"I think we might have a little problem Claude," Ashton stated, tapping a finger to his chin. They had returned to Ashton's room after breakfast to decide what they would be doing. But Ashton had taken a seat in the chair and seemed to be troubled by something. He hadn't said one word, but his behavior spoke for him. Claude hadn't pestered him for information; thinking Ashton would tell him in his own time. Instead, he found a book from Ashton's trunk and was sitting on the bed, completely engrossed in reading it. When Ashton finally broke the silence, Claude looked up from the book to stare at him. It took him a moment to get his mind back from space and comprehend what he had said.

"Huh?"

"I said, 'we have a problem," Ashton repeated. "And the problem is you Claude."

"What's wrong with me?" Claude asked defensively. Ashton smirked.

"Not you really," Ashton amended. "Your clothes are." Claude glanced at his attire and raised an eyebrow.

"I know they're not the best looking, but what's wrong with them?"

"You still look too much like a slave," Ashton chastised. It was true. The inn owner had given them funny looks when he spied the two of them eating and talking like friends. "If you're going to be my friend, you might as well look like it."

"You're not suggesting..." Claude replied, nervously. Ashton beamed. He jumped up out of the chair and grabbed Claude's arm, pulling him out the door. The book lay discarded on the bed.

"We're going shopping!"

"You're taking all the fun out of this," Ashton complained. "Why don't you pick something a little flashier or a least not so plain?"

"This is coming from a guy who wears mostly black all the time. And what's wrong with my choices?" Claude inquired. Ashton sighed and rolled his eyes.

"They make you look like a peasant or a squire!" he exclaimed. "At least pick a nice cloak or something!" Claude chuckled, but he gave back the clothes to the storeowner. The storeowner looked crestfallen at the prospect of not making a sale.

"Are you sure you don't want anything sirs?" the owner checked, still trying to get something out of this. "Maybe you could find something more suited to your taste."

"Give me 5 minutes and I'll find something that will please you Ashton," Claude offered. "But you can't look or say anything until I'm done. Alright?"

"Why can't I look?" Ashton questioned. Claude winked.

"I want to surprise you with my good taste," he replied. Ashton opened his mouth to say something, but Claude cut him off. "If you really don�'t like my choices, you can pick for me."

"Alright," he finally agreed. Claude gave him half a smile and motioned with his hand for Ashton to turn around. With a sigh, Ashton did as he was bid. He crossed his arms and counted down the minutes. He highly doubted Claude would pick something good; so he was mentally picking out a new wardrobe from the clothes he had seen. A shirt here, a pair of pants there, Ashton would have like it better if he could mix them together with his own hands, but this would have to do.

"Are you done yet?" Ashton asked.

"Yup. You can look now." Ashton grumbled a "finally" under his breath, and then turned around. Any arguments or complaint Ashton had flew out the window when he saw Claude.

He was wearing a long sleeved, black shirt that clung to his chest a bit with a dark green, armless vest over that. Soft, brown pants covered his legs and short, tan boots were on his feet. To top everything off, Claude had found a piece of red cloth and tied it around his forehead to keep his bangs out of his eyes.

"You still need something," Ashton managed to choke out. He was glad that he hadn't said anything about Claude's fashion sense beforehand. Swallowing his pride was hard enough to do without having anyone know about it.

"Probably," Claude agreed. "But we won't find them here." Ashton raised an eyebrow.

"Do you have your whole outfit planned out or something?" Claude grinned mischievously at him and Ashton, once again, felt his body heat up and his stomach jump. He really understood why the blonde was so pricey now.

"Lets just say I have something in mind," he stated. "So Ashton, tell me what you think." Ashton grinned back at him before turning to face the owner. In a cheerful tone, he made the shop owner's day.

"I'll take these."

"What are we doing here?" Ashton asked, trying not to look too out of place. Claude might have fit in his clothes, but Ashton's were a bit rich for the area they were in.

After paying for the clothes, all of them Claude promised to pay him back for, Ashton had been pulled along to a different part of town. It was an area he hadn't seen before, but it seemed if Claude had. So Ashton let the blond lead him along.

It wasn't a bad part of town. There were children running around and mothers watching them with a careful eye while doing their daily activities. Sometimes, an occasional father was taking care his child. But, it wasn't an area Ashton would think they had to go to.

"You'll see," Claude promised. They walked in comfortable silence until Claude finally found the store he was looking for. Ashton read the sign, written with both pictures and words. Most of the people around her, or so it seemed, were illiterate. The store read Bowman's Herbs and the picture was of a man holding plants and a bow in the other. No arrows were present though.

"What's sold here?" Ashton wondered aloud.

"Medicines," Claude answered. "Come in Ashton, unless you want to stand out here."

Ashton shook his heads and followed Claude inside. The store was very clean and well organized inside. It had the same feeling as the rest of the neighborhood. A feeling of peace and protection. But Ashton couldn't figure out what a pharmacy had to do with clothes shopping.

Claude looked left and right, trying to find someone. When the results turned up negative, Claude sighed. Cupping his hands to his mouth, he yelled, startling Ashton.

"Hey Bowman! There's someone here to see you!"

"Wait a moment, would ya?" a voice replied coming from behind a door. Claude smiled and put his hands down. He glanced over at Ashton, who was completely lost.

"Okay! Who's the wise guy who's calling me away from my lunch?" A door opened from behind the counter and revealed a staircase. A man with short-looking, brown hair, wearing a white labcoat, appeared. He was a bit lanky with eyes that held a twinkle in them like he was in on some kind of constant joke. He wore a white dress shirt with a green sweater over it, black pants, and a loose, dark, red-brownish tie. His hands were in black gloves that came up to his elbows, which suggested that he was the pharmacist that had made all the medicine in this store. When the guy caught sight of Claude, his frown did an immediate flip-flop and he beamed at Claude. Ashton guessed that this must be Bowman.

"Hey Claude! What are you doing here? You look decent for once. Don't tell me that ass Shin actually let you pick your own clothes!" he exclaimed. Bowman hopped over the counter and strolled over to where Claude was standing. He gave Claude a loud 'thump' on the back and then draped an arm over his shoulders.

"I've got news for you for you Bowman. Shin no longer has any claims on me. I've been sold to someone else," Claude stated happily. It didn't appear that he minded the arm that Bowman had across his smaller shoulders. "I'd like you to meet Ashton Anchors. Ashton, meet a good friend of mine, and a well-known skirt chaser and flirt, Bowman Jean."

Bowman gave him a pained look when Claude described him as a skirt chaser, but then he turned his attention to Ashton.

"Hello," Bowman said stiffly. It wasn't that he was being mean, but he wasn't being all that friendly either. He offered his hand and Ashton shook it awkwardly. Bowman still had an arm over Claude's shoulders, and his stance suggested that he was trying to keep the blond away from Ashton. Claude must have noticed this, because he immediately commented on it.

"Don't worry Bowman. He's not like that," Claude assured. "He bought me out of debt just to piss off Shin and Yarou."

"Really?! Well then! Pleased to meet you Ashton! Anyone who's willing to shell out cash to piss Shin off is a friend of mine," Bowman declared. The handshake wasn't as stiff as before and this time, Bowman gave Ashton a wide grin. Claude casually shrugged Bowman's arm off his shoulders and waited for the delayed explosion he knew would be coming.

5,4,3,2,1. Claude mentally counted down. When he reached 1, Bowman's eyes widen and he spun to face Claude. Just as he predicted he would. Ashton was immediately forgotten when Bowman's brain finally registered the second name Claude had, unbelievably calmly and casually, mentioned.

"YAROU?!?!?!" he yelled. His eyes did the best they could to pop out of Bowman's skull. "YOU WERE GOING TO BE SOLD TO YAROU?!?!" Claude's nod was enough to make Bowman speechless. He stood there, gaping and unbelieving. He looked at Claude, then at Ashton, then back at Claude, then back to Ashton. Ashton couldn't help but be reminded of a fish that was being teased with a worm right in front of its eyes.

"Did I do something wrong?" Ashton inquired uneasily. It hadn't seemed like a bad idea at the time. In fact, now was the only time that Ashton doubted his choice. Maybe if he explained his intentions to Bowman, he would understand. "Even though he's a business partner of my family's, I can't stand Yarou, so, I bought Claude to annoy him."

"You do know that you probably saved Claude's life, right?" Bowman checked, raising an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" Ashton inquired. "I was just following a feeling."

"I don't believe it," Bowman stated. He slapped a hand to his forehead in disbelief. "There's another nice guy richie. That makes what, two? And Claude?"

"And I what?�" he interrupted. His tone was slightly annoyed, but it looked like whatever Bowman had thought about saying was going to be unsaid. "And I made a new friend who's offering to buy me some new clothes. That's what you were going to say, right Bowman?" The tone he used was one were Ashton got the idea that if Bowman didn't agree; something bad was going to happen to him.

"Uh, right," agreed Bowman. There was a mischievous look in Claude's eyes and Bowman was sweating slightly. Their eyes alone were having a whole conversation that Ashton was left out of. The slight raise in eyebrows, a blink here or there; small things like that were what gave it away for Ashton. But he didn't ask any questions. The heir didn't think it would have been too polite to intrude on someone else's conversation, even if it did involve him; which Ashton was pretty sure it did.

After a good two minutes, Bowman finally broke the silence. "So. Claude. Ashton. What brings you to my shop? It doesn't look like either of you two need any medicine, so what are you doing here?"

"I was wondering myself," Ashton admitted. "I still don't see the point of being in a pharmacy when we were getting you some decent clothes. Claude's the one who dragged me here."

"Oh, I get it now. Wait right here," instructed Bowman. He jumped over the counter and disappeared up the stairs once more. That's when Ashton realized that Bowman actually had rather long hair. It was just all tied back in a messy ponytail that reached his mid-back. That was a bit of a surprise. Ashton looked at Claude questioningly. Whether it was over Bowman's hair length, which was unusual for a pharmacist, or whether it was over everything that was happening. Claude simply shook his head and grinned. He took a step closer to Ashton and elbowed him lightly.

"So, what do you think of him?" Claude asked. Ashton shrugged. He didn't completely understand under what content Claude was asking his opinion of Bowman under, so he decided to go with, what he thought, was the safest answer.

"He seems alright," he finally decided. "But doesn't appear to be the type to know, um, purchase a slave. Especially the kind you were."

"He isn't," Claude agreed whole-heartedly. "I knew Bowman a little ways before I was first sold to Shin. He helps me here and there. He says it's to repay me for what I did."

"What did you do?" Ashton inquired. He'd only been free of Shin for a day, and yet he was so comfortable with his new position in life. He and Ashton were acting like they were long-time friends instead of having just met two days ago. It just seemed, well, natural that Claude act this way. Then, there was his past. Ashton couldn't be expected to know everything about the blonde's history, but he knew absolutely nothing. He didn't even know how old Claude was.

The blond just waved it off and turned his head away, saying, "It was nothing."

"Nothing my ass!" Bowman exclaimed, coming down the stairs. Ashton and Claude turned to the sound of Bowman's voice. There was a bundle in his arms, which he deposited on the countertop, in a not-so-gentle, manner. "Claude, stop trying to forget the past! Do you really want to know what he did?"

"Of course!"

"Oh no..." Claude groaned.

"He saved me, my ex-wife, and this store. And he calls that nothing," Bowman stated. "And he doesn't like taking any credit for it either."

"I had help," Claude protested feebly. It sounded like he'd this argument before, and it sounded like he lost it every time.

"But Dias and was protecting outside the town," Bowman pointed out. "He couldn't have helped with the ones who were already in town. You're giving him too much credit."

"You're giving me too much," Claude argued. "Can we move on?"

"No. No. Please Bowman. Tell me about it," Ashton pleaded. The name Dias had rung a bell, but he couldn't figure out from where right now. Besides, there were more important things to think about. "I'm curious to know what happened."

Bowman brightened and Claude groaned. He buried his face in his hands and tried to block out what was happening. In all honesty, Claude either looked incredibly pathetic or incredibly stupid.

"It's kind of a long story," Bowman hesitated. He looked at the miserable Claude and back at the bright-eyed Ashton. He didn't want to hurt either one of their feelings, but this was a delicate situation. "And I'm not sure if it's my position to tell it. But...."

"But?" Ashton was clinging on to any hope of information he could get. He didn't notice that Claude was less than happy to have his history shared. Bowman noticed both, however, and he was trying to juggle the two. He hoped he had the right reply.

It shouldn't be too bad if I just tell him about Claude's skills. He is looking for a way to repay him, after all. Bowman decided. "But I'll say this. If you ever need a guard, sign Claude up. He's really skilled with a sword." Ashton raised an eyebrow and looked back at Claude. The blonde's face was still buried in his hands and didn't notice what had gone on. He barely even registered what Bowman had said about him.

"You're a swordman?" Ashton checked. Claude looked up in confusion.

"Huh?"

"Bowman said you're a swordman," Ashton repeated. "Are you?"

"I was," Claude replied, blinking rapidly. "Why?" This was just too confusing. Where had this come from? Maybe he should have been paying attention to the conversation.

"No reason," Ashton said, shrugging. "But I think I found a way for you to repay me."

"How?" It looked like Ashton wasn't going to help clear up the blonde's confusion.

Ashton grinned. His smile spread nearly from one ear to the other. "You could be my guard!"

"What?!" This was truly unexpected.

Ashton began explaining his reasons, gaining excitement as he went along. "My parents have wanted me to find a guard for some time now. I always said I didn't need one because I felt I could take care of myself. I still feel that way; don't get me wrong, but this will be an exception. Besides, back when they asked me to get a guard, all the good ones were, or still are under hire for somebody else."

"Then why......."

"Because if you say you're a swordsman rather then a sex slave, everyone will treat you better. I mean, which would you prefer being? A former slave or a guard?"

Claude sighed and gave Bowman a rueful look. The older man had to be the cause of all this. He gave Claude a smug grin and mouthed something to Claude. Claude blushed and tried to scowl at the pharmacist. Bowman winked and made a made a gesture with his hands. He linked his index fingers together and brought them to his lips. Claude sputtered and blushed even harder. Bowman chuckled and rubbed his head. The brunette had, unknowingly, caught Claude in a situation where he wouldn't back out of, no matter how much he wanted to.

"Ya got yourself a guard Ashton," Bowman declared. "He may not be willing to admit it, but Claude's under your hire now."

"Great!" Ashton beamed. "Now all we need to do is get you a weapon. I guess it would have to be a sword since you're a swordsman, huh Claude?"

"Don't worry about it," Bowman assured, dismissing it with a wave of his hand. "I have one right here. I brought it down with the rest of Claude's things. Here, take a look at it. Claude, you know you're going to want these back."

Bowman handed Ashton a sword and sheath and tossed Claude a small box. Inside were a pair of dark green gloves trimmed with brown and missing the fingertips, a necklace with a pendant, a small pouch of money, and another, even smaller, brown, leather pouch. Ashton couldn't guess what was in the second pouch, but by the way Claude held it, something quite valuable was stored in there.

Ashton examined the sheath before withdrawing the sword. It wasn't all that special. It was made of a tan, leather with a simple brown strap for the swordsman to tie either to his back or to his waist. The sword was a different matter, however. Ashton didn't use swords of this weight and length, but he could tell a well-made sword from a badly made one. And this was most definitely a well-made one. It was almost perfectly balanced and evenly tempered. Smooth and well polished, but not in the best shape. It appeared as if the caretaker didn't know how to use swords of this length either, or any swords for that matter, but with a little work, it would be a beautiful weapon.

"Sweet huh?" Bowman inquired. "Belongs to Claude. Or it did. Looks like it belongs to him again."

"This was yours? Amazing," Ashton said in awe. "It's superb. How did you ever come into possession of something like this?"

"Yeah well," Claude said shrugging. He tugged on the gloves and tied the pouches to his waist. "A swordsman has to have something he can rely on in a fight. And I bought it a while back. It was too long ago for me to remember where. Sorry Ashton."

The gloves and necklace completed the outfit perfectly. Now he looked like a swordsman instead of a slave. Ashton gave Claude the sheath, which Claude belted on his waist over the two pouches.

"I missed this feeling," Claude mumbled, fingering the hilt and sheath strap. "It's been a while since I've held a sword." Then he gave a short chuckle. "Been a while since anyone ever let me HOLD a sword."

"You're going to be holding and wearing it from now on, so you'd better get used to it real soon," Ashton said cheerfully. Claude gave him a smile and Bowman rolled his eyes and rubbed his head some more.