From the Beginning: Ch. 7
Title: From the Beginning
Co-written by: youkohiei-fan and Zelinxia
Overall Summary: Canon AU. Eleven-year-old Kurogane and his father are summoned to Shirasagi Castle where he meets Fai, a boy from a different world. What becomes an instant friendship sets in stone an indelible bond for the two.
Chapter: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
A Lord and His Priest
Fai threw the staff forward, putting his weight on it so he could propel himself out of the way of massive claws. He heard the sounds of their horses shrieking. They were bred to not run from the oni, but they could only handle so much before fleeing in terror. He panted and glared at round, pupil-less eyes and began writing symbols in the air as he tried to put distance between them.
Meanwhile the lord swiped his katana in front of him to deflect one of the oni’s blow before it could obliterate Fai’s chance to fully cast his spell. He then went for a fast offense, drawing the tip of the blade at a side stance for his most powerful technique.
“Hama-ryuu-ou-jin!” he roared, striking the sword down against the oni. The thing roared before it was split in half by Suwa’s lord. When its body hit the earth the ground rumbled. There were still smaller oni that were being dealt with by the others in their group, so when Fai was ready, he cast his spell forward.
Flames sprouted from thin air, taking the form of fanged creatures, each hitting an oni. Screeching was heard across the battlefield as the smell of sulfur and blood hit his nose.
The whole party did not rest so soon. Each man, aside from Fai, still held their katana at the ready in case any oni still had to be dealt with. When the smoke and the soot cleared from the scene of the battlefield, it was clear that all oni were finished with after the men poked and prodded the carcasses. Fai leaned forward, hands on his knees as he panted. He was still young and he wasn’t used to having to run and dodge like this. He had suffered a few scraps here and there, but overall he was fine as he fought from long distance.
“At ease, men,” Lord Suwa commanded and each member relaxed their stances, sheathing their weapons. He lent an arm to support Fai. “You did very well, Fai-kun. You will hang in there.”
Several of the local villagers ran to the scene, some with buckets of water and others with makeshift medicinal supplies. There were cries of thanks from them.
Straightening, Fai nodded. “I’m alright.” He smiled when several people came up to them asking on the lord’s welfare and then looked to him with concern as well. These people were kind, like the villagers he had seen back in his home world.
Toriho relaxed, tension easing off his shoulders. “I’m glad to hear that. You know, I wonder what the kid would think if he were here. I bet he would be proud of you…well at least if he’s a good friend,” Toriho said, sporting a grin. “Hmm, the two of you would make excellent fighting partners. That I could see…” There was some sadness in the lord’s eyes.
“Kuro-chan might be too busy yelling at me to fight.” Fai smiled as he looked up at the older man. “Maybe when he gets back we can try.”
Lord Suwa chuckled. “That boy would probably be fighting and yelling at you at the same time. He would probably go like this.” The lord changed his expression from his usual optimistic to one that was more serious. “Don’t just stand there idiot. Fight!” He even captured his son’s impatient tone and personality.
Laughing, Fai nodded. It was a spot on impersonation. “I’ll have to ask him about it in my next letter.” The villagers had gone to take care of those injured and he was glad there had been no casualties.
“We should head home soon then.” Before he knew it, the lord ruffled his hand through Fai’s hair. Unlike his son’s unruly black hair (just like his own), Fai’s hair was finer. “Sorry,” Toriho apologized as he withdrew his hand. “It’s just…we’re glad to have you with us, Fai-kun.”
“I don’t mind,” Fai said with a smile. He wasn’t used to affectionate gestures even still. “…I’m glad to be here. This world is nice.”
“Indeed, we are blessed to have a great master,” one of the villagers tending to a soldier’s wound piped. “Even though the young master is away from Suwa, we know we can count on the young priest, too.”
“Ahh…I wouldn’t say priest…in my home land I’m a wizard or magician.” Fai blushed, thinking such a title didn’t belong to him.
“Wizard, magician, priest…they’re all the same to us. That is why we feel blessed that we can also count on you and the lady priestess,” the villager commented.
“Thank you.” Fai offered a smile and bowed slightly. He was embarrassed by the thanks but he took it all in stride.
The lord was warmed to see that Fai was received very well in the province. He knew it wouldn’t be necessarily easy for the people of Nihon to accept a foreigner who looked very different from them, despite the fact the boy was young when he arrived. The retainer came to his side.
“Is it time to go home now?” the lord asked.
“It would be wise to stay the night for us to recuperate. Besides my lord, it would be rude not to celebrate a victory when the village is going to have a feast in your honor.” He smiled and Fai looked over to him curiously.
The lord crooked one eyebrow. “Is that so?” he asked. “Well then, we shall stay then.”
“A good choice, my lord.” His second in command smirked as everyone began heading back to the village to rest and relax after the battle.
xXx
When the feast was getting into full swing, the lord and many of his men picked up their goblets of gin. Cheering for their victory, they clanged their cups together - some spilled bits of theirs - before drinking heartily. Fai smiled and sipped at the wine he had been given. It was bitter, but it wasn’t terrible and he didn’t want to be rude to the people serving them.
The evening ticked by and soon they lost track of time. The lord soon felt his face flushing so badly that he tried to turn down an offer for another cup, but the village chief insisted and poured some more drink into the lord’s goblet. Fai was feeling a bit woozy himself and when he looked around he saw more than a few people passed out already. He watched as Kurogane’s father laughed at some joke.
“Master, master,” the chief inquired in between his bouts of hiccups. “Since the young lord will be the new master someday, would he take the young priest” - at that he jabbed his finger at Fai’s direction but narrowly missed - “by his side? I mean…that’s the way of the world. The master and his powerful priestess. Or priest in this case…”
“Perhaps, Fai-kun might not wish to when he gets older, but we will see.” The lord smiled, swaying slightly as he patted the man’s shoulder. They would need heirs of course, but he supposed that problem would come up later if Fai and his son were to ever become romantically involved. “I mean,” Toriho stumbled to gather his words. “There was that one time Kurogane tried to help Fai-kun off the horse but they collapsed on the floor together. And,” he scrambled to remember correctly. “Kurogane even kissed the other lad on the cheek! Oh wait; maybe it was the other way around…”
“I believe our lord is drunk.” His retainer laughed merrily and Fai blushed at the mention of him kissing Kurogane. It had been a sending away custom in his world between those that cared for another; they must have thought it was different though.
“What on earth are you talking about?” the lord bellowed, waving one hand to dismiss his retainer’s words.
“The lady won’t be happy with you returning with a hangover,” he chided good naturedly. “Maybe we should call it a night. Even Fai-kun seems to be a little drunk.”
“Alright, alright.” Toriho lowered his head in shame. “Fai-kun, please tell me you don’t feel sick at all. Otherwise the lady would get to me.” He acted strangely a lot like his son right now.
Shaking his head, Fai’s cheeks were flushed from drinking. He felt full from all the food that had been forced on him and it was hot from all the people in the rooms. “I’m alright, a little sleepy though.”
“That’s right…it has been a really long day.” Even the lord himself was drifting off into a sleepy stupor.
“We have rooms prepared already, though some have fallen asleep already.” Fai looked at the villagers and nodded. He got up, feeling a bit shaky on his feet. The retainer smiled and told the others to let those passed out sleep.
“Come here, young priest,” a kind woman said, offering her hand to help Fai to his room.
He nodded and took the offered hand. He was grateful too as he probably would have fallen several times on his way to the room.
“Good night, Fai-kun,” The lord spoke, already nodding off.
Fai chuckled and nodded. He waved as he left before looking ahead so he didn’t run into something or someone. Kurogane would probably scold him if he could see him now though and he grinned at the thought. “Goodnight.”
And with that, the village was relieved to be rid of the oni. Now they had their drunk-as-hell lord and his bawdy men to deal with…but the villagers were fine with that.
Black Steel
“Kurogane, dodge!” Souma shouted as she held a kunai up and blocked her opponent’s sword with a sharp clang ringing through the air. They were on one of the many roofs of the castle, fighting would-be assassins.
As Souma ordered, Kurogane swooped down to avoid one of the assassin’s blade. He then took his opportunity to jab the one in front of him using his katana’s hilt and proceed to swipe it out.
Souma gritted her teeth, stabbing her opponent in the leg and when he dropped his guard she pivoted around and kicked him in the gut, knocking him out cold.
He cursed under his breath. More assassins were filing onto the castle’s roof by the minute. He knew that the empress would be fine since she was also diligently trained in the ways of the sword but Tomoyo was already in danger as it is. As the clouds swept in their path to cover the moonlight, he started to have visions, flashbacks of the village he wasn’t able to save.
Oni were making their way through the village, their roars filling the air. He saw everyone - even children being devoured by them.
And quickly without thinking, Kurogane raised his katana and sliced it in a thick arc, successfully killing the assassin that was in front of him.
Souma deflected another blow, slicing her enemy across the chest. She barely heard his scream when she looked over to see Kurogane slashing through his opponents. He was strong, after all, as he had been trained by his father, thus the assassins that stood in his path fell with ease.
“Kurogane!”
The young lord thought that he heard his name, but that wasn’t important. Seeing these deadly men die in front of him, screaming and crumbling in pain, were oddly relishing. How dare they come to abduct, harm, or worse, kill the beloved empress and miko princess of Nihon? To do that to the people he swore to protect? He was about to unleash more damage before a hand grabbed his arm.
“You idiot boy!” Souma glared as she looked at all the bodies littering the roof now. “You’re lucky I left one alive!”
“Why didn’t you get rid of him?” Kurogane asked coldly.
“We need them for questioning.” She looked at him and saw that he wasn’t remorseful. “Go to your room and make sure the princess doesn’t see you like this.”
Kurogane didn’t say anything back. He only narrowed his eyes to express his disappointment. Shaking off the thick layers of blood, he sheathed his katana and leapt off the roof. He didn’t pass anyone on his way towards his room. It was probably for the best as the young lord was deep in his thoughts of one of his first real missions here and how he had defeated his enemies.
Kurogane stripped off his shinobi gear and changed into something more comfortable. He lied down on his bed and stared at the ceiling silently, contemplating his actions on the rooftop. Knowing that all of the assassins except for one were dead, he was satisfied that he had done his job and was reassured that everyone in the castle would be fine. Leaning on his side, he saw unrolled blank parchments and the unopened bottle of ink lying on his table. He was supposed to write back, but the invasion prevented him. Staring hard at it, Kurogane felt he didn’t want to write back so soon.
Not for now.
Co-written by: youkohiei-fan and Zelinxia
Overall Summary: Canon AU. Eleven-year-old Kurogane and his father are summoned to Shirasagi Castle where he meets Fai, a boy from a different world. What becomes an instant friendship sets in stone an indelible bond for the two.
Chapter: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
A Lord and His Priest
Fai threw the staff forward, putting his weight on it so he could propel himself out of the way of massive claws. He heard the sounds of their horses shrieking. They were bred to not run from the oni, but they could only handle so much before fleeing in terror. He panted and glared at round, pupil-less eyes and began writing symbols in the air as he tried to put distance between them.
Meanwhile the lord swiped his katana in front of him to deflect one of the oni’s blow before it could obliterate Fai’s chance to fully cast his spell. He then went for a fast offense, drawing the tip of the blade at a side stance for his most powerful technique.
“Hama-ryuu-ou-jin!” he roared, striking the sword down against the oni. The thing roared before it was split in half by Suwa’s lord. When its body hit the earth the ground rumbled. There were still smaller oni that were being dealt with by the others in their group, so when Fai was ready, he cast his spell forward.
Flames sprouted from thin air, taking the form of fanged creatures, each hitting an oni. Screeching was heard across the battlefield as the smell of sulfur and blood hit his nose.
The whole party did not rest so soon. Each man, aside from Fai, still held their katana at the ready in case any oni still had to be dealt with. When the smoke and the soot cleared from the scene of the battlefield, it was clear that all oni were finished with after the men poked and prodded the carcasses. Fai leaned forward, hands on his knees as he panted. He was still young and he wasn’t used to having to run and dodge like this. He had suffered a few scraps here and there, but overall he was fine as he fought from long distance.
“At ease, men,” Lord Suwa commanded and each member relaxed their stances, sheathing their weapons. He lent an arm to support Fai. “You did very well, Fai-kun. You will hang in there.”
Several of the local villagers ran to the scene, some with buckets of water and others with makeshift medicinal supplies. There were cries of thanks from them.
Straightening, Fai nodded. “I’m alright.” He smiled when several people came up to them asking on the lord’s welfare and then looked to him with concern as well. These people were kind, like the villagers he had seen back in his home world.
Toriho relaxed, tension easing off his shoulders. “I’m glad to hear that. You know, I wonder what the kid would think if he were here. I bet he would be proud of you…well at least if he’s a good friend,” Toriho said, sporting a grin. “Hmm, the two of you would make excellent fighting partners. That I could see…” There was some sadness in the lord’s eyes.
“Kuro-chan might be too busy yelling at me to fight.” Fai smiled as he looked up at the older man. “Maybe when he gets back we can try.”
Lord Suwa chuckled. “That boy would probably be fighting and yelling at you at the same time. He would probably go like this.” The lord changed his expression from his usual optimistic to one that was more serious. “Don’t just stand there idiot. Fight!” He even captured his son’s impatient tone and personality.
Laughing, Fai nodded. It was a spot on impersonation. “I’ll have to ask him about it in my next letter.” The villagers had gone to take care of those injured and he was glad there had been no casualties.
“We should head home soon then.” Before he knew it, the lord ruffled his hand through Fai’s hair. Unlike his son’s unruly black hair (just like his own), Fai’s hair was finer. “Sorry,” Toriho apologized as he withdrew his hand. “It’s just…we’re glad to have you with us, Fai-kun.”
“I don’t mind,” Fai said with a smile. He wasn’t used to affectionate gestures even still. “…I’m glad to be here. This world is nice.”
“Indeed, we are blessed to have a great master,” one of the villagers tending to a soldier’s wound piped. “Even though the young master is away from Suwa, we know we can count on the young priest, too.”
“Ahh…I wouldn’t say priest…in my home land I’m a wizard or magician.” Fai blushed, thinking such a title didn’t belong to him.
“Wizard, magician, priest…they’re all the same to us. That is why we feel blessed that we can also count on you and the lady priestess,” the villager commented.
“Thank you.” Fai offered a smile and bowed slightly. He was embarrassed by the thanks but he took it all in stride.
The lord was warmed to see that Fai was received very well in the province. He knew it wouldn’t be necessarily easy for the people of Nihon to accept a foreigner who looked very different from them, despite the fact the boy was young when he arrived. The retainer came to his side.
“Is it time to go home now?” the lord asked.
“It would be wise to stay the night for us to recuperate. Besides my lord, it would be rude not to celebrate a victory when the village is going to have a feast in your honor.” He smiled and Fai looked over to him curiously.
The lord crooked one eyebrow. “Is that so?” he asked. “Well then, we shall stay then.”
“A good choice, my lord.” His second in command smirked as everyone began heading back to the village to rest and relax after the battle.
xXx
When the feast was getting into full swing, the lord and many of his men picked up their goblets of gin. Cheering for their victory, they clanged their cups together - some spilled bits of theirs - before drinking heartily. Fai smiled and sipped at the wine he had been given. It was bitter, but it wasn’t terrible and he didn’t want to be rude to the people serving them.
The evening ticked by and soon they lost track of time. The lord soon felt his face flushing so badly that he tried to turn down an offer for another cup, but the village chief insisted and poured some more drink into the lord’s goblet. Fai was feeling a bit woozy himself and when he looked around he saw more than a few people passed out already. He watched as Kurogane’s father laughed at some joke.
“Master, master,” the chief inquired in between his bouts of hiccups. “Since the young lord will be the new master someday, would he take the young priest” - at that he jabbed his finger at Fai’s direction but narrowly missed - “by his side? I mean…that’s the way of the world. The master and his powerful priestess. Or priest in this case…”
“Perhaps, Fai-kun might not wish to when he gets older, but we will see.” The lord smiled, swaying slightly as he patted the man’s shoulder. They would need heirs of course, but he supposed that problem would come up later if Fai and his son were to ever become romantically involved. “I mean,” Toriho stumbled to gather his words. “There was that one time Kurogane tried to help Fai-kun off the horse but they collapsed on the floor together. And,” he scrambled to remember correctly. “Kurogane even kissed the other lad on the cheek! Oh wait; maybe it was the other way around…”
“I believe our lord is drunk.” His retainer laughed merrily and Fai blushed at the mention of him kissing Kurogane. It had been a sending away custom in his world between those that cared for another; they must have thought it was different though.
“What on earth are you talking about?” the lord bellowed, waving one hand to dismiss his retainer’s words.
“The lady won’t be happy with you returning with a hangover,” he chided good naturedly. “Maybe we should call it a night. Even Fai-kun seems to be a little drunk.”
“Alright, alright.” Toriho lowered his head in shame. “Fai-kun, please tell me you don’t feel sick at all. Otherwise the lady would get to me.” He acted strangely a lot like his son right now.
Shaking his head, Fai’s cheeks were flushed from drinking. He felt full from all the food that had been forced on him and it was hot from all the people in the rooms. “I’m alright, a little sleepy though.”
“That’s right…it has been a really long day.” Even the lord himself was drifting off into a sleepy stupor.
“We have rooms prepared already, though some have fallen asleep already.” Fai looked at the villagers and nodded. He got up, feeling a bit shaky on his feet. The retainer smiled and told the others to let those passed out sleep.
“Come here, young priest,” a kind woman said, offering her hand to help Fai to his room.
He nodded and took the offered hand. He was grateful too as he probably would have fallen several times on his way to the room.
“Good night, Fai-kun,” The lord spoke, already nodding off.
Fai chuckled and nodded. He waved as he left before looking ahead so he didn’t run into something or someone. Kurogane would probably scold him if he could see him now though and he grinned at the thought. “Goodnight.”
And with that, the village was relieved to be rid of the oni. Now they had their drunk-as-hell lord and his bawdy men to deal with…but the villagers were fine with that.
Black Steel
“Kurogane, dodge!” Souma shouted as she held a kunai up and blocked her opponent’s sword with a sharp clang ringing through the air. They were on one of the many roofs of the castle, fighting would-be assassins.
As Souma ordered, Kurogane swooped down to avoid one of the assassin’s blade. He then took his opportunity to jab the one in front of him using his katana’s hilt and proceed to swipe it out.
Souma gritted her teeth, stabbing her opponent in the leg and when he dropped his guard she pivoted around and kicked him in the gut, knocking him out cold.
He cursed under his breath. More assassins were filing onto the castle’s roof by the minute. He knew that the empress would be fine since she was also diligently trained in the ways of the sword but Tomoyo was already in danger as it is. As the clouds swept in their path to cover the moonlight, he started to have visions, flashbacks of the village he wasn’t able to save.
Oni were making their way through the village, their roars filling the air. He saw everyone - even children being devoured by them.
And quickly without thinking, Kurogane raised his katana and sliced it in a thick arc, successfully killing the assassin that was in front of him.
Souma deflected another blow, slicing her enemy across the chest. She barely heard his scream when she looked over to see Kurogane slashing through his opponents. He was strong, after all, as he had been trained by his father, thus the assassins that stood in his path fell with ease.
“Kurogane!”
The young lord thought that he heard his name, but that wasn’t important. Seeing these deadly men die in front of him, screaming and crumbling in pain, were oddly relishing. How dare they come to abduct, harm, or worse, kill the beloved empress and miko princess of Nihon? To do that to the people he swore to protect? He was about to unleash more damage before a hand grabbed his arm.
“You idiot boy!” Souma glared as she looked at all the bodies littering the roof now. “You’re lucky I left one alive!”
“Why didn’t you get rid of him?” Kurogane asked coldly.
“We need them for questioning.” She looked at him and saw that he wasn’t remorseful. “Go to your room and make sure the princess doesn’t see you like this.”
Kurogane didn’t say anything back. He only narrowed his eyes to express his disappointment. Shaking off the thick layers of blood, he sheathed his katana and leapt off the roof. He didn’t pass anyone on his way towards his room. It was probably for the best as the young lord was deep in his thoughts of one of his first real missions here and how he had defeated his enemies.
Kurogane stripped off his shinobi gear and changed into something more comfortable. He lied down on his bed and stared at the ceiling silently, contemplating his actions on the rooftop. Knowing that all of the assassins except for one were dead, he was satisfied that he had done his job and was reassured that everyone in the castle would be fine. Leaning on his side, he saw unrolled blank parchments and the unopened bottle of ink lying on his table. He was supposed to write back, but the invasion prevented him. Staring hard at it, Kurogane felt he didn’t want to write back so soon.
Not for now.