That which slips through the cracks

Shuen snorted and turned to walk out. "Don't kid yourself...I'd rather one of us be gone...but the thoughts of him crying, of him withdrawing back into his shell and never trusting anyone again...pisses me off and hurts all at the same time..." he said lowly before he began to pad away again.

He then walked back up the stairs and to Keyon's private study. Once he got there, he went back to his spot up against his legs and laid back down, curling up and huffing.

Cecilia snorted and closed her eyes. "Oh I know all too well." she said lowly to herself as she went back to making lunch.

Keyon rested there hearing Shuen return and huff but ssaid nothing looking out the window of his study through his eyelashes he was awake but was wondering at this point if it was even worth it. He didn't need to be there the animosity between them was incredible and he was the cause. Wither or not he liked it he was the cause of it. He closed his eyes as he sat there not saying a word not caring anymore even if the tailor came for the clothes. He was begging to feel like calling end game checkmate on himself becuase no matter what he did here he was hurting someone.

"You shouldn't just keep laying there like that...feeling sorr for yourself isn't the way to make anything better...it just makes you feel like shit..." he said lowly as he kept his eyes shut and attempted to go back to sleep.

Today was a rare day for Shuen. He wasn't in a bad mood, and he was lazy which meant that he had grew comfortable like this. "Not that I'm complaining about you not moving...I'm just saying that you shouldn't keep feeling sorry for yourself when things are out of your control..."

Keyon sighed. "I'm not feeling sorry, I'm thinking." he countered and he was what were his options and what was the best ones. Right now he didn't know what to do. "And I still feel like death warmed over." he said lowly and he did really he shouldn't be out of bed yet but...he was.

Shuen sighed and finally rose his head, opening his eyes to look at Keyon. "Not to be rude, but I'm a fucking canine...all animals can sense a human's emotions. You feel like you would be better off dead, like things would be better that way. I can tell you some sugar coated crap about how we need you alive because we love you, or I can tell you the crude, cold facts about it," he said before he stood up and walked over to the window seat and jumped up into it and turned until he was looking directly as Keyon.

"If you were to end your life and give up...I would kill her and devour her flesh and bones...if you die...I will hunt her down until she had no place left to run and then I will not stop until I have either killed her and eaten her or eaten her alive...I'm not a nice man Keyon, and if you die...I will kill her because she is the one who will get your soul," he said lowly, darkly as he narrowed his eyes at him.

He hated to be so cruel and cold about it...but at this point, he really had nothing else to say.

Keyon slowly sat up as he looked at him. One momentary passing thought and that summed up all of his emotions? Everything he was thinking and feeling. Hated to be crude. He stood regarding Shuen quietly the cold 'Awful' Noble he was known for being replacing the fragility that had been there but a moment ago. "A momentary thought and suddenly that summons up everything I'm thinking and feeling at the moment? I suppose because you are a demon you are the authority on feelings on the way they move up and down a scale." he said a bit coldly. "I'm not the sort to ever just give up if I was I would have done it at the age of five. "

Keyon turned and walked to his bedroom. "Stay out here. I wish to be alone." he said bluntly cold and walked into his room closing his door and flipping the lock to his bedroom. The freaking authorty on his emotions he felt like hell it hurt to breath and with everything on one momentary thought one momentary lapse and a touch of weakness and suddenly he's.....he stood in his room back to his bedroom door.

Shuen snorted and opened the window. "Fuck you too then..." he said lowly before he jumped out of the window and landed at the bottom on his feet. What a waste of effort. He wasn't good with words, and he obviously wasn't good with anything else either.

"Che...I knew I should have just left....I was better off when I had nowhere to go..." he said lowly as he ler his hears fall back and his tail to droop. All he wanted was for Keyon to stop acting like he had to face everything on his own...

Was that too much to ask for?

Keyon lifted a heavy paperweight and threw it hard through the glass window hearing it shatter as he dropped down and closed his eyes. "There's no point in emotions or trying to figure them out. Everything from beinging to end is nothing but a series of events that one can control. I knew that it's my own fault.....my own error for letting.....that cursed heart of mine to feel something again." he whispered.

Cecilia stood on the patio looking at the paperweight that was on the ground cracking the stone beneath it and sighed as she looked up at the glass window that was beyond shattered shaking her head. "Not content unless your making more work for me are you Young master?" she whispered softly and closed her eyes. With any luck that fool wolf would be gone and things would go back to normal.

He felt as if he had walked for centuries as he came walking into town, his fur matted and dirty and his hind leg injured from a bullet wound that a hunter had given him. He looked awful and felt even worse.

He whined when he felt someone's foot collide with his ribs and just stayed down on the ground and closed his eyes as a man yelled at him, calling him a monster.

Yes, it was true. He was a monster and he felt every bit of the pain of being such a thing. No place to belong, no one to love him....

When the man had finally left him alone, he pushed himself back up on weak and shaky legs and continued to limp on. He had no place here either.

Keyon's fever had finally broken he could think and feel clearly again and sighed when he learned that Shuen had left. Dressing he had the carriage brought around and went into town, it wasn't hard to find him all he had to do was describe the wolf many had seen him.

He walked through with Cecilia in step behind him his footsteps solid on the ground. Honestly who would have thought that a demonl's emotions were more fragile then a humans but it seemed to be so he found him walking up to where he was laying and narrowed his eyes. "Are you going to do this every damn time we have a disagreement? I thought you said you wouldn't give up, I know loyalty isn't much among your kind, faithfullness and so many other things but according to your own aesthtics you don't tell lies? Or is that a lie."

"And if you give me some damn crap about not belonging well....I"m not the one kicking you out if you no longer live there it's because you ran away, with your damn tail between your legs at the first sign of conflict or a dissagreement."

Shuen looked up at Keyon and took a shallow breath and felt the tears already threatening to fall. "I...didn't lie...I just...had to get away for a while..." he said weakly.

He hadn't given up on Keyon...it was just...his bad luck had taken a turn for the worst when he had left. He had been chased by dogs and shot at by human hunters, and even shot in the leg by one. He had been ran down and chased into the river and through the mud. He had been kicked and had rocks thrown at him by children and adults alike.

He had wanted to go back days ago, but he had been chased to the point of exaustion. "Sorry..." he said before he closed his eyes and whined. He had broken ribs and a broken leg with a gaping bullet wound. "Sorry for looking like shit...for looking so pathetic..."

Keyon sighed as he looked at him. "It's not your fault." he said shaking his head. And he knew Shuen would not like this but he looked back at Cecilia. "Cecilia."

Cecilia looked at him and then smiled faintly Shuen would hate her even more for this. She moved at that simple command. "Yes My Lord." she said simply and lifted Shuen despite his injuries not causing him any pain. She craddled the large wolf in her arms as if he were fragile breakable and turned as they began walking. Keyon didn't have the kind of strength to carry a wolf his size very far.

They made it back to the carriage and in Cecilia not really giving Shuen much choice in the matter once in the carriage she lifted a lap blanket and laid it over him on her lap. But the surprise might be the fact that Keyon sat next to them instead of across reaching over to run his fingers through the dirty matted fur on Shuen's head. "Let me put it this way.....I don't like chasing down what belongs to me." he said looking at the wolf. "Nor do I like it when what belongs to me is damaged. Cecilia after we get back to the estate and his wounds are properly cared for I want you to find the ones responsible......and place them in Checkmate."

Cecilia looked at him. "Yes, My Lord." She said she would tend to and treat all of Shuen's wounds they were bad to not have healed yet. She continued to hold him gently although he hated her and she knew that she didn't show any harshness and braced herself just right so that none of the jarring of the carriage ride transfered through to Shuen's injured frame. None of that was ordered by Keyon, he had simply told her to pick him up.

"Stay still for now, the damage has been done any movements will make it worse. Please tolerate my pressence for a while longer." her tone was polite and kind.

Shuen didn't say anything, nor did he move. He was too tired and hurt to say or do anything. What could he say anyway? there were no words for this, for how he felt.

But after a while, he took a shallow breath and opened his eyes to look up at Keyon. "When the hell did I start belonging to you?.....You....aren't even contracted to me...." he said lowly before he closed his eyes again and whined. It hurt to breathe, to talk....but he had no choice.

Keyon looked at him quietly a moment. Then leaned back. "When you came to stay in my Estate you became a part of it, that which belongs to me." he said.

"Young master." Cecilia's tone was scolding and Keyon looked at her. Then sighed he couldn't get away with a half assed answer around her.

"And that which is in my estate is mine to protect and care for.......I don't keep things around me that I don't want.....there. I don't keep people no matter where their from if they don't mean something important to me." He closed his eyes. "If....I don't love them."

Cecilia continued to support Shuen as they drew closer to the estate through the gates and up the long drive. They would be back soon.

"And Shuen.....I have no use for pets." He looked at him. "If your really that comfortable in that form laying against me that's fine, but if your doing it because you think I want or need a pet....don't. " Keyon looked out the window. "People tire of there pets you far more important then a pet."

Cecilia stared and blinked then sighed speaking lowly so lowly only Shuen would hear her. "I didn't tell him the conversation....and I was already lectured this morning." If he wanted a puppet or a trained monkey he would get one, she may be his housekeeper but if she kept silent all time he'd hire someone just to aggrivate her and make her talk.

"Hate to break it to you...but I'm a pet in its own right....you may love me, but the fact still remains that I'm an animal, a demon. I'm not just someone you openly let roam free. You want to keep me caged and only let me out when you want to brag...you're my owner and you desire to keep me on a short leash....just like I deisre to keep you on a short leash of your own...." he said lowly as he sensed them drawing nearer to the estate.

His words sounded harsh, but they had a meaning behind them. Keyon, much akin to a dog owner who owned a pure blooded show dog, loved his pet and showed it as much affection as was possible. But when it came to letting said pet run free and get dirty and let others put hands on it, the owner became greedy and selfish. Eventually the owner decided to put it in a cage and keep it on a short leash, only taking the pet out of the cage to let others see it and to brag about it.

"I'm not some show dog who has nothing left but it's bark...I'm a wolf and I still have plenty of bite left in me...don't try to keep me caged....I'll just keep breaking free..."

Keyon looked over at him regarded him quietly a moment. "I never said you couldn't come and go. I said I don't like it when people hurt what belongs to me." He said as he they climbed out and moved to enter the estate he walked with them. Not finding this the least bit amusing.

Cecilia brought him to a room and quickly efficently tended to his wounds before leaving them to talk and go find the ones who wounded him.

Keyon looked down at Shuen. He looked at him bandaged and tended for she had even cleaned up his fur having moved so very efficently at least his back she avoided anywhere that he'd find too personal. And any open wounds. Keyon looked at Shuen. "I have no intention of keeping you on a leash Shuen, however I think you'll find I'm not one to be leashed either." he said lowly as he turned and walked around to sit on the other side of the bed Shuen was currently laying on.

He snorted and quickly regretted it. His ribs were still broken so it hurt to breath. "It doesn't matter anyway....even if you don't want to...you will eventually..." he said lowly as he closed his eyes.

"I think it would be amusing...to have someone to..." he paused, opening his eyes to look at Keyon. "Dominate me for once...." he finished and rose his head a little, his body still completely exhausted from being chased and beaten for so long.

Keyon sighed shaking his head as he looked at him reaching down to ruffle the soft fur. "Yes well we'll figure all of that out later, for now get some rest your body has taken a beating you need it." he said shaking his head as he shifted to make himself a bit more comfortable but continued to sit there.

Shuen sighed and closed his eyes. "You don't need to fuss over me...I'm not some kid who can't do anything for himself..." he said lowly before he let his head go down to rest on the pillows.

"I know what I need."

He sighed again and opened his eyes to look at Keyon. "Problem is...it's not what I want..."

Keyon sighed and gently flicked one of his ears that wasn't damaged and shook his head. "Behave." he said in a light scolding tone. "Wanting and needing are two totally different things and I may not need to fuss over you but I am. Get used to it, you wanted my attention you have it at the moment."

Shuen smirked and rose his head to fully look at Keyon. "I'm a demon...we're not know for being good...I'm certainly not going to be the one to change that reputation..." he said lowly before he turned his head to look out the window.

"Not to mention the fact that I'm a gang leader....though I've been neglecting my duties for quite some time now..." he mused lowly and lowered his head and whined. "Speaking of which...I need to at least let them know that I'm still alive..."

Keyon looked at him and tapped his ear. "AFTER your healed you can do whatever you like. But moving around in your condition isn't good." he said a bit bluntly as he leaned back against the pillows and looked up at the sky. "I'm sure they pretty much know your alive and well you can't lead a gang and be weak."

Shuen grunted but didn't turn back around to face Keyon. "I never said that I wanted to lead them anywhere...they all just sort of...started following me because they thought I was some big tough scary guy...." he said before he finally turned back to face Keyon.

"Not that I can't be....it's just....something about my past that pisses me off when I think about it..." he finished. But it wasn't just that. Shuen hadn't lied about it, it did piss him off, but it also made him feel like he was useless, worthless and had no purpose. He just wasn't ready to discuss that part of things yet...not with anyone.

Keyon looked at him and then sighed shaking his head as he shifted a bit to lay down on the bed his hand coming up to continue to pet the soft fur he wasn't doing it because Shuen was a pet to him he was doing it to offer some sort of comfort. His fingers playing against the fur. "Well in any case getting rest right now is a good thing for you."

Cecilia had returned cleaned up one of them had the nerve to be messy and get there blood on her white uniform jacket. Did they have no idea just how difficult white was to keep clean? If they did they certainly wouldn't have made such an unsightly mess when dying. She walked through having changed her jacket out the other soaking to remove the blood stains before they set, then walked down the halls to let Keyon know that the game was over and that he had aquired Checkmate.

He sighed and closed his eyes. "Such a persistent little runt..." he said playfully before yawning and stretching. The pillows and bed were comfortable and the blanket was warm. All of the combined was slowly dragging him down into the depths of sleep.

But before he drifted off to sleep, he mumbled lowly, "Stay here...I don't want to be alone..."