"Wow, thanks Chiri," said Tasuki, gobbling down the tuna.
"You're such a PIG no da," murmured Chichiri. Nuriko sighed, and poured himself more tea. The table had calmed down a bit since Tasuki's uproar about tuna and egg. It was starting to settle into a regular palace morning. Hotohori gripped his warm teacup, and sighed. Silence was the one thing he hated. It met his ears every day and did not dispel from them. He had grown up in a lonely silence.
"So, does anyone have any Sake?" asked Tasuki, leaning back in his chair.
"Sake this early?" asked Chiriko.
"What? 'S what I do! I drink in th' mornings! It calms m' spirit and makes m' ready fer the day," explained Tasuki.
"Your spirit can never be calmed," said Hotohori, "So maybe you just drink to get drunk." Tasuki leaned across the table.
"SHHHH," he hissed, "That's the part that they don' know about!!" Nuriko rolled his eyes.
"You're so educated in the art of whispering," he said, pulling Tasuki back into his seat, "Get your clothes out of the rest of the good food." Hotohori laughed. It was times like these when the palace felt, instead of a confinement, merely a home. Before the times when he had become Emperor.......
When Hotohori was 9 his father died. The four women he had been previously married to had all borne him children. Tensions arose around the palace, and the oldest wife took the throne until one of the sons was eligible to do so. There were fights between the women, and the children as well. Hotohori's older stepbrother was admitted to succeed the throne, but days after his initiation; he was assassinated out in the royal gardens. There was uproar about Konan. A family feud had broken the royal family, and now it was a race to see whose son could succeed the throne to take his father's place. Hotohori's own mother was intent on seeing her son take the throne and rule. It was most likely that she had hired the assassins that killed the other wives offspring. Suddenly, another son was killed. Hotohori lived in fear of his younger stepbrother's mother. What would she do to get her own child into succession? It was a dark, and cold night. Hotohori slept soundly in his chamber. His mother was elsewhere. Silence rang out around the palace. Many of the advisors were still in shock that the two previous men had been slaughtered. These were terrible times for someone to become Emperor. Konan was slowly feeling this to itself, and riots occasionally broke out in the city. There was a creak on the floorboards somewhere near the door to Hotohori's room. His eyes flew open, and a hand grasped the small sword near his bedside. It had been a gift from his mother, to defend himself when trouble was aroused. Now he needed it more than ever. There were muffled whispers from somewhere outside the room.
"----one more death," a woman said, "One more and then my son can take the throne. My family has needed this for so long. Saihitei is the only one who stands in our way---" Hotohori sat up in bed. Saihitei was HIM. Was there an assassin out there at this very moment?? He unsheathed his sword, and crawled out of bed. He would have to fight for his life. Hiding in the shadows, he waited. The door slid open, and a figure clad in black entered. He tiptoed over to the bed, and raised his katana. With a swift move, it was almost to the pillow, when the man realized that there was no one there.
"Huh?" he whispered to himself.
"AAAAIEEE!" yelled Hotohori, tearing from his corner. The figure wasn't ready, and quickly held up his katana in defense.
"So there you are," he said meanacingly, throwing Hotohori off of his sword.
"You're not going to kill me," said Hotohori. He jumped at the assassin, metal striking metal. The assassin winced, and there was the faint smell of blood in the air. How could this boy be so good? A red light glowed around Hotohori, and "hoshi" appeared on his neck.
"Suzaku??" asked the assassin.
"I will not be slain to make room for another success to the throne!!" cried Hotohori, swinging at the assassin. The assassin threw him off, raised his own sword, but was too late as Hotohori's swung across his abdomen, making a heavy gash. The assassin fell to the ground in his own blood, Hotohori breathing heavily. He wiped his blade on a nearby towel. The door flew open, and the younger boy's mother ran in.
"What is this-Saihitei?!" she asked, appalled.
"This is unnecessary," said Hotohori angrily, "I will not be killed to make room for your own son. Flee this place before I tell someone of your mishap here in trying to kill me. GO!" The woman, fearing for her own life, ran from the room. Hotohori threw down his sword, and fell against the wall.
"This......no one should have to fight like this to succeed his father's legacy," he sighed to himself, "I won't be slain for this cause. I will be Emperor, and I will make sure there is someone to succeed my throne before I die. Therefore, helpless lives will not be ended for the cause of ruling a single empire......"
"You're such a PIG no da," murmured Chichiri. Nuriko sighed, and poured himself more tea. The table had calmed down a bit since Tasuki's uproar about tuna and egg. It was starting to settle into a regular palace morning. Hotohori gripped his warm teacup, and sighed. Silence was the one thing he hated. It met his ears every day and did not dispel from them. He had grown up in a lonely silence.
"So, does anyone have any Sake?" asked Tasuki, leaning back in his chair.
"Sake this early?" asked Chiriko.
"What? 'S what I do! I drink in th' mornings! It calms m' spirit and makes m' ready fer the day," explained Tasuki.
"Your spirit can never be calmed," said Hotohori, "So maybe you just drink to get drunk." Tasuki leaned across the table.
"SHHHH," he hissed, "That's the part that they don' know about!!" Nuriko rolled his eyes.
"You're so educated in the art of whispering," he said, pulling Tasuki back into his seat, "Get your clothes out of the rest of the good food." Hotohori laughed. It was times like these when the palace felt, instead of a confinement, merely a home. Before the times when he had become Emperor.......
When Hotohori was 9 his father died. The four women he had been previously married to had all borne him children. Tensions arose around the palace, and the oldest wife took the throne until one of the sons was eligible to do so. There were fights between the women, and the children as well. Hotohori's older stepbrother was admitted to succeed the throne, but days after his initiation; he was assassinated out in the royal gardens. There was uproar about Konan. A family feud had broken the royal family, and now it was a race to see whose son could succeed the throne to take his father's place. Hotohori's own mother was intent on seeing her son take the throne and rule. It was most likely that she had hired the assassins that killed the other wives offspring. Suddenly, another son was killed. Hotohori lived in fear of his younger stepbrother's mother. What would she do to get her own child into succession? It was a dark, and cold night. Hotohori slept soundly in his chamber. His mother was elsewhere. Silence rang out around the palace. Many of the advisors were still in shock that the two previous men had been slaughtered. These were terrible times for someone to become Emperor. Konan was slowly feeling this to itself, and riots occasionally broke out in the city. There was a creak on the floorboards somewhere near the door to Hotohori's room. His eyes flew open, and a hand grasped the small sword near his bedside. It had been a gift from his mother, to defend himself when trouble was aroused. Now he needed it more than ever. There were muffled whispers from somewhere outside the room.
"----one more death," a woman said, "One more and then my son can take the throne. My family has needed this for so long. Saihitei is the only one who stands in our way---" Hotohori sat up in bed. Saihitei was HIM. Was there an assassin out there at this very moment?? He unsheathed his sword, and crawled out of bed. He would have to fight for his life. Hiding in the shadows, he waited. The door slid open, and a figure clad in black entered. He tiptoed over to the bed, and raised his katana. With a swift move, it was almost to the pillow, when the man realized that there was no one there.
"Huh?" he whispered to himself.
"AAAAIEEE!" yelled Hotohori, tearing from his corner. The figure wasn't ready, and quickly held up his katana in defense.
"So there you are," he said meanacingly, throwing Hotohori off of his sword.
"You're not going to kill me," said Hotohori. He jumped at the assassin, metal striking metal. The assassin winced, and there was the faint smell of blood in the air. How could this boy be so good? A red light glowed around Hotohori, and "hoshi" appeared on his neck.
"Suzaku??" asked the assassin.
"I will not be slain to make room for another success to the throne!!" cried Hotohori, swinging at the assassin. The assassin threw him off, raised his own sword, but was too late as Hotohori's swung across his abdomen, making a heavy gash. The assassin fell to the ground in his own blood, Hotohori breathing heavily. He wiped his blade on a nearby towel. The door flew open, and the younger boy's mother ran in.
"What is this-Saihitei?!" she asked, appalled.
"This is unnecessary," said Hotohori angrily, "I will not be killed to make room for your own son. Flee this place before I tell someone of your mishap here in trying to kill me. GO!" The woman, fearing for her own life, ran from the room. Hotohori threw down his sword, and fell against the wall.
"This......no one should have to fight like this to succeed his father's legacy," he sighed to himself, "I won't be slain for this cause. I will be Emperor, and I will make sure there is someone to succeed my throne before I die. Therefore, helpless lives will not be ended for the cause of ruling a single empire......"