Chapter two: Ne'er the boys Shall Meet

The fog was thick as the smoke, and as dark as the clouds one would find in a storm. The kingdom of Shehaquim, also known as the Moonlit kingdom- because of the three moons that shined in the celestial sky each and every night- was shrouded by the thick spidery fingers of mist. The king stared out the rather large window, to see nothing but fog. He let a small, bored sigh escape his lips, tired of carrying out all the duties that came with being king. "My lord?" Kanjiro, a small blond male asked, sticking his head into the gigantic throne room.

The king looked over to the blond, blinking a few times. "Yes? What is it Kanjiro?" he questioned, "don't tell me… it's Kouji again isn't it?" he guessed with a small sigh.

Kanjiro rubbed the back of his neck, nodding slowly as he walked into the throne room. "Sorry to say this… but you are right…. I found him running off with one of the villagers…. I believe it was the one called Takuya" he stated with a nod. "he met up with some others…"

"Who the devil are these children? Just common trash? Do I know any of them?" Hojo asked, rolling his dark eyes.

"One of the children is Izumi Orimoto… daughter of the aristocrat Zephyr…. You are quite fond of her, no?" he asked with a smile, raising a brow at the king.

"Zephyr is a close friend. The rest?"

Kanjiro shrugged, "just common trash. They are just peasants of wannabe-warriors" the blond man reported with a small grin.

Hojo sighed in frustration, why must Kouji- his one and only heir- cause so much trouble for him? "Isn't Saniro suppose to keep an eye on Kouji?" he asked his servant.

"No… Saniro is not the prince's nanny… he hasn't had one for three years sire" Daisetsu, an older, smaller man, with snow white hair said as he clutched the green book he always carried. "You have no given the prince enough responsibility… And do you remember Otsuke….?"

Hojo stared at the old man, "uh, yes… what does he have to do with anything?" he questioned.

"he just so happen to give the prince- your family- a… gift. A slave in fact. So he could be the prince's servant no? Giving Kouji a chance to learn some real responsibility… he'll learn how to care for others… a trait needed if he is to be the next king" Daisetsu explained with a smile.

The king nodded, "oh…? Very well then. But a slave? Kouji detests the whole slavery issue…. But you do have a point… Send in the lad" he said with a small nod. He was a bit unsure about this… Kouji would hate him for it. Then again, parenting is not about being the child's friend, right?

"yes sire…. At once…" Kanjiro bowed. "SEND IN THE BOY!!" he called, looking at the doors that led into the thrown room.

The large doors swung open, revealing a guard in his white uniform lined with light blue, and a teenager. He teen's medium length hair covered most of his face, and along with this, his whole body had dirt on them- along with cuts and scrapes. It was difficult to tell what this boy's features even were.

The guard bent down on one knee, pulling the slave forcefully to mirror what the guard was doing. King Hojo walked up to them, slipping on a black glove so he wouldn't dirty himself as he touched the boy. He aggressively pulled the teen's hair to look at his face, "hmm…" Hojo muttered as he stared at the boy. Kouichi let out a small gasp, there was something about this man… something dark… something evil… but he thought he was just being paranoid.

"You…. Your eyes…" Hojo started, but didn't finish out loud. "You have the same eyes as… you look exactly like…." "He'll do" Hojo mumbled, pushing the boy away. "make that piece of shit look presentable… I can barely stand looking at him…" the king growled, seeming like he wanted to avoid the boy all together. Before his servants took him away, he held out his hand slightly in the air- causing them to stop. "wait…. I want a word alone with the boy" he said, looking at his servants so they would leave.

"yes my lord…" his servants said, vacating the room so the king was alone with his new slave.

The slave gulped, avoiding any eye contact with this man. His body was slightly shivering, but he didn't know why. Why was he so afraid of this man? He is the king, no? So there would be no reason to fear someone who is supposed to help others… right? The king glanced at his new slave, "boy… tell me your name" he ordered, glaring at the teen.

Kouichi took in a breath before he answered, "it's Kouichi s-sir…" he whispered under his breath, and bit his lower lip.

Hojo smirked, bending down to meet the boy eye to eye, "fine… Kouichi. If my son shall ever get harmed because of you…. You're the one who shall die…" he growled, looking away from the boy. "now… you shall do whatever anyone in the royal family tells you. No acceptations…." He said in a demanding tone.

Kouichi nodded slowly, "yes… I understand…." He whispered, looking down at his shackled wrists. "is that all…?"

The older male nodded, "yes…. You can go now…" he mumbled, glancing back at the boy. As he watched the boy walk out of the throne room, he clenched his hands tightly. "Just like Akina… bastard…." He muttered, gritting his teeth.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

The king and Queen of the land of Shehaquim had only one son- one heir to their throne. They had to protect him… the had no one else to inherit the crown. So of course they are over-protective of him… much to the prince's annoyance. He was always running off to play with his friends… he sometimes wished he was a villager like his friends… then he could live the life of a regular person.

He was quite handsome as well; his long raven colored hair was always tied back in a neat ponytail. He had eyes the color of the deepest parts of the ocean… ones you could get lost in, once you looked in them. He laid on his rather large bed, sighing quietly. He had to stay in here for a while since he broke the rules and left the kingdom to play around with his friends yet again.

The prince heard heels clicking on the hard, cold floor. The there were three knocks on his bedroom door, "Kouji? Honey?" a female voice called from the other side of the door.

The prince sighed quietly, "yes…? Come in mother" he said out of boredom. "what do you want?" he asked, when he saw the blond enter the room.

She approached the foot of his bed, smiling warmly at her son. "May I sit?" she asked, sitting down when she saw her son nod. "Honey… You're father maybe a little of an… asshole at times-"Ria paused and realized what she said when she heard her son chuckling. "I meant that he could be a little… harsh at times. But you know he means well… we need to keep you safe… you are our only heir…" she explained, putting one of her hands over her son's.

"Mother… I'm not angry with him. I don't even understand him" he said with a small sigh. "I hate being a prince… I wish I was a villager sometimes… then I wouldn't have to worry about all this crap about running a kingdom…" Kouji said with a smile.

"Kouji! You can't change that you're a prince, you have to run this kingdom once your father and I have passed away" she said with a smile, "or when we give up the throne to you once you get married' Ria said with a grin. "Hon… about earlier… we didn't mean for you to se-"

Kouji turned to her, "Killing that man?" he finished with a growl. "He didn't even twitch an eyebrow!! It was because that man was a slave wasn't it?!" he asked, almost yelling at his mother. "He was killed just as an example for the other slaves!! Wasn't he?!!"

Ria nodded slowly, looking at her son. "yes… that slave forgot this place… and thought that he could rise above it. He was killed so no other slave would try the same foolish thing…" she explained with a small smile. "it was his fate" she added with a small sigh.

"But all he wanted was a better life, mother…."

"A slave is born a slave…nothing can change that. It is your destiny. This cannot be changed… you're father refuses to even talk about the subject…." Ria said, closing her dark blue eyes. "No one can rise above their place… they must follow their own destiny… understood? No one can change their fate"

Kouji stayed silent for a while, sitting up and looked down at his lap. "yes…." He finally answered after a few minutes.

"You're father does nothing but care for you honey…'

"He only cares for me because I am the only heir…."

"That's not true-"

"Yes it is!!" he rudely interrupted. "he wants me to rot in his goddamned palace!! I want a normal life!! Like my friends!! I don't want to be the prince!! Father can go to hell for all I care!!" he shouted, looking at the blonde's face.

-SMACK!-

The prince fell off his bed, putting a hand to his now red cheek. "M-mother?" he asked, covering his stinging cheek with his hand.

"Don't talk about your father like that Kouji!" Ria ordered her voice shockingly cold. It was odd for her to hit her son, she detested violence of any sorts…She smiled when she heard an apology from her son, "your father got you something dear… I forgot to tell you earlier…it's for your birthday next week" she said with a smile as she turned towards the door. "It's a slave…"

Kouji's eyes widened, staring at his mother. "A slave?!" he shouted, "As in a HUMAN BEING?!!" the prince added, "I will not have a slave!! I won't!!"

Ria looked over her shoulder, glancing at her son. "Hon, use your inside voice. Be a gentleman. And yes. I do not want to hear any arguments from you. Come on, your new servant is waiting" she said in a sweet tone, taking her son's hand before she led him out of his bedroom. There was an awkward silence between the two as they walked down the staircase- heading to the throne room.

"Mother?" Kouji started, looking up at the blond. "did you have a servant when you were my age, as well?" he questioned out of curiosity.

"As a matter of fact, yes I did. She was my best friend until the day she died. She was like my sister" Ria said with a gentle smile.

"What was her name?"

Ria stayed silent for a little while before she looked back at her son, "it was Akina"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The young slave looked up at the woman and teen that came into the throne room, and then looked away. He bowed slightly out of respect- like he was told to do- and smiled gently. He didn't say a thing yet, he was a bit frightened of his new surroundings. Ria walked over to him, smiling gently. "Now little boy, you shall take orders from my son. And only him. If you two need anything, Daisetsu and Kanjiro are in the library" she informed them as she walked out of the room to leave the two boys alone.

The boy looked down at his feet, playing around with the fabric of his shirt. This boy wasn't wearing the same clothes as the other servants… he was wearing a black uniform that was lined with red…. The prince stepped up to him, and sighed quietly. "Listen… I know you must be scared to be here… and be around people you don't even know. And I promise… I'll get you out of here…" he said quietly.

"master… I'm fine…" Kouichi whispered, looking up at the other male who approached him.

"what? Don't you want your freedom?!" he asked, quite shocked at the response he got from his offer.

"…no…."

"Why?"

Kouichi looked down at the floor again, playing with a piece of his hair out of nervousness. "Slaves are born to be slaves… nothing else. I can't rise above my place…" he explained to the prince quietly. "slaves are objects… something bred… used… then thrown away…"

Kouji had been told this earlier… 'is this how they think? They think of themselves as objects? Not people'

"master… what's wrong? Are you ill?"

"No… no… it's nothing" Kouji said, shaking his head slightly. "don't call me master. My name is Kouji. What's your name?"

"my name?" Kouichi questioned, pointing to himself.

Kouji nodded at the boy, 'yes… I am Kouji and you are….?" He asked, pointing to his new slave.

"…my name is Kouichi…" he answered, looking the other in the eye.

They both let out a small gasp. Something was very odd to them both… They looked exactly alike… Sure the prince's hair was longer, and the servant's face was slightly scratched- but apart from that… it was like looking into a mirror. The prince snapped out of his trance, and finally broke the silence. "nice to meet you Kouichi"

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-

The three moons shined on the land of Shehaquim... lovely colors. A light pink, blue and yellow… Makato gazed up at the luminous orbs that glowed in the celestial night sky, smiling warmly. He was sitting on the top of the roof of the tallest tower, as he did every night with his elder brother. "Saniro… something about that new servant bugs me…" he muttered quietly, turning to the silver haired man.

Saniro looked at Makato, blinking a few times. "oh please… that boy seems as harmful as a fruit fly" he stated, shrugging slightly. "what's bugging you? His haircut?" he mocked, snickering quietly.

"no jackass… one thing when I met him…. The look in his eyes was like… looking into the eyes of pure evil… like his heart was tainted in darkness…." Makato explained, putting a hand over his own heart.

Saniro nodded, "yeah… my element is light and I was able to sense the darkness in his heart... but it doesn't seem like it's anything major. Nothing to worry about brother…" he said with an assuring smile. "please don't worry about it" he said with a grin, and then looked up at the moons yet again. "We'll just keep a close eye on the boy, alright?" he asked happily.

Makato nodded, "alright… thank you, brother" he told him, and then looked up at the sky with his elder brother. "the three moons would align very soon… can't wait…" he whispered, changing the subject with a smile.

Ultra Special Blah Blah Blah

I wrote this while watching digimon tonight. Next chapter would have some fighting, its half-way written now. I'll try to make the next chapter longer!

6-12-07: well darlings, I know I haven't been writing in a while, and I am sorry… I have been spending most of my time on Gaia…. Anyway, I have rewritten everything I wrote and I am going to type up two more chapters for my story!