TABOO - Part 1 - 1/2
Title: Tcolor:#222222;background:white">∀BOO
Pairings: Akame, JinLizzy, KoKame
Rating: R
Genre: AU, Dark Fantasy, Smut
Beta: kyleeers
WARNINGS: Minor character death, icky sort of violence, and some kind of perverted smut (if that’s possible).
A/N: Three parts. Sort of one part for each pairing, but not exactly. Akame remains the dominant pairing in this fic. Enjoy!
Part 1 - 1/2
Inspired by the song Cruel Fairy Tale by IU and this post by bentobride (permission to use post as reference was obtained)
First Taboo: Bloodlust
Northern Solstice; 1781
The humid and sultry weather of the evening did not help to assuage the discomfort Kamenashi was currently subjected to. He was worried, naturally. This supper could define his future, and his future was a very delicate matter. As some cleverly put it about his kind, Kamenashi “had a long way to go.”
“The sentries have allowed entrance to a town carriage, Kamenashi-sama,” a new young maid at his side spoke in such a hushed tone that it was almost a whisper.
It was typical for her to behave that way, Kamenashi reminded himself as he peered into the dresser mirror, checking his reflection. He looked rather pale and colorless, it was a constant, and despite that fact he never failed to make the townswomen swoon with his presence alone. Time and again, Kamenashi had to remind himself that his secret was safe as it were at the moment. Surely, there were a few souls out there who knew what Kamenashi was… But these were cowardly times. These men he was dealing with were nothing more than deluded scavengers who thought they could get by with but a little power in their filthy hands.
Kamenashi was unusual. Even for his kind, he was unusual.
“And who is aboard the town carriage?” Kamenashi inquired, trying with all his might to sound endearing and amused. Nevertheless, the maid stiffened when he turned to her.
By and large, vehicles as such were not allowed within the land Kamenashi owned. He did not allow anything as soiled and as worn-down to enter the premises of his rule.
Tonight was an exception.
This one man, who simply fell short of regal judging from their exchange of correspondence, but who claimed to have information about a valuable item that Kamenashi had been searching for, was allowed this visit.
“A - a merchant’s apprentice, Sir,” the maid squeaked, her head down and her face a furious crimson.
“He bears the name of Akanishi. The - the message sent ahead by the sentries declare so.”
“Ah, yes,” Kamenashi replied, smiling at his reflection in the ornately framed mirror.
It was a family heirloom, and the maids comprehended how it was to be cleaned and kept in pristine elegance at all times. It was the most precious item in Kamenashi’s bedroom. No, it was the most important object in the castle.
“Has supper been prepared?” Kamenashi asked as he gracefully rose from his seat.
“I h - have yet to receive word from the kitchens, Kamenashi-sama.”
The young woman’s fingers trembled as she offered Kamenashi his evening coat.
“Very well,” he said, still with the same bright smile. “Tell the cooks to make haste. We would not want to have our guest, Akanishi-san, delayed, would we?”
oOo
Akanishi had tried to deny it ever since the supper had been agreed upon, but now, as his leased carriage unhurriedly but raucously wound up the dampened earth path toward the eerie castle, he had to confess that he was even just a wee bit troubled.
He was a just merchant’s apprentice. Logically, he was acquainted with almost every soul in the town, even if those people were not exactly familiar with him. Akanishi took pride in becoming knowledgeable about everything there is to understand about the town, trusting that soon it would all yield triumph in commerce. The townspeople who indeed have met him found him absolutely charming. Perhaps Akanishi can even become a town bureaucrat in a decade or two.
Akanishi lurched in his seat as the carriage wheel hit a sizable stone in the earth. Massaging the spot on his head that hit the ceiling, the merchant’s apprentice gazed out the window and was awed with the expanse of land, greenery and forests alike that was in possession of but a single man.
Coming with his informal investigations, Akanishi had unearthed some of the town’s darkest secrets and filthiest rumors. Some merchant’s wife breaking out into a scandal in the middle of the night, after hearing rumors about his husband and another woman to some grocer’s child not being truthfully his - Akanishi had heard them all.
And certainly, he had heard many stories about Kamenashi Kazuya, although he was not convinced that any of them were even true.
Kamenashi was a wealthy young man, just around the same age as Akanishi himself. He owned a castle in the middle of acres of land just outside the town. He had seen him but once, when Kamenashi came into town for reasons not entirely known to anyone. It was just common knowledge that, once in a while, the rich boy who lived in the castle came into town and mingled with the rest of the town. And by ‘mingle,’ Akanishi had come to observe that it meant to smile and nod at people, never really staying too long to talk. Some said that Kamenashi had a family whom he never let out of the castle. Others were foolish enough to be convinced that Kamenashi came to town once in a while in search of a proper wife.
Akanishi believed nothing of them, but he could not justify why.
He looked ahead of the carriage. He was almost at the castle, its old paint somehow glistening, while the barren parts looked austere. It was raining when he departed the town - the rain that came before the northern solstice snow - and looking up, he thought the clouds still looked heavy. Perhaps it was still going to rain later. But the moon could be seen right above, full and bright that one did not need a lamp to traverse the grass path.
Peculiarly still, Akanishi received word from Kamenashi exactly seven days ago, requesting for his company on this particular night. Such correspondence came in the form of a letter, carefully and beautifully written and sealed, delivered by one of Kamenashi’s butlers. The letter was read aloud to Akanishi, and then he was requested to compose a response right away, the butler taking Akanishi’s answer back to the castle with him.
In his letter, Kamenashi introduced himself as a “collector,” a self-title dubious in itself. No one knew, after all, where Kamenashi’s wealth originated, likewise how he sustained such a lavish lifestyle. Even so, Kamenashi boldly asked that Akanishi discuss to him the information the merchant’s apprentice gathered regarding a legendary weapon.
The strange thing was, at that time, Akanishi had not mentioned to anyone of the information he gained about the item in question.
“Akanishi-san,” a butler at the ancient double doors bowed as the carriage halted in front of the building’s spacious central pavilion. This was not the same butler who delivered Kamenashi’s letter to him, Akanishi noted as he made a small bow back.
The front doors swung open to reveal a grandiose entrance hall, adorned with all sorts of art: aged and priceless paintings, meticulously arrayed porcelain, even a number of sculptures made of gold. Despite the rather poor lighting, one would not be mistaken to underestimate the worth of each piece.
Now, Akanishi was persuaded that, indeed, Kamenashi was a collector. How on earth he managed to amass such wealth, Akanishi was to be perplexed for ages to come.
At the center of the hall was a majestic red carpet stairway, and he prompted himself not to gape as he saw atop the steps, illuminated by the candle chandeliers hanging above, his host for the night, smiling and gazing down at him, the eerily beautiful Kamenashi-sama.
oOo
“How do you find the food, Akanishi-san?” Kamenashi asked, his face only slightly illuminated by the candles set upon the long table. He was peering over at Akanishi, seemingly curious over the apprentice’s reception of the food.
The long table was set with an assortment of dishes Akanishi could not possibly name half of, much less consume. Kamenashi was known for his profligacy, and preparing a full banquet for a single person was unquestionably within his character. Akanishi discreetly toyed with the golden fork in his hand before replying.
“Nothing short of exquisite,” Akanishi responded, hoping that his smile looked genuine. The feast truly was delectable, but no one in his place would be able to fully enjoy it given such circumstances, such dangers. “Do send my compliments to your kitchen,” he added thoughtfully.
“Misa-san, you heard our guest.”
With that, the nervous-looking young woman, who all the while stood by Kamenashi’s side, excused herself with a bow, and so the two men were left alone in the dining hall. At some point, Akanishi cleared his throat, but could not think of any shrewd thing to say, and so he opted to carry on with his meal. The pronounced ticking of the grandfather clock from someplace within the massive residence was compelling him to speak, as if telling him not to squander the affluent man’s expensive time.
“What would you like to know about the weapon, Kamenashi-sama?” Akanishi asked after a few more spoonfuls, aware that it was taking all of his host’s patience not to leap to the topic right away.
“Well, I have been told that you have some information as to where it might be,” Kamenashi readily replied, his eyes suddenly glinting.
Akanishi kept his eyes on the luxurious dining ware, pondering on his reply. Raising his gaze, though, he smiled and merely hoped for the best as he spoke, “I did hear a rumor or two about its current location.”
Akanishi wished that Kamenashi’s abrupt stiffness in his own seat was due to anticipation rather than displeasure. He could even see the rich man gripping the arms of his chair, knuckles slowly tensing around them. The candle lights gracefully set on the table between them flickered for a splitting moment, and in that moment, Akanishi felt something change.
Something was different with his host, with the atmosphere, with the very light and air around him.
“Unfortunately, I cannot say for sure where it could be found,” Akanishi finished, attempting to sound apologetic. Despite Akanishi’s bad news, however, the man across the long table eased back on his seat, smiling pleasantly.
“As I thought,” Kamenashi said his tone both authoritative and dissatisfied. “I am paying attention to anything at all you have to offer on the subject, Akanishi-san. I have been searching the four corners of the earth, and it has, by far, been the most difficult and taxing item to find.”
Akanishi perceived how Kamenashi was plainly perturbed about finding this one object, and he, too, eased back in his seat. Kamenashi’s frustration, in spite of his anonymous power, was fundamentally equivalent to Akanishi having the upper hand in this negotiation.
“Ah, surely, a fine collector like you would not let such article pass,” Akanishi replied, now smiling back at his host.
“But of course,” Kamenashi agreed, lips curling into a fine smile almost imperceptible in the poor lighting.
“I only collect beautiful things, Akanishi-san,” he said, rising from his chair unexpectedly and walking slowly along the table, coming nearer Akanishi with every step.
“Objects that delight me, or rather, things that bring pleasure to my senses… one way, or another.”
He ceased speaking, but Akanishi realized it was because the young and rather pretty maid - Kamenashi had called her ‘Misa’ earlier - had entered the room again, bringing with her a dusty bottle of aged liquor.
Before setting the bottle down on the table - right in the middle between Akanishi and Kamenashi - she wiped it with a clean cloth from her apron pocket, murmuring her apologies about how sandy the bottle was. All the while, Kamenashi stood by her side, too close if truth be told, but who was Akanishi to question their customs? He was a guest, and this was Kamenashi’s residence and his servants.
They abide by his rules.
“Naturally,” Kamenashi replied, brushing a lock of the maid’s brown hair away from her face. “This wine is a century and a half old. You cannot expect it not to gather dust after such a long time.”
Kamenashi chuckled, and Akanishi felt obliged to do the same. Misa grinned weakly, head still bowed. What her master did after that rather stunned Akanishi - but Akanishi was too baffled to fathom such acts now.
Kamenashi leaned into Misa, as if to kiss her, but then smiled and whispered audibly, “You may retire for the evening. We will not need anything more.”
Even by the dim candles, Akanishi could tell that the maid’s entire face was furiously flushed, and he could not blame her. It was a command, and yet it sounded like a menacing warning and an enticing snare just as well. Kamenashi’s whisper… Akanishi could not understand but… bizarrely, it sent chills up his spine.
“Y - yes, Kamenashi-sama,” Misa replied, her eyes never once meeting both men’s looks. She promptly backed out of the room.
Akanishi was still trying to make sense of what he had witnessed when, as soon as the wooden door closed, somewhere within the grand abode came the distant sound of a violin playing a melancholic piece. It seemed an ordinary occurrence, though, as Kamenashi had turned his attention back to the table, coming nearer and now standing beside Akanishi’s seat.
“Wine, Akanishi-san?” Kamenashi suggested, holding the bottle over his glass.
It was a Baluster stemmed wine goblet from yester-century, possibly the last of its kind, but after the treasures he saw around the castle tonight, Akanishi was not anymore shocked that Kamenashi had one of these in his possession.
Lips pursed, Akanishi nodded wordlessly and watched as crimson liquid of precise viscosity poured forth into his cup, and yet, as he drew in his host’s scent from but a few breaths away - He smelt of a strange but delightful fusion of vanilla and freshly cut roses - Akanishi could not help but think of the beverage to be blood. He shut his eyes in an effort to keep a steady head, letting the heartrending music of the violin calm him.
“I would not want to offer false hopes, Kamenashi-sama,” Akanishi said once the wealthy young man was settled back in his seat on the opposite side. “The weapon is elusive, as other fabled objects such as the Holy Grail itself. I do hope you do not deem yourself a failure if you are ultimately unsuccessful in locating it.”
Kamenashi gazed back at him intently, silently, but his eyes were burning with desire - desire for that object which would, perhaps, grant Kamenashi absolute power. Akanishi entertained the notion that if this prosperous and youthful phantom managed to somehow find and possess the only potent and feasible weapon to vanquish himself, then Kamenashi would without a doubt become, to all intents and purposes, immortal.
“I have, however, extensively studied the supposed characteristics of this almost mythical firearm,” Akanishi found himself speaking the truth, deliberately stressing the last word as their stares intensified.
The sound of the violin seemed to have grown louder, or perhaps the house had grown quieter. The night, after all, was not young anymore. The candles had melted low, but the room was illuminated by the moon shining its brightest from the tall glass windows to the dining table’s side.
“And I take pride in saying I know this weapon by heart, even if I have never seen it with my own two eyes,” Akanishi finished, without thinking, rising from his own seat this time and approaching Kamenashi.
“Ah,” Kamenashi nodded, looking up at him with an unreadable expression on his pale face. “Please do indulge me.”
By instinct and as ridiculous as it might have come across, Akanishi offered a steady hand, an unspoken invitation communicated by his fiery eyes, his wits yielding to the persuasive nature of the tune in the backdrop.
oOo
CONTINUE to Part 1 - 2/2