by Haruka

Arislan watched the passers-by with interest from the dock. Many of them stared back at him, and at first he was concerned that they might recognize him. Then he remembered that they weren't in Pars anymore, and as he'd never been able to travel much outside his own land, it wasn't likely the people here would know him.
There were others on the dock with them, and he assumed they, too, were waiting to board the Pet ship. One little group attracted his attention in particular. They appeared to be a family - there was a beautiful woman with long purple hair bound up in an attractive, elaborate style who wore an exquisite traveling gown that was of a Chinese nature. The tall man with her wore a suit with a long overcoat - his own black hair was tied back tightly into a very long ponytail that brushed the floor. His red eyes were intense, reminding Arislan of Daryun's when he was heading into battle. One of the two boys with them had hair just as long as the man Arislan assumed to be the father, only it was light blue and was left long and flowing. He wore a t-shirt and shorts under an open overcoat of his own. The other boy - who might even have been a girl, Arislan wasn't sure - had long, shimmering black hair and innocent red eyes. His smile was the kind that cheered Arislan even though it was directed at the boy's brother. A pair of Pets stood nearby, a male and a female. The girl had short blonde hair and an intelligent gleam in her midnight-blue eyes. The male would have been very feminine-looking if not for the big 'X' that marked his left cheek. Even so, he was beautiful and appeared to be delicate , what with his big purple eyes, long red hair and diminutive size. However, Arislan couldn't help thinking there was something _else_ behind those eyes ....
The purple-haired woman looked his way and blinked as their eyes met. She seemed startled, and again Arislan worried that she somehow knew him. She smiled and he relaxed.
"Your Highness?"
"Hm?" He turned to Daryun. "I'm sorry, Daryun, did you say something?"
"Yes, he did," Narsus replied dryly. "He said the _wrong_ thing. Again."
Daryun looked frustrated. "It's going to take time getting used to not showing my respect when addressing the Prince."
"We can not afford that time, Daryun," Arislan said reasonably. "Please, you won't offend me - you never could. You _must_ treat me like a Pet, or we won't even make it onto the ship."
"He's right," Narsus told the dark-haired knight, then turned a serious eye on Arislan. "And _you_ have to remember to act like a Pet. You should not be gazing about the dock, but standing demurely until we speak to you or are otherwise ready to instruct you."
"Yes, Narsus, I apologize," Arislan said.
"And I'm not Narsus, I'm Master." He hooked a thumb at Daryun. "So is he, although I fear it will go to his head."
"Speak for yourself," Daryun snapped. "And watch your tone when you address the Prince."
Narsus closed his eyes wearily. "What I am doing is attempting to protect the Prince's life. From here on out we _must_ be united in this ruse if it has even a chance of succeeding."
Arislan bowed. "Yes, Master Narsus."
Daryun looked pained, but Narsus beamed. "There, you see, Daryun? The world didn't crumble at our feet. Why don't you see if you can address him by name without flinching."
"Of course, I can!" Daryun retorted, and turned to Arislan. "But I apologize in advance for whatever I must say or do during this trip, Pr ... Arislan."
The young Prince smiled. "Apology accepted in advance, Master Daryun."
Narsus relaxed a little. "How does that bracelet feel?"
Arislan looked down at his wrist. Narsus had somehow sought out a place where he could obtain one of the Pet identification bracelets that would make their entry onto the ship all the easier. "It's heavy," he admitted. "But not as much as some of the court jewelry I've worn."
Narsus laughed. "I daresay you're right!"
Daryun was studying the group Arislan had been watching earlier. "They look like a family," he observed. "I didn't think parents would bring their children on a trip like this."
"It didn't occur to me, either," Narsus admitted.
Daryun turned to stare at him, wide-eyed. "You mean there is actually something you will admit to not having known?"

"Shocking, but true," Narsus dead-panned. He looked over at the family and noticed they were all looking at Arislan and murmuring to each other. He caught the eye of the black-haired man and nodded a hello. His greeted was returned in kind, and when the purple-haired woman looked over, she smiled and waved in a friendly manner.
"Let's talk to them," Narsus murmured to Daryun. "It will be good practice and we may learn a few things about the trip."
"All right," Daryun said doubtfully.
"Then let's go," Narsus said and began to approach the waiting group. "Oh, and by the way," he added quietly, "you and I are posing as mates."
"What?!" Daryun gasped, but had no chance to demand an explanation before they were in front of the other people.
"Hello," Narsus said with a bow. "My name is Narsus and this is my mate, Daryun. The boy is our Pet, Arislan."
"A pleasure to meet you," the woman said politely. "I am Nuriko. This is my husband, Pulse, and our children, Chihaya and Signal. Those are our Pets, Kenshin and Yui."
"We didn't know there would be families on this cruise as it's our first trip," Narsus said. "Is it commonplace?"
"Not to our knowledge," Pulse answered. "But then, this is a first trip for our children, as well. We're in the market for Pets for them."
"I don't suppose yours is for sale?" Nuriko ventured, smiling at Arislan. "We were all just remarking on how beautiful he is."

Daryun made an odd choking noise in his throat, but Narsus remained calm. "No, I'm afraid Daryun and I are rather attached to Arislan. He is not for sale."
Nuriko winked. "I fully understand, but I think you'd better get used to hearing that question again on this trip."
"There's the boat!" Chihaya said excitedly.
Everyone turned to watch the ship approach. Arislan glanced over at his fellow Pets to see how they were taking it. Kenshin kept his head dutifully bowed, but Yui appeared to be nervous. She noticed him watching her and he gave her an encouraging smile. She returned it gratefully, then a different expression entered her eyes fear. Arislan frowned, wondering what was bothering her, when a heavy hand fell on the top of his head and he felt it being turned to face forward. It was Narsus, of course, and he could almost feel Daryun seething inside to see the artist treating him this way. He hoped Daryun would come to realize that this was the way things _had_ to be for a while. He himself would try harder not to force Narsus to act in a way that would upset Daryun.
"I apologize for our Pet," he heard Narsus say. "He is young and inquisitive."
"And about to start an exciting trip," Nuriko added. "I think we can forgive them some small indiscretions for that."
"We might, but others on the boat may not," Pulse reminded his wife firmly. "It's best if we remain consistent with the Pets."
Arislan watched Nuriko smile warmly at her husband. "Whatever you think is best, my love."
A soft snort came from Signal's direction, and Arislan figured the boy was embarrassed by parental signs of affection. He'd heard other young people could feel that way, although it was never an issue in his own life.
"It's docking now," Daryun said grimly. "Let's get on board."

Deja vu, Duo thought while he knelt behind Quatre as he prepared to greet the newcomers to the cruise. It wasn't all that long ago that he did this before, only this time the Seigi recruits who should be boarding would expect to see him there. He could hardly wait to see the look on Nuriko's face. He turned his head, scanning the dock below. Just when he thought he'd caught a glimpse of Nuriko's purple hair, Ryoga gave him a nudge hard enough to topple him over.
"Hey!" he hissed.
"Stop looking around!" Ryoga snapped back in a terse whisper. "You're supposed to have your eyes on the floor."
"Oh yeah? And if _you_ were so busy staring at the floor then how did you know _I_ wasn't?"
"That's beside the point!"
Quatre turned to look down at them, frowning. "You two behave yourselves or you'll both be spanked when we return to our cabin. The guests are coming up now."
"Yes, Master," they replied in unison.
Satisfied, Quatre turned back to greet the new arrivals and Duo stuck his tongue out at Ryoga. When he next looked up, he was surprised to see Nuriko smirking down at him.
"Thank you very much, Quatre-sama," he was saying. "I'm sure we'll have a wonderful time."
Quatre followed Nuriko's gaze and gave Duo a warning look. "I apologize for his rudeness he's a new Pet of mine and has yet to learn his place."
"He _does_ look like a troublesome one," Nuriko agreed. "There's mischief in his eyes."
Speak for yourself, Duo thought, but bit his tongue before the words could leap out of his mouth.
"Do you ever loan him?" Nuriko asked sweetly.
"I haven't yet, but I'll certainly consider it," Quatre answered. "It might be good for him."
"Well, please keep Pulse and I in mind if you do." Nuriko said with a smile. "I'm sure I could teach him some manners."
"I'll do that," Quatre assured him. "And I hope you and your family will enjoy your stay with us."
Duo was tempted to next stick his tongue out at Nuriko, but he left with his family before he got the chance. Next thing he saw was a pair of very handsome young men approaching Quatre.
"Welcome to the cruise," Quatre greeted warmly. "I'm Quatre Raberra Winner, Leader of Community A."
"Thank you very much, it is indeed a pleasure." The dark- haired young man bowed. "May I present my ... mate, Narsus."
The other young man bowed with a flourish. "At your service."
Quatre looked delighted. "Well, I must say, we don't have many here with your obvious breeding and culture. And I must say your accents sound lovely."
"I'm sure you do not get many guests from our part of the world, Quatre-sama," Narsus answered. "Oh, and this is our Pet, Arislan."
Duo heard an audible gasp from Ryoga when the new Pet came into view, and he felt his own jaw drop as well. The boy was ... hell, beautiful didn't seem to cover it by half. He was too damned pretty to exist. He hadn't seen a guy like that since Kurama.
Even Quatre seemed awestruck for a few moments before recovering enough to smile. "Well," he said, "I hope that with such a lovely Pet as yours, you won't feel harassed when every Master and Mistress on board asks to borrow him."
Daryun looked shocked. "Borrow ...?"
"They may ask, but we will always say no," Narsus interjected quickly. "Arislan is young and still inexperienced. We are not prepared to let others touch him as of yet."
"He _does_ look younger than the usual Pets," Quatre observed. "But that only means you'll have more time to train him, and I'm sure you'll enjoy every moment of it."
"We already are, Quatre-sama." Narsus inclined his head.
"You will be housed amongst my own Community while you are here," Quatre told them. "Please let me know if you encounter any problems during your stay."
"Thank you," Daryun answered and they moved on to let the next group take their place.
"Whoa," Duo murmured. "That kid is _fine_."
To his surprise, Ryoga didn't blast him for speaking out of turn. "They're dreaming if they think they can keep a beauty like that to themselves," the martial artist replied in a whisper. "Look what happened to Kurama."
Duo _was_ thinking about it as he watched the departing trio. Although he didn't know Arislan at all, he silently wished him good luck and had a feeling he'd need it.

Yuri glanced over at Kei, wondering for the millionth time since that afternoon whether or not she should ask how she was. They were getting ready to go out Quatre had planned a meet-and-greet for that evening so that all the new people who'd come on board recently could get acquainted with those they hadn't yet met. Attendance was mandatory. Yuri had changed clothes and done her hair nicely, while Kei was still wearing the same shorts and tank top she'd donned after the session with Lina. Oh well, no one would expect to see Kei dressed in finery, anyway.
Damn, she hated this silence. Usually she prayed for Kei to shut up, but now that it had happened, it seemed weird and unnatural. Especially in view of what they'd gone through earlier. Yes, Yuri felt that she, too, had been through an ordeal. It wasn't easy to sit beside Scarlet and watch Lina rape Kei, even if, as she suspected, Kei hadn't suffered overly much. That's really what she wanted to know was Kei all right with what happened? Or was she scarred in the same way that Fish Eye was after being with Sesshomaru? The two of them, despite being partners for ages, had never discussed anything personal. How could she start now, with such a delicate subject?
Kei glanced over at her, then quickly turned away, but not before Yuri caught a glimpse of a fresh blush in her cheeks. The other girl was probably waiting for her to gloat or make fun of her. Should she tell her that she wouldn't? Should she say _anything_? Or would it be better just to go on ignoring it, pretending it hadn't happened.
"What was that look for?" Kei asked gruffly.
Yuri jumped slightly at hearing Kei's voice for the first time in hours. It took her a moment to gather her thoughts, and she felt her own cheeks colouring. "Nothing," she replied brilliantly.
Kei spun around to face her. "Why don't you ask what you're thinking, Yuri?! Or don't you have the guts?!"
"What are you talking about?" Yuri asked, genuinely baffled.
"You think I enjoyed it, don't you?" Kei accused. "You saw me responding to what Lina was doing and you think it was more than just an act, right? Maybe you even think I'd never done anything like that before, and _that's_ why I reacted so strongly!"
Yuri's mouth hung open. "Kei ... _was_ it your first time?"
Kei folded her arms. "Maybe," she said in a tone that really meant 'yes'.
Yuri didn't know what to say. Would 'I'm sorry' be appropriate? Was _Kei_ sorry?
The redhead looked at her and seemed to realize from Yuri's expression for the first time that her partner wasn't about to belittle her feelings. Her shoulders sagged and her pretty face lost its expression of defiance.
Yuri walked over to her. She felt she should do something, even if it resulted in a face-full of knuckles. Slowly, awkwardly, she put an arm around Kei's shoulders. She felt Kei stiffen momentarily, then heave a sigh of defeat.
"I wanted to stop it," Yuri told her.
"I know," Kei replied. "It's okay. I'm not all freaked out about it. Lina was cool. It's just ... embarrassing."
That took a lot for Kei to admit, Yuri knew, especially to her. "I thought you handled it admirably," she said.
Kei gave her a wry look. "You liar. I was nervous as hell and you know it."
"I guess Lina did, too, hm?" Yuri replied. "She's a good girl. And Scarlet never suspected, which is the main thing."
"Yeah." Kei took a deep breath. "We'd better get going."
"Right." Yuri quickly released the other girl's shoulders and picked up her purse.
"Yuri?"
The lilac-haired agent looked at her partner.
"Thanks," Kei said.
Yuri smiled. "Come on, let's go."

"Freaky, isn't it?" Signal murmured to Chihaya. "All these people who think owning other people is okay?"
Chihaya had to admit he was surprised himself by how many had gathered on the recreation deck for Quatre-sama's meet-and-greet. Everyone present had been introduced at the door for the benefit of the others, and now apparently only two Masters had yet to arrive with their Pets. One of them was Sesshomaru, the other Nakago.
"The other freaky thing is that most of them seem to be nice people," Chihaya whispered back. He'd already met quite a few of those in attendance, as many Masters had come up to Nuriko and Pulse to welcome them. It was strange to be introduced to people he already knew, like Hiei, Kurama, Yuri, and Kei, but he and his 'family' managed to pull it off with no one being the wiser.
"That kid who boarded with us seems to be the star attraction tonight," Signal said, nodding toward where Narsus and Daryun politely made conversation with several people who couldn't seem to take their eyes off Arislan.

"I'm not surprised, he's beautiful." Chihaya giggled suddenly and nudged Signal. "Am I wrong, or is Kurama giving Arislan the evil eye?"
Signal followed his gaze. Kurama was glaring in Arislan's direction while Hiei studied his Pet with a smirk. The robot snickered. "He _does_ look jealous, doesn't he? I think he's used to being the centre of attention. What the heck is he _wearing_, anyway?"
"I don't know, but it's sexy, isn't it? Harem-like." Chihaya gave a small sigh. "Must be nice to be pretty enough to get away with clothing like that."
Signal looked startled. "You don't think you're pretty? I've seen your native Eden clothing, Chihaya, and you look like ... well ... an angel in it."
Chihaya smiled at him gratefully. On Eden, because of his black hair and wings, he was tormented and criticized certainly never complimented on his beauty. Except by Kagetsuya, he reminded himself, then wished he hadn't. What difference did that make anymore?
Signal noticed the smile fade and was about to ask why, when an audible gasp came from behind him where Nuriko stood. He and Chihaya looked at their 'mother', and saw him staring at the entrance.
"Presenting, Master Nakago, and his Pet, Van!" announced Duo, who was doing the introductions as part of his duties that night.
Chihaya felt a chill go through him as he studied Nakago. The man was big and handsome, but there was a cruel glint in his ice-blue eyes. It frightened him, especially when Nakago turned his gaze toward them. No, Chihaya realized suddenly. He was focusing on one person in their group only Nuriko. The purple-haired beauty was staring right back at him, their eyes locked for several moments before Nakago turned to accept Quatre's welcome to the gathering.
"What was that all about?" Signal wondered aloud.
"I don't know," Chihaya admitted. He found it especially weird that Nuriko would only have eyes for Nakago when Van, the recruit he'd been so concerned about and whom he hadn't seen in weeks, was standing right beside him. Pulse was giving Nuriko a questioning look, but his 'mate' ignored him, downing half a glass of champagne in one swallow.
"Presenting Master Sesshomaru and his Pet, Inu Yasha!"
Chihaya turned his attention back to the entrance and stared. There was Fish Eye's former Master, the one who beat, raped, and tormented him. He was exotically beautiful with his pointed ears, facial markings and odd slitted eyes, but like Nakago, he gave off sinister vibes that made Chihaya shudder.
Then he saw Inu Yasha.
The young dog-demon's curtain of white hair reflected the moonlight and seemed to shimmer with stars upon its individual strands. Furry, pointed ears flicked, taking in the sounds in all directions, while the expression on his handsome, boyish face remained aloof. His slitted gold eyes were wider than his brother's, but he didn't look any more innocent for it. Rather, he appeared to have seen too much for his years. His unusual puppy-like nose twitched slightly, and he turned to look straight at Chihaya. Something akin to shock appeared in his eyes, his ears stood straight up, and his mouth opened slightly, revealing pointed canines.
"Come, Inu Yasha!" Sesshomaru snapped at him and proceeded to walk in the other direction. Inu Yasha's ears flattened and he gave Chihaya one last long look before turning to follow his Master. Chihaya stared after him until a hand waved in front of his face, startling him. He looked at Signal in surprise.
"You okay?" Signal asked. "I thought you were in a trance or something."
"I'm fine," Chihaya looked once more at Inu Yasha's departing figure. As the half-youkai glanced back at him, he wondered if he was telling the truth.

End of Chapter 15

I own none of the characters used in Seigi.
This fanfic is for your private enjoyment only. Do not distribute it or post it on the internet in any form. Violation of this will result in immediate termination from the reader list.