A/N So, I am alive. I've been writing, lol. I've got heaps down for this nows. Espeically the new chapter I've done (chapter 8, such a tear jerker). However, this is only chapter six! I hope you like it :)
Chapter Six – The Crazy City of Afreos
"We're here!" Gakupo announced, sounding pleased with himself. "Get out here, you'll miss it all."
Kaito climbed from the back of the wagon into the front, still clasping the blanket around him. Night wasn't quite here, but they managed to reach Afreos without any more delays. Kaito kept the fact that he knew Gakupo held his hand that night to himself, seeing that Gakupo seemed awkward about it that morning. Now that they were finally at their destination, all the awkwardness had left him and Gakupo wore a charming smile on his lips.
And Kaito could see why. Afreos was a city that was surrounded by a large wall, having four main gates and a few smaller ones that lead down to different villages. Travelling along the main roads would lead a person to certain destinations. The West Gate led to the ocean and the ports that would take a person to Segabius or Genacea. The South Gate led to Aquilias, the East gate branched off into two main roads, one to Swonya the other to Espias. And finally, the North Gate, the gate they were approaching was the gate to Ceylartium. He remembered Gakupo talking about the differences in the gates, the differences in the patterns of the visible gears and designs artist had done to it.
If the gates had impressed him, the city startled him. Buildings are tall as the eye could see, the Afreos castle standing tall in the city centre. Large chimney's bellowed out of all the buildings, filling the air with a foul taste. The whole city itself was made up of steam engines and buildings, business along the busy streets, crowds of people and performances. The city itself had a beauty that wasn't likely to be seen from the ordinary person. To Kaito, however, this place was a new type of haven. The city was so big, it would take almost a week just to travel from one district to another (but then again, that was probably wasn't quite true). "There has to be over a million people here."
"There probably is," Gakupo admitted with a laugh, leading them down the main street. "The North District is mostly trade, since faces Ceylartium where lots of goods come from, this is the place to be. There's a smaller trade district within the Sound District, but this is the place to be for all the goods."
"Really?"
"Anything you can name, it'll be here," Gakupo reassured with a light laugh, looking at the way Kaito stared in wonder. "My home is closer to the castle, but there's something I want to do before we get settled anywhere. There's someone I need to speak to before I can take you home to rest."
"That's fine," Kaito said, wanting to know more about this place. He watched as Gakupo led them down a road, stopping at a place he assumed was the local pub. Gakupo helped Kaito off, leading him to the door that led downstairs. "What is this place?"
"The most family friendly pub in the district, I guess. The man who owns it is a good friend, and he's been supporting me through my work. I find it most important to see him before anyone else. It might hurt his feelings otherwise," Gakupo relied just as they stepped into a room so big that Kaito swore the whole cottage where Gakupo had been living could fit in here, twice!
"Gakupo-san~! Welcome back," a voice called from behind the bar as a man slipped from a room, coming to greet them. "It's been too long," he had a charming smile that almost rival Gakupo when the shook hands.
"Kiyoteru-san, it's good to see you healthy again. The letter from your daughter told me you weren't well again," Gakupo replied kindly as the man, Kiyoteru-san, led them to a table near the bar.
"Yuki? It'll be typical of her. It was just the chills, nothing fancy. I was back on my feet days later," he grumbled but his eyes didn't drop the smile. "And this must be Kaito. I heard from the girls that you'd be bringing back with you, but a lot sooner than expect?"
"We ran into trouble," Gakupo said, gesturing for Kaito to sit down with them. "Kaito-san, this is Hiyama Kiyoteru, he runs the pub here with his daughter Yuki."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Kaito said respectfully, getting a strange look from Kiyoteru-san."
"Respectful man, I see. There's no need to belittle yourself in my pub, we're all good friends here. Just call me Kiyoteru, Kaito-san."
Kaito only nodded, not sure what to say.
Satisfied, Kiyoteru-san turned to Gakupo again. "This trouble you ran into...?"
"Nothing too severe, we made it back, didn't we?" Gakupo pointed out. It befuddled Kaito a little that he didn't even hint at the problem. "Things could have gotten worse if we hesitated in our plans."
"Certainly, but you're not that kind of person. You don't let anyone leave your side until you're satisfied with the results. I assume Kaito-san has seen that about you," Kiyoteru-san turned a look to Kaito. Kaito could help but smile back, feeling himself relax completely. He could easily tell the man was someone trustworthy.
"He probably has, but no more than what you've seen," Gakupo replied brightly. At that moment Gakupo found himself swamped with a young girl. "Yuki, you startled me."
The girl giggled, plopping herself down on Gakupo's lap. From the looks of things, she'd returned from somewhere high classed. "I didn't expect Uncle Gakupo to be back so soon," she said in a gleeful tone, sitting proudly on his lap. "Ne~ ne~! Otousan was complaining about Mi-chan and Lu-chan before."
Kiyoteru-san rolled his eyes when Gakupo gave him a questioning look. "They didn't turn up to work yesterday because of the festivals. They took Yuki with them as well, which was alright I guess. Kept her entertained for a while I guess."
"They didn't give you a advance warning."
"Absolutely not, but since I'm kind, I just gave them a lecture before they went on their break."
"I'll talk to them later about it," Gakupo promised just as Yuki jumped off his lap, moving up to Kaito. "This is Kaito, Yuki-chan."
Yuki stared at him with her big eyes before smiling. "I'm Yuki," she said proudly, hopping onto the table so they were face to face. "You're Ka-chan, right? Uncle told me in a letter that you were coming. I'm glad you came, too because you'll get to met Mi-chan, Lu-chan and Me-chan now!"
He just nodded, giving her a warm smile. He also took into not the differences between her and her father. "Yuki, why don't you tell the girls their breaks finished?" Kiyoteru-sand said with a smile.
Yuki gave a loud squeal as she jumped from the table and raced out of the room, calling names out as she disappeared out of the back. "Do I have to see them?" Gakupo almost whined, startling Kaito a little.
"Ah~ that's right. You didn't tell Luka-san and Miku-san that you were leaving, dumping that on Meiko-san before vanishing for two years."
"Gumi-san was desperate, and I had no time to waste," Gakupo grumbled before making a face. "I bet they're still angry at me."
"Luka was annoyed for a long time, yes, but I think you'll survive the assault, hopefully," Kiyoteru didn't sound sure himself, which made Gakupo look weaker than before.
Kaito was about to ask Gakupo why he looked like there when there a slam and a flash of green engulf Gakupo, who shrieked as he landed on the floor. "GAKUPO-SAN~!" A voice wailed loudly, and Kaito finally realised it was a woman no older than him on top of the young doctor. "YOU LEFT ME! I WAS BULLIED FOR TWO YEARS BY LU-CHAN! YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE TO PROTECT ME~!"
"Miku...san..." Gakupo choked out when he managed to speak. "You...are... choking me..." he coughed up, tugging at the arms that wrapped around him tightly.
The girl blinked and let go, moving off Gakupo so he could sit up and breathe. "I'm sorry, I missed you."
"I can see that," Gakupo didn't sound rather concerned of that as he began to check himself for any damages. "And what do you mean Luka bullied you? Meiko could have done something."
Miku made a face before her eyes caught Kaito's and they stared at each other for a long moment before she jumped up, her eyes wide. "YOU'RE SO FREAKING CUTE!"
"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Gakupo roared, jumping up to prevent the girl jumping Kaito, who stared at her with shock. "He's hurt!"
"Err?" she stopped squirming, her eyes wide. "AND YOU BROUGHT HIM HERE WHILE HE WAS HURT?" She yelled, slipping from the grip and slapping Gakupo hard. "BAKA!"
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"
"FOR BEING AN TOTAL IDIOT!"
"Please, no arguing in my pub," Kiyoteru-san said weakly, though his words went unheard. "They greet each other like this often," Kiyoteru-san told Kaito, trying to reassure him.
"WELL SORRY FOR BEING AN IDIOT! HOW ABOUT I JUST LEAVE AND NEVER COME BACK!"
Miku gasped, stepping back if she'd been slapped. "You wouldn't."
"You couldn't stop me!"
Miku stared at him before stealing his seat and moving next to Kaito. "So, you're Kaito-san, right?"
"OI! I HAVEN'T-"
"Gakupo-san told us you'd be joining our family. We're really excited about that. It's been a while since we had a brother!"
"...Pardon?"
"Everyone we save stays with us for a while, becoming part of our family before they all leave. It's been about four years since we had anyone come to live with us, so it's an exciting development! It means we won't be alone anymore!"
Her smile was captivating; Kaito found he couldn't look away from her. Slowly he began to realise that everyone Gakupo saved had some strange beauty that he'd never seen before. Then again, he'd never seen a woman with such long hair, it would probably be just as long as Gakupo's hair, maybe. "Then I'm sure you'll take care of me?" he asked politely, watching her eyes sparkle with delight.
"Certainly!" She beamed before jumping up and pulling Kaito to his spin. He winced a little, but she didn't catch it, pulling him with her, laughing. "Kaito-san~! Have you ever seen a performance live on stage?"
Depending on the performance, but he thought it was best to leave that out. "No, I haven't."
"Oh, you must hear Lu-chan and I sing! We have beautiful voices, and when Gakupo found us work here, we never expected to sing on the stage, but Kiyoteru-san gave us a chance to sing on stage. It's such a wonderful feeling, and I bet Kaito-san~ could sing too."
"Oh no, I couldn't-" Kaito quickly choked out, feeling his face turn red. "Absolutely not. Never in my life, no."
Miku laughed as he spluttered about, trying to keep up with her as they move around in a sloppy dance. "You never know if you don't try!"
"I-I couldn't..." he looked desperately at Gakupo for help, who winced at the look and spoke out.
"Miku-san, he's hurt. Stop dragging him about the room."
"Where is he hurt," she asked when she stopped moving, giving relief to Kaito.
"His back's the worse, so please, be gentle with him. You'll cripple him if you keep that up."
Miku made a face before leading Kaito back to the table, where she let him sit back down. His back was now raw, and he grimaced as he sat back down. "Miku, would you like to show Kaito the new song you wrote?" Kiyoteru-san asked her with a gentle smile, watching her eyes light up with delight. "You were showing me the music you composed this morning, remember?"
"Oh yes! Kaito would love to hear it," she squealed before dashing out the room to fetch something.
"She brought along a music ball this morning, showing me the music she composed for her new song. It's quite beautiful, actually," Kiyoteru-san said as he stood up. "I've been rude, would you both like something to drink."
"That sounds like a plan, but I would avoid giving Kaito anything alcoholic just yet." When Kaito pulled a face, Gakupo chuckled to himself.
"A drop or two won't do too much harm," Kiyoteru-san said brightly, just as Miku burst back out the back room. "Where's Lu-chan?"
"Entertaining your daughter," Miku called back as she jumped onto the stage, setting up the glass ball. It wasn't his first time he saw a music ball before, but one as small as hers was something he hadn't seen.
Kiyoteru-san brought over three mugs, setting them down in front of them before taking his seat again. "Still an hour to opening, so a drink won't harm me, I think," Kiyoteru-san said to Kaito, who smiled in return.
Miku began the music with a beaming smile, jumping into the centre of the stage where a large pole had been set up. Kaito tried to examine it a little, trying to work out what it was. It was only when Miku began to sing to the song he realised the instrument was created to enhance the volume of the voice. She sang gently, softly into the instrument, her words beautiful and powerful.
Closing his eyes, he listened to just the sound of the sound, feeling it carry over him. When he opened his eyes, he realised how everyone had just stopped to hear her sing. Gakupo didn't look at her, but had his own eyes closed, listening intently to her voice, his lips moving as if he knew what she was going to say next. Kiyoteru-san faced her, smiling softly.
Did they all feel it, the emotion in her voice as she sang? "Give me love, right now~" her voice rose in strength, became more defined and clearer. "Give me love, Please give me love, give me love...give me love"
Her voice softened a little, singing charmingly in the singing instrument. She sang for a little while long before she brought back the words that created the song. The words represented the hearts feelings...
...A desire to truly be loved.
And just as he was swallowed into the song, it ended just as quickly. When he glanced around, the two were smiling to themselves with approval. Miku sighed slightly before brightly charming a smile there way.
"What do you think?"
"Once again, you cease to amaze me!" Kiyoteru-san said, clapping his hands with a laugh.
Miku smiled back at him, pleased at his words before looking at Gakupo. There was something strange about her look, and when he focused on Gakupo, he realised something was off. The smile... wasn't right. "You know what I think," Gakupo said with a strained smile.
For a moment, there was an awkward second before Miku smiled as if nothing was bothering her. She collected the music globe and disappeared out back. Kaito stared at Gakupo for a moment before he was caught and turned his interest elsewhere. Gakupo probably noticed him staring, but didn't say anything.
When Miku returned, she pulled up a chair next to Kaito, smiling. "What did you think, Kaito-san?"
"I thought it was amazing," he admitted with a very gentle smile. He didn't elaborate more, and she seemed satisfied with his simple reply.
"I'm glad you liked it. I hoped it was going to be alright, but I wasn't sure what others would think."
"I think other people would enjoy it. It's got a charming story to it."
She nodded with a smile before something changed and the subject went somewhere different. "So, what do you think of Gakupo-san? He's pretty strange, I bet."
"I-I wouldn't say that."
"Did you know, if it wasn't for the two twins who spent a lot of time with him, he would never have made anything interesting to eat? It would have been the same thing every day! He was like that before I met him!"
"Oi, why are you bringing this up?" Gakupo asked with annoyance.
"Because I was wondering what you fed Kaito-san these past months, I bet it was all boring stuff!"
"I barely got a chance to cook because the twins attack me and kick me out of my own kitchen half the time!"
"Meiko-san said that when she visited you last year. But I refused to believe that because from what the sounds of it, they're both half your size."
"Now that's an insult to them. They're average for their age, if not a little bit above the average height. And besides, there are two of them; it's particularly ganging up on me."
"Oh you big baby, you act like their ten foot tall," Miku waved her hand and laughed, smiling right at Kaito who smiled himself. No, he bared witness to the twins attack. They got pretty violent about it, actually. "Gakupo will never admit this, but he's also an alcoholic like Meiko-san! It's sad!"
"I never get drunk, and I never had any alcohol in my house until Meiko-san came in..." he glared at Kiyoteru-san who innocently looked away. "And I know whose fault it was."
"She was curious, I couldn't say no."
"You two got drunk that night! How embarrassing was that?"
"Oh, come on. I wasn't that drunk!"
"You were," a new voice echoed from somewhere, and Kaito turned around to face who it was. "I wasn't impressed I had to babysit you that night!"
A/N: Man, this chapter feels shorter than it really is lol. Anyways, more info on the locations!
Espias
Kaito's home nation
Eurisaea is the Capital
Espias is heavy with militia as well as the main camp site for training and breeding slaves. They have no magic.
Genacea
Gakupo's home nation
Granenas is the Capital
Amonur is where Gakupo grew up *
Genacea's people are knowing as the Warrior race and specialise in fighting and magic.
Aquilias
Miku's home nation
Utis is the capital
Nubovus is the city Miku was enslaved in *
Aquilias is mostly made of water, and there are only a few mages in the land, all known to more of healers than anything else.
* This is yet to be revealed, but I thought to add it there anyways.
R&R if you enjoyed it or found an error in my work (which wouldn't surprise me haha)
