East Kingdoms Block Party (Twelve Kingdoms, 8/31)
East Kingdoms Block Party
~ A Twelve Kingdoms Fanfiction Series ~
By aishuu
For 31_days Month of May theme, "You know that ghost is me"
Notes: Unwittingly inspired by both canis_m and mithrigil, I'm going to be writing Twelve Kingdoms fanfiction based on this month's themes. The fics are non-sequential, but discuss life after the projected end of the series.
Kenrou Shinkun had become a revered god without even trying.
When Kouya had fled En, he hadn't had a particular thought of where to go, except that the Yellow Sea was where the youma lived. Rokuta would be safer there; it was Kouya who would become the outcast in another's land.
Life in the Yellow Sea was difficult, and not for the faint of heart. But he had been an orphan his entire childhood, and as long as Rokuta was with him, he wasn't alone.
Sometimes he wasn't sure if he should be glad of his Sen-nin status or not. His essential immortality ensured he would be able to survive most traumas, but it didn't guarantee the life he was enjoying would be pleasant. Sen-nin could still feel the bitterness of a cold night, or the gnawing ache of hunger.
But as time passed, he began to find a balance. He and Rokuta became skilled hunters, filling their bellies every evening. And as the pain of hunger was denied, he found himself speaking to Rokuta, discussing the weather or musing on the best path to their next resting area. His voice was rusty from disuse, but he wanted to make sure he didn't forget how to talk. There was that "someday" that the Ever King had promised him, a time when En would be a place that could welcome him and Rokuta. He dreamed of that time, when people would welcome their company.
For now, though, he lived like a shadow, forgotten by the rest of the world. Perhaps he was going a little mad; some might claim he'd always been insane.
He and Rokuta learned the terrain, and years went by practically unmarked. The one time he cared to acknowledge was the sunrise, because that meant the land was just a bit safer, and he could sleep. He and Rokuta became nocturnal, because that was the time when most of the youma were out hunting and they had to be on their guard.
They could have existed like that forever, had they not come upon the small traveling party. It was a day in the spring, and he and Rokuta were setting up their camp for the day when suddenly the tenken moved, raising his head up at some sign beyond human senses.
Without speaking - because he and Rokuta didn't need to - he climbed onto the youma's back. Rokuta took off, flying at incredible speeds over a distance that would have taken a man days to traverse alone. Then the tenken landed on an outcrop of ledge, and Kouya looked down.
A group of travelers had set up their own tents in a neat circle. The group was clearly on a shouzan, and he idly wished he knew what kingdom they were from - anything but En. He glanced over at Rokuta, wondering if he was going to have to stop him from trying to eat the travelers. Rokuta blinked, and Kouya looked out again, his night-trained eyes catching the circling kiki.
The dog-like youma was circling the camp, drawing in tighter and tighter circles. Kouya nibbled his lip, trying to decide what to do. It had been over a decade since he had seen another human, but then he hadn't particularly liked his own kind. He was used to their cruelty, and didn't feel he owed them anything.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked Rokuta.
The tenken blinked its iris-less eyes slowly, but offered no other sign of what it was thinking.
He slid off Rokuta's back, sitting down so his legs dangled over the edge. Unable to decide what to do, he did nothing as the kiki was spotted by the two watching guards. Torches were lit as cries of warning were sounded.
He watched as the camp swarmed into action, facing the dangerous beast. A couple of guards wearing mediocre swords were the first to fall, caught by the beast's fierce teeth. An archer managed to land a shot in the kiki's haunches, but was rewarded only with his own gory death as the youma retaliated.
Kouya watched blankly. He'd seen many people die by youma - he himself had fed people to Rokuta. Death was a natural part of life, where the strong fed off the weak.
Five were down, but the beast was finally cornered by the surviving guards. Kouya tapped his fingers against the solid earth, noting that two more kiki were going to counteract. Dog-like youma usually hunted in packs, but none of the humans below seemed aware of the threat lurking just beyond their fire's light.
"Do you want me to save the kiki? Or the travelers?" he asked, his eyes still fastened on the scene. He really didn't care which side won - both were savages.
But then he heard an unexpected cry, the sound of a babe yelling for his father.
Kouya's body went rigid. There was a child down there, likely hiding in one of the tents. An innocent.
Shutting his eyes, he saw the memory of a golden head of hair, and a warm smile flash through his mind. More than anything, Kouya regretted betraying the true friendship the kirin of En had unhesitatingly offered him. He had used the kirin's compassion against him, threatening the life of a babe to make Enki follow his demands.
What would the original Rokuta think of this situation?
The answer wasn't hard. He would want Kouya to show compassion.
"Come, Rokuta," he said, climbing back onto the tenken's back.
It took seconds for Rokuta to fly to the ravaged camp. As the tenken lowered himself to the ground, the kiki looked up and snarled... before slinking away into the woods. A tenken was more powerful, and the other youma decided to leave the spoils without fighting.
The camp seemed to freeze in that moment of time, with none of the survivors speaking. Kouya stared back at them, unsure what to do. Since they weren't screaming in terror, they probably thought Rokuta was youjyuu. He didn't plan to enlighten them.
Finally a middle-aged woman stepped forward, one dressed in the fine robes of a court official. "Thank you, my lord," she said, before falling to her knees in respectful prostration.
The other survivors - those that weren't wounded - followed suit. It was a pleasing sight, he thought, seeing the respect being offered to him and Rokuta. But it was also foolhardy of them to have their eyes on the ground, unable to notice possible threats. It wasn't unheard of for youma to take human form - he could very well be one, for all they knew.
"Rise, please," he said, and she shifted her head upwards. He couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Are you on shouzan?" she asked.
"No," he replied shortly, before deciding an additional explanation was needed. "I live out here."
There were murmurs of surprise from several of the party's members. The woman nodded abruptly, like she understood something the rest of them were missing. "We've had several of our guards wounded and killed in this attack, and Mount Hou is still a long ways away. Would you grant us your protection?"
The idea was startling, and for a second he was tempted to leave this group to their fate... but there had been a child among there number. If he and Rokuta left, the youma would undoubtedly return.
He would never be able to show Enki his face if he let these people die when he could stop it. The Ever King had promised him a peaceful land, but Kouya couldn't let the giving be all one-sided. There were good people in the world, he knew, and Kouya wanted to be one of them.
"I'll make sure you arrive safely," he agreed.
And with that one decision, he took the first step toward godhood.
~ A Twelve Kingdoms Fanfiction Series ~
By aishuu
For 31_days Month of May theme, "You know that ghost is me"
Notes: Unwittingly inspired by both canis_m and mithrigil, I'm going to be writing Twelve Kingdoms fanfiction based on this month's themes. The fics are non-sequential, but discuss life after the projected end of the series.
Kenrou Shinkun had become a revered god without even trying.
When Kouya had fled En, he hadn't had a particular thought of where to go, except that the Yellow Sea was where the youma lived. Rokuta would be safer there; it was Kouya who would become the outcast in another's land.
Life in the Yellow Sea was difficult, and not for the faint of heart. But he had been an orphan his entire childhood, and as long as Rokuta was with him, he wasn't alone.
Sometimes he wasn't sure if he should be glad of his Sen-nin status or not. His essential immortality ensured he would be able to survive most traumas, but it didn't guarantee the life he was enjoying would be pleasant. Sen-nin could still feel the bitterness of a cold night, or the gnawing ache of hunger.
But as time passed, he began to find a balance. He and Rokuta became skilled hunters, filling their bellies every evening. And as the pain of hunger was denied, he found himself speaking to Rokuta, discussing the weather or musing on the best path to their next resting area. His voice was rusty from disuse, but he wanted to make sure he didn't forget how to talk. There was that "someday" that the Ever King had promised him, a time when En would be a place that could welcome him and Rokuta. He dreamed of that time, when people would welcome their company.
For now, though, he lived like a shadow, forgotten by the rest of the world. Perhaps he was going a little mad; some might claim he'd always been insane.
He and Rokuta learned the terrain, and years went by practically unmarked. The one time he cared to acknowledge was the sunrise, because that meant the land was just a bit safer, and he could sleep. He and Rokuta became nocturnal, because that was the time when most of the youma were out hunting and they had to be on their guard.
They could have existed like that forever, had they not come upon the small traveling party. It was a day in the spring, and he and Rokuta were setting up their camp for the day when suddenly the tenken moved, raising his head up at some sign beyond human senses.
Without speaking - because he and Rokuta didn't need to - he climbed onto the youma's back. Rokuta took off, flying at incredible speeds over a distance that would have taken a man days to traverse alone. Then the tenken landed on an outcrop of ledge, and Kouya looked down.
A group of travelers had set up their own tents in a neat circle. The group was clearly on a shouzan, and he idly wished he knew what kingdom they were from - anything but En. He glanced over at Rokuta, wondering if he was going to have to stop him from trying to eat the travelers. Rokuta blinked, and Kouya looked out again, his night-trained eyes catching the circling kiki.
The dog-like youma was circling the camp, drawing in tighter and tighter circles. Kouya nibbled his lip, trying to decide what to do. It had been over a decade since he had seen another human, but then he hadn't particularly liked his own kind. He was used to their cruelty, and didn't feel he owed them anything.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked Rokuta.
The tenken blinked its iris-less eyes slowly, but offered no other sign of what it was thinking.
He slid off Rokuta's back, sitting down so his legs dangled over the edge. Unable to decide what to do, he did nothing as the kiki was spotted by the two watching guards. Torches were lit as cries of warning were sounded.
He watched as the camp swarmed into action, facing the dangerous beast. A couple of guards wearing mediocre swords were the first to fall, caught by the beast's fierce teeth. An archer managed to land a shot in the kiki's haunches, but was rewarded only with his own gory death as the youma retaliated.
Kouya watched blankly. He'd seen many people die by youma - he himself had fed people to Rokuta. Death was a natural part of life, where the strong fed off the weak.
Five were down, but the beast was finally cornered by the surviving guards. Kouya tapped his fingers against the solid earth, noting that two more kiki were going to counteract. Dog-like youma usually hunted in packs, but none of the humans below seemed aware of the threat lurking just beyond their fire's light.
"Do you want me to save the kiki? Or the travelers?" he asked, his eyes still fastened on the scene. He really didn't care which side won - both were savages.
But then he heard an unexpected cry, the sound of a babe yelling for his father.
Kouya's body went rigid. There was a child down there, likely hiding in one of the tents. An innocent.
Shutting his eyes, he saw the memory of a golden head of hair, and a warm smile flash through his mind. More than anything, Kouya regretted betraying the true friendship the kirin of En had unhesitatingly offered him. He had used the kirin's compassion against him, threatening the life of a babe to make Enki follow his demands.
What would the original Rokuta think of this situation?
The answer wasn't hard. He would want Kouya to show compassion.
"Come, Rokuta," he said, climbing back onto the tenken's back.
It took seconds for Rokuta to fly to the ravaged camp. As the tenken lowered himself to the ground, the kiki looked up and snarled... before slinking away into the woods. A tenken was more powerful, and the other youma decided to leave the spoils without fighting.
The camp seemed to freeze in that moment of time, with none of the survivors speaking. Kouya stared back at them, unsure what to do. Since they weren't screaming in terror, they probably thought Rokuta was youjyuu. He didn't plan to enlighten them.
Finally a middle-aged woman stepped forward, one dressed in the fine robes of a court official. "Thank you, my lord," she said, before falling to her knees in respectful prostration.
The other survivors - those that weren't wounded - followed suit. It was a pleasing sight, he thought, seeing the respect being offered to him and Rokuta. But it was also foolhardy of them to have their eyes on the ground, unable to notice possible threats. It wasn't unheard of for youma to take human form - he could very well be one, for all they knew.
"Rise, please," he said, and she shifted her head upwards. He couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Are you on shouzan?" she asked.
"No," he replied shortly, before deciding an additional explanation was needed. "I live out here."
There were murmurs of surprise from several of the party's members. The woman nodded abruptly, like she understood something the rest of them were missing. "We've had several of our guards wounded and killed in this attack, and Mount Hou is still a long ways away. Would you grant us your protection?"
The idea was startling, and for a second he was tempted to leave this group to their fate... but there had been a child among there number. If he and Rokuta left, the youma would undoubtedly return.
He would never be able to show Enki his face if he let these people die when he could stop it. The Ever King had promised him a peaceful land, but Kouya couldn't let the giving be all one-sided. There were good people in the world, he knew, and Kouya wanted to be one of them.
"I'll make sure you arrive safely," he agreed.
And with that one decision, he took the first step toward godhood.