“Charming friend you’ve got,” the older man said to Kasei.

Kasei looked to his brother, an unsure glare. His brother just shrugged, holding out a rain coat. “You’d better chase your friend. He might get lost.”

Chapter 13

“Araiso! Araiso!” Kasei called, running through the dark pouring rain. “Shit, he might’ve…” Kasei didn’t want to finish that thought. “Araiso!” He called.

For a while, Kasei called and called through the rain.

Finally he could make out what sounded like crying coming from the slopes off the highway.

Kasei couldn’t see through the rain, but he didn’t need to. He could see a soft glow. Slowly, he walked to the edge and slid down the muddy grass to the base of the slope. Then he went farther into the trees, and stopped when he could see it clearly.

Fully transformed, covered in mud, and glowing, Araiso was crying huddled next to a tree.

“I’m sorry…” Kasei said first, as he approached through the rain.

Araiso looked to him, then away, trying to stop his crying.

Kasei swallowed his nervousness, then slowly walked closer. “Are you hurt?”

“No…” Araiso answered softly.

Kasei knelt beside him lifting Araiso’s head to look at him. “You’re all wet…”

“That makes me transform…”

“So, you’re glowing…” Kasei nodded, looking him over. “Wow. You sure got covered in mud fast.” He paused, “Why are you still crying? I didn’t hit you that hard, did I?”

“No…” Araiso shook his head, “The clothes your sisters got me are all ruined.”

Kasei blinked, then laughed.

“What?”

“Nothing…” He chuckled, smiling at Araiso. “They’re just wet like you. They’ll be fine once they’re dry. Wanna go back?”

“I can’t like this, Kasei.”

Kasei looked around in thought. “Yeah..” He paused, “I wonder if he’s that… No, he can’t be that smart.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing.” Kasei pulled off his raincoat and wrapped it around Araiso. “Hang on to me.”

“What?” Araiso asked, then yelped and clung to Kasei as he was lifted like a princess up. “P-Put me down!”

“Sure, once we’re back inside.”

“B-b-but-but!”

Kasei didn’t listen, and carried Araiso back to his house. Getting in without anyone noticing wasn’t easy. It involved a lot of quiet wet steps.

Soon enough though, Araiso was sitting on a few towels in Kasei’s room with a few more on him.

“Sorry,” Araiso said.

“It’s fine,” Kasei said, squatting next to Araiso with the hair dryer aimed at him on full blast. “You sure are taking a while to transform back.”

“Should be soon.”

“Your cheek ok?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll check it out after you turn back.”

“Okay.”