Hiro returned the smile as Akito sat in front of him. He figured he had talked his ear off enough and decided to stay silent long enough for Akito to at least process half of what he said. His attention shifted to the little audrat sneaking out of Akito’s clothes but he didn’t think much of it until tiny paws were in his lap. Absentmindedly, he scratched behind one ear only to raise an eyebrow when he felt him climbing upward. The kimono wasn’t loose enough to slip through and Hiro watched as the small animal tugged it open just enough for him to wiggle his way inside. The prince couldn’t help the short laugh as Hoko got comfortable. It was an odd feeling at first, but he found it was something he could easily get used to after a bit of shifting. “Hah, Hoko’s mine now.” He chuckled and continued leaning back against the tree. He continued listening to Akito, watching as he seemed so entranced by the memory. The way he described training and battle was much different than that of his father. Both had passion in their eyes, however the latter enjoyed expressing the deaths of the enemy, the triumphant victories, the drunken parties, and whatever else Hiro didn’t listen to. Aoba’s talk of it all sounded much more familial and something like a dream even.” He listened in slight intrigue up until he finished. “Perhaps.” Was his response at first. “He’s from an older generation. Things change. I would guess that would also be in regards to strategy and battle all the same.” The last comment made the prince smile and unexpectedly the timid male reached out to him. It was more of a surprise that he even attempted to, but Hiro didn’t make it a big deal not wanting to scare him off. “Yes, of course. And same to you.” It grew silent for a few beats with Hiro fiddling with Hoko. The little creature would occasionally nibble his fingers or bat them away. For the most part, Hiro was a lot more relaxed with him compared to when he first met Hoko. He could only chuckle at the memory of the first time Hoko decided to crawl into his lap and scare him. “How long have you had Hoko? He is a very well-trained and loyal friend of yours.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pulling his hand back Akito nods at the returned sentiment and slides his hands into his sleeves. He smiles at the occasional sight of Hoko's paws as Hiro plays with his partner quietly. At the question his mind flashes back to the day he found the beast. “It was after a messy battle in the woods.” he murmurs. “Five years ago. The enemy had been pushed back and I was taking some time to breath. I heard some small sounds nearby and got curious. I found a lob that had been crushed during the battle by a foot or body or something.” He looks at Hoko's little batting paws with a faintly sad expression. “I saw his siblings and mother, and I felt a little sick, but there was one little squirming body in with the bloody mess of the others, and pulled it out, and it was Hoko!” He tries to smile, not sure if he succeeds. “I brought him back with me, and the other and father put up with him for a while, helping me keep him alive and fed. However, after a while, we had to march, and my father said that we really didn't have room for pets.” He manages a real smile this time. “He wasn't trying to be mean, he even said we could drop him off in the next village we passed. His exact words however were 'We can't bring something with us that isn't useful.'. I actually agreed, but instead of steeling myself to get rid of my new little friend, I decided to make him useful!” He chuckles, his eyes twinkling a little as he looks up at Hiro. “I began training him. He was stubborn at first, or just absentminded as he was a baby after all, but by the time we reached the next village, he'd learned some useful tricks. Father came to me to tell me it was time to say goodbye, but then I showed him how I'd taught him to make noise on command, how to go to certain items, and to even follow and track like a dog. He wasn't really impressed until I told him to hold Hoko for ten minutes and then I went off with a grub on a string and trailed it all through the camp, all the way to the other side. With other soldiers as witnesses, after the ten minutes, Hoko followed that trail all the way, even when it wasn't touching the ground in places, and got to me in no time flat.” He smiles, reaching out to rub between Hoko's eyes, totally forgetting that he's essentially reaching inside his betrothed's kimono. “See, I had heard of units having dogs, and even battle cats, and I knew I couldn't exactly have him fighting, but tracking. Tracking is something I could tell he'd be good at and when I got back with my witnesses and they testified, Father gave me one hard, long look before laughing and saying, 'Well, you made him useful. Welcome to the unit Hoko.'. He even saluted!” He laughs again, pulling his head back. “So, since then, I've been training him, and he really is the most useful partner one could ever ask for.” He lets out a sigh, looking up at Hiro. “What about you? Have you had any pets?” He'd not noticed any around the palace but he figures that maybe he had one in the past that has passed away since. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Hiro beamed at the story, well minus the saddening parts. “He’s smarter than he looks. How-” He raised an eyebrow when Akito reached over to his kimono, but continued his thought. “Cute. It has to be something nifty with him being small too. Easier to be a sneaky little rascal.” He laughed and poked Hoko’s nose when his finger was nipped at. Towards Akito’s question, Hiro shook his head. “Never had an actual pet before. Not if you count the horses we have. When I was younger my dad used to take me horseback riding around the palace grounds.” With a chuckle, Hiro added. “I’ve asked for a tiger a few times. Going for the exotic pets. Of course, that was a no.” He remembered all the times he was younger and he’d pester his father about getting a tiger. The older he got, the more it turned into a joke. “Huh, haven’t asked in a while. Who knows, maybe he’s changed his mind.” Hiro spoke in a lighthearted tone, only joking. He would have no clue what to do with a tiger. “Although, in retrospect, having a pet may have been a good companion while being stuck on palace grounds. Wouldn’t have been as… bored.” He started to say ‘lonely’ but decided that certain things were better left unsaid. “It’s a fun idea. I’m not sure what the old man will say now that I’ve got a sibling on the way.” In a mocking, yet pretty convincing impression, he ‘scolded’, “It’s much too dangerous for a pet. We have to be sure that the baby won’t get sick because of it. Maybe when she’s at least five… Or you know, something like that.” He shrugged a bit and stretched his arms over his head. “I remember the servants bringing in a stray dog once. Well, they took it to the servants quarters. It was an old dog, but still lively as ever. I got to play with him for a few weeks until one servant decided strays weren’t healthy for a royal to play with and that they’d all get in trouble for it. Something like that. They ended up taking him to the village. Not quite sure what happened after that.” He simply shrugged, not thinking much of it besides that being the closest to a pet he had. With a blink and a raised finger he added, "Oh and lots of fish. Lots and lots of fish. There was one giant catfish that we had but it's been gone for awhile." ~~~~~~~~ Smiling gently Akito listens silently as Hiro talks about the animals in his life, chuckling ever so slightly at the idea of having a tiger around the palace for a young prince. [i]'A kewal may have been okay, but tigers are a little too wild. . .'[/i] Faint thoughts stir into like as he thinks this and he places them away in the back of his mind to be mulled over later. He nods at the worry over a baby getting sick from new pets and hopes that Hoko won't be a problem. He's not sure what he would do if he suddenly had to get rid of his partner. His brow furrows a bit as Hiro talks about the stray dog and wonders about exactly how overprotective the people in the palace are. [i]'A good dog shouldn't be put out like that. . .'[/i] He feels a small twinge of real sadness that such a thing happened to the poor beast after what was likely the best days of his old life. If nothing else, a life in the palace is lavish, and a dog wouldn't have the same uncomfortable worries that he has. He's not sure how much to count fish as pets, but he's seen the pond where they live and has at least admired their beauty. Nodding with a smile as Hiro wraps up the talk about the animals around the palace Akito looks back at the rain and sighs softly. “Hoko was a pet for a little while, but now he is my partner. He is clever and seems to always know what's going on better than I.” He smiles, eyes falling half closed. “I am sorry you did not have a real pet growing up, but I hope that Hoko can at least prove he is not just a pest who demands attention and treats.” Hoko grunts at this but stays put. Looking at the sheets of rain Akito regains his feet and stretches. “Perhaps we should walk a bit more. Get a little closer to the road just in case this lasts until sundown so we do not have to worry about trying to find the road in the darkness?” He turns back to Akito, raising an eyebrow curiously. He will of course stay here if his betrothed would rather, but he feels that the more responsible action would be to at least find the road before nightfall. ~~~~~~~ Hiro waved the apology away, claiming it to be no big deal. “Ah, he’s no pest. Just takes some getting used to is all.” The prince gave a small shrug. “Not everyday there’s tiny feet crawling up my clothes.” He chuckled and followed Akito’s line of sight to the rain. It was a rhythmic sound, the worst of it avoided in their retreat into the forest. Hearing the plan, Hiro nodded, trusting that Akito knew what was best for them. He did make note that the last time he walked through the forest in the dark was when he had to go looking for Akito, and that could have ended with him tripping over nearly everything or falling in a hole. “Hm, not walking through the forest in the dark does sound like a better idea.” The prince stretched his arms over his head, being careful enough so Hoko didn’t fall farther into his kimono. He stood and made his way to their horse who was comfortably sitting off to the side. “Alright Akito~ lead the way.” He took a few steps forward to get the horse to follow. “After all, you are much better at this than I am.” He waited until Akito had started moving before following right after him. For the most part, he stayed silent, looking around at the trees and listening to the sounds around them. It seemed like they were the only two- well four counting the horse and Hoko, creatures in the forest at first. But he took a moment to really focus and he noticed a few squirrels shuffle into trees and a few shifts along the ground. Thankfully it was bright enough out for him to see where he was going, but he was a lot more conscious about it compared to before. The rain filled most of the silence and Hiro didn’t mind very much. If he had been home, he’d probably have dozed off at the sound of it. A thought did cross his mind though. Hopefully the storms would pass before the wedding. While a delay sounded like a nice idea, it would more or less be a catastrophe for everyone involved. So much of that planning and preparation being scrambled or put on hold seemed like a headache to deal with. The later it got, the dimmer it became. Unfortunately, the rain didn’t give any hint of letting up anytime soon. Hiro didn’t mind it too much, however he wanted to avoid the fretting as much as possible. “It’s probably best to head home, yeah? We’ll be out here all night and it’ll get colder if we don’t.” Hiro smiled. “It’s just rain. We should be fine right?” ~~~~ “It’s getting late…” “Love, it’s pouring. They’ve more than likely found shelter. Isn’t it too dangerous for them to be travelling in this weather?” Jezura set her book down. “You said it yourself. Aki is a more than capable of protecting Hiro.” The Empress watched her husband pace about the room. With a sigh, she scooted her way towards the edge of the bed and hoisted herself onto her feet. “You shouldn’t-” “Ssh, ssh, you worry way too much.” She silenced him with a kiss. “I know you’re worried about your son. I’m worried too, but you have to have a little faith. Hiro is a smart boy and Akito is the best of the best! A little rain can’t stop them.” The emperor stared at his wife for a moment, letting out a small sigh. “You should really be resting.” It was his own way of saying she was right, without having to admit it. It made her smile and nod, happily allowing him to guide her back to bed. “You get some rest. I’ll wait a little longer for them.” ~~~~~~ “Hmph. When I said ‘it’s just rain’, I feel like it would have been a good time to mention that maybe that was a bad idea.” Hiro was standing next to Akito in front of the palace, soaked to the bone. A few guards had hurried to greet them and take their horse. He wasn’t upset, far from it actually. The prince gave a lighthearted laugh as he tried ringing out parts of his kimono. “Ah well, we made it back in one piece. Good enough.” The two hadn’t even taken five steps into the palace before the Emperor and a few servants had hurried in. Hiro started to put his hands up in defense, about to explain what happened until he felt warm hands on his face. “Are you boys alright? You’re not hurt are you?” The genuine look of concern in his father’s eyes made Hiro pause for a moment, allowing the emperor to look over at Akito as well. He wasn’t as intimate with his son-in-law, but he still held the same amount of concern. “Oh- uh, yes. We’re fine. Just a tad bit wet. A little cold.” He chuckled a little and glanced over at Akito, seeing if he wanted to say anything. After he was assured of their well being, Kaede bowed to the both of them and ushered them along. The emperor was left to go back to his room. “We’ve started a bath for you both. Hurry along so we can take those clothes from you.” Her hurried pace made the prince quicken his own, now really feeling the uncomfortable feeling of walking in wet, cold clothing. He wasn’t sure what the rush was, but getting out of wet clothing sounded better than being in them any longer than necessary. “If you don’t hurry, you’ll get sick.” “You’ve met miss Kaede right, Akito?” He fumbled with the tie of his kimono while she passed him and loosened his ponytail. His hair fell when he looked over at his betrothed. “Another mom I tell you. If not that, then a lady who cares not about the royal status.” The woman simply rolled her eyes. “I’ve been given the liberties as a nanny to do what I must to keep you in line your highness. You’re still a rowdy child as ever. I just don’t have to bathe and dress you.” She ignored Hiro’s snickers and pointed out the door towards the large indoor bathhouse, her attention on Akito. “Just leave your clothes with me. I’ll have servants bring you both towels in a few minutes.” “No need to worry Akito, she doesn’t bite.” Hiro called out, already having stripped down and walking out to slip into the warm water. He ended up sinking up to his chin and resting a small warm towel over his eyes. “This is… much better.” She folded the clothes Hiro set aside and then looked over at Akito. A little more curious now that the prince had disappeared, the nanny spoke up. “I’ve worked… a number of years in this palace and have seen suitors and royalty alike come and go. Though I’ve never seen many- or any of them for that matter catch his attention quite like you have.” She continued collecting their things, only sparing Akito a few glances. “It’s nice to know he has someone that understands him. And by the looks of it, I can guess that it is working in your favor as well.”