~ Chapter Two: The Start of the Game ~
Chaser paced back and forth between the bright pink canopy bed. He swung his arms in a child-like frustrated manner, his beloved silver pistol clenched tightly in his right hand. He stopped walking and turned to the person sleeping peacefully in the bed, glaring with a fury of a thousand Hells. He threw up his arms in rage.
"God damn it! Why isn't he waking up?!"
The impatient blond sat down on the edge of the bed, dejected and full of rage. It had been many minutes since he had kissed the prince, but the young royalty did not even stir. The protective barrier glowed dully around the two, its mere existence preventing the young assassin from completing his mission. Chaser sighed quietly, feeling both bored and irritated. With his left arm, he pulled out a second gun from his coat, reloading it with three bullets and pointing the barrel rudely to the slumbering prince's forehead. With his right arm, he placed his first gun on his lap and took out two more bullets from his coat, placing them in the center of his palm. With the same hand, he picked up his gun, swinging it around skillfully as he reloaded extra ammunition into the pistol. He then swung his arm down, letting his hand and pistol land on the bed with a soft 'thump'. He tilted his head upwards, looking at the ceiling of the canopy bed. A soft, gentler sigh escaping from his lips as he closed his eyes.
'Ugh, how long is this going to take… …Well, at least in this position, I can kill the prince quickly when he wakes up, and eliminate any intruders…'
Time seemed to pass very slowly as the blond assassin waited for movement from his left side. A yawn escaped from his lips as he raised his right hand – pistol and all – to cover it – a polite habit he could never get rid of. His eyelids drooped lazily as his mind entered a blank state.
A thought entered Chaser's mind, quickly returning him to an alert state of mind. 'What if a kiss is only the key to 'unlocking' his consciousness? And the prince is just sleeping as of now, after his 'mind' was 'awoken'? Which means a kiss and a second method of awakening him is required…' Chaser deadpanned at the thought, unsure of how to wake the prince up. 'Would shaking the prince work?' He shook his head - the fact that the prince has been asleep despite all the racket Chaser made implied that he was a heavy sleeper.
Chaser placed his gun down, raising his right hand to his chin as he continued to think about his current situation. The barrier negated all attacks inside it, rendering even simple motions like slaps harmless. Of course, the bullets from his Silver Shooters would be rendered useless as well, and the young artillery master would much rather not waste precious ammo. What other methods could be used to wake a sleeping person? Chaser's father often dumped a large bucket of cold water on him when he overslept… Chaser furrowed his eyebrows. It wasn't exactly a harmful method, but it wasn't exactly harmless either. 'But… …Would it work?'
With nothing to risk, Chaser quickly got off the bed, returning his Silver Shooters to his coat pocket. He was thankful that Hamel had an abundance of water sources everywhere. 'Now to find a bucket or something…'
The young assassin checked over his appearance, straightening his jacket and repositioning his dark blue scarves. He walked towards the metal entrance, stopping when he felt his right foot hit something. He looked down.
"…Eh?"
The object his foot made contact with was the dull, partially invisible, blue barrier, glowing visibly at the point of contact. Chaser pulled his leg back, watching as that area of the barrier faded, returning to its previous state. A weak laugh escaped from the assassin's lips.
"You're kidding… …Right?"
The blond-male raised an arm to the barrier, eyes widening as his hand laid flat on the barrier's visible surface. Feeling slightly panicked, Chaser pounded the wall with his fists, kicked it, even going as far as grabbing a heart-shaped pillow from the prince's bed and throwing it at the blue sphere-like wall. The pillow simply bounced off the invisible surface, landing on the carpeted floor with a soft 'thump'.
Whining childishly, Chaser pulled out one of his pistols and raised his arm, aimed straight at the door in a final act of desperation. His eyes sharpened as he gritted his teeth, expecting the worst. His finger pulled the trigger, his body barely moving from the recoil. Almost instantly after the bullet was fired, it was incinerated into dust, as if it was burned by a powerful, albeit invisible flame. Chaser watched with a shocked expression as the bullet remains scattered amongst the room, spreading the scent of metal and gunpowder throughout the large room. Quivering words arose from the young assassin's lips.
"No way…" He had expected the barrier to repel his bullets somehow, but for it to completely destroy them…
"…Even my orichalcum-made bullets that could pierce through anything were…" Chaser trailed off, unsure of how to react.
Eyes still wide, he slumped onto the ground, utterly defeated. He let out a low whimper as he hung his head in shame. He then recalled the other person trapped with him, and turned his head sharply to glare at the sleeping prince. He quickly picked himself up and stomped over to the prince, his face tensed with rage and his voice filled with venom.
"Dammit! You stupid prince! This is all your fault! Why can't you just wake up already and let me kill you?!"
The furious blond leapt onto the bed, pinning himself on top of the defenseless prince. He picked up the larger male by his collar, completely ignoring the fact that he was wearing a vaguely translucent, white night gown, and slammed him onto the canopy bed wall. The prince did not even stir at the impact. Chaser continued to glare spitefully with his sharp blue eyes as he spat out his next words,
"What, do you need me to kiss you again? Ugh, what kind of stupid curse is this?!"
Without even thinking of his words or actions, Chaser shifted his hands to the prince's broad shoulders, closed his eyes, and forced a harsh kiss unto the unconscious prince.
At that very moment, the beautiful prince slowly opened his large blue eyes, widening them in shock at the face of a stranger stealing his lips. Irritated that someone would dare to invade his privacy while he slept, the prince pulled back his right arm, landing a solid punch on the smaller boy's stomach.
Surprised, the young assassin broke their kiss, uttering a small gasp of pain. However, he was not given the time to react. Following up with his powerful punch, the prince twisted his body and raised his right leg, kicking the blond assassin in the exact same spot. He smirked victoriously as Chaser flew to the wall, past the disappearing barrier, his breath stolen from him as his back made contact with the bright pink wall. He slumped down, his body weak from the collision, an arm clenching his injured stomach regions.
Without giving him a chance to rest, the blond prince quickly leapt off the bed, walking over to the injured boy with a moderately paced, but cocky stride, completely ignoring the rest of the room. With ease, he grabbed the collar of Chaser's jacket, pulled him up and off his feet, and slammed him violently into the wall once more. The smaller boy let out a weak cry at the sudden impact, gasping heavily for breath. With barely any energy left in his fragile body, Chaser could not take out his silver pistols or even claw at his attacker's arm. He merely stared at the taller blond with half-lidded, tired eyes. Breathing heavily, he mumbled out mockingly at the enraged prince, frustrated with himself for letting his emotions take control.
"So… You're finally… Awake…"
The prince raised an eyebrow, still angry at the intruder. With a demanding tone, he questioned the weaker boy.
"How dare you take such a tone with me?! And more so, how dare you invade my privacy while I rested! Who are you and what have you done with my guards?" He slammed the boy into the wall again, earning yet another barely audible cry, but no response to his questions.
Chaser clenched his eyes shut, gritting his teeth as his pain flowed through every section of his body. He felt the grip on his neck area tighten, forcing him to cough and gasp pitifully for breath. He felt tears stinging the corners of his eyes and blinked quickly, forcing them to retreat back inside his body.
"Well?" The impatient prince spat out harshly at the smaller boy, grabbing him with both hands and slamming him into the wall once more. Chaser unwillingly let out a meek cry, humiliated beyond words as tears started streaming down his pale cheeks – an action that had never occurred after his father's death. He bit his lower lip in an attempt to muffle his pathetic cries, as the salty water collected in his eyes, blurring his half-lidded vision.
The blond prince flinched at the unexpected reaction, quickly releasing his grip and watched as the blond assassin fell to the floor, coughing and choking from lack of air, suddenly noticing their similar features. He had caused many princesses and noble ladies, and even his maids to cry, but never a male, much less a boy very close to his age. He watched as the boy propped himself against the wall and raised his right arm, quickly wiping away the tears that gathered on his face. His teeth were clenched tightly, but the prince could still hear the quiet whimpers and cries that escaped from the boy's throat.
Unsure of how to feel about the strange actions of the intruder, the prince got down on his knees and on top of the smaller male, placing his knees beside the boy's hips and positioning his shins and feet over Chaser's own legs, pinning his lower body down. Without missing a beat, he grabbed the boy's right wrist with his left arm and pried the arm away from the boy's red, tear-stained face despite his soft, airy demands.
"Let go..!" Chaser swung his spare arm at the prince's face, his hand clenched loosely in a pitiful excuse for a fist. His slow motion was easily caught by the prince's spare hand, and like his right arm, pulled away from his face. Exasperated, Chaser shifted his body, trying to escape from the larger male's grasp. But he was far too tired and the prince's grip was far too strong. He called out again, his eyes still blurry with tears and his voice still shaky,
"I said… Let go of me…!"
The blond prince ignored his quiet cries and brought his face a little closer to the boy's, continuing to stare at the assassin's face – a face very similar to the one he saw when he looked in the mirror…
Chaser continued to struggle under the larger male's grip, but with no success. Accepting defeat, he hung his head and turned his face aside, hoping his long bangs would cover his red and teary face. He bit his lower lip in shame, quietly sniffling as more tears continued to fall from his eyes without his permission. He refused to make any eye contact with the blond prince, though he was slightly curious as to how he was able to make the blond assassin cry even though he had endured greater pain than this. Was it because they looked really similar? He doubted it, but could come up with no other possible theories.
The prince let out an annoyed sigh, shifting his hands to grab both of Chaser's small, delicate wrists with his only his left hand. With his right hand, he grabbed the boy's chin, turning his red face to meet his own. Chaser inhaled sharply at the unexpected motion, feeling his face flush when their eyes met. He quickly looked away, as much as possible with his head movement restricted. The blond prince brought his face closer, as he gently tilted the boy's head left and right, examining his features. Though his face did not show it, the prince was very surprised at their similarities. Same large blue eyes; same small nose; small rosy lips; even the same hair color, with the same brown 'spots' on the sides of the head. The prince felt uneasy around the smaller male. Was he a clone, or were their similar looks purely a coincidence? He did not know, but was extremely curious. He wanted to learn more about this male, despite the treacherous acts he recently committed.
Chaser, on the other hand, felt extremely uncomfortable trapped in the prince's grip. No matter where he looked, Chaser could see the prince's eyes staring straight at him, as if they were examining every piece of flesh and hair on his body. Being an assassin, and a well-known one amongst the residents of the red-light district, he was not used to being looked at for so long. He did not enjoy the feelings of unease that arose from the prince's stares, but he was far too embarrassed to counter back.
Eventually, Chaser stopped sobbing, and his tears all dried up, leaving a stiff, uncomfortable feeling on his skin. Seeing him calm down, the prince unconsciously moved his right hand to the assassin's cheek, caressing it lightly while wiping away the dried tears with his thumb. Chaser widened his eyes at the action as he felt his face redden even more. Taking advantage of the prince's carelessness, Chaser quickly turned his head, releasing it from the prince's grip, fully aware of the vibrant blush on his cheeks, and his loud, unusually fast-paced heartbeat.
Retrieved from his trance, the prince looked down at the young assassin once more before closing his eyes and sighing deeply. Noticing a gleam of silver from each side of the boy's coat pockets, he moved his hands towards one, revealing a well-crafted silver pistol. Assuming the other pocket held the same, he stealthily took both pistols while their owner was too flustered and panicked. The blond prince then released his grip, letting the boy's arms fall slowly, and stood up. Being careful to hide the guns in the pleats of his knee-length nightgown, he walked back to the pink bed with a casual stride, finally noticing the sickeningly designed room he was in. Turning to face the boy again, the prince sat on the edge of the bed, crossed his bare leg over the other and tossed back a lock of his luscious, golden hair, hiding the silver weapons behind him. He watched as Chaser calmed himself down, rubbing his face with the heels of his palms in a childish manner.
"Hey, are you going to answer now?"
Chaser flinched at the prince's voice. He quickly picked himself up, dusting off his long coat and pants. He clenched his right arm and shifted his feet nervously, unsure of how to react – with being caught by his target for the first time ever. Was he going to be killed? Tortured to reveal information? He did not know, and did not wish to know. Avoiding eye contact, he responded, his voice more clear than it was a few mere moments ago,
"…I have nothing to answer to you."
The corner of the prince's lips rose in a devious smirk, his eyes glistening with mischief as his fingers danced over the silver prizes he hid behind him.
"Oh? Then how about we make a deal? You answer my questions…" The prince brought out the two guns, waving them tauntingly with his left hand.
"…And I'll think about giving these back to you?"
Chaser's eyes widened at the sight of his beloved pistols. He frantically checked his coat, but to no avail. He cursed silently. 'Shit! When did he…'
The prince chuckled lightly as the assassin crossed his arms and pouted childishly, reluctantly muttering a quiet "fine". 'What strange actions for one who has come to take my life…'
He decided to start with a basic question,
"What's your name?"
The boy looked away, biting his lips and thinking deeply before re-making eye contact, his eyes sharp and his tone sarcastic. He was not going to back down without a fight.
"…Chaser, your highness."
The prince laughed lightheartedly, more amused than offended by his words. For the first time in his life, someone did not treat him with false kindness simply because he was the prince of a powerful kingdom. He appreciated that. But at the same time, he wanted to overpower the boy; show him who was in control.
"So you already know I am. That makes things a lot easier. Now then…" His eyes narrowed as his voice turned serious.
"Who sent you?"
Chaser flinched, unsure of how to reply. It would be foolish to give away the name of his client, and Chaser did not wish to taint his name or ruin his business.
"…A citizen of Hamel."
"That's not very specific…"
Chaser scoffed. "Fine then, a male citizen of Hamel." He announced triumphantly, a confident smirk pasted on his lips. The prince stared, speechless, before erupting in uncontrollable laughter. Chaser could only stare, unsure of what to think of the strange prince.
"Ahaha! You're a very amusing assassin..." Wiping a tear away, the prince collected himself. He greatly enjoyed the presence of the other male, despite being a murderer. He was not forced to be polite and did not have to drown in the emotionless praise of a greedy narcissist lusting for power. The assassin merely saw the prince as another human being, and he appreciated that. Re-focusing his mind, he cleared his throat, preparing to ask another question.
"In that case, where are we? This is clearly not my room—"
"It's not?" Chaser raised an eyebrow, half-serious, half-joking. The prince continued, completely unfazed.
"Of course not, though I'm sure you'd enjoy sleeping here much more than I do. I can give it to you, if you'd like, though I merely ask that you not stain the bed sheets with you or your lovers' essences."
Chaser felt heat rise to his face. He quickly looked away, raising his arm to cover his blushing face. The prince chuckled as he felt a strong urge to tease the innocent boy.
"What? Don't tell me you're still a virgin."
The blond assassin flinched at the comment, feeling his face flush with heat, unsure of how to respond, but too embarrassed to admit or deny it. The prince couldn't help but smile at the boy, completely different from the lewd and self-centered nobles and royalties that he would be forced to meet on a daily basis. Still smiling, he shook his head, trying his best not to continue teasing the already-flustered boy.
"So then, care to answer what day it is and where we are?"
The air turned serious. Chaser lowered his arm, thankful that the red on his face was quickly fading away. Avoiding eye contact, he answered the prince's questions, choosing his words carefully as to not terribly upset the prince.
"We are underground, in a resting place built for you, after you were placed under a curse. The date is…" He trailed off. Taking a deep breath, the blond assassin continued in a more solid voice.
"The date is March 27th, Imperial Calendar 427, a little more than one hundred years since you fell asleep…"
As expected, the prince stared with a shocked expression, his mouth slightly open, as if he wanted to say something. Instead, he simply closed his eyes and let out a lonely sigh. Looking downwards with solemn eyes, the blond prince continued to speak, his voice firm and resolved as it was before, showing no signs of weakness.
"So I guess my father's dead now."
"...Yes, King Helputt fell ill and died a few months after you were cursed…"
"…"
The prince uncrossed his legs and rested his elbows on his knees He clasped his hands together – guns and all - and hung his forehead gloomily on his hands.
Chaser opened his mouth, but quickly closed it, unable to reply. He knew all too well the complicated feelings that arose when he lost his own beloved father. He recalled from his report that King Helputt was not a very loving father to the prince, but he was almost certain that the young prince held at least some respect or bond with his father. Taking a deep breath, Chaser walked towards the prince, feeling unusually sympathetic, and hoping to be able to comfort the prince somehow. Stopping just before the sullen prince, Chaser raised his arms, about to pull the prince in a tight embrace when—
"…Damn old man, dying early and forcing me to take care of this shitty country…"
"…Eh?"
Chaser lowered his arms, bewildered and completely unsure of how to reply now. Unfazed, the prince sat up straight, eyes closed and brows furrowed, combing his fingers through his long hair with an irritated sigh. He raised his head and opened his eyes, a little surprised to see the petit assassin so close to him. Remembering that he had the boy's guns, he smirked arrogantly at the blond assassin before him, his bright blue eyes shining banefully.
"Hey, how about we play a little game?"
The smaller male furrowed his brows slightly, knowing all too well that there was nothing good about the beautiful prince's devious smile. He took a cautious step back, earning a light laugh from the blond prince.
"Don't worry, it's not that bad. I just want you to become my personal servant."
The assassin blinked, surprised. Here he was, a stranger who was plotting to kill him, and yet, the prince wanted him by his side? Chaser glanced down at the prince with a confused look, a cold shiver running down his spine as their eyes locked. The prince continued to smile.
"I'll explain the rules of the game. You will return with me to the royal castle, as my private servant – so you will listen to my basic orders and serve me, and only me. You can try to kill me as many times as you want until you succeed or give up." A pause. The prince crossed his legs again, his eyes shining with a playful mischief.
"But, for every failed attempt, you have to obey one of my commands, regardless of how unreasonable it is. Of course, I won't tell you to kill yourself or anything like that. And I'll give you your precious guns back too."
The two continued to stare at each other in silence. After a while, Chaser scoffed, smirking haughtily at the prince. He knew very well that he was stepping into unbound territory, bound to get killed, but he could not resist the temptation to prove to the prince that he was the better man. Plus, he refused to let some ignorant prince run off with his beloved pistols. A flame burned in his bright blue eyes as he thought of ways to pay back his recent humiliation by ten—no, by a hundredfold.
"Is that a challenge? Well then, of course I accept!"
The prince smiled, a similar light shining feverishly in his eyes. Standing up, he placed the two pistols in the boy's open hands, laughing mentally as he watched the boy hastily tuck the guns away in his midnight-black coat. He walked towards the door, turning back to face the blond assassin.
"Oh yes, before I forget. First of all, you will refer to me by my given name – Pally. Just that, nothing else. And second," He smirked.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone of how you were crying pitifully just a few moments ago."
"W-wha—"
Pally chuckled as he watched the smaller boy grow red and flustered over the mention of him crying. Pretending not to hear his claims of denial, the prince continued to speak.
"I don't have any reason to not believe you, with what you said about this being the future. But in that case, that means the royal council members probably split the power of the throne between them. In that case, let's hurry back to the royal palace, so that I can reclaim my rightful position as crown heir to Hamel."
Pally grabbed the metal doorknob and turned it, but quickly let go as he remembered something important.
"Oh yes! Since you already tried to kill me when you came in here, that means I get one command to use right now. So! Since I can't be seen walking around with such a thin piece of fabric on…"
He turned to face Chaser, a vibrant and deluding smile formed on his lips.
"Take off all your clothes, and we'll switch until we reach the castle."
"No fucking way!"
~ Author's Notes ~
Alrighty, I was able to come up with an ideal scene for this one scene, yay~. Though, I feel as though I somehow completely reversed their personalities, from the beginning of this chapter to the end of it... orz
On a side note, I'm sorry about the last part, I couldn't resist. XD /shot
But I don't plan on answering whether or not they switch clothes - I'll leave that up to your imagination~.
But uh, yeah, here's the second chapter, hope you liked it~! It's about four times as long as the previous chapter too, which is nice. XD /shot
And now, time to respond to my wonderful anon reviewers~!
IPxDC fan anon: Thanks for your kind words! I'm so glad that kiss scene met up to your expectations. ;w; I hope you like this chapter just as much as the first~ (and prologue)!
Second anon, whose OTP is not (yet /shot) IPxDC: I'm glad you like this story, even if IPxDC isn't your OTP. XD No, seriously, thank you for reading it. :'3 And, uh, I'm gonna hope that you liked the kiss scene. XD And don't die now! The story has yet to start~. *Uses RES Stone*
As usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are excited for the next one~. c:
Feedback of any sorts is welcomed with opened arms (except for IPxDC hate, which will be incinerated into specks of dust by the flaming passion of us IPxDC fans /shot)~.
