When Zaiten was six years old, he felt the urge to explore the Imperial Palace. Having been monitored his entire life up to this point, he wanted to see and do more things.
With eyes wide in childish wonder, his tiny legs carried him on his first adventure down the halls- much to the stifled amusement of the Imperial Guards.
Down the hall, down a flight of stairs, taking a random left turn at an intersection…
Very quickly, he was lost, though the boy remained happy, knowing that the Imperial Guards and maids would guide him back, even if they were a little scary in their armor and weapons.
Some of them even gave him candy when they thought nobody else was looking.
The plush carpet underneath, hundreds of delicate paintings and statues, and a plethora of different people traversing the hallways made it an exciting experience.
After what seemed like hours, he stopped at a pair of heavy-set doors, intricately decorated with thin silver, depicting a large tree. It was easily thirty times the height of the young boy, and he spent several minutes just gawking at it. Several pairs of armored suits lined the hallway, each one older and more different than the last.
Zaiten, pushing against the doors with all the effort of a kitten, turned his wide eyes to the guardsmen tailing him.
"...you do it, Private."
The other guard, bearing a single golden line on his red sash, sighed. "Yes, sir."
The guard ignored the quiet chuckle of his superior as he moved to open the door. With a creaking groan, the massive wooden doors opened wide, and their contents elicited a gasp of pure wonder from the boy.
Unbeknownst to the boy, his guards would remain outside the library- by ancient decree, no weapons were allowed inside.
Zaiten's eyes widened as he laid eyes upon the expansive room. Easily several stories tall, massive bookshelves towered overhead. Row upon row were thousands of books, all arranged with intricate perfection. He went over to one of the shelves that interested him at first and slowly pulled it out of its spot before dragging it close to the table; once settled underneath the table and he sat on the plush rug he examined the cover.
Zaiten waddled up to the nearest bookcase and grabbed the first book within reach. It was heavy and was barely able to heft it off the shelf
"Myriott's Dictionary and Encyclopedia of the Empire."
To the young Zaiten, the words were illegible. While he had picked up a grasp of letters and basic words, this was completely new to him.
Not discouraged, he flipped the book to a random page. Reading from the top, he traced with his finger.
"L…. o v e?" He tried to sound out, nearly biting his tongue on the new word. Even as smart as he was, a six-year-old simply couldn't comprehend the word- let alone the words after it.
So, he just flipped back to the first page and decided to start from there.
"A." So simple that it made Zaiten blink, confounded at the word.
From there onwards he began to read more and more.
As if no time had passed at all, the sun had set, and the librarian aids were lighting the lamps.
Zaiten was determined to return and read more, but he had to sleep. He bookmarked his page with a leaf he had taken from the courtyard, yawning.
Returning the heavy book was a challenge, but he was soon on his way to his room, guided by the ever-patient guards.
Again, and again, the young child returned to the library; it took him three whole days to finish the dictionary, another three to re-read and understand each word.
A week later, he could read as fast as any other person. Taking breaks only for eating and bathing, Zaiten read and absorbed the information of every book he could get his tiny hands-on.
His forays were not unnoticed by the librarians, who had mixed reactions about the youngest of Prime Minister Honest coming to the library. On one hand, they were purely astonished at the dedication and outright strangely persistent thirst for knowledge.
A few praised him for his mind, beaming with joy that someone of such importance found use in books. They were met with opposition, those who feared the boy for what he could become.
In deference to his father, they chose to ignore him in the end. It wouldn't do to bring any harm to the boy, not with Syura and Honest keeping tabs.
Oblivious to the politics around him, Zaiten continued to read. He loved everything; from fiction to educational, to romance and mystery, from medicine to poisons.
By far, his favorite subject was history. The details of those before him, from the royal family to soldiers to clever merchants, all shaping history.
One day, things shifted. He had discovered a rather dusty tome of ancient wording, sitting atop a low, forgotten shelf.
'The Relics and Legacy of the First Emperor: A Comprehensive analysis of the Imperial Arms, and their consequences'
With his curiosity piqued, Zaiten began to read the preface.
'Under the commission of Ollisar the Great, 68th Emperor and Great Reunifier of the Shattered Empire, blessed be his name, a record of the Imperial Relics, with their abilities and histories shed to light…'
Reading from there, Zaiten found several things of note. Imperial Relics, Teigu, were artifacts of great power, from weapons capable of destroying armies to accomplishing feats of great engineering or medicine.
They were helpful.
They were also rare.
If I found more on this for Big Brother, would he be happy? A weapon to keep him safe.
His research would be difficult, and in the end, defined who this boy would become. He would change history.
He would do it, so Big Brother would be alive, and safe so that he could hug and be with him forever...
Later that same year, gossip spread throughout the Palace, racing from lip to lip as maids, guards, nobles, and servants whispered.
A delegation from the Northern Kingdom would soon be arriving to negotiate a new peace treaty. There would be a parade, festivals, and a massive palace banquet where even commoners could be allowed to attend.
His curiosity once more getting the better of him, Zaiten wanted to know more. The only information on the North was from the books he'd read.
Smiling, he slipped into his room in search of the perfect clothing.
Unbeknownst to him, he was regarded as "Adorable, squeeee!" by the palace maids who looked after him, for his long white hair, petite face and feminine build. So it was that when female clothing was placed in his room, Zaiten had taken an immediate liking to them.
Donning a long-sleeved white shirt with an ankle-length black skirt to match, he checked himself in the mirror. His green eyes blinked back at him, framed by the locks of his hair.
"Hmm, I'm missing something…"
He thought for another minute, before grinning. His long hair was then tied with blue ribbons in a design that once had the maids squealing.
If they liked it, maybe the delegation would as well?
Walking through the luxurious hallways of the palace, he passed the servants, guards, and maids with a skip to his step.
At first, the bystanders ignored him, but soon did double-takes. There was only two white-haired youth in the castle; one was the cruel eldest son of the Prime Minister. The other? Zaiten, who was most definitely a boy.
They gaped at the child who was easily mistaken for a girl, and how his braided hair bounced to his upbeat step.
One could only imagine what the eldest would think upon seeing his younger brother looking like a girl rather than a boy.
The young 'girl' was oblivious, of course, as he skipped happily past them in search of the visiting royalty from the North. It didn't take long; he just followed the crowds…right into the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his young life.
In front of him was a man radiating pure confidence and majesty. A fur-lined cloak and gold embroidered clothes of dark blue style native to the North captivated his eyes. Waist-length hair and a firm expression graced the man before him, and Zaiten couldn't fight down the unfamiliar feeling of…
It was the Crown Prince of the Northern Kingdom, Numa.
Zaiten's heart did funny things.
Without thought, the 'girl' trailed after the Prince of the North with hearts in his eyes. Hardly anyone took notice of the young 'girl' following from afar.
All ignored 'her', except for one.
A pair of wrathful eyes spoke of promised revenge; Syura growled. His adorable brother, little Zaiten, was showing affection for someone not of the capital, someone not even noticing how honored he should be.
Someone that was not Syura.
Zaiten followed the prince that day, being spared no more than a glance.
Not that the young 'girl' cared; he couldn't help but imagine what it would be like, being praised for being cute just as all the maids had told him.
"Notice him, you Royal Mutt!" Syura hissed quietly in his places, close enough to listen and spy into their rather nonexistent conversation. It wasn't even that he wanted to keep Zaiten all to himself. He knew just how wonderful Zaiten could be and was determined to give his brother anything. Whomever he chose, Syura would make sure they cared for him…or else.
To give Numa credit, he was concerned with other things; how to save the alliance between the nations. A conflict was imminent; the Empire had been breaching his lands and poaching the limited supplies and wildlife needed to survive the North.
There had also been rumors of well-armed 'bandits' taking prisoners. It went unspoken, but they were slavers, stealing his people and murdering the rest. The young man literally felt the weight of all his people upon his well-muscled shoulders…
Numa barely gave the white-haired girl who followed him around a glance, only side-eyeing her once before continuing towards the main audience hall. Earlier, he had split off with his parents so he could have alone time.
That, and for some reason, he was barred from the meetings they were in.
Zaiten followed the Prince of the North, and Syura followed in turn.
The times that Numa entered closed-off areas, Zaiten would patiently wait outside.
The first time Zaiten had entered a meeting with his father, Prime Minister Honest, had meant nothing but pain as Honest gave him that look. It was the same look he got when he interacted with the green-haired boy he now recognized as the Emperor.
Still, he happily waited on the floor with a blissful expression, his back to the wall and his hands on both sides of his cheeks. Already, ideas of gifts came to his mind, like having a pendant made from the royal blacksmiths. It would be simple but beautiful, with the northern tribe's insignia on it.
"He...so dreamy~"
The radiant infatuation filled the throne room corridor as the child waited on, seemingly brightening the entire corridor with joy and sugary sweet feelings, filled with fluffy unicorns among other things.
The shadows behind 'her' were unaffected, waves of hate practically smothering it all. Syura, chosen heir of Honest, had found competition- in his eyes- over the affections of his cute little brother...and he wouldn't let that stand.
"That mutt is going to regret trying to steal what's mine…just wait until that fool shows his face again..."
And it was like this that Syura, son of Honest, spent his entire day in a maid closet.
End?
Omake 1 A Lovestruck Stalker
Not sure where to put this. Maybe just add this in as part of the chapter?
Zaiten followed Numa the entire day after as well, during which the Northern Royalty attempted to bring about prosperity through last-ditch negotiations.
He was awake early enough to snatch warm jug of milk from the kitchens. Like the day previously, he wore his genderfluid clothing, and braided his hair into twin pigtails
"He's so wonderful~" He sighed in bliss. "I wish he could pick me up and take me away to his castle…"
A few minutes and an empty mug later, the Prince of the North swung the doors of his room open, much to the delight of Zaiten. His hair was still damp from a bath, adding a most wonderful sheen to it. He was already fully dressed in a blue silken linen-like long-sleeved shirt and grey pants.
Pulling his hair back to settle his ornament across his forehead, he sighed and marched through the halls once more.
Like a loyal puppy, Zaiten followed, empty mug in hand. He needed to return it to the cooks and grab breakfast later...
That could come later, following the Prince was his priority.
In another part of the castle at the same time
With no training for the day, Syura was looking forward to spending his ever limited time with the one person who cared for him. Looking as happy as he ever could be, his anticipation gave way to shock, then anger.
Standing in the doorway of Zaiten's room, one thought ruled his mind.
Where was his little brother?!
Scowling, he stalked to the nearest guard.
"YOU!" He barked, "Where is my brother?!"
The guard gulped, feeling the sheen of sweat across his forehead at the thought of angering the son of the Prime Minister.
"H-he left rather early sir. Already bathed and dressed…erm, strangely, in a long-sleeved sweater, a skirt with tights and shoes. And his hair was braided too, sir. Uhm… I think he was headed for the guest quarters-"
"Ragh!"
Syura growled loudly, turning on his heels to exactly where he knew Zaiten would be.
Now ignored, the guard flinched and returned to his position, extremely nervous; the look on Syura's face was one that spelled danger to those who angered him. Just like Honest.
That meant death in the most gruesome ways possible.
It was bad luck that Syura found his brother- and the meddlesome mutt- as they were vanishing around a corner.
So many thoughts of cruel and unusual torture ran through the mind of the Prime Minister's son. To him, Numa was stealing what was his without even appreciating it! That was unacceptable… but he wasn't allowed to do anything to him with the current circumstances.
His brother was blindly following Numa like a lovestruck fool, and Syura was not pleased. To ensure Zaiten's safety while stalking the Prince of the North…
Zaiten, seeing Numa enter the Royal dining hall, stopped his following/stalking and quickly went off to one of the kitchens to grab his own breakfast.
He swore he could feel like someone was watching him but looking around he saw no one. With a sigh, he returned to his hunt for food, and musings on just how wonderful Numa must be.
Syura, having no problem with being allowed into the dining hall, settled for finding some food himself. He always ate here with his father… but knew Zaiten wasn't allowed such privilege.
Biting back a scowl, he entered the dining room with a blank face. Seeing the Northern Mutt nearly brought up the scowl again. Taking his seat next to his father- who was eating his 'usual' meat- Syura helped himself to bacon, sausages, eggs, cheese, bread, and a glass of juice.
He ate with the ferocity of a growing boy in early puberty, but still kept watch on Numa out of the corner of his eye.
Finished eating, the two royal families left for a more private area to speak about the alliance; Honest followed heartily, them while the young son of the emperor was escorted away by a guard.
This left Numa to do as he pleased, choosing to explore the city for the remainder of the day.
Still stalked by Zaiten, Numa would walk out from the palace and onto the grounds, passing through the buildings and mansions that nobles lived in that surrounded the palace, and outside the the royal walls.
It made Syura's blood boil, but he placed a lid on it for now as he shadowed the two once more…
Soon enough the two reached the gate to the Ninth and centermost Ring of the city; the main gate to the Royal Palace.
It was rather majestic, manned by hundreds of guards, towering over everything with a portcullis, archer towers, and heavy metal gate. The soldierly part of Numa couldn't help but be impressed…and a little worried.
They were professional, though some couldn't help but eye Numa with contempt…and Zaiten with shock.
Memorizing their faces as targets for letting his brother out so easily, Syura stalked past them; punishing them could come after he made sure Little Zaiten was safe. The mutt wouldn't do anything to him, not if Syura could help it.
Syura followed them in the shadows of the alleys, his clothing was too distinctive that his brother would easily notice it was him if he saw him.
The two ended up walking some parts of the city as Numa browsed through various things and Zaiten was just following right behind or beside him. A little afternoon Numa had stopped at a cafe and ordered something to drink and eat, Zaiten following suit as he had a glass of cold milk and potato wedges.
Syura leaned a couple of buildings down, his back to the wall and behind his little brother so he couldn't see him. The mutt would but he probably won't take notice of his presence so much.
The two stayed there for a while, with Numa drinking tea and silently looking at the people passing by, though he would glance curiously a few times at the girl seated opposite him. His eyes passed over them with deference.
After finishing his tea and Zaiten his snack the two stood up and walked off again but this time back to the direction of the palace.
Syura followed, being his brother's hidden guardian angel. (Or devil if you readers know what terrible things he's doomed to commit). Secretly protecting his brother from ruffians or would-be assassins while he was in the shadows was all he could do.
The daily stroll through the city became a regular occurrence when Numa wasn't with his parents. The treaty was bound to take a long time, considering how much was at stake. The two would enjoy the Royal Gardens in particular, lush and vibrant with plants
The library was another stop, though Zaiten paid less attention to it; after months of exploring it, he knew the books like the back of his hand- the section he was allowed into, at least.
The two would sit reading books for hours, not that Numa showed to notice his follower.
On only one occasion did Numa visit the training grounds.
Spear in hand, the Prince of the North took the chance to spar with guards. What started out as a friendly match turned into a frenzied three-on-one. Whirling, lunging, and wielding his spear with cool precision was the most impressive thing Zaiten had ever seen from the prince. Even though Zaiten didn't particularly care for hurting people, the sight of Numa dripping sweat made him weak in the knees.
Numa defeated each opponent, even when outnumbered.
That is so cool!
There were no words between them, but sometimes actions speak louder than words.
At first, Numa let Zaiten follow him on a whim, not bothering to worry about a harmless girl. Soon though, his curiosity won out; Zaiten's beaming smile was unstoppable, for he himself felt a bit better by the day.
Numa was even happier when Syura was gone- of course someone of his caliber could notice the angry teen without a sense of stealth.
It just so happened that the Northern Prince allowed Zaiten just a little closer when the Prime Minister's son was gone, be it training or with his nasty father.
One day, Numa even bothered to give Zaiten a smile. Discreetly, of course, almost as an afterthought.
The negotiations eventually came to an end; the North had finally gotten what they needed from the Empire, at the cost of several trading contracts and reducing tariffs. In return, the Empire was to cease and enforce any border excursions, all in the name of limiting conflict.
Knowing this, Numa finally gave in to the persistence of the rather adorable child following him. It was atop one of the highest tier gardens of the palace; the weather was warm, and the setting sun lit the sky alight. They sat on benches opposite of a large fountain, enjoying the silent spewing of water.
"…you can come over here, you know."
Zaiten nearly jumped backwards into the water in shock. He hasn't addressed me directly before, so why now-?
Hesitantly, he did so, scooting awkwardly up to the Northern Prince. Entranced, he watched as Numa withdrew his hand from a coat pocket, which he opened and held toward the 'girl'.
"Here, take it. You don't need to be so shy."
It was a locket.
The face was engraved with the emblem of the Northern Royal Family. It was of polished silver and a matching chain, but Zaiten's amazement came when the prince flipped it open; staring back from the locket was Numa himself, a slightly mischievous smirk gracing his face.
"Here, it's yours."
With that, the locket was lifted over Zaiten's head. Numa took gentle care to flip the 'girl's' hair out of the way.
Zaiten was speechless. "W-w-w?"
His heart did funny things.
"You've been following after me for some time now. I can…admire that dedication. I suppose that this would be a good reward…" Numa trailed off as he stared into the distance. The garden ledge gave way to a brilliant view of the ancient city, sunlight dancing off the many lakes, rivers and metal spires.
Blushing a bright red, Zaiten spoke and broke the quiet.
"T-thank you… Your Highness…" Before he could stop himself, Zaiten found himself wrapping his arms around Numa's waist in a hug.
Numa's reaction was an amused grunt, and even a headpat, though he didn't hug back.
He had more important things to worry about…and was already engaged back home.
A rumble came from Zaiten's tummy, and he let out a laugh. The first laugh he had, ever since coming to the capitol.
Zaiten's heart did more funny things, even as Numa gave him another head pat.
"Come now," The Prince knelt, "let's go get something to eat. You enjoyed those crepes, no?"
They looked each other in the eye, then broke out into pure, ever so happy laughter.
Though Zaiten knew Numa would soon leave, even though there never was a chance of them being together, at that moment Zaiten was content.
Two members of vastly different worlds, doomed to never meet again, smiled. Thoughts ran through both their minds and for that moment, they were together.
They mutually smiled.
"This…this is enough. I wish this would never end. I wish time would just stay put."
They mutually worried.
"I wish…for everything to be alright."
They mutually thought.
"I won't forget this moment."
And they were together.
~End~
Author's Note: Here we are again, a chapter done so soon.
We hope you enjoyed it.
To those who reviewed, it was your words of encouragement that spurred us to write this chapter so soon. Thank you. Same goes to all you readers- I can see what countries you are from~ Arigatou Gozaimasu, Danke Schon, Spasiba, etc.
For all who are wondering, no, this is not a pairing to be. We are following canon. We all know how this goes.
Numa is doomed to rebel and be crushed by Esdeath. We are, sadly, not changing that.
This is, however, essential for building Zaiten from a Mary Sue to someone that is an actual person. My goal is for you, the readers, to relate to him. (And yes, Zaiten is honestly a trap- he is obviously very genderfluid!)
Are you not entertained?
Extras: Queries between Authors!
"Hey Caboose? How does Honest actually feel/think about Zaiten?"
"Well. To know that, you got to understand his character- difficult, because the author never gave him a backstory. The author just wanted to make the worst person ever to hate.
He was so bad, so horrible, we would overlook the fact that Night Raid is a bunch of brutal, merciless murderers. We don't know where he came from, but we know he's trained himself to survive. He's smart but hides his personality beneath a foolish glutton.
He's also a cannibal, so +10 disgust points. As for how he thinks on Zaiten... He only respects strength, as seen with how he doesn't do anything against Esdeath- that could be both cowardness and respect. Zaiten is, early on, just a weak, frail child that doesn't have his genetics, so he's not his real son.
But Honest always has backups, and he kept him around more because Syura, his chosen heir, wanted it.
That said, this could still go anywhere. Let's not mention how this affected Syura since it's obviously covered already."
Heyo, it's me again; Eritzzz.
I don't really have much to say but I just wanted to give Numa a little bit of love. Considering he only had like 10, maybe 20 seconds of screen time in the anime and maybe 2 or 3 pages in the manga.
This will be all that we see of him directly, for the entirety of the fanfic- maybe a few flashbacks, but no more.
Of course, you can be sure he'll be mentioned when Esdeath arrives. (Caboose: Maybe even actually show the fight? Not that I'm any good at writing those…)
Me neither. Though I think Esdeath just curb stomped them… well, there was the crushing of his spirit? Maybe we can add something there?
(It all depends on what you readers want!)
Anywho… That's all from me~! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter while I'm working on the future ones!
Oh and one last thing. I'll just leave Zaiten's appearance here.
Eye color: Green, speckled with gold after a certain event
Hair Color: White, the same as Syura in the manga (but prettier).
Skin color: Pale skin, barely any tan to it as he almost looks like an albino. He doesn't have Honest's skin…
Hair style/length: Shoulder length hair, slightly wavy.
Height: Currently 4'2; at age 8 will be 5'2; at age 12, 5'4 at age 15.
(Essentially, he later has a face like the story cover image)
Updates will be a little slow as things can get a little hectic for me and my brain gets too tired to think.
This should be all for now. And thanks again for giving this fanfic a read~!