ohayo!!! yippie, i've started another beyblade story!!! there's never too
much kai and rei out there!!! we need as much as we can get!!!
kai: * rolls eyes* and, in true idiot fashion, you're starting another story when you should be finishing your other ones.........
* shrugs* i know! ^__^ but this story is gonna be complete before posting, and i'm gonna post it in pieces! gotta get this bug outta my system!!!
anyhoos, here's all the technical crap
DISCLAIMER: stands for the entire fic. beyblade and all associated characters do not belong to me.
WARNINGS: shounen-ai (boi x boi), kai x rei, lee x mao (mariah), and chinese foot binding
SUMMARY: AU; beyblading the bit beasts are companions (pets) to their owners. Rei has returned to his village, which has undergone many changes since he left. He hasn't seen Kai in a couple of years, and something horrible has happened to him. Kai shows up and saves Rei from an awful fate, but the damage has already been done.
NOTES: this was inspired by a report i'm doing for my history class on chinese foot binding. i knew of the practice, but not of the extremity of it. i was deeply interested in the foot binding, and i did some research on it, and what i found was shocking. i will not bore you with all of the info i found- i'm gonna try to present in the fic. foot binding was practiced for nearly 1000 years in China, and around a billion women underwent this painful procedure. for those of you that don't know, foot binding is wrapping a foot in layers of cloth tightly, causing the toes to curl under the ball of the foot, and the arch of the foot to rise, so that the ball and heal are closer together. afterwards, the girls could barely walk, and were often confined to their house. that's enough BS for now.....more info on foot binding in later chappies!! i'm gonna try and present a lil bit each chap.
CHERRY BLOSSOMS
Meeting Of The Council
The adults of the village gathered in the large, ornate dwelling of the held elder. In the center of his house, which generation upon generation of village magistrate had lived in, the village folk flocked, bodies pressing against each other in the main chamber of the house, where all important meetings and events, other than religious ones, which took place at the sacred temple, occurred.
An old man garbed in fine black, red lined silk stood upon a raised platform, waiting for the small crowd to settle down, his dull eyes briefly flickering over each face and nodding to himself, stroking his thin white beard with gnarled hands, his skin tan and coarse like leather. Though his vision was waning with old age, his eyes were still sharp enough to catch a flash of blue cloth hovering against the far end of the wall. Ah, so his son, who was next in line to become village magistrate once he was gone from this earth, had decided to show after all.
Lee leaned against the wall, crossing his arms and looking his father straight in the eye, letting the old man know he wasn't very pleased, and had only come because it was his duty. He was the only young one here; the rest were all adults of various ages. Most of them were male, the females staying at home to tend to the children, but the number of females at this meeting was more than the usual, for this was a matter of life or death. Survival or defeat.
The youngest of the elders, a 65 year old, rang the gong then took her place behind the magistrate. As the loud clang of the gong vibrated over the crowd, all fell silent and gazed up at Lee's father, who stepped forward as they all bowed low, showing a sign of respect. Lee bowed as well, then regarded his father with curious, wary eyes, not sure what to expect.
"We have returned from meeting with the leaders of the other mountain villages, and we all have agreed upon a course of action that will ensure not only the survival of our villages, but a return to our former prosperity as well. As you know, our village is the highest and most remote of all the mountain villages, therefore, we were spared the illness that spread throughout the lower villages, claiming many of the lives of their young ones. However, our fortune is also our sorrow. Because of our harsher climate, our crops have failed for three years in a row. We still have our children, but they are starving, and we grow weaker by the day. The other villages' crops are abundant, but they do not have enough daughters for their sons to marry. We have plenty of daughters, though they are starving. Our solution is simple: we shall return to an ancient tradition, and arrange marriages for our daughters with men from other villages. The bride prices will be paid with in food. "
Lee's mother, who often did not attend the meetings, allowing his father to run the village as he saw fit, spoke up, her thin, high voice carrying out over the air. "Are we to tear our children from their families, and sell them for food? They haven't been raised in the old ways; they might not conform....they may run away....."
Lee watched his father nod his head, then addressed the crowd, but looked mainly at the females gathered there. "Many of our sons and daughters already do not wish to stay here and live in the village, as our ancestors have done for countless generations. They do not wish to be a part of their heritage; they have left of their own free will, abandoning their duties and responsibilities to our village, our people." As he said this, his fading eyes looked directly at his wife's, and she bit her lip and looked away.
She knew who he was referring to; their other son, Rei. The son they had adopted as their own when his parents were killed in an avalanche, leaving a sick and injured kitten behind. They had taken him in, and raised him as their own, as Lee's brother.
"It is almost certain that our older girls, who have been given more freedom than past generations, will rebel and try to run away. We must ensure that they don't; the survival of our village depends upon the successful marrying off of them. So, in keeping with the traditions, their feet must be bound."
A shocked silence fell upon the crowd, then some men, and mostly the women, raised their voices in protest. "The government has outlawed it since 1911!"
"Men no longer desire brides with bound feet; they want women who can work."
The magistrate raised his hands. "I know, but that practice has only died out a few generations ago. Many of our elderly women are the last who have had their feet bound. The practice has long been dead in the flat lands and in the cities, but, as isolated as our villages are, it is still practiced by some. To the government, we are nothing but dots on a map. Binding the feet will ensure our daughters' obedience. We shall start with the oldest, who can be married first. Their feet are mostly bone instead of cartilage by now, so the process will take longer. I want the feet of every single girl, 15 and older, bound by sunset tonight. The elders and I will be coming around to check."
The youngest elder hobbled over to the gong on her own bound feet and rang the huge, heavy metal disk with a heavy heart. The crowd dispersed, mothers leaving with lowered heads as they went off to collect their daughters.
"Lee, come here." Lee had just uncurled from the wall, about to walk out, when his father called him over. "Go fetch Rei." He said, his voice thick with determination.
Lee nodded, not questioning his father. His mother went over to him, laying a hand on her husband's arm. "You surely don't mean to have Rei's feet bound, do you? He's a boy-"
"He ran away from our village once: he must be made to obey. He is young and beautiful. He would bring in a heavy bride price. We have our eldest son and heir, Lee. When we die, there will be nothing for Rei; this is best for all, and it is the price of his disobedience."
Lee's eyes widened, and he clenched his fists as he walked away from his parents, off to find his adopted brother. How could his father do this to the village? Not only selling off the girls, but binding their feet? It was a barbaric practice, but....it ensured obedience... Growling, Lee motioned for Galeon to come to his side. The huge, monstrous black lion yawned and rose from his sleeping position under the shade of a low tree. He stretched his sinewy limbs and flexed his great, deadly claws before lazily walking over to Lee, who stood waiting.
Lee glanced up at the sun; he still had a while before sunset, so he could give Rei some extra time to enjoy his last moments of freedom. Walking at a sedate pace throughout the village, the youth observed with uneasy eyes as mothers and grandmothers called their older daughters in from their chores, walking with lowered heads and saddened eyes, and the girls followed with wide, curious expressions, unaware of the fate that awaited them.
***
Mao followed her mother into the kitchen, and sat down in the chair the older woman motioned to. She cocked her head to the side, wondering why her mother locked the door. The woman then preceded to fetch a bowl of warm, lotus scented water and knelt down, bathing her daughter's feet.
"Mama?"
"Hush, precious." She said, keeping her gaze lowered, not meeting her daughter's eyes once, hiding the tears that trickled from her own. She gently toweled off Mao's feet, caressing the silky softness of the nearly perfect features before reaching for a 2 inch wide, 10 foot strip of cloth and sealing her daughter to a crippled, pain filled fate.
***
Lee and Galeon were on the other side of small village when an ear piercing scream wrent the air, the first of many in a long night to come.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
tbc.......
plz review if you want me to continue, b/c, if not, then i'll just toss this in the trash! i seriously enjoy hearing what u guyz think! it means alot to me!
kai: * rolls eyes* and, in true idiot fashion, you're starting another story when you should be finishing your other ones.........
* shrugs* i know! ^__^ but this story is gonna be complete before posting, and i'm gonna post it in pieces! gotta get this bug outta my system!!!
anyhoos, here's all the technical crap
DISCLAIMER: stands for the entire fic. beyblade and all associated characters do not belong to me.
WARNINGS: shounen-ai (boi x boi), kai x rei, lee x mao (mariah), and chinese foot binding
SUMMARY: AU; beyblading the bit beasts are companions (pets) to their owners. Rei has returned to his village, which has undergone many changes since he left. He hasn't seen Kai in a couple of years, and something horrible has happened to him. Kai shows up and saves Rei from an awful fate, but the damage has already been done.
NOTES: this was inspired by a report i'm doing for my history class on chinese foot binding. i knew of the practice, but not of the extremity of it. i was deeply interested in the foot binding, and i did some research on it, and what i found was shocking. i will not bore you with all of the info i found- i'm gonna try to present in the fic. foot binding was practiced for nearly 1000 years in China, and around a billion women underwent this painful procedure. for those of you that don't know, foot binding is wrapping a foot in layers of cloth tightly, causing the toes to curl under the ball of the foot, and the arch of the foot to rise, so that the ball and heal are closer together. afterwards, the girls could barely walk, and were often confined to their house. that's enough BS for now.....more info on foot binding in later chappies!! i'm gonna try and present a lil bit each chap.
CHERRY BLOSSOMS
Meeting Of The Council
The adults of the village gathered in the large, ornate dwelling of the held elder. In the center of his house, which generation upon generation of village magistrate had lived in, the village folk flocked, bodies pressing against each other in the main chamber of the house, where all important meetings and events, other than religious ones, which took place at the sacred temple, occurred.
An old man garbed in fine black, red lined silk stood upon a raised platform, waiting for the small crowd to settle down, his dull eyes briefly flickering over each face and nodding to himself, stroking his thin white beard with gnarled hands, his skin tan and coarse like leather. Though his vision was waning with old age, his eyes were still sharp enough to catch a flash of blue cloth hovering against the far end of the wall. Ah, so his son, who was next in line to become village magistrate once he was gone from this earth, had decided to show after all.
Lee leaned against the wall, crossing his arms and looking his father straight in the eye, letting the old man know he wasn't very pleased, and had only come because it was his duty. He was the only young one here; the rest were all adults of various ages. Most of them were male, the females staying at home to tend to the children, but the number of females at this meeting was more than the usual, for this was a matter of life or death. Survival or defeat.
The youngest of the elders, a 65 year old, rang the gong then took her place behind the magistrate. As the loud clang of the gong vibrated over the crowd, all fell silent and gazed up at Lee's father, who stepped forward as they all bowed low, showing a sign of respect. Lee bowed as well, then regarded his father with curious, wary eyes, not sure what to expect.
"We have returned from meeting with the leaders of the other mountain villages, and we all have agreed upon a course of action that will ensure not only the survival of our villages, but a return to our former prosperity as well. As you know, our village is the highest and most remote of all the mountain villages, therefore, we were spared the illness that spread throughout the lower villages, claiming many of the lives of their young ones. However, our fortune is also our sorrow. Because of our harsher climate, our crops have failed for three years in a row. We still have our children, but they are starving, and we grow weaker by the day. The other villages' crops are abundant, but they do not have enough daughters for their sons to marry. We have plenty of daughters, though they are starving. Our solution is simple: we shall return to an ancient tradition, and arrange marriages for our daughters with men from other villages. The bride prices will be paid with in food. "
Lee's mother, who often did not attend the meetings, allowing his father to run the village as he saw fit, spoke up, her thin, high voice carrying out over the air. "Are we to tear our children from their families, and sell them for food? They haven't been raised in the old ways; they might not conform....they may run away....."
Lee watched his father nod his head, then addressed the crowd, but looked mainly at the females gathered there. "Many of our sons and daughters already do not wish to stay here and live in the village, as our ancestors have done for countless generations. They do not wish to be a part of their heritage; they have left of their own free will, abandoning their duties and responsibilities to our village, our people." As he said this, his fading eyes looked directly at his wife's, and she bit her lip and looked away.
She knew who he was referring to; their other son, Rei. The son they had adopted as their own when his parents were killed in an avalanche, leaving a sick and injured kitten behind. They had taken him in, and raised him as their own, as Lee's brother.
"It is almost certain that our older girls, who have been given more freedom than past generations, will rebel and try to run away. We must ensure that they don't; the survival of our village depends upon the successful marrying off of them. So, in keeping with the traditions, their feet must be bound."
A shocked silence fell upon the crowd, then some men, and mostly the women, raised their voices in protest. "The government has outlawed it since 1911!"
"Men no longer desire brides with bound feet; they want women who can work."
The magistrate raised his hands. "I know, but that practice has only died out a few generations ago. Many of our elderly women are the last who have had their feet bound. The practice has long been dead in the flat lands and in the cities, but, as isolated as our villages are, it is still practiced by some. To the government, we are nothing but dots on a map. Binding the feet will ensure our daughters' obedience. We shall start with the oldest, who can be married first. Their feet are mostly bone instead of cartilage by now, so the process will take longer. I want the feet of every single girl, 15 and older, bound by sunset tonight. The elders and I will be coming around to check."
The youngest elder hobbled over to the gong on her own bound feet and rang the huge, heavy metal disk with a heavy heart. The crowd dispersed, mothers leaving with lowered heads as they went off to collect their daughters.
"Lee, come here." Lee had just uncurled from the wall, about to walk out, when his father called him over. "Go fetch Rei." He said, his voice thick with determination.
Lee nodded, not questioning his father. His mother went over to him, laying a hand on her husband's arm. "You surely don't mean to have Rei's feet bound, do you? He's a boy-"
"He ran away from our village once: he must be made to obey. He is young and beautiful. He would bring in a heavy bride price. We have our eldest son and heir, Lee. When we die, there will be nothing for Rei; this is best for all, and it is the price of his disobedience."
Lee's eyes widened, and he clenched his fists as he walked away from his parents, off to find his adopted brother. How could his father do this to the village? Not only selling off the girls, but binding their feet? It was a barbaric practice, but....it ensured obedience... Growling, Lee motioned for Galeon to come to his side. The huge, monstrous black lion yawned and rose from his sleeping position under the shade of a low tree. He stretched his sinewy limbs and flexed his great, deadly claws before lazily walking over to Lee, who stood waiting.
Lee glanced up at the sun; he still had a while before sunset, so he could give Rei some extra time to enjoy his last moments of freedom. Walking at a sedate pace throughout the village, the youth observed with uneasy eyes as mothers and grandmothers called their older daughters in from their chores, walking with lowered heads and saddened eyes, and the girls followed with wide, curious expressions, unaware of the fate that awaited them.
***
Mao followed her mother into the kitchen, and sat down in the chair the older woman motioned to. She cocked her head to the side, wondering why her mother locked the door. The woman then preceded to fetch a bowl of warm, lotus scented water and knelt down, bathing her daughter's feet.
"Mama?"
"Hush, precious." She said, keeping her gaze lowered, not meeting her daughter's eyes once, hiding the tears that trickled from her own. She gently toweled off Mao's feet, caressing the silky softness of the nearly perfect features before reaching for a 2 inch wide, 10 foot strip of cloth and sealing her daughter to a crippled, pain filled fate.
***
Lee and Galeon were on the other side of small village when an ear piercing scream wrent the air, the first of many in a long night to come.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
tbc.......
plz review if you want me to continue, b/c, if not, then i'll just toss this in the trash! i seriously enjoy hearing what u guyz think! it means alot to me!
