Silver (Victuuri)

Gardenia

The next morning, Yuuri awoke to the noise of something battering loudly outside the sliding door. Blearily, he sat up and squinted in the dim light. It sounded like something was hitting the shōji, and it was relentless. Trepidation flashed through his system, and his pulse began to race. Was it a kidnapper? He recognized that an intruder would try to be as quiet as possible, but that didn't stop him from worrying irrationally. Then he heard a demanding meow and his fear subsided. It was only the cat from the night before.

Yuuri yawned and slipped out of bed, pushing aside the curtains. He crossed the room and pulled the rickety door open (it needed replacing , but he could never bring himself to ask for a new one).
The air was frigid against his body; he was only wearing thin sayagoromo. There was Yurio, glaring at him ferociously. His eyes seemed to demand, “What took you so damn long?”

“Sorry, I'm a heavy sleeper,” Yuuri explained sheepishly. The cat narrowed his eyes, tail twitching, then hopped off the porch before turning back expectantly. “I have to get dressed first!”

Yurio sat down and wrinkled his nose threateningly. Yuuri squeaked and rushed to locate the rest of his kimono, tying the layers hastily and haphazardly. He tugged a comb through his waist-length hair a couple of times, then put it up in a messy twist. Cursing himself, he recalled that he had left his cap in the garden. After the genpukku ceremony during puberty, the men of the kingdom wore eboshi and tied their hair up. Oh well, he would just have to look like a child.

Slipping up his tabi socks, he tripped across the floor. Feet trembling, he squeezed them with difficulty into his geta. He wobbled when he stepped off onto the pebbles below. Yurio shot forward, and Yuuri stumbled clumsily after him. They crossed the courtyard and came to the palace gate. Yurio simply wiggled underneath it, but Yuuri had to get the attention of the guard in the nearby tower.

“Um… Excuse me?” he ventured timidly, and waved. The guard blinked and looked in the direction of his voice.

“Oh, your highness!” he greeted, clearly surprised. “Whatever are you doing up at this hour?” Yuuri blushed, embarrassed. He wasn't known for being an early riser.

“I-” He tried to think up a believable excuse. “I just wanted to go on a morning stroll…” He looked at his feet, thinking that if the guard could see his eyes he might know it was a lie. He was afraid that if somebody found out that he was going to the forest, they would give him a bodyguard and confine him to his room to keep him out of harm’s way.

“Hmm…” Panic constricted Yuuri’s rib cage like a snake. What if the guard had seen through his flimsy story? He would never get to see Viktor again- “Alright, let me come down and open the gate for you.” He sighed in relief, and the guard clunked down the ladder, his full armor making it a cumbersome task. When he reached the ground, he began heaving on a thick pulley to lift the wooden slats. Yuuri quickly passed underneath it.

“Thank you,” he told the guard as he left, then worried whether or not he had even been heard.

Yurio was waiting for him, flexing his claws in and out and scratching the dirt threateningly. As soon as he saw Yuuri, he sprinted off into the bushes. Yuuri tried his best to keep up.

Yuuri shivered, just like last time, as they entered the forest. The sun filtered down through the ancient branches, rays catching the mist and dew drops. He took a deep breath in; the rich, earthy scent of the woods mingled with the fresh morning air. Unseen birds chirped overhead, singing songs of love and new life. Everything looked so different during the day, it all seemed less intimidating now that visibility was better. However, even with all its vibrancy, the forest still gave him an unsettling feeling.