"I see you in everyone, I see your smile, the crinkle of your eyes, and the kindness of your voice." - Shirin Samar

Chapter Two: Halva

The haze of smoke and the flickering light of the oil lamps set a sensual atmosphere in the bar, the glittering cages above drawing eyes to the smokey figures of women that were seen in flashes through the smoke. The slow swaying of hips of pale or tan skin that appeared drawing the eye of older males in the room. Being as young as he was, barely twelve winter it wasn't any of the scantily clad women that caught his attention. It was the haunting strings of a rebab, so expertly played it drowned out the annoying throat singers he had first made a face at upon entrance. His eyes trailed along the cages searching before landing on the player, with the smoke in the way he could barely see her. The flash of a lantern appeared showing off her tanned skin, the golden glitter of chains, and set of dark eyes set with long lashes of a light color. Leaning back into the couch, letting the hazy smoke fill his nose as he watched her slender fingers pluck strings, the bow gliding along seamlessly.

"Aww… Does little Kouen see a girl he likes?" Drawled a curious voice close to his ear and he jerked a bit, his deadpan expression causing his cousin Hakuyuu's lips to twitch.

"Her music," He sighed at the expectant look in the blue haired teen's face, "its nice."

"She's a bit young for such a place," Hakuren chirped out from Kouen's other side, "About your age Kouen."

"You're barely past a winter older," Kouen gritted out in protest turning to glance at them, a protest coming to his lips as Hakuyuu moved towards the bar, "Yuu!"

"Calm, cousin." Hakuren placated the blushing preteen, clapping a hand to the redhead's shoulder, "He's most likely going to see if she can be lowered for our table to enjoy. Helios has a no touching policy on the girls in the cages anyways."

Both of their eyes watching as Hakuyuu glided towards the bar, talking with the dark hair of the owner watching as his amber eyes shifted up towards the girl in question before he held up five fingers to Hakuyuu. They watched them talk before Hakuyuu forked over five pieces of gold and wandered back over to them. Hakuyuu's hand ruffling Kouen's hair as he took a seat at the table.

"He's got expensive tastes," Hakuyuu pouted at the redhead who was sulking, "She's a favorite apparently, Helios's Song Bird. I'm told if you ask, she'll sing for you."

Kouen opened his mouth to deny he even wanted the girl to be brought down, it died at the sudden jolt of off key music. His eyes snapped upwards to see the girl looking pinched faced, her rebab cutting into her fingers as the cage jolted her forward into the bars. He bit his lip, watching her sway back from the bars glancing at her hands. As it was lowered carefully to rest just above the table. She was still rubbing her finger tips, the rebab sat beside her discarded. His eyes tracked her face, taking in every inch of her form it could now see since she wasn't obscured with the smoke. Hakuren whistled slightly causing her head to snap up and he was lost the moment those eyes caught the candle light, the vibrant color stunning him tongue tied.

While in the haze her hair had a peach color with the lighting it was now obvious it was a sooty color that fell in healthy waves down to her waist. Her fringe was braided with golden ribbon, tied with a bow just above her left ear. She wore a sleeveless tunic of a dark red, a golden choker piece keeping it up. Her legs were in a pair of black slitted salwar trousers with gold at her ankles. Between her arms, legs, and neck were golden slim chains with a coal colored ball sitting to her right. It was obvious she was of Heliohapt lineage with her skin and the hair color being so light, but it was accentuated by the chains something her master had probably added to her image. The sooty lashes framed a pair of eyes so beautiful he couldn't name the purple shades highlighted by the flames.

"Sing for me?" He almost squeaked out, his face draining slightly of color at the tone of his voice. He felt the seat he shared with his cousins shake with their suppressed laughter, only causing his ears to burn hotter. He watched her eyes track over them before landing on him, he was waiting with baited breath just to hear her voice.

"Do you have any requests?" She asked, her voice was a sweet lilting thing that coiled around him as much as the smoke had. He barely remembered to breathe after as he tried to think of something, anything for her to sing.

"Without Me." He blurted before he could stop himself, it was the only song that could come to mind and the startled laughter of his cousins let him know that he was in for so much teasing later in the evening and in life.

"Ah.." She reached for rebab and he sat up straighter as did his cousins as they waited for the music to start.

Two years sat in this place, Yaqut I hope your days have been brighter than mine.

Her mind was in the past even as her fingers played the rebab on auto-pilot as accompaniment to the throat singing of one of the other girls, Nijah or something similar. After so many years, the throat singing had gotten annoying and old, even if at first she had been entranced by the sound. She puffed a sigh out of her mouth, bored despite herself and wasn't prepared for her cage to jolt.

She grit her teeth as her strings pinched her fingers pinning herself against the bars, face scrunching up in pain as the bow stuck into the left side of her gut. She grunted as the cage swayed letting her fall back on her rear, discarding the offending instrument to her side. She rubbed her fingers checking for cuts just in case, her gaze remaining on them even as she was lowered towards a table. As the cage settled she shook her hands out a bit before a whistle of appreciation and slight surprise came from in front of her. Eyes snapping up to pin the offender with her eyes, she took in the table she was presented for. Two dark haired males with two floor girls lounging around them and a starring redhead between them. Her lips trembled slightly at the sight, cutting back on the call of 'Ya!' that wanted to break free. This wasn't her attendant, his hair was a darker red almost mauve in coloring similar to his eyes. Thought she could see a film of gold over the red flickering brighter in the candle light.

"Sing for me?" The redhead squeaked out and she blinked at him, seeing the other two begin laughing softly into the shoulders of one of the floor girls that seemed just as amused with sunny smiles on their faces. She could see that his ears were heating up even shadowed by his hair as they were.

"Do you have any requests?" She asked to save him some more embarrassment, seeing his eyes start to crinkle close. She watched the way his face became dazed by her voice and she tilted her head in curiosity. It was almost funny to see the storm brewing in those eyes as he tried to find something, any kind of song it seemed.

"Without Me." He blurted out and the sharp barks of laughter from his companions let her know that it wasn't a song that he'd usually request to be played, not a usual request for her to even sing either. She felt herself soften at the mortified face he seemed to be making, like he was debating whether to hide under the table or not. She decided to move along with this, she didn't really care to see the boy embarrassed too badly.

"Ah…" She accepted that she wasn't any better with the boy's request and reached for her rebab, setting it in her lap as she tuned the strings a bit so they'd reach a deeper pitch than usual. Rolling her shoulder listening to the clink of her chains she took a breath as she began to play the song on her rebab, fingers delicately plucking strings as her bow slid across.

"Found you when your heart was broke," Her voice was flowing past her lips, matching her rebab in the octave of her voice, the tenor sweet, "I filled your cup until it overflowedddd."

She noticed the way he was gazing at her wonder, the way the other teens were ignoring the girls around them to pay attention to her voice, "Took it so far to keep you close… Keep you close… I was afraid to leave you on your own…"

Small childish fingers moved through the silken red tresses of her attendant who was sleeping in her lap, the boy's fighting instructor having been a bit too harsh on the boy today. The amused look on the instructors face when she shot him a death only made her steam a bit more as she lead her dazed attendant away for a bath.

"Hey Ri?" He asked in his dazed barely conscious state.

"Yes?"

"Don't forget about me." He whispered sounding terrified of the aspect.

"Don't be silly!" She exclaimed laughing happily, "You're my Ya! How could I forget about you?"

"Yeah," He laughed, "Forget about it, I forgot I was talking to my Ri-Ri after all."

Kouen was entranced as soon as the first strings were plucked and then her voice over took his mind, like a hypnotist and he was her grateful puppet at the moment. While the song choice had been embarrassing he was almost glad he'd chosen the song, the way her lips wrapped around the words. The soft tenor and slope of each syllable, each lyric danced in his mind.

"I said I'd catch you if you fallll," the way her tongue flicked with the 'L' was distracting but then his mind caught up with the words, "And if they laugh, then fuck 'em all.. All…"

"And then I got you off your knees…" Her voice sounded sad with the lyrics, he wondered if it was the song or if it was her, "Put you right back on your feet… Just so you can take advantage of me."

He wanted to kill something thinking of anyone taking advantage of this beautiful girl, his eyes tightening along with his fists.

"Tell me how's it feel sittin' up theree…" She drawled out, her voice picking up pitch as she got to the chorus of the song, "Feeling so high but too far away to hold mee…"

"You know I'm the one who put you up there," A nostalgic quality to the words, almost wondering at her own silliness, "Name in the skyyy.. Does it ever get lonely?"

Do you ever get lonely?

Kouen wondered gazing at her and he could swear he could see 'Yes' written in her eyes and he let out a breathy sigh.

"Thinking you could live without me…" Her voice sounded pained and echoed in his mind, he wondered who she was singing too. He doubted he'd ever forget the haunted beautiful girl, so long as he lived… those eyes would haunt his dreams he was sure.

The rocking feeling is what woke her, head pressed against something softer than the hay bed she was used to laying in. She murmured something vaguely as her head nuzzled close to the softness…

She jerked wildly awake, her flailing limbs knocking the person holding her to the ground. Scrambling away as her back hit an alley wall she stared at the boy from last evening, her heart beating in her throat.

"Wah-" She croaked out before her eyes snapped above the boy catching sight of fire that she could now smell curling in the air. Her head jerking down as the boy moved, his placating hands raised slightly before settling on her shoulders, his lips moving slightly but the roaring of the flames around them drowned it out. He seemed to look annoyed that she couldn't hear whatever he said, dragging her deeper into the alley nearly tripping over the tangled chains he'd caused from his carrying.

"-girl." he said closer to her ear, gesturing for her tilt her head back. She trembled but did so and with a glint, a quick movement of his hand, and the clattering of chains fell to the ground. She grabbed her freed wrists and stared at him with wide eyes, his only offer was a not-quiet smile that tugged at his lips unfamiliarly, his hand circling her freed wrist and tugging her to his chest hiding them in a shadowed alcove as a group of soldiers moved past them on the street from the alley opening. Her head pressed to his neck as his heart fluttered in his chest, something she could feel beating against her cheek.

"Imuchakk… " She whispered up against his ear causing him to flinch slightly, and he pulled away from her slowly.

"Yeah, my cousins are off somewhere fighting," He told her lightly, "But I wanted to get you out…"

"Mm." She hummed and bowed her head in thanks causing the boy to flush slightly before he dragged her off towards a wall of the city they had been navigating towards. With hesitance on Shirin's part they scaled it sitting at the top for a few seconds as they admired the view of the dunes.

"What's your name?" The boy asked gruffly, head tilted so the red of the rising sun illuminated his face.

"Shirin...my name is Shirin." She glanced up with him, a grin pulling at her lips, "Yours?"

"Kouen.." He admitted, "If you go straight from here, you should reach Qishan in two days if you travel seriously."

"Kou…" She whispered her fists clenching and it startled Kouen who glanced at her warily now, she glanced up at her fierce eyes and he jerked back. She noticed his flinch and she took a deep breath, calming herself down. "Sorry…"

"It's fine." He admitted, feeling weird, "I guess I can under-"

"No…" She cut him off her soot colored hair hiding her eyes, "No, you really can't."

"I…"

"Thanks," She choked out and he was bewildered by the tears in her eyes, falling from her eyes like a jewels in the sunlight that fanned out around them. She leaned forward and took his lips in a kiss, his face flaming before the girl moved. Her small form scaling down the side of the wall, her feet hitting the sandy dunes of the land before she ran for it.

"Your face is really red." Hakuyuu commented from his left.

"Only you would get a kiss after making a girl cry." Hakuren whined on his right.

"Th-tah.." He stuttered out before hiding his flaming face.

"His first kiss was stolen~" Hakuyuu sang, "By a crying slave girl he saved."

"Sounds like a romance story," Hakuren hummed out, poking at his cousin's bright red ear.

Authors Note: So after I was done looking over the story I noticed I made a mistake in this chapter, Kouen is literally named after Kou. How could she not notice that? So, I thought it was only fair as did Shirin that Kouen would have his first kiss stolen just like hers was. The song is "Without Me" by Halsey.