she didn't quite get what he meant by people his size, clearly he wasn't the only one his size, and he was clearly bigger then her, but weren't there other people her size? wouldn't there be doctors for people like her? it didn't make sense otherwise, and why would they try to hurt her? she would never hurt them. but he'd said to trust him, so she said nothing. just nodding quietly as the thoughts drifted through her mind.

she jumped as he fell over. she pulled herself back up to her feet. she watched him jump back up and quickly finish dressing. she waited, ignoring the discomfort until he turned back to her. he asked her what was wrong and she thought for a second "my stomach feels weird...it making noise at me and it's ... uncomfortable... i don't like it... Yato, is there something wrong with me?" her voice got a little panicked at the end, as she honestly just didn't know what was going on.

Another chuckle escaped Yato's lips. "You're probably just hungry. You know..." He started, pausing slightly as he formed the thought, "I wish I had the power to keep you out in the open and protect you but... I just don't right now. But... I'll get there, Lux. I promise." He told her, making a promise with someone he'd just met, a new record for him.

"Let me put on a coat and I'll put you in the pocket and we can both head to the kitchen." He told her as he pulled the coat over his arms. This would be a first for him too. Going to the kitchen for breakfast? The maids would probably keel over from shock. His first move was to usually go to his office to get some work done, but this would be nice too. Maybe he could convince the maids to get out so he could sit with Lux out in the open in there. Close all the windows...

He began to long for a small cottage somewhere where he could take Lux and be free from worry. But... Little People weren't exactly normal around here. In fact, he shouldn't be so calm about this but something about her warmed him up and he wanted to keep her, strange small person or not. No... even if she were his size, her presence comforted him for some reason. He let out a small sigh, a content sigh, and walked over to Lux with a soft smile held on his face. He lifted his hand for her to climb onto and once she was there pulled it up to the front pocket of his coat, a robe really, but all the same.

"hungry..." she tested the word and it meant nothing to her "if you say so"
then he mentioned protecting her. she smiled warmly "i don't mind, i like spending time with you, if i have to stay in your pocket to do that then that's what i'll do... if you want me too" she added the last part tentatively, reminded again how he'd said they were different. she looked up at him with her wide ice blue eyes.

she crawled up onto his hand, she was used to this now. the hand lifted to the coat pocket and she carefully slid herself inside, settling in for the slightly bumpy ride that his pocket made. "i'm ready" she said, her soft voice barely carrying to his ears. her stomach growled again and she wrapped her arms around "sooner would be better..."

His lips curved up into probably the largest smile he'd had since his childhood as she settled in in his pocket. With that, he made hast for the kitchen, his smile quickly fading as he passed by the first maid he laid eyes on. She stopped and bowed deeply as he passed. His face turned into a scowl as he remembered. He was a prince and that meant that many, many people would be kind to him simply because of that title. He knew it was childish to even care about something so minor, but it honestly bothered him that very few people, even his little sister, saw the Yato behind the Prince. It was like no one ever looked past the 'Prince" bit of his name when reading or talking to him. The Yato part of his name didn't matter. 2nd Prince was all that mattered.

As he walked, he noticed the rose red fabric on the floor to his right and followed the trail up to his mother's face. She held a soft smile there as she spoke to one of the older officials, her arm wrapped around his. Yato stopped as the paired walk past, his expression blank. The Queen's jet black hair was pulled up into an intricate bun and her dressed was accented with deep rose reds, a large black lace jeweled necklace around neck. When she was long gone, Yato picked up again, walking along the corridor to the kitchen, trying not to think too much on his ailing father and cheating power hungry mother.

"Morning." He called out curtly, as the maids all turned to look at him, gasping with wide eyes. The oldest one, after a moment, stepped forward.

"Your Highness." She greeted him, bowing deeply. As she did, the rest of the maids and cooks followed. After she rose again, she continued, "How may we help you?"

"Get out. All of you, get out." He told him, his expression still blank. The older woman's eyes went wide but soon settled. She'd been here the longest.

"I'm afraid that would be unwise, Prince. We need to prepare the meal for the Queen's guests." She told him.

"How many of them are there?" He asked, already tired of the conversation.

"Five, Your Highness." She replied.

"What you have will suit them just fine. Take it and get out." He told her, and began moving into the room.

"Your Hi-" She began.

"GET OUT!" Yato shouted, turning to glare at the woman, obviously irritated at everything that had happened that morning already. The woman flinched and moments later was shooing everyone out of the kitchen with what they'd prepared previously. It wasn't like his mother would get onto him for this anyway. He'd probably hear some lecture by a butler later on, probably Greg. He was the only one that wouldn't take Yato's crap.

Lux was confused when Yato stopped suddenly, she peeked up and couldn't see anything, he little hands had just curled around the edge of the pocket when he started moving again and she dropped back down. she was certainly confused but figured right now would not be a good time to ask what had happened. they walked along for some time again.
"Morning." he said, she thought that perhaps it was meant for her, until someone else answered. she didn't recognize the voice and she used the phrase Yato didn't like 'your highness' she wasn't sure what was going on but then Yato yelled and she clapped her hands over her ears with a little whimper, it sounded so loud to her. she could vaguely hear people talking and then the door shutting. she didn't pull her hands away though. her stomach complained again and some of the smells of the room started to make it to her, making her stomach growl even more. she peeked up at Yato, to try and see what was going on. "Yato?" she asked quietly

"Mmm." He mumbled, her voice pulling him away from his thought. "You can come out now." He told her, holding out his hand. As he waited for her to come out, he softly walked over to the doors to lock them, careful not to knock her about.

He knew that she probably wanted to know about what all had happened but he'd rather just ignore it for now. If she asked, he'd probably snap at her. He hoped she wouldn't but knew she would eventually.

When all was done and the windows curtains were pulled, Yato placed Lux on the table in the center of the room and walked around trying to find something for her to eat. "Fancy anything particular?" He asked, forgetting she had no knowledge of food and therefore wouldn't have any fancy for anything other than for her stomach to stop moving about oddly.

she saw his hand and carefully pulled herself up. there was no one in the room. she was a little sad that the only other person she had seen had been Yato's sister from far away. she watched him turn a little mechanism in the door but had no idea what it did, it made a little click sound though. it was so quiet, she was starting to realize she didn't like silence, it bothered her. as he crossed to the window she said, rather quietly "i don't like when you do that" she looked down at the palm of his hand "get loud like that, it scares me"

she stepped off his hand onto the table and as he started to look for food she wandered around it. there were little articles of food as well as cooking tools on it, and she looked them all over with curiosity. they were all very shiny. Yato asked her a question "Fancy anything particular?" she stopped by one that was bigger then the rest, half of it was shiny but the other half, which was thinner, made her think of a tree. she poked at the shiny bit.
"i don't know" she finally answered "i don't know what anything in here is" she walked around to where the shiny part was the smallest "what does this do?"

"You should get used to it." He told her, his face once again expressionless. "That isn't going to stop anytime soon." He continued, feeling his stomach knot up. He felt like he'd hurt her just now but he'd never known any differently. What was it like to tell someone to do something for you without having to yell at them?

It felt like a magic trick he couldn't ever figure out. How to gain respect without demanding it. It was something his father had never gotten the hang of, but his older brother seemed to know well despite not being able to claim the throne.

While he was thinking, Lux was poking at a steak knife and when he heard her ask what it did, he turned to look at her. Noticing it, his eyes went wide. "Don't touch that!" He yelled, almost diving for the knife. He cut his finger pushing the knife away from her as it slid across the table and fell to the floor with a loud clang. He sighed a breath of relief and laid his head against the table to catch his breath. He began to wonder if this was what having a child was like. Constant worry. If so, he didn't want one. "That's a knife. It's used to cut things and it can be very dangerous." He explained, lifting up his head to inspect his finger. The cut wasn't very deep but there was a small droplet of blood that began to pool up and drip down his middle finger. "See? So, don't touch anything please... For me?" He asked, sending her a pleading look. He didn't know if he could take this much worry.

"You should get used to it. That isn't going to stop anytime soon."
Lux just kept staring down at his hand as he said it, it made her sad. but she wasn't going to say anything. she just waited until he set her down.

Lux had been staring at the object on the table when Yato's hand knocked it away and he yelled again "Don't touch that!" she stumbled back and fell on her butt, watching the object fly across the table and clatter to the floor below. she was definitely frightened now. her eyes were wide as she stared up at Yato. he laid his head down in front of her and she pulled her knees in and stared at him, really not knowing what to say, she was sure she had done something wrong this time. "That's a knife. It's used to cut things and it can be very dangerous." she saw the red on his finger and didn't understand what it was, but she did understand that it meant he was hurt, she'd gotten him hurt. "See? So, don't touch anything please... For me?"
tears welled up in her eyes and she sniffled. she nodded lightly and stood up and walked over to him. she caught his finger and gently kissed it. she looked up at him, openly crying "I'm sorry"

Yato's eyes went wide as Lux started crying. He suddenly bolted up from his position and began looking around the room as if something in it would help him make the waterworks stop. "Ahhh... Umm... Don't... Don't cry." He stammered, a pained expression on his face. "Stop crying right now!" He told her in a firm voice, his brows furrowed in worry. Oh, dear lord... He didn't know what to do with a crying Lux. She was so small and he felt like with one touch he could crush her.

And the kiss had his finger burning up now. He could still feel the tiny lips on his finger. What a strange pair they were becoming. He lifted his hand and placed it gently on her head, rubbing it ever so gently. "Please, don't cry..." He whispered, his voice cracking.

Lux sniffled and looked up at him again when he put a hand on her head. it was easily 4 times the size of her head but she still felt completely comfortable with it there. he rubbed at her head and she sniffled again. "Please, don't cry..." he sounded so sad when he said it that she rubbed the liquid away from her eyes because she didn't want him to be sad. she held back another sniffle and smiled a little. "are you ok?" she asked, looking at the red still on his hand "it's not that bad is it?"

her stomach growled again and despite her small size she was sure he could still hear it and she looked down shyly. "i'm still... hungry i think you called it"

He chuckled again, a low sort of rumble and a content smile fell onto his face, almost like a blanket settling down comfortably. He moved his hand away and revealed the cut to Lux, letting her look at it. It was slightly red from irritation but the blood had already stopped flowing. "With your kiss, any wound would heal, Lux." He told her, smiling. If anyone had saw him, they would have dropped dead on the spot. Yato? Being sweet to someone? Hell, he even yelled at his sister for being scared.

"Let me get you something to eat." He told her, and quickly turned to grab a small biscuit from a nearby tray. "Here, try this." He told her, ripping off a small piece of it for her to try. "Put it in your mouth, chew it, and then swallow." He explained, not knowing if she knew how or not but not wanting her to choke. God forbid, he was going to become paranoid with her around. More so than he already was with all the threats on his life. Things would get interesting, that much was certain.

he moved the hand to show her his finger again and very quietly and sweetly said "With your kiss, any wound would heal, Lux."
that made her smile wider, especially knowing he wasn't hurt that badly. she liked his smile, it would disappear sometimes but she realized it always came back. "then i'll make sure to kiss it whenever you get hurt"

she watched as he grabbed the biscuit and broke off a little piece. she held it for a second then slowly put it in her mouth and chewed. after a few seconds she swallowed. she blinked and looked up, then smiled wide again and took another bite. after she'd finished the bite he'd given her she said "that was good, but it still feel hungry, not as much but still hungry, can i have some more?" she clasped her hands in front of her chest and smiled up at him.

Yato's cheeks went red when she replied to his comment about her kiss. He swallowed as he watched her eat her food. When she asked for more, he silently nodded and tore off another piece for her, this time a bit bigger so she could tear off pieces for herself.

"Eat slowly. If your body is used to the food, your stomach may get more upset than it was. And don't put too much into your mouth, you'll choke." He explained. As he watched her eat, he walked over and grabbed a biscuit for himself. Dunking it into a nearby vat of butter, he tore a hunk out of it with his teeth and began to eat himself. He shouldn't eat too much. His body definitely wasn't used to eating this early in the morning.

Lux quickly ate the biscuit, then looked a little guilty as he told her to slow down. she slowed down on the last few bites then watched as he ate his own. "it's very good" she said, smiling "I'm not feeling as weird now, my stomach's not making noises anymore" she got a little closer to him.
then she started looking around and muttered "this is such a big room, what's it for?"

she wandered to the edge of the table and carefully knelt down. she looked at the floor, it was so very far away. she almost felt the urge to jump down but ignored it. she sat back down and looked over at Yato "are we doing anything today? I want to see more, everything's so interesting, could we see some more flowers? I liked those" she smiled up at him again.

Yato simply nodded when she told him her stomach felt better. He was still chewing on the biscuit, staring out the small window nearby, prepared to shield Lux from prying eyes should he need to.

He turned back to look at her when she ask what the room was for. "We cook food in it, like you just ate. Lots of people have to come in here to fix enough food for everyone that comes in this castle and so it needs to be big." He explained, picking up another biscuit.

"are we doing anything today? I want to see more, everything's so interesting, could we see some more flowers? I liked those"

"Mmm." He mumbled, his mouth full. Once he swallowed, he responded to her, "We could go spend some time in the garden. I don't think it'd be too hard to hide you out there. But just know that someone might see me and want to talk so you'll need to hide when they do. Can you promise me that?" He asked, looking over at her expectantly.

she listen to the explanation of the room, and nodded "I suppose that makes sense, there must be many people here" she looked a little sad for a second because she couldn't see any of them, but then she shook her head slightly and smiled back up at him.

she brightened at the mention of the garden, nodding vigorously. then he mentioned hiding and she got a little sad again. after a second she nodded "I promise Yato, no one will see me..." she looked back at the window, then at him "when can we go?"

"Let me grab another biscuit. For some reason, I'm really hungry. Then we can head out. I'll just eat it on the way." He told her, walking over to grab another. "Sorry you have to hide... I wish you didn't, believe me I do." He told her, holding out his hand for her to climb on.

If he had the power to protect her, he would. But... he didn't. And so this was what they had to do.

"Let me grab another biscuit. For some reason, I'm really hungry. Then we can head out. I'll just eat it on the way."
Lux felt like that statement was important, but still didn't quite understand why. so she nodded "ok, that's fine"
"Sorry you have to hide... I wish you didn't, believe me I do." she tilted her head as she looked up at him and just nodded before crawling onto his hand and looking up at him "am i going back in your pocket?"

"Yeah, sadly. I'll let you out when we get to the garden though." He told her as he slipped her back into his pocket. The walk to the garden went pretty well, surprisingly. Most of the maids and butlers gave him weird glances. Probably going to talk about him behind his back as usual about how strange he was acting and then Greg would report to his mother.

He shrugged. It wasn't like he cared. His younger brother could take care of it. Yato was too tired to care at this point. He just needed rest. He reached the garden and sat down, criss-crossed, in a circular flower bed. "You can come on out, Lux." He told her as he leaned back and laid down on the grass, his hands under his head.