Title: Pharaoh's Slave

Summary: Pharaoh Kai of the Dranzer Kingdom just received a very unique peace gift he does not want. The Neko-Jin cub, Rei, has just been given a life that he does not want or understand.

Branch: Pharaoh's Pet (1st story)

Series: Master's slave, Slave's master

Pairings: BryanxTala (Lord's Thief), KarsinxLuka (Original Characters), and (Very) pre KaixRei (Pharaoh's Pet).

Ages: Bryan-17, Tala/Kai-16, Rei-15, Karsin-23, Luka-20

Warnings: Yaoi, AU, fluff, OC, slavery (As in someone owning another person), past abuse (Maybe some that is present), slight mistreatment.

Disclaimer: Don't own Beyblade, just the plot! I do own both Karsin and Luka though, so hands off without permission peps!

I was originally going to make this a oneshot like the Pharaoh's Scribe story, but I think that I'm going to chapter this instead. I've out of practice in writing right now, and the way my life is so hectic I think that the reviews will make me actually find time to finish this!

THIS IS UNBEATED!

A Pharaoh's Slave (The 1st of the Pharaoh's Pet series)

A young Pharaoh slouches in his thrown. He was of average build, though that was all that was average about him, and had just turned sixteen. He had two colors of hair, both completely natural. He had gray-blue bangs, which framed his face and blood red eyes, and the rest of his hair was black, which he kept pulled back into a pony tail at the nape of his neck. He had two sets of triangles on each cheek, the same color as his eyes, which marked him as the Dranzer Pharaoh. He had been said Pharaoh for all of fourteen months now. It was an interesting job, which he found far easier then his Grandfather and Father had both made it seem. Then again, he often found things to be easier then most people.

"My lord."

The Pharaoh turned his head, looking over at one of his advisors. "Yes Karsin?"

Karsin was slightly older than his Pharaoh, 23, with shaggy teal colored hair and deep purple eyes (1). Out of all of his advisors, nine of them, the Pharaoh only trusted this one. Karsin never hide any of his emotions, he said what he meant, and he did not apologize for it. He also, not once, had hid the fact that he would rather be out with his troops then in the Palace, advising the Pharaoh of military tactics. Karsin was the advisor for the military, he was the General of said military, the best solider of that military (2).

"A group of people from the mountains wish an audience with you. They have brought a peace gift." Karsin's eyes hardened slightly when he said this, causing the Pharaoh to know what kind of gift he was referring to. The peace gift was a human. Karsin did not approve of such things, his own lover had been bread just to be a peace gift to another kingdom, and would have been if it wasn't for Karsin's intervention (3).

"Let them in, though I do not want…him or her…to be brought in." The Pharaoh sat up in his chair, sighing. This was not the first time such a gift had been given to him and it wouldn't be the last time. He would have this person work within the palace or given to the brothel for Karsin's army, which was about all he could do if he did not keep the gift for himself. He had do desire for such things though, as this advisor in particularly knew. "Have the gift placed elsewhere for now."

"Of course." Karsin turned, walking back out of the thrown room. A moment later, he reentered the room, fallowed by three men. All three were darker skinned then anyone in the room, not brown dark, but sun kissed. They had dark hair, two had brown, the one in front had black. Their eyes were all a shade of yellow. Around their necks, all three had the same pendent. The three stopped before the thrown, the black haired one a foot in front of the other two, and bowed.

"State your region." The Pharaoh ordered. He did not recognize them, but that did not mean much. He had not met all of the different groups of citizens living within his borders.

"Pharaoh Kai, my name is Tokic, and we hale from the South of your Palace, living up in the mountains." The black haired man stated with a strong accent. The other two stood just behind him, and from the looks they understood very little of what the third had said. "From a clan known as Drigger."

"Your business."

"We come seeking protection." Tokic answered.

"What do you seek protection from?" Kai asked, leaning back in his thrown, arms crossing. Once again, not that unusual. With him now on the thrown, many of the different villages believed that it was need to come and ask for the Pharaoh's protection. Each would bring a gift, each would state their business, and each would request to remain part of the Kingdom. Thus was the cycle of new leadership.

"From your people. They have been hunting ours, after our unique features to sell at your markets."

"Unique features?" Kai asked. It was not unusual for hunters to slay animals for their furs or for some other feature that was intriguing to the public. They would then sell them on, what the nobles referred to, as the Black Market. It was not part of the regular market, where the Pharaoh got first pick of the things sold their, but of a market not regulated by said Pharaoh. Kai knew of it, he had even visited it on a few occasions, and saw no reason to make this other market illegal. He had never heard of human body parts being sold there though, and if that was the case, he may just have to intervene with the Black Market.

Tokic turned to one of the men next to him, saying a few words that were not understood by the Pharaoh, advisors, or guards. This man, the brown haired man to Tokic's left, nodded slowly. He reaches up, removing the pendent from his person with shaking hands. Once the pendent was no longer around his neck, his feature changed. Atop his head were a set of animal ears, resembling those of a cat, his eyes also to the resemblance, slitting in the middle, nails sharpening, a tail hanging limp behind him.
Everyone in the room gasped, surprised by what they were seeing. Kai uncrossed his arms, leaning forwards in his thrown, hands on the arm rests. "Those unique features, I assume."

"Yes my Lord. We are Neko-Jins. Part feline." Tokic nodded to the man, who put the pendent back on, touching his own. "These allow us to hide them while in your presence, but we do not do so in our own village. People from this kingdom have been coming to our mountain, attacking our people, killing us for our ears, tail, and claws. The favorite ones are our cubs - children. We just wish for an end to be put to this act."

"I see. And your gift?" Kai leaned back once more.

"One of our cubs, since you seem so taken with them. He is around your age my Lord, well behaved." Tokic looked to both of his companions, speaking with them for a moment. "His name is Rei-Rei in your language."

"Rei-Rei." Kai repeated. He nodded once. "Is that all?"

"Yes, my Lord. We will leave him with you, to do as you please with. All we ask is that you will think of our request."

Kai waved them out, turning to Karsin as they left. "Where did you have him put?"

"Two from Tokic's party insisted they must take him to your room, while those three came to speak with you. I saw no harm in it, though I did not see the boy, they had him in a full cloak, hood up. It appeared they the two afore mentions wore holding him up. He may be dead."

Kai nodded, understanding. It would not be the first time that a peace gift had died before reaching its new owner. Some would even kill themselves, and the dead body was all that would be delivered. "I will go see." Kai stood from his thrown, suppressing a grown of relief.

"I will join you, for your protection." Karsin fallowed Kai out of the thrown room and down the hall. Once they were past the public part of the Palace and into the private section, Karsin moved to walk beside the Pharaoh. "Kai."

"I know Karsin, but I have to except any gift given to me, no matter how much I disprove of said gift." He looked over at his General. "I don't like it, for these things to happen. Luka is a good kid."

"Luka is older than you." Karsin reminded him, looking straight ahead as they continued to walk. "It's just that, all of them are the same. All of these human peace gifts are the same. The weakest that could be found, the easiest to be controlled." He shook his head. "It's wrong."

Kai nodded, turning down the hall to his chambers. He came to his door, opening it. He stepped into the first chamber, a sitting room, looking around. He did not see the Neko-Jin. He growled, looking towards the door that led to his sleeping chamber. He had better have not entered into it.

He walked forward, throwing the door open. It was dark, like he had left it, never having bothered drawing his curtains open that morning. He stepped into the room, foot landing on something. He bent down, picking it up. It was a pendent, just like the Neko-Jin's he had conversed with had been wearing. He tosses it towards the bed, then looked around the room. He growled again, moving to his window, throwing the curtains open, flooding the room with desert light. He turned back around.

Karsin was still standing in the door way, his eyes were not on his Pharaoh though, but something off to his left. Kai turned, looking over that way. There, on the floor of his bedroom chamber, chained to the wall by a rope that disappeared into the cloak he was still wearing, was the peace gift. It appeared that he was alive after all.

The peace gift, Rei-Rei, was curled up, legs to his chest, arms wrapped around his knees, head hidden by the cloak hood and his legs. He was pressed back into where the two walls met, shaking. He had not looked up, nor did he seem to notice that he had company. Kai felt his anger leave slightly, knowing that the boy had not tied himself up in here.

Karsin made a pained noise, a sound not heard often from the General. He moved towards the boy.

"General."

Karsin stopped, looking back to his Pharaoh. "Kai."

Kai walked up to him, laying a hand on his shoulder. Red eyes stared into purple. Karsin nodded, knowing that Kai had to be the one to approach him. The boy needed to know who his master was after all. Kai moved forward, kneeling down in front of the Neko-Jin. "Rei-Rei." He called, laying his hand on the boys arm. A leg came flying out, kicking Kai. It had all the strength the boy could muster, but Kai verily felt it.

Kai moved his hand up, his other joining it, lowering the hood from the boys head. He was met with black hair, which must have been long since it disappeared down the back of the clock, and a pair of ears lay back against his head. The rope was connected to a collar around his neck. The boy had stop shaking; having gone stiff the second Kai had touched him. Kai made a split second decision, something he did not do often, and removed the collar from around the Neko-Jin's neck. The boy moved his head, though he did not look up. The cloak was removed next, allowing Kai to see Rei-Rei for the first time.

He was smaller than Kai, his hair was long, so long Kai could not tell just how long it was. He was wearing no shirt and the pants he was wearing seemed to be quite a bit bigger than needed. What made Kai sick was the shape his was in. He was very thin, like he had not eaten in much time, his ribs visible. He was covered in bruises, burns, and cuts. Someone had hurt this boy terribly, and over a long period of time, if the veering stages of healing and scars were any indication.

He knew that some peace gifts were beat, he had met Luka and Johnny after all. Johnny was King Roberts Personal Slave, a boy who had been beat into submission. He did not see him till over a year after Robert had purchased him from the market, but he did know the story. Luka was the only case he had ever seen, and that was nothing compared to this. Luka had had bruises all over his body, but had had very few open wounds. Most of Luka's abuse had been verbal, or so Karsin had explained to him once. This boy, he had been beat close to death, possibly more than once, all so that the people of his village would have something to give Kai for an audience with him. They had asked for protection against hunters, to protect their villagers from being killed for what they were, and yet they could and would do this to one of their own people, one of their cubs.

Kai stood, looking back at Karsin. Karsin was turned away from them, shaking slightly. "Karsin." He called. No response. "Karsin." He tried again. Once again. No response. "General."

"I can hear you Kai." Came the response. He did not turn towards them though.

"You are dismissed. Request the healer's presence for me." Karsin nodded, leaving Kai's chambers. Kai turned back to the Neko-Jin, feeling pity for the boy. He reach down, lifting Rei-Rei off of the floor, ignoring the high pitched whine he had started to make. Kai walked over to the bed, laying him on top of it, resting his head on one of the pillows. In this position, Kai got the first look at his face. His left eye was swollen shut, the swelling covering most of the left side of his face, his lip split. His other eyes was open though, golden in color, where as the others had been yellow.

It was the look in that eye that really caught Kai's attention though. That eye was staring straight into his, fear and hope shinning in it. Kai could understand the fear, but the hope, that burning hope took his breath away. Why would he look at him that way? Kai didn't know.

A knock on the door pulled his attention away for the boy. He turned, calling them to enter. The person came in, moving though the sitting room to enter into his sleeping chamber. "Pharoah." The healer bowed to him. "How may I be of assistance to you today?"

"Him." Kai nodded his head towards the Neko-Jin. The healer look at him, then nodded. "I will be in my office when you are done."

"Sir, where should I have him moved to?" The healer asked, moving towards the bed.

"Should he be moved?"

The healer's eyes traveled over the boy's body. "I do not know yet."

"Then inform me latter. We'll decide what to do then." Kai turned, leaving the healer to do his job.

It was decided that the Neko-Jin could be moved, but it would be stress on his body he didn't need. Kai was not surprised, he had expected as much. He did not like the idea of giving up his bed to another, but he could not bring himself to move the boy. The healer had almost lost his position, and perhaps his life, for suggesting that he be moved or to have him thrown out. The healer had, in not so little words, informed the Pharaoh that the Neko-Jin had little chance of living though the fortnight, and as such supplies should not be wasted on him. Kai had promptly told him that he was of no use to him either, so supplies shouldn't be wasted on him.

Rei-Rei proved the healer wrong though, and fought though the infection that had spread though his body. By said fortnight, the fever was gone, the infection was gone, and he was able to sit up. Kai, for the first time, visited while the boy was awake. Before this point, every time he had came into his sleeping chamber to check on the other, Rei-Rei had been asleep.

When Kai entered his sleeping chamber, Rei-Rei was leaning up against the pillows on the bed. Sitting next to him on the edge was one of the servants, holding a spoon up to the Neko-Jin, in her lap was a bowl of broth. When Kai entered, she gasped, standing quickly, sitting the bowl and spoon on the nightstand, then bowed to him. "Forgive me, my lord."

Kai waved his hand at her, looking over the Neko-Jin. Kai had heard that the boy was very weak, that servants had to help him eat. "You're dismissed." He told her. She bowed again, then left. Kai approached the bed, picking the bowl and spoon back up. He sat in her vacated spot, offering the broth to him. The Neko-Jin did not look up, his body stiff. "Eat cat." He touched the spoon to his lips and Rei-Rei took it into his mouth. "Good." He gave him another spoonful, continuing till the bowl was empty. Rei-Rei had not relaxed yet, still refusing to look at him. Kai didn't find offense it this though. He figured that Rei-Rei didn't want to be here anymore than Kai wanted him to be there. "How do you feel?" Rei-Rei's ears twitched, signaling that he had heard him, but he made no move to answer him. He most likely did not understand any of what Kai was saying. "Better, I'm hoping." Still nothing from the boy.

Kai sighed, standing. He moved over to the wardrobe, removing a change of clothes, which is what he had originally came to retrieve. He moved into the bathing chamber, changing his clothes. He only had a few hours till his cousin was to arrive.

Bryan, the Lord of Blitzkrieg, is Kai's only living family. The only people besides the General and Luka he was close to are Bryan and Bryan's Personal Slave Tala. Tala and Kai had been friends for a few years now, since the two had first met actually. It would be good to have both of them around, since he really could use some help on what to do with Rei-Rei. Tala would be the person to know what to do, since he had grown up on the streets and was not used to the life of slavery any more then Rei-Rei would be.

He exited the bathroom, eyes automatically moving to his bed and the boy there. Rei-Rei was still half sitting, half leaning on the pillows there, as tense as when Kai had entered the bathroom. Kai knew that the other feared him, just like he knew that Rei-Rei did not ever let his guard down around anyone in the palace.

"Bryan." Kai smiled slightly at his cousin, and then let his eyes fall on the red head next to him. "Red."

"What have you been up to Kai?" Tala asked, grinning at the other. The three of them had not been together since the ceremony that made Kai the Pharaoh. This ceremony lead to the second set of red triangle tattoos that adored his face.

"Nothing much. Everyone wants to see me about being kept within my protection."

"I know how that goes." Bryan put in. He nodded his head towards the hall. "Shall we more towards a more private place?"

"Sure." Kai lead the way, heading back towards his room. "I want to show you something anyway. I'm hoping Tala can help."

"What?"

"I got this peace gift just over a fortnight ago. He hails from a species called Neko-Jins, they are half cat." Kai opened to door to his sitting room. "The boy's in pretty bad shape."

"He's here?" Tala asked, looking around the sitting room.

"In my champers." Kai supplied. Tala turned then, glaring at Kai. "Calm down Red. I've been sleeping out here. I'm not my grandfather."

Tala nodded, eyes apologizing. He moved across the room, opening the door to the sleeping chamber. He stood there for a few minutes, then closed the door, turning back to Kai and Bryan. "What's his name?" Tala moved over, pressing himself up against Bryan's side. Bryan shifted, bringing his hand up to brush through Tala's hair.

"I was told its Rei-Rei." Kai looked towards the door. "Was he awake?"

"Yeah. He looked uncomfortable. Like he was scared."

"He is. He's healed a lot since coming here. He was death warmed over when I got him." Kai looked back towards the door. "I don't know how to make him relax."

"Just being in the room with him will help." Tala turned slightly, looking up at Bryan. "I didn't like Bry being close to me, to touch me at first. We used to just sit in the same room. I came to trust him that way."

"Is that why?" Bryan looked down slightly, silver eyes meeting blue. Bryan wasn't very good with interpersonal interactions. Emotions eluded him till Tala came into his life.

"Of course. It sure wasn't your personality or your personal hygiene." Tala rolled his eyes, a grin forming. "Try it Kai. We're around for a while. We'll help you with Rei."

"Rei?"

"Well, Rei-Rei is a horrible name! Rei's just cuter."

I'm going to end this here…originally I was going to make an oneshot like with Pharaoh's Scribe, but I think I'm going to chapter this story. Hope that alright with everyone!

NOTES:
1. Yes…Karsin did make it into this story! I know, I know…I should leave characters from other stories in other stories. For those of you who don't know, Karsin is an OC from my story Scattered Dreams (Beyblade, BryKaiTalRei). He just sorta wiggled his way into this story! (There for, you know little Luka can't be to far away!)
2. For some reason, I keep wanted to call him General Karsin, but I don't think that the leader of the army is the General…oh well…for this story it is!
3. Luka was abused by his father in Scattered Dreams, and Karsin (who's a cop in that one with Bryan by the way) was the one that helped him get away, only to fall in love with him…you know…I fell like I'm talking way too much about Scattered Dreams!