"Hearts have as many traits as
faces."
Ovid, "The Art of Love"
"We've never ever moved together, yet so beautiful."
Cibo Matto, "Clouds"
Chapter Two:
Asuka, a Woman with a Fine Physique
And Shinji, the Weak
Asuka lay staring up at the ceiling as she lay on the bed, her head casually supported by her hands. She, having eventually decided that escape wasn't feasible, had become bored quickly.
"Shinji."
"What?"
"I'm bored," she said, facing him as she rose to a sitting position, "You don't have any other books in here do you?
"No," he said, shaking his head, "This is the only one I brought with me."
"How come they let you keep it?" she asked, yawning, "They took all my stuff."
"I don't really know," he said, shrugging awkwardly, trying to sound casual, "I guess they just didn't care..."
He didn't really want to mention the actual reason they'd been kind enough to return his sole possession. She wouldn't believe him, and it would likely start another argument.
Asuka sat up and peered at him thoughtfully.
"They weren't nice to me at all," she said, suspicious, "And I've heard things about the Romans and little boys, you know...?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know..." Asuka made a vulgar gesture with her hands and fingers, making her meaning very clear. "So did they...?"
"Of course not!" protested Shinji, his voice changing to a high-toned whine again, "Nothing like that!"
"I'm not sure I believe you..." said Asuka with a doubtful tone as she laid back down on the bed.
"What makes you think it could be something like that!?" asked Shinji, blushing with embarrassment.
"We're stuck here with nothing to do," explain Asuka, shrugging slightly as she lay on the bed, "And you're not interesting at all."
--
"And what about this one? Should I send him back?" the man asked, examining the boy with a critical eye. "He looks weak."
The small, thin child, who seemed to want nothing more than to be swallowed up by the earth, was very unimpressive. Shinji, only eight years old at the time, didn't understand the situation in the slightest. He knew only that he had been abandoned.
She shook her head, and slapped the boy's face, causing him to shrink back. "No. Make sure he is trained especially well. He has an unusual talent."
"What kind of talent?" the old man asked sarcastically, "Can he run fast?"
"No. He can fight."
-
Asuka listened with wide eyes and an open mouth as the great, bearded man told another story of ancient days, speaking in accented Greek, as he always did.
"Asuka, you believe women are weak? You think women cannot be real fighters, Asuka?"
She leaned forward, her hands clasped tightly around her elbows.
"A long time ago, our people dwelled near Egypt, above the sea of Pontus. A foolish egyptian king named Venosis dared to war with us. The men gathered together and formed a great army, leaving no men behind. The army left to defeat the Egyptians and drove them back to the safety of their country's walls. The Egyptians were defeated easily, of course. Those 'civilized' men could not fight, Asuka. They were lazy and weak. They were cut down like weeds, Asuka. But while the men were away, some other tribe came to steal our women.
"These men were slaughtered by the women they meant to steal. Women who had been taught to fight by their husbands only, Asuka! How much stronger is a women raised to be a warrior, not just taught to fight in case of emergency?
"Those women formed their own army and conquered other tribes! With Merpesia commanding they conquered some and allied with others. This army of females disgraced the men they fought. And they were not raised to fight, as those men were.
"Women are stronger then men, I believe this now. You must let no man say that he is your equal, Asuka. In battle, let your breasts remain covered. You will not try to distract men with your beauty. You will kill them with your strength. You will not be a wife. I swear you will never be wedded. You can never be weak, never. A warrior only, stronger than any other. Never say that parents abandoned you. Say that you abandoned those fools, Asuka!"
--
Asuka climbed to her feet, and started teasing Shinji once again, reciting in a solemn voice,
"If your belly shows stretch marks, then turn over
And offer your lover
A rear engagement, as Parthian cavalry might."
"What!?"
"Just some friendly advice for the girls," Asuka said, grinning at Shinji's reaction. "Ovid's a really cool guy. You could learn something from him."
"That doesn't seem as nice as the first one..."
"Yeah, but it's a lot more informative," she explained. "So, you ever going to tell me anything about yourself? Not that I'd be interested, normally, but there's nothing to do here."
Shinji didn't respond. There was nothing he could say.
"Hello?" Asuka intoned, irritated, "You said you used to live in some weird foreign country, right?"
He nodded. "China."
"Is that all you have to say about it?" she said, pacing back and forth in frustration, "I could talk about the things I've done all day. What's so hard about it?"
--
A ten year old Asuka walked on the frozen sea and away from the far-off island, shivering. The bleak and blackish sky above her was dark and depressing. The ground below her was hard, cold, and slippery. The wind around her was strong and bit into her face, which was wet with rain and snow. Surrounded by harshness, she headed back to the ship, very ready to abandon her 'homeland' without ever having set foot on it.
The island of Gothiscandze was, at that time, a place of endless night. For forty days and forty nights there would be no light. On top of that, she would have had to cross miles of frozen sea to get to the island. The cold was simply unbearable. It would be warmer in the summer, of course, but she wasn't willing to be quite that patient.
She heard a distant and familiar voice call out, -"Asuka? Back so soon? I thought you wanted to explore the island."-
She growled deep in her throat. -No, you wanted me to 'explore the island'...-
-
"I can't do it," he said, sobbing, as tears streamed down his face. "I'm doing my best..."
"You are pathetic. You are to be one of the Emperor's personal bodyguards. Act like it."
"I'm sorry, master. I've read the book, twice, but it doesn't help..."
"Stop your whining! That is part of your problem! You must work harder! The Emperor is not pleased with you."
"I know, master. I'll do my best."
"I assume that you will always 'do your best'. It is more important that you succeed, boy," the old man said. His words sounded like a proverb, but were spoken as a threat.
"I understand, Master," said Shinji, not understanding at all.
--
Asuka calmed herself and stopped pacing, knowing that another outburst wouldn't change anything.
"Why did they throw you in here anyway?" she asked, hoping to raise a more neutral subject.
"For no reason. I didn't do anything."
Asuka rolled her eyes and asked impatiently, "Okay then, what would they say if I asked them?"
"They would say that... I killed someone."
"What kind of idiot would believe that you would have the guts to kill someone?" she demanded.
--
"It's too damned cold," Asuka admitted, stomping her feet to get the snow off her boots. "I don't know how they could stand to live in this place. And there's no light!"
He laughed heartily, standing with arms akimbo as he mockingly proclaimed, "It is a joy to hear a strong person admit a great weakness, I always say that. Do you agree, Asuka?"
She scowled at him, and pulled her furs around herself tightly, still shivering. "Are you making fun of me Stilicho?"
"I could never mock 'the great Asuka Sodyu'!" he insisted, still mocking her.
She growled and punched him in the gut, causing no reaction from him other than a widening of his smile. Sternly, she reprimanded him, "Don't talk like that! And don't use my full name!"
He chuckled, amused as always by her quick temper. "You should be able to stand this cold easily, Asuka. It is not so bad. But did you know that the wolves will go blind from the cold if they cross that ice?" he said, looking out into the distance.
"I can believe it," she said, and blew warm breath onto her hands. "You didn't tell me I'd have to cross an ocean of ice. I wouldn't have bothered coming if I'd known. I didn't want to spend more than a couple days here, you know."
"You still would have wanted to try," he said, grinning widely.
She gave him a fierce scowl. "I'm not stupid Stilicho! And this whole thing was your idea in the first place, anyway! I didn't even want to come here!"
He nodded. "This is true. Still, we will come back when it is light. To be a true warrior, you must know every aspect of yourself. You will see Gothiscandze and Scythia, the homes of your people. I swear I will make you a true warrior, greater than any other!" he said, one of his oft repeated vows.
Asuka rolled her eyes, her anger already cooled. "You're so dramatic Stilecho. This isn't a stage we're standing on, it's a freight ship."
He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Every place is like a stage," he said, "The whole world is like a stage. Everyone is like an actor, just playing a part."
"Maybe you should write that down," she advised sarcastically, and shook her head in disgust. "Poetry is nonsense. True eloquence is expressed with actions, not some stupid words."
He shrugged. "You are smarter than me Asuka, I don't forgot this. But there are still many things that I can teach you. You are just a little girl still, Asuka."
"Don't give me that, Stilicho," she said, laughing harshly, "I'm better than anyone!"
"You think so?"
-
"You are the best, Shinji. The fastest, the strongest, and the most skilled. You are descended from the dragons! Why are you shy, like a woman?"
The old man didn't wait for an answer as he set down the newly scribed book.
"Read this book," he said. "Read it many times. Then, after you have read it, apply what you have learned to every situation. Not just war. You must have a man's confidence, a man's courage."
"But I can't read," Shinji said, looking at the book but not picking it up.
After a moment of silence, the old man picked up the book and threw it angrily at Shinji, who cringed as he effortlessly caught it in one hand.
"That is not my concern, boy. You will do as I command and not bother me with the details."
--
"Shinji, can I ask you something?" Asuka asked, her voice slightly flirtatious.
"What?"
She smiled at him suggestively. "We've been stuck in here for, what, four days now?"
"More like six months for me," he coldly observed. "You just got here."
Her suggestive smile vanished, and she shook her head in frustration. "What's wrong with you, Shinji? Are you sick in the head or something?"
"Maybe I am," he muttered.
"Whatever. Listen, I've been teasing you for hours now and all you do is sit there like a rock," She said, speaking quickly, "We're going to be stuck together for a while, so we had better get used to each other. You got it?" .
"Yeah," he said, though he knew that she was wrong.
They wouldn't be stuck together for very long at all.
--
-I'm leaving today. I'm never coming back.-
-I have no reason to stay. I have no responsibility to these people.-
Shinji calmly packed his few possessions, feeling no qualms about stealing the tiny gold statuettes.
The assassin, having cleverly concealed himself in the Emperor's bedroom, was never discovered. The Emperor was dead in the morning. Shinji was not there to see this, however.
He disappeared during the night, and he never planned to return.
-
"You should have at least walked on the island itself. Seeing it from far away is not the same. It is a great island, Asuka."
"Don't lecture me! If I don't want to freeze to death it's my own business!"
"Whatever you say," he said, shrugging. "If you want to leave, we leave, Asuka. But we should not go to Scythia now. Maybe we will finally go to Scythia in the spring also. Where do you want to go, Asuka?"
She thought for a moment, then stood up tall in a dignified pose, her chin tilted up slightly as she announced, "We will go to the Colloseum."
She burst out laughing and her dignified pose fell apart.
He gave her a half smile, strangely glad to see her acting childish. "Where do you really want to go?"
"No, really, I mean it. I want to go see the games," she insisted. "Everyone writes about them. I know it'll probably be pretty boring, and it's meant for commoners, but I'd like to see it at least once."
"No. We will not go to Rome. As I said, never beyond Egypt. In Roman Empire you become either slave or Roman. Nothing else." He shook his head resolutely. "I would not become a Roman. Too many have done so, forgetting the old ways."
She snorted. "You're a fool Stilicho. 'The old ways'? You mean 'pillage and plunder'? The Romans are civilized, at least."
He gave her a stern look. "Very well. If that is your answer, we'll wait here for the spring. It is only a month or two."
"What!? The slaves'll go insane! They're Egyptian, for God's sake," she protested, though she was actually more concerned about herself.
--
Asuka walked up to Shinji and leaned toward him until their noses were almost touching, squinting as if trying to examine him closely.
"What did the Romans do to you, anyway?" she said, "It couldn't have been worse than what they did to me."
"I already told you." He turned his face away from hers, made uncomfortable by the intrusion.
She shrugged. "Whatever you say, stick-boy."
"I don't care if you believe me or not," he said, in a high-toned voice, "It's pointless to argue about it..."
"Well I do care!" she yelled, suddenly erupting at him, venting days worth of frustration, "Where do you get off telling lies like that anyway? You think it impresses anyone? I'll tell you what, if you're some kind of fighter why don't you show me some fancy moves?"
He stood up and turned fully away from her. "I don't want to."
"I don't want to," she sneered back at him. "How pathetic. You really think you could beat me, idiot!?" She said as she shoved him forwards, causing him to stumble.
Angrily, he turned around. His eyes met her fierce and wild face, which dissolved his anger into illogical fear.
Both of them stood silently for a tense moment.
Wearily, he spoke, "Fine. I'll show you."
He stood up and walked a couple paces away from her, then stood there nervously for a moment, not knowing what to do. There was another tense silence as the two of them watched each other from across the room.
"You ready?" Asuka asked, breaking the silence and causing Shinji to cringe slightly. It amused her that he was continuing with the façade, especially when it was so obvious that he was about to get a horrible beating.
Hurriedly, he assumed a low stance, his forward foot stretched out in front of him in what looked to be an almost uncomfortable position.
"Umm, come at me," he said nervously.
"Come at you and do what?" she asked, skeptically. She had assumed the whole thing would be a bluff. She hadn't thought he would actually pretend that he knew how to fight. It was obvious that he was going to embarrass himself. The way he was standing would make it impossible to fight capably.
"Well... I think it's supposed to be a surprise.."
"Whatever you say..."
She charged towards him, planning to simply tackle him, and nearly ended up crashing into the wall instead.
She wasn't quite sure what happened, Shinji stood behind her a moment later, preventing her from losing balance with a steadying hand.
He had moved impossibly quick.
She whirled around to face him, exhibiting courage despite her terror. "What in God's name did you just do!? Are you a devil!?"
--
-I didn't kill the Emperor. All I did was remain silent. It's not my fault. I didn't do anything. It's not my fault.-
An unkempt man said something unintelligible to him, making various gestures with his hands. Shinji, afraid of offending the man, attempted a smile.
Shinji shook his head politely. "I'm sorry, I don't understand."
The man smiled back at Shinji in a friendly manner, "You want learn how speak a little Greek, kid?" he asked, speaking barely understandable Chinese.
Shinji smiled widely, having naturally assumed that the man would be an enemy.
"I think I would like that, sir."
"No need formality!" the man said boisterously, his long and tangled brown hair blowing in his face.
Shinji had a feeling he was going to like the western world.
-
"You are not a normal woman Asuka," said Stilicho, his expression stern, "I say woman, not girl, though you are only twelve."
"What are you talking about Stilicho?" Asuka said, annoyed.
"Listen to me Asuka. You can be a great leader. A great general. You could rule the entire world if you want. You are meant for great things. You are fit to be the bride of Mars himself, Asuka."
Asuka rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, "I thought you didn't want me to become a bride."
"You know what I mean, Asuka. Please be serious now. Soon, we will be returning to Scythia, but not as before. There is a war between our people and the Romans, Asuka. I am going to Rome, Asuka, but not as a slave, and not as a Roman. I go as a Goth."
Asuka frowned. "Why do you use that word, 'Goth'? Why don't you say 'German'?"
"Listen to me, Asuka. This is no time for one of your arguments."
"What are you saying? You want me to come with you to Rome and fight? Of course I will!"
He nodded grimly. "That is not all I am saying. There is more. I will be one that leads men, Asuka, as you know. First you ride with me and watch carefully. Then, Asuka, you will lead men yourself."
--
"You can't seriously expect me to believe that," said Asuka, her arms crossed in front of her. "It's impossible for anyone to move that fast. How did you do it? Some kind of weird magic?"
"I don't know," said Shinji hopelessly. "It's just something I can do."
Silently berating herself for underestimating him, Asuka assumed an actual fighting stance, feeling a need to prove herself.
"Whatever. I want a rematch," she said, "That first match wasn't fair."
There wasn't anything he would rather do less, but he still did exactly as she had requested, and prepared himself for another charge. He had resigned himself to doing whatever she said, knowing that to be the path of least resistance.
Still, as hard as she was to deal with, she had managed to take his mind off certain things. In a way, it was nice to have someone else in the cell with him during what were probably his last hours of life.
She grinned at him, standing lightly on her feet with her hands held in front of her. "Are you ready?"
He nodded hesitantly, growing more and more uncomfortable with the idea.
As he nodded, she came flying at him. Quickly. More quickly than anyone ever had before. Her fist flew towards him at a great speed, not seeming to drag in the air at all.
Still, as fast as her movement was, it wasn't fast enough. He avoided her striking fist, stepping to the side. He then grabbed her right arm just below the elbow, planning to pull her forward with her momentum and eventually pin her to the ground. It didn't, however, work exactly as he'd planned.
He did execute the technique correctly, but, for some reason, she didn't move an inch. It was like trying to pull down a stone wall. He blinked, and released her arm. Then, as he stared at her, wide-eyed, she reached out with one leg and tripped him effortlessly, sending the shocked boy to the ground.
"Look's like you're weak after all," she said, laughing.
Shinj climbed to his feet, sore from the fall. "How did you do that?"
"You weren't strong enough to move me. That's all there is to it," she said simply. Her face practically glowed with victory.
"But..." he said, utterly confused.
"Oh, have I hurt your pride, oh great one?" she said, cracking her knuckles. "I'm stronger than I look,"
"But..."
"They call me 'the Daughter of Mars'," she proclaimed proudly. "Thoroughly trained in both Greek Pankration and Celtic Sli Beatha."
--
"I don't like this, Stilicho," said Asuka quietly.
"What? Why do you not like this?" the great man asked, as if her statement was an absurd . It was obvious that he was enjoying himself immensely. To him, a battlefield was like a playground.
"Who would listen to me?" she protested, not for the first time. "I'm only 13 years old, and I'm a girl."
"You are the strongest. That means they will listen," he said, replying as he always did.
Asuka sighed, finding that the statement didn't become more believable with time. The idea of being in charge of an army, even a small one, had been very exciting to her at first. But doubts had developed quickly. Why would dozens of grown men listen to the shouted commands of a teenage girl, whether she was disguised as a boy or not? And it wasn't like she had anything against the Romans anyway...
"Why are we even fighting the Romans?" she asked. "We want to live like them, don't we? What Roman would want to live like us? Why are we warring with people that we envy?"
Stilicho's grin widened. "I think you don't understand war so well, Asuka. But I also think the Romans will be the ones to envy us when this is over."
"Stop joking around!" she said angrily, "This whole thing is so stupid!"
--
"I hate this place!" said Asuka. "Can't we just escape when the guards open the door to take you out? The two of us could handle a few guards easily."
Shinji shook his head. "It's hopeless." Even if they managed to escape the building, they'd never make it out of the city alive.
"And you don't even want to try?"
Shinji didn't reply, staring at the wall opposite him as he sat silently on the floor.
"You're like a beaten dog," she accused. "If you don't want to help, I'll find a way to do it myself."
"And you're coming with me," she added.
He remained silent.
"What the hell is your problem, anyway?" Asuka said, her tone rising in pitch until it became almost unbearable to listen to, "Why won't you stand up for yourself? I call you pathetic and you just sit there pathetically, not saying anything."
She paced back and forth as Shinji continued to sit quietly.
"I know. I already know that," he said, sounding tired.
"Know what? That you're pathetic?" she asked mockingly.
Shinji didn't reply, and Asuka's rage started to boil over. She glared at him, seething.
"Are you going to talk to me or what?"
He still said nothing.
"Are you trying to make me angry? Or does this crap just come naturally?"
Nothing made her more angry than being ignored. To her, it felt similar to being stabbed.
She growled deep in her throat, and turned away from him, furious.
--
"All foreigners welcome in Rome," the man insisted. "Do your best, and you become like the best."
"But..."
"It is true! Never has there been a race more accepting than the Romans," said the man, accidentally slipping into Latin, "They have brought benevolence and civility to a world of chaos and disorder."
Shinji wasn't able to understand a word. "I don't under..."
"Oh, I'm sorry! I just say that the Romans are very good people."
"But I've never really been accepted by anyone before..."
"Well you can leave that behind you now!" he said, smiling widely.
-
"The guards are coming!" hissed Asuka in a whisper, "This is your chance!"
He didn't respond. Asuka grabbed his shoulders and leaned in close, whispering, "Listen. I want to get out of here. I might not be able to do it by myself. When the guard opens the door, I'm going to attack them. Help me or not, your choice."
She scowled, her face twisting into a sneer, "But if I die, you'll see me again. Count on it."
He looked into her eyes, bright with anger.
Footsteps approached.
-If she dies...-
"Wait..." he said. "Please..."
Ovid, "The Art of Love"
"We've never ever moved together, yet so beautiful."
Cibo Matto, "Clouds"
Chapter Two:
Asuka, a Woman with a Fine Physique
And Shinji, the Weak
Asuka lay staring up at the ceiling as she lay on the bed, her head casually supported by her hands. She, having eventually decided that escape wasn't feasible, had become bored quickly.
"Shinji."
"What?"
"I'm bored," she said, facing him as she rose to a sitting position, "You don't have any other books in here do you?
"No," he said, shaking his head, "This is the only one I brought with me."
"How come they let you keep it?" she asked, yawning, "They took all my stuff."
"I don't really know," he said, shrugging awkwardly, trying to sound casual, "I guess they just didn't care..."
He didn't really want to mention the actual reason they'd been kind enough to return his sole possession. She wouldn't believe him, and it would likely start another argument.
Asuka sat up and peered at him thoughtfully.
"They weren't nice to me at all," she said, suspicious, "And I've heard things about the Romans and little boys, you know...?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know..." Asuka made a vulgar gesture with her hands and fingers, making her meaning very clear. "So did they...?"
"Of course not!" protested Shinji, his voice changing to a high-toned whine again, "Nothing like that!"
"I'm not sure I believe you..." said Asuka with a doubtful tone as she laid back down on the bed.
"What makes you think it could be something like that!?" asked Shinji, blushing with embarrassment.
"We're stuck here with nothing to do," explain Asuka, shrugging slightly as she lay on the bed, "And you're not interesting at all."
--
"And what about this one? Should I send him back?" the man asked, examining the boy with a critical eye. "He looks weak."
The small, thin child, who seemed to want nothing more than to be swallowed up by the earth, was very unimpressive. Shinji, only eight years old at the time, didn't understand the situation in the slightest. He knew only that he had been abandoned.
She shook her head, and slapped the boy's face, causing him to shrink back. "No. Make sure he is trained especially well. He has an unusual talent."
"What kind of talent?" the old man asked sarcastically, "Can he run fast?"
"No. He can fight."
-
Asuka listened with wide eyes and an open mouth as the great, bearded man told another story of ancient days, speaking in accented Greek, as he always did.
"Asuka, you believe women are weak? You think women cannot be real fighters, Asuka?"
She leaned forward, her hands clasped tightly around her elbows.
"A long time ago, our people dwelled near Egypt, above the sea of Pontus. A foolish egyptian king named Venosis dared to war with us. The men gathered together and formed a great army, leaving no men behind. The army left to defeat the Egyptians and drove them back to the safety of their country's walls. The Egyptians were defeated easily, of course. Those 'civilized' men could not fight, Asuka. They were lazy and weak. They were cut down like weeds, Asuka. But while the men were away, some other tribe came to steal our women.
"These men were slaughtered by the women they meant to steal. Women who had been taught to fight by their husbands only, Asuka! How much stronger is a women raised to be a warrior, not just taught to fight in case of emergency?
"Those women formed their own army and conquered other tribes! With Merpesia commanding they conquered some and allied with others. This army of females disgraced the men they fought. And they were not raised to fight, as those men were.
"Women are stronger then men, I believe this now. You must let no man say that he is your equal, Asuka. In battle, let your breasts remain covered. You will not try to distract men with your beauty. You will kill them with your strength. You will not be a wife. I swear you will never be wedded. You can never be weak, never. A warrior only, stronger than any other. Never say that parents abandoned you. Say that you abandoned those fools, Asuka!"
--
Asuka climbed to her feet, and started teasing Shinji once again, reciting in a solemn voice,
"If your belly shows stretch marks, then turn over
And offer your lover
A rear engagement, as Parthian cavalry might."
"What!?"
"Just some friendly advice for the girls," Asuka said, grinning at Shinji's reaction. "Ovid's a really cool guy. You could learn something from him."
"That doesn't seem as nice as the first one..."
"Yeah, but it's a lot more informative," she explained. "So, you ever going to tell me anything about yourself? Not that I'd be interested, normally, but there's nothing to do here."
Shinji didn't respond. There was nothing he could say.
"Hello?" Asuka intoned, irritated, "You said you used to live in some weird foreign country, right?"
He nodded. "China."
"Is that all you have to say about it?" she said, pacing back and forth in frustration, "I could talk about the things I've done all day. What's so hard about it?"
--
A ten year old Asuka walked on the frozen sea and away from the far-off island, shivering. The bleak and blackish sky above her was dark and depressing. The ground below her was hard, cold, and slippery. The wind around her was strong and bit into her face, which was wet with rain and snow. Surrounded by harshness, she headed back to the ship, very ready to abandon her 'homeland' without ever having set foot on it.
The island of Gothiscandze was, at that time, a place of endless night. For forty days and forty nights there would be no light. On top of that, she would have had to cross miles of frozen sea to get to the island. The cold was simply unbearable. It would be warmer in the summer, of course, but she wasn't willing to be quite that patient.
She heard a distant and familiar voice call out, -"Asuka? Back so soon? I thought you wanted to explore the island."-
She growled deep in her throat. -No, you wanted me to 'explore the island'...-
-
"I can't do it," he said, sobbing, as tears streamed down his face. "I'm doing my best..."
"You are pathetic. You are to be one of the Emperor's personal bodyguards. Act like it."
"I'm sorry, master. I've read the book, twice, but it doesn't help..."
"Stop your whining! That is part of your problem! You must work harder! The Emperor is not pleased with you."
"I know, master. I'll do my best."
"I assume that you will always 'do your best'. It is more important that you succeed, boy," the old man said. His words sounded like a proverb, but were spoken as a threat.
"I understand, Master," said Shinji, not understanding at all.
--
Asuka calmed herself and stopped pacing, knowing that another outburst wouldn't change anything.
"Why did they throw you in here anyway?" she asked, hoping to raise a more neutral subject.
"For no reason. I didn't do anything."
Asuka rolled her eyes and asked impatiently, "Okay then, what would they say if I asked them?"
"They would say that... I killed someone."
"What kind of idiot would believe that you would have the guts to kill someone?" she demanded.
--
"It's too damned cold," Asuka admitted, stomping her feet to get the snow off her boots. "I don't know how they could stand to live in this place. And there's no light!"
He laughed heartily, standing with arms akimbo as he mockingly proclaimed, "It is a joy to hear a strong person admit a great weakness, I always say that. Do you agree, Asuka?"
She scowled at him, and pulled her furs around herself tightly, still shivering. "Are you making fun of me Stilicho?"
"I could never mock 'the great Asuka Sodyu'!" he insisted, still mocking her.
She growled and punched him in the gut, causing no reaction from him other than a widening of his smile. Sternly, she reprimanded him, "Don't talk like that! And don't use my full name!"
He chuckled, amused as always by her quick temper. "You should be able to stand this cold easily, Asuka. It is not so bad. But did you know that the wolves will go blind from the cold if they cross that ice?" he said, looking out into the distance.
"I can believe it," she said, and blew warm breath onto her hands. "You didn't tell me I'd have to cross an ocean of ice. I wouldn't have bothered coming if I'd known. I didn't want to spend more than a couple days here, you know."
"You still would have wanted to try," he said, grinning widely.
She gave him a fierce scowl. "I'm not stupid Stilicho! And this whole thing was your idea in the first place, anyway! I didn't even want to come here!"
He nodded. "This is true. Still, we will come back when it is light. To be a true warrior, you must know every aspect of yourself. You will see Gothiscandze and Scythia, the homes of your people. I swear I will make you a true warrior, greater than any other!" he said, one of his oft repeated vows.
Asuka rolled her eyes, her anger already cooled. "You're so dramatic Stilecho. This isn't a stage we're standing on, it's a freight ship."
He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Every place is like a stage," he said, "The whole world is like a stage. Everyone is like an actor, just playing a part."
"Maybe you should write that down," she advised sarcastically, and shook her head in disgust. "Poetry is nonsense. True eloquence is expressed with actions, not some stupid words."
He shrugged. "You are smarter than me Asuka, I don't forgot this. But there are still many things that I can teach you. You are just a little girl still, Asuka."
"Don't give me that, Stilicho," she said, laughing harshly, "I'm better than anyone!"
"You think so?"
-
"You are the best, Shinji. The fastest, the strongest, and the most skilled. You are descended from the dragons! Why are you shy, like a woman?"
The old man didn't wait for an answer as he set down the newly scribed book.
"Read this book," he said. "Read it many times. Then, after you have read it, apply what you have learned to every situation. Not just war. You must have a man's confidence, a man's courage."
"But I can't read," Shinji said, looking at the book but not picking it up.
After a moment of silence, the old man picked up the book and threw it angrily at Shinji, who cringed as he effortlessly caught it in one hand.
"That is not my concern, boy. You will do as I command and not bother me with the details."
--
"Shinji, can I ask you something?" Asuka asked, her voice slightly flirtatious.
"What?"
She smiled at him suggestively. "We've been stuck in here for, what, four days now?"
"More like six months for me," he coldly observed. "You just got here."
Her suggestive smile vanished, and she shook her head in frustration. "What's wrong with you, Shinji? Are you sick in the head or something?"
"Maybe I am," he muttered.
"Whatever. Listen, I've been teasing you for hours now and all you do is sit there like a rock," She said, speaking quickly, "We're going to be stuck together for a while, so we had better get used to each other. You got it?" .
"Yeah," he said, though he knew that she was wrong.
They wouldn't be stuck together for very long at all.
--
-I'm leaving today. I'm never coming back.-
-I have no reason to stay. I have no responsibility to these people.-
Shinji calmly packed his few possessions, feeling no qualms about stealing the tiny gold statuettes.
The assassin, having cleverly concealed himself in the Emperor's bedroom, was never discovered. The Emperor was dead in the morning. Shinji was not there to see this, however.
He disappeared during the night, and he never planned to return.
-
"You should have at least walked on the island itself. Seeing it from far away is not the same. It is a great island, Asuka."
"Don't lecture me! If I don't want to freeze to death it's my own business!"
"Whatever you say," he said, shrugging. "If you want to leave, we leave, Asuka. But we should not go to Scythia now. Maybe we will finally go to Scythia in the spring also. Where do you want to go, Asuka?"
She thought for a moment, then stood up tall in a dignified pose, her chin tilted up slightly as she announced, "We will go to the Colloseum."
She burst out laughing and her dignified pose fell apart.
He gave her a half smile, strangely glad to see her acting childish. "Where do you really want to go?"
"No, really, I mean it. I want to go see the games," she insisted. "Everyone writes about them. I know it'll probably be pretty boring, and it's meant for commoners, but I'd like to see it at least once."
"No. We will not go to Rome. As I said, never beyond Egypt. In Roman Empire you become either slave or Roman. Nothing else." He shook his head resolutely. "I would not become a Roman. Too many have done so, forgetting the old ways."
She snorted. "You're a fool Stilicho. 'The old ways'? You mean 'pillage and plunder'? The Romans are civilized, at least."
He gave her a stern look. "Very well. If that is your answer, we'll wait here for the spring. It is only a month or two."
"What!? The slaves'll go insane! They're Egyptian, for God's sake," she protested, though she was actually more concerned about herself.
--
Asuka walked up to Shinji and leaned toward him until their noses were almost touching, squinting as if trying to examine him closely.
"What did the Romans do to you, anyway?" she said, "It couldn't have been worse than what they did to me."
"I already told you." He turned his face away from hers, made uncomfortable by the intrusion.
She shrugged. "Whatever you say, stick-boy."
"I don't care if you believe me or not," he said, in a high-toned voice, "It's pointless to argue about it..."
"Well I do care!" she yelled, suddenly erupting at him, venting days worth of frustration, "Where do you get off telling lies like that anyway? You think it impresses anyone? I'll tell you what, if you're some kind of fighter why don't you show me some fancy moves?"
He stood up and turned fully away from her. "I don't want to."
"I don't want to," she sneered back at him. "How pathetic. You really think you could beat me, idiot!?" She said as she shoved him forwards, causing him to stumble.
Angrily, he turned around. His eyes met her fierce and wild face, which dissolved his anger into illogical fear.
Both of them stood silently for a tense moment.
Wearily, he spoke, "Fine. I'll show you."
He stood up and walked a couple paces away from her, then stood there nervously for a moment, not knowing what to do. There was another tense silence as the two of them watched each other from across the room.
"You ready?" Asuka asked, breaking the silence and causing Shinji to cringe slightly. It amused her that he was continuing with the façade, especially when it was so obvious that he was about to get a horrible beating.
Hurriedly, he assumed a low stance, his forward foot stretched out in front of him in what looked to be an almost uncomfortable position.
"Umm, come at me," he said nervously.
"Come at you and do what?" she asked, skeptically. She had assumed the whole thing would be a bluff. She hadn't thought he would actually pretend that he knew how to fight. It was obvious that he was going to embarrass himself. The way he was standing would make it impossible to fight capably.
"Well... I think it's supposed to be a surprise.."
"Whatever you say..."
She charged towards him, planning to simply tackle him, and nearly ended up crashing into the wall instead.
She wasn't quite sure what happened, Shinji stood behind her a moment later, preventing her from losing balance with a steadying hand.
He had moved impossibly quick.
She whirled around to face him, exhibiting courage despite her terror. "What in God's name did you just do!? Are you a devil!?"
--
-I didn't kill the Emperor. All I did was remain silent. It's not my fault. I didn't do anything. It's not my fault.-
An unkempt man said something unintelligible to him, making various gestures with his hands. Shinji, afraid of offending the man, attempted a smile.
Shinji shook his head politely. "I'm sorry, I don't understand."
The man smiled back at Shinji in a friendly manner, "You want learn how speak a little Greek, kid?" he asked, speaking barely understandable Chinese.
Shinji smiled widely, having naturally assumed that the man would be an enemy.
"I think I would like that, sir."
"No need formality!" the man said boisterously, his long and tangled brown hair blowing in his face.
Shinji had a feeling he was going to like the western world.
-
"You are not a normal woman Asuka," said Stilicho, his expression stern, "I say woman, not girl, though you are only twelve."
"What are you talking about Stilicho?" Asuka said, annoyed.
"Listen to me Asuka. You can be a great leader. A great general. You could rule the entire world if you want. You are meant for great things. You are fit to be the bride of Mars himself, Asuka."
Asuka rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, "I thought you didn't want me to become a bride."
"You know what I mean, Asuka. Please be serious now. Soon, we will be returning to Scythia, but not as before. There is a war between our people and the Romans, Asuka. I am going to Rome, Asuka, but not as a slave, and not as a Roman. I go as a Goth."
Asuka frowned. "Why do you use that word, 'Goth'? Why don't you say 'German'?"
"Listen to me, Asuka. This is no time for one of your arguments."
"What are you saying? You want me to come with you to Rome and fight? Of course I will!"
He nodded grimly. "That is not all I am saying. There is more. I will be one that leads men, Asuka, as you know. First you ride with me and watch carefully. Then, Asuka, you will lead men yourself."
--
"You can't seriously expect me to believe that," said Asuka, her arms crossed in front of her. "It's impossible for anyone to move that fast. How did you do it? Some kind of weird magic?"
"I don't know," said Shinji hopelessly. "It's just something I can do."
Silently berating herself for underestimating him, Asuka assumed an actual fighting stance, feeling a need to prove herself.
"Whatever. I want a rematch," she said, "That first match wasn't fair."
There wasn't anything he would rather do less, but he still did exactly as she had requested, and prepared himself for another charge. He had resigned himself to doing whatever she said, knowing that to be the path of least resistance.
Still, as hard as she was to deal with, she had managed to take his mind off certain things. In a way, it was nice to have someone else in the cell with him during what were probably his last hours of life.
She grinned at him, standing lightly on her feet with her hands held in front of her. "Are you ready?"
He nodded hesitantly, growing more and more uncomfortable with the idea.
As he nodded, she came flying at him. Quickly. More quickly than anyone ever had before. Her fist flew towards him at a great speed, not seeming to drag in the air at all.
Still, as fast as her movement was, it wasn't fast enough. He avoided her striking fist, stepping to the side. He then grabbed her right arm just below the elbow, planning to pull her forward with her momentum and eventually pin her to the ground. It didn't, however, work exactly as he'd planned.
He did execute the technique correctly, but, for some reason, she didn't move an inch. It was like trying to pull down a stone wall. He blinked, and released her arm. Then, as he stared at her, wide-eyed, she reached out with one leg and tripped him effortlessly, sending the shocked boy to the ground.
"Look's like you're weak after all," she said, laughing.
Shinj climbed to his feet, sore from the fall. "How did you do that?"
"You weren't strong enough to move me. That's all there is to it," she said simply. Her face practically glowed with victory.
"But..." he said, utterly confused.
"Oh, have I hurt your pride, oh great one?" she said, cracking her knuckles. "I'm stronger than I look,"
"But..."
"They call me 'the Daughter of Mars'," she proclaimed proudly. "Thoroughly trained in both Greek Pankration and Celtic Sli Beatha."
--
"I don't like this, Stilicho," said Asuka quietly.
"What? Why do you not like this?" the great man asked, as if her statement was an absurd . It was obvious that he was enjoying himself immensely. To him, a battlefield was like a playground.
"Who would listen to me?" she protested, not for the first time. "I'm only 13 years old, and I'm a girl."
"You are the strongest. That means they will listen," he said, replying as he always did.
Asuka sighed, finding that the statement didn't become more believable with time. The idea of being in charge of an army, even a small one, had been very exciting to her at first. But doubts had developed quickly. Why would dozens of grown men listen to the shouted commands of a teenage girl, whether she was disguised as a boy or not? And it wasn't like she had anything against the Romans anyway...
"Why are we even fighting the Romans?" she asked. "We want to live like them, don't we? What Roman would want to live like us? Why are we warring with people that we envy?"
Stilicho's grin widened. "I think you don't understand war so well, Asuka. But I also think the Romans will be the ones to envy us when this is over."
"Stop joking around!" she said angrily, "This whole thing is so stupid!"
--
"I hate this place!" said Asuka. "Can't we just escape when the guards open the door to take you out? The two of us could handle a few guards easily."
Shinji shook his head. "It's hopeless." Even if they managed to escape the building, they'd never make it out of the city alive.
"And you don't even want to try?"
Shinji didn't reply, staring at the wall opposite him as he sat silently on the floor.
"You're like a beaten dog," she accused. "If you don't want to help, I'll find a way to do it myself."
"And you're coming with me," she added.
He remained silent.
"What the hell is your problem, anyway?" Asuka said, her tone rising in pitch until it became almost unbearable to listen to, "Why won't you stand up for yourself? I call you pathetic and you just sit there pathetically, not saying anything."
She paced back and forth as Shinji continued to sit quietly.
"I know. I already know that," he said, sounding tired.
"Know what? That you're pathetic?" she asked mockingly.
Shinji didn't reply, and Asuka's rage started to boil over. She glared at him, seething.
"Are you going to talk to me or what?"
He still said nothing.
"Are you trying to make me angry? Or does this crap just come naturally?"
Nothing made her more angry than being ignored. To her, it felt similar to being stabbed.
She growled deep in her throat, and turned away from him, furious.
--
"All foreigners welcome in Rome," the man insisted. "Do your best, and you become like the best."
"But..."
"It is true! Never has there been a race more accepting than the Romans," said the man, accidentally slipping into Latin, "They have brought benevolence and civility to a world of chaos and disorder."
Shinji wasn't able to understand a word. "I don't under..."
"Oh, I'm sorry! I just say that the Romans are very good people."
"But I've never really been accepted by anyone before..."
"Well you can leave that behind you now!" he said, smiling widely.
-
"The guards are coming!" hissed Asuka in a whisper, "This is your chance!"
He didn't respond. Asuka grabbed his shoulders and leaned in close, whispering, "Listen. I want to get out of here. I might not be able to do it by myself. When the guard opens the door, I'm going to attack them. Help me or not, your choice."
She scowled, her face twisting into a sneer, "But if I die, you'll see me again. Count on it."
He looked into her eyes, bright with anger.
Footsteps approached.
-If she dies...-
"Wait..." he said. "Please..."