[fic] With Dragon's Blood - Chapter Thirty Seven ~Decisions, Decisions~
Title: With Dragon's Blood
Author:
prettyorianna
Pairing: Akame, PiKame, JunDa, Koki/Maru
Rating: NC-17.
Genre: fantasy
Beta by: my cat. okay, seriously, nobody
Disclaimer: I don't own KAT-TUN, any of its members, any other JE people. I write this for fun and for other fans of these fine folks. But don't steal my plots, mmkay? I put a great deal of time into them except for when I'm randomly spastically spitting words onto a page. But I value those too... ALSO NOTE that if you steal my land, the language, the names, myths, maps or anything else from it and I find you, I'm sooo gonna be pissed. This world is special to me and I've spent almost 15 years on it.
Summary: Nobody believed an army could cross the mountains. Perhaps that's why nobody was prepared when they did...
Warning: Character death(s). Violence. Maybe more stuff; will modify as needed.
Nifty Banner done by Deshisoraba!!
Author's Note: Short, mostly about the Jin/Pi/Kame stuff.
The Master Posts:
On my journal - With Dragon's Blood Master Post
On the akame_ Community - With Dragon's Blood Master Post
On the akame_fanfics Community - With Dragon's Blood Master Post
On the je_kamenashi Community - With Dragon's Blood Master Post
On the kattun_fanfics Community - With Dragon's Blood Master Post
On the jin_fics Community - With Dragon's Blood Master Post
Chapter Thirty Seven ~Decisions, Decisions~
The decision hadn’t been easy, particularly after Junno told him Grandmother Lashane was dead and after he found his mother in such a state of shock as to be useless for the time being. But someone had to take charge, so Tatsuya had and when Mage Gemma showed up, the two of them had a lot to discuss.
She didn’t tell him exactly who had taken part in the epic sky-battle but her word was enough to convince him of the truth, that the ship had been destroyed. But she did tell him he had a small field full of the crew of the flying ship, and that was not to mention the men already on the ground in the castle.
As Junno had explained to him after the funeral rites had been performed for Ryo, about the ships and the soldiers and everything else he could think to mention. Then, later, Mage Gemma confirmed that four ships had indeed arrived, Castle Aveena was still recovering from the murder of the entire royal family save for the royal twins who’d been happily not at the capital during the attack, that one of the four ship was (until it just burned to cinders) almost directly above the city, and that the other three were in Bayrichta, having fully taken the castle.
Everything was a mess. His personal life, the lives of his friends and family, the safety of his people...
What should he do? Subjects that lost family to the invasion would be against a full pardon but those who hadn’t suffered a tragedy would be against summary execution for so many people, particularly since only some of them engaged in combat anyway.
Eventually, he had Mage Gemma and Junno help him find the ship’s leader and the four of them sat down to talk.
The look the man (he had identified himself as Hiroki) gave Junno was not particularly pleasant but otherwise was quite civil. It was strange, though. The man spoke as if he accepted the fact he was going to be dead very soon, before Tatsuya had said anything like that (heck, he hadn’t even decided yet). But apparently Junno could sense his confusion, because he whispered in and said to him, “It’s either that you’ll kill him, or the Empire will once you let him go. But…” and Tatsuya saw Junno’s eyes flicker to his mutilated hand and then suddenly back up, like he didn’t want Tatsuya to have noticed, before he continued, “You would be the kinder alternative.”
And there was no argument there.
But in the end, the best thing Tatsuya could come up with was a general pardon for the crew of the ship for any man willing to make a nonaggression Oath. But Hiroki and those he turned over guilty for the slaying of Queen Lashane (Tatsuya still was shocked to find she’d been Mage Spirit) would be executed.
It wasn’t an ideal solution. With the ship burned from the sky, the men were basically trapped. The ways through the mountain were treacherous. The men didn’t have any money and who knew what skill training they’d had past the fighting and the workings of the flying ship.
His own people might be downright hostile to the newcomers, considering…
But what else could he do? Slaughter them all indiscriminately? No, he just couldn’t do that. It felt… wrong.
Mage Gemma excused herself, with the parting shot, “It’d be best to let Hiroki make the announcement to his men. They’ll understand him better.”
Tatsuya could only agree with her.
+++
“Jin?” Kame sounded hesitant to Jin as he asked. The two of them had been walking around town. Not any particular spot so much… Kame just needed the air, he’d said.
“Hmm?”
Even more hesitantly, “I love Yamapi. I’ll always love him, I think. No matter what.”
Every word sank deeper and deeper down in the pit of Jin’s stomach, unsettling him. Was that why Kame asked him to come with him? So he could rail on about how amazing Yamapi is and how much he loves him? His voice a little hard, Jin said, “And?”
“Does…” and it seemed like Kame was trying to find the right words. “I mean, if you know that, then… Is it, if you…” and then Kame was cursing audibly to himself, “Man’dekael’s shaggy beard but this all sounded so much better in my head!” Jin could see a faint blush on Kame’s cheeks before the younger turned away from him.
Putting a hand on Kame’s arm, Jin turned him back towards him and kissed him on the forehead. “Talk to me, yes? I’ll listen.”
“I’m not sure what I’m trying to say! I just… I… want you. I want to be… but I know I haven’t the right. I know I’ll always love him, no matter what, for the rest of forever. It’s not… right. For you, I mean. From me. To know I’ll always… but…” and scratching his head in annoyance, Kame finally just shouted, “Hell’s drums! I don’t know what I mean! Just…”
But Kame didn’t say anything else, because Jin, overwhelmed at the incoherent outpouring of Kame’s feelings, leaned down and captured his lips in a fierce kiss. Kame met the kiss with matching intensity and it left both of them equally breathless. But finally Jin managed to say, “I made the Oath already. If you love me, that’s enough. That’s more than enough. The rest…” Jin shrugged. “So long as you can promise me I won’t turn around and find you back in his arms, I don’t mind the rest. We all have our past and I would be foolish to lose my chance with you out of stupid mistrust.”
And the look Kame gave Jin was warm and full of love. “Oh, Jin…”
Another fierce kiss. Jin had been proud of himself, for how he’d behaved recently, giving Kame his space and trying not to rub his relationship with Kame into the wounds of Yamapi’s heart… but, damn, he’d really missed this.
After the kiss ended, Jin just pulled Kame into his arms, holding him close.
“How am I going to tell him this…” Kame gave a worried sigh. “I don’t suppose you have some idea? He’s just… I can’t read him recently. I thought he wasn’t interested anymore and then he assaults me in a drunken stupor this morning…”
“Wait till he sobers up. But… he might not take it very well either way. I’m not saying you should lead him on, because it would be cruel. Just… understand, when you tell him, there will be consequences and considering how much I know you still love him, they might hurt.”
Jin wasn’t an idiot. He knew there was nothing he could ever do that would make Kame stop loving Yamapi. But now… for the first time he felt almost like he was enough for Kame after all. Because, even though Yamapi had thrown himself at Kame that morning, Kame was outside walking with Jin while Yamapi slept alone.
+++
Yamapi had passed out but he didn’t stay that way. Apparently dragons worked off their alcohol pretty rapidly. He vaguely remembered trying to kill Jin and then kissing Kame. So embarrassing…
Speaking of which, where had Kame and Jin run off to? He couldn’t find them anywhere in the inn, though Sassi was back it seemed. She wanted to wait for Kame and Jin before saying anything. So Yamapi gave the place another search and still couldn’t find them…
…until he happen to glance down at the street from the window.
They were kissing! Kissing!
Anger and sadness rolled through Yamapi’s whole body. They shouldn’t be kissing like that. He hadn’t made his decision yet. He hadn’t definitely ended it with Kame, not permanently. But Kame apparently didn’t care enough to wait!
Hell’s drums, but it was like finding the campsite at the ruins all over again. Only it was worse this time, because Kame KNEW he was right inside, possibly waiting on him.
Damn it!
That’s it. That was it. No more. He was going to walk down these steps, go out the front door, beat the shit out of Jin, maybe give that w-whore K-Kame a piece of his mind…
Great, he was crying. He was a dragon, damn it! He shouldn’t be crying so easily. It was stupid. Everything…
The faint sound of Kame’s small moan over the kiss floated up to the open window.
Only he was allowed to get Kame to make that sound!
DAMN IT!
And then, though whether a memory or a new intrusion Yamap didn’t know, he had the voice of his mother in his head, “I told you so…”
And all he could do is let out a frustrated yell and pace back and forth angrily.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The story continues:
Chapter Thirty Eight ~Quarrel~
A/N: Day Six is winding down. I need to catch "The Heroes" (that's the collective term for Sassi, Jin, Kame, and Yamapi... technically Marina, too, but since she's not with them she doesn't count this time) up to the evening, but that won't take much. They are pretty much the only ones left with some unfinished stuff for D6. So the next chapter will definitely end D6 and hopefully will also begin Day Seven.
Oh, and let me tell you, Day Seven is the day where everything comes together. Very important day, probably many, many chapters. The list of "Shit That Happens" lists no less that 22 items for that day.
Then that leaves Day Eight, and then the section I've titled as "Later-ish" which is the ending I've already written. So... no clue how many real days but that's what's left of the story.
Back on the topic of this chapter, though, I feel kind of bad for Yamapi. But the whole thing is a mess.
I also feel bad for Junno. I mean, he was ready to die to make sure Tatsuya got away, and being tortured was bad enough but then to not die like he'd expected... he'll have to live with that memory and the guilt he feels over Ryo's death. Hopefully, over time, Tatsuya can soothe this for him.
Well, anyway, I've got to get in the shower and do all the other pre-bed rituals for the evening. I will do my very best to get a chapter up for you all tomorrow, but I have to go to the *gasp, sob, oh the horror* dentist to get some cavities filled. Which reminds me... I need to find that appointment card 'cause I really don't remember what time the appointment is LOL