Shin-Gi Tai (Comical Affections)
Disclaimer: I own everything in this story. Everything, except the Johhnys mentioned (sad right?).
Summary:
An ancient myth revolves around a powerful martial artist who’s been entrusted with the task of training ten disciples every era to face an evil warlord and his army, all who possess the gift of immortality.
Comical Affections
iii) Protection
Midori sat with her head in her hands trying to think over the laughter of the two people strolling in the garden. A pair of boots came to stop right in front of her. She looked up slowly, her eyes widening in fear.
“She’s huge now, back then she was just a little kitten,” Hikaru said cheerfully rubbing the head of a cat nestled comfortably in Asuka’s arms.
“Ne Hikaru you dork, have you learned to do anything else but throw those silly little balls around,”
“Madam! You insult my art!” he exclaimed, eyes wide, a hand on his chest. She stuck her tongue out at him. He smiled; a toothy grin.
“So, omedeto for your engagement,” he said, trying to sound cheerful, but ended up sounding very serious instead. Asuka turned away and let the cat go.
“Hmm, yeah, I just wished he wasn’t an old and ugly minister,”
“Then what would you rather have?” he asked, amused at her description of her fiancé. It was pretty much accurate actually. With her back still facing him, she said quietly.
“A dork, maybe,”
Hikaru could have sworn his heart stopped beating for a couple of seconds. He bit his lip so hard, it bled.
Squatting down he poked a mushroom growing under a rock.
“That’s a rare breed ne?” he said grimly. Asuka turned to look at him, eyes moist. Lowering her gaze she nodded before putting up a brave smile.
“They are indeed.”
The duo jumped as the peaceful stillness of the atmosphere was disturbed by heavy footsteps as an armed soldier appeared from behind a tree. Asuka quickly rushed towards Hikaru. The soldier wasn’t wearing the countries emblem, and his armor was jet black.
“Dare? Who are you?” Hikaru questioned. Two more similar soldiers made their presence known as the trio advanced towards the two. Hikaru’s heart raced.
‘It couldn’t be them could it? The invaders, no that’s impossible’.
The soldiers continued their progress.
“What should we do?” Asuka whispered clutching onto his arm.
The timely arrival of Yamashita-san with a drawn blade halted their advance.
“Yo, juggler boy, escort the lady to safety will you,” he drawled. His face was calm but in his eyes was murder. He swung his blade around his hand effortlessly. The three soldiers drew their own weapons.
“Yes sir,” Hikaru complied, suppressing his surprise. He grabbed Asuka’s hand and pulled her away from the clashing swords.
Note: This chap feels like a fail, esp the last part....yamapi-kun must sound too ooc....well...gomen.
iv) With You
“Where is Midori?” Asuka exclaimed as they came to a stop among a collection of blooming sakura trees.
Alarms had been raised. It seemed as if the palace was under attack. A deathly chill blew with the wind as their shuddering gasps eluded smoky white fumes. The sky was getting darker.
“Scary,” Asuka whispered, hugging herself. Hikaru nodded, agreeing whole-heartedly.
They continued walking until they were within the forest. The air was dense with only the sound of crickets resonating around them.
“What should we do now?” Hikaru wondered aloud. He wished he were armed, better yet, he wished he knew how to fight. He turned to face Asuka.
“Princess, I can’t protect you,”
To his surprise, she frowned and crossed her arms across her chest.
“What makes you think I need protection Yaotome-san?”
He grinned slightly taking one step back, failing to notice how unleveled the forest floor was. He lost his footing and with a gasp tumbled backwards. Asuka attempted to grab him to prevent the fall, but ended up falling on top of him instead.
A surge of red bloomed on both faces at the close proximity.
“Ne, ne, just because you’re alone you think you can do stuff like this, it’s highly inappropriate I must say,”
Asuka quickly scrambled off a shocked Hikaru. The presence of a witness like Yamashita made the situation even worse.
“Sumimasen,” she gasped bowing. Hikaru lay there, frozen. A flustered Asuka rushed towards the nearby river, splashing water on her face.
Yamashita-san offered his hand to the boy on the ground, showing no effort in trying to hide the sly grin on his face. Hikaru took it and rose to his feet. Without letting go of his hand Yamashita pulled him close enough to whisper;
“You seriously need to take some lessons from me,”
“Huh?”
Hikaru stared after the man as he walked away with a smirk on his face.
“Hime-sama,” Yamashita called. Hikaru gulped. He had seen this man before in the royal court, and he knew she was the princess, that could mean big trouble.
Asuka walked towards the two men with her face bent low. She was very obviously avoiding eye contact with either and her face was still flushed.
“Now, if these were normal circumstances, you would be in big trouble-“ he said looking at Hikaru. Hikaru sighed miserably.
“But it ain’t,” Yamashita continued. Hikaru looked up at him, so did Asuka.
“The soldiers that just attacked, they were after something and I’m probably guessing it was the two of you,”
“Me? Why me?” Hikaru asked alarmed. He understood if anyone targeted the princess but why him?
“Good question, there’s only one person who can answer that for you,”
“Who?”
“A man going by the name Yasutsuna, Amakuni Yasutsuna,”
“Amakuni?” Hikaru wondered. Where had he heard that name before?
“What should we do?” Asuka asked.
“You can very well return to the palace princess, there are people there who can protect you,” Yamashita said plainly. Asuka didn’t look happy.
“You on the other hand have to fend for yourself, sad, but that’s life ne,”
“So, where can I find this Yasa-something guy?” Hikaru asked interestedly. The fact he was a somebody enough to be targeted by whoever was making him feel excited. He felt no shame in hiding it too, which is probably the reason why Asuka was scowling at him at the moment.
“Yasutsuna, treat the name with respect boy,”
“Ya, sure sorry bout that,”
Yamashita sighed.
“He resides at the Tengku Ryu, an old school. You could ask around in town, an encounter with the right person will give you the best directions,”
“And you aren’t the right person?”
Yamashita chuckled.
“No,” he replied suddenly becoming very serious. Hikaru frowned. Weird guy.
“That’s it then, Ja,” he said and walked away. Hikaru looked at Asuka.
“Princess hayaku, go back with him, I’ll take my leave,” said he. She stared at Yamashita’s retreating back. Hikaru started making his way towards the stream, hoping to follow it to town.
“I’m coming with you,”
He stopped dead in his tracks.
“Dame, zettai dame,” he exclaimed rounding upon her. She stared back at him, resolute.
“Ne Hikaru, let’s elope,” she suggested.
“You’ve lost your mind,” he muttered, his fingers rubbing his temples wearily.
“No, I haven’t,” she replied firmly. He stared at her, she stared back. A string of thoughts swirled in his brain. Deep inside, he wanted nothing more than to agree. Heck, they were still young, both having secured respective places in society (hers more significant than his). They might even regret it later. He could be hunted down and killed. The repercussions were very clear and too horrible to imagine.
It seemed if I had to live just to be able to see you everyday, I would.
“Hikaru?” she voiced concerned at his silence. He smiled and held out his hand.
Her lips broke out into the most brilliant smile he’s ever seen as she slid her hand in his.
“Let’s go.”
to be continued.....
Note: Here it is, two stories down. If you are wondering about the continuation of the separate stories, they will be uploaded after all the short stories have been posted and the main stories begin, you can take these as prologues.
Next Tale: http://tsubasa-quill.livejournal.com/tag/shin-gi-tai:at+voyage's+end
Summary:
An ancient myth revolves around a powerful martial artist who’s been entrusted with the task of training ten disciples every era to face an evil warlord and his army, all who possess the gift of immortality.
Comical Affections
iii) Protection
Midori sat with her head in her hands trying to think over the laughter of the two people strolling in the garden. A pair of boots came to stop right in front of her. She looked up slowly, her eyes widening in fear.
“She’s huge now, back then she was just a little kitten,” Hikaru said cheerfully rubbing the head of a cat nestled comfortably in Asuka’s arms.
“Ne Hikaru you dork, have you learned to do anything else but throw those silly little balls around,”
“Madam! You insult my art!” he exclaimed, eyes wide, a hand on his chest. She stuck her tongue out at him. He smiled; a toothy grin.
“So, omedeto for your engagement,” he said, trying to sound cheerful, but ended up sounding very serious instead. Asuka turned away and let the cat go.
“Hmm, yeah, I just wished he wasn’t an old and ugly minister,”
“Then what would you rather have?” he asked, amused at her description of her fiancé. It was pretty much accurate actually. With her back still facing him, she said quietly.
“A dork, maybe,”
Hikaru could have sworn his heart stopped beating for a couple of seconds. He bit his lip so hard, it bled.
Squatting down he poked a mushroom growing under a rock.
“That’s a rare breed ne?” he said grimly. Asuka turned to look at him, eyes moist. Lowering her gaze she nodded before putting up a brave smile.
“They are indeed.”
The duo jumped as the peaceful stillness of the atmosphere was disturbed by heavy footsteps as an armed soldier appeared from behind a tree. Asuka quickly rushed towards Hikaru. The soldier wasn’t wearing the countries emblem, and his armor was jet black.
“Dare? Who are you?” Hikaru questioned. Two more similar soldiers made their presence known as the trio advanced towards the two. Hikaru’s heart raced.
‘It couldn’t be them could it? The invaders, no that’s impossible’.
The soldiers continued their progress.
“What should we do?” Asuka whispered clutching onto his arm.
The timely arrival of Yamashita-san with a drawn blade halted their advance.
“Yo, juggler boy, escort the lady to safety will you,” he drawled. His face was calm but in his eyes was murder. He swung his blade around his hand effortlessly. The three soldiers drew their own weapons.
“Yes sir,” Hikaru complied, suppressing his surprise. He grabbed Asuka’s hand and pulled her away from the clashing swords.
Note: This chap feels like a fail, esp the last part....yamapi-kun must sound too ooc....well...gomen.
iv) With You
“Where is Midori?” Asuka exclaimed as they came to a stop among a collection of blooming sakura trees.
Alarms had been raised. It seemed as if the palace was under attack. A deathly chill blew with the wind as their shuddering gasps eluded smoky white fumes. The sky was getting darker.
“Scary,” Asuka whispered, hugging herself. Hikaru nodded, agreeing whole-heartedly.
They continued walking until they were within the forest. The air was dense with only the sound of crickets resonating around them.
“What should we do now?” Hikaru wondered aloud. He wished he were armed, better yet, he wished he knew how to fight. He turned to face Asuka.
“Princess, I can’t protect you,”
To his surprise, she frowned and crossed her arms across her chest.
“What makes you think I need protection Yaotome-san?”
He grinned slightly taking one step back, failing to notice how unleveled the forest floor was. He lost his footing and with a gasp tumbled backwards. Asuka attempted to grab him to prevent the fall, but ended up falling on top of him instead.
A surge of red bloomed on both faces at the close proximity.
“Ne, ne, just because you’re alone you think you can do stuff like this, it’s highly inappropriate I must say,”
Asuka quickly scrambled off a shocked Hikaru. The presence of a witness like Yamashita made the situation even worse.
“Sumimasen,” she gasped bowing. Hikaru lay there, frozen. A flustered Asuka rushed towards the nearby river, splashing water on her face.
Yamashita-san offered his hand to the boy on the ground, showing no effort in trying to hide the sly grin on his face. Hikaru took it and rose to his feet. Without letting go of his hand Yamashita pulled him close enough to whisper;
“You seriously need to take some lessons from me,”
“Huh?”
Hikaru stared after the man as he walked away with a smirk on his face.
“Hime-sama,” Yamashita called. Hikaru gulped. He had seen this man before in the royal court, and he knew she was the princess, that could mean big trouble.
Asuka walked towards the two men with her face bent low. She was very obviously avoiding eye contact with either and her face was still flushed.
“Now, if these were normal circumstances, you would be in big trouble-“ he said looking at Hikaru. Hikaru sighed miserably.
“But it ain’t,” Yamashita continued. Hikaru looked up at him, so did Asuka.
“The soldiers that just attacked, they were after something and I’m probably guessing it was the two of you,”
“Me? Why me?” Hikaru asked alarmed. He understood if anyone targeted the princess but why him?
“Good question, there’s only one person who can answer that for you,”
“Who?”
“A man going by the name Yasutsuna, Amakuni Yasutsuna,”
“Amakuni?” Hikaru wondered. Where had he heard that name before?
“What should we do?” Asuka asked.
“You can very well return to the palace princess, there are people there who can protect you,” Yamashita said plainly. Asuka didn’t look happy.
“You on the other hand have to fend for yourself, sad, but that’s life ne,”
“So, where can I find this Yasa-something guy?” Hikaru asked interestedly. The fact he was a somebody enough to be targeted by whoever was making him feel excited. He felt no shame in hiding it too, which is probably the reason why Asuka was scowling at him at the moment.
“Yasutsuna, treat the name with respect boy,”
“Ya, sure sorry bout that,”
Yamashita sighed.
“He resides at the Tengku Ryu, an old school. You could ask around in town, an encounter with the right person will give you the best directions,”
“And you aren’t the right person?”
Yamashita chuckled.
“No,” he replied suddenly becoming very serious. Hikaru frowned. Weird guy.
“That’s it then, Ja,” he said and walked away. Hikaru looked at Asuka.
“Princess hayaku, go back with him, I’ll take my leave,” said he. She stared at Yamashita’s retreating back. Hikaru started making his way towards the stream, hoping to follow it to town.
“I’m coming with you,”
He stopped dead in his tracks.
“Dame, zettai dame,” he exclaimed rounding upon her. She stared back at him, resolute.
“Ne Hikaru, let’s elope,” she suggested.
“You’ve lost your mind,” he muttered, his fingers rubbing his temples wearily.
“No, I haven’t,” she replied firmly. He stared at her, she stared back. A string of thoughts swirled in his brain. Deep inside, he wanted nothing more than to agree. Heck, they were still young, both having secured respective places in society (hers more significant than his). They might even regret it later. He could be hunted down and killed. The repercussions were very clear and too horrible to imagine.
It seemed if I had to live just to be able to see you everyday, I would.
“Hikaru?” she voiced concerned at his silence. He smiled and held out his hand.
Her lips broke out into the most brilliant smile he’s ever seen as she slid her hand in his.
“Let’s go.”
to be continued.....
Note: Here it is, two stories down. If you are wondering about the continuation of the separate stories, they will be uploaded after all the short stories have been posted and the main stories begin, you can take these as prologues.
Next Tale: http://tsubasa-quill.livejournal.com/tag/shin-gi-tai:at+voyage's+end