By Cao
Summary: Bakura is an assassin for hire in feudal times, whereas Yami is the son of a man who hates the King. Chance brings the two together, first just casually, then for more dramatic circumstances.
Chapter One: In the Village
A light breeze ruffled the treetops of the surrounding countryside, the birds chirping along with their cheerful tunes. The grasses danced in the wind and the river babbled quietly. All was peaceful.
Deep within the towering trees, a lone teen wandered aimlessly, an arrow protruding from his upper leg. In his pain he could recall the faces of his supposed friends and accomplices as they betrayed him, attacking him with their trade weapons. Exhausted, he collapsed to springy carpet of the forest floor. Blood flowed freely from the numerous knife wounds that covered his body and coated the green blades of grass. After that, his vision went dark and time passed out of his knowledge.
Shadows moved among the trees, watching the stranger as he fell to the ground and didn't rise. Cautiously, a small party of men from a hidden village approached the unconscious teen. Assuming he wouldn't wake, they lifted him onto a hastily made litter and carried him away into the shadows.
Russet eyes fluttered open to the vague sound of a woman chanting. Some sort of spell, he supposed. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he glanced around the room. It was plain, a simple room with no furnishings except the mat he was lying on. One of the walls was somewhat translucent with shadows standing behind it. The teen's heart quivered in slight fear.
"Where am I?" he demanded, pushing his silver hair out of his face. "And how did I get here?"
The chanting abruptly stopped and the shadows began to move. The bamboo curtain that hung in front of the low door was pushed back, revealing one of the shadows.
"You are in Tai, a village that has no king. By chance, or perhaps by fortune, you fell unconscious in the middle of our forest and were spotted, pitied and brought here by our watch," the tall man explained. "Ask no further questions. I am Tatsugi, the Elderman of this village. Now who are you and why did you enter our forest?"
"My name is Bakura," the stranger replied. "I entered this forest absent-mindedly, I was injured and had lost any sense of direction that I had."
A small child entered the room, revealing another of the shadows. The boy, no more than 6 years of age offered a wooden cup to Bakura, which accepted thankfully. The water in the cup was perfectly clear and glistened as Bakura swirled it around. Lifting it to his mouth, he swallowed the liquid in one rapid motion.
"There is more I wish to know, but perhaps you should rest before I question you further," Tatsugi stated. He placed a hand on the young boy's shoulder and guided him from the room. As the bamboo curtain swung back to its normal state, tinkering and swishing in the process, Bakura let his head fall back onto the pillow and drifted into a peaceful slumber.
He woke to the bright rays of the morning sun as they filtered through the thatched roof and played upon his face. Bakura could here people talking and walking passed the building outside. Children laughed as they ran between the adults, women sharing the recent gossip and men boasting about their latest success. Everyday talk you'd expect to hear in a normal village.
Staggering to his feet, Bakura limped to the door. The pain in his leg was reasonably less than it had been in the woods, but it stilled hurt quite a bit. Shoving the bamboo out of his way, he made his way down the hallway, searching for a door that led outside.
Trees still towered into the sky, but the sun could be seen through the large gaps overhead. As Bakura's eyes scanned the houses, he couldn't put any other village he had visited to match this one.
'Tai, Tai...Why haven't I heard of this place before?' he muttered in his head. Shaking his head in frustration, Bakura looked around and took in more details. The people he saw were ordinary people, to him different races and tribes looked exactly the same. What interested him was the uniqueness of how the village was set up. Instead of a square, like all the other villages, the Village Square was...a triangle. Three large buildings made up the sides. The two Bakura could see looked the same, with a few various touches. Smaller homes could be seen through the gaps.
'Like any other village, I suppose, just with its differences,' he muttered again. His eyes locked onto a raised dais in the middle of the triangle. Bakura's skilled eyes could make out brown stains on its surface. With a vague idea of what those stains were from, Bakura shifted his attention again, shuddering at the thought. Maybe this wasn't like any other village...
"I'm glad to see you're awake and walking about," Tatsugi greeted from behind, startling Bakura a little. The pale teen turned and found the Elderman standing next to him, his arms crossed behind his back. The tall man, Bakura noticed, had a different glint in his eyes than most men. His eyes were also gold, which most men didn't have either. His long, black hair was tied back and plaited into a simple braid that trailed down his back. All in all, Bakura concluded that this man was not to be taken lightly.
"Come, I would like to ask you a few questions," Tatsugi instructed, disappearing into the darkness of the hall. Bakura followed hesitantly. They entered a secluded room off of the main building and sat down on either side of a small table that held a map of the area.
"You are an intruder in this place, even if we did bring you here ourselves. We do not know whose ideas you support; ours or the King's," Tatsugi stated. "We believe in freedom of choice for everyone, not just those in command."
"The King's laws are unjust, but he is the king," Bakura interrupted. "I don't support any law, as I am a lawbreaker myself."
Tatsugi nodded and paused in thought. His yellow eyes seemed distant, as if he were trying to decide between two very important causes.
"What was your occupation before you became injured?" Tatsugi finally asked, breaking the silence. His indecisive gaze pierced Bakura's.
"I was an assassin for hire," Bakura confessed in a whisper, dropping his eyes. Silence once again filled the room. The soundless air sat heavy upon both occupants of the room. The conditions were broken, however, when another person entered the room.
Bakura's eyes followed the teen carefully as he pushed through the wooden door. His hair was a mix of red, black and gold, perfect arranged around his face. His skin was lightly tanned, contrasting sharply with his crimson eyes. More startling than his eyes was his choice of clothing. His torso was barely covered by a thin, semi transparent shirt made of silk and left a margin of skin uncovered to the hips. There, pants made of slightly thicker material hung loosely around his legs. Various piece of gold and silver jewelry adorned his flawless skin, each inlaid with a gem of some sort.
"What is it Yami?" Tatsugi asked softly as the teen stopped beside him. The answer was delayed; Bakura could tell that Yami was slightly afraid of him or his presence. He couldn't help but smirk.
"There's a messenger here for you father. He carries word from the scouts," Yami replied quietly, his smooth voice carried on the silence of the room. He looked up and glared at Bakura. The assassin had never seen anyone switch from being afraid to angry that fast.
"Who are you?" he asked sternly, the same tone etched in his voice that Tatsugi had used when they had first met. Bakura was caught off guard by the sudden question. Blatant anger rose inside him.
"This is Bakura. He will be a visitor to a village for a while," Tatsugi replied. Yami's eyes stayed locked with Bakura's. There was something different about this teen, Bakura concluded indefinitely.
"You can send the messenger in, I'm almost done here," Tatsugi stated, breaking the obvious tension between the two teens.
"As you wish father."
Bakura watched as exited the room, the light silk stirring in his movement. His eyes continued to follow the teen as he disappeared around the corner.
"That is my son, Yami. He doesn't trust outsiders and barely trusts my own judgement. He was kidnapped a while back, but he won't say what happened. He also doesn't like being looked at in a lustful way," Tatsugi explained.
"If he doesn't want to trust people, or want any staring eyes, then why does he choose to dress like that?" Bakura snapped back, aware that he was getting an evil stare from the Elderman.
"He only wears that when he's in the security of this house," Tatsugi hissed dangerously. He leaned forward and beckoned for Bakura to come closer. "I saw the way you looked at him. I would advise you not to lay even one finger on him, or I will personally see you executed. Do I make myself clear?" he spat. Bakura nodded his head slightly, too shocked at the change of tone to trust his own voice. The Elderman sat back and returned to his normal status. "You may stay within the village until the Spring. Winter in these woods is cold and unforgiving. Good day assassin."
With that, he stood up and left. Bakura also stood, but shakily sat back down. He had just been given a death threat by someone he barely even knew! Still shaking, he managed to get to the door and push it open. Breathing a sigh of relief, Bakura anxiously looked around for Yami, who was also nowhere to be seen.
As the days passed and Winter covered the land with a thick blanket of snow, Bakura learned how to fit in with the rest of the citizens of Tai. Because of his talent at killing, he was given the job of a hunter, to gather food for the village from the forest.
Bakura woke one morning, two months into Winter with a familiar chill creeping up his blankets. Shivering as he always did in the morning, Bakura peeled open his eyes and tried to shake the temptation of sleep away from him. Slowly taking off the blanket that covered his body, he slipped into the boots he had been given and instantly felt a little warmer. Wrapping himself in his dark fur cloak, he walked routinely to the dining room.
Tatsugi and his wife were seated at the large table in the center of the room. A warm fire crackled merrily in the grate and the food on the wooden surface was letting off a large amount of steam. Bakura scanned the room before sitting down in disappointment. Yami wasn't there.
Ever since the first day he had become a temporary citizen in the village, he had only seen the tri-color haired teen a few times, and each time only by chance. Tatsugi gave him a glare as he sighed and helped himself to the food that had been prepared. Bakura ignored it, the same glare had been directed at him for the past two months. It was routine. Every morning Bakura would come in a look around for Yami. Upon not seeing him, the assassin would sigh and sit down before helping himself to breakfast.
The Elderman was pleased with Bakura's disappointment. He had told his son of Bakura's antics the first day and Yami had taken extra precautions not to be seen.
Bakura finished his meal and left the warm room. The hallway was drafty as always, the cold seeping in from the outside. Stepping out into the cold, he dropped into knee high drifts. It must have snowed more overnight. Making his way to the weapon shed, he spoke greetings to a few of his few hunters before grabbing his tools and vanishing into the shadows.
The wind was strong this particular morning, but Bakura trudged on as scheduled. He found it very calming in the woods alone. The snow silenced most of the far off noises that tried to penetrate the calmness. After catching a few hares and young doe in his snares, he sat back on his heels and let the silence swallow him. Here he could ponder over the thoughts that cycled through his head daily.
A scream pierced the quiet, drawing Bakura from his thoughts. His head whipped up and turned in the direction the scream had come from. A second hurtled through the trees, bouncing off the tough bark.
"Please! Somebody help!" came a frantic voice. "Please! Anyone!"
Bakura took off through the snow banks that had been created by the wind. The ground gradually started to slope and then dropped suddenly, a steep hill that led to a sheer cliff. Bakura could see the footsteps where someone had walked and the trail that had been left after the person stepped on a root and slid down the hill. He searched for any sign of the fallen person. His sharp eyes spotted a hand clinging to the edge of the cliff's ledge.
"Hang on! I'll throw down a rope!" Bakura called to the other person.
"Please hurry! I can't hold on much longer!" the other answered, desperation clinging to his voice.
Adrenaline pounded in Bakura's ears as he undid the knot that tied the twisted rope to his belt. As soon as he had it undone, he cast the end down the hill. It skied across the snow and dropped over the ledge as the hand of the person hanging there disappeared. Another scream echoed through the gouge below as the rope suddenly went taut, almost dragging Bakura down the hill as well. Regaining his balance he heaved on the rope and hauled the fallen person over the cliff and safely onto the snow higher up.
Bakura almost dropped the rope when the hood of the fallen person's cloak slid off of his hair.
It was Yami.
The assassin's conscious began hastily reminding him of the threat Tatsugi had made. Cursing his mind, he did the most logical thing he could. He bent down to help Yami stand.
The other teen was crying as Bakura helped him stand. Yami began to slip again, causing Bakura to throw his arms around him to prevent the event from reoccurring. The tri-color haired teen steadied himself before looking up into the face of the one who had rescued him. Upon seeing Bakura, he panicked and tried to push him away, causing him to slip again. Bakura grabbed his forearms and held him steady.
"Let go of me!" Yami yelled, struggling against Bakura.
"Yami, stop it! If you do that, we'll both fall and then who will rescue us?!" Bakura shouted back. Yami immediately stopped moving in fear of having to cling to the rocks again. "I'll bring you up to the level ground and you can go from there, okay?"
Yami nodded and allowed Bakura to support him as they slowly made their way off the hill. As soon as they had reached a flat surface, Yami pushed himself away from Bakura and dashed away through the snow.
Bakura returned to his hunting, the silence no longer helping him to concentrate. Instead, he felt that something was missing. A certain warmth was missing. Yami's body, despite the fact that he had been out in the cold for who knows how long, had been warm against Bakura's skin. He shivered at the loss.
Frustrated with his lack of concentration, Bakura managed to catch o few pheasants before returning to the village. Dropping his catch beside the shed, he went back to the building he had been staying in. The halls were warmer than the morning; the fires had been stoked and fed to heat them.
As he walked down the hall, he heard the unmistakable sound of someone crying. Trying his best to ignore it, Bakura returned to his room, removing his heavy cloak in the process. He had just sat down on his mat when Tatsugi appeared in his doorway.
"I would like to have a few words with you, assassin," he stated soberly. Bakura stood and followed him to the room he had been questioned the first day. Sitting down, Tatsugi beckoned Bakura to do the same.
"I heard that you have touched my son," Tatsugi accused, a dark glare fixated on Bakura. "He was quite upset. You do remember my promise, right?"
"Yes I remember. But I was only trying to help him!" Bakura retorted, rising to his feet in protest.
"You still had no right! You could have pulled him up far enough for him to stand on his own and let him go off like that!" Tatsugi shouted, his dignity forgotten all of a sudden. "I should have you killed immediately!"
"No," came a soft voice from the door. Yami was standing there, his eyes were puffy from crying. Bakura resolved that it had been the tri-color haired teen he had heard when he entered the building.
"No? I thought you were upset about this," Tatsugi replied, his voice still dripping venom. Yami moved forward and stood in front of his father.
"Yes, I was upset. But I feel that I was over-reacting. He doesn't deserve to die just because he touched me. If Bakura hadn't come at that moment, I would be lying at the bottom of that cliff with at least a broken back, more likely dead," Yami explained, trying desperately to calm his father. Bakura had sat down again, listening to the argument in silence. Gathering his courage, he finally interrupted them.
"No, I agree with Elderman Tatsugi. He warned me not to lay a finger on his son, but in a sense of adrenaline I didn't heed his words. I accept my punishment, even if it's death," Bakura muttered. Both Tatsugi and Yami stared in disbelief at the assassin as he stood and walked to the door. "I'll be in my room. When you decide on a date for my death, I would like to know."
As Bakura walked down the hall, he heard more shouts echo from the room he had just left. From the sound of it, Yami had started to cry again. He smiled weakly and pushed aside the curtain to his room.
He lay down on his blanket and buried his head in his arms. A small tear trickled down his cheek. He didn't want to die, but he did go against what Tatsugi had instructed him. After everything the Elderman had done for him; supplied him with food, shelter and clothing, he had to go and disobey the one rule he had been given.
If only he had listened to his conscious when its alarm started going off. But now, because he didn't, he was going to pay with his life. Still half in his thought, he heard a soft knock on the wall outside his room followed by the singing of the bamboo as it was pushed aside.
"Bakura," Yami whispered, sitting down beside the other, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to over-react in the forest. It's just since I was kidnapped and...he paused and lowered his voice, "...raped, I haven't let anyone get that close to me. I'm scared something like that might happen again."
Bakura looked up and noticed Yami had tears running down his face. He was dressed in his 'house clothes', as Bakura had dubbed them, with a light cloak thrown over his shoulders.
"You were raped? I'm sorry, I didn't know," he apologized. Then, quieter, he asked the question that had been haunting him. "Has your father set an execution date?" Yami looked at him in bewilderment
"You're not going to be killed. I convinced my father to excuse you for your 'crime'," Yami replied. "It's almost time for supper. You won't want to miss this meal."
Bakura opened his mouth to asked Yami what was so special about it, but the other teen had already left the room, his footsteps getting softer as they echoed down the hall. The sadness left him as Yami's words settled in. The other teen had convinced his father, who had a temper hot enough to burn the entire forest to the ground, not to kill him. It was a risk on his part, angering his father like he had.
Bakura stood up and unconsciously made his way to the dining room. Halfway, he met Tatsugi, who was headed in the other direction. He still looked disgruntled, but he gave Bakura a small smile.
"It seems my son has taken a liking to you. I thank you for that. I would be honored to have you accompany me to the Meeting Hall," he stated and continued walking. Bakura shrugged and changed his direction to walk beside the Elderman. As they stepped outside, they joined the masses crowded in the triangle.
The other people parted to allow Tatsugi to move towards the largest building. Once inside, Tatsugi directed Bakura to the table at the front of the room. It was raised so that it could be seen from anywhere in the large room. The assassin sat down on one of the four large pillows that surrounded the table as Tatsugi vanished behind the curtain that hung by the table.
The room slowly filled as the people from outside were allowed to enter the building. They mingled around and sat at various tables around the room. Music began to softly walk through the chanting of the villagers, signaling the crowd to fall silent. Tatsugi, his wife and Yami entered the room and sat down at the table. As the rest of the standing people sat, the music faded away and Tatsugi stood again.
"Once again, we have been blessed with the ability to celebrate the coming of Spring. Let our time together be merry," he declared. Everyone cheered in agreement and started to talk again. Bakura watched as the children darted from their tables and crowded around a large table of food. Eventually they cleared away, and the rest of the people got up to get food.
Bakura was amazed by the amount of food that covered the table in front of him. He noticed a number of dishes that contained food that he had never seen before. He immediately helped himself to everything. After his plate was piled with as much food as possible, Bakura returned to the table. Yami was the only one there.
The tri-color haired teen's plate contained only a few spoonfuls of food. Bakura snorted at the amount.
"Is that all you're going to eat?" Bakura asked bluntly. Yami blushed and looked up.
"Yes, that is all I'm going to eat. I have a small stomach, it can't hold much."
"Suit yourself," Bakura shrugged and dove into his plate of food. Time passed and everyone had finally finished eating. Bakura had just finished his last bite of his third helping as the men pushed the table in the middle to the side to reveal a dance floor. Music began to play again. Tatsugi took the hand of his wife and led her out onto the floor among the other couples.
After a while, only Bakura and Yami remained seated. The other teen watched the couples dance with a longing in his crimson eyes. Glancing over at Bakura, he noticed the pale haired assassin's foot tapping to the beat. Gathering his courage, Yami approached Bakura.
The assassin turned around as he felt a finger lightly tap his shoulder. He gazed up at Yami with a question on his face.
"Will you dance with me?" the smaller teen whispered, his cheeks flaring to a bright red.
"Well...sure...but what about your father?" Bakura replied nervously.
"I don't think he'll care as long as I'm happy," Yami stated, his blush rapidly disappearing. "So, shall we dance?"
Bakura got to his feet and allowed Yami to practically drag him onto the dance floor. The world around them seemed to disappear as the music drifted around them. Bakura was completely intoxicated as Yami moved to the beat of the music. His body twisted and curved seductively, his limbs integrated with the sounds.
All to soon on Bakura's terms, the song ended and Yami headed back to the table, his desire to dance sated. Bakura followed numbly, his mind still fixated on the last few minutes.
"Thanks for dancing with me Bakura. I enjoyed it," Yami thanked, sitting down again.
"I enjoyed it too Yami," was all Bakura could manage to whisper back.
Tatsugi and his wife returned to the table. They sat, Tatsugi glaring at Bakura. Trying to ignore the Elderman's eyes, Bakura directed his attention to the rest of the room. He noticed that the people were slowly leaving now that the music had stopped.
"Yami, you should be getting to bed," Tatsugi's wife stated, standing up as the last person left the room.
"I suppose," Yami replied, getting to his feet. He followed the woman out the door, glancing back briefly to look at Bakura. Giving the assassin a smile and a small wave, he vanished into the dark night. Bakura stood to leave as well, but Tatsugi threw out an arm to stop him from following Yami.
"I would like to have a word with you," Tatsugi stated, pulling Bakura off to the side.
"He asked me to dance, I didn't suggest it..." he stammered, backing away from the tall man.
"That is not what I wish to talk to you about, although it does peeve me a little. No, I wanted to talk to you about your departure from us." Bakura gaped at the Elderman. "The feast we just ate was to welcome Spring, as tomorrow is the official first day of the season. That means your time among us has expired," Tatsugi explained. "We will see you off shortly after dawn. Be ready by then."
He left Bakura standing there stunned as he too walked out into the crisp air. The suddenness of Tatsugi's announcement had left him feeling...empty. As he left the building, he was completely unaware of the slush pooling around his feet, showing the rapidly changing weather.
Sleep came to him a few moments after his head hit his pillow. In those few waking moments, he recalled the first time he had opened his eyes and observed the room he now had grown accustom to. Pulling the warm blankets around him tighter, he fell asleep.
Birds were chirping and the sun had returned to the country when Bakura woke. The air was still a bit chilly, but its bite had lessened greatly. Spring was upon them. The pale teen yawned and stretched his arms into the air. As he dressed, a boy came to the door.
"Elderman Tatsugi is waiting to see you off," the boy announced. Bakura's heart dropped. He had forgotten that today was the day he had to leave the place he had come to call home. He walked sullenly passed the boy and entered the hall. Attempting to put a halt to the emotions that rose, he made his way down the corridor towards the exit.
Halfway he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. Turning around, he found it was Yami. The tri-color haired teen had tears collecting in his crimson eyes. No words were exchanged between the two of them as Yami shuffled closer to the pale assassin. The shorter tilted his head down, his blond bangs falling to hide his tears. Bakura absent-mindedly wrapped his arms around the smaller teen and found that he was shaking.
"I don't want you to leave. I feel that you're the only one I can trust with my secrets," Yami whispered sobbing, tears running down his cheeks freely now. Wiping away the tears as they fell, Bakura tipped Yami's face up and gazed into his saddened eyes. As if pulled by gravity, the gap between their faces closed and Bakura caught Yami's lips with his own for a brief moment.
Yami's eyes flew wide and he pushed Bakura away. Fear mingled with surprise in his bloodshot crimson orbs. Tears still running down his face, Yami darted passed Bakura and into his father's arms.
"How dare you. After everything I've done for you...everything I let you get away with...You had to go and violate my trust by imposing on my son," Tatsugi exclaimed, his voice dripping venom yet again.
Two men appeared at Bakura's side, each taking him by the arm. He was therefore prevented from taking off. The men hauled Bakura outside to where a crowd had been waiting to see him off. They started whispering as Bakura jerked on the hold of the larger men. Tatsugi emerged from the building shortly and the crowd fell silent.
"This man, whom we accepted warmly into our tightly-knit folds has stepped passed what was expected of him. This very morning, only a few minutes passed, he attempted to take my son as his own," Tatsugi announced to the people, earning a gasp in reply. The whispers started up again, this time with more harsh glances at Bakura.
"I did not 'attempt to take your son as my own', it was a simple kiss!" Bakura snapped. Still struggling to get free. Tatsugi ignored him.
"I propose he be put to death immediately, before he is able to harm more innocent people," he called over the murmuring of the people. Cries of agreement erupted at once. Bakura was shoved through the mass of people towards the raised platform he had seen on his first sight of the village.
A block with a curve carved out of it was heaved up onto the dais with Bakura. The assassin noticed familiar brown stains on the wood before he was blindfolded and pushed to his knees. His head was forced down and his neck was set in the curve. Fear coursed through his veins as Bakura prepared himself for an inevitable death.
It never came. Instead, he felt a weird sensation, like a soft wind wrapping around his entire form. He heard the crowd cry in disappointment before suddenly falling silent. The crudeness of the wood also vanished at that moment.
Yami watched as Bakura was moved away from the house...and onto the execution platform. The pale assassin was blindfolded with a piece of black cloth and forced the his knees. A solemn tear slid from Yami's eyes as it dawned on him. Bakura was about to be killed because he had panicked over an innocent kiss. His breath hitched as more tears coursed down his face.
'Bakura doesn't deserve to die. His action was meaningless,' Yami concluded to steady himself. Taking a deep breath, he summoned a force from within his soul and carefully placed it around Bakura. As the axe started to fall towards the assassin's outstretched neck, Yami concentrated on his task.
Bakura's form vanished in the blink of an eye as the blade was inches from his skin. Yami collapsed in exhaustion. Bakura was safe; the villagers, and his father, wouldn't be able to kill him.
Author's Notes
Cao: That is the longest chapter I have ever written. I hope everyone likes it so far! Chapters will be out hopefully once a month, it takes forever for me to type them.