Two friends are torn by anger and jealousy. An empire suffers with the weakening elderly king. Forbidden love occurs and gets stronger as the time gets worse. Rated R for violence and some swearing. This is 100% Taiora so Sorato fans, do not read!!!!
The guard began ramming the sword at
Taichi's back, but Taichi turned and the sword cut the ropes
around his hands instead.
"I'm sorry about this," Taichi said,
jabbing his elbow at Akikazu in the face, knocking him out. The
other guard attacked him, but Taichi hit his head with the back
of the sword from the ground. He watched as the guard fell to the
ground, also unconcious.
Taichi grabbed a horse and rode away.
He didn't know where he would lead himself, but he kept on
going...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two years later...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Taichi? My most trusted soldier, come
here," said the emperor of Ithaca. Taichi walked to the
emperor.
"Sire," Taichi said, bowing.
"Have a drink," he said. Taichi smiled
and thanked him.
"So what is it?" he asked, taking a
sip.
"We are going to the city of Athens.
There is a celebration there. I am a friend of the emperor's. Good
man," he replied. Taichi spat out the drink and began coughing.
"What's wrong Taichi?"
"Uh...nothing sir. Nothing at
all."
"Great. We're leaving
tomorrow."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sora! Dammit! Why don't you ever come
on time?" Yamato yelled impatiently.
"I got it Yamato," Sora said, walking
to him with the bottle of champagne made in Troy. Yamato pulled
her onto his lap, taking the bottle from her. He looked into her
eyes and smiled. She smiled uncomfortably.
"Sora, dear...I need an heir," Yamato
whispered in her ear. Sora trembled. She feared Yamato, after
being married to him for two years. She wanted to love him
because they were husband and wife, but Yamato got violent
everytime he drank. She tried to stop him but he hurt her
bad...Sora tried to believe that he didn't mean it...that it was
something else....
"Yamato, I have to go," Sora said,
getting off his lap. Yamato pulled her back and kissed her. She
pulled away softly. "Yamato, I have work to do," Sora said,
trying to hide the tremble in her voice.
"We have a party tonight, get ready
for it," Yamato said. Sora quickly walked to her room and shut
the door. She walked slowly to her mirror and stared at herself.
She wore a gold crown with a serpent at the front and a
sleeveless gold dress that reached down to her shins. She was
beautiful and many men envied Yamato, but to herself, she was
disgusting.
"I just want to go home..." she
whispered to herself. Sora looked at the wet ink tattoos all over
her arms. Yamato had asked his servants to put them on her body
so no man would be able to touch her without him finding out. She
looked at the gold jewelry on her wrists and ankles. She didn't
want any of it. She hated it. Sora had tried to run away
countless times, but she was always caught again.
She also noticed her father hadn't
come to rescue her from here...for two years she's lived in
hope...today, she realized he didn't love her at all...
Wait... she thought.
Party?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taichi looked around him. Nothing
changed in the kingdom. Everything was exactly as it was before
he left. He regretted leaving.
I could have fought...I could have
stopped hiding... Taichi thought, looking around him. He
looked up at the sky...it was a crescent moon, the same moon he
had seen before...when he and Yamato were still the best of
friends...he couldn't believe that Yamato had suddenly
turned...turned so horrible...
"Here we are," the pharaoh said,
smiling as they entered the magnificent building. The palace was
humongous, the marble floors, the large black panther that walked
around with a gold collar. Its yellow eyes stared at Taichi, as
if it knew why he was there. Taichi stared at it, curiously, but
turned when the pharaoh had called him.
"Yamato, hello!" Taichi heard Tetsuya
(the emperor of Ithaca) say.
"Hello there Tetsuya, I am glad you
could make it," he heard Yamato say. Taichi quickly walked
between the people, going as far away from the two as he could
possibly go, but still stay in the building.
He looked back at them, but suddenly
crashed into someone. A silver platter fell to the ground,
getting stepped on by the men and women passing by, unnoticed.
Taichi looked up at the woman who had held it.
"Uh..." she sighed, leaning down to
pick it up. Taichi had seen a glimpse of her crimson eyes. It was
as if an angel had just bumped into him.
"Are you all right?" Taichi asked. The
girl nodded.
"I am fine, if you would just watch
where you are going next time mayb--" She stopped, looking up at
Taichi. The two stared into each others eyes as if something had
just locked their stares together. Taichi held out his
hand.
"I am Taichi," he said. I know this
girl...she's... the Delphian princess...she's beautiful,
he thought.
"Sora..." she said taking his hand.
Sora felt a strange feeling as the young man touched her hands.
She looked back up at his face, not being able to take her eyes
off him.
"Are you a goddess?" Taichi blurted
out. Sora blushed and looked at the ground.
Sora laughed softly and shook her
head. "No, sir."
Who is this young man? I have seen
him before... Sora thought, smiling at the guard's handsome
face.
"Taichi! I want you to meet the
Emperor of Ephese, he said he knows you...you were the one who
killed most of his people in that battle that I sent you to. But
we are all friends now aren't we?" Tetsuya said, laughing. "Come
on," he continued, pulling Taichi through the crowding bodies.
Sora watched as he disappeared. Taichi stared back, longing to
see her angelic face once again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What?! We cannot stay here tonight my
lord," Taichi said.
"We cannot go out there in the wild
wilderness with all the bandits and evil spirits that might come
and demolish us. I am too rich to die!" the emperor said,
grabbing a bottle of wine from the bedside. Taichi stared at
him.
He couldn't stay here with
Yamato...but the girl he had met...she was probably staying here
as well. It would be his chance to talk to her.
He looked at the lighted hallways of
the palace. Script writings were on the wall, as well as
signs and pictures of their kingdom. Taichi pulled a torch
from one of the handles and looked around. The hallways were
completely empty and all that could be heard was the soft
smacking of his slippers on the marble floor. As he walked, hands
clamped over his mouth and pulled him out to the back of the
palace.
"Shh!" the female voice silenced.
"Emperor Yamato might hear you," she whispered. Taichi held the
torch to her face. The same girl. He was so glad he found her
that he nearly shouted.
"I've been looking fo--"
"Shh!" she shushed, putting her finger
to his lips. Taichi was instantly silenced. He felt a strange
sensation as the girl's soft skin touched his lips. He looked
back at her and started to stand up, hitting his head on the
corner of a stone protruding from the wall. Taichi did his best
not to shout in pain. Sora stared at him.
"Are you okay?"
"It hurts..." Taichi whispered
painfully. He looked straight into her eyes, getting completely
mesmerized.
"You're head?"
"No, my heart," Taichi said.
"But your heart was not hurt by the
stone," Sora said, laughing softly.
"No, but you're beauty did," he
continued. Sora gently touched his face, for the words he had
spoken came from inside. She could tell by the look in his eyes.
Fire.
"Where'd you come from?" Sora asked as
they walked in the quiet garden.
"Um...Ithaca...born and raised there,"
Taichi lied. Sora nodded.
"What about you?"
"Delphi," she said.
It's her... Taichi thought,
staring at her, stunned.
"You!" he said, grabbing her arm. Sora
stared at him questioningly.
"What?"
"You were the girl at the war against
Delphi and Athens two years ago!" Taichi said, grasping
her arm. She twisted his hand and pushed him against the
tree.
"You weren't there! You're from Ith--"
Sora pulled him close to her and examined his eyes. "You...are
that soldier that ran away from me!" she yelled, pushing him back
against the tree. She stood away from him, holding her hands in a
fighting stance.
"You know what? You are
laughable," Sora said, bitterly. "' Are you a
goddess? ' You pathetic excuse for a man!" she spat.
"I do think you are...just because we
took different sides doesn't mean you have to take it
personally," Taichi said, starting to move towards her, away from
the tree.
"Don't move," she warned. "I
want to take it personally. You ruined my kingdom and
you're working for that-that jerk Yamato!"
"No...I am most definitely not
working for him," Taichi said, sighing before sitting down on the
soft grass. Sora stood there, still in her stance, then when
Taichi didn't do anything but sit there, she sat down next to
him.
"Taichi...I'm sorry," Sora said,
sinking down, next to him. Taichi looked at her. She was like a
Golden Goddess to him. Her perfect auburn hair, unique from all
the coal dark hair that almost every woman had in Greece. He
gently touched her chin, staring into her eyes. She stared back
her face moving closer to his. She closed her eyes as she felt
his soft breath in her mouth. Their lips touched, starting out as
a soft kiss, then, full of passion and love. Taichi put his hands
on her bare shoulders, pulling her closer as the kiss became more
intense. Without knowing it, Taichi smeared the wet ink marks
Yamato had the maids put on her arms.
The two pulled away and stared at each
other with love in their eyes, but then looked away.
"Sora...I'm sorry..." Taichi
whispered. Sora shook her head and kissed him again, an angry
passionate kiss that knocked Taichi against the tree. He wrapped
his arms around her waist, kissing her lips, then down to her
neck.
"Taichi..." Sora breathed. Taichi
stared at the goddess' body. He gently kissed her neck again,
brushing the hair away from her smeared shoulders. Sora quickly
stopped and grabbed his hands, staring at the palms. They were
smeared with black ink. Taichi stared at her
questioningly.
"What is this?" he asked.
"It's...oh no....Taichi? Get out of
here!" Sora said pushing him into the building. She ran towards
the other direction.
"So-"
"Just go Taichi please! I will explain
later!" she yelled before she disappeared into the darkened
hallways.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Where were you?" a voice said,
erupting Sora's fear. She turned around slowly, coming face to
face with Yamato.
"I was in the garden...tending to the
flowers you bought for me Yamato," Sora said.
"Really? Then what is this?" Yamato
asked, grabbing her arm.
"Yamato, it is a garden, these are
certain to smudge," she said, walking into her room. Yamato
stared suspiciously after her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taichi woke up with the morning sun in
his eyes. He sat up, groaning and looked through the opening in
the wall. He looked out at the working men, dragging large stones
to a building that looked like a complete new empire. Taichi then smiled,
remembering the night before...or was it a dream?
He quickly washed himself off and
dressed. He walked outside where he met Tetsuya. He looked
around the palace. It was a miracle that Yamato hadn't seen
him...or noticed him at all...for two days.
The two met and headed towards the
gathering of people in the beautiful room with a carpet going
through one door onto a throne atop two steps. Taichi watched and
waited as Emperor Yamato came out...what he didn't expect was the
other person coming out beside him. Taichi's eyes widened...it
couldn't be...
A/N: Yeah it sucks, oh well, I don't
really mind. I just do this because I like to write, no matter
how bad it is.
The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.