He nods and smiles a little. "There should be a hut nearby. It's masters. He uses it very rarely, but it's a good place to rest." Sure enough, a small little cabin like hut thing appeared, the door wide open and chimes dinging softly as the faint wind danced with the metal.
Cas let Aki lead him inside. "I can't stay here forever… what am I supposed to do? People will wonder where I've gone."
"It's just for a little while so you can heal and calm down." He mutters gently, running a hand through his hair. He helped Cas into the cabin and sat him down in the soft bed. "Let me go make something to eat." He says softly.
Cas nodded, curling up on the bed silently. He closed his eyes and just tried his best not to think about it, since he was already doing his best not to cry.
Aki worked on a simple meal before carrying it to Cas along with a glass of water. He set the food on the table and ran a hand through Cas's hair.
"W-Where am I supposed to go when we leave here? Leave the country?" He glanced up at Aki, his eyes shining with tears. "I don't know if I'm able to go back, but there's no other heir…"
Aki ran a hand through his hair, gently soothing him. "I don't know." He whispers softly as he comforts the other. He gave Cas a gentle smile. "We'll figure things out soon. But for now, I want you to rest and heal."
Cas nodded and closed his eyes, hugging Aki. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this… I should be able to deal with a little thing like this myself, r-right…?"
Aki gently hugged him back. He thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No. You are not weak to ask others for help, especially when you are weak or hurting. There is nothing wrong with asking someone for help or for comfort." he says gently as he runs a hand though Cas's hair.
"I… I dunno… I hope you're right, but I'll still have to go back at some point, won't I?" He glanced up at the other, his cheeks a bit speckled and flushed from crying.
"Yes. It's always best to face problems…" He whispers. He then perks. "But I think I have something that may be able to help." he says gently, wiping away his tears.
"W-What is it?" A bit of hope flared in his eyes, making itself known despite the overlying fear and pain.
He smiled a bit before getting up and walking to a small desk underneath a window. He dug through it a little bit before walking to Cas again and smiling a little bit. "Here." He gently places the ring on his finger. "This will protect you from harm." He mutters gently. "And it will allow you to come here if you ever need to escape." he explains quietly.
"How does it protect me…?" Cas asked tentatively, examining the ring. "If it makes a forcefield or something, he'll find out and take it… he's no stranger to magic. He knows your master, after all."
Aki shakes his head. "Only you can take it off. And no. It appears you gained injury, but you don't actually get hurt." He mutters softly, smiling a little. "It's a ring of illusion and enchantment. It'll protect the wearer." He hummed with thought.
"Interesting… I'm guessing it doesn't help the anxiety of him attacking me, though?" His voice was tired, as were his eyes, as he looked back up at Aki.
"Sadly, no… I'm sorry." Aki says softly before gently hugging Cas again as he ran a gentle hand through his hair.
"Guess I'll just need you for that, then…" Cas huddled closer to Aki, seeming to find some comfort in the other's closeness.
Aki nods gently and holds the other. He runs a hand through Cas's hair and smiles gently at him. "I will help in anyway I can."
"…Thanks.." Cas mumbled. "Does time go by here? Surely your master must be wondering where you've gone."
"Time here in the magic realm is different then time out in the world. My master doesn't worry to much." His tail flicks back and forth as his ears listen to the soft hum of the world around them.
Cas nodded, shifting to be a bit closer to Aki. "…He's probably still going to make me marry a woman. I… I can't do that… it wouldn't be fair to her."
He nods and runs a hand through Cas's hair. "I know… It's not fair to you." He whispers as he holds Cas. "And it wouldn't be fair to you." he mutters gently. He hesitated. "There might be… there might be something." He whispers.
"What do you mean? I doubt I could change his mind…" Cas murmured, holding a bit tighter to Aki.
"I… there might be a way… I could use an illusion to…" He looked down. "What I'm saying is that I could use an illusion to hide someone, making them appear as a girl so that you could be with a man that appears a female to your father." He explains quietly.
"Really?" Cas looked up. "You can do that? But… but who would you hide?" He asked curiously.
"Yes, I can do that with a specific amulet… As for who I would hide, I'm not sure. I could do it…" He whispers as he ran a hand though Cas's hair.
Cas blushed a bit. "Do you want to…?" The light caught the gold flecks in his eyes, making them shine for a moment.
Aki nods and smiles a little bit. "I could if you wish." He mutters softly. He smiled at the other before brushing a hand through his hair.
"W-What about your apprenticeship, though? Would you still be able to do that?" He seemed to relax a bit with Aki's petting, but he kept his eyes fixed on the other.