Conquered Hearts

Chapter 02 – Massacre

Read the first chapter for disclaimer and story informations.

A/N: Thank you for the response I got from the first chapter! I'm glad to see so many people are looking forward for the continuation. I hope I don't disappoint any of you with this chapter! Thanks for all the alerts, favs and reviews! I really appreciate them all. I hope you all enjoy the second chapter, too! Oh, and special thanks for Manzzeii for being my beta. You are truly amazing! Any mistakes you still find is mine alone.


Massacre. That was what happening in the field right now. The sun was high in the sky and its light fell upon the gruesome scene of bodies scattered around what once was a lush green field. Drowned under the yelling and screaming voices of the soldiers fighting, were the groans and pitiful moans from the injured as they waited for their fate. Blood stained the grass, looking like morbid red morning dews.

Kise pranced along the battlefield on his stallion, the blood from both allies and foes staining his polished armor. He was a dangerous yet magnificent sight as he slashed and stabbed at his foes with terrifying accuracy. Sweat rolled down on his temple, the battle had gone on for almost six hours now, but his movements didn't show any sign of exhaustion in the slightest.

The enemy's soldiers were focusing on him, knowing fully that defeating the opponent's general would guarantee victory on their side, but Kise was too strong for them—until one of the foot soldiers managed to stab at his stallion with their sword, making it reared up. Kise was thrown off of the horse. His helmet protected his head from the nasty impact, but the fall still managed to steal the air away from him.

He didn't have much time to assess his injuries, because the enemies were already moving into him, lifting their swords and pikes dangerously high above them. He managed to roll off, avoiding the dangerous weapons, and he took out the other short sword he had before slashing at the enemies' legs, making them fall onto the ground. Kise didn't waste any time before delivering the fatal blow, knowing that to kill an enemy immediately would be an act of mercy here in the battlefield.

"My, you are a feisty one, aren't you?"

Kise turned around to face Aomine when he heard that mocking voice. His grips on his twin swords tightened as he took in the figure of Touou's general in front of him. Aomine was smirking roguishly; his armor in the same state of ruin as Kise's and his broadsword was almost painted in red. The sight of those blood stains on Aomine's sword made Kise's blood boiled. He could imagine how many of his soldiers had fallen victim to that dangerous sword. The other general was not wearing a helmet, but then again perhaps he didn't need one with his skill.

"I have this bad habit of never giving up," Kise responded in a deceptively calm tone. All the while making it sound like he was teasing.

Aomine's smirk widened as he stepped forward. The other soldiers gave them a wide berth, not wanting to get dragged into the generals' fight. It was a fight far above their skills. "You have never known true despair, then. Don't worry, I will make sure to teach you all about it soon."

The dark blue haired man swung his broadsword idly. Sharp midnight sky orbs didn't let go of Kise even for a second. Aomine decided he liked the sight in front of him. Kise Ryouta looked all the more tempting with all the blood and grime dirtying his milky smooth skin. He licked his lips, trying to hold himself from tasting the dry blood directly from Kise's skin.

"Let's see how good you truly are." Aomine rushed forward, eyes glinting with excitement as he moved his broadsword with intention to stab Kise.

The blond was fast and experienced, though. Using his twin swords, he managed to block the attack and pushed Aomine back. He didn't wait as he counter-attacked with his twin swords, aiming to hurt the other. The blond lost all hints of playfulness in him, topaz orbs darkened with focus and murderous intent.

Aomine's eyes widened for a fraction of second. He didn't expect to have such difficulties in parrying Kise's attacks. His body thrummed with excitement. Each shallow wound Kise managed to inflict on his body only fuelled his desire for the other even more.

"What is the matter, General Aomine? Surely you know there is no need to hold back, right?" Kise swung his twin swords again, making a cut just under Aomine's eyes.

The Touou's general cursed under his breath before he saw an opening and kicked Kise hard. The impact made the blond take a few staggered steps backwards, face set on a grimace. Aomine's eyes narrowed. He changed his stance, this time holding onto the hilt of his sword with two hands. Likewise, there was no more playful light in Aomine's eyes as he smirked at Kise, his whole body screaming of murderous intent instead.

"Don't be hasty. Our dance has just started."

xXXx

It was hard to keep tabs on everyone once the battle had broken out. Hell, it was hard to even keep yourself for getting killed, so Kagami really shouldn't be this frustrated just because he had lost sight of Kise. The red head still felt unease, though. There was this unexplainable terror in his gut for his general's safety. It was stupid, because Kagami had never known of anyone stronger than Kise, but the feeling still wouldn't dissipate.

Kagami opened up a path for himself by slashing at the enemies blocking his way. His amber orbs were sharp as they searched for either a familiar blond head under polished helmet or for the dark skinned monster on black stallion. He had seen how Aomine slaughtered his army and he didn't want that man to face Kise, because, despite of Kise's skill, the small voice in the back of Kagami's head kept on telling him the blond wouldn't win.

Thus, it was imperative for him to find Kise as soon as possible.

"Shit! Out of the damn way, you idiots!" snarling, Kagami pulled at his mare's reins, making it reared up. The soldiers in his way all moved away, deciding not to take the risk of being kicked by the animal.

From the opening he made, Kagami could see a strange empty space just at the heart of the battlefield. It almost looked as if the other soldiers were giving wide berth to whoever was fighting there. It didn't take a genius to figure out who were involved in that fight.

Kagami directed his mare towards that spot, but then he felt a sudden presence on his side. His instinct made him alert in mere seconds. He halted his movement and pointed his sword at the warrior on his side. A pair of amber orbs narrowed when he saw a man with teal mane and pale skin. He was wearing Touou's armor, but Kagami couldn't detect any hostile intent from the other. However, he didn't let his body relax just yet, because in war, anything could happen.

"Who are you? State your name!" Kagami barked out the order.

"How surprising to see Teikou's prince in a battlefield and yet not leading it." The stoic man said instead of obeying Kagami's direct order, expressionless eyes staring straight at Kagami's.

Kagami's posture stiffened. A low growl rumbling in his throat as he returned the gaze directed at him with suspicion. Not many people knew of his status as a prince. After all, he was not the rightful queen's son. He was born from one of the late king's concubines and he preferred people to remain oblivious to this fact.

"I'll just ask this one more time: who are you?" Kagami's sword moved dangerously close to the exposed neck of the others, nicking it lightly.

"Kuroko Tetsuya." The answer came in a calm tone. Apparently, Kuroko didn't think a sword pointed at his neck was dangerous at all. "I will advise you to not interfere with Aomine-kun's fight. It will only make him furious."

"Why would I listen to an enemy's advice?" Kagami snorted. He removed his sword, though, because he couldn't feel any danger from the other man. It was obvious he would be able to win against Kuroko if they actually fought.

"Because I am telling you what is right. Oh, and it's useless anyway. Touou's aiding troops have arrived. If you are wise, you will run to save your life. Your kingdom still needs you, Prince Kagami."

Dread made Kagami's blood run cold as he heard Kuroko's statement. He wanted to snarl at the smaller man and tell him there was no chance he would scare Kagami away with an empty threat, but already he could hear faint and foreign battle cries which were getting louder and louder. His amber eyes shuttered close as he grimaced. His nightmare was coming true at the worst possible timing. There was no way they could win against the aiding troops. The Teikou's soldiers were almost at their limit as it was. Their lost was more or less guaranteed, but it was not a reason to give up. They were noble warriors, trained to hold onto their prides and loyalties. Surrendering was a concept they knew nothing of.

If they had to lose, they would go down fighting.

"You have good eyes," Kuroko's soft spoken observation brought Kagami's attention back to reality. When amber pools clashed against stolen skies, Kuroko continued, "They are full of life. I hope I will be able to see them again after this."

Before Kagami had the chance to respond, Kuroko was already riding away. He didn't have the time to chase after the other, though, because then he heard the first surprised shout from his soldier and then—chaos.

xXXx

Kise had always thought of himself as a rationale and decent man. Despite being a seasoned warrior, he didn't have the tendency of bloodlust, unlike most of his opponents. He didn't love war—he still personally thought it was pointless if necessary sometimes. He hated how many lives were lost in a war and, most of all; he loathed his barbaric enemies with all of his heart.

Despite that, though, Kise truly was a skillful warrior with lots of battle experiences. He could understand the thrill of tempting Death and, eventhough he hated to admit it, he couldn't deny the excitement running in his veins as he exchanged lethal blows with Aomine. The other general was not just bragging about his skill. His arrogance aside, Aomine Daiki was one amazing warrior.

'This is bad … I shouldn't enjoy it this much,' Kise still couldn't hold back the smirk on his face even as Aomine slowly but surely pushed him back. He was having the upper hand, but apparently the situation had turned around now.

Aomine's eyes glinted as one particular attack from him managed to shove Kise back. He then pulled back his sword only to move it again in a violent stab, this time managing to break through Kise's armor and iron vest, pulling a pained scream out of the blond's throat. Aomine smirked in sadistic pleasure at the sound.

"You have a nice voice. I'd love to hear you scream more."

The Touou's general pushed his sword deeper, pleased with the resistance he got when it pierced through the flesh. Kise didn't give him the pleasure of hearing his scream, though. The blond was gritting his teeth, smothering any sound that might escape from him.

"Don't look as if you have win," Kise ground out as he lifted his head to give an unholy smirk towards Aomine. He was panting heavily, but he still had enough strength to lift his sword. "Arrogance will be your undoing."

Aomine's eyes widened for fraction of seconds when Kise suddenly lunged forward, uncaring of the sword still embedded in his flesh. Only Aomine's fast reflex made him able to avoid the blond's sword from decapitating him. An ear splitting sound of metal dragging against metal rang in the air as Kise's sword slashed at Aomine's armor, leaving a long scratch there.

For a moment, Aomine was in a vulnerable state. He was defenseless, sword still stuck in Kise's body and surprise made him paralyzed. Kise took in a deep breath, giving all of his focus into his next attack. He became deaf of the world as his attention was fully given to the general in front of him. Kise could already feel victory on the tip of his fingers. He collected all strength he had left and moved to deliver the last blow.

But then he felt a painful sting on his right shoulder. His body went numb all of the sudden. He could see his own surprise being reflected on Aomine's face before the other general's expression contorted into fury. He couldn't tell what had made Aomine so angry, though, because then darkness had taken over his consciousness.

Aomine didn't watch when Kise's body hit ground. His furious eyes were focused on the soldier behind the fallen general—a soldier who wore Touou's armor and held a bow in his hand. A soldier who had released the poisonous arrow that knocked Kise out.

"What do you think you are doing, Hanamiya? Who give you the permission to interfere with my battle?!"

Hanamiya Makoto just stared at Aomine with a calm smirk before putting away his bow. He folded his arms on his chest before tilting his head aside slightly, dark orbs looking down at the fallen general with hints of mockery.

"I do apologize, My Liege," Hanamiya started with a saccharine smile. "but from my point of view, it looked as if this man was giving you trouble. You may see it as an intervention, but I personally rather think of it as saving your life."

"I don't remember ever asking your help."

"I insist," Hanamiya shrugged negligently before moving to kick at Kise lightly. "With this, the victory has become ours. Well, we still would have won even if you lost from him, but I guess an absolute victory does taste better."

Aomine gritted his teeth but restrained himself from cursing Hanamiya verbally. There was nothing he could do, anyway. Already he could hear the aiding troops going after the remaining Teikou's soldiers. It was victory for Touou's kingdom, but Aomine didn't feel satisfied at all. He didn't feel as if he had won against Kise Ryouta. This was the first time Aomine ever felt like this. He swore to keep Kise alive, then. They would need to have a rematch, no matter what other people would think about it.

"Move your foot. That man is my spoil of war. No one but me is allowed to touch him."

A surprised expression took over Hanamiya's expression by Aomine's blatant protectiveness. This was the first time the general even bothered taking spoils of war. Usually, Aomine was a heartless warrior who preferred to take no hostages. He wisely didn't say anything, though, simply removing his foot as per Aomine's order. However, Hanamiya made sure to make a mental note to tell the king about this turn of event. King Imayoshi would surely love to know the interest his brother was showing to the enemy's general.

For now, though, it would be wiser to avoid more of Aomine's wrath. Hanamiya bowed low, his voice sincere as he said, "As you wish, My Lord."


To be Continued …