[FANFIC] [TRC] The Second (Chapter 1)
Fandom: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Title: The Second
Author: nyanja14 (aka: Miss Fish, the_myrah)
Summary: At the end of a war, hitzusen strikes as the most unlikely of meetings occurs. (kurofai)
Word Count: 1371
Rating: Teen
Warnings: some dark themes
Chapter 1: End of a War
The sounds of the battle had been clear for almost a week and today the clashes and roars were close. The rhythmic thud of horse hooves seemed to thunder through the prison, and occasionally a man would let out a scream that had once been familiar to him: the voice of the dying.
All the noise made it rather hard for Ni (1) to sleep despite the late hour, but he didn't mind too much. With the battle so close by the war was at a critical stage; the guards had left to join the fight, leaving no one to heckle or harm him. For that, Ni was grateful.
For the opposing army to have made it so close to the fort, the Clemites (2) had to be losing. He didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing-as a prisoner, he would become the opposition's property if they were victorious and while things could be better under the enemies, they could also be worse. He had been in the hands of the Clemites for a long time now; at least with them, he knew what to expect.
He didn't know much about the invaders. He had gleaned from eavesdropping on the guards that they were from a nearby island to the south. Everything else he'd heard had been slurs, which Ni couldn't take as fact. He doubted every one of the foreign men stank of manure and stole from the poor.
"Ni!"
He turned his head to acknowledge Koryuu (3), a dark-haired man in trouble for assaulting the wrong man's lover who inhabited the cell across from his. Koryuu nodded towards the outside. "Care to make a bet?"
He shook his head.
"Well, then, what do you think? Who's going to win? Or do you think the war is just going to keep going on?"
Ni had a feeling that the opposition would be victorious by daybreak-the Clemites had been pushed too close to their base to possibly recover without a miracle. However, he just shrugged.
"Oh, c'mon! I know you have some idea," Koryuu persisted, leaning forward and gripping the bars of his cell. "I heard you used to fight, a long time ago."
"Don't bother him, Koryuu-kun," chided Yuuto (4), an old rapist a few cells down. Ni remembered that Yuuto had been a very handsome man when he first arrived at the prison, but time had wizened him. "You know he's not going to talk to you."
Koryuu snapped back a retort, but Ni had no interest in listening to another squabble between the two. Instead, he turned back around and leaned against the cool wall, struggling to find sleep amidst the din and waiting.
**********
"Ni-san! Ni-san, wake up."
He blinked, looking around and noticing that all the other prisoners were alert. He looked to Yamazaki (5), the swindler in the cell on his right who had awakened him. Yamazaki intercepted his quiet gaze and explained.
"The fighting has stopped. Listen."
Immediately, Ni noticed the lack of noise and strained his ears. Indeed, he could only hear the faintest of sounds outside: footsteps, horse trots, the occasional shout.
"It got quiet not too long ago," Yamazaki continued. "Sorry to wake you up, but I thought you'd like to know."
He shook his head to show he didn't mind.
"Do you think they'll find us soon?" Koryuu wondered loudly across from him. "Hey, do you think they'll let us go?"
"We're inmates, not prisoners of war. They're not here to liberate us," Yuuto answered, amused. "They'll probably just leave us where we are."
"We could tell them we're prisoners of war." Koryuu suggested, playing with his long bangs.
If Yuuto hadn't been a polite man, he would've snorted. "From what war? This is the first war the Clemites have had in over a hundred years. And we don't look anything like they will."
"What do they look like anyway? I heard none of them have any hair at all."
"Actually," Yamazaki interrupted, "people from the southern islands have hair the color of strawberries. They're also known for having an average height of seven feet, and they are the first and only people to have created a method for traveling under water."
"Seriously?" Koryuu exclaimed, leaning forward to see Yamazaki better. Several other prisoners had also turned in interest.
Yamazaki smiled kindly. "It's true. Right, Ni?"
He looked towards Yamazaki when spoken to and nodded in agreement, though he frankly had no idea. Considering that Yamazaki was in prison for lying to customers though, he doubted the man was a good source for accurate information.
"Wow," Koryuu murmured, convinced after Ni's approval. A few cells down, Yuuto was chucking. "How do they go under water?"
Yamazaki started to answer, but down the corridor a door banged open and two strangers marched in. Both had black hair and neither were anywhere close to seven feet. However, the armor they wore was of a make Ni had never seen before, so they could only be a part of the invading army. Koryuu shot an accusatory glare at Yamazaki. Then, one of the soldiers looked over his shoulder and shouted, "Colonel!" After a moment, a new man appeared, larger than the others but with much quieter footfalls.
Ni thought the colonel looked like an angry man, the type of man who could easily intimidate others. Though he was probably at least forty, he seemed to still be in good condition and battle-ready, if the blood splattered over his clothes was anything to go by. Both of the soldiers stood up straighter after his arrival.
"It appears to be a prison, sir," the man who had called out stated.
"I can see that."
The man looked as though he would very much like to duck his head in embarrassment, but he restrained himself. "Sir. Shall we proceed to transporting them back, sir?"
Koryuu sat up eagerly, the beginning of an escape plan obviously forming in his head.
But the colonel shook his head. "No. Go inform Lieutenant Colonel Takeshi (6) about the situation. It looks as though there are too many to move." He turned toward the prisoner in the first cell by the door, whom Ni did not know the name of. "You. Are there any more prisons in this fort?"
The inmate shook his head. "Only one here. High security for prisoners with a history for breakouts," he responded honestly. A few of his neighbors glared at him for releasing the information.
The tall colonel turned back to the soldier. "Yes, too many, especially if they've all escaped before. There's no way we could bring them all back to the castle. Takeshi will just have to assign some men to remain here for now. Tell him that."
With another "Sir!", the first solider bowed and hurried off.
"Find out how long it's been since they ate and if needed locate the rations," the colonel ordered the other, quiet solider. The colonel cast one last glance at the prisoners before starting to leave, but then stopped. He turned back around and stared straight at Ni.
Ni froze. The colonel had red eyes, something he'd never seen in all of his years, but that wasn't why a chill pass through him.
The man was staring at him with a look of fear that he wouldn't have thought was possible for a jaded warrior like him. Ni panicked, wondering if this man had fought him before on the battle field and bore a grudge, but he couldn't have been a fraction of Ni's age and he sensed no magic in the colonel to lengthen his life. He pressed himself up against the back wall of his cell, trying to get away from the colonel's red eyes, but there was no where to run.
The other prisoners and the soldier were also staring at him, wondering what was going on. "Ni-san…?" Yamazaki breathed next to him. "What…?"
But the colonel was slowly walking towards Ni's cell, eyes never leaving his face. He cringed as the man stopped before him, hands coming forward to grip the bars of his cell. For a long moment, no one in the prison spoke. Then, a soft whisper of disbelief:
"Fai?"
NOTES:
1 - As you may or may not know, "ni" is two in Japanese.
2 - "Clemites" are just a race I made up.
3 - Koryuu is a demon from "Wish" who is always bothering the main character, Kohaku.
4 - Yuuto is one of the Dragons of Earth/Seven Angels from "X" who usually dresses in a manner that resembles a pimp.
5 - Yamazaki is one of Sakura's classmates from "Cardcaptor Sakura" who makes up wild tales about everything and anything.
6 - Takeshi Shukaido is one of the main characters from "Duklyon: Clamp School Defenders" and excels in kendo.
~~FANFICTION MASTERLIST~~
Title: The Second
Author: nyanja14 (aka: Miss Fish, the_myrah)
Summary: At the end of a war, hitzusen strikes as the most unlikely of meetings occurs. (kurofai)
Word Count: 1371
Rating: Teen
Warnings: some dark themes
Chapter 1: End of a War
The sounds of the battle had been clear for almost a week and today the clashes and roars were close. The rhythmic thud of horse hooves seemed to thunder through the prison, and occasionally a man would let out a scream that had once been familiar to him: the voice of the dying.
All the noise made it rather hard for Ni (1) to sleep despite the late hour, but he didn't mind too much. With the battle so close by the war was at a critical stage; the guards had left to join the fight, leaving no one to heckle or harm him. For that, Ni was grateful.
For the opposing army to have made it so close to the fort, the Clemites (2) had to be losing. He didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing-as a prisoner, he would become the opposition's property if they were victorious and while things could be better under the enemies, they could also be worse. He had been in the hands of the Clemites for a long time now; at least with them, he knew what to expect.
He didn't know much about the invaders. He had gleaned from eavesdropping on the guards that they were from a nearby island to the south. Everything else he'd heard had been slurs, which Ni couldn't take as fact. He doubted every one of the foreign men stank of manure and stole from the poor.
"Ni!"
He turned his head to acknowledge Koryuu (3), a dark-haired man in trouble for assaulting the wrong man's lover who inhabited the cell across from his. Koryuu nodded towards the outside. "Care to make a bet?"
He shook his head.
"Well, then, what do you think? Who's going to win? Or do you think the war is just going to keep going on?"
Ni had a feeling that the opposition would be victorious by daybreak-the Clemites had been pushed too close to their base to possibly recover without a miracle. However, he just shrugged.
"Oh, c'mon! I know you have some idea," Koryuu persisted, leaning forward and gripping the bars of his cell. "I heard you used to fight, a long time ago."
"Don't bother him, Koryuu-kun," chided Yuuto (4), an old rapist a few cells down. Ni remembered that Yuuto had been a very handsome man when he first arrived at the prison, but time had wizened him. "You know he's not going to talk to you."
Koryuu snapped back a retort, but Ni had no interest in listening to another squabble between the two. Instead, he turned back around and leaned against the cool wall, struggling to find sleep amidst the din and waiting.
**********
"Ni-san! Ni-san, wake up."
He blinked, looking around and noticing that all the other prisoners were alert. He looked to Yamazaki (5), the swindler in the cell on his right who had awakened him. Yamazaki intercepted his quiet gaze and explained.
"The fighting has stopped. Listen."
Immediately, Ni noticed the lack of noise and strained his ears. Indeed, he could only hear the faintest of sounds outside: footsteps, horse trots, the occasional shout.
"It got quiet not too long ago," Yamazaki continued. "Sorry to wake you up, but I thought you'd like to know."
He shook his head to show he didn't mind.
"Do you think they'll find us soon?" Koryuu wondered loudly across from him. "Hey, do you think they'll let us go?"
"We're inmates, not prisoners of war. They're not here to liberate us," Yuuto answered, amused. "They'll probably just leave us where we are."
"We could tell them we're prisoners of war." Koryuu suggested, playing with his long bangs.
If Yuuto hadn't been a polite man, he would've snorted. "From what war? This is the first war the Clemites have had in over a hundred years. And we don't look anything like they will."
"What do they look like anyway? I heard none of them have any hair at all."
"Actually," Yamazaki interrupted, "people from the southern islands have hair the color of strawberries. They're also known for having an average height of seven feet, and they are the first and only people to have created a method for traveling under water."
"Seriously?" Koryuu exclaimed, leaning forward to see Yamazaki better. Several other prisoners had also turned in interest.
Yamazaki smiled kindly. "It's true. Right, Ni?"
He looked towards Yamazaki when spoken to and nodded in agreement, though he frankly had no idea. Considering that Yamazaki was in prison for lying to customers though, he doubted the man was a good source for accurate information.
"Wow," Koryuu murmured, convinced after Ni's approval. A few cells down, Yuuto was chucking. "How do they go under water?"
Yamazaki started to answer, but down the corridor a door banged open and two strangers marched in. Both had black hair and neither were anywhere close to seven feet. However, the armor they wore was of a make Ni had never seen before, so they could only be a part of the invading army. Koryuu shot an accusatory glare at Yamazaki. Then, one of the soldiers looked over his shoulder and shouted, "Colonel!" After a moment, a new man appeared, larger than the others but with much quieter footfalls.
Ni thought the colonel looked like an angry man, the type of man who could easily intimidate others. Though he was probably at least forty, he seemed to still be in good condition and battle-ready, if the blood splattered over his clothes was anything to go by. Both of the soldiers stood up straighter after his arrival.
"It appears to be a prison, sir," the man who had called out stated.
"I can see that."
The man looked as though he would very much like to duck his head in embarrassment, but he restrained himself. "Sir. Shall we proceed to transporting them back, sir?"
Koryuu sat up eagerly, the beginning of an escape plan obviously forming in his head.
But the colonel shook his head. "No. Go inform Lieutenant Colonel Takeshi (6) about the situation. It looks as though there are too many to move." He turned toward the prisoner in the first cell by the door, whom Ni did not know the name of. "You. Are there any more prisons in this fort?"
The inmate shook his head. "Only one here. High security for prisoners with a history for breakouts," he responded honestly. A few of his neighbors glared at him for releasing the information.
The tall colonel turned back to the soldier. "Yes, too many, especially if they've all escaped before. There's no way we could bring them all back to the castle. Takeshi will just have to assign some men to remain here for now. Tell him that."
With another "Sir!", the first solider bowed and hurried off.
"Find out how long it's been since they ate and if needed locate the rations," the colonel ordered the other, quiet solider. The colonel cast one last glance at the prisoners before starting to leave, but then stopped. He turned back around and stared straight at Ni.
Ni froze. The colonel had red eyes, something he'd never seen in all of his years, but that wasn't why a chill pass through him.
The man was staring at him with a look of fear that he wouldn't have thought was possible for a jaded warrior like him. Ni panicked, wondering if this man had fought him before on the battle field and bore a grudge, but he couldn't have been a fraction of Ni's age and he sensed no magic in the colonel to lengthen his life. He pressed himself up against the back wall of his cell, trying to get away from the colonel's red eyes, but there was no where to run.
The other prisoners and the soldier were also staring at him, wondering what was going on. "Ni-san…?" Yamazaki breathed next to him. "What…?"
But the colonel was slowly walking towards Ni's cell, eyes never leaving his face. He cringed as the man stopped before him, hands coming forward to grip the bars of his cell. For a long moment, no one in the prison spoke. Then, a soft whisper of disbelief:
"Fai?"
NOTES:
1 - As you may or may not know, "ni" is two in Japanese.
2 - "Clemites" are just a race I made up.
3 - Koryuu is a demon from "Wish" who is always bothering the main character, Kohaku.
4 - Yuuto is one of the Dragons of Earth/Seven Angels from "X" who usually dresses in a manner that resembles a pimp.
5 - Yamazaki is one of Sakura's classmates from "Cardcaptor Sakura" who makes up wild tales about everything and anything.
6 - Takeshi Shukaido is one of the main characters from "Duklyon: Clamp School Defenders" and excels in kendo.
~~FANFICTION MASTERLIST~~