[FIC] The Battle of Gendazeth - Chapter 1
Title: The Battle of Gendazeth
Author: isha_mabin
Genre: Romance, AU, Adventure
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: AKAME
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or any other personalities mentioned
Summary: In a kingdom ruled by an evil queen, a band of warriors will rise and fulfill the prophecy that will restore their peace. But first, they would have to find the boy of legend.
Author’s Note: So sorry this took quite a while. I finally got around to editing this and posting this in the other communities. God, school is killing me. Anyway...enjoy!
Prologue
Chapter 1:
“You ungrateful mongrel! That lady was willing to pay silver to have you!” The slave trader, Tarantina, looked in disgust at her stubborn slave.
Once again, the man had managed to insult one of her most valued customers in less than an hour. Sometimes, Tarantina thinks it’s this particular slave’s talent.
The slave in question, Jin, sneered. He refused to acknowledge this woman who thinks she owns him. No, he does not belong to anyone. No matter what this twisted kingdom believes, he is a free man. “If I do lie in bed with a woman, I prefer it not to be with a lady even a mother could not love!”
Tarantina sneered. She had dealt with these types before - strong-willed slaves who miraculously lived a normal life until they were captured and brought into slavery. It was often harder to train these kinds of men because they had tasted freedom and therefore believe they are deserving of such luxury.
But they were trainable nonetheless. She felt almost sorry for their naivety. Almost.
Tarantina raised the whip to punish the slave. The leather hit Jin’s skin again and again but not one whimper escaped his lips. He refused to give this woman the satisfaction of hearing him suffer.
“Well, you are a tough one aren’t you? No worries. I’ll enjoy breaking you, boy!”
She kicked him hard and his gasp was echoed by another one from the foyer of the small slave house.
Tarantina turned and saw a beautiful woman in a pale blue kimono staring at the scene.
“Hello there miss! Came to buy a slave?” She smiled pleasantly at the potential buyer.
Kazuya looked at the rather bulky woman uncertainly. His mother had warned him not to get near any of the slave houses but he was terribly curious. He had only meant to look and not draw attention to himself. But he was unable to stop the gasp that came out of his lips at the sight of the wounded slave. Now that the slave trader had noticed him, wouldn’t it be suspicious if he just ran off? Besides, he didn’t have the heart to just leave the bleeding slave slumped on the floor.
An idea sparked in his mind.
“Yes, I’d like to buy a slave. Him.” He pointed at the now unconscious man.
Please forgive my impulsiveness, mother.
Tarantina raised an eyebrow. She didn’t think a young, fragile-looking girl like that would want a daughter so soon. But the customer is always right. “He’s expensive because he’s a virgin. 20 copper coins for a night.”
Kazuya’s cheeks burned. He didn’t realize the man might be a stud. As it is, he would have to return him to the trader eventually. “If…if I want him as a sravie, how much would it cost?”
Tarantina’s surprise was apparent. “Sravie, miss? He is not trained to be a sravie. He is still too willful. Perhaps you’d like to look at my other slaves? I have plenty who are diligent and well-behaved.”
Kazuya frowned. This was taking too long and a glance at the slave collapsed at the ground told him he needed to hurry up. The poor man needed someone to tend to his wounds.
“No, thank you. I want him,” he said resolutely.
Tarantina sighed. “As you wish, my lady. I’m giving him to you for 30 silver coins only, due to the circumstances, but I will not accept returns or exchanges.”
Kazuya nodded and handed the right amount to the slave trader.
“Would you like me to deliver him to your house?” Tarantina asked pleasantly. She was happy. Why wouldn’t she be? She finally washed her hands off one troublesome slave.
“That won’t be necessary. I’d like to stay with him in a carriage on the way there.”
-------
“Jin, honey, wake up.”
Jin smiled at his mother’s voice. He could smell cooked food. His mother must have made breakfast. “Five more minutes, Ma.”
“Reio, stop eating your brother’s share,” their father scolded lightly.
“What? It’s his fault for being such a lazy fat-ass!” Reio retorted.
“Language, Reio!” their mother admonished. Jin can actually hear the frown in her voice.
Jin grinned and opened his eyes, expecting to see the usual family scene he had always woken up to. His father calmly sipping coffee while checking their goods, his mother fussing with the food or Reio’s eating habit, and Reio hoarding the food next to their travelling wagon.
But instead of that usual scene, Jin saw blood…lots of blood. The ground was stained red with his family’s blood. Their lifeless bodies were there, amidst the wreckage that was once their belongings.
Suddenly, his mother’s eyes opened and focused on him. Her distorted mouth formed to say something.
Jin screamed. He did not hear her words.
“Jin, you are dreaming.”
Jin backed away, his body shaking.
“Shh, it’s alright.”
“It’s alright. You’re safe.”
“You’re safe.”
Jin finally woke up. For awhile, his vision was blurred from the tears that gathered in his eyes.
“You must have had a bad dream,” a voice he did not recognize spoke from the right side of the bed.
“Wait, a bed?”
Jin sat up. Or tried to. The moment he sprang upwards, his body protested. “Ow!” He groaned.
“Take it easy. Your wounds are not yet healed.”
Jin took a look at the person who spoke and saw the woman earlier at the slave house. “Where am I?”
“In my house. I’m Kamenashi Kazuko, by the way. You can call me Kazu. What’s your name?” Kazuya asked.
“Why am I in your house?” Jin asked instead of answering.
Kazuya hesitated. “I bought you as a sravie.”
Jin frowned. His first reaction was to scream. From one master to another…he was not a dog, for heaven’s sake!
But he realized this could work to his advantage. With Tarantina, his chances of escaping were minimal at best. He knew because he had tried before. It got him absolutely nowhere. With this gentle girl however…
A plan began forming in his mind. He will get this woman to trust him and then he would escape from this kingdom. He would be free again.
His plan-forming was interrupted however when an annoyed-looking man entered the room.
“Kamenashi-sama, how many times have I told you not to go out without me!”
“Koki!”
-------
Koki was 10 years old when he was bought by Kamenashi Marika. He was trained for heavy labor. Chopping wood for firewood, carrying things…those were the things he expected to do once he was bought. So it came as a surprise when Kamenashi-sama only wanted him to be a baby-sitter for her then 6 year old daughter.
Of course, Marika soon explained that Kazuya was a boy. Koki was shocked of course but not as shocked as when Kazuya’s little hands grabbed Koki’s arm and a cross-shaped tattoo formed there.
“The saint…” Marika had gasped.
“…And the master’s cry will wake up five souls.
His touch will allow them to see -
Benevolence, Courage, The Saint, The Dragon and The Wild Tree.”
Koki looked at her in alarm. “You know about the prophecy, Kamenashi-sama?” How many more people were aware of the master and his warriors?
“I’ve only heard rumors…Is it true Koki? Will he go against the queen?” She asked.
For a moment, Koki wanted to spare Kamenashi-sama from the truth. But she gave birth to their savior and had kept him safe. She deserved to at least know the truth.
“Yes, Kamenashi-sama. Gendazeth needs him,” he answered solemnly.
“Oh my baby. You will protect him, right Koki?” Marika cried, worried now that she knew her son’s fate.
Koki looked from Marika’s crying face to Kazuya’s confused one. Koki knelt down so that he would be eye-level with the child - their savior. “With my life.”
From then on, Koki had been protective of Kazuya. He kept his tattoo hidden by tying a cloth around it. With this, he kept both his and Kazuya’s identity hidden.
Koki’s rationale was that the boy was young and it would be disastrous if the enemies discovered him before he was strong enough for the battle. That was why he put off finding the other four warriors with Kazuya. That was why he never told Kazuya about the prophecy.
But later on, he had begun to genuinely care for the boy. That was why he still protected Kazuya from the truth even if he was old enough to understand.
In Koki’s mind, Kazuya was still the same kid that snuggled with him at sleep because he was scared of monsters. And Koki would feel guilty but it doesn’t change the fact that he would rather keep that kid safe than let him face a battle with no definite result in sight.
He would not risk Kazuya. No matter the consequences.
That was why it worried him to great ends when he heard that Kazuya had returned with some slave. His mind had screamed danger at him and that was the moment he stormed into Kazuya’s room.
-------
“Koki!” Kazuya exclaimed guiltily. “You were here?”
Koki crossed his arms. “Why would I be anywhere else Kamenashi-sama? Unlike someone, I honor my promises.”
Kazuya winced at the jibe. “I’m sorry Koki. You know why I don’t want to bring you with me.” Because you have to act like a slave and you are not that. You are a friend. “But I was careful, I swear!” He hastily added when Koki still looked annoyed.
“This doesn’t look like ‘being careful,’ Kamenashi-sama!” Koki gestured at the lying man in his master’s bed.
“But Koki, he was getting tortured! And he needed treatment for his wounds!”
Suddenly, a memory of an 8 year old Kazuya bringing home a rabbit with a bleeding leg came to Koki’s mind.
“But Koki, he’s bleeding!”
“You can’t bring random animals in the house, Kazu, your mother will be mad,” Koki tried to explain.
“He’s bleeding.” Kazuya said like that was the end of the discussion.
And it was.
Koki gave a long-suffering sigh. Some things never change. “He’s not a pet, you know that don’t you Kazu?”
“Of course I know that!” Kazuya snapped.
Koki shook his head. “I don’t know what to do with you, Kazuya,” he said with a fondness in his voice. It wasn’t Kazuya’s fault he was so kind.
Unfortunately, he didn’t realize he used Kazuya’s real name until it was too late.
“Kazuya?” Jin asked suspiciously. “I thought your name was Kazuko? And isn’t Kazuya a masculine name?”
Koki groaned. They were in trouble.
-------
Jin had been listening to the conversation between the two people in the room with no small amount of confusion. They did not seem to have the typical master-slave relationship despite Koki’s initial use of the title ‘Kamenashi-sama.’
No slave would dare raise his voice on their master, nor scold them.
No master would bother explaining her actions to her slave.
Yet they both did those things.
That is why Jin’s interest was piqued. And true enough, later on, his patience paid off when he heard the man called ‘Koki’ utter the name ‘Kazuya,’ a man’s name.
“I thought your name was Kazuko? And isn’t Kazuya a masculine name?”
Basing on the two people’s expression, he had just learned valuable information.
-------
To be continued
-------
Jin just gained the upper hand. How will Kazuya and Koki handle the situation? And what will Jin do with the information he learned? Come back next week to know the answers to those questions ^^ Meanwhile, you're welcome to guess ^^
Comments make me happy ^^
Posted via m.livejournal.com.
Author: isha_mabin
Genre: Romance, AU, Adventure
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: AKAME
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or any other personalities mentioned
Summary: In a kingdom ruled by an evil queen, a band of warriors will rise and fulfill the prophecy that will restore their peace. But first, they would have to find the boy of legend.
Author’s Note: So sorry this took quite a while. I finally got around to editing this and posting this in the other communities. God, school is killing me. Anyway...enjoy!
Prologue
Chapter 1:
“You ungrateful mongrel! That lady was willing to pay silver to have you!” The slave trader, Tarantina, looked in disgust at her stubborn slave.
Once again, the man had managed to insult one of her most valued customers in less than an hour. Sometimes, Tarantina thinks it’s this particular slave’s talent.
The slave in question, Jin, sneered. He refused to acknowledge this woman who thinks she owns him. No, he does not belong to anyone. No matter what this twisted kingdom believes, he is a free man. “If I do lie in bed with a woman, I prefer it not to be with a lady even a mother could not love!”
Tarantina sneered. She had dealt with these types before - strong-willed slaves who miraculously lived a normal life until they were captured and brought into slavery. It was often harder to train these kinds of men because they had tasted freedom and therefore believe they are deserving of such luxury.
But they were trainable nonetheless. She felt almost sorry for their naivety. Almost.
Tarantina raised the whip to punish the slave. The leather hit Jin’s skin again and again but not one whimper escaped his lips. He refused to give this woman the satisfaction of hearing him suffer.
“Well, you are a tough one aren’t you? No worries. I’ll enjoy breaking you, boy!”
She kicked him hard and his gasp was echoed by another one from the foyer of the small slave house.
Tarantina turned and saw a beautiful woman in a pale blue kimono staring at the scene.
“Hello there miss! Came to buy a slave?” She smiled pleasantly at the potential buyer.
Kazuya looked at the rather bulky woman uncertainly. His mother had warned him not to get near any of the slave houses but he was terribly curious. He had only meant to look and not draw attention to himself. But he was unable to stop the gasp that came out of his lips at the sight of the wounded slave. Now that the slave trader had noticed him, wouldn’t it be suspicious if he just ran off? Besides, he didn’t have the heart to just leave the bleeding slave slumped on the floor.
An idea sparked in his mind.
“Yes, I’d like to buy a slave. Him.” He pointed at the now unconscious man.
Please forgive my impulsiveness, mother.
Tarantina raised an eyebrow. She didn’t think a young, fragile-looking girl like that would want a daughter so soon. But the customer is always right. “He’s expensive because he’s a virgin. 20 copper coins for a night.”
Kazuya’s cheeks burned. He didn’t realize the man might be a stud. As it is, he would have to return him to the trader eventually. “If…if I want him as a sravie, how much would it cost?”
Tarantina’s surprise was apparent. “Sravie, miss? He is not trained to be a sravie. He is still too willful. Perhaps you’d like to look at my other slaves? I have plenty who are diligent and well-behaved.”
Kazuya frowned. This was taking too long and a glance at the slave collapsed at the ground told him he needed to hurry up. The poor man needed someone to tend to his wounds.
“No, thank you. I want him,” he said resolutely.
Tarantina sighed. “As you wish, my lady. I’m giving him to you for 30 silver coins only, due to the circumstances, but I will not accept returns or exchanges.”
Kazuya nodded and handed the right amount to the slave trader.
“Would you like me to deliver him to your house?” Tarantina asked pleasantly. She was happy. Why wouldn’t she be? She finally washed her hands off one troublesome slave.
“That won’t be necessary. I’d like to stay with him in a carriage on the way there.”
-------
“Jin, honey, wake up.”
Jin smiled at his mother’s voice. He could smell cooked food. His mother must have made breakfast. “Five more minutes, Ma.”
“Reio, stop eating your brother’s share,” their father scolded lightly.
“What? It’s his fault for being such a lazy fat-ass!” Reio retorted.
“Language, Reio!” their mother admonished. Jin can actually hear the frown in her voice.
Jin grinned and opened his eyes, expecting to see the usual family scene he had always woken up to. His father calmly sipping coffee while checking their goods, his mother fussing with the food or Reio’s eating habit, and Reio hoarding the food next to their travelling wagon.
But instead of that usual scene, Jin saw blood…lots of blood. The ground was stained red with his family’s blood. Their lifeless bodies were there, amidst the wreckage that was once their belongings.
Suddenly, his mother’s eyes opened and focused on him. Her distorted mouth formed to say something.
Jin screamed. He did not hear her words.
“Jin, you are dreaming.”
Jin backed away, his body shaking.
“Shh, it’s alright.”
“It’s alright. You’re safe.”
“You’re safe.”
Jin finally woke up. For awhile, his vision was blurred from the tears that gathered in his eyes.
“You must have had a bad dream,” a voice he did not recognize spoke from the right side of the bed.
“Wait, a bed?”
Jin sat up. Or tried to. The moment he sprang upwards, his body protested. “Ow!” He groaned.
“Take it easy. Your wounds are not yet healed.”
Jin took a look at the person who spoke and saw the woman earlier at the slave house. “Where am I?”
“In my house. I’m Kamenashi Kazuko, by the way. You can call me Kazu. What’s your name?” Kazuya asked.
“Why am I in your house?” Jin asked instead of answering.
Kazuya hesitated. “I bought you as a sravie.”
Jin frowned. His first reaction was to scream. From one master to another…he was not a dog, for heaven’s sake!
But he realized this could work to his advantage. With Tarantina, his chances of escaping were minimal at best. He knew because he had tried before. It got him absolutely nowhere. With this gentle girl however…
A plan began forming in his mind. He will get this woman to trust him and then he would escape from this kingdom. He would be free again.
His plan-forming was interrupted however when an annoyed-looking man entered the room.
“Kamenashi-sama, how many times have I told you not to go out without me!”
“Koki!”
-------
Koki was 10 years old when he was bought by Kamenashi Marika. He was trained for heavy labor. Chopping wood for firewood, carrying things…those were the things he expected to do once he was bought. So it came as a surprise when Kamenashi-sama only wanted him to be a baby-sitter for her then 6 year old daughter.
Of course, Marika soon explained that Kazuya was a boy. Koki was shocked of course but not as shocked as when Kazuya’s little hands grabbed Koki’s arm and a cross-shaped tattoo formed there.
“The saint…” Marika had gasped.
“…And the master’s cry will wake up five souls.
His touch will allow them to see -
Benevolence, Courage, The Saint, The Dragon and The Wild Tree.”
Koki looked at her in alarm. “You know about the prophecy, Kamenashi-sama?” How many more people were aware of the master and his warriors?
“I’ve only heard rumors…Is it true Koki? Will he go against the queen?” She asked.
For a moment, Koki wanted to spare Kamenashi-sama from the truth. But she gave birth to their savior and had kept him safe. She deserved to at least know the truth.
“Yes, Kamenashi-sama. Gendazeth needs him,” he answered solemnly.
“Oh my baby. You will protect him, right Koki?” Marika cried, worried now that she knew her son’s fate.
Koki looked from Marika’s crying face to Kazuya’s confused one. Koki knelt down so that he would be eye-level with the child - their savior. “With my life.”
From then on, Koki had been protective of Kazuya. He kept his tattoo hidden by tying a cloth around it. With this, he kept both his and Kazuya’s identity hidden.
Koki’s rationale was that the boy was young and it would be disastrous if the enemies discovered him before he was strong enough for the battle. That was why he put off finding the other four warriors with Kazuya. That was why he never told Kazuya about the prophecy.
But later on, he had begun to genuinely care for the boy. That was why he still protected Kazuya from the truth even if he was old enough to understand.
In Koki’s mind, Kazuya was still the same kid that snuggled with him at sleep because he was scared of monsters. And Koki would feel guilty but it doesn’t change the fact that he would rather keep that kid safe than let him face a battle with no definite result in sight.
He would not risk Kazuya. No matter the consequences.
That was why it worried him to great ends when he heard that Kazuya had returned with some slave. His mind had screamed danger at him and that was the moment he stormed into Kazuya’s room.
-------
“Koki!” Kazuya exclaimed guiltily. “You were here?”
Koki crossed his arms. “Why would I be anywhere else Kamenashi-sama? Unlike someone, I honor my promises.”
Kazuya winced at the jibe. “I’m sorry Koki. You know why I don’t want to bring you with me.” Because you have to act like a slave and you are not that. You are a friend. “But I was careful, I swear!” He hastily added when Koki still looked annoyed.
“This doesn’t look like ‘being careful,’ Kamenashi-sama!” Koki gestured at the lying man in his master’s bed.
“But Koki, he was getting tortured! And he needed treatment for his wounds!”
Suddenly, a memory of an 8 year old Kazuya bringing home a rabbit with a bleeding leg came to Koki’s mind.
“But Koki, he’s bleeding!”
“You can’t bring random animals in the house, Kazu, your mother will be mad,” Koki tried to explain.
“He’s bleeding.” Kazuya said like that was the end of the discussion.
And it was.
Koki gave a long-suffering sigh. Some things never change. “He’s not a pet, you know that don’t you Kazu?”
“Of course I know that!” Kazuya snapped.
Koki shook his head. “I don’t know what to do with you, Kazuya,” he said with a fondness in his voice. It wasn’t Kazuya’s fault he was so kind.
Unfortunately, he didn’t realize he used Kazuya’s real name until it was too late.
“Kazuya?” Jin asked suspiciously. “I thought your name was Kazuko? And isn’t Kazuya a masculine name?”
Koki groaned. They were in trouble.
-------
Jin had been listening to the conversation between the two people in the room with no small amount of confusion. They did not seem to have the typical master-slave relationship despite Koki’s initial use of the title ‘Kamenashi-sama.’
No slave would dare raise his voice on their master, nor scold them.
No master would bother explaining her actions to her slave.
Yet they both did those things.
That is why Jin’s interest was piqued. And true enough, later on, his patience paid off when he heard the man called ‘Koki’ utter the name ‘Kazuya,’ a man’s name.
“I thought your name was Kazuko? And isn’t Kazuya a masculine name?”
Basing on the two people’s expression, he had just learned valuable information.
-------
To be continued
-------
Jin just gained the upper hand. How will Kazuya and Koki handle the situation? And what will Jin do with the information he learned? Come back next week to know the answers to those questions ^^ Meanwhile, you're welcome to guess ^^
Comments make me happy ^^
Posted via m.livejournal.com.