solace
"I found solace in the strangest place
Way in the back of my mind
I saw my life in a stranger's face
And it was mine"
II
Kouban Ka is resigned. He is of noble origins, his family a prideful one- his third cousin twice removed is married to the fourth princess of another land!- that dutifully serves the Imperial Family of the Kou Empire. His brother is the attendant of Princess Kouren- the fifth imperial princess- and his mother serves under the Third Imperial Princess, Koutoku Ren. His father is one hundred twenty-eighth in line for the throne. Kouban himself had been a mere messenger for the Seventh Imperial Princess Kourin Ren, but he had been transferred to a more important job. Now, when he had heard that he would be the Eighth Imperial Princess' attendant, he was nothing more than excited. However, after realizing exactly what that job entails- he had drawn a blank when realizing that the Eighth Princess was indeed the Eighth Princess- he was more than prepared to write his own will.
Kouban had expected a bratty, sneaky, rude, albeit smart- he had heard tales of the girl's journeys to the library and her thirst for knowledge, and he can respect an avid learner- little girl. (But, but-!) Now, all he can see is an innocent, five-year-old child with wide, intelligent pink eyes and long, dark pink hair, and when she tilts her head, it looks like she's staring right through him and Koubun shifts ever so slightly.
The Princess takes note of that. She files the information away for later use.
He clears his throat rather abruptly and the twins behind him- his fellow attendants now whose solemnity he respects- stand tall. "I am Kouban Ka, and these are the Sa Sisters,. From now on, we will be your faithful attendants, Honorable Princess," he declares.
They bow so low that Kougyoku is sure their foreheads are brushing the floor.
"It's an honor to make your acquaintance, Mr. Kouban, Sa Sisters. I am Kougyoku Ren, and I hope that I do not trouble you during your time serving under me!" She chirps, smiling kindly at them.
Koubun does a double take but quickly regains his posture because, oh, did the Eighth Imperial Princess just address them with respect?
"Honorable Princess, it is very inappropriate for you to address us with such respect. We are but lowly attendants," he states calmly, not unkindly.
"Oh, but I talk to everyone this way. My apologies, Mr. Kouban!" Kougyoku purrs.
Koubun pauses.
"Honorable Princess, you must never apologize to anyone of lower social standing than you," he reprimands.
("Sorry!")
("Honorable Princess-!")
Kougyoku knows Kouban Ka- "Enshin, Entai, Engi, kill them."- as the loyal attendant of Kougyoku Ren, but Kougyoku Ren doesn't exist so neither should he but he's still here and so are the Sa Sisters. She tilts her head slightly, humming quietly as she devours the contents of the book before her. A large, leather-bound, musty old thing that had resided in the very depths of the library's oldest section and had not been touched in decades before Kougyoku got her hands on it. It was about Alma Torran, the world that Solomon created and ruled over. She mulled over the question- why was this book even in the library in the first place?
It contains vital information on the formation of white rukh and what exactly is black rukh and the essence of a magi, and, and, and, it's written in a language that Kougyoku has never seen before and yet she can read with impeccable accuracy.
(No, she can't read it- the black bird on her shoulder is whispering the words into her ear. She ignores the numbness in her chest.)
She knows of Arba and Gyokuen and Hakuei. She knows.
She knows, and she doesn't care.
She doesn't do anything.
Kougyoku is silent.
Kougyoku is quiet.
Kougyoku is gone.
The Eighth Imperial Princess of the Kou Empire smiles as she closes the book, her fingers dancing over the black birds perched upon the cover.
"Rinne, what're you doin'?" Kouha mumbles as his sister combs through his hair, humming a quiet song.
"I'm brushing your hair, silly! It's really messy from all that fighting you did earlier, y'know!" She giggles, fluffing up his pink locks.
Kouha huffs and lays his head down on her lap, closing his eyes.
(Her touch is soothing. Kouha remembers his mother in the bed next to them. Asleep.)
He doesn't understand how the pig could ever have someone this kind as his legitimate child. It just doesn't add up. His eyes narrow slightly but he relaxes once more when Rinne grabs his hand.
For once, he feels safe in the arms of someone other than his mother.
The Sa Sisters are always silent. They never speak to Kougyoku but she knows they're listening. She also knows that they are prepared to commit homicide to protect her.
Kougyoku strolls leisurely through the halls, heading back to her wing from the library where she had been studying the history of the Kou Empire. Her eyes are half-lidded but her posture is perfect and her hands are clasped together beneath her long, elegant sleeves, held in front of her bosom. Her wine-like hair sways from side to side as she moves- it is styled exactly The Original's, although it is held using only regular traditional hair sticks because Kouban has yet to gift her with her signature hair ornament- and her footsteps are quiet, quieter than ever before.
There is a banquet today, held for the visiting nobles and hosted by the First Emperor himself. Kougyoku's eldest brothers are the only ones from Koutoku's side of the family to attend.
It is a great honor.
The Eighth Imperial Princess is an oddity, indeed. She conspires with her psychotic (Kougyoku restrained herself from attacking the noble who had spoken those words. Kouha did just fine in her place.) brother, her mother was a prostitute, and, oh, did you hear that she made a game out of having her attendants executed?
(Kougyoku merely looked away and admired the gardens as Kouha pulled out a knife- where did he even get that?)
Now, as she walks down the halls, she hears the whispers. The nobles murmur to one another, eyeing the princess as she continues on her way.
"That's the Eighth Imperial Princess, the crazy one."
"The only one worse than her is the youngest Prince."
"Prince Koutoku should throw her out."
"She has no place here."
"-never amount to anything."
"-useless."
"-disgusting."
Kougyoku pauses and turns to look at them. They fall silent.
The Sa Sisters are looming figures, poised like predators just behind her and, oh, is that a knife?
The nobles shuffle uncomfortably. The ones who cannot successfully mask their true emotions appear afraid.
Kougyoku smiles at them- it's sickly sweet and the nobles shivered- and continues on her way.
The Sa Sisters spare them a glance before they leave.
(Kougyoku snickers.)
It was quite amusing to watch. Kougyoku takes joy in the discomfort of others.
(The black birds laughed.)
Kouban was merely being a good attendant when he decided that he tidy up the princess' quarters. He stacked books, organized her jewelry box, tidied up her closet and did her bed.
As he bends down to search underneath her bed, he spots a small book lying there. He calmly reaches out for it, assuming it is merely one of the princess' misplaced history books. He grasps it and quickly pulls his arm back towards him, unsettled by the cold, numb, chilling feeling he got while underneath there. Kouban frowns and flips the book over to read its title- it's too small to be a proper history book, so he wonders what it is- and he's pretty sure his brain short circuits.
(The book is- the book is-!)
The door creaks open behind him, and the Princess walks in, the Sa Sisters trailing behind her.
The young girl turns towards him with a smile while he searches for the right words.
(He is trembling, Kougyoku notes.)
(Kouban takes a deep breath, and-)
"Why is there an erotica novel underneath your bed, Honorable Princess!?"
This story is inspired by natanije's Crimson Jade and shanatique's The Cuckoo. Go check those two stories out and give them the support they deserve!
[Rinneko is a name I made up for this fanfiction- or, at least, I don't think it's an actual name and if it is then please correct me- with 'rinne' meaning 'samsara' and 'ko' meaning 'child,' so 'Rinneko' means 'Samsara child' or 'Samsara's child' or [etc.] . . . ]
The second chapter: Kougyoku's loyal guardians appear!
/Next Time: Kougyoku and Kouha are inseparable. Kouban Ka is resigned. Kouen and Koumei make their debut!
In the anime and manga, Kouban's name is said as 'Ka Kouban' because last names come first there. However, I'm 'Americanizing' the script, seeing as I don't use suffixes like -chan or -kun [etc.]. Please take note of this.
[This may affect the fluency and interpretations of some names later on in the story!]
Reviews, please :o ?
Thanks for reading!