Kunzite walked through the night campment
to rejoin his officers. There was a new slight buzz around it. He heard
soldiers talking about the new captain's minion before he caught a glimpse
of golden hair, unusual in Yamato.
Captain Wakasaki had joined the Dark Kingdom
army a week ago, attracted by their continuing victories. He took part
to the officer's meetings, and he had already made some impression. He
was very able - he wouldn't have survived a whole week under Kunzite's
orders if he wasn't up the grade he claimed for anyway.
Kunzite didn't look at inferior soldiers
and apprentices, but he was surprised not to have at least noticed this
golden hair. Did Wakasaki hide his minion the days before? By the way
he caught the attention of way too many soldiers, it wouldn't be unwise.
The young man was polishing his master's
armor, a concentrated pout on his lips, ignoring the other soldiers comments
with what seemed to Kunzite to be deliberate distance. He looked quiet
- for other eyes. The King felt his anger so intense that it formed an
invisible shield around him, yet he controlled it.
From the whispers and low laughs around,
Kunzite could tell that the minion was as admired for his bright and unique
look than despised for his difference, and maybe for something else that
the demon did not know about him.
These thoughts flashed in the Ice King's
quick mind within a couple of seconds, until the young man had a slight
frown and looked up towards the officers' tent where his master had gone,
meeting Kunzite's piercing eyes.
He froze, yet only puzzled or so it seemed,
and didn't turn his look away in fear like other soldiers did. He was
not humble either. Rather curious, maybe evaluating the nature of the
Ice King's interest for him. Kunzite broke the eye contact and entered
the tent.
The day after, Kunzite happened to fight
not far from Wakasaki and his apprentice. Once again he noticed the aura
of wrath around the young man. It participated to his warfare, instead
of interfering with it as the Ice King had often seen. He himself used
to inspire anger to his enemies so that they would be more vulnerable.
But this youth's hatred was so keen that his sword blade seemed to be
a mere physical expression of it.
Even more fascinating : this was aimed
at their enemies, yet the demon caught the same kind of glances towards
his allies. Whatever were his motivations in that war, it wasn't loyalty
or fellowship. Not that many of the soldiers fought for those reasons
either.
At one point Wakasaki's skills were nearly
overcome. As he managed to discard two warriors in the same time, he was
put in danger and didn't watch his back for a brief moment. His apprentice
was by his side in the second, but only Kunzite saw the tension in his
left hand, and the flow of emotions rushing in his eyes as he helped his
master standing up and going back into the battle.
It brought a cruel smile to the demon's
lips to think that Wakasaki wasn't aware that he had been that close from
dying. Since as the apprentice held him his right hand, he had also kept
his left hand, holding the close-combat dagger, ready to stab his back...
Which rose a question to the King's mind
: why hadn't he achieved his move?
The battle requested his attention back
and he kept the puzzle for later.
Once the battle was over, and won as
usual, and Kunzite had reported his victory to Queen Beryl, he came back
to the army's campment to look for answers.
Wakasaki was telling stories about his
glorious past to an audience of officers outside his tent. His apprentice
could be seen cleaning his katana inside.
Kunzite walked straight to the tent and
all the officers stood up, wondering which one of them was in trouble.
It was rare that the Ice King spent more time than required among his
troops, and it was never a good sign. They discretly formed an empty circle
around Wakasaki, who boldly faced the demon.
"Yes Lord Kunzite?"
Kunzite ignored him and gestured to the
apprentice to follow him.
" You come with me."
The young man had a quick look at Wakasaki,
then jumped on his feet and out of the tent without even asking for a
confirmation from the King, giving him the soldier's salute. That prompt
response satisfied Kunzite : the apprentice's mind was as bright as his
hair, and his body and sword as keen as his hatred. A combination he would
certainly have a use for.
Wakasaki finally reacted and stepped in,
catching his apprentice's arm.
" Lord Kunzite, what does it mean?"
Kunzite watched him in silence until he
released the young man. The officers around warned Wakasaki against rebelling
by discreet signs in Kunzite's back, but he still went on, more haltingly.
" Shiro is my apprentice, you can't..."
Kunzite didn't bother to talk. He didn't
want to kill an able captain such as Wakasaki, but his orders wouldn't
be discussed. He had a slight head move to Shiro - since that was the
golden-haired man's name - and a blue light radiated around from his eyes,
announcing teleportation.
The King and the apprentice materialized
in a room sparely lit, without any windows, that seemed to be caved in
the stone. That was Shiro's first visit in the Dark Kingdom. Few mortals
had been admitted here, actually. Still fewer had returned.
Shiro wasn't really concerned by that thought,
though. He hadn't been in the Dark Kingdom's army for long enough to hear
horror stories about Kunzite and the other demons, especially as he rarely
talked to anyone but Wakasaki. He only knew that the epithet "demon"
was not just a word in his case, and he had seen him fighting with utter
warfare and magical powers that were beyond a mortal's abilities.
Yet he didn't see the point of worrying
about something he had no idea about or no way to fight, before he would
at least know enough to make an opinion. Not that he didn't have some
guess about Kunzite's intentions, which made him think that he was more
human than it was said. That wasn't a compliment in Shiro's mind. But
he was used to it.
At least, the lord demon was not too bad-looking.
In fact, he was handsome in an unhuman way, with his ice blue eyes and
eerie white blue long hair. But Shiro had lived too long without a choice
to feel attracted by him, or to feel anything at all. He couldn't allow
himself that luxury. So he kept quiet and emotionless.
Kunzite watched him for a couple of seconds,
pondering his reaction, then headed towards another room. Shiro obligedly
followed him, watching around just in case it might later be useful.
" I've seen how you handle a sword in a battle, and you seem pretty
good with daggers too..."
Shiro noticed Kunzite's sly smile in the
pause that followed, and wondered if his temptation to kill Wakasaki had
something to do with his presence here. He decided that it had, but he
couldn't figure if it was good or bad. The Ice King's smile reminded him
of the way he felt when someone especially hated and despised fell into
his power, and that meant nothing good for him, so he had to wait some
more.
" Now show me what else you can do."
Kunzite gestured him to preceed him into
the room.
" Here we are, " thought Shiro, carefully hiding his despise.
But it wasn't a bedroom that he entered.
On the walls he recognized targets, some broken or burnt, and a wide collection
of weapons, most that he recognized, others that he didn't. The sight
of splendidly ornamented swords and daggers took his breath away for a
while.
The Ice King took a long lance and held
it to him.
" Are you any good at spears?"
" It depends what you mean by good."
Kunzite snapped his fingers and a youma
came out of the darkness, grabbing a lance on the wall then stood on a
fine red line tracing a circle on the floor. Shiro walked to the opposite
point on the circle, and they started to fight.
Obviously, Kunzite's standard of good was
a high one, thought Shiro after the youma's first attacks. And he was
probably only testing him for now. But Shiro was self-confident in his
abilities and his training. He had paid a heavy price to indulge his taste
for blades.
Had he been taller and stronger, and not
as cute, he wouldn't have had to depend on a master in that army. He was
better than Wakasaki in various aspects of warfare. But as it happened,
being with Wakasaki offered him a protection against the other ones. Being
beautiful was a weapon not to be neglected, yet to be used carefully if
he was not to be going used by or because of it.
This ran as second thoughts in his mind,
supporting his assaults and swift moves with rage and a vicious streak,
using the spear's wooden handle as much as its blade. The youma adapted
herself to his warfare, and their wild dance lasted until Kunzite dismissed
the inferior devil.
Shiro looked for his reaction, but nothing
showed on the Ice King face. He pointed out at the sais, called another
youma. Shiro's speed and agility did wonders in close-combat, as far as
he wasn't caught by stronger than him.
He was more hesitant with nunchaku, but
he survived. He then showed utter precision with a bow, though his arrows
tended to pierce not just vital parts of the manikin's anatomy. Kunzite
kept a shielding spell ready to cast when Shiro demonstrated his skill
in sending shuriken. Yet the human was too cautious to dare aiming at
the King.
Shiro was getting exhausted when Kunzite
finally decided that he had seen enough.
" Is there any weapon you're not familiar with?"
" None that I have met. I learn fast."
" I hope so. You won't be living long otherwise."
Shiro didn't answer, not even by a thrill
or a move backwards. Kunzite hid a smile. These humans could be so surprising,
so amusing. Just when he thought he had figured them out, something new
turned on.
" I'll have a mission for you soon. In the mean time, you'll keep
fighting with the regular army in all the battles, and the rest of time,
I want you to practise your warfare here. I'll get you food and furnitures,
if you need new ones."
He unsheathed Shiro's katana to check it.
" Though your sword is good and beautiful, for a mere soldier's.
A bit light, but I figure it suits your frame better. Where did you get
it?"
" From someone who didn't use it well enough. It deserved better."
Kunzite nodded. That golden-haired young
man was a snake, without a doubt. He related to that kind of reasoning.
He gave him back his sword and went out
of the training room by another corridor than the one they had entered.
They reached a small plazza opening on several rooms and another corridor.
" You can sleep in any of those rooms, there is no other trainee
for now. If you want to bathe, follow this corridor to the Styx."
" Thank you, Lord Kunzite."
Shiro's tone was slightly bemused.
" Did you eat?"
The answer came just a moment too late
and Kunzite didn't miss it.
" Not enough, I suppose? You'll need all of your stamina from now
on."
In a deep blue mist they vanished, and
re-appeared in the first room where they came from. Shiro tried to identify
which corridor led to the training room, and thought it was the one that
had many turns. They took another path.
" Now from here, this way leads to my appartments."
Kunzite walked along as he commented.
" Since there is nothing for the likes of you in the Dark Kingdom,
you'll have to ask me for whatever you want. If that happens, or before
we go back in surface, come here and announce yourself to that youma."
He pointed out to a turkish blue feminine
shape half-rooted in the oval room's wall, blocking the passage with her
tendrils.
" She will pass me the message. But - he made a significant pause
- I don't want to see you hanging around closer from my apartments than
this gate."
Shiro nodded, with more dedication than
required. Fish, rice and soup materialized on a table in the middle of
the room.
" Any question?"
The human hesitated, then asked.
" Am I your apprentice now?"
Kunzite didn't answer immediately.
" ... No. Maybe if you get really better, I will train you personnally.
You are... eligible? to become a personal fighter. If you prove good enough."
Shiro remained alone, eating his unexpected
extra dinner and thinking of what had been left untold. The Ice King deserved
his title well, for little could be guessed from his reactions - or the
lack of. A mission, he'd said. Shiro foresaw an opportunity there. He
would not waste it.
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