Abandoned

The pet first noticed two things as consciousness slowly returned to him. The first being that he was no longer cold. The second… his head hurt, well, now that he thought about it, everything hurt. His entire body was sore and aching and there were sharp pains in places that shouldn’t be hurting, namely his posterior.

He lay for several minutes, trying to focus through the pain, trying to remember what happened. His master had abandoned him, naked and alone in the middle city; that was still painfully clear. After that, all he remembered was cold, hunger, dumpsters, cruel hands attached to harsh grunts and the smell of alcohol, then kind brown eyes and darkness.

His mind woke a little more with that thought. Those eyes, they had held such gentleness to them, unlike any he had ever seen before. Was he still out on the street though?

He now felt soft, warm, sheets enveloping his body and a fluffy pillow cushioning his head. Had… had he been picked up by someone? And if so, why would they be letting a lowly pet sleep in a, what seemed, large bed?

That woke him up fully. The blonde shot up in the bed, looking around himself wildly as he tried to piece things together. The room was large with the giant four-poster bed in the center. The carpet was a lush cream-color that looked like it would be heavenly to walk around barefoot on. There was intricate paintings and tapestries on the walls, as well as a magnificent marble fire place on the opposite wall. Several plush chairs and rugs were strewn in front of the hearth and a few tables here or there completed the furnishing. That was when the pet looked down at himself. He had been washed and was now completely naked, but for the fine sheets covering him, and… his collar was gone.

A slender hand grasped at a pale throat in disbelief, the now familiar weight gone and leaving the pet feeling even more exposed. This couldn’t be real… no, he couldn’t have been taken in. No master would leave his pet un-collared in a lavish room on such a fine bed, especially one as used as he was.

Maybe he was dead? Yes, and this was the after-life perhaps? No, that couldn’t be true either. If it were, he had always figured there would be no point in pain after death. And his ass hurt like no other!

A door opened somewhere to his right, scaring the shit out of him as he dove for the floor. He automatically ‘assumed the position’ expected of a proper pet when meeting a new master. On his knees, hands folded in front, head practically touching the ground. If it was a new master, he didn’t want to be caught in the bed and seen as disrespectful, despite the discomfort the position caused him.

“Goodness, it seems we both gave each other a fright there,” a warm, motherly voice drifted to him as footsteps moved towards his position.

“Oh, honey, there’s no need for that!” The footfalls hurried and someone knelt down in front of him, a warm hand landing on his shoulder and fabric hitting the floor near him. “You shouldn’t be down on the floor like this in your condition. Up, now. Come on, get up.”

He hesitated a moment before obeying, rising to his feet, but keeping his eyes down and not responding, not minding his nudity at all.

“There now, that’s better,” the young woman before him said gently, a smile in the voice. “Now come, back into to bed with you. The master won’t be pleased if he hears I let you injure yourself further. Poor thing, you’re lucky he found you when he did…”

The blonde resisted getting back into the bed, convinced he’d get in trouble by this ‘master’ the woman had mentioned.

So he had been re-claimed. Well, he wouldn’t anger his master further by being insolent on top of used and damaged. No pet slept in a bed. There was an almost amused sound from the woman and a firm hand returned to his shoulder.

“None of that. Back to bed. You’ll get me in trouble if you don’t.”

That got him to move, however reluctantly, back onto the plush covers. It’d be a bad start to inspire insolence in other servants, which he assumed this woman was.

“Thank you. Oh, and please, look at me. It’s all right, I’m the healer here, you won’t get in trouble for it, I promise.”

The blonde tentatively raised his eyes and found a young woman smiling back at him. She couldn’t have been much older then him with shortened brown hair and warm hazel eyes.

“Hi,” she said, her eyes sparkling with what seemed amusement. “My name is Sora; I’ve been taking care of you. I’m the estate healer.”

The blonde offered her a shallow nod, unsure how a verbal response would be received, that and his throat felt unbelievably dry.

The young healer, Sora, gave a small chuckle before retrieving a glass of water from the bedside table.

“Here, this should hit the spot,” she said, holding the glass out for the shy pet.

He didn’t reach for it to take it… instead he simply blinked at it. He had never been allowed to drink from a glass… ever. In fact he had been beaten more times than he could count by his last master whenever he forgot and accepted an offered cup. He was only ever allowed his bowl and it was always on the floor.

Sora stayed outstretched with the cup in hand, confused as to why the blonde was looking at it like something that would come to life and bite him. She wiggled the glass a little, trying to entice the pet.

“C’mon. I know you’ve got to be thirsty,” she continued. “If I had been out as long as you I know I’d wake up feeling like a dryer full of cotton balls.”

When the blonde only looked more confused and still refused to take the glass, she let out a small sigh.

“All right, have it your way. But don’t blame me for that dry throat,” she finally conceded.

The blonde visibly relaxed as she retracted the glass and set it back on the table.

‘Huh, what an odd one,’ Sora mused, seeing the relief reflected in those dazzling blue eyes.

“Well, you stay here and rest for now,” she said, getting up. “I’ll be back with some food soon. Stay in the bed… that’s a direct request from my master. He should be home in about an hour or so and maybe then he can put your mind at ease.”

She offered one last assuring smile to the quiet pet before turning and slowly leaving the room.

Out of everyone working under the Kamiya roof, the young healer was probably the most surprised to hear that her master had taken in a pet. Tai didn’t speak openly with most of the staff that manned his ‘wing’ of the family estate; leaving them thinking he was naive and bull-headed. But Sora was one of the few that knew otherwise.

The eldest child of the Kamiya family had always detested the idea of nobles owning people turned ‘pets’. He refused to go to the auctions and continuously swore, at least to Sora, that he had no plans of ever participating in such a blatant form of slavery. He was possibly one of the only nobles of the Upper City that openly despised PETS, the organization that bred the blonde companions. His younger sister, Hikari, shared similar sentiments and despite much pushing from their father, neither sibling had ever shown any interest in any pet… until now.

When Sora had gotten a call from Joss two days earlier saying that the young master was bringing home a pet, she had thought that he was kidding. It wasn’t until she saw the poor shape the boy was in as her master carried him inside that she understood.

And now, after having interacted with the blonde, she sensed what she suspected her master did, even if he hadn’t realized it.

The pet was obviously broken, in more ways than one, but what she had seen in the depths of those blue eyes, and what had surprised her, was a desperate hope and hungry belief that things could get better. There was a fire buried in those eyes and Sora had a feeling that her young master was just the one to dig it out and set it ablaze.

She was so lost in her musings that she didn’t see the figure standing near the door as she softly shut it behind her.

“Hey Sora!” a lanky brunette greeted her in his loud manner, scaring Sora nearly out of her skin.

“Davis!” The name was both an accusation and admonishment as she punched the grinning youth in the arm. “How many times do I have to tell you?! Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

“Ow! Hey! Sorry, gees,” Davis grumbled, rubbing is abused limb. “It’s not my fault. You left the door open.”

Sora rolled her eyes and started down the hallway. She hadn’t left the door open. She never left the door open. It had been locked just like it was every time Davis came by with his coveted key he’d swiped the month Tai had let him sleep on the couch and had never given back.

Sora let out a loud sigh as she felt Davis practically breathing down her neck as they headed for the kitchen.

“You know, one of these days, I’m going to change the locks myself, you pathetic swatter,” she huffed, marching into the downstairs kitchen.

It was true that Tai technically lived in his father’s home, but the entire eastern wing belonged solely to him. The miniature mansion came with his own personal staff, private gardens, indoor pool, gourmet kitchen, and a separate set of locks that made it so no one from the main house could come in without the correct key. Not to mention a 4-car garage.

“Aww, c’mon. You know you’d miss me,” Davis said smirking as they entered the kitchen. “I know Kari would.” Sora ignored him and his pointless obsession with Tai’s sister, instead smiling and nodding to the head chef.

“Hey Mimi,” she said, pulling a packet of herbs from her pants pocket. The blonde cook with pink streaks in her hair turned and smiled, wiping her hands on her apron.

“Hey Sora! Our stud muffin alive to the world?” she piped happily pouring some hot soup into a bowl beside a cup of boiled water. Mimi had to be one of the vainest people in the establishment, but she was by far the most honest and could bake the most amazing pies in the Upper City.

“Yeah, just came around. I swear he’s like a frightened rabbit,” Sora sighed, pouring the herbal mixture into the cup to brew. Mimi giggled, placing the bowl and cup on a tray.

“Well, get some of this into him and maybe he’ll warm up to you a little more,” she said, sliding the tray to Sora with a wink.

“Hopefully he’ll stay in the bed when I come in this time,” she chuckled back, hazel eyes dancing.

“Hope who stays in bed?”

The voice from behind sent all three spinning around to find its owner, Sora nearly sending the soup flying.

Tai was leaning against the outside door, coat in hand and a confused look on his face. There was a collective sigh from the three in the kitchen and Davis headed off the raid the refrigerator.

“Welcome home, sir,” Sora greeted smiling. “I was referring to my latest patient. Seems he’s rather skittish. As soon as I opened the door he hit the floor so fast it nearly hit him back.”

In the corner Davis snorted around a mouthful of cold pasta, earning him a half-hearted glare from Taichi.

“Davis, why are you stuffing your face with my food?” He asked, cocking an eyebrow at the lanky youth.

“Because if I don’t eat it now, you’ll eat it later and then before you know I’ll have starved to death,” he answered with a perfectly straight face. Mimi giggled as Sora rolled her eyes Tai just laughed.

“You don’t even live here!” Sora scoffed, heading towards the door with the soup and tea.

“He may as well,” Mimi added in. “Don’t you sleep on the couch every night anyway?”

“Yeah, my very expensive couch is apparently more comfortable than his bed,” Tai chuckled, stopping Sora at the door. “It’s ok, I’ll take it.”

“You sure?” the healer asked, hesitantly handing the tray to the master of the house.

“Yeah, I was going to go introduce myself soon anyway,” he explained with his best smile, trying to cover the anxiousness he suddenly felt.

“All right, I’ll come up in a few minutes to check him over.”

“See you in a bit then,” Tai nodded, leaving with the tray, three sets of eyes boring into his back as he headed to greet his new ‘pet’.

Kuragari: so, not the most amazing chapter… but it’s something. Let me know what you think! Thanks for the previous encouraging reviews!