Trying to be faster with these. For those who might think something, there is no Yuuri x Takao, just a friendship.
Disclaimer: Nothing
-Chapter 4- Thief-
Just north of Russia, the small town of Novgorod welcomed them into their inn for the night. Only five hundred and thirty kilometers more to go and they would arrive in the capital. It seemed so far away from them each long eve but no matter, it took patience.
A cold dinner was offered to them from the maiden in the kitchen beneath their rooms. They accepted, feasting on their plates ravenously. When all was gone, the bath in the adjoining piece seemed to call their names to its warmth. There had been no rejection, Yuuri claiming it first for a good hour. Rei ushered him out before it got late and as all fell silent, he relished in the steamy heat.
His long hair became unbound with a single pull from the wrap and the cascade of black spilled and splashed around like water. Dropping at his ankles, the Chinese washed and combed through the knots of his mane tediously.
The tub drained stray locks fallen out as he stepped out. The time had yet to drop into the late hours when they had finished bathing. Yuuri grew curious to the extreme lengths of his comrade's hair as the male bound it with ease, fixing the red clasp on securely before he settled onto his bed.
''Why do you have such long feminine hair?''
The summoned question rose to pass the time since a yawn had not escaped his lips. Their fatigue had not caught up to them at that moment. In its wait, they began talking idly, to begin with.
''It is an honor amongst my kin for the respected men to weave these limitless strands. The lengths represent our nobility.''
''Your fathers hair was not as long as yours though when…we last spoke.''
A shaded glint of remorse passed through the ocher eyes that blinked it away in an instance and nodded to the remark.
''It had been cut in battle. When thus happens, it means that our God does not deem you fit for your position. My Father was proving himself worthy again by freeing our people since his ebony hair refused to grow.''
''Do not take this personally but that does not sound right nor just.''
''I know… It does not, people simply accept it because it brings back our ancient customs, the soul of the Elders beliefs.''
''And- we are the last of our kind. These greater people are watching us die off.'' The look of disbelief burrowing into those red eyebrows made him understand how he felt towards this twisted reality he faced.
''You wear your hair for your father don't you?''
Yuuri watched the smile of pride appear on the dusty lips across from him and the hand that fiddled with the tip of his binding.
''I do.'' The canine teeth emerged as the honey orbs twinkled in his satisfaction from the current position he was living. The boastful air of his father did not pass him, as he inherited a bit of smug through his lineage. That despicable creature inhabiting the malice throne would fear their name whilst all the townsmen remember it.
A yawn crept up on Rei but he posed in query nonetheless, suppressing the deliverance of oxygen to his brain; sleep could wait a bit longer.
''My Father often referred to you as a thief.'' Rei began, avoiding any means of sounding hurtful. ''But he never said why.''
Yuuri shrugged away the comment, letting out a yawn into the quiet air as his hand grabbed for the covers he sat atop.
''That story can wait until the morn.''
The sun lightened the sky in an orange glow and faint shine as the travelers gathered up their equipment, ate a meal with the owners making the fresh morn breakfast. Their horses were ready to gallop and as fast as they mounted, they sped away into the next batch of heavily covered jade.
The crisp breath woke them up within a good hour of constant trot and invigorated by a decent rest, Yuuri stood true to his word and briefed his tale from the dark past written in the blackest of inks by his own quill.
''St-Petersburg greeted me with poverty and communistic bastards shoving orphans into slave labor. I did not respect authority and found myself on the streets at such a youthful age. Our Emperor still left a bitter taste in my mouth from his actions it felt like a slap across my face in disgust. I then began stealing in pointless vengeance.''
He stopped for a second, grinning wickedly at a thought that came to mind. ''This coat, I stole it from some shop. This real minx fur in a gorgeous rich ivory is only sold to the high buyers.''
The lustrous jacket did not look like something a peasant would own, nothing that his working bony fingers could ever afford. It did not even look warn, a slither of shimmering present under the sun's rays and moon's glow.
''They thought of me as an aristocrat then and being so, I was never considered a culprit in the long chain of stealing that occurred through my adolescence. Life became better for me even if the false life I lead revolted me. I dropped my fake act, robbed from them, those snobs, and made a name for myself, Yuuri spelt at every crime scene.''
''Then as you were almost caught my Father saved you from their clutches.''
Yuuri nodded the truth as they lightened up their steady velocity to a walk to rest the powerful legs of the mares.
''Before then, I met Takao. For months, he told me he set out to find me, as he was impressed. The night I slipped, he found out who I was, showing great skills but bringing him along as I worked permitted the armed men to catch us. I remember only being tugged away, out of harms way as they arrested my stalker and he proclaimed to be me.''
''Why did he do it?'' Rei looked over, a slender brow arching in his countenance.
''The fame, I presume. It ended him on trial though and I gave him my last name to use. He won, milking the jury with a speech about equality and because a coincidence arose that, their names shared a resemblance he was discriminated offensively. The soft panel of adjudicators believed him and he became free from my ties and his own.''
''Does not it seem odd to you that the Emperor would insist on convicting a petty thief in their supreme courts?''
A looming stillness overcame the atmosphere and for a long, stretched period that left the sounds from the wind howling poignantly.
''That old man tried to make him confess to the murders of three of his advisory board in private meetings. Knowing nothing of such events, covered up by his Majesty himself, he denied with the utmost confidence the wild charges.''
It did not take any time at all for the registry to formulate in Rei's thoughts, rapidly racing as his face gawked in shock at them. Nothing was sure or confirmed until the speaker let unfurl more of the morose part of his precedent.
''I murdered each man by dressing as a female, seducing the old withering men before drugging them and walking off without anyone being any the wiser. For the first, I sent a message that was not released to prying eyes that for the life of my caretaker and supposed mother I removed one he held dear. It read Yu and so on, so forth till the last envelope sent said for my father with my last name that, I, his cunning thief would mount his head on my mantel as a final victim in equality.''
The conclusion, spat with acidic tart, seethed through a vile hate, shed new light on the companion his parent trusted that did not seem fit to have that bestowed upon him. He became God, stole the power and right of life and death in his own hands. Yet, did it not seem fair that he take such course when his Emperor did it to him, so personally.
His Father made the right choice, he assumed. In such a task, only people willing to do so would achieve the goal. It was frightening and Rei knew that when next would enlist help that same feeling would make a shiver run up along his spine.
''This Lord is not as foolish to reveal publicly what you were doing. He would deal with it in secretive manners but you foiled his plot, as you risked this man's life to the guillotine?'' The Chinese sneered at his forms of alliances and trusts, holding them dearly, like his mentor.
''You make it sound so cruel. I was forced into a position and gambled what I had. There's the meaning of life. That boy is all I have left and I just walked away from him probably now, forever.'' Yuuri defended coldly even if he emitted devotion and emotion to his other.
His Japanese friend would always be in danger, on the black list of the country's ruler but fate played that way, either of the odd partnership of one name was to blame. Each committing errors and covering for the other, things Rei would not ever fully comprehend but accept and not judge.
''You have a nice way of showing your loyalty.'' Still, he did accuse and scoff subtlety, more insulting than mockingly.
''Maybe…'' He began in a light, passive tone. ''But that is who I am. Believe what you like, it matters me none.'' The icy glare, chillier than even the ice, froze the Asian in his tracks as the Russian sped up and off a bit ahead.
Those sour terms they left on remained present through the whole day and did not falter until the eve consumed the sky in an obscure dusk.
''Yuuri, I am sorry.''
As they settled in for another night, in the luxuries of a room of enough quality and not under the frost bitten stars, Rei knew that what he said was indeed in order. He hastily jumped to conclusions about a term that was respected amongst his own and not as much by his ally.
His fidelity to the promise made long ago was enough for him to put their differences aside and apologize for the blemish he left on their conversation.
''I do accept, on one term. We put this behind us.''
''Agreed.''
When the clock from tiny village of Kholm rang for its tenth time, all fell silent in their room.
The morning dawned and they were up and gone a small while after eating. The weather held up and remained favorable, announcing another day without any delay.
''The next few nights we will have to camp out until we land upon a township. It will most likely be this way until Tver.'' Rei informed him to start their day, patting a hand against the blankets rolled up on his saddle.
The humor was frowned upon by the discouraged look etched onto the redhead's face. He sighed, looking over his shoulder at the little urban patch, the last for miles ahead.
Hands gripped on the reins and they gradually slowed down to a slow walk as Rei's dug a mangled parchment out of the bag draped over the horse's back. He handed it over, watching the reaction from the eyes roaming over it.
On it, printed out the letters of a wanted form the regulators posted everywhere in clear view. The name across it read out for in the city of Tver, Falcons. The King himself was even offering a reward, a hefty sum of rubles for any peasant with knowledge. Dates indicated this criminal had been on the large for years without a single word about his description.
''There is someone else…''
''Our last stop is for him.''
-EndE-
More facts to be ignored mostly. Russia did not become an empire until 1721 and the time setting for this is before then. I have decided somewhere around the 1650's. St-Petersburg was not acquired until 1703 either.
They are indeed Christian's of the Russian orthodox.
I did my history work for this one.