Author's Note:
Sorry for the long wait! Tornadocon in Sandusky OH was great and I had a blast! Hope you enjoy this new chapter! I've been sitting on the idea for awhile, and only just now did I build up the will power to write it! That's enough blabber from me, read! =^.^= RAWR!
Chapter 10: The Apprentice
Eyelids fluttering open, Shuichi groaned and sat up to look around. Dark cave walls surrounded him and the low, rumbling din of a waterfall echoed in the distance. Covering his eyes, Shuichi struggled to remember what had happened.
While deep in thought, soft, musical notes began to dance among the other natural sounds. Rising and falling, strings sang out a song that caught Shuichi's breath and pulled his mind back to reality. In the distance, he could hear footsteps that stepped in time with the music.
Shuichi saw a man, shrouded in shadows, cradling a violin under his chin. The man stepped forward into the light of a flickering campfire and smiled at the young singer. The musician himself couldn't have been more than nineteen, but he played with the skill of a timeless savant.
Watching the player effortless draw the bow across the string to produce the silvery sweet sounds brought Shuichi near tears and he turned his head away in shame. He thought, This is a true musician, everything I've done seems like kid's stuff.
The boy finished playing, set the violin and bow down by his feet and took a bow. Shuichi remained silent, afraid to speak.
"Thank you," the boy said as he took a seat next to Shuichi. "You're really much to kind." Shuichi remained speechless. "Big bro was right about you, absolutely adorable!"
He was beautiful. Long limbs and a strong torso. A feminine face supported by a thin neck crowned with white hair that hung just above his shoulders.
"Big… Bro?" Shuichi asked confused.
"Yeah, well, that's what I've called him. We're not really brothers. He found me when I was a little kid. Abandoned. He took me in and raised me."
"Who?"
"Hmm? Oh. He never wants me to use his real name. You would probable know him as A.F."
Shuichi's eyes widened in fear, his heart race, and he could feel beads of sweat form on his back. "A.F. is your… is your… you mean… you're A.F.'s little brother?"
The boy laughed, "Didn't you just hear me? We're not actually brothers, though I guess that's the closest thing to our relationship. He did mention you were dumb."
Trying to stand, Shuichi wanted to run away, but a sharp pain in his side crippled him and brought him down to his knees.
"No point to run away," the little brother said when he saw Shuichi's pain, "I'm not going to hurt you and there is no place to run up here in the cliffs."
"Where am I?"
"The Cliffs of Dover. It's where Big bro likes to hide out when he has to visit the West. I don't know where he is right now, but he said he wouldn't be back until late."
Shuichi grimaced in pain, "You said you wouldn't hurt me?"
The boy squealed and wrapped his arms around Shuichi for a strong embrace. "You're so cute! Like a lost little puppy." He patted Shuichi on the head and giggled, "Can I fuck you?"
Pushing him away, Shuichi fell onto his hands and tried to crawl away, "Get away from me! You said you wouldn't hurt me!"
"Geez, I was only asking. Though… I suppose I could rape you." An evil smile stretched across his face.
Shuichi groaned in misery and bit his bottom lip. Hot, burning tears threatened to burst from his eyes at any moment. His insides ached with a desire for Yuki's protection.
"Don't worry, I won't!" The smile dropped to an innocent expression, "I honestly doubt I have it in me. Big bro has no idea how I'll manage to be the next A.F. with this big ole heart of mine!" He leapt and gave Shuichi a hug and a small peck on the cheek.
Shuichi was too tired to try and shove him off. "What do you mean, the 'next A.F.'?" He tried to turn to look the boy in the eyes. They were a brilliant shade of blue. Like the sky after a storm.
"Hmm… Well, I really shouldn't tell you, but seeing as Big bro is planning on killing you, I suppose it couldn't hurt to give you a little history lesson. Tell me, do you know the first European to ever travel to the America's?"
Shuichi racked his brain for a moment, "Wasn't it that Columbus guy?"
"Wrong!" The boy shouted before bursting out into a fit of giggles. That genocidal maniac came here about four hundred years after the Vikings first found the continent. And what do you know of the Knights Templar?"
Thinking again, Shuichi shrugged and suggested, "Don't they know where Jesus is?"
Almost crying from laughter, the boy rolled of Shuichi and sat up. "That's the best answer I ever heard! But seriously, the Knights Templar were a Catholic order set up to safely help Catholic pilgrims to the Holy Land during the time of the crusades. They also became a successful banking industry, and held more wealth than several nations. They even loaned money to France."
"This is interesting, but what does it have to do with A.F.?"
"Shh!" the boy hushed Shuichi, "I'm getting to the good part!" He cleared his throat and continued the story. "The Pope and France felt threatened by the Knights Templar, so sent forth troops to capture and destroy every member. On October 13, 1307, they captured and began to torture Templar Grand Master, Jacques Demolay. However, they failed to imprison all of the Templars.
"Many of the Knights still lived in secrecy, surviving on the charity of a few good men. Desperate to escape the inhospitable environment of their homeland, they set sail across the Atlantic, using old Viking trading maps to guide their way.
"They found America and traveled west, reaching here in California. They were, in fact, the first Europeans to ever trek across the complete distance of this nation. Once back in the East, they split into two groups. One half sailed back to England to try and save the Templar legacy. That half would go one to be the starting point of a new group of Free Masons. The other have, convinced they had found a paradise free of religious persecution, stayed behind.
"They established colonies and formed powerful bonds with the Natives that were here first. It was from them that they learned the secrets of stealth to hunt. They could disappear in broad daylight, seemingly invisible.
"Is my story boring you?" The boy asked.
Shuichi shook his head no. He failed to see where A.F. tied in to all of this, but needless to say it was interesting. Maybe if this was what they had taught in history back in his old high school, he would have paid attention. "Please go on."
The boy flashed him a smile and gave him another peck on the cheek. "Ok! They lived in relative peace, and survived off the land. Separated from all contact with Europe, they were unaware of Columbus' dealing in the South. It wasn't until 1620 did they lie eyes on a European.
"The Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, and the expatriate Templars decided to remain in hiding, to watch the new comers from Europe to see if religious tolerance was known to them.
"While the new pilgrims claimed to be escaping religious persecution, they brought with them their own prejudices. The Templars couldn't stand to watch their paradise crumble under oppressive religious rule again. At a council, they decided to take up their swords again and vowed to protect this land against the lies the Pope and Heretics offer. The name of their new group would be spoken in hushed voices by those who feared their mighty hand of justice. Dark Terror."
The boy yawned and curled up next to the fire. "I'm sleepy," he muttered and shut his eyes.
Pouncing on him, Shuichi shook him awake, "You can't end a story like that! What happens next? What does all this have to do with you or A.F.?"
"Fine, fine, I'll finish the damn story. At first, they were a noble group. The name 'Dark Terror' didn't come about until a century later. They even aided the Mason's in declaring the land's independence from the English Empire. However, as time wore on, they fell amongst the criminals. At the beginning of last century, the helped the Italian mafia and officially cleansed themselves of their religious freedom fighter's roots and became the largest, most powerful underground criminal organization ever known to man.
"Despite the new motive, tradition has been preserved down the centuries. Love of theatrics, stealth, secrecy, and organization. Every Grand Master of Dark Terror has been known under the initials 'A.F.' This gives the illusion of immortality. Each A.F. hand selects an 'Apprentice.' The Apprentice is supposed to study under the current A.F. to replace him. The second an Apprentice is chosen, that young person must never again cut their hair, and keep it bleached to a bright, white color."
Shuichi's mouth had almost hit the floor. "Wait!" he cried out, "You're trying to tell me that A.F. isn't a name at all? It's a title! And there has been an 'A.F.' for centuries?"
"Yeah," the boy said with a shrug, "They all have the same hair and cover their faces with masks once they become A.F. Like I said, Dark Terror loves theatrics, and by doing this, they mad the A.F. seem immortal, which is the second part of the Apprentices' job.
"You see, an A.F. has never died of old age," he burst out laughing at this statement as if it were a joke, "Once the Apprentice, who is never too far from the A.F., learns of the death, they instantly don a mask and take the identity themselves."
Shuichi stared into the fire, bewildered, "You mean, when I watched them blow a hole into A.F.'s skull, they actually did kill him?"
"Yup, my Big bro, who was hiding in the room next to you guys, waited until you had left. Before the cops came, he put on a black cloak and mask, dumped the old A.F.'s body into the ocean, and quickly climbed onto the roof. He told me, for pure theatrics sake, he listened to your Yuki and K speak with the police. When the officer ran back outside to tell them the body was missing, he leapt into sight and scared the shit out of everyone!" The boy giggled again.
Collapsing, Shuichi shut his eyes and felt tears leave warm streaks across his face. He felt a soft hand gently wipe them clear. "Why?" Shuichi asked, "Why did he chase all the way here, just to torment us?" Filled with rage, Shuichi sat back up and yelled, "Your big brother is pure evil!"
The boy looked down and sniffed. "No. No, he's not." Shuichi made a noise. "No!" the boy shouted, "Big bro is actually really sweet. He has no choice. As the former Apprentice, he has to hunt down and kill everyone who was responsible for the death of the previous A.F.! He doesn't want to hurt people like this. Just recently, he came back here all distraught over what he did to some Ryuichi guy. I had to cuddle against him for hours just to get him to calm down!
"The idea is immortality again. The founders of Dark Terror set that rule so that, no matter what, one enemy cam 'kill' A.F. all they want, but he will keep coming back after them until he's victorious!"
"Your brother does evil things," Shuichi shouted again, "He is an evil man!"
The boy smacked Shuichi across the face. "You couldn't understand! He took me in and raised me when I was three! Loved me! When I was ten, I began to play with the big piano that always just sat there in his living room. I loved the sound that came from it when I would press the keys. Wild with curiosity, I began to randomly beat on them, just to hear the notes. He came in and I thought I was in trouble for making such noise. He smiled at me and asked 'Is that a song you're writing for me?' From that moment on, I dedicated my life to music, so that I could write him the perfect song that he deserves. He is a kind man! You hear me?" He smacked Shuichi again.
Rubbing the raw spot on his cheek, Shuichi placed a hand on the shoulder of the boy, who was shaking with silent tears. "Maybe he has been kind to you, but I've seen the horrible things he's capable of."
Ignoring Shuichi and wiping his face dry, the boy said, "The previous A.F., that was an evil man. When I was twelve, I found a room that had always been locked, opened. Big bro wasn't supposed to be home for awhile, so I thought I would explore it. Insides, I found a dead body. I screamed and screamed. Didn't run away or anything, just kept staring at the corpse and screaming. Suddenly, strong hands grabbed me from behind. Turning around, I started to swing my tiny fists to beat away the monster. It was big brother. He hugged me tightly and covered my eyes with his jacket. Picking me up, he carried me to my bed and lied down with me. He stayed there until I fell asleep, and when I woke up the next morning, he was making eggs and told me I had had a bad dream that night.
"I didn't believe him and pushed him to explain. Finally, he told me everything about Dark Terror, and as the Apprentice, part of his job was preserving the current A.F. The body in the room was left from the careless killings the previous one had done. That was an evil man," the boy repeated.
When Big bro brought me into Dark Terror to become his future Apprentice, the current A.F. at the time took to beating me behind big brother's back. He enjoyed it and would laugh and laugh at my pleas of mercy."
Shuichi shuddered. That sounded like the monster that had kidnapped him in New York.
The boy continued, "One time, he took it too far and broke my arm. Only when I held Big bro back, because he would have been killed, did he decide not to kill the A.F. himself."
Shuichi hugged the boy who was still crying and muttering to himself. "I'm sorry," he said, "But Yuki will never let your brother hurt me. He will find me soon and save me, and if your brother tries to stop him, he will die."
The boy smiled and hugged Shuichi, "You're so cute. I hope that doesn't happen though, 'cause that means that I would have to kill you." He held Shuichi's chin and forced a kiss onto his mouth. Parting Shuichi's lips, the boy tasted Shuichi's passion before letting go. "Don't forget," he said as he wiped his mouth clean, "I am The Apprentice."
After Note:
W00t! All done with what may be the most important chapter in either stories. In a lot of comments, people were asking me a lot of questions about A.F. Like, how did he survive a gunshot wound to the head? Why is he so obsessed with Yuki and Shuichi? Stuff like that, so I decided to give a little pseudo history lesson in this chapter to explain everything. Also, I introduced the character of The Apprentice because I wanted to give A.F. a more noble, human side. Make him easier to relate to. Two years ago, when I first conceived A.F., he was just supposed to be this monstrous killing thing. No real humanity in him, no motive, just madness. Look at how he's grown –sniffsniff- They grow up so fast!