disclaimer: Nnnn. I have weapons of mass destruction in my mind~
notes: Goddamn freaking insomnia and mountain dew. neeedddd sleeeeppp. can't stop reading weird crap. found interesting manga. Sabel Prince. go read it. then this makes a little more sense. x3 just a weee bit. like this much. *holds fingers apart by two millimeters exactly*
e-enjoy what insomnia has forced me to write~
The People With Wings
His Dark Fantasies Oneshot
"I know why the caged bird sings."
In the country that was rumored to have demons for kings, the prince traditionally left on a journey when it was his time to become king, in search of a most peculiar sword suiting him. One guard could accompany the prince on his journey, and one guard only. No one else could accompany the prince as he was meant to be in disguise, as to gain worldly knowledge and experience in ways only a common person could. Upon his return, there would be a grand ceremony in which he would be wed to a neighboring country's princess, and he would be crowned king.
With the king ill, possibly on his death bed, his oldest son set off on his journey- no one had ever seen the eldest prince, as was also tradition. Rumors did get around though- rumors about this particular prince being a bizarre one indeed.
People whispered the prince was a demon-
People whispered the prince had white hair-
People whispered the prince had lavender eyes-
People knew the prince was named Byakuran-
People knew the prince was betrothed to Uni-
People knew the prince didn't approve-
People didn't know that everything was true-
The prince was accompanied by the trustworthy, loyal, but new attendant named Kikyo who had the single desire of dueling with the king, and seemed to have an uncanny desire to do anything and everything Byakuran ordered him to do. It was an unhealthy relationship to any unknowing bystander, but they generally did not care to look further than the decrepit shell hiding the reality of the situation.
Byakuran was indeed a peculiar individual, who had no intention whatsoever of marrying the princess Uni. While he would admit (through clenched teeth and only if there was a knife to his throat) she was cute, but only in that annoying way that little girls always seemed to be capable of.
And- and he had no intention of being a simple king.
For now, however, he was content with playing along with tradition, content to wait for the perfect chance to throw his real intentions to the masses.
-
-
The duo had been traveling for nearly three months now, with nothing to show for their quest but a handful of unfortunate incidents behind them, when they had come upon a quaint little town surrounded in lush prairies. In this charming town, there was a surprising variety of food, dress, and culture wrapped up by street. Adults praised the king, may his life be long, and children chattered away in bubbly voices about the traveling circus that was just a hill away. Insistent girls dressed in frills and ribbons guilt tripped their way to getting permission to attend the show with their parents, and headstrong boys discussed sneaking out to see the late night freak show.
"Byakuran-dono?"
Lavender eyes flicked over to the questioning attendant, and if anything, the man's smile grew larger. His answer was all Kikyo needed, and then he was off gathering information as to the estimated time the freak show would begin. The freak show didn't begin until much later, when lanterns lit the cobblestone streets, and the moon was already hanging high over head. Luckily the sun was setting in the distance, so renting a room in an inn and eating decent meal took up enough time that left them with roughly a half hour to walk the distance to where the tents were set up.
The circus campsite was a delightful place, colorful tents decorated with colorful flags and bright paper lanterns covered a great expanse of the shallow valley. Stalls smelling of exotic treats and spices had lines of people buying things they had only ever heard of. Cages were set up here and there with entertainers explaining, or performing acts with the animals inside.
In the center of all the hubbub, was a great red and white tent, with banners fluttering high above it in the breeze. An announcer stood on a stool before the massive tent, shouting that the freak show would begin momentarily, and that they should make their ways inside. Byakuran and Kikyo managed to secure third row seats with a splendid view of the whole arena.
The ringleader stood with a spotlight focused on him in the center of the dirt arena, dressed in outlandish and bright clothing, face decorated with green stars and red teardrops, a black top hat resting on his head. He tapped his black cane against the hard ground, and silence fell amongst the spectators. His voice rang out loud and clear in the empty air.
"Welcome one, welcome all! Ladies and gentlemen, lords and ladies, kings and queens, girls and boys, I, Monsieur Pierre, am proud to welcome you to our once in a lifetime event! Tonight you shall see things that may disturb you, but most certainly they will awe and confound your imagination! N'ayez pas peur, ces êtres signifie pas de mal. They mean only to present an enlightening experience, and without further ado, please welcome our first act, Monsieur Victor!"
Pierre moved out of sight of the spotlight as a very thin man stepped into the light. The bald man wore no shirt, and every bone in his body was visible, and stood out outlandishly in the overhead glow. Victor went on to explain that he born like that, and no matter what anyone did, he did not get any thinner, or any fatter. His act was entertaining in the fact that he opened his mouth, and took two metal sticks and struck his ribs and musical notes rang from his mouth. After playing several tunes, he took a bow and left the stage.
The next act was a giant of a woman named Helga who expressed her deep hatred for the weak, sniveling men that had once been her suitors when she had been a gorgeous young thing. She spoke of her massive strength and bent a solid gold bar clean in half, and lifted an elephant with her bare hands. Every audience member made sure they clapped and cheered as she walked off into the shadows.
Before the next act came out, Pierre made the audience swear they would not scream, not jeer, not make any loud or sudden noises, as the next one was dangerous. "This next one is our most dangerous member, she is not right in the mind, and certainly must be contained to chains at all times- our she-wolf is a rather temperamental woman. If she is set off, then she will attack, and there will be blood. Do not scream. Do not scream."
Two men walked out into the spotlight, each gripping a thick chain which latched onto a heavy iron color around the neck of a literal werewolf. She wore no clothes, and was a perfect blend between man and beast, looking more like a fur-covered, nude, woman more than anything, but having the head of a wolf (and a tail, and paws instead of hands and feet). Her keepers led her around the edge of the arena, allowing people to reach out and touch the coarse fur.
Surprisingly this passed without much incident, and everyone was sure to abide to the rule Pierre had set for them.
Several more acts passed, a man with a bottomless, iron stomach who could consume anything, including glass statues, a snake man who could speak to snakes (and got them to do absurd tricks), a woman who could grow a beard on command, just to name a few before the intermission began. During the intermission, clowns danced in the arena with the children who were in attendance, and four clowns went around with a cart selling little trinkets and such.
On the cart were patches of the she-wolf's fur for sale, miniature versions of the devoured glass statues, enchanted snakes, and a million other delightful gags and treats.
The acts from then on were entertaining, but seemed too lighthearted for the sort of show this really was, and seemed to be for the sole purpose of building suspense for the final act.
"Ladies and gentleman, we have had such a magnifique evening together that I don't want to say au revoir just yet, but it is time for the final act! What you are about to see will shock some of you, disgust a few, and elicit a unusual thrill in others- I present to you le garçon ailé!"
The spotlight dimmed considerably as an iron birdcage was rolled out by two finely dressed androgynous characters, not quite revealing the pale form shifting in the center of the enclosure. Gasps broke through the tent as the crowd began to get a good look at the figure in the dim light.
It was a boy, with a curly mop of auburn upon his head, and inquisitive, but defeated, green eyes took in the shadowy crowd in turn. He was thin, and could be no older than twelve, dressed in a large white tunic, sitting awkwardly with legs splayed in a painful manner on the cold floor of the cage. What drew attention after the initial shock of the age of the act, was the feathered protrusions that spread from tears in the clothing. The wings weren't terribly large, but they weren't small either- they were a cream color, with thin brown bars on the underside, and thicker more prominent ones on the outer wing. Flapping once or twice awkwardly, as if to say, ha, they're real, the boy trembled, waiting for it to be done and over with.
He didn't speak, Pierre didn't let him.
Byakuran was enraptured by this unusual occurrence, and those who could see the infectious smile that had broken out on his face shuddered.
"Kikyo-chan, I want that boy- get him for me."
His attendant blinked, a perplexed, almost spiteful look crossed his face which he soon quenched, "Yes, m'lord."
-
-
It had been surprisingly easy to get to the birdcage that the boy was kept in, for as soon as the last spectator left most of the entertainers fell to their tents and slept. A few remained awake, but they were in the bathhouse that had been set up, taking a refreshing dip in the hot, steamy water. What was not easy, however, was convincing the boy to leave the cage once the door had been opened. He stared at the strange man, a man he did not recognize one little bit, with owlish eyes, not understanding the simple gesture to step out of the prison. Kikyo, frustrated the boy's unresponsive behavior, reached in and dragged the winged boy out of the cage, ignorant to the fact that the pale legs banged against the metal and bruised.
The attendant threw a thick, dark cape onto the boy's shoulders to hide the alien features, and ushered him to follow. A blank expression greeted him, and Kikyo nearly snarled, before remembering that the boy had probably spent most of his life in a cage. With a heavy sigh, and a mild speculation as to why Byakuran wanted the boy, he snatched the boy up into his arms, and ran the hell out of the encampment. The child didn't complain, or make any move to escape as Kikyo made his way back to the inn.
Climbing through the second story window he had left from, he was greeted by the sight of the prince sitting at the table set up in the room, examining bowls of soup and a platter of roasted meat and vegetables. As soon as he entered, the prince turned around, a broad smile decorating his face. Immediately the boy was taken from Kikyo's arms and plopped down across from the prince, looking bewildered.
"Maa, I'm Byakuran, and that's Kikyo-chan, what's your name?"
The boy stared, uncomprehending at the smiling man, eyebrows drawn together in confusion, and mouth open as if to say something but lacking the words to go with it.
Byakuran frowns, but only momentarily, before pushing a bowl of soup and a loaf of bread in front of the boy, who looked questioningly at the food, and then at the prince. Smiling, the prince informed the boy that it was good, and that it was alright for him to eat. The boy understood food, and began to eat quickly, scarfing down the bread and soup like a starved child- which he was. Grinning, he held out the empty bowl, moving it up and down, a questioning gesture showing his desire for more food. He ate two more loaves of bread and had another bowl before he was done, with Byakuran wiping the excess crumbs and dribbles of soup from the corners of the boy's mouth.
"You need a name, hmmm, what shall we call you~? Oh, I know! You are a bit of a prize, so... Shou-ichi! Yep, you're Shou-chan from now on, understand~?"
Shouichi nodded, because he understood names, one of the few things he had been able to teach himself in the circus.
"Good, good~ Shou-chan is going to be traveling with us from now on, Kikyo-chan, so be kind~"
-
-
Shouichi turned out to be virtually incapable of speech, had little leg function to himself, and had to have been taught the most basic motions of life. He learned to walk just fine after a few strengthening meals, but speech continuously evaded him, not that either adult minded much. It just meant less chatter, which was a good thing considering the boy was a boy, a depraved child. While he couldn't speak, he did learn the meanings of words and phrases, absorbing everything quickly, and learned to read and write quickly. He had placed an unconditional trust in Byakuran, but seemed intensely wary of Kikyo- with good reason, as the attendant possessed a bizarre dislike for the winged boy.
How dare that child consume Byakuran-dono's attention?
They (still) had not found a sword that was up to Byakuran's standards, and the journey had now taken up five months, which was not an unusually long amount of time, but they only had two months left before they had to begin their return to the city, to the castle, sword or no sword.
At the moment they were waiting out bad weather at a hot spring, in a room that had a private spring attached to it. Kikyo was off gathering dinner, and Byakuran was busy coaxing a nervous winged boy into the warm water. It was a hard thing to do, as the boy seemed to be ashamed of the wings on his back, saw them as some sort of deformity. A disability. A flaw.
Eventually, after many whispered promises and comforts, the boy had settled into the warm water next to Byakuran.
His face turned red within a matter of seconds, body not used to such a warmth. Blinking away tears from the slight burning of his skin, he flinched at the sudden contact, being pulled into a hug by pale arms. Face reddening for an entirely different reason, he returned the hug with the innocence only a child could posses. Now smiling softly, he found his eyes focused on the gold necklace that never left the prince's neck, and patted it curiously. Inquisitive eyes flickered up to the serious lavender ones, question evident.
"I'm going to show Shou-chan something, but he has to keep it a secret, alright?"
Shouichi nodded, curiosity being his only motivation.
The prince smiled and then his face became all seriousness, and he undid the clasp of the golden necklace, letting it slide into his palm. He held back the flinch as the owlish eyes widened, staring at the abnormality that plagued the royal son- before throwing his arms around Byakuran's neck, giddy.
Byakuran returned the gesture, fully aware of the possessive smirk on his face.
Shou-chan was, after all, such a cute little bird.
-
-
What had been a twelve year old body months before, was now the body of a fifteen year old.
His wings had grown first, painfully his body followed.
He was taller now, but not as tall as Byakuran or Kikyo, but tall enough.
His hair had grown considerably longer, but had been cut after the pains had stopped.
His almost feminine (but not overly so, more of an androgynous fashion) appearence left wake to many awkward moments.
The catalyst of this sudden, painful growth was the appearence of a mark under the prince's eye.
The prince spoke of the demon blood in the royal line awakening as a reason to the mark- his father had the same mark, as had his grandfather, and so on so forth.
-
-
Byakuran's return to the castle, blade in hand, was met with fanfare, and in the madness Shouichi and Kikyo were left behind the crowd. By the end of the week, he would no longer be prince but king. It was a wondrous event for the citizens, because then there would be peace throughout the towns, with no cause for civil war. The uniting of the Gesso line and the Giglio Nero line would end the strife between the two countries, ending a century old feud- the war between the Gesso and the Vongola would also end, because the Vongola were allied to the Giglio Nero.
Byakuran, of course, had different plans entirely.
When he had escaped from the annoying and icky common folk, he was rather pleased that his little bird and attendant had found their way to his quarters, patiently waiting to listen to his plans.
They enacted the secretive plot two days from then- when the Giglio Nero and Vongola arrived to witness the coronation.
-
-
Shouichi had become Byakuran's personal maids' doll when they discovered he had wings. The two women had oo'd and aw'd over the feathery appendages, and then squealed about all the adorable outfits they could fit him into, seeing as he couldn't exactly complain. Bluebell, the younger of the maids, had declared that since the Giglio Nero and Vongola were arriving that day, he had to flaunt his wings, and so flitted about with Iris, holding up all sorts of outfits (outlandish to simple), trying to figure out which one was best. The two ended up arguing over a mainly white and silver outfit, or a green and blue one.
With the decisive remark that the prince would like the white and silver one better, the winged boy was dressed up in the clothing.
White pants, and a white dress shirt, with an tailored silver trimmed white coat with a narrowed waistline, and a bit of flare to the bottom which came down to the middle of his thigh went on first. Then they forced a thin, silver bow around his neck, and white gloves onto his hands. Sparing him a disparaging glance when he resisted the silver bells they were trying to tie onto his wings, they agreed that no bells, but they got to put swan feathers in his hair. His hair had been tied back with silver ribbon, and above his ears they arranged the feathers to hide the slightly pointed tips.
"Byakuran will be so happy! Don't you think so, Shouichi-kun?"
He shrugged, perplexed as to why females thought it was good to flaunt inhuman qualities, but then thought to the Gesso family's easygoing nature toward their own inhuman qualities.
"Don't worry Bluebell-chan," Iris assured her comrade, "Byakuran-dono will absolutely love it."
And he did love it-- he expressed his love by crushing Shouichi in a bear hug, and murmured in the redhead's ear sweet nothings about how he would have to wear things like that more often, especially in bed.
Only the fact that there were other people present prevented the winged boy from smacking the lewd prince.
Just barely.
Several of the Giglio Nero and Vongola gaped openly at the display of affection, and Uni, seeing the winged boy as competition (a/n; /giggles) approached him and introduced herself, and asked several questions. Her face tinted red with her frustration at Shouichi's lack of response, and she demanded he answer.
"Shou-chan can't answer Uni-chan, he's mute~"
-
-
And that's that- the story of how the demon king began his conquest of the world with the aide of an "angel".
Forever we'll fight against them, as the Vongola's duty has always been, to keep the Gesso in check.
We have to stop Byakuran from controlling the world, in the future, past, and present.
He cannot gain it in any era, any time.
- Obtained from the Vongola Primo's Will
N'ayez pas peur, ces êtres signifie pas de mal. - Do not be afraid, these people mean no harm.
le garçon ailé - the winged boy
notes: s-soooo tired. /dies
fail ending. fnfnfg.
there is no logic in this fic. just random speculation induced by lots of caffeine. hurrr.
unn. review. please. or not. um.
if any of you are good artists; if you manage to draw a winged shou-chan with that outfit i failtastically described, i will write you a 10051 oneshot with whatever specifications you require. smut. fantasy whatnot. anything. unless its a crossover, because i don't know a lot of anime/manga out there. i know some. but not very well beyond KHR, and cute little ones i find. D:
i-i'm a nice person. i'm not trying to get fanart or a-anything like that-
*falls asleep on keyboard*
*drool*