Title: Reign of the Heart
Content: shonen ai/yaoi, AU
Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine, I simply play with them like the little puppets they are.
~Chapter One~
Sanzo shot a dangerous look at Hakkai, who nervously backed away from his very annoyed friend.
"Hakkai," Sanzo began in a low tone of voice, all too much sounding like the calm before the storm to Hakkai. The green-eyed man reached the door.
"Well, I really must be going now. I'll let you get acquainted. Goodnight, Lord Sanzo!" Hakkai chirped before ducking all too quickly out of the bed chamber, leaving the prince alone with his new 'present'. Now that was a thought that tasted bitter in Sanzo's mind. What made anyone think he enjoyed receiving a human life as a token of appreciation, anyway?
Calmly, Sanzo made his way over to the boy, standing over him as he eyed him critically. The youth stared in shocked paralysis, as if fearing what would come next. Sanzo sighed in exasperation, and turned away from the boy, who's expression changed to one of complete confusion.
"Idiot." The blonde prince stated bitterly. The boy blinked a few times, wondering if the comment had been directed at him. "I don't do well with visitors." Sanzo continued, walking over to the other side of his bedroom, staring out the large window overlooking the courtyard. Goku watched him, golden eyes wary of his movement. "Well, do you talk?" Sanzo asked suddenly, giving Goku an empty look. Goku hesitated, trying to find the right words to answer without making a fool of himself, or giving himself away.
"Yes," he replied in a quiet voice. Sanzo nodded to himself, and continued staring out the window.
"You're tension is rather malignant. What is it you're afraid of?" Sanzo inquired bluntly. Goku seemed unprepared for this, and opened his mouth to answer, when Sanzo cut him off. "You know what you are, I take it?" Goku nodded numbly.
"I…I'll do whatever you want me to, but," Sanzo was now giving Goku his full attention. The youth clutched at his stomach. "I'm really hungry! I can't do anything without having something to eat first!" Goku exclaimed. Sanzo's eyes widened slightly, and Goku stared at him hopefully. Sanzo finally turned his head to the side, somewhat in disgust.
"I am not going to be using you as my sex slave, if that is what you are thinking." Goku looked immensely relieved, yet unbelieving at the same time.
"You're…not…?" Goku continued staring incredulously at the young prince, as Sanzo disappeared behind a changing screen to remove his clothes. The blonde's lithe and slender outline could be seen from behind the screen as he carefully removed his tunic and pants. Goku felt his face flush slightly, though he didn't know why, since he'd seen so many others undress right before his eyes, without a changing screen. But somehow, Sanzo carried more of an appeal to Goku, something that none of the others had. The blonde stepped out from behind the screen in his under clothing, a white linen shirt and plain pants.
"I suppose I'll have to keep you. At least you won't have to do whatever your former owners had you doing." Sanzo stated, distaste tingeing his words. Goku sat there, slack-jawed for quite awhile, and then a slow, bright smile crawled across his face. Sanzo frowned. "It's good to know you're happy about this. I've tried not to keep a menagerie of servants about my palace." The prince paused in thought. "By the way, I'm Genjo Sanzo, and you may refer to me as Lord Sanzo." Goku nodded vigorously, brown tufts of hair spilling into his eyes. Sanzo folded his arms over his chest, eyes focusing on his bed. "Now, about my bed…"
"Oh!" Goku jumped down from the bed, not taking into consideration where he would land, and falling right onto his rear before Sanzo, who stared down upon him with a look of disgust. But a good kind of disgust. Goku scrunched his face up as he rubbed at his soar bottom, and then looking up at Sanzo sheepishly.
"You are completely incompetent." Sanzo stated dryly, moving past the boy to get into his bed.
"Hey!" Goku exclaimed in annoyance. "What about my food?!" Sanzo sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair.
"You're not the typical slave now, are you?" he asked with some contempt. Goku smirked mischievously.
"How do you think I survived?" he asked, cocking his head to the side. Sanzo fought back a rueful smirk of his own. Living with Goku would prove to be indeed very interesting.
The next morning found Goku curled up in a pile of blankets and bed sheets on the floor of Sanzo's room, the stretch of sun from the window falling directly over his form. The boy squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to block out the annoying bright light, but to no avail, and wearily opened his eyes. They quickly snapped shut again after the pupils came in contact with the immense sunlight. Slowly, he tried opening his eyes again, allowing them to adjust to the light.
Nervously, Goku glanced around him, hoping to spot Sanzo. The blonde prince was nowhere to be seen, which somehow left Goku feeling slightly uneasy. Not that he hadn't woken up alone in strange bedrooms before, but it had been quite awhile since he wasn't in the bed when he woke up. Somehow, that was the most pleasant realization to the boy.
"S-…Lord Sanzo?" Goku asked tentatively, unraveling himself from the bed sheets on the floor. A pleasing smell caught the boy's attention, and his eyes drifted to the plate of food that had been left out for him. Excitedly, he rubbed his hands together and practically dove into the plate. After devouring its contents completely, Goku looked around the room, curiosity heightening. The golden-eyed boy began to examine the room more closely, taking in everything that was there.
The chamber wasn't all too different from the many he'd stayed in before. The bed was large, plenty of room for two people, and from the looks of things, most of that room as a waste. Its frame was dark oak, something that appeared to have an aged look to it, as most of the things in the room, and the room itself did. There was one large window on the outer wall, which overlooked a nice, if not overgrown, courtyard. Goku had wandered over to this window, and looked out it in a half-trance. A knock on the door startled him out of this with a jump. The door swung open, revealing the man from the night before, with the strange half glasses and pretty green eyes.
"Good morning, Goku. Or, should I say good afternoon? You slept in pretty late, and Sanzo told me I shouldn't disturb you," Hakkai greeted cheerfully. Goku smiled, beginning to feel himself like the man. Hakkai seemed to be the complete opposite of Sanzo, and Goku found himself liking the idea of living with them. Both were very different from the owners he was used to. Hakkai walked over to stand beside Goku, a sort of worried expression falling over him. Goku eyed the man curiously, not used to receiving such expressions of concern directed at him from his owners. Hakkai smiled, pulling himself out of his somber mood. "Well, why don't I give you a tour of your new home, hm?" Goku beamed brightly.
"Yeah!"
"Lord Kougaiji?" The deep voice filtered through the young man's thick ward of thought, bringing him back to full-consciousness. His exotic red-violet eyes lifted to the man who'd addressed him with some weariness. "Lord Kougaiji, might I have a word with you?" the man repeated, with less urgency than the first time. The young red-head, Kougaiji, met the elder man's gaze coolly, and nodded.
"Doku," the prince began, with somewhat of a smirk enlightening his attractive features. "Do you not know me intimately enough to lose the titles?" The prince chuckled at his servant's slight flush, and leaned forward. "So, what is it that you wanted to tell me?" Doku straightened in a business-like manner.
"Lord…Kou, I've just been informed of your stepmother's departure. She should be arriving in a matter of days." Doku informed the red haired prince. Kougaiji frowned. There had never been a time when the mention of his stepmother didn't turn his stomach. To put it lightly, he hated the woman, what with her greedy ways. All she'd ever wanted was to get the throne, and those plans had been thwarted when it had been passed on to the rightful heir; Kougaiji. Ever since then, she'd been out to subtly try to win the throne back, but to no avail. Fortunately for Kougaiji, he'd been born with brains, and was aspiring in magery; things that helped him rid himself of her attempts to claim the throne.
The kingdom of the west had always belonged to the demons. The demon race was basically a slight parallel to the humans, only birthed with greater strength and mage gift. That, and the physical appearances. Demons tended to have pointed ears, long finger-nails, and sometimes more rugged facial features. Though many times this wasn't the case.
Between the humans and demons there existed a great divide. This had also been something that had always been. And this was the main reason why the kingdoms of the west and the east were constantly at war. And as the ruler of the west, Kougaiji had to face this problem, along with his conniving stepmother, constantly.
"Kou?" Doku's voice brought the young prince back into reality once again. Kougaiji smiled wearily at his companion, letting his head drop into his hand.
"I'm sorry, Doku, I just think that I'm beginning to feel the strains of monarchy." He stated this, giving Doku another weak smile. Doku placed his hands, gently but firmly, upon Kou's shoulders, beginning to rub them in smooth, relaxing motions.
"If I may suggest, your highness, I would gladly offer myself to provide an outlet for your stress…" the dark haired demon offered in a low smooth voice. The temptation built within the young prince, and he felt himself giving in.
"All right. You know best. But remember, I have to make sure I'm presentable by the time that old hag arrives," Kougaiji allowed himself to be swept off to his bed chamber.
The outskirts of the kingdom were a wreck of filth and disposal. The fact that rain fell down in bucketfuls didn't help either. It only added to the damp rank of the streets. Making it the most unpleasant place to be at any time.
Unfortunately, the young man, or more accurately, half-man, didn't have much of a choice but to travel these streets. It was either that, or be ridiculed to no end. Well, given that the latter choice involved many objects thrown in his direction, angry crowds, and sometimes even whips, he'd opted for the dark rainy streets. The young half-breed groaned in frustration, his soaking wet red hair falling into his line of vision once again.
"I swear, I should just cut the damn stuff off. It is the cause of all my problems, anyway," His voice softened as he reached the end of his sentence, becoming slightly more sober and thoughtful. He let his fingers slip listlessly through the strand of crimson hair he held in his hand. He raised his head, watching the rain swirl down from the sky around him. He sighed, and made a move to turn around, bumping right into a man standing behind him. He scowled. "Oh, damn it! Sorry there," he looked up into the rough looking face of a man undoubtedly thug, and smiled weakly. The man smiled, more of a twisted evil scowl, that took on no similar features to a smile whatsoever.
"Hm. Half-breed, you should watch where you're going," the man sneered in perverse amusement. The young redhead glared angrily.
"And I apologized, didn't I, you over proportioned freak!" he retorted hotly. The man's expression faded into one of hot rage.
"No half-breed gets away with calling me that!" he growled dangerously. Two more men appeared behind him, creating an intimidating wall before the half-breed. The man in front unexpectedly shoved the red-head into the nearest wall, knocking the breath out of his lungs. The half-breed gasped for air, feeling the man's hands grip his shirt, pulling him into a standing position against the wall. "Huh. Not as tough as you talk." He pressed the red-head harder up against the rough stone of the wall. His breath was hot against the half-breed's neck. "Not too bad looking, either. Wouldn't mind giving you a ride," As he said this, his hand began to wander along the half-breed's body, and his previous slam into the wall leaving him helpless to fend the man off.
The cold pressure of metal fell upon the thug's neck. The man's hold on the half-breed loosened. Crimson eyes fell upon the person who wielded his saving blade. His eyes met with burning emerald eyes, filled with disgust and anger, yet the rest of his features composed.
"I'd rethink that if I was you," a calm voice spoke. The thug stiffened as the blade bit into his skin, drawing a drop of blood, which trickled down his neck. "Release him, or I'll have you thrown into the dungeon, by order of your lord." The man swallowed, releasing his grip on the half-breed completely. The green-eyed man pulled his sword away. His eyes were cold and merciless against the criminal. "Now get out of my sight. If I ever see you again, I'll make sure your blood is etched across this street-permanently." On that note, the three thugs quickly turned tail and left. The green-eyed man watched them go with a cold unforgiving expression, and then turned to face the half-breed with a much more cheerful one. "That was a close one! Looks like I got here just in time!" He smiled cheerfully at the half-demon, who simply stared at him in numb confusion.
"You…you saved me. Do you…know what I am?" he asked softly. The dark haired man's face softened.
"Yes, I know. You are both demon and human. But that gives those…men…no right to do what they did, or were going to do." He smiled politely, offering a hand to the red-eyed half-demon. "So. My name is Hakkai. What's yours?" The red-head accepted Hakkai's hand, a small smile coming to his face for the first time since he could remember.
"Gojyo. Sha Gojyo. Thank you for saving me."
Author's Note: Aww…Hakkai saved Gojyo…*coughs* ANYway, I kinda tried to set the basis in this chapter, hence why I sorta trailing off in some parts. Of course, this chapter by no means explains everything, but it's a start. ^ ^ I hope to continue soon. Lucky for everyone I'm on another writing streak, but those of you who know me know how fast *those* end. I blame it on my muse.
Pinku: Hey! Its no one's fault but yours!
Lorelei: Think what you will. Until next time, my beloved readers!Hi
