Fire and Water

Chapter One

Most of us, I suppose, are a little nervous of the sea. No matter what its smiles may be, we doubt its friendship. ~H.M. Tomlinson

Antonio stared out into the vast expanse of water before him, the passing waves calmed him ever so slightly, but he was still nervous. It was hard not to be; after all he was going to be an ambassador. He would soon be representing the whole of his country in foreign lands in which he had never set foot in. Of course he'd done research before he left, but reading about a place was different then going there. He hoped he didn't make a fool of himself.

It wouldn't be long before Antonio's capabilities as an ambassador where put to the test. His months long journey was about to end. According to the captain it would only be a matter of days before the ship arrived at port.

Finally, after months of travel, Antonio's ship finally reached its destination. Antonio stood anxiously on the deck of the ship watching as the foreign scenery came closer and closer. The crew of the ship had told him not to worry so much. According to them the people of this country where fairly pleasant; in fact many where interested in learning about the foreigners they now traded with. However, Antonio was still worried. These people had only ever really dealt with merchants. Few of them had ever really dealt with nobles, let alone royalty, like he was about to.

Once the ship had docked and the passengers began disembarking Antonio stood, watching them disappear down the ramp into a sea of, frighteningly unfamiliar people.

"No need to worry," one of the sailors said stepping up behind Antonio. "I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Do you really think so?" Antonio asked.

"Of course, who could resist someone as charming as you," he answered. Antonio smiled. Before this journey the man had been a complete stranger, but now they chatted as if they'd know each other for years. Having such a gruff man accept him as a friend and even compliment and encourage him was amazing. It made Antonio feel like he really could do what he'd come to do. After all royalty had to be friendlier then sailors.

"Thank you, that actually helped me a lot," Antonio said with renewed confidence. With a final look out into the crowd he stepped onto the ramp and began his journey.

Kiku stared listlessly out into the garden. He had long since lost interest in the flowers it held. He'd spent so long staring at them that he could no longer see why people thought them beautiful. It was at times like these that he felt he could give anything to see beyond the walls of the palace. He'd been trapped for years. Since the day his youngest brother had runaway with that Englishman, Kiku and his remaining siblings had been forced to stay within these suffocating walls.

No one was sure how it started, but they all eventually began to notice. An English man had come to present a treaty to his father. This Englishman had managed to form a connection with Kiku's brother Hong, a feat many thought amazing. However this connection turned into something more, a something that would lead his brother to leave everything he knew to be with that Englishman. Kiku's father had been furious and forced his remaining children to remain isolated in the palace. It would be years before he would let any foreigner stay in the palace, regardless of the reason for their visit.

"Kiku-sama," an attendant called.

"Yes," Kiku replied.

"Our guest has arrived and your father requests your presence, so that you may meet him."

Kiku turned his attention to the attendant who lay prostrate on the floor. They had been expecting this guest for months, but despite this Kiku was unsure of meeting him. Kiku almost wanted to laugh at himself, just moments before he'd wished for change, but now that it was presented to him he hesitated to take it. He truly did wish to see more of the world, but at the same time he was frightened of what it might be like. After all it had been years since he'd had to deal with anything beyond the four walls of his room.

"I have no interest in meeting our guest," Kiku told the attendant turning his attention back to the all too familiar garden.

"But, Kiku-sama," the attendant began.

"Leave," Kiku said firmly.

"Yes, sir," the servant replied hurriedly leaving the room.

Kiku clutched at the front of his hakama. No matter how much he craved change, he could never have it. He'd been isolated for so long that he feared he couldn't handle it. He would simply be overwhelmed by the shock and come running back to his familiar room. Perhaps it was best for him to keep his silent vigil over the garden.

It had been a long day for Antonio. Once he'd gotten to the palace he'd been ushered around non-stop. He'd been shown what felt like every inch of the palace. He'd also met the Emperor and most of his children. They were all well mannered, except the one young man who insisted he'd invented just about everything he and Antonio talked about. He'd even once groped Antonio's chest claiming it as his own.

Antonio simply laughed at the boys' antics. Things here were quite different from what he was used to, but they were definitely entertaining. While the boy's actions had been unusual, it had oddly made Antonio feel welcome. Of course it had also worn him out.

He'd barely had anytime to himself. Now, that he had managed to get some, he decided to take a more leisurely stroll through the garden than the one he'd been taken on earlier. He really had enjoyed the look of the flowers, and wished he'd had more time to admire them.

After refusing to eat with his father and his guest, he had taken dinner in his room. Afterwards his father had personally come to scold him for his rudeness. Kiku just sat staring absently at the floor. He'd been scolded for similar things before. This time was no different and Kiku simply blocked out his father's tirade.

Now that his father was gone Kiku had intended to return to watching over the flowers, when he saw a stranger in the garden. Kiku now stood terrified in the doorway, a death grip on the wooden frame. 'He must be the foreigner,' Kiku thought. His grip on the doorframe loosened a bit as he realized the man hadn't noticed him.

'He's quite handsome', Kiku mused, relaxing into his usual position. Maybe change wasn't as bad as he thought. After all, he felt he wouldn't mind watching this man wonder the gardens. He was, after all, far more attractive then the flowers.

Of, course it seemed the man had no intention of letting Kiku simply watch him, because he was now staring curiously at Kiku. Kiku immediately tensed when he realized the man was staring back at him. His heart began racing when he noticed the man was advancing towards him.

"Good evening," the man said with a warm smile. "My name is Antonio, you must be Kiku."

"H-how?" Kiku stuttered unable to gather is thoughts.

"The emperor told me about you at dinner," Antonio said. "Is something the matter?" Kiku could only squeak as he scrambled to get away. "Hey, it's alright, there's no need to be scared," Antonio said wrapping his arms around Kiku's waist, easily restraining him. "I promise I won't hurt you."

Kiku began to relax into the man's hold. He felt oddly safe and warm, the man's voice soothing him. He almost felt as if all of his earlier fears where completely unjustified. Maybe, this is what his brother felt when he chose to leave.

"Are you alright?" Antonio asked clearly concerned, snapping Kiku out of his daze. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

"Oh no, no I'm fine, really," Kiku said hurriedly as he felt the man remove his hands from his waist. He noticed that he felt terribly cold without the man's touch.

"That's good," Antonio said smiling again. "I would feel terrible if I had hurt you."

"I'm sorry for worrying you," Kiku said bowing his head.

"No, need to apologize. I'm sorry for frightening you," Antonio said sitting to face the garden.

"No, no, I over reacted," Kiku said, his eyes trained on the floor. Antonio glanced back at the smaller man.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked. "You seem a little down."

"I-I'm fine, I-I just-"

"You're nervous." Kiku's eyes shot up. 'You weren't supposed to notice,' he thought. Antonio scooted back so that he was sitting next to Kiku. "How about today we start with sitting together and tomorrow we have some trivial conversation?" Antonio said.

"A-alright," Kiku stuttered in response. He felt terribly nervous sitting next to Antonio and it wasn't because he was afraid anymore. He could no longer keep his gaze trained on the garden; his eyes kept drifting towards his new companion. Every time Kiku caught himself staring at Antonio he would start and turn away, a distinct burning sensation running across his cheeks. When Antonio finally bid him good night Kiku could only mumble a reply to the floor. He refused to let Antonio see the blush that he was sure he now sported.

...

A/N: Before people send me nasty messages about the pairing have some history."Diplomatic Relations Between Spain and Japan: Established in 1868 with the signing of the Treaty of Commerce and Friendship. Contact between Japan and Spain began when a Jesuit missionary, Francisco Xavier, arrived in Japan in 1549. Since then until Japan adopted the policy of seclusion, many missionaries from Spain sailed to Japan and introduced Western civilization to Japan. Thanks to the Spanish galleons, Japan was also able to begin trading with the Philippines, Mexico, and other countries."

info found here-

www dot mofa dot go dot jp /region /europe/spain /index dot html