Chapter 1:
Hello all! After complaining that I couldn't find another good fantasy AU to read, I finally shut my mouth and decided to write my own instead. This is mostly just for fun, but I figured I might as well try to publish something just to see what happens.
I can't confirm how long this will be as I've never written a fanfiction before, but I have quite a few things planned out for the story already, so I can probably guess that this will be a bit on the longer side.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy!
Kyoko couldn't believe all of the crowded vendors and vibrant shops that lined the narrow streets of Arcana. She watched in awe as she strolled between brightly colored tents and taverns, pausing every now and then to appreciate the different stands that caught her eye. Countless shops selling incense, herbal remedies, teas and spell books competed for attention, calling out to passing shoppers in desperate attempts to attract potential buyers. Scattered cords of clashing music from various performers could be heard dancing up and around the winding streets, colliding into a cacophony that somehow managed to blend in a pleasing way despite the initial dissonance. With each tent Kyoko passed, the overwhelming scent of potent spices, distant drums and haggling customers added to the constantly moving atmosphere, distracting her from her previous anxieties. In all the years she had spent back home in the southern region, she'd always heard stories of how wildly beautiful the capital city of Aenea was. Now, walking through its decorated streets and watching the people that flew past adorned in bright layers of clothing covered in gems and beads, she realized just how true those stories were.
Stopping to investigate a smaller tent that appeared to be selling a wide selection of wire wrapped stones and jewelry, Kyoko admired the intricate patterns that encased the sparkling goods. She noticed that many of them were wrapped in ways that strongly resembled those of energy circles. Having seen similar carvings in stones back home, she assumed the complicated wrappings were meant to be used in order to help the wielder guide their own magic through the stone without wasting any extra energy. Scanning the table, Kyoko noticed many of the stones were wrapped to strengthen basic spells commonly used in day to day life.
Fascinating, Kyoko thought to herself, picking up a wrapped emerald in order to inspect it further. It's color was a deep rich green that sparkled magnificently in the light, and if she turned it on its side, she could see scattered streaks of pale green that cut through the stone underneath the twisted wire. Kyoko couldn't help but smile to herself at the warm familiarity the color brought to her.
"Hey missy, hands off the merchandise. I don't need anymore sneaky hands thinking they can take another one of my products today."
Kyoko snapped her attention back up from the gem she held in her palm to instead lay her eyes on a stocky man with dark greasy hair that was throwing an accusing glare her way.
Quickly placing the wrapped emerald back on the cluttered table and holding her hands up, she violently shook her head back and forth at the man.
"Oh no sir! I was just admiring the work! I of course wouldn't intend to take anything without purchase!" Her voice came out far squeakier than she meant for it to as she tried her best to defend herself.
Still looking unconvinced and clearly growing more annoyed, the man openly scoffed at her.
"That's what they all say. I've lost too many goods today to take any more chances. Now get lost before I lose my temper with you too."
Mortified at the small crowd that had begun to circulate around the booth and knowing better than to try and stick around, Kyoko muttered one more rushed apology to the man before hurriedly exiting the tent. Feeling slightly scattered and more than a little unnerved, she pushed through the thick crowd in hopes of putting as much distance between herself and the tent as possible, paying little mind to where she was going. It was only when she stumbled into something tall and sturdy did she manage to halt in her retreat.
Kyoko faintly registered an irritated huff above her, trying to catch her breath and rubbing her nose from the impact. It wasn't until a looming figure registered itself into her vision that she finally realized it was a person she had run into at full force, and not a wooden pole. Mortified for the second time in mere minutes, she scrambled over her apologies as her brain struggled to keep up with the speed at which her mouth was rambling.
"I-I'm so sorry sir! I just wasn't paying attention and ran right into you so suddenly! Please forgive me for my rudeness, I-"
Only when the man had fully turned around to face her did Kyoko manage to stop her rushed hysterics.
Green eyes strikingly similar to the emerald that she had been holding only moments before were glaring down at her, quite obviously annoyed. The expression on the man's face wasn't any better, clearly showing no intention of accepting her apology. If it hadn't been for the blonde hair framing the man's face and poking out from underneath the dull looking hood that he wore, Kyoko might've been foolish enough to have mistaken him for someone else. That still didn't stop her from gapping at the man, stunned into silence as he continued to glare down at her.
"If you're just going to stare at me with a stupid looking face, then I suggest you step out of the way so others can pass. You're holding up the walking traffic."
The tone he used to speak with her was even worse than his glare. Bristling at the rude comment, Kyoko huffed up her chest and planted one of her hands onto her hips, pointing the other one up at him with an accusatory finger.
"Well I wasn't the one who was standing in the middle of a crowded street in the first place! If you hadn't been standing there, then I wouldn't have run into you. And who's saying my face looks stupid!?"
The man's only reply was a wide sarcastic smile, and Kyoko could practically feel the hair on the back of her neck stand on end underneath the pressure of it. His silence was almost more insulting than his actual words. Top it off with that horribly condescending expression, and Kyoko could feel her blood getting ready to boil. Who did this man think he was anyway!?
Just as Kyoko was about to snap back with an equally rude comment to match, another man wearing thin rounded glasses and an exasperated expression came rushing up from behind the patronizing blonde, cutting off whatever insult she had been getting ready to throw back.
"There you are! I told you not to drift too far away while I dealt with the tavern owner. And you still somehow managed to end up 2 blocks away!" The man was panting as if he had jogged the whole way, patting down his disheveled hair as he lectured the object of Kyoko's annoyance.
Seemingly unbothered by the glasses man's scolding, he turned around to go back the way from which the second man had just come.
"My apologies Yukihito, I was getting ready to head back when something rather annoying held me up." At his comment the glasses man, who's name Kyoko now knew must be Yukihito, seemed to only just then notice that Kyoko was standing there. Obviously confused, he looked as if he was about to say something when Kyoko cut him off.
"I don't know who the hell you think you are or what makes you so feel so damn entitled, but you have some nerve calling me the annoying one when you were the one that was rude in the first place!" Kyoko did her best to keep herself from shouting, but there was little she could do to help the boiling feeling in her stomach from overflowing. "I even tried to apologize before you acted like such an insufferable ass!" Kyoko could practically feel the steam coming out of her ears, she was so infuriated. First she was accused of trying to steal, and now she had to deal with this crap too? Her good mood from earlier was completely ruined, her whole body practically shaking from the effort it took to control her anger.
At her outburst the blonde man stopped, turning around to face her once again. His green eyes seemed to glow from beneath his hood, all remnants of a fake or sarcastic smile completely gone. The man glared at her so harshly, Kyoko felt as if her breath had suddenly been glued to the insides of her throat.
"I am not the one who has been inexcusably rude in this situation." His words sounded final, but Kyoko would be damned if she let this idiot have the last word. Shoving down the choking feeling that had managed to lodge itself in her chest, she did her best to muster up all the anger that was swimming around in her gut.
"Bastard!" she shouted, making sure to pair the insult with a rather obscene hand gesture to really drive the message home. Kyoko only caught a glimpse of the panicked expression that now covered Yukihito's face before turning sharply on her heel and marching boldly in the opposite direction.
