There were so many questions buzzing about his mind, but he did not wish to bother his master with them as he took Qi's proffered hand and carefully mounted the horse to sit behind him. It took them no time at all to catch up to the other man before they slowed their horse to calmly trot beside his.

"We will be beneath your country soon enough, but we must decide upon a plan. Once we surface, we may not get another chance to converse so freely," prince Yuen said as he turned Kongqi to begin walking through a few inches of murky water.

Zen looked down as his master began answering the other prince, but his mind was focused on the little flecks of shadows that he could see just beneath the surface. They weren't devil's koi... but then, what were they?

Feeling a hand gently squeeze his left leg, Zen quickly shook his curious thoughts from his mind and leaned forward, wrapping his arms tighter around his master as he gave the man his complete attention.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't reprimanding you, Zen. I know that you tend to lose focus when trying to figure out stressful situations. I was just worried when you didn't respond," Qi said, making Zen feel even worse.

He quickly wrote out "I'm sorry," on his master's back before returning that arm to around the man's waist. Instead of speaking to him again, though Zen could tell that he wished to, Qi turned his attention back to the other prince.

"If they are already in the city, their main target is likely to be me," Qi said, earning a nod from the man ahead of them as he brought his horse back up onto dry land and took a left turn.

"You are the main target, but your life is being held by another," prince Yuen said as he disappeared around the corner.

The tunnel they entered as they followed was pitch black the second their horse stepped inside, but no matter how much it backed up, it could not find the light again.

"Even when your world is consumed by darkness, you must always continue onward. Light is just around the corner, if you are willing to look hard enough," came prince Yuen's voice from all around them.

His words echoed off of invisible walls, making Zen more nervous as he hugged his master closer.

"It is alright, my Zen. There is nothing to fear down here," Qi said in a reassuring tone that Zen wanted to believe... but his mind returned to what he had seen rippling in the water moments before, making his trust in his master's words falter.

He hesitated for a moment, but then reached up with one hand to write against his master's smooth robe once more.

"There are things down here that have strange auras. There is something not right."

He wasn't really sure how else to describe what he had seen. It had been too dark and murky to make out an actual figure, but there had definitely been something lurking about their horse's hooves.

Perhaps those were creatures similar to the glass tarantulas? Perhaps they could be allies?

A faint chuckle in the back of his mind told him that prince Yuen had overheard his nervous thoughts.

At this time, they are neither friend nor foe. Pay it no mind. It can only leave its prison if I free it, and that is not something I intend to do unless absolutely necessary. We have far greater things to worry about right now. Focus, little guard.

He had to agree. The creature, whatever it was, was clearly unable to free itself from the water or even cause harm to those who tread within it. There was no reason to stress over such things at such a perilous time.

"Now then, your highness. We must find a way to protect your little guard," prince Yuen said from somewhere up ahead in the darkness.

Me? You do not need to protect me. You must protect him!

"I agree, but I am not comfortable leaving him down here by himself," Qi said as he gently rubbed Zen's left knee with his thumb. He had yet to move the hand he had placed there earlier to garner his attention, but he definitely didn't mind. In fact, he inched his own hand along his leg until he could feel his master's in the darkness, then wrapped his fingers around his.

He wanted to tell them that he could take care of himself, but at that moment he remembered what the other prince had told them when they had met him at his bog home.

If he got hurt, his master would be the one to suffer. It worked both ways, but Zen did not mind taking any kind of pain for Qi. He would gladly die for the man if it meant that he were safe for the remainder of his days.

I cannot allow it.

Zen blinked as he tilted his head slightly upward from where it rested against his master's back.

Not allow it? Was your goal not to see me gone as soon as possible? he questioned, remembering the man's words quite well from when they had first met.

The feeling of a hand settling atop his hair had Zen lifting his hand to swipe at the air... but that was all that had been there. Air.

"We will arrive just beneath the market square in a few moments. From there I think it would be best to keep a low profile while gathering what information we can. If we can find a safe enough place, I will summon Liall to take a look around," prince Yuen said as they suddenly stepped into the light and the other prince's horse stopped abruptly.

"I must remind you, little guard. Your life is your master's," he said as he looked back at them both. "Protect yourself above all else... even him. You cannot be killed," the other prince warned.

He understood, but he also wasn't sure if he could follow through with such an idea. If his master got hurt, it would still cause him pain initially. If he could prevent such a thing from happening in the first place, and protect himself...

Zen's thoughts broke apart as he felt hands suddenly grab him around the waist and gently but swiftly tug him down from their horse.

"I do apologize, but there can be no heroes in this story," prince Yuen said as he set him down on the soft, mossy ground.

Zen scowled and began turning to climb back up onto Kongqi, but prince Yuen easily held him back, then gave his robe a firm tug to force his attention back to him.

"You must cease your rashness, Zen."

The man's words made him pause. Ever since he'd given him his little guard nickname, he'd barely used his real name, if at all. Hearing it come from the other prince's lips now was... odd.

"I need you to trust me now. For your own good, but more importantly to you, I'm sure, for your master's sake," prince Yuen said.

Zen still felt bothered by the other man's actions, and he didn't think that he would ever quite trust him fully... but he would not forget the help he had given them, either. He could not argue that Huang Yuen was the reason him and his master had made it so far without too much trouble.

What do you need me to do?

At the same time he asked that, he could hear his master dismounting their horse before stepping up beside him. The look on his face was calm and collected, but Zen could see a tiny bit of unease beneath its surface.

Prince Yuen nodded to Qi, then returned his attention to Zen as he lifted one hand and pressed his cold palm to the side of his face.

"The barrier here," he said quietly as he gently ran his thumb along Zen's lower lip.

"May I break it?"

Break it?

What reason would he have to do such a thing, unless...

A curse?

Zen leaned away, then turned his head so that the prince's hand would fall away.

"For what reason do you need it removed?" Qi responded as he reached to the side and gently took Zen's hand in his again.

Prince Yuen loosened his hold on him slightly as his attention turned to Qi, but it was clearly not meant to allow him to step away.

"I would like to cast a curse on him. It would not affect him in any way unless I am within range and speak the phrase to trigger it, but I believe that it will be of use to us later. It would not harm him in any way, even if activated, but I cannot say what it does right now."

Qi considered his words carefully, which made Zen's racing heart calm over time. He didn't like the idea of being cursed one bit, but as he thought about it more, he remembered something quite important. He, himself, was a curse.

The next thing that went through his mind was the question of whether one could curse a curse, but that answer had already played out a while ago. His damaged hand was proof of that. It still seemed like an odd thing to happen.

Feeling prince Yuen gently tug at a length of his hair drew Zen's attention out of his thoughts with a curious, yet cautious gaze.

"Did you know, your highness? The thoughts that run through this one's head are quite precious."

Qi's eyes widened at those words, making Zen realize something very important that he had forgotten to tell his master for quite some time.

"Ah, I do apologize. I did not realize he hadn't told you, but I suppose it's unavoidable now. Considering that he is technically at least part of me, I can hear his thoughts," prince Yuen said, making Zen's stomach twist uncomfortably beneath his robe.

He hadn't meant to keep such information from his master, but he'd also never felt that it was important enough to tell him, either.

They waited in silence as Qi contemplated that new bit of information, but after only a few moments, he decided on what he wished to say about it.

"I am quite jealous. I've always dreamed of hearing my Zen's voice."

If he hadn't felt bad for not telling him earlier, he definitely felt terrible about it now.

"Zen."

He wanted to ignore the other prince, but when a finger gently settled beneath his chin and lifted it, he forced his downcast eyes to lift and meet Yuen Huang's. The man looked like he wanted to say something, but after staring at each other for several moments, he reached toward Qi with his free hand and settled his palm beneath his jaw before curling his fingers gently against their warm skin.

What are you doing to my master?

Zen glared from prince Yuen to Qi, softening his gaze as it moved.

"Nothing bad, right your highness?" the man before him said, drawing his attention back for a fleeting moment before he redirected it to the person he was speaking to.

Wait... why is master crying?

Immediately furious, Zen pushed the prince back a few steps, then stepped in front of his master, his fingers already gripped tightly around his sword's hilt.

He expected the man before him to react to his aggression, but when he simply grinned as he crossed his arms over his chest, Zen was at a loss. At least, he was until he felt his master's arms slip beneath his own and tug him tightly back against him for a hug.

Feeling Qi nuzzle into the crook of his neck immediately made Zen's mind panic, but he couldn't squirm his way free before he began to silently laugh at the sensation he was becoming awkwardly accustomed to. Thankfully his master relented quickly, ending his attentions with a quick kiss before leaning away but refusing to release him.

"Zen, are you comfortable with our young master prince removing the seal and casting a curse on you? The choice is completely yours. I do trust him, but I want you to make this decision for yourself," Qi said as his fingers seemed to unconsciously mess with the knot of Zen's belt.

Licking his lips, Zen returned his attention to the man before him.

You have everything right now... a massive country, a powerful, rich father, and you have probably caught the eyes of enough women to build a harem bigger than most in history.

He paused as he gathered his nerves and locked them away.

Why risk your neck for him? You two had known each other long ago, yet you had kept that piece of his broken soul, and kept us both safe since we'd arrived in your country. If you help us now, you could lose everything that you have.

Prince Yuen's smile faded as he unfolded his arms and stepped forward, putting them toe to toe. At that time, his master released his hold from around his waist and returned to his side as he claimed his hand with his own.

"To you, I might be risking everything, but to me, I am leaving behind nothing that I am worried about losing. What's in front of me, however, if he dies... if both of you die, my purpose would be erased."

Zen swallowed, taking in the man's words. He could feel the truth in them. Could feel it in his soul... in the piece of soul he'd torn out of the person standing before him.

How did I truly come to be?

Prince Yuen lifted his left hand to settle it against the side of Zen's face, his thumb moving to his bottom lip once more.

"It is not time for that story. I need your answer to my previous question, Zen. Our time runs short."

Hesitating for only one more moment, Zen tilted his head the slightest bit forward and closed his eyes.

Do as you wish.

The man wasted no time as he slowly ran his thumb from one side of Zen's mouth to the other. He could feel his master's magic sizzling and crackling as it was basically unzipped, then slowly began dissipating from where it had settled within his throat and mouth.

"You grew up into a brilliant healer and spiritual defender, your highness. I would not have been able to break this spell easily without his consent," prince Yuen said as Zen felt his warm breath grow closer.

For some odd reason, his heartbeat was beginning to get out of control, but it wasn't quite like how it did when his master got too close to him. He didn't like the other prince getting so close to him... especially since his master was right at his side, watching the whole situation.

Do I have to get used to being close to him, too, so that this doesn't keep happening? Will I have to get used to more people being around me?

The laughter he heard in response to his thoughts made him want to pull away, but he seemed to have taken the other prince off-guard, because he felt the man's breath disappear from his lips as he pulled away slightly, clearly trying to stifle an actual audible laugh.

"Keep quiet for a moment or I'll make a mistake," Huang said after a few more moments, humor in his tone as he leaned back in to continue whispering his curse.

When he stopped a few seconds later, Zen allowed his eyes to open, but the bright gold ones staring back at him from so close were unexpected... and beautifully mesmerizing.

Do not underestimate your own features, little Zen. As you have previously thought, many women have fallen at my feet, but my dead heart had only beat for one person then... but now, there are two that I don't want to lose.

Before Zen could think of a response he watched the man before him lean forward again so that their lips were just-barely brushing. They then began to move, whispering words that chilled his tongue and cooled his throat all the way down to his stomach. He wasn't sure what kind of curse he was taking on, but if the prince hadn't been lying, and it would in fact help them, or even just help his master, he would forever be grateful for it.