"We Are the Palace Guards"- a Ranma 1/2 alternate-verse fic. RanxAka. other pairings not yet decided. rated T for violence and suggestive themes (which I'll put in at some point). its genre was hard to list since it has characteristics of a few, so I put it under general until I find a proper one (or not). listed under Ranma and Akane because they are the main couple.
summary: The setting is in the past. The Ranma cast are palace guards. Beware: more serious than funny. Character personalities changed. RanxAka. others not yet decided (as stated above).
disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Ranma 1/2. And it's a good thing I don't because I'd mess it up anyway. :)
so far: elite guards of the East (Ranma, Ryoga, Akane, Ukyo, Shampoo, Mousse, Kodachi) return to the Castle East after word that a new lord has been found to take over
to my readers: I'm sorry it took so long to update this chapter. I'll try to better next time.
last minute note: just in case you care, the letters between the groups of paragraphs indicate a change of person's view or big leap in time. Initially, I just put a dash, but the site's not letting me do that now without a letter, so there you go. And in case you're curious, the letters between the dashes stand for the point of view you're reading from. (Ry is Ryoga, A is Akane, R is Ranma, U is Ukyo, etc. Things like villagers are v, guards are g, but these ones aren't definite, meaning I won't use the same letter all the time if I forget. And things that are two capital letters or more are a combination. For example, RA is Ranma and Akane.) If you can't figure any of this out, it doesn't really matter. I just didn't want to keep using the same letter over and over, so I decided to be creative. So now, on with the story.
-10-
Chapter Ten: Lord's Orders
They filed into the audience chamber one by one, and he was surprised to see some among them were female. Of course, he had heard rumors about the existence of female guards- elite guards from some of the other major castles, but it had never occurred to him that this castle would have some as well. As far as he knew, all the regular guards here were male. So that would mean that the elite guards of the Castle East housed the only female guards in the whole east region, which he resided over.
According to the rumors, the female elite guards were just as capable as the male elite guards, although he couldn't say so just by looking at them. They looked fit, but... it was hard to judge since had never seen a female warrior before to set a baseline with. Certainly, they did not look overtly brawny and masculine as he had expected. Even the men in the group didn't seem in any way different than some of the regular guards- no unnaturally large bodies or anything else that indicated that they were extraordinarily strong. It was not his policy to judge people based on their appearances alone, but...
He found his eyes being drawn to one guard in particular. She had short hair so black that it had blue highlights, and delicate features set in a serious and direct expression. She was extremely attractive, with a curvy build. He felt all his attention being drawn towards her inadvertently. There was something about her that was just... compelling.
Her brown eyes met his, and he found himself automatically looking away, as if he was caught doing something that he shouldn't be. It must've been from the intensity of her stare. She had looked at him as if she could see right through his skin and into his minds. As if she knew his every thought.
It was then that his eyes landed on another of the female guards- one with her hair pulled back in a side ponytail. Again, he felt something unusual, although this feeling was different than the last one. He had the strangest notion that he had seen her somewhere before... She looked back at him with an unblinking stare that only seemed to increase the feeling of familiarity he got from her.
"My lord?"
The voice of one of his advisers had him pulling his thoughts back into place to discover that all of the elite guards were staring at him with identical unreadable and intense expressions. He found himself clearing his throat nervously before addressing them.
"Welcome. I'm glad that there was no trouble with the castle during the grace period between lords. My predecessor seems to have left very good instructions with you all."
Silence.
"Ah, my lord." one of his advisers leaned closer to him so that he could whisper. "The elite guards weren't here during the grace period. They had left to parts unknown until now. This is the first time that we have seen them since the death of Lord Tsuruga and Lady Kyoko. He had left no instructions with them that we know of."
Ah, right. In his nervousness, he had forgotten about that. For some reason, being around these people, these elite guards, seemed to be throwing him off his usual pace.
He looked back at the the seven of them. Somehow, uncomfortably, he got the impression that despite his adviser's whisperings, they had heard what he said. But still, their expressions didn't change, as if there was nothing wrong with just disappearing from and arriving again on castle grounds, despite the fact that guards by definition swore their loyalty to the lord of a castle. That was what made a guard a guard. Still, he didn't want to lose an important asset like elite guards over something that was trivial in comparison to treason if he could help it (although some would consider it just that). Elite guards would definitely be beneficial to have on his side. Especially considering the seeming increase of bandits around recently. Plus, they would provide a nice backing when he dealt with the other main castle lords like the Castle North and the Castle South, both of whom, to his knowledge, had no elite guards of their own.
"Ah. Well then, thank you for returning. The benefits of having an elite guard at this castle once more will most certainly keep our enemies at bay."
One of the elite guards, at this, spoke up. His black hair hung to his shoulder blades, and his expression did not change as he spoke.
"We did not say that we were staying. Our loyalty is not, nor ever had been, to the Castle East."
While this news, given in a quiet voice that nonetheless seemed to fill the room, took him by surprise, at the elite guard's words several of the regular guards who stood post at the doorway bristled, as well as the majority of his advisers.
"Is that any way to speak to the lord of the castle?"
"Show him respect! Without him, you wouldn't be here right now!"
"If you have any pride as guards, you would know that your only loyalty is to the castle you serve!"
One glance at the lot of them from the one who had spoke had their voices quieting. When it was once again silent, he spoke.
"We do not serve any organization. Before they passed, we had served Lord Tsuruga and Lady Kyoko faithfully. But we have not yet decided if we shall do the same this time."
" 'Yet'? " he couldn't help but ask, wanting to appear as calm and together as they were, but finding it difficult. It appeared that the rumors already circulating around the castle at the elite guards' return held at least some truth to it. They were not like anyone else he had ever encountered. And what was more, he wasn't sure what exactly to make of their expressions. They guarded their emotions so closely that he couldn't even tell what they were thinking- about him, their situation, or even about each other. They all stood somewhat equidistant apart, and, having been from a family that was used to dealing with all sorts of people and situations while themselves sitting in a position of power, he knew that it was unusual for a group that was supposedly as close-knit as they were to put that sort of distance between themselves.
"Yes." the same elite guard answered again. The other elite guards seemed content to let him speak, for they didn't make any move to add their own words to his.
"We have not decided yet."
"I've been told that this castle is the same as when the previous lord and lady resided here." the lord found himself saying, interested in the elite guard's choice of wording and unable to restrain his curiosity.
The advisers murmured their agreement. When he had first arrived, he had been given a brief history and status report of how the castle had been running since the previous lord and lady's passing. They had made sure that he was up to date on everything that had been going on since the previous lord and lady's passing.
"What do you need to decide on?" he concluded, unable to help himself.
The guard's piercing look, along with the other six's, gave him his answer.
On you.
He found himself at a loss for words. They were judging him. Mere guards of the castle, no matter how elite, were going to pass judgment on him. To see if he was worthy of their services. Their loyalty. Their respect and their lives. Even though he was a lord of a castle. A castle that, up until then, they had served. And to think, he had had them called in for the exact same reason.
The lord felt a smile try to make its way to his face, but he didn't want to let the guards and advisers, much less the elite guards, guess his emotions. He liked these people. They were interesting. Much better than everyone else he'd met since coming here and becoming the lord, who followed him blindly and never raised any kind of opposing voice or opinion.
"Well then," he began, extending his hand towards them, although not expecting any of them to come close enough to shake it. They didn't. Not a single one of them moved an inch. Nor did they jump and reach for their weapons, like he had known some overtly jumpy, anxious, non-trusting people to do. They were either very controlled or they didn't see him as a threat. Either way, the fact that they had no reaction was even more interesting than if they had had one.
"My name is Tatewaki Kuno. I am looking forward to the results of your observations."
At this, the elite guards left the room, moving, it seemed, as a single unit, but without the normal guards orders telling each where to go, or even giving a signal that they were leaving. Interesting.
Kuno put his head on his hand, his elbow leaning on the armrest of his chair.
He wondered what they'd be looking for, watching for, in him that would give them what they needed to make up their minds.
As the door to the room closed behind them, he couldn't help the smile from appearing on his face any longer.
"They didn't even say good-bye."
-eg-
As they left the main room, the elite guard, as a group and without hesitation, walked towards one of the far corridors, to the same room that they had left the castle in the last time that they had met.
They filed in quietly, and once the door was closed, they took up positions similar, if not identical, to those that they had had on the day that they had decided to leave the Castle East. All of them had noticed that Kodachi seemed uneasy upon first spotting the lord, and she had only become moreso upon him mentioning his name to them. However, none of them spoke, waiting for Kodachi to tell them herself why she was feeling that way. She did not have to speak, of course, and they would respect her wishes either way. But perhaps it was because they had been away from each other for so long, they knew that she would want to speak to them about it- that she would want to tell them, if just as an excuse to talk to them after having their presence absent in her life for one of the longest times since they had all first met. In truth, it hadn't been the longest that they had gone without seeing each other, for they did have long missions away from the Castle East and each other when they had served Lord Tsuruga, but then, they had known that they would see each other again after the mission was over. This past time, they hadn't been sure that they'd ever meet again, and it gave them a sort of anxiety that they hadn't experienced when separated before.
"Tatewaki..." Kodachi began, her voice soft so as not to be overheard by anyone not inside the room they were in. "is the name of my cousin on my mother's side. My mother's sister had an illegitimate child with a higher ranking man, and Tatewaki was born. Of course, my father, wanting to better his position, wanted me to marry the guy. We had only met once."
She turned her head towards the direction of the window, looking out, but not seeing anything in particular. She knew she could relax her guard, because the others were there to pick up the slack for her, even though it was just temporarily. They didn't mind, when it involved one of their own.
"He does not know that we are related. His father never found out that my mother is the sister of the woman he slept with, because he never met with my aunt again after the child was born. He took Tatewaki from her to raise as his own because his wife was sterile."
She closed her eyes briefly, as memories came rushing back. No one moved to comfort her, knowing that she would not welcome the physical touch when painful memories were so close to the surface.
"My father planned to marry me to him no matter what. If necessary, he was going to use blackmail and tell Tatewaki's father what he knew and who he'd spread the information to, if I did not become the chosen bride. But I escaped before then, although that was not the only reason for my departure."
Her eyes opened, the intensity and clarity returning as her strong personality took over.
"And now it's in the past."
There was a silence, as the other guards gauged Kodachi's expression and her body language, before they inclined their heads towards her, as a way of comfort and respect.
Yes, it was in the past, and it couldn't hurt her anymore, as long as she didn't let it. They all had horrible pasts, and they had all fought to put those memories behind them. The knowledge and experience that they had gained from their pasts had made them stronger, had helped shape them into what they were today. They were not living in the past. they were moving forward- together.
end chapter.