The Big Book Of Amaguji

Life Is Not Easy Nor Simple (But Goddamn, Wouldn't That Be Swell?)

This situation was incredibly ironic. It would've made Rin laugh if it was under different circumstances.

Though, this was not the case.

He laid awake next to the sleeping prince, eyes half open and blinking in long increments. This was the earliest he had woken up in years, and the lack of movement showed for it.

Rin didn't bother going back to sleep and trusted that he'll adjust to being awake. He turned his head slightly to observe the figure next to him, sleeping peacefully, dried tears on his cheeks from yesterday.

Rin sighed, he was surprised Korekiyo didn't figure it out already. He was intelligent, and a colorful mix of cloth and iron deceived him so well. He didn't plan this at all and for this to last so long, now that he thought about it.

Do get him wrong, it was comforting to always have him around but it wasn't actually with him, it was just with Rin. To make matters worse, what would he say when he actually told him the truth? Knowing him, he would make sure he'd regret lying to him.

There was no clear upside to this situation.

He dreads his existence just the bit more before slowly getting out of bed, yawning in the process. The déjà vu from the creaking floors and the intense silence from trying to not wake Korekiyo was disorienting.

Luckily, this was not a repeat of last time and he stayed asleep. He put on his coat, slipped on his shoes, and went outside to freshen up. The sky was dark and little water droplets were falling from the clouds.

It was unfortunate that the ground was mostly dirt, so going outside tomorrow would be an absolute nightmare.

The river was still relatively clean for how soft the ground was before the rain started. Usually, the dirt would mix with the rain and would run effortlessly on the ground.

He was lucky that the river is magically clean every day.

He took out the soap from his coat pocket and promptly took a bath. The frequent water droplets falling into the slow moving river instilled a calm mindset into the thief, making him also lose track of time.

Despite being a laid back person overall, thoughts preoccupied his mind the most. Where would he go next? Would he do this facade forever? Korekiyo's stay complicated things drastically - his original plan being to stay and travel the country without the public eye on him, and a peaceful life by himself overall.

Though, he wouldn't mind editing things a little bit.

The sun finally peeked out of the clouds and reflected off of the river. He sometimes dreads not taking his camera with him when he 'pushed away' his other life and turned to this one, ironically inspired by the person who he dragged into this life and, unintentionally, created this unwanted predicament.

He looked at his pruned fingers and decided to finally get out of the water. The walk decently far from the cabin and ran into Korekiyo, head down.

"Ah, good morning my prince. Have you recovered from yesterday?" Rin dipped his head down to see his face, which was blank and lightly dipped in uncertainty.

"A bit, I'll recover. I truly apologize for adding you to my personal affairs. I was not aware that I was suppressing so many feelings, though, I am also aware that wasn't necessary and was wasting your time."

"I thought I made it clear that you can't bore me, my prince. It breaks my heart that you think like this. No one deserves to suffer alone, not even you," Rin stroked his hair as they continued to walk to the river.

"Can I ask you a question then? If you consent to it, of course," Korekiyo says as Rin nodded shortly after.

"Have you suffered before? You seem happier than you let off, almost like opposing sides living in harmony. Sadness and happiness, for example."

The answer was easy for Rin, maybe he can lead him on.

"Yes, I have. It was... a battle of sorts to obtain my individuality in this world. I left my old home to lead my life alone, not specifically as a gentleman thief, but living how I wanted to," He looked around, avoiding the prince's interested gaze.

"An interesting motive. Do you plan on going back to your old life?" Korekiyo asked, increasing the pitch of his voice.

He thought for a second before answering, "There is a possibility that I can go back, but my desire to is close to none."

Korekiyo looks down, pondering his own life. How could he relate to a stran- a person he met only a few days ago? This was too ironic to be true, too ironic to be an actual coincidence without a twist.

"Do you think it was effective?"

Rin looked back at him for a few seconds, before answering, "As long as one party is happy, it must've worked either way."

"Ah, well, you should get going. I'm afraid it might rain again," Korekiyo quietly said as he walked to the river by himself, giving off the aura that he wanted to be alone.

Rantaro stared at him walking to the river for a few seconds before leaving to the cabin. He collected tonight's firewood and left it to the corner of the cabin. He started to place the firewood into the fireplace before seeing a wet piece of paper in between two pieces.

On closer inspection, it appeared to be a newspaper article. It was see-through from the water but dry enough that it was still readable.

'Our king and queen are expecting a baby in a few months! We expect that our little ruler will do great things in the future!'

Just like him, huh?

He folds the article and places it into his pocket. What should Rin do? Everything was going downhill for his prince and there absolutely no way he could break it to him all at once, it would hurt both of them in more ways than one.

He ponders his decision carefully, though not being the best at making them. It would be best to tell him periodically. He nods, not seeing any other safer decisions.

He could already feel the regret and fear filling into the pit of his stomach.