I'm back!!!! This chapter isn't really long. I hope you guys enjoy it all the same though. This is my first official chapter with a changed title!!! Yay! I'll also probably be updating faster, hopefully, as fast as I can think of what to write.
Also, just a warning to all ya'll out there who read my story, I tend to get writer's block a lot, so…yeah, just a warning.
The Amber Eyed Gladiator: Forbidden Games
By: Sakuratenshi89
Chapter Seven
Auction House, Tokyo, Japan, 85 A.D.
"Get up!" yelled Mr. Tokohashi. "Get your lazy asses up!"
Syaoran groaned, what could this ugly man possibly want now? He opened an eye lazily to see Mr. Tokohashi opening the jail cells. What in the hell was happening?
"You will all stand in the main room in a straight line," he ordered. "The other captives are already there." Then he remembered some didn't speak Japanese, so he grabbed them and pulled them into the front room of the auction house and pointed for them to stand next to the other prisoners.
Syaoran stood up slowly, tired and aching from the not so good night's rest on the hard cot in the cell. He walked into the front room; curious about what was going on when he was pushed in line.
"All bow for the Prince Paulus Julianus the second!" announced Mr. Tokohashi when every slave had entered the room.
The prisoners were forced onto their knees, Syaoran among them.
"You may rise," said a deep voice.
Syaoran stood again with the others and watched through cautious eyes as a man who could rival him in height and stature walk down the line, giving every prisoner a once over.
"This one," said the man, pointing to the captive in front of him.
"Yes, your majesty," said a guard who stood behind the man. The guard grabbed the man and hauled him out the door toward the wagon, which was waiting in the street.
Syaoran eyes narrowed, 'This must be the Prince Paulus. Typical looking prince, blond hair and blue eyes; doesn't seem very bright though.' By now the prince was almost towards him.
Blue eyes met amber.
Paul's gaze bore right through Syaoran as if he could see right through him. Syaoran gazed right back at the prince, unafraid.
"I like this one," announced Paul after several minutes of staring. "I think that Gaius might want him. He seems fit and well enough for the job."
Syaoran was confused, well enough for what job?
"Do you speak Latin?" asked Paul in Japanese.
"Ita vero (yes)," said Syaoran. "I also speak Chinese, which is my native language."
"He'll do," said Paul. "He's also very smart."
The guard took hold of Syaoran and led him out the door.
"You too huh?" asked a Japanese captive as Syaoran was basically thrown into the cart.
"Where are we going?" asked Syaoran.
"From what I heard, Rome."
"Why?"
"We're supposed 'gifts' to Rome from the Emperor or something like that," said the captive, shrugging.
"Why is he giving gifts?"
"Didn't you hear? The princess is betrothed to the prince."
"Oh." Syaoran fell silent.
A dozen more prisoners were thrown into the cart with Syaoran and the men who were already there and soon they were off to the palace to get ready to be sent off to Rome.
On the Docks, Tokyo, Japan, 85 A.D.
"I can't believe my little sister, my imouto is leaving," Touya said quietly. "I come home and she leaves home."
"Don't be sad onii-chan," said Sakura, giving him a small smile. "We'll meet up again soon, I promise. Besides, you can come and visit me any time you want to."
"Who said I'm sad?" scoffed Touya, teasingly.
Sakura glared at him.
"Plus, do you think I can really go half way around the world whenever I feel like it? Sakura, do you know how far away Rome is from Japan? You did pay attention in History class didn't you?"
"Of course I did," scowled Sakura. "I was just saying it to make you feel better, but since you obviously feel better, I'll just be leaving."
Touya smiled and pulled his little sister into a hug.
Sakura hugged him tightly, "I'll miss you."
"Take care of yourself," said Touya gruffly, letting Sakura go.
"Was that too much mushiness for you onii-chan?" teased Sakura. "Too much for your tough image huh?"
"Be quiet," Touya said, but he smiled.
"Bye daddy," said Sakura as she hugged Fujitaka with all her might. "I'll miss you." She let him go and walked backwards to the ship waiting. She tried to smile but it was so hard through all of the tears, which were blurring her eyesight.
"Be careful and take care of yourself!" called Fujitaka as Sakura got onto the boat and the ramp was pulled away.
"I love you!" shouted Sakura. "I'll be back someday!"
"She's gone," said Touya in disbelief. "I don't believe it."
Fujitaka sighed with a heavy heart, "Neither do I son, neither do I."
Aboard the Fune no Sakura, 85 A.D.
"You can come back and visit," said Paul comfortingly to Sakura who was crying. He held her in his arms and rubbed her back soothingly.
"I know, but Rome is so far away from Japan," said Sakura, sniffling. She wiped away her tears with a handkerchief Paul handed her.
"That's true," said Paul. "But they'll be here for the wedding, won't they? Well, I mean, if there is even going to be a wedding. They'll be here though."
"Yeah, I guess," said Sakura, giving Paul a small smile.
"That's better," said Paul. "You're prettier when you smile."
"So you're saying that I'm not pretty when I cry?" asked a horrified Sakura, who was just teasing.
"No! That's not what I meant at all!" panicked Paul.
Sakura laughed, "I'm just teasing."
Paul sighed in relief, "You're such a tease, Sakura. Don't make me panic like that."
Sakura couldn't stop laughing, "The look on your face was so funny Paul, you should've seen it, it was classic."
"I'd rather not," said Paul wryly as he watched Sakura who was on the bed, since she wasn't able to stand up anymore from laughing so hard.
She regained her composure after a few minutes, it seemed like an eternity to Paul.
"This is a beautiful ship," commented Paul, running his hands along the intricate carvings on the bed's headboard.
"I know, I couldn't believe it when Daddy gave us this ship, the Fune no Sakura, it's his favorite, since it was Mom's."
"It's named after you."
"Actually it was named before me. My mother loved cherry blossoms and when father gave her this ship as a present, she named it Sakura."
"Your father is a great man."
"I know. What else did he give us?"
"Um…let's see," said Paul, thinking out loud. "There's some fine china, gold, some slaves, prisoners of war I believe, silk, and plenty of other things."
"Daddy is too generous," laughed Sakura.
"He wants to make sure his baby girl is well off," smiled Paul. "Not that she wouldn't be anyway."
"I guess I did grow up rather spoiled."
"But you turned out just fine."
"Thanks," giggled Sakura. "You did too."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"It is one."
Paul rolled his eyes playfully, "Come on, let's go check out the rest of this room."
They were sitting in the master suite of the ship. It contained a bedroom, of course, with a large, king size bed, filled with swan feathers, with silk sheets. Then there was the baths in a connecting room and a walk in wardrobe. There was also a dining room and a sitting room.
"I love this ship," said Sakura, sighing happily. "It holds many happy memories from my childhood."
"Well then, I'm glad your Father gave us this ship."
Sakura smiled. "Me too."
The ship glided smoothly along the ocean waters, sailing from the land of the rising sun, for Rome, the most powerful empire in the world. As the ship sailed, Japan grew smaller until it was just a tiny dot on the horizon. Their journey had just begun.
In in the Dungeons, Aboard the Fune no Sakura, 85 A.D.
'At least the conditions of this ship are better than the other one,' thought Syaoran as he stared around the cell distastefully. 'But it's still not the best. I wonder if they even clean down here…probably not…well, maybe once every few years. Better get used to it Syaoran, you're going to be in here for at least a year.'
He glanced around at the other prisoners and grimaced when one of the prisoners turned green and ran to a bucket placed in the back of the cell just for those special purposes.
"Pleasant isn't it?" muttered the prisoner to whom Syaoran had spoken to before.
Syaoran remained silent.
"I'm Kanto Hirashi," said the prisoner. "And you are…"
"Syaoran Li," said Syaoran quietly. "But everyone calls me Li."
"Well, Li, why are you a prisoner?" asked Kanto, who was awfully cheerful and talkative for someone who was being taken away from his homeland.
"I'm a prisoner of war from China."
"Oh I see, I was born poor and so I was given away to be sold into slavery," said Kanto. "Life was hard on my family, my parents ran into debt and so they weren't able to raise my sister and I so we had to be given away, luckily someone adopted my six year old sister, and I don't know where she is now, but I think she's happy. No one wanted me because I was always the troublemaker and I wasn't terribly smart or anything. So I was taken away to the orphanage when I was ten and then a year ago I came to the auction house."
"Are you always this talkative?" asked an irritated Syaoran.
Kanto smiled, "Yeah, afraid so. And you're going to be stuck with me for the next year or so."
Syaoran groaned.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it."
"I'm sure I will," Syaoran glared at him, but to his surprise, it sort of bounced right off of Kanto because he just kept on smiling.
"I'm immune to glares," explained Kanto. "I get them all the time, and so I learned to ignore them."
"Whatever," sulked Syaoran, who was rather disappointed his death glare didn't work on him. 'Why not make the best of it then?'
"So who 'owns' us now?"
"Oh, the Roman Prince, the future Emperor of Rome," answered Kanto. "His name I believe is Paulus Julianus the second. He's a good person from what I heard, and he's going to be a good emperor."
"Why are we under him though?'
"We're the 'wedding gift' from the Emperor Fujitaka to Paulus and his daughter, Sakura. I suppose you've heard of her. I mean, who hasn't? That girl is more famous than the legendary Helen of Troy (A/N: let's just say Helen of Troy was before this time). She is really beautiful. I've only seen her once and that was three years ago, but I can still remember it like yesterday."
Syaoran wasn't very surprised. After all, he had seen Sakura once, and she had left a rather big impression on him. It actually made him long for his own sisters. Syaoran scowled, he shouldn't be thinking of his own sisters, they were a nuisance, he should be glad to have gotten away from them, "I suppose that Captain Kinomoto is her older brother?"
"Yeah, a mean one he is. He's very overprotective of Sakura, I would be too, but he could loosen up a little. Walk within twenty feet of his sister and you're in prison. Of course, his father, the Emperor, finds this absolutely ridiculous and sets every single one of the prisoners free. Many men still do it though, you know, walk up to the Princess and hand her a gift, a flower or a token of some sort, just to get to touch her or stare at her. Then her brother finds out, but many say that it's worth it. I for one have never actually tried it myself, but I wish I had. Not that I stand a chance against a prince or someone of aristocratic origin."
He was actually getting a lot of information out of his guy. 'He's very talkative, but he's also very informative.'
"So, you've never seen the Princess Sakura before?" asked Kanto after stopping his long rant.
"No, I've seen her brother though," said Syaoran, 'And I've met him and actually befriended him,' though he didn't add the latter.
"You've never seen beautiful until you've seen her," Kanto said dreamily, then he cleared his throat, "But of course, we're all our of her league, she would never marry a commoner."
"Mm hmm," said Syaoran absentmindedly.
"So I'm dying to know your past."
"There's nothing important about my life, just another soldier captured by the Japanese army and well, here I am," Syaoran lied straight through his teeth. He seemed pretty convincing though.
"You're lying," said Kanto after several minutes of silence. His dark brown eyes stared into Syaoran's own amber ones.
Syaoran began to sweat, 'Oh boy, this guy is more intelligent than I thought.'
"But I won't push you," said Kanto smiling. "You'll tell me when you're ready."
'Which will be never,' thought Syaoran. "So, what do you think will happen to us when we arrive at Rome?"
Kanto shrugged, "A number of things could happen. For instance, we could be sold into slavery; we could become palace servants, messengers, tutors, and others. An educated prisoner like you, since you know so many different languages would be more valuable than someone like me. I honestly don't know, and that's the truth. Maybe we'll even end up together at the same job."
'Highly unlikely,' Syaoran gave Kanto a tiny (and when I say tiny, really tiny) smile, "Yeah, maybe."
And so the always-cheerful Kanto went on talking, while Syaoran half listened and half dozed off. In the end, Syaoran decided that this fellow wasn't that bad after all, and for once, he felt that he had a friend in this guy, which made him smile (not grin, a small smile).
A/N: Yay! Syaoran has a friend, well another one!!! I guess I made Kanto kind of like Yamazaki. Yamazaki will actually come later on though, you'll see, cause he's part of the Japanese army, not the Chinese one, so I couldn't have really made him a captive. Well actually I could've, he could have been captured by the Chinese army, anyhow, he'll be coming later in the story, if I decide to put him in. I might not. Just wanted to let you guys know.