Akatsuki - Chapter Twenty-Six
Title: Akatsuki
Genre: AU/Fantasy
Rating : PG-13
Disclaimer: I made the poster from images I got from flickr, heavily influenced by an original, final fantasy/kingdom hearts/legend of Mana but the plot and characterization are my own hard work. The Idols are Johhnys but because they've engraved an irreplaceable position in my heart so I based my characters on them and yeah used their names...the end.
Summary: Two nations on the brink of war. A young King on a mission. Two brothers on a quest to preserve their ties. The bonds of friendship are pitted against the greed for power but the hidden strength lying dormant within the confines of a fragile heart has the ability to throw all asunder.
Chapter Twenty Six - Reflect
The King Zale lifted his vision from the scenic view below to smile at a dark blot in the twilight sky. As it grew closer, the King could make out its jet black wings as they glistened under the bloody glow of the dying sun. The large hawk-like bird descended towards the terrace upon which the King stood with powerful strokes of its wings and as soon as it landed upon the stone floor it began a mystifying transformation. Amidst the shedding feathers the form of a young man appeared. The flicker of light from the pendant around his neck died as soon as the transformation was completed.
The King gazed at the figure as it remained down on one knee with his head bowed low.
“You may rise; Ryutaro, the Crystal Knight,”
The boy did as he was told, his face impassive but eyes aglow with excitement.
“This sure is a pleasant surprise; I assume you sensed the change in the crystal’s energy,”
“I did Your Majesty,”
“And how did you manage to leave Leirion unnoticed? As far as I know the elves have keen eyes,”
“They were distracted and I had too much of that country’s scent on me to seem suspicious,”
The King smirked.
“You guardians are a mystery to me, but I’m pleased that you’re here,”
“The sudden surge in the crystal’s power…you’ve found him haven’t you? The Crystal Child,”
The older man nodded.
“I don’t want to be saying this about my own son, but he’s rather a weakling…now that he’s awakened though...I would need you to help train him to control his energy,”
Ryutaro chuckled, a smug look in place.
“With all due respect My Liege, it is ironic that a person with the crystal’s power running through his veins would need help from a mere user of the said crystal,”
“Ironic but true, it wouldn’t have been this way if the boy had remained under my supervision, the times in the past where he had lost control of his powers and had shown glimpses of his inner-self had successfully driven fear into the minds of the people who knew him, even now…Queen Amaya couldn’t stand the sight of him in his true form and is still unconscious,”
“True form? There really is one? I surely want to see it!”
The King frowned.
“We are holding him in the North Tower but for how long our binds would keep him down I am not sure so come, we must make haste.”
~*~
“Are you alright?”
Daiki blinked twice at the faces swimming above him.
“Water,” he managed to choke out and heard the repeat of the word with much urgency.
“Here,”
He allowed himself to be held up and gulped down as much water as he could without suffocating himself. He sighed heavily as the surroundings became clearer and he could see Yuma and Zack looking at him worriedly.
“I’m okay,” he huffed, pulling himself out of Zach’s grip and wobbling to a sofa before collapsing upon it.
“What happened? You sick?”
Daiki shook his head.
“I don’t know…I just felt dizzy all of a sudden and then…,”
“Well I’m not surprised with the way you have been eating good and sleeping well, this was bound to happen,” Zach spoke, voice laced with sarcasm.
Daiki glared at him. It had been a few days now since he had first arrived in this country and Zach hadn’t let him out of his sight since. He had never liked the older male, but the latter appeared to have taken a strong liking to him, despite his cold attitude.
“Well, I have to head out now but I’ll be back by dinner. Yuma, I’m leaving him under your care,”
“I’m not a kid!” Daiki responded agitated to which Zach gave a mere roll of the eyes before leaving the Inn.
“Don’t you have that bookstore to look after?” he asked the younger boy who was bustling about the fireplace.
“Nope, it’s closed today,” came the reply. Daiki groaned.
“Dad is just really worried about you, you know? I know you’re probably anxious about that mutual brother of yours as much as he is, but you won’t be able to do anything if you don’t take care of your health,”
“What’s left to do? I betrayed him, gave him away, who knows how he’s being treated there?” Daiki replied solemnly.
“Because you were worried about him, about his safety and he’s with his father right? He should be okay,” Yuma replied with an encouraging smile. Daiki watched as the boy walked into the kitchen and returned with a mug of hot chocolate minutes later. Yuma glowered over him as he refused and wouldn’t budge until Daiki took the beverage into his hands and drank a few gulps. Satisfied, Yuma made himself comfortable on a rug by the fireplace and opened up a little book.
Daiki watched the lady at the counter dealing with some customers before his attention fell back onto the lanky kid on the rug.
“If you don’t mind me saying this, you and Zach don’t look alike at all,” he said randomly noticing the stark difference between Yuma’s sharp features and Zach’s rounded but strong ones.
Yuma smiled slightly, snapping his book shut.
“I’m adopted,” he spoke calmly to which Daiki chocked in his mug.
“I’m…I’m sorry I was just…making conversation that’s all…didn’t mean to…,”
“Calm down, I don’t mind you’re not the first one who noted our difference,”
“I see,”
“Zach was married once, but his wife passed away a few months after their wedding, he was away on a mission then. I was the son of his best friend, the guy who owned the bookstore we run together now,”
“What happened to your…real family?”
“Same thing that happened to Zach’s wife, they were killed during a protest,”
“A protest?”
Yuma nodded, crawling closer to him.
“The last of its kind in Valian, you know people aren’t really happy with the way our King is handling things, he’s too set on claiming other lands than developing his own. We are a hardworking people, and intent on not falling apart, but there is only so much we can do on our own without our government’s involvement. So years back when I was a mere toddler, my parents and Zach’s wife; Aunty Selena were very actively involved in anti-government protests. At first, the King paid no attention but as the numbers of the protestors began to grow, I bet he got distracted. That’s when he took out his trump card. There is an underground group that call themselves The Sinister Sages and people claim that they practice the dark arts. He set them on the protestors. None survived. It was a tragedy that silenced the entire nation,”
Daiki sat there taking in the story as an ever-cheerful Yuma got up from the floor to help carry the bags of a new arrival. Everyone seemed so normal on the surface, but they all had their own matters to deal with. Zach and Yuma had held onto each other upon losing everything else, just like Ryosuke and him.
He used to pity himself and his fate but now it got him thinking. It’s not the life that you’ve been given that’s insufficient, it’s what you make of it that matters, because there is always something to make up for what you don’t have, even if it takes time for you to realize it.
He has a family, and if the other would want to keep it that way, then he would go against even the King to take him back. He’d protect his little brother himself and if he’s not capable now…then he’ll become strong enough to do so.
He reached into his bag and pulled out the dagger, unwrapping it and watching the way it glowed softly in response to his touch.
“Just once Ryosuke, call for me…and I’ll come running.”
~*~
A/N: Do share on what you make of the story so far! :) For those waiting for Shadow Boys 2, worry not the plot for part 3 is in the works and is on the last stage. Will start posting soon! Thanks for your patience!