#o.fandom

                                                    “Ame!”

The Alhars’ steps paused as she turned to look back at the man who had called her name. Sinbad raised a hand, smiling kindly as he approached the smaller girl, strides carrying him swiftly to her.

“King Sinbad,” she greeted with a respectful dip of her head.

He laughed, stopping beside her and crossing his arms, as was his usual stance. From her viewpoint, he was still exceptionally tall and broad, but that was only because she herself was so slight. He didn’t seem half as imposing as he once had.

“How long have we known each other, Ame? There’s no need for formalities!”

Ame offered a bemused smile, turning herself fully to face him and crossing her own arms loosely.

“Maybe not, but I’ve got some responsibilities to uphold now, you know?”

“So you’re serious? About remaining at Hakuryuu’s side, I mean.”

“I am.” she nodded. “I always said I’d support him as emperor, and I think now more than ever I’ll be of use.”

“It’s a bold move, to so suddenly give up your status as a neutral party. Do you think it’s wise?”

One peony brow cocked, her body shifting back just slightly.

“Why wouldn’t it be? There’s no need for me to avoid taking sides now that there’s to be no more conflict.” her gaze hardened a fraction. “That is what the nations have agreed upon, isn’t it?”

For a moment, there was a tension that rose between them so palpable is raised the hairs on the back of her neck. Something vicious crackled in the air, dark and dangerous and hidden just behind the light in the king’s golden eyes. Her own empty irises carved through him, looking for that darkness, seeking out whatever evil thing had suddenly crept into him but before she could find it, it was gone.

Sinbad smiled.

“Of course. I just meant that it’s an unforeseen change. You’ve always acted on your own accord and suddenly stepping in to support the new regime isn’t something people are going to take lightly, especially after the war.”

“They shouldn’t.” she retorted. “I hope my support is taken very seriously. If nothing else, it will show that he isn’t standing on his own.”

Nor, she conveyed without words. Solely under your thumb.

“It may come as a surprise to some, after everything that happened.”

Sinbad’s veiled meaning stung and the pain of it flickered over her face for a moment. The king didn’t need to bring voice to his meaning, she could read it in his eyes.

He wasn’t referring to the war, or anything that followed it. He meant Judal. Without Judal by Hakuryuu’s side, with him gone from the world on the whole, there were some who would have expected her to drift from the Kou Empire altogether.

“Yes, well,” she said, schooling her expression once more. “I think I’ve proven myself to be full of surprises.”

“Indeed.”

There came a silence between them, punctuated by a passing bird that let out a high pitched cry as it crossed overhead. Ame let it drag on, her eyes drifting over the king’s smiling face before she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

“Was there something you wanted to talk to me about, King Sinbad?” she questioned, tilting her head.

“I can’t want to chat with a friend?”

“You rarely do things without intention. You could have gathered all we’ve said in the meeting.”

He laughed, but Ame was beginning to think that his jovial reactions were all a way to brush off the moments when she saw through him.

It felt unpleasant, realizing people were not who you believed them to be. In particular Sinbad was proving to be a case that twisted her stomach like a garrote at her throat. Of all the people she had expected to be suspicious of, she had not counted him among the possibilities.

But that was part of his worrisome power, and his charm made her all the more wary.

“You’re right.” he admitted. “But I did want to chat with you I promise, it’s been some time since we’ve had a chance to talk. Why not have a drink with me? I’m sure there’s much for us to discuss.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I intend to return with the Emperor’s convoy. I have a few errands to run before its departure.”

In truth, Hakuryuu had quietly requested that she remain with him for the time being, though not in so many words. She had given her word to stay at his side, only to depart to ensure that the channels of information she had left flowing would continue.

A time of peace this may be, but she could feel the edges of another storm on the horizon. Far off, surely, but she was not so foolish as to let down her guard now of all times. Friends close; enemies closer.

“I see. Another time then.” Sinbad’s disarming smile remained in place, unaffected by the rejection. “Then if it’s not too forward of me to ask, Ame, why is it you haven’t turned in your Household Vessel?”

In an instant, the crackle of tension returned to the air, charging it with unseen force. Neither of them tensed or at all changed in demeanor, but they could both tell the other felt it. To an outside observer, nothing changed, but in their eyes were seething fires, spitting and hissing in one another’s directions.

“It wasn’t required.” she replied coolly. “I’m not the only one who chose to keep their vessel, it isn’t a problem, is it?”

Her words dared him to argue. Among those who had chosen to keep their vessels was Hakuryuu, now her lord. He had kept Zagan despite Sinbad’s urging, and saying she was in the wrong was a slight against him as well. Not something Sinbad would want, at the moment.

“It’s not,” Sinbad assured, though his tone lacked sincerity.

“I’m glad.”

Again, the king smiled. Though it looked kind it sent a shiver of cruel anticipation down Ame’s spine that forced her shoulders to tense.

One of his large hands landed on her shoulder not a moment later, patting sympathetically.

“Well, it doesn’t make much difference.” he sighed. “After all, it can hardly be called a Household Vessel now.”

Ame’s eyes widened and suddenly the hand on her shoulder felt a thousand pounds more heavy, pushing her down, as if all gravity had centered on her shoulder and was trying to force her to her knees. Her heart beat an uneven pattern in her chest, not sure whether to be frightened, outraged or shocked by the implications of his words.

The king chuckled, and this time it was with true mirth in the face of her horrified expression.

“Without Amon, it’s nothing but a dull blade now.”

He patted her shoulder again, still smiling, before turning away and beginning to walk back towards his towering palace. Ame was left standing there, rigid and staring at his retreating back, her heart thundering in her ears.

She didn’t notice her hand had flashed to the hilt of her sword until she was gripping it so hard the bindings were cutting into her palms. For a moment, her arm tensed, ready to pull the blade from its sheathe and prove just how dull it was. Then, all the fight went out of her in one breath and she slumped.

Her head tilted to the ground, eyes squeezed tightly shut as she forced herself to let go of the silent sword. Slowly her hand relaxed until it simply rested on the hilt, palm throbbing.

Dark eyes blinked back open, staring down at the sandy tiles beneath her feet in silence. Her shadow stretched far in front of her, solitary.

The worst part was that he was right.

Kuronamida had not awoken once since his king had passed. Like with the rest of Alibaba’s Household Vessels, he had gone silent with Amon. Her companion of the past three years rested at her side, but his voice was gone, unable to function with a half of himself missing.

She had never had the chance to say goodbye. To either her vessel, or its king.

Ame sucked in a deep breath, brow furrowing for a moment as she forced the encroaching thoughts to the back of her mind. She hadn’t expected Sinbad to be so… callous. To take a stab at her through Alibaba, even if it had been veiled…

Her eyes turned to her sword, expression growing sad. Kuronamida had been her trusted companion long before he had become a Household Vessel, and he would continue to be now that he had ceased. But there was something missing. The rush of adrenaline and elation that came the first time her sword had produced its inky flames, the wonder when he had evolved to become a sentient being, born of two djinn…

She rubbed her thumb along the hilt fondly, silently hoping that somewhere deep inside, the remaining half of her vessel could feel it. Perhaps over time, that half may grow to become a whole. It wouldn’t be her Kuronamida as he had been ever again, but if he became Zagan’s vessel in full…

Ame sighed, finally pulling herself free of her frozen place and turning on her heel, continuing her forgotten walk from the Sindrian palace walls.

                                                                “Oi… Y’know… I’m starting to think you’re doing this on purpose.”

Anju glared accusingly into blue eyes, tightening his grip on the squirming figure a fraction. For a few long moments, there was silence, then the baby giggled joyfully. Resigned to the fact that he wasn’t about to have an actual conversation with an infant, the assassin sighed aloud, brow furrowing a moment when a small hand grabbed at his bangs.

It had been almost three years since the emperor had tasked the then eleven year old Kuroshi with protecting his child. Anju had been there since his birth, watching over Hakuyuu’s first night alive, his first steps, his first garbled words. The little prince was everything you would expect a perfect child to be, he didn’t cry in the middle of the night, he always held his mother’s hand and he very rarely acted out.

Aside from the occasional kidnapping or attempted assassination, Anju’s job had consisted mainly of making sure the prince’s nights passed peacefully. It wasn’t boring by any means, and he got to spend a great deal of time with the emperor, but it was an easy enough assignment.

And then, a year later, along had come Hakuren.

From the moment he was born Hakuren was a bouncing bundle of energy and mischief. Even before he learned to crawl he managed to make an utter nuisance of himself at every available opportunity and once he could move on his own…

Anju’s days of resting in treetops idly watching his infant charges were over in the blink of an eye. If he wasn’t on full alert at all times he’d turn his head and find Hakuren ambling his way off towards some kind of immanent catastrophe or other. He wore his mother, his father, and every single nursemaid down without losing even a shred of his energy.

Night was about the only time anyone got any reprieve from the tiny terror, Anju included. Until, of course, tonight.

It wasn’t unusual for Hakuren to be a restless sleeper, he often woke up crying for his mother or simply woke and toyed around in his crib for a while, keeping himself entertained. However tonight the little Ren, who couldn’t even stand on his own yet, hauled himself up against the side of his crib and stood there, peeking out at his room.

Anju had watched, always wary of whatever worrisome activity the prince was about to get himself into this time, and was utterly horrified when not a half hour later the little one had apparently gotten it into his head to try and escape his crib.

Anju battled the idea of interfering for almost five minutes, but the decision was made for him when Hakuren successfully hauled himself halfway over the railing and out of his crib. In a flash, the Kuroshi was out of his perch and inside the prince’s nursery, managing to catch his charge before he fell headfirst onto the ground.

“…You are doing this on purpose.” Anju concluded aloud as the baby continued to muss his little hands in his hair.

He had been sitting there for almost ten minutes, reprimanding the child in his lap like he might actually understand. If anyone walked in just then, they would find a strange youth leaned against the prince’s crib, knees drawn up and Hakuren resting on them. A full alarm would sound. The emperor would be summoned. Anju, likely, would be reprimanded.

But still he sat there, holding onto the excitable child’s middle and looking into his smiling face. He and his brother had the same exact mole, but his was a little further right.

“Look at you,” he sighed. “Not even two and already testing my limits. At this rate, you’re going to be the most spoiled prince this kingdom has ever seen, you know that?”

Hakuren mumbled something unintelligible, still fascinated with Anju’s unruly locks.

“I bet you’re thinking you can get away with anything, that no matter what I’m always going to be there to catch you, right?”

Realizing he was being spoken to, Hakuren’s large eyes fixed on his guardian, tiny fists still in his hair. Sighing through his nose, the assassin hoisted the baby up and lowered his knees. Hakuren got the idea quickly, situating his legs beneath himself and standing shakily with Anju’s hands still bracing him.

He smiled, terribly pleased with himself for remaining upright.

“But,” Anju went on. “One day I’ll stop catching you and you’ll learn your lesson about being such a reckless brat. That’s what you’re thinking, huh? And you’ll just keep pushing it until then.”

The older boy’s expression softened, all his mock annoyance gone.

“Well, you’re wrong.”

He watched as Hakuren wobbled, hands gripping his hair more tightly for support before his shaking stopped and he was standing. A few moments of concentration passed, then he slowly lifted his little hands from their tether, letting go and holding himself upright by his own will. The assassin’s hands hovered on his waist, but offered no support besides.

“I’m going to let you become the most spoiled child in the world,” he murmured. “You and your brother both. No matter what you do, where you go, I will always be there to catch you. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ll stumble, I’ll always be there.”

Anju smiled, genuine and gentle.

“Always, Hakuren. That is my promise to you.”

Laughter bubbled out of the prince, who had only just seemed to notice he was standing all by himself. The force of his giggles made him wobble and he tipped forward, throwing out his hands to catch himself.

Both palms smacked onto Anju’s cheeks, bringing prince and assassin almost nose to nose.

Hakuren blinked at him, then laughed again.

“Gu!”

He knew it was just a senseless sound from a child’s lips, but Anju smiled regardless.

“Yeah,” he hummed, as little hands felt across his face. “Anju. Your Anju.”

                                                                               Soft footfalls approached the balcony where she stood and Ame, despite herself, tensed. The footsteps paused, as if recognizing the reaction to his presence, then resumed again, carrying the man to her side. Ame didn’t need to look up to know who it was that now stood beside her, but she looked up regardless, glancing to the side. Sure enough, there stood the dark haired prince of the Kou Empire.

“It’s a nice night.” he commented in a light tone.

“Mm.” she hummed in muted agreement.

“I apologize, have I disturbed you?”

“Not particularly.”

“Would you prefer it if I were to leave?”

A slim brow cocked.

“This palace belongs to King Sinbad, not myself. I have no right to tell you where to and not to be within these walls.”

Silence fell between them following this statement, and the only sound became the rustle of clothing as the young prince leaned against the banister. Ame had to make a constant effort not to turn her head or flick her gaze to the side and observe him, though the curiosity itched at her. Had it been anyone else, she would have allowed herself fleeting glances by which to observe them, but not this time. He was different, and she would not risk more trouble than merely being in his presence surely was.

The longer the silence stretched on the more and more evident it became that neither of them was willing to be the first to break it. It became almost palpable in the air, not particularly tense but certainly lingering between them. They both knew that the quiet would continue if neither of them spoke up, if only because they were both far too proud to simply walk away now.

Finally, Ame gave in. She had avoided this as best she could up until this moment, but now unable to any longer, she folded. It would be faster to simply get it out of the way.

“You didn’t come here for silence.” she said, still not looking at the prince. “What did you want with me, Prince?”

The prince’s eyes strayed to her, but, seemingly realizing she was not doing the same, looked away again.

“Sir Alibaba told me your name is Ame, is that true?”

“Yes.” There was no point in hiding it when it had already been revealed. Besides that, this was Sindria, here at least she had a modicum of protection.

“That is not a native name, even for here.”

He looked at her again and this time, he did not look away.

“If I didn’t know better, I would say that name is one from the Kou Empire.”

“And what makes you so sure you know better?”

If he had been expecting shock or denial, he got neither. Ame turned her head to meet his gaze instead, simply observing him as he was her. It was his move now.

“Forgive the presumption, but were I a citizen of the Empire, and I was faced with one of its princes, I might be much more inclined to attempt to gain his favor.” he tilted his head. “Or at least, I would make more of an effort to avoid him.”

Ame had not expected the prince to be quite so perceptive, at least not after only meeting twice. She paused a moment, considering her next words before speaking them aloud.

“I have no real quarrel with you.” she said at last. “But neither do I have any real incentive to gain your favor.”

“Not even for the sake of your country?”

“Certainly not for that.”

Glacial eyes bored into her and, privately, Ame was impressed. Beneath his kind demeanor the prince was something else entirely, and she could tell it just by his gaze. If pushed, she almost feared that he would tear free of his skin and rend the very earth apart in the form of some beast.

“…The Kou Empire and I are not on the most pleasant of terms.” she admitted to him, once his gaze had gone on long enough. “And I have no real desire or motivation to change to that.”

He seemed to consider her words, the searching stare softening to simple observation once more. After a few moments, he nodded.

“I can understand that.” he replied, and there was a deeper meaning to those simple words.

Again, silence fell, and this time it lacked the weight of before. Ame knew it may have been better to lie, in this case, but the truth was out in the open now. It seemed foolish to go to any lengths to hide any longer anyway. Every great power was beginning to make its moves and just like always, she was caught up in that flow.

“Will that affect any relations we may have?”

The question started her from her thoughts and she turned her head again, offering the prince a surprised expression. He looked back, more curious than accusatory.

“…Not if you don’t think it will, no.”

The fourth prince smiled, taking a step back from the banister. He clasped his hands and bowed at the waist before once again standing straight.

“Hakuryuu Ren, Fourth Prince of the Kou Empire. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Ame mirrored him, stepping back and bowing in the same manor they had both learned as children to show respect.

“Ame Kurotsuki, last of the Alhars. The honor is mine, Prince Hakuryuu.”