Kaito trudged his feet all the way up the hill before he arrived at the palace and walked through those tall metal gates for the first time. He had spent all eight years of his life living in a village right outside of those castle walls. But now, to support his parents, the young boy went and found a decent job within the castle grounds. Kaito was always a quiet child who had never left his parents' sides except to run small chores for them, so finding work away from home was a big step outside of his comfort zone.

For Mother and Father, the boy sighed to himself as he entered the large wooden doors.

~

"Be careful with those, boy," the irritable maid snapped. "Take them down the hall and don't drop any or there’s going to be a problem."

"Yes, ma'am," Kaito replied timidly, carefully balancing a stack of very expensive plates in his arms. It would take about five trips to carry them all into the dining hall and deliver them to a much friendlier maid. The castle was alive this day as maids and servants bustled around to prepare for the young prince’s ninth birthday. Kaito had never seen the prince or even heard much about him since so little was known.

Kaito made his way down the corridor, which opened up to the courtyard on one side. The fresh air blowing in from the warm summer day comforted him. That and the fact that this was his last task for the day and he would be home soon. He didn’t know how much longer he hold his anxiety in. He wasn’t normally away from his parents for this long. Kaito gulped and pushed himself forward, almost finished transporting everything that was needed. On his fifth trip carrying the items down the corridor, the worst thing possible happened. Out of the corner of his eye, Kaito saw a large, shaggy dog come bounding through the yard. As soon as he spotted Kaito, he happily ran over and lunged at him, knocking the frail boy along with all the plates to the ground.

"No!" Kaito yelled after seeing the mess of shattered plates in front of him. He shoved off the playful dog, who had been excitedly licking his face, just as the nasty woman from earlier hurried around the corner.

"What have you done!" she screeched, blotches of red appearing her cheeks. Kaito sat trembling as she began to rant about the plates being the last of their kind and how there wouldn't be enough for each seat now and so on. Clumsy. Irresponsible. Good for nothing. Each word was like a dagger to the heart.

He wanted to run home. He wanted to go tell his parents he's not ready for any of this yet. He filled his head with the negativity that had plagued him his entire life as he imagined how his parents would react.

They’ll be disappointed, but they’ll definitely understand, Kaito reassured himself. Yeah but they'll also have to work longer and harder to feed us all. There's barely enough food on the table as it is. Kaito took a deep, shaky breath. For Mother and Father. And with that, he shut off his emotions and stood to apologize, his face blank and expressionless to keep himself from feeling anything else. He didn't even flinch as the maid raised her hand to hit him.

~

Sora was giggling relentlessly as he wrestled with one of the knight’s hunting dogs. He didn’t exactly get permission to let the dog out, but he couldn’t help himself. He was lonely in this big castle all by himself. He figured he could have some fun and return it before anyone found out. That was the plan anyway. Without warning, the dog started barking excitedly and took off through the garden and toward the inner part of the palace.

"Wait! Come back!" the Sora yelled anxiously. If anyone found out that he let out one of the dogs to play with, then his father would find out for sure. And he would not be happy at his son's immaturity, even though the boy was only nine years old.

Panting heavily, Sora got to the courtyard in time to see the dog knock down a dark haired boy. A loud shattering noise immediately followed. When the maid showed up, Sora was about ready to take off until he noticed the servant taking the brunt of his mistake. He sighed and grudgingly decided to go over and explain. On his way, he saw the maid raise her hand to the boy in the midst of all her screaming. All fear gone, Sora was unable to hold back the rage boiling inside.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

~

Kaito calmly stared the woman in the eyes when he suddenly heard a nearby voice yell out angrily. The woman jerked her hand back in surprise, her anger replaced by fear. "Prince Sora!" she exclaimed.

The prince? Kaito looked over to see a boy with hair so blond it looked almost white in the sun and eyes a much lighter blue than his own dark blue ones. He was dressed in all white with buttons and chains of gold adorning his shirt. Kaito’s eyes widened. He had never seen anyone like him. On the outside, the two boys looked and acted like polar opposites, but they both shared a similar loneliness that they kept hidden inside.

"It's not his fault," the prince stated with his eyes narrowed at the woman. "If there's a problem, fix it. Don't stand there wasting time. What makes you think it's okay to hit a child?"

The woman was speechless. There was no way she could talk back to the king's son. Kaito hesitantly decided to speak up before things could get any worse.

“It- It’s nothing to worry about, Sire. I apologize for the mess.” It was bad enough that the woman was mad, and now the prince had somehow gotten involved? Kaito wanted nothing more than to hide and get the attention off of himself.

The prince tilted his head at Kaito curiously. "You, come with me," he ordered and started to walk back across the courtyard with the dog trotting happily at his side.

Kaito shifted uncomfortable and his heart rate speeds up. What would the prince want with me? he wondered. “But I'm work..."

"Shh!" the maid hissed. "Know your place and do as he says. You're done for today." With that, Kaito scrambled off to catch up with the young prince. He kept his head down, nervous to be next to someone with such importance.

"I'm sorry for getting you in trouble," Sora said after he heard Kaito approach from behind. They walked side by side with the slobbery mutt between them.

"You don't have to apologize to me, Sire."

The young prince looked annoyed. "You can call me Sora. And what do I call you?"

"I’m Kaito," the boy answered quietly. Kaito rarely got the chance to socialize with anyone his age. He’d only ever gotten to know travelers who would stop in his parent’s shop but they never stayed for long. Not to mention there were the older boys from better-off families who would pick on him whenever he strayed too far from his parents. It was hard for him to place trust in new people.

“Oh! Your name means 'ocean!’ And I’m named after the sky,” Sora announced proudly, satisfied by his education. He paused to face Kaito, who stood there awkwardly as the prince did nothing but stare into his eyes. “Your eyes are dark like the ocean, too. And the sky matches my eyes on days like this. When I’m around, Mother says it feels like she’s already outside.” Sora raised his hands into the air theatrically and closed his eyes as he tilted his face up to the sun. Kaito couldn’t recall ever meeting someone with so much liveliness.

“Um... Can you tell me where we’re going?”

Sora lowered his arms and looked at the boy. “After I put this dog back we’re going to stop at the medical ward.”

“The medical ward? Why?”

Sora looked at him in surprise. “Doesn’t it hurt?”

“What are you…?” He followed Sora’s gaze to his arm, where a long gash left blood stains on his torn sleeve. “Oh. I didn’t even notice,” he said, realizing he must have fallen onto one of the shards. Kaito gently lifted the sleeve and inspected the injury to make sure it wasn’t deep. “It’s nothing to worry about. Look, it’s even stopped bleeding. You don’t have to go through the trouble.”

Sora laughed and threw his arm around the boy’s neck. “You’re tough. But come on. What harm will it do? Father says I have to report to the court healer whenever I get hurt just to be safe.”

“That’s probably because you’re important,” Kaito said dejectedly, fully aware that no one would care if a lowly peasant like him needed help. “You’re next in line for the throne, right Prince Sora? I’m a simple town boy.”

Again Sora looked annoyed at being reminded of his title. “What does that matter? Let’s just get you taken care of.”

Together they walked around the palace and got the dog back to where it belonged before heading inside. Kaito mainly kept quiet and listened to the prince as he filled the silence with a very one-sided conversation. Kaito couldn’t understand how someone he just met could be so kind to him, and not just anyone. The prince of all people came to his rescue! Even the guards, who were nothing more than commoners allowed in palace, spoke with an air of superiority and arrogance. But he found the prince’s voice comforting, and for the first time since he stepped outside the town, Kaito felt at ease.

Two months later

Kaito ran. His legs moved without thinking and his lungs gasped for air. He didn’t have time to apologize to all the other servants he bumped into while trying to leave the palace. They muttered grouchily or shouted angrily after him but they had no idea.

It can’t be true. This isn’t happening. Kaito was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn’t see the tall figure step out from around the corner. Kaito slammed into the burly man so hard that he fell back onto the stone floor.

Kaito began to hastily apologize when he looked up to see the king glaring down at him. The king. Before the most powerful man in the kingdom could speak, the prince stepped in between their line of sight.

“Kaito? What’s wrong?” he asked, crouching down to the stunned boy. Sora could clearly see the tremendous panic in his eyes.

“I was… from up in the tower… the smoke… I saw the smoke… my home… the fire… my parents, Sora!” Kaito shouted desperately, grabbing Sora’s arm as if he could somehow help. Gasping and out of breath, his mind swam out of control. What was he supposed to do?

Sora’s eyes went wide after he made sense of Kaito’s rambling. After that, he didn’t waste another second. He grabbed Kaito by the wrist, pulled him up, and ran.

“Sora!” his father yelled after him, but they both disappeared from sight.

They made their way into the village as fast as their legs could carry them. Sora didn’t have to ask where Kaito lived since it was evident from the dark pillar of smoke reaching up into the bright blue sky. The boy took the lead and the prince followed close behind. It wasn’t long before Sora stood gaping at the house engulfed in flames, Kaito a few steps in front of him looking on in shock. Kaito snapped out of his daze and frantically searched the crowd of spectators for a familiar face. His heart thudded faster with every passing second he couldn’t find his parents. Finally, he ran up to an older woman.

“Have you seen my parents?!” he shouted over the roaring of the fire.

“Oh, Kaito! No, I don’t believe anyone has seen them come out,” she admitted, looking at him pitifully. “But I’m sure…”

Kaito didn’t let her finish. He turned and ran in the direction of his home and would have gone straight into the flames if Sora hadn’t seized him from behind.

“I’m sorry, Kaito!” he yelled, dragging him backwards and away from the collapsing house. Kaito attempted to fight back, but exhaustion and despair took hold of the poor young soul and he crumpled to the ground in defeat. Sora got down on his knees in front of him and held him at arm’s length to keep him from falling over. Kaito sat in stunned silence, his eyes staring into nothingness, just waiting for this terror to process.

“Kaito?” The prince’s voice shook. He couldn’t imagine the pain this boy was going through. He remembered the boy telling him how close he was with his mother and father during one of the days they had spent together in the palace. They hadn’t met often, but the prince would occasionally show up and ask if Kaito could have the day off to keep him company. Of course, no one could say no. After this short time getting to know him, Sora knew this was the worst possible thing that could happen to him.

Out of nowhere, Kaito giggled senselessly. He’s lost it, Sora thought, biting down on his lip.

“Today is my birthday,” Kaito muttered dreamily, his eyes closed and all ration gone.

With those four words, Sora’s heart broke into millions of pieces.

~

For the second time today, Kaito found himself running. But this time, it was away from his problems instead of towards them. He didn’t remember getting up and taking off into the forest for no reason, but now that he was going, he didn’t plan on stopping any time soon.

“Kaito!” a voice behind him yelled.

It’s the prince, he realized, startled that Sora would follow him. But Kaito didn’t stop. His legs kept going until his foot caught on a tree root and he tripped, falling with full force into the dirt. Sora was at his side in an instant, gathering the dark haired boy in his arms. Kaito laid there trembling, not saying anything and doing his best not to feel anything. Because feeling nothing was better than accepting the truth.

Everything that happened next was a blur. Sora dragging him along. Kaito stumbling up the palace steps.The tall man from earlier exchanging a few words with the prince. And the light haired boy begging in response. Eventually, Kaito found himself in a very large, extravagant bedroom with a maid tugging off his dirtied clothes and slipping him into the softest nightwear he’s ever been in.

“Come along now,” she said gently as she guided him to the bed. Once he was situated comfortably, the maid left and Kaito heard the sound of a door closing in the other room. He turned on his side to look out the window. It was already nighttime and the moon cast an eerie glow over the town he knew so well.

There were no thoughts going through Kaito’s head, only a silence that gave him temporary peace. But that nothingness was a dam on the verge of breaking due to the weight of so many emotions. If it burst, would his emotions be released in a violent furry or would he be swept along by the current and drowned underneath it? He didn’t know how long he had been laying there, incoherent thoughts drifting in and out of his consciousness, when the door in the next room creaked open again.

Sora had not been able to stop worrying about Kaito after they split up. He had paced around in his room long after his servants left for the night until he couldn’t take it anymore and came to see him. He carefully shut the door to the guest room and silently made his way to the bedroom. A tiny figure laid underneath the covers in the large bed.

“Kaito? Are you still awake?” Sora softly asked. Kaito tried to block out the familiar voice, not wanting any memories from earlier to return.

When he got no response, Sora walked over to the side of the bed, Kaito’s back to him. He could tell that the boy was awake but he did not expect him to do any talking. Sora knew there was nothing he could offer that could bring Kaito’s parents back so he promised himself that he would do everything he could do to fill in that void.

Kaito began to shiver under the bedsheets despite the warm summer night. He continued to hold back his sobs, his composure slowly slipping. “It hurts…”

Sora crawled into the bed and wrapped his arms around Kaito, as if holding him together. “I’m here,” he said softly. “I’m sorry I can’t replace your parents, but I promise I’ll take care of you.”

Kaito turned his body around to face the prince and, burying his head in his chest, finally cried.

Two years later

Sora was waiting in the usual spot by the courtyard. He knew something must have been wrong for Kaito to be this late. How? Because Kaito always showed up after work unless something was wrong. So the eleven year old kicked off of the wall he was leaning against and went in search of his friend. He began checking all of the usual hiding places he had found Kaito in over the years. Normally when Kaito was upset, he would find Sora and pull the prince’s white cape over his head to hide underneath it for comfort. It was only when he stayed away that Sora knew he was hiding something from him.

The castle was immense but there were only so many spots where Kaito chose to hide. Eventually, Sora found his friend under a set of stairs behind a cluster of barrels with his head down and arms wrapped around his legs.

“What do we have here?” Sora said. Kaito lifted his head, revealing a hand-shaped red mark on one side of his face. Sora’s smile vanished.

~

Kaito didn’t want Sora to see the mark that horrid maid gave him for screwing up once again. He knew his friend would freak out like he always did when he got hurt. And God forbid if there was anyone around to blame because the prince would have their head. So he found a good hiding spot and waited there in shame, knowing Sora would be coming to look for him soon.

Kaito really did hate being away from the only person in this world he cared about. Sora once told him that he didn’t have to continue to work, that he would much rather have his friend with him throughout the day. And Kaito really wanted that, too. But he felt like he needed to do something, as a way to keep him busy and also as a small thanks to the king for allowing him to live in the castle at Sora’s request. And anyway, the prince, even at his young age, had his own responsibilities to take care of. Kaito never truly understood why the prince took any interest in him, but he didn’t think much on it now that they were best friends. He was just happy that someone was there for him to fall back on.

“What do we have here?”

Well, there’s no hiding it now. Kaito lifted his head and Sora’s smile vanished, replaced with a scowl that would send a coward flying. This truly was the king’s son.

“It- It’s nothing! I swear!”

“If it was nothing you wouldn’t be hiding.”

“I’m only hiding because I know how you would react,” Kaito said, giving him a look that said ‘you know I’m right you overdramatic freak,’ a look that no one else in the kingdom would dare to give the prince.

Sora pouted, knowing full well that he was overreacting. “Don’t get sassy and just tell me who did it,” he snapped. Kaito shook his head. “Damn it,” Sora sighed. He ducked under the stairs and sat down next to his friend, pulling his knees up to his chest.

“Promise you won’t do anything stupid?” Kaito asked. Sora grumbled incoherently to himself. “Sora.”

“Alright! Fine! I won’t do anything.”

“Good. So did you finish your morning training?” Kaito asked, successfully changing the subject.

“Yes, I finished whacking a man with a stick,” he muttered sardonically. Sora found sword training completely boring when Kaito wasn’t around to impress. “You should come with me next time. Learn to protect yourself,” he said, searching for any way to get them to spend a little more time together.

“As if anyone would let me carry around a sword,” Kaito replied.

“Who knows? Maybe if you get good enough someday, I’ll knight you.”

Kaito rolled his eyes. “You know I can’t be a knight. Only men from noble families can become knights.”

“Not with that attitude you can’t,” Sora laughed, lightly punching his friend in the arm. Kaito rolled his eyes again, but this time with a smile creeping onto his face. Only Sora could ever make him smile.

The unlikely duo spent the remainder of the day together, laughing and shoving each other around, and throwing insults and snickering as they each tried to come up with better ones. Their natural bond was undeniable and their friendship unbreakable. Kaito often felt like the luckiest person in the world for being given this life with the prince. It was times like these when he would forget that he ever had parents.

~

Sora walked down the dimly lit corridor, his hands clenched into fists by his side. It was getting dark outside and Kaito would be wondering where he went off to. Better make this quick, he figured.He took a deep breath and reminded himself that Kaito told him not to do anything stupid. Sora smiled at Kaito’s own stupidity. That smart ass should’ve know better than to leave a loophole like that.

He wiped the slight smile off his face before entering the kitchen, where the staff were busy cleaning up after a day’s work. They all froze upon seeing him, wondering what business the prince would possibly have there. They quickly returned from their stupor and bowed in his presence.

“There is only one person here I am speaking to, but unfortunately, I do not know who that person is. So listen up, everyone!” the prince demanded. For not even having reached puberty, the eleven year old already possessed natural leadership qualities and a tone of voice that couldn’t go ignored. “You should all know how very close I am to a certain boy in this palace.” While he was speaking, a maid by the pantry fidgeted and Sora immediately singled her out as the same woman he saw when he first met Kaito.

“He is my special guest in this palace and he is to be treated as such. If I ever find another mark on him again,” Sora said sternly, shifting his gaze directly at the suspect. “No one in this room is going to be happy about it.” He paused dramatically to make sure his threat reached everyone’s ears before turning to leave, his cape whipping through the air. “Not a word of this to him,” he ordered, his back to them.

There. Nothing stupid at all.

~

“What did you do?” Kaito asked the next day after work.

“Who, me?” Sora replied innocently.

“Yes, you, moron. Everyone was afraid to even look at me today. What did you do?”

Sora burst out laughing. “Seriously? I’m going to be an amazing king.”

“Sora! I told you not to do anything!” Kaito whined.

“Stupid. You told me not to do anything stupid,” Sora corrected cautiously. He couldn’t tell if he was pushing his friend to far or not, but his worries were cast aside when Kaito could no longer hold back a fit of laughter.

“I can’t believe you. I’m sure everyone is secretly happy that the witch didn’t show up to work today at least. Maybe you won’t be a terrible king after all.”

“There you have it. This kingdom is lucky to have me next in line for the crown,” Sora bragged, feigning an air of arrogance. “Now let’s go!” he shouted, throwing his arm around his companion’s shoulders and pulling him along. “I asked Hideyoshi to show you a thing or two about using a sword.”

Kaito sighed melodramatically. “If only the king-to-be would stop working his poor attendant so hard.”

“Hey! He said he wouldn’t mind staying a bit longer than usual to help us out.”

“It’s his job to say that,” Kaito laughed, bumping into his friend teasingly and Sora playfully coming back at him twice as hard. Kaito just barely maintained his balance by grabbing a handful of Sora’s sleeve, nearly dragging him down, too.

Sora smiled at his friend’s laughter. It was such a massive change from when he had first brought peasant into the palace. There was life in the boy once again, and he had the prince to thank for that.