rabenhorst (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rabenhorst) wrote2008-09-20 05:47 pm
rabenhorst) wrote2008-09-20 05:47 pm
(no subject)
Title: Worlds Collide; Chapter 6c
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
seinen_no and fonulyn
Rating: NC17
Pairing: Die and Kaoru
Disclaimer: We own no one, only our dirty imaginations.
Summary: As children the son of the Lord and the slave-boy were best of friends and the most important persons in each other’s lives. That was torn apart when the son of the Lord was sent away to get his education, and the boys were denied every form of keeping in contact. What happens when they meet again after all those years, now grown to be gorgeous young men, both bound by their place in the society?
Comments:
seinen_no: This is easily my most favourite ending. I am sorry, I can't help it, I'm a big sap. And really, I think this very last image we drew there. And now I was told to shut up because I gave away too much and now should rather let you see for yourself about all the endings, this in particular. It's twice as long as the others, so enjoy it and I can still tell you what I wanted to say afterwards XD Have fun!
And thank you all for helping us with the poll and for always giving us such nice comments. We really appreciate them a lot!
fonulyn: This is my personal favourite ending too and it was definitely needed for a reason that we will tell you once the time comes (which might be in a year or so seeing how friggin’ slow we are XD be patient). One reason why I like it is the length though, I’m just a sucker for long chapters and it makes me happy to have more pages in it than in the first two endings XD Just enjoy it!
And feel free to add our journal if you like the stories!
Plus, the archive .
Previously happened: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
Worlds Collide
Chapter 6c
"So you deny everything?" The lord asked, not sure how many times he had asked it already. Somehow he felt betrayed, because his own son didn't stand up for the order his father represented, and was now suspected of breaking one of the most important rules. Besides, his younger son had been quite convincing, had told him things that made him think that maybe his firstborn had changed too much during the years he had been away.
On the floor Die was silently praying that the lord would believe them, afraid that they would hurt his lover, do something to him. And he simply couldn't take much more of the pain either, his back bleeding from several cuts.
"Father," Kaoru raised his chin and looked at the older man sternly, "there is nothing to deny because I only tell the truth. May the great goddess be my witness."
Those words caused Tanaka to lose his temper. He dropped the whip and dragged the redhead at his feet. Holding a dagger close to Die's throat, he glared at his elder brother. "So you're saying he means nothing to you. I could just kill him and you wouldn't care?"
Kaoru's heart had missed a few beats when he saw the knife so close to his lover's throat,but he forced himself to remain calm and shook his head slowly. "Of course I would care. You'd bereave me of my slave and of a lot of pleasurable nights. You should have a good reason to do that." Every muscle in his body was tense, close to snapping and his eyes never left his younger brother's hand with the knife. One movement and he would be ready to stop him. At least Kaoru was hoping so.
Tanaka kept on staring at his brother, even pressing the knife a bit against the flawless skin so that a small red cut appeared on the slave's throat, tightening his grip on the red hair. Die couldn't hold back a small gasp as he was forced to tilt his head further backwards. He searched for Kaoru with his gaze, held his breath and practically prayed that the other man wouldn't give away anything that endangered him.
And he wasn't the only one staring at Kaoru, as it felt like every single pair of eyes in the room was directed at the young lord, waiting. That was when Tanaka took action, moving the knife, intending to cut the slave's throat.
Kaoru knew it was a trap, knew that he would be too late anyways because his brother only had to press the knife into his lover's skin to leave a lethal wound behind. Still, he launched forward and punched the man in the face. Surprised about such a quick movement, Tanaka stumbled backwards, blood running from his nostrils. In the first shock, he had loosened the grip on the redhead and had dropped the knife.
"I told you not to harm him!" Kaoru hissed through clenched teeth and only then realized what he had done. Still trying to save the situation, he straightened and forced a grin on his face. "A dead slave is of no use for me." Die fell to the floor on his knees, his heart missing a few beats and he tried to cast a glance at the lord to see if he believed his son or not.
The lord seemed angry, his features petrified, but he didn't have the time to say anything before Tanaka spoke up. "See father? Your oldest son has betrayed you! Doesn't this prove it already!?"
"This only proves that I don't like it when somebody interferes with my business and tries to spoil my property," Kaoru snarled at his brother.
The younger man grinned, a grin which could only mean nothing good. Again, Tanaka dragged Die to his feet, collected the knife and brought it close to the redhead's eye. "But he won't need two eyes to be able to serve you, will he, brother?"
He turned his head to face the lord, pure hatred gleaming in his eyes and the victory that was at hand seemingly drowning out the pain of his broken nose. "Father, that would be proof enough, wouldn't it? If I cut his eye with Kaoru's permission." Die panicked when he felt the cold knife against his skin, knowing that it wouldn't take much to make Tanaka do it, that the other man was just waiting for the permission.
The lord only thought for a moment, before nodding. "That would do. What do you have to say, Kaoru?" He turned to his son, looking at him demandingly. Kaoru's thoughts were racing. An eye? Could he give permission to blind the person he loved? He was almost at the verge of nodding when his glance met this younger brother's. The coldness in that stare caused his hackles to curl and sent cold shivers down his spine. Tanaka would make sure that this cost the redhead's life, no matter what.
Slowly, defeated, Kaoru shook his head. "No, I can't allow that." Quickly, he brought himself between Die and his brother, shielding his lover with his body so that Tanaka couldn't try anything at that moment. "I love him." He spoke those words loud and clear, for everybody to hear. Now, that the game was lost anyways, he was willing to face the consequences for himself as well. The words made Die close his eyes, as he knew they were lost. "No..." His voice was a faint whisper though and no one heard it, or at least paid attention to it.
Everyone was again staring at Kaoru, the lord's eyes reflecting pure anger. "So Tanaka was right." It was clear that he was furious, not able to even find the right words straight away. "You should be ashamed! Guards, take the slave away! He will die tomorrow. And as for my son... lock him up as well."
Kaoru could only cast an apologetic glance at his lover before two guards dragged him away and confined him to his room. He knew he shouldn't have added the last sentence as it only made things harder for him and Die, but he had had just spoken what his heart had told him. Besides, Die had been doomed from the beginning. Nobody spared a slave who had been accused of bewitching his master and taking advantage of him.
The guards threw the redhead into a small cell, attaching heavy shackles to his wrists and ankles before leaving him leaning against the cold wall. For a moment Die fell into desperation, knowing that they were doomed, that there was nothing he could do. And he was afraid, afraid of what they would do to his lover to punish him for this. Maybe they would at least spare Kaoru's life, and if he was lucky then he would only lose his heritage and be forced to leave his home.
Kaoru had no intentions in fighting for his miserable existence while his lover would be punished with death. He was already thinking about a way for them to flee, going through all the possibilities in his mind. He was grateful that they had brought him to his rooms instead of locking him up in a cell as well. Maybe it showed that his father still refused to let go of him completely and he could persuade him to spare Die's life.
Knowing that two guards were standing in front of his door, he searched for another way out of there and went to the door which led to his balcony. Just when he was about to step outside, the door behind him was opened and when he flung around to see who it was, his heart drooped. Tanaka.
"Hello, brother." The grin on Tanaka's lips showed clearly how content he was with himself although the clear hatred in his eyes never disappeared. He stared down at his older brother, chuckling amusedly. "Thinking about running?"
"Shouldn't you nurse your nose?" Kaoru asked a counter question and slowly took a few steps towards his brother. Something in the other man's eyes caused him to keep a certain safety-distance though and he remained standing next to the huge bed. "Better leave before father thinks you are thinking about helping me to flee."
"Oh, I don't think father would mind me being here." Tanaka shrugged, chuckling as he took a few steps closer, obviously taking delight in how his brother tensed slightly. "I just came to see my disgraced brother..."
"The mirror is over there." Kaoru gave a slight nod into the direction where a mirror hung on the wall, unable to hide the hatred in his voice. If it hadn't been for his sneaky brother, Die and he would still live undiscovered, would right at this moment lie in this very bed and share the kind of intimacy of which Tanaka could only dream.
The words didn't manage to elicit any kind of reaction from the younger brother and he slowly moved forward until he was standing right next to Kaoru, their bodies almost touching. "You gave yourself to a slave, doesn't it make you one of them?" He arched an eyebrow, tilting his head questioningly. "And you know what kind of services are included in slave's duties, right?"
Instinctively, Kaoru took a step backwards, but kept his eyes directed at his brother, trying not to give away that those words caused panic to well up inside him. "Giving myself to the one I love makes me a part of something divine and has nothing to do with slavery nor with the duties our society demands from them." He lifted his chin defiantly although he knew that it gave him the expression of a stubborn boy.
Tanaka kept on coming closer and Kaoru subconsciously kept on backing off until he was trapped between the wall and his brother. The smirk still in its place the younger man leaned closer, bringing his hand between their bodies, straight to his brother's groin. "Did it feel good, to have him fuck you?" He chuckled at the words, before going on in a low voice. "Maybe I should show you how a REAL man would do you... show you how it feels to be taken hard like a slave."
For a few seconds, the older son was totally stunned, unable to move with every muscle in his body so tense that they threatened to snap any second. Finally, he got a hold of himself and lifted his knee, ramming it directly into Tanaka's crotch. "Don't you dare to touch me ever again. I'd rather be his girl than your brother!" he practically spat the words out and tried to get away from the wall, from his younger brother.
Tanaka grabbed Kaoru's arm tightly though, preventing him from getting away and pinned him against the wall. He was slightly bigger than the other man, therefore able to hold him in place. "I have a suggestion." There was something wicked in his eyes as he spoke. "Give yourself to me, and I will make sure your precious slave will keep his life."
Kaoru's eyes widened and every sense of reason told him that this was just a trick, just meant to make him give in and in the end kill Die still. "Why should I believe you?" he asked, his voice a tad bit lower than before because his mind was racing, measuring his chances that his brother was lying.
"Don't your trust your own brother?" Tanaka pretended to be hurt. "Maybe I just want myself a new slave. Besides, I would then inherit father's respect,with my formerly more powerful brother as my personal slut. That sounds good, doesn't it?"
For a long moment, Kaoru considered this, considered giving himself to his brother to save the love of his life. If this only bought him time, it would already be worth the try. He swallowed hard, trying to make his voice sound steady. "What do you want from me?"
"I thought I already made it clear." The younger man looked at him with open hatred in his eyes, along with something else, something quite undefined. "I want your body in exchange. The whole deal. You'd be my slave."
"You know I take your life when you don't keep your promise and something happens to him, right?" The older son glared at his brother but slowly, very slowly, knelt down in front of him. "Deal..."
"I knew you were just a cheap, dirty slut." The hatred in Tanaka's eyes was something overwhelming, like it wouldn't even be possible for a man to feel that much hate towards someone. With a quick movement he rammed his knee straight in the older man's face. "And know what? I changed my mind. I'll go and pay that slave of yours a visit. A good, long visit."
The blow sent Kaoru to the ground and he felt his mouth fill with blood. He was too shocked though to pay attention to the pain and jumped back to his feet. "Tanaka!" Blood was spraying from his mouth along with the word. "You fucking bastard." His brother, however, had already closed the door behind him and no matter how hard Kaoru smashed his shoulder against the wood, it didn't give in. "Please don't," he whispered, sinking to the ground. He felt like scum, as if he had let his lover down. He didn't even want to think about what was awaiting Die now.
It took a while, but then silently the door creaked open and someone stepped in. Kaoru was lying on the floor by then, and the woman almost stumbled down as she tripped on him. A small gasp escaped her lips as she quickly set the tray of food on the table, kneeling down beside the young man. "Master Kaoru?" She called out to him in a soft voice to see if he was conscious. Slowly she reached out her hand, wiping a bit of blood away with her handkerchief.
"Don't call me that." The young man growled and wiped her hand off with an annoyed handgesture. Only then, he recognized her and sat up in a quick movement. "You are Die's mother." Quickly, he stood up and looked at the woman, something like hope flaring up in his eyes. "You need to get him out of there. They will kill him by the break of dawn."
The woman cast her eyes down, nervously twisting the hem of her skirt in her hands. "But what can I do? He broke the law, and there's no way to help him." Her voice was soft but somehow firm. "He should've listened to me and known his place." She dearly would've wanted to help her son, but didn't see any way to do it.
"No, please." Kaoru took her hand in his, his eyes utterly pleading. "I love him. From the bottom of my heart and it's all my fault. He would have never broken the law." He needed the woman's help. Without her, he would never manage to make it out of there and save his love. Slowly, he guided her to the bed and made her sit down. After wiping off some dried blood from his face with the back of his hand, he again looked at her directly. "You raised me as if I was your own child. Do you want to lose both sons at the same day?"
That was exactly the right way to make the woman agree to anything, as her heart cramped at the mere thought. She had always loved both of the boys like her own, and there was this deep attachment to them somewhere inside of her still. "What do you want me to do?" Her voice was determined as she made up her mind to do anything that was in her powers to do; even if it meant giving her own life to save the two.
Suddenly, there was an ally and the happiness about this caused Kaoru to pull her into his arms and embrace her tightly. "Thank you." Tears were welling in his eyes because he knew that he endangered her and he would've preferred if he didn't have to ask her to sacrifice this much.
Only after a long moment, he had collected himself again and looked at her softly. "I want you to go to the stables and get us the two fastest horses ready. You know, the black steed on the left when you come in and the brown one two stables to her right. Send the stable boy away if you can't trust him. Don't endanger anybody's life." He took a deep breath before he went on. "I will get him out of there."
"Alright. Anything else?" She knew she was allowed to move around the house rather freely, as her duties covered pretty much everything as long as it had something to do with household. No one would pay attention to a slave who walked along the corridors anyways. "I could get you a bit food and clothes too, for the journey." She smiled insecurely. She wasn't sure if this would ever succeed, but she wanted to believe it.
"Thank you so much." Kaoru smiled and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "That sounds good. And one more thing," he tilted his head, looking serious at her. "If you only sense that somebody is suspicious, you run and hide in the mountains. Don't endanger yourself, okay? I will come and get you then. Don't worry, I have my ways to find out what happened."
"I'm an old woman, I don't fear for myself." She shook her head, smiling softly. "If I see you two get out of that gate alive, I'm completely happy with it."
"I am so sorry that I bring nothing but troubles." The emotions were too much for the young lord and he buried his face in his foster mother's shoulder. "It just happened. I'm so sorry," he kept on repeating like a mantra.
She pulled the young man into a warm embrace, stroking his back gently. "Don't worry. Fate is stronger than us humans, and if this was meant to happen, there's nothing you could've done against it." Her voice was soft and calming as she spoke.
"I love him." Kaoru muttered against her neck and then suddenly looked up. "Oh my god! Tanaka! I have to stop him. I need to get out of here, right now." He gave her another kiss, then jumped up and rushed to the balcony to cast a look into the yard and see if it was possible to climb down without anybody noticing it. The thought that his brother was paying Die a visit at this very moment sped up his heartbeat and he was determined to kill this sneaky bastard.
"Kaoru," she called out, flinching a bit even herself because she had left out the 'master'. "Take care of him. And yourself." With that she smiled the last time, already turning to leave and do as she was supposed to, determined to give all the help she was able.
The addressed gave her an encouraging smile and a determined nod before he climbed over the balustrade. Die and he had done that a lot as children and the steps in the wall they had used were still there. He was lucky and none of the guards who were patrolling in the yard noticed him when he pressed himself against the wall, hiding in the shadows.
As soon as Tanaka had left his brother he had gone straight down to the cell where the redhead was held captive, determined to take his anger out on him. There were only three cells in that part of the building, two of them empty. He ordered the guard to leave him alone, knowing that Die wouldn't be able to try anything since he was chained and in addition still weak from the treatment during the questioning.
A malicious smirk appeared on Tanaka's face as he opened the door and stepped in. Die raised his hand to shield his eyes when more light seeped into the room from the corridor. He couldn't hold back a small gasp as he recognized who came in. This couldn't result in anything good.
"Hello Die." Tanaka purposefully addressed him with his nickname as he had heard Kaoru use it. He stepped close to the redhead, the grin still in its place when he ripped his robe away, his lecherous eyes roaming over every part of uncovered skin. "I know now why you fucked my filthy brother," he purred directly into Die's ear, his hand finding its way straight to his groin.
"Because he's too weak, incapable to do you really good like a man, unable to show you your place in life. But luckily," the grin widened even more, "I'm there to take care of that." One could see and hear how much he enjoyed having the other man immobilized right in front of him, how much he liked to toy with him like a cat toyed with the mouse before the kill.
Die squirmed, trying to move to the side to get away from Tanaka, to get his hands off him. Even the slightest touch sent unpleasant shivers along his spine, making him almost want to throw up. "Let go of me." He would've never dared to speak like this to anyone under normal circumstances, but he was doomed anyways, and hadn't forgotten all the bad things Tanaka had done. He turned to look the other man straight in the eye, an odd fire burning in his gaze. "Besides, Kaoru is at least twice the man you are, you bastard."
That earned him a hard smack in the face and Tanaka was fuming with anger. "You think so? Well, let me tell you something." He stepped even closer, lowering his voice conspiratorial. "He is my slave now. Oh, did he moan while I took him hard and he came thrice while he was bleeding for me."
The mere image those words caused made a disgusted shudder run through the redhead. He didn't want to believe that, prayed with everything that was in him that it wasn't true. "You liar." His voice was low though, since he wasn't completely sure. Tanaka had proved he was able to do anything when it came to cruelty.
"You know what the best thing was?" The lord's younger son had a wicked sparkle in his eyes and he chose his words carefully. "He did everything freewillingly, just to save a filthy existence like yours."
Die couldn't hold back a shocked gasp at the words. No, it couldn't be! Had he caused such an amount of suffering to the one he loved the most, to the one he had wanted to always keep safe? Weakly he tried to aim a punch at Tanaka, but the chains were so heavy that he managed to just barely touch him.
The other man was roaring with laughter, but suddenly stopped and became dead serious. "He's a slut and far too weak for me." With having said those words, he opened the shackles that bound Die's hands, but the ones at his feet remained while he took the one that was around his neck in his hand. "And now I show you what I call pleasure..."
"You filthy piece of scum." There was nothing but hatred in the redhead's eyes, when he glared at the other man full of anger. If he would've had a weapon he would've killed Tanaka right then and there for ever hurting Kaoru. Soon he fell silent though, clenching his teeth not to grant the other man the triumph of hearing his cries of pain.
If his first encounter with Tanaka had been painful, the man now seemed to be determined to alter the redhead’s imagination of what pain really was. Certain that he would have all night, he took his time, enjoying the sadist streak that now led his actions. Die tried to shut the pain out of his mind, to close his consciousness and escape to the pleasant memories, the happy times he had shared with his lover. But his will wasn't strong enough, the flashes of pain cutting through everything, making his whole world consist of hurting.
Tanaka was so lost in the pleasure of abusing and torturing the redhead that he didn't notice the door opening behind him. In one gigantic leap, Kaoru kicked him away from his lover and quickly used some of the chains on the wall to wrap them around his brother's neck. "Filthy scum." Without turning his eyes away from this dangerous man, he spoke up, addressing his lover. "Die? Are you alright?"
The redhead forced himself to get up on his knees, inhaling a few times to gain control over himself. "Kaoru? What are you doing here?" He couldn't believe that the other man was there, his eyes wide with surprise.
"I'm fucking here to save you and now get up and help me chain this bastard." Tanaka was struggling and suddenly began to scream. He was still aroused, his robe open and exposing him. "You ..." There were no words in Kaoru's mind to describe what he thought about this man, somebody who enjoyed ruining other people's lives, who enjoyed torturing a helpless man.
"How did you get here?" Die couldn't help that the question escaped him, but he got a grip and forced himself up on his legs. It made him wince, because his whole body was hurting, but he wrapped his torn clothes somewhat around himself, trying to come closer although the chains were still attached to his ankles.
"What do you think you two are doing?" Tanaka asked, laughing out loud. "One word from me and this place will be crowded with guards." Kaoru shook his head and nodded at his lover to finally hand him one of the shackles so that he could chain his brother to the wall. "No. Nobody will come here. I heard them, heard that they said they don't want to hear Die's screams of pain when you're having your fun with him. Tough luck that it's now going to be your screams..."
"Kaoru," Die reached out to touch the other man's shoulder, since he needed to ask something, although he feared the answer already. "Did he hurt you? He said -" His voice broke, and he had to swallow hard, directing a poisonous glance at Tanaka.
"Not really." Kaoru smiled at him, stretched his neck and gave his lover a small peck. "Only my pride." Tanaka used the moment and tried to break free, struggling although the chain around his neck was almost choking him. "Forget it, bastard." In a hectic movement, the older brother pulled the chain and immobilized him again. "Tell me Die," he said lowly, his eyes piercing the man before him, "how much did he hurt you?" There was a knife shining in Kaoru's other hand and neither Tanaka nor the redhead had seen where he had gotten it.
"You know, I could still live with the physical pain," Die spoke lowly through clenched teeth, glaring at the younger of the brothers, not able to hide his disgust. "But the things he said, and that he deliberately tried to ruin our lives every given opportunity... He deserves to suffer for that."
Although they didn't have endless time and should hurry, Kaoru wanted to enjoy this moment. It would be the last with his younger brother. Like to cut the last boundaries to his heritage, his birth, he cut off the part of his brother's that had hurt his lover more than once. The scream that echoed in the dungeon at that moment caused everybody who heard it a cold shiver down the spine and made hearts stop beating. "Now you won't ever be able to hurt somebody ever again and you'll die a lonely man without children of your own," Kaoru whispered full of hatred and dropped the bloody chunk of flesh to the floor.
The scream had made a cold shiver run along the redhead's spine, but he still kept staring at Tanaka, almost enjoying his pain as revenge. He couldn't suppress a dry grin that suddenly appeared on his lips, as he reached his hand towards his lover, signalling he wanted the knife. When Kaoru gave it to him he wordlessly pressed the steel underneath Tanaka's left eye, holding it there threateningly. "And you won't need two eyes to rule your kingdom, right?"
Kaoru followed his lover with his gaze, a surprised and still proud expression on his face. Tanaka was crying, his whole body shaking from the pain and if nobody came to bandage him, he would certainly bleed to death. "Please..." he whispered gargling, "...please." Kaoru stepped right behind his lover, protectively wrapping one arm around his waist as if to signal him that he was by his side.
Die took a sharp breath, before digging the knife into the soft flesh beneath his tormentor's eye. He wasn't cruel by nature, and even felt sorry for Tanaka for this, but he just couldn't let him get away with what he had done to hurt the people who meant the most to him. Another deafening scream echoed in the dungeon and Kaoru quickly took the knife from his lover's hand who seemed to be determined to finish Tanaka. "No. Let him live. It's a far greater punishment."
Carefully, he led Die to the door. "We have to hurry. Only if we're lucky, we get out without anybody noticing it. Otherwise we'll have to run." Worried, he looked at the younger man, his voice softening. "Will you be able to ride?"
"I will have to be." Die nodded a bit, not so sure if he could take it. Staying there would mean certain death though and they had to take their chances, even if they failed. For a moment he looked the other man in the eye, the mixture of emotions clear in his gaze, as well as in his voice. "I can never thank you enough."
Kaoru looked at him, slowly shaking his head. "No, I have to thank you. You showed me things I would've never seen otherwise." Then, he remembered that they had to hurry and gently tugged the redhead's hand that was resting securely in his own. "C'mon, we can thank each other for all eternity once we're outta here."
"Love you." Die couldn't help but to smile at Kaoru, squeezing his hand a bit tighter for a moment. Quickly they headed out of the cell though, leaving the bloody Tanaka lying there whimpering in pain. Hearing those words caused Kaoru's heart to beat even faster and he felt an almost inhuman strength fill his body, seemingly making him invincible.
Nobody hindered them when they left the dungeons. The guards really seemed to have taken some time off after being sent away from Tanaka. To reach the stables, they would either have to cross the whole yard without cover, or take a detour, sneaking along in the shadows of the Palace's walls. Kaoru decided for the detour, because the longer nobody spotted them, the more time his lover would have to try to recover a bit.
They were lucky, and managed to reach the stables without anyone seeing them. It was a dark night and that their dark clothes covered them somewhat. Die had pulled his cloth over his head, but as he stepped into the stable he suddenly froze, moving the cloth away to see better. "Mom." The woman was standing there with two horses, and had packed some food and other needed accessories in small bags she had tied to the saddles.
The woman was crying and smiling at the same time. "Daisuke." She saw the bruises although one could only see very little of his skin. In a sudden rush of emotions, she let go of the reins and hugged her son tightly, reaching out her other arm to wrap around Kaoru. "I'm glad to see you both alive. There's swords on the saddles, just in case."
"Oh gosh, mom," Seeing the woman broke something inside of the redhead and he hugged his mother tight, burying his face in her shoulder. "Don't let them see you're helping us." He didn't want to endanger his mother, wanted to keep her safe.
"Don't tell your mother what to do. Make sure you live through this." She withdrew a bit, smiling at her son. "Parents aren't supposed to outlive their children." Then, she turned to Kaoru and looked at him seriously. "Take good care of him and of yourself." The older man only nodded, his throat like laced up. "And now go! Go!"
Obediently they both got on their horses, after Die had hugged his mother tight once more. The redhead couldn't hold back a pained gasp when he got on the horse though, since his whole being was aching enormously. With determination he managed to get a grip of himself though, biting the insides of his cheeks.
There were cloths attached to the horses' hooves to muffle the echo of their steps on the stones of the yard. For a second, Kaoru was indecisive if they should try to avoid the guards still and keep on riding along the wall or if they should risk being seen when they crossed the empty space towards the gate. Somebody else took the decision for him though, because after the first few steps, a guard screamed. "Alarm! The prisoner escaped and lord Tanaka is wounded!" Suddenly, there were lights flaring up everywhere, torches lighting the whole place.
They had no other choice but to make their horses go as fast as they could, heading straight through the empty yard towards the gate. They knew they needed a good head start to make it, especially since Die was in a bad shape so that they weren't sure how long he could take the riding. Die's mother acted purely on instinct and ran after the two as fast as she could, hoping she would make it to the gate before the guards, who were just now gathering outside, getting their horses ready to follow the two refugees.
Kaoru was riding a bit behind his lover, since he was far more skilled and less hurt, to make sure the other man would keep up with him. When he cast a glance over his shoulder to see how much head-start they had from the guards, he saw Die's mother and instantly understood that this was her certain death. There was nothing he could do anymore as they were racing through the gate just at that moment.
The last thing he saw was that the woman hurried to close the two huge wings behind them to buy them some time. Maybe, nobody had recognized her, Kaoru thought, but he didn't really believe it himself.
Die's mother didn't mind, she had taken her decision as she had decided to help the two. She had lived long enough in her opinion, and she wanted to give hir son a chance for something better than she got herself. Thankfully Die didn't look back, because he had too much to do to keep himself in the saddle and to suppress the pain the bruises and cuts still caused. Otherwise he would've seen how his mother got trapped, knowing she would be dead before dawn. Her sacrifice hadn't been in vain though, since she managed to buy the two lovers some time, making it harder for the soldiers to get out and persue them.
Kaoru noticed how hard it was for his lover to stay in the saddle and he was worried that he might not last very long. "Just hold on. Your horse will follow mine," he yelled, purred his horse and overtook him. Both animals were fresh and well rested, used to race through the night. Still, it was dangerous because the path was uneven and there were holes in the ground which could become lethal traps for the fragile horse-legs. They were aiming for the mountains, hoping to get rid of their followers in the pitch black woods that would wait behind them.
Thankfully Die's horse seemed to know what was expected of it, because it followed the other horse without the redhead needing to do anything. Die was practically only clinging onto the horse, trying to keep himself from falling down and force the pain away from his mind. Somewhere in the distance they could hear their followers, but hoped they were still far enough.
Kaoru knew that they would have to cling to the horses as long as possible, because they wouldn't stand a chance by foot. But their followers seemed to make headway and got closer with time. Die on the other hand became weaker and weaker and Kaoru had to take a decision. He halted abruptly, glancing around in the darkness. There were only rocks around them, the mountains ahead, their followers behind and to their left a steep cliff and the ocean.
"Get off the horse," he demanded, already dismounting his steed and dragging the things off the saddle they couldn't abandon. Quickly, he stripped off his cloak and then went to his lover, taking his away from him as well. "Maybe they think we fell off the cliff," he explained when he threw the garments down.
"You think it'll work then?" Die looked totally nervous, rubbing his arms as the cold air instantly made him once the cloak was gone. "And now? Do we go on with the horses or by foot?" He searched for the other man's gaze, trying not to mind the freezing wind that seemed to blow right through them.
His lover had already unrolled another cloak which his mother had packed and now wrapped him into it. "There's a small cave not far from here. Remember...?" Kaoru looked at Die questioningly for a second while he took their belongings. "We can't take the horses. When they run back, they might think we're dead," he explained with a sigh and caressed his steed's head lovingly. He would certainly miss that animal, but before he had the time to become sentimental, Kaoru turned her around and gave her a hard slap on the butt. "Go home girl." Obediently, the horse raced forward, followed by the other one.
The cave Kaoru had been talking about was hidden in the cliff, dangerous to reach. He was praying that his lover would be able to climb there with him and that they would still fit inside, because it was very small, fit for children not for grown men. Thankfully the cave had been one of their secret hideouts as children, and no one else knew about it as far as he knew. Or Die's mother did, but that was no danger for them.
The rocks were slippery because it had been raining, a few big drops falling from the sky even now, as they tried not to lose balance since it would've meant getting crushed if they slipped off the cliff. Die wasn't sure if he could make it, but with determination and the help from the older man he somehow managed to get himself into the cave. Instantly, he pressed himself tight against the ground, not minding the burning pain in his back, so that the other man would fit in there too.
Kaoru squeezed himself inside and pressed their belongings in one corner. The ground was wet and cold, rough moreover, but the smell that lingered in the air, salty and fresh, was the smell of freedom. Carefully, he shifted to lie down on his side, his back facing the roaring ocean. "Come here." The voice was faint, out of breath, but all they could do now was to wait and hope nobody would find them.
Silently the redhead pressed himself close to his lover, seeking for both warmth and comfort. His heart was still racing in fear, and every single sound he heard made him stiffen and think that they have been discovered. Being close to Kaoru calmed him down somewhat thouh, when he buried his face into his lover's shoulder and inhaled the familiar scent.
***
The sun was shining down warm on Kaoru when he climbed the hill to the modest hut he shared with his redheaded lover. The meadows were lush and green, a soft breeze blowing from the seaside, carrying the smell of the ocean and the cries of swallows. He carried a basket with eggs, milk and bread in his arms which he had just exchanged for some sheep wool in the small village.
For an outsider, he must have appeared like a poor man, nothing giving away that he was noble by birth, but he couldn't have been happier or more content. Chuckling, he shooed the sheep away which were running around him, bleating to greet their owner. His eyes caught something red and made him raise his gaze, his smile widening as he spotted his younger lover at the entrance, waiting for him.
The redhead had developed a habit of always waiting for the other man when he was returning from the village, or somewhere else further away. He just loved to watch while Kaoru walked along the small path towards the hut they shared. Sometimes he still had doubts, because he wasn't sure if Kaoru wouldn't have been happier with the heritage of his father's fortune and living as a wealthy man.
In the beginning, it had been hard for Kaoru to adjust to their new life. He never complained, but Die could see it, was aware of how hard settling down had been for him. But they still loved each other, from the bottom of their hearts, and were determined to survive. Die was pulled back from his thoughts when the other man reached him, and he leaned down to greet him with a soft kiss.
As they vanished inside, the redhead instantly headed to the stove, lifting a pot to the table. "I think I managed to get it right this time." He nodded towards the food, grinning at his lover. He had managed to burn the stew for the first few attempts and ruin it otherwise a couple of times. When he wanted to turn around again and walk over to his seat, he was hindered by two arms which were wrapped around his waist and a mouth that pressed hotly against his neck.
"I'm proud of you, but the stew is far too hot to be eaten right away," Kaoru whispered, amusement resonating in his voice.
"Far too hot?" Die had to laugh and tilted his head to look at the other man from sparkling eyes, making an agreeing sound. "You're right. And I bet you have a good suggestion what to do until it's edible?"
The smile that was dancing on his lips widened even more as the arms around him tightened, giving him the answer without any words needed.
ENDING VERSION A - ENDING VERSION B - ENDING VERSION C
Author:
seinen_no and fonulynRating: NC17
Pairing: Die and Kaoru
Disclaimer: We own no one, only our dirty imaginations.
Summary: As children the son of the Lord and the slave-boy were best of friends and the most important persons in each other’s lives. That was torn apart when the son of the Lord was sent away to get his education, and the boys were denied every form of keeping in contact. What happens when they meet again after all those years, now grown to be gorgeous young men, both bound by their place in the society?
Comments:
seinen_no: This is easily my most favourite ending. I am sorry, I can't help it, I'm a big sap. And really, I think this very last image we drew there. And now I was told to shut up because I gave away too much and now should rather let you see for yourself about all the endings, this in particular. It's twice as long as the others, so enjoy it and I can still tell you what I wanted to say afterwards XD Have fun!And thank you all for helping us with the poll and for always giving us such nice comments. We really appreciate them a lot!
fonulyn: This is my personal favourite ending too and it was definitely needed for a reason that we will tell you once the time comes (which might be in a year or so seeing how friggin’ slow we are XD be patient). One reason why I like it is the length though, I’m just a sucker for long chapters and it makes me happy to have more pages in it than in the first two endings XD Just enjoy it!And feel free to add our journal if you like the stories!
Plus, the archive .
Previously happened: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
Chapter 6c
"So you deny everything?" The lord asked, not sure how many times he had asked it already. Somehow he felt betrayed, because his own son didn't stand up for the order his father represented, and was now suspected of breaking one of the most important rules. Besides, his younger son had been quite convincing, had told him things that made him think that maybe his firstborn had changed too much during the years he had been away.
On the floor Die was silently praying that the lord would believe them, afraid that they would hurt his lover, do something to him. And he simply couldn't take much more of the pain either, his back bleeding from several cuts.
"Father," Kaoru raised his chin and looked at the older man sternly, "there is nothing to deny because I only tell the truth. May the great goddess be my witness."
Those words caused Tanaka to lose his temper. He dropped the whip and dragged the redhead at his feet. Holding a dagger close to Die's throat, he glared at his elder brother. "So you're saying he means nothing to you. I could just kill him and you wouldn't care?"
Kaoru's heart had missed a few beats when he saw the knife so close to his lover's throat,but he forced himself to remain calm and shook his head slowly. "Of course I would care. You'd bereave me of my slave and of a lot of pleasurable nights. You should have a good reason to do that." Every muscle in his body was tense, close to snapping and his eyes never left his younger brother's hand with the knife. One movement and he would be ready to stop him. At least Kaoru was hoping so.
Tanaka kept on staring at his brother, even pressing the knife a bit against the flawless skin so that a small red cut appeared on the slave's throat, tightening his grip on the red hair. Die couldn't hold back a small gasp as he was forced to tilt his head further backwards. He searched for Kaoru with his gaze, held his breath and practically prayed that the other man wouldn't give away anything that endangered him.
And he wasn't the only one staring at Kaoru, as it felt like every single pair of eyes in the room was directed at the young lord, waiting. That was when Tanaka took action, moving the knife, intending to cut the slave's throat.
Kaoru knew it was a trap, knew that he would be too late anyways because his brother only had to press the knife into his lover's skin to leave a lethal wound behind. Still, he launched forward and punched the man in the face. Surprised about such a quick movement, Tanaka stumbled backwards, blood running from his nostrils. In the first shock, he had loosened the grip on the redhead and had dropped the knife.
"I told you not to harm him!" Kaoru hissed through clenched teeth and only then realized what he had done. Still trying to save the situation, he straightened and forced a grin on his face. "A dead slave is of no use for me." Die fell to the floor on his knees, his heart missing a few beats and he tried to cast a glance at the lord to see if he believed his son or not.
The lord seemed angry, his features petrified, but he didn't have the time to say anything before Tanaka spoke up. "See father? Your oldest son has betrayed you! Doesn't this prove it already!?"
"This only proves that I don't like it when somebody interferes with my business and tries to spoil my property," Kaoru snarled at his brother.
The younger man grinned, a grin which could only mean nothing good. Again, Tanaka dragged Die to his feet, collected the knife and brought it close to the redhead's eye. "But he won't need two eyes to be able to serve you, will he, brother?"
He turned his head to face the lord, pure hatred gleaming in his eyes and the victory that was at hand seemingly drowning out the pain of his broken nose. "Father, that would be proof enough, wouldn't it? If I cut his eye with Kaoru's permission." Die panicked when he felt the cold knife against his skin, knowing that it wouldn't take much to make Tanaka do it, that the other man was just waiting for the permission.
The lord only thought for a moment, before nodding. "That would do. What do you have to say, Kaoru?" He turned to his son, looking at him demandingly. Kaoru's thoughts were racing. An eye? Could he give permission to blind the person he loved? He was almost at the verge of nodding when his glance met this younger brother's. The coldness in that stare caused his hackles to curl and sent cold shivers down his spine. Tanaka would make sure that this cost the redhead's life, no matter what.
Slowly, defeated, Kaoru shook his head. "No, I can't allow that." Quickly, he brought himself between Die and his brother, shielding his lover with his body so that Tanaka couldn't try anything at that moment. "I love him." He spoke those words loud and clear, for everybody to hear. Now, that the game was lost anyways, he was willing to face the consequences for himself as well. The words made Die close his eyes, as he knew they were lost. "No..." His voice was a faint whisper though and no one heard it, or at least paid attention to it.
Everyone was again staring at Kaoru, the lord's eyes reflecting pure anger. "So Tanaka was right." It was clear that he was furious, not able to even find the right words straight away. "You should be ashamed! Guards, take the slave away! He will die tomorrow. And as for my son... lock him up as well."
Kaoru could only cast an apologetic glance at his lover before two guards dragged him away and confined him to his room. He knew he shouldn't have added the last sentence as it only made things harder for him and Die, but he had had just spoken what his heart had told him. Besides, Die had been doomed from the beginning. Nobody spared a slave who had been accused of bewitching his master and taking advantage of him.
The guards threw the redhead into a small cell, attaching heavy shackles to his wrists and ankles before leaving him leaning against the cold wall. For a moment Die fell into desperation, knowing that they were doomed, that there was nothing he could do. And he was afraid, afraid of what they would do to his lover to punish him for this. Maybe they would at least spare Kaoru's life, and if he was lucky then he would only lose his heritage and be forced to leave his home.
Kaoru had no intentions in fighting for his miserable existence while his lover would be punished with death. He was already thinking about a way for them to flee, going through all the possibilities in his mind. He was grateful that they had brought him to his rooms instead of locking him up in a cell as well. Maybe it showed that his father still refused to let go of him completely and he could persuade him to spare Die's life.
Knowing that two guards were standing in front of his door, he searched for another way out of there and went to the door which led to his balcony. Just when he was about to step outside, the door behind him was opened and when he flung around to see who it was, his heart drooped. Tanaka.
"Hello, brother." The grin on Tanaka's lips showed clearly how content he was with himself although the clear hatred in his eyes never disappeared. He stared down at his older brother, chuckling amusedly. "Thinking about running?"
"Shouldn't you nurse your nose?" Kaoru asked a counter question and slowly took a few steps towards his brother. Something in the other man's eyes caused him to keep a certain safety-distance though and he remained standing next to the huge bed. "Better leave before father thinks you are thinking about helping me to flee."
"Oh, I don't think father would mind me being here." Tanaka shrugged, chuckling as he took a few steps closer, obviously taking delight in how his brother tensed slightly. "I just came to see my disgraced brother..."
"The mirror is over there." Kaoru gave a slight nod into the direction where a mirror hung on the wall, unable to hide the hatred in his voice. If it hadn't been for his sneaky brother, Die and he would still live undiscovered, would right at this moment lie in this very bed and share the kind of intimacy of which Tanaka could only dream.
The words didn't manage to elicit any kind of reaction from the younger brother and he slowly moved forward until he was standing right next to Kaoru, their bodies almost touching. "You gave yourself to a slave, doesn't it make you one of them?" He arched an eyebrow, tilting his head questioningly. "And you know what kind of services are included in slave's duties, right?"
Instinctively, Kaoru took a step backwards, but kept his eyes directed at his brother, trying not to give away that those words caused panic to well up inside him. "Giving myself to the one I love makes me a part of something divine and has nothing to do with slavery nor with the duties our society demands from them." He lifted his chin defiantly although he knew that it gave him the expression of a stubborn boy.
Tanaka kept on coming closer and Kaoru subconsciously kept on backing off until he was trapped between the wall and his brother. The smirk still in its place the younger man leaned closer, bringing his hand between their bodies, straight to his brother's groin. "Did it feel good, to have him fuck you?" He chuckled at the words, before going on in a low voice. "Maybe I should show you how a REAL man would do you... show you how it feels to be taken hard like a slave."
For a few seconds, the older son was totally stunned, unable to move with every muscle in his body so tense that they threatened to snap any second. Finally, he got a hold of himself and lifted his knee, ramming it directly into Tanaka's crotch. "Don't you dare to touch me ever again. I'd rather be his girl than your brother!" he practically spat the words out and tried to get away from the wall, from his younger brother.
Tanaka grabbed Kaoru's arm tightly though, preventing him from getting away and pinned him against the wall. He was slightly bigger than the other man, therefore able to hold him in place. "I have a suggestion." There was something wicked in his eyes as he spoke. "Give yourself to me, and I will make sure your precious slave will keep his life."
Kaoru's eyes widened and every sense of reason told him that this was just a trick, just meant to make him give in and in the end kill Die still. "Why should I believe you?" he asked, his voice a tad bit lower than before because his mind was racing, measuring his chances that his brother was lying.
"Don't your trust your own brother?" Tanaka pretended to be hurt. "Maybe I just want myself a new slave. Besides, I would then inherit father's respect,with my formerly more powerful brother as my personal slut. That sounds good, doesn't it?"
For a long moment, Kaoru considered this, considered giving himself to his brother to save the love of his life. If this only bought him time, it would already be worth the try. He swallowed hard, trying to make his voice sound steady. "What do you want from me?"
"I thought I already made it clear." The younger man looked at him with open hatred in his eyes, along with something else, something quite undefined. "I want your body in exchange. The whole deal. You'd be my slave."
"You know I take your life when you don't keep your promise and something happens to him, right?" The older son glared at his brother but slowly, very slowly, knelt down in front of him. "Deal..."
"I knew you were just a cheap, dirty slut." The hatred in Tanaka's eyes was something overwhelming, like it wouldn't even be possible for a man to feel that much hate towards someone. With a quick movement he rammed his knee straight in the older man's face. "And know what? I changed my mind. I'll go and pay that slave of yours a visit. A good, long visit."
The blow sent Kaoru to the ground and he felt his mouth fill with blood. He was too shocked though to pay attention to the pain and jumped back to his feet. "Tanaka!" Blood was spraying from his mouth along with the word. "You fucking bastard." His brother, however, had already closed the door behind him and no matter how hard Kaoru smashed his shoulder against the wood, it didn't give in. "Please don't," he whispered, sinking to the ground. He felt like scum, as if he had let his lover down. He didn't even want to think about what was awaiting Die now.
It took a while, but then silently the door creaked open and someone stepped in. Kaoru was lying on the floor by then, and the woman almost stumbled down as she tripped on him. A small gasp escaped her lips as she quickly set the tray of food on the table, kneeling down beside the young man. "Master Kaoru?" She called out to him in a soft voice to see if he was conscious. Slowly she reached out her hand, wiping a bit of blood away with her handkerchief.
"Don't call me that." The young man growled and wiped her hand off with an annoyed handgesture. Only then, he recognized her and sat up in a quick movement. "You are Die's mother." Quickly, he stood up and looked at the woman, something like hope flaring up in his eyes. "You need to get him out of there. They will kill him by the break of dawn."
The woman cast her eyes down, nervously twisting the hem of her skirt in her hands. "But what can I do? He broke the law, and there's no way to help him." Her voice was soft but somehow firm. "He should've listened to me and known his place." She dearly would've wanted to help her son, but didn't see any way to do it.
"No, please." Kaoru took her hand in his, his eyes utterly pleading. "I love him. From the bottom of my heart and it's all my fault. He would have never broken the law." He needed the woman's help. Without her, he would never manage to make it out of there and save his love. Slowly, he guided her to the bed and made her sit down. After wiping off some dried blood from his face with the back of his hand, he again looked at her directly. "You raised me as if I was your own child. Do you want to lose both sons at the same day?"
That was exactly the right way to make the woman agree to anything, as her heart cramped at the mere thought. She had always loved both of the boys like her own, and there was this deep attachment to them somewhere inside of her still. "What do you want me to do?" Her voice was determined as she made up her mind to do anything that was in her powers to do; even if it meant giving her own life to save the two.
Suddenly, there was an ally and the happiness about this caused Kaoru to pull her into his arms and embrace her tightly. "Thank you." Tears were welling in his eyes because he knew that he endangered her and he would've preferred if he didn't have to ask her to sacrifice this much.
Only after a long moment, he had collected himself again and looked at her softly. "I want you to go to the stables and get us the two fastest horses ready. You know, the black steed on the left when you come in and the brown one two stables to her right. Send the stable boy away if you can't trust him. Don't endanger anybody's life." He took a deep breath before he went on. "I will get him out of there."
"Alright. Anything else?" She knew she was allowed to move around the house rather freely, as her duties covered pretty much everything as long as it had something to do with household. No one would pay attention to a slave who walked along the corridors anyways. "I could get you a bit food and clothes too, for the journey." She smiled insecurely. She wasn't sure if this would ever succeed, but she wanted to believe it.
"Thank you so much." Kaoru smiled and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "That sounds good. And one more thing," he tilted his head, looking serious at her. "If you only sense that somebody is suspicious, you run and hide in the mountains. Don't endanger yourself, okay? I will come and get you then. Don't worry, I have my ways to find out what happened."
"I'm an old woman, I don't fear for myself." She shook her head, smiling softly. "If I see you two get out of that gate alive, I'm completely happy with it."
"I am so sorry that I bring nothing but troubles." The emotions were too much for the young lord and he buried his face in his foster mother's shoulder. "It just happened. I'm so sorry," he kept on repeating like a mantra.
She pulled the young man into a warm embrace, stroking his back gently. "Don't worry. Fate is stronger than us humans, and if this was meant to happen, there's nothing you could've done against it." Her voice was soft and calming as she spoke.
"I love him." Kaoru muttered against her neck and then suddenly looked up. "Oh my god! Tanaka! I have to stop him. I need to get out of here, right now." He gave her another kiss, then jumped up and rushed to the balcony to cast a look into the yard and see if it was possible to climb down without anybody noticing it. The thought that his brother was paying Die a visit at this very moment sped up his heartbeat and he was determined to kill this sneaky bastard.
"Kaoru," she called out, flinching a bit even herself because she had left out the 'master'. "Take care of him. And yourself." With that she smiled the last time, already turning to leave and do as she was supposed to, determined to give all the help she was able.
The addressed gave her an encouraging smile and a determined nod before he climbed over the balustrade. Die and he had done that a lot as children and the steps in the wall they had used were still there. He was lucky and none of the guards who were patrolling in the yard noticed him when he pressed himself against the wall, hiding in the shadows.
As soon as Tanaka had left his brother he had gone straight down to the cell where the redhead was held captive, determined to take his anger out on him. There were only three cells in that part of the building, two of them empty. He ordered the guard to leave him alone, knowing that Die wouldn't be able to try anything since he was chained and in addition still weak from the treatment during the questioning.
A malicious smirk appeared on Tanaka's face as he opened the door and stepped in. Die raised his hand to shield his eyes when more light seeped into the room from the corridor. He couldn't hold back a small gasp as he recognized who came in. This couldn't result in anything good.
"Hello Die." Tanaka purposefully addressed him with his nickname as he had heard Kaoru use it. He stepped close to the redhead, the grin still in its place when he ripped his robe away, his lecherous eyes roaming over every part of uncovered skin. "I know now why you fucked my filthy brother," he purred directly into Die's ear, his hand finding its way straight to his groin.
"Because he's too weak, incapable to do you really good like a man, unable to show you your place in life. But luckily," the grin widened even more, "I'm there to take care of that." One could see and hear how much he enjoyed having the other man immobilized right in front of him, how much he liked to toy with him like a cat toyed with the mouse before the kill.
Die squirmed, trying to move to the side to get away from Tanaka, to get his hands off him. Even the slightest touch sent unpleasant shivers along his spine, making him almost want to throw up. "Let go of me." He would've never dared to speak like this to anyone under normal circumstances, but he was doomed anyways, and hadn't forgotten all the bad things Tanaka had done. He turned to look the other man straight in the eye, an odd fire burning in his gaze. "Besides, Kaoru is at least twice the man you are, you bastard."
That earned him a hard smack in the face and Tanaka was fuming with anger. "You think so? Well, let me tell you something." He stepped even closer, lowering his voice conspiratorial. "He is my slave now. Oh, did he moan while I took him hard and he came thrice while he was bleeding for me."
The mere image those words caused made a disgusted shudder run through the redhead. He didn't want to believe that, prayed with everything that was in him that it wasn't true. "You liar." His voice was low though, since he wasn't completely sure. Tanaka had proved he was able to do anything when it came to cruelty.
"You know what the best thing was?" The lord's younger son had a wicked sparkle in his eyes and he chose his words carefully. "He did everything freewillingly, just to save a filthy existence like yours."
Die couldn't hold back a shocked gasp at the words. No, it couldn't be! Had he caused such an amount of suffering to the one he loved the most, to the one he had wanted to always keep safe? Weakly he tried to aim a punch at Tanaka, but the chains were so heavy that he managed to just barely touch him.
The other man was roaring with laughter, but suddenly stopped and became dead serious. "He's a slut and far too weak for me." With having said those words, he opened the shackles that bound Die's hands, but the ones at his feet remained while he took the one that was around his neck in his hand. "And now I show you what I call pleasure..."
"You filthy piece of scum." There was nothing but hatred in the redhead's eyes, when he glared at the other man full of anger. If he would've had a weapon he would've killed Tanaka right then and there for ever hurting Kaoru. Soon he fell silent though, clenching his teeth not to grant the other man the triumph of hearing his cries of pain.
If his first encounter with Tanaka had been painful, the man now seemed to be determined to alter the redhead’s imagination of what pain really was. Certain that he would have all night, he took his time, enjoying the sadist streak that now led his actions. Die tried to shut the pain out of his mind, to close his consciousness and escape to the pleasant memories, the happy times he had shared with his lover. But his will wasn't strong enough, the flashes of pain cutting through everything, making his whole world consist of hurting.
Tanaka was so lost in the pleasure of abusing and torturing the redhead that he didn't notice the door opening behind him. In one gigantic leap, Kaoru kicked him away from his lover and quickly used some of the chains on the wall to wrap them around his brother's neck. "Filthy scum." Without turning his eyes away from this dangerous man, he spoke up, addressing his lover. "Die? Are you alright?"
The redhead forced himself to get up on his knees, inhaling a few times to gain control over himself. "Kaoru? What are you doing here?" He couldn't believe that the other man was there, his eyes wide with surprise.
"I'm fucking here to save you and now get up and help me chain this bastard." Tanaka was struggling and suddenly began to scream. He was still aroused, his robe open and exposing him. "You ..." There were no words in Kaoru's mind to describe what he thought about this man, somebody who enjoyed ruining other people's lives, who enjoyed torturing a helpless man.
"How did you get here?" Die couldn't help that the question escaped him, but he got a grip and forced himself up on his legs. It made him wince, because his whole body was hurting, but he wrapped his torn clothes somewhat around himself, trying to come closer although the chains were still attached to his ankles.
"What do you think you two are doing?" Tanaka asked, laughing out loud. "One word from me and this place will be crowded with guards." Kaoru shook his head and nodded at his lover to finally hand him one of the shackles so that he could chain his brother to the wall. "No. Nobody will come here. I heard them, heard that they said they don't want to hear Die's screams of pain when you're having your fun with him. Tough luck that it's now going to be your screams..."
"Kaoru," Die reached out to touch the other man's shoulder, since he needed to ask something, although he feared the answer already. "Did he hurt you? He said -" His voice broke, and he had to swallow hard, directing a poisonous glance at Tanaka.
"Not really." Kaoru smiled at him, stretched his neck and gave his lover a small peck. "Only my pride." Tanaka used the moment and tried to break free, struggling although the chain around his neck was almost choking him. "Forget it, bastard." In a hectic movement, the older brother pulled the chain and immobilized him again. "Tell me Die," he said lowly, his eyes piercing the man before him, "how much did he hurt you?" There was a knife shining in Kaoru's other hand and neither Tanaka nor the redhead had seen where he had gotten it.
"You know, I could still live with the physical pain," Die spoke lowly through clenched teeth, glaring at the younger of the brothers, not able to hide his disgust. "But the things he said, and that he deliberately tried to ruin our lives every given opportunity... He deserves to suffer for that."
Although they didn't have endless time and should hurry, Kaoru wanted to enjoy this moment. It would be the last with his younger brother. Like to cut the last boundaries to his heritage, his birth, he cut off the part of his brother's that had hurt his lover more than once. The scream that echoed in the dungeon at that moment caused everybody who heard it a cold shiver down the spine and made hearts stop beating. "Now you won't ever be able to hurt somebody ever again and you'll die a lonely man without children of your own," Kaoru whispered full of hatred and dropped the bloody chunk of flesh to the floor.
The scream had made a cold shiver run along the redhead's spine, but he still kept staring at Tanaka, almost enjoying his pain as revenge. He couldn't suppress a dry grin that suddenly appeared on his lips, as he reached his hand towards his lover, signalling he wanted the knife. When Kaoru gave it to him he wordlessly pressed the steel underneath Tanaka's left eye, holding it there threateningly. "And you won't need two eyes to rule your kingdom, right?"
Kaoru followed his lover with his gaze, a surprised and still proud expression on his face. Tanaka was crying, his whole body shaking from the pain and if nobody came to bandage him, he would certainly bleed to death. "Please..." he whispered gargling, "...please." Kaoru stepped right behind his lover, protectively wrapping one arm around his waist as if to signal him that he was by his side.
Die took a sharp breath, before digging the knife into the soft flesh beneath his tormentor's eye. He wasn't cruel by nature, and even felt sorry for Tanaka for this, but he just couldn't let him get away with what he had done to hurt the people who meant the most to him. Another deafening scream echoed in the dungeon and Kaoru quickly took the knife from his lover's hand who seemed to be determined to finish Tanaka. "No. Let him live. It's a far greater punishment."
Carefully, he led Die to the door. "We have to hurry. Only if we're lucky, we get out without anybody noticing it. Otherwise we'll have to run." Worried, he looked at the younger man, his voice softening. "Will you be able to ride?"
"I will have to be." Die nodded a bit, not so sure if he could take it. Staying there would mean certain death though and they had to take their chances, even if they failed. For a moment he looked the other man in the eye, the mixture of emotions clear in his gaze, as well as in his voice. "I can never thank you enough."
Kaoru looked at him, slowly shaking his head. "No, I have to thank you. You showed me things I would've never seen otherwise." Then, he remembered that they had to hurry and gently tugged the redhead's hand that was resting securely in his own. "C'mon, we can thank each other for all eternity once we're outta here."
"Love you." Die couldn't help but to smile at Kaoru, squeezing his hand a bit tighter for a moment. Quickly they headed out of the cell though, leaving the bloody Tanaka lying there whimpering in pain. Hearing those words caused Kaoru's heart to beat even faster and he felt an almost inhuman strength fill his body, seemingly making him invincible.
Nobody hindered them when they left the dungeons. The guards really seemed to have taken some time off after being sent away from Tanaka. To reach the stables, they would either have to cross the whole yard without cover, or take a detour, sneaking along in the shadows of the Palace's walls. Kaoru decided for the detour, because the longer nobody spotted them, the more time his lover would have to try to recover a bit.
They were lucky, and managed to reach the stables without anyone seeing them. It was a dark night and that their dark clothes covered them somewhat. Die had pulled his cloth over his head, but as he stepped into the stable he suddenly froze, moving the cloth away to see better. "Mom." The woman was standing there with two horses, and had packed some food and other needed accessories in small bags she had tied to the saddles.
The woman was crying and smiling at the same time. "Daisuke." She saw the bruises although one could only see very little of his skin. In a sudden rush of emotions, she let go of the reins and hugged her son tightly, reaching out her other arm to wrap around Kaoru. "I'm glad to see you both alive. There's swords on the saddles, just in case."
"Oh gosh, mom," Seeing the woman broke something inside of the redhead and he hugged his mother tight, burying his face in her shoulder. "Don't let them see you're helping us." He didn't want to endanger his mother, wanted to keep her safe.
"Don't tell your mother what to do. Make sure you live through this." She withdrew a bit, smiling at her son. "Parents aren't supposed to outlive their children." Then, she turned to Kaoru and looked at him seriously. "Take good care of him and of yourself." The older man only nodded, his throat like laced up. "And now go! Go!"
Obediently they both got on their horses, after Die had hugged his mother tight once more. The redhead couldn't hold back a pained gasp when he got on the horse though, since his whole being was aching enormously. With determination he managed to get a grip of himself though, biting the insides of his cheeks.
There were cloths attached to the horses' hooves to muffle the echo of their steps on the stones of the yard. For a second, Kaoru was indecisive if they should try to avoid the guards still and keep on riding along the wall or if they should risk being seen when they crossed the empty space towards the gate. Somebody else took the decision for him though, because after the first few steps, a guard screamed. "Alarm! The prisoner escaped and lord Tanaka is wounded!" Suddenly, there were lights flaring up everywhere, torches lighting the whole place.
They had no other choice but to make their horses go as fast as they could, heading straight through the empty yard towards the gate. They knew they needed a good head start to make it, especially since Die was in a bad shape so that they weren't sure how long he could take the riding. Die's mother acted purely on instinct and ran after the two as fast as she could, hoping she would make it to the gate before the guards, who were just now gathering outside, getting their horses ready to follow the two refugees.
Kaoru was riding a bit behind his lover, since he was far more skilled and less hurt, to make sure the other man would keep up with him. When he cast a glance over his shoulder to see how much head-start they had from the guards, he saw Die's mother and instantly understood that this was her certain death. There was nothing he could do anymore as they were racing through the gate just at that moment.
The last thing he saw was that the woman hurried to close the two huge wings behind them to buy them some time. Maybe, nobody had recognized her, Kaoru thought, but he didn't really believe it himself.
Die's mother didn't mind, she had taken her decision as she had decided to help the two. She had lived long enough in her opinion, and she wanted to give hir son a chance for something better than she got herself. Thankfully Die didn't look back, because he had too much to do to keep himself in the saddle and to suppress the pain the bruises and cuts still caused. Otherwise he would've seen how his mother got trapped, knowing she would be dead before dawn. Her sacrifice hadn't been in vain though, since she managed to buy the two lovers some time, making it harder for the soldiers to get out and persue them.
Kaoru noticed how hard it was for his lover to stay in the saddle and he was worried that he might not last very long. "Just hold on. Your horse will follow mine," he yelled, purred his horse and overtook him. Both animals were fresh and well rested, used to race through the night. Still, it was dangerous because the path was uneven and there were holes in the ground which could become lethal traps for the fragile horse-legs. They were aiming for the mountains, hoping to get rid of their followers in the pitch black woods that would wait behind them.
Thankfully Die's horse seemed to know what was expected of it, because it followed the other horse without the redhead needing to do anything. Die was practically only clinging onto the horse, trying to keep himself from falling down and force the pain away from his mind. Somewhere in the distance they could hear their followers, but hoped they were still far enough.
Kaoru knew that they would have to cling to the horses as long as possible, because they wouldn't stand a chance by foot. But their followers seemed to make headway and got closer with time. Die on the other hand became weaker and weaker and Kaoru had to take a decision. He halted abruptly, glancing around in the darkness. There were only rocks around them, the mountains ahead, their followers behind and to their left a steep cliff and the ocean.
"Get off the horse," he demanded, already dismounting his steed and dragging the things off the saddle they couldn't abandon. Quickly, he stripped off his cloak and then went to his lover, taking his away from him as well. "Maybe they think we fell off the cliff," he explained when he threw the garments down.
"You think it'll work then?" Die looked totally nervous, rubbing his arms as the cold air instantly made him once the cloak was gone. "And now? Do we go on with the horses or by foot?" He searched for the other man's gaze, trying not to mind the freezing wind that seemed to blow right through them.
His lover had already unrolled another cloak which his mother had packed and now wrapped him into it. "There's a small cave not far from here. Remember...?" Kaoru looked at Die questioningly for a second while he took their belongings. "We can't take the horses. When they run back, they might think we're dead," he explained with a sigh and caressed his steed's head lovingly. He would certainly miss that animal, but before he had the time to become sentimental, Kaoru turned her around and gave her a hard slap on the butt. "Go home girl." Obediently, the horse raced forward, followed by the other one.
The cave Kaoru had been talking about was hidden in the cliff, dangerous to reach. He was praying that his lover would be able to climb there with him and that they would still fit inside, because it was very small, fit for children not for grown men. Thankfully the cave had been one of their secret hideouts as children, and no one else knew about it as far as he knew. Or Die's mother did, but that was no danger for them.
The rocks were slippery because it had been raining, a few big drops falling from the sky even now, as they tried not to lose balance since it would've meant getting crushed if they slipped off the cliff. Die wasn't sure if he could make it, but with determination and the help from the older man he somehow managed to get himself into the cave. Instantly, he pressed himself tight against the ground, not minding the burning pain in his back, so that the other man would fit in there too.
Kaoru squeezed himself inside and pressed their belongings in one corner. The ground was wet and cold, rough moreover, but the smell that lingered in the air, salty and fresh, was the smell of freedom. Carefully, he shifted to lie down on his side, his back facing the roaring ocean. "Come here." The voice was faint, out of breath, but all they could do now was to wait and hope nobody would find them.
Silently the redhead pressed himself close to his lover, seeking for both warmth and comfort. His heart was still racing in fear, and every single sound he heard made him stiffen and think that they have been discovered. Being close to Kaoru calmed him down somewhat thouh, when he buried his face into his lover's shoulder and inhaled the familiar scent.
***
The sun was shining down warm on Kaoru when he climbed the hill to the modest hut he shared with his redheaded lover. The meadows were lush and green, a soft breeze blowing from the seaside, carrying the smell of the ocean and the cries of swallows. He carried a basket with eggs, milk and bread in his arms which he had just exchanged for some sheep wool in the small village.
For an outsider, he must have appeared like a poor man, nothing giving away that he was noble by birth, but he couldn't have been happier or more content. Chuckling, he shooed the sheep away which were running around him, bleating to greet their owner. His eyes caught something red and made him raise his gaze, his smile widening as he spotted his younger lover at the entrance, waiting for him.
The redhead had developed a habit of always waiting for the other man when he was returning from the village, or somewhere else further away. He just loved to watch while Kaoru walked along the small path towards the hut they shared. Sometimes he still had doubts, because he wasn't sure if Kaoru wouldn't have been happier with the heritage of his father's fortune and living as a wealthy man.
In the beginning, it had been hard for Kaoru to adjust to their new life. He never complained, but Die could see it, was aware of how hard settling down had been for him. But they still loved each other, from the bottom of their hearts, and were determined to survive. Die was pulled back from his thoughts when the other man reached him, and he leaned down to greet him with a soft kiss.
As they vanished inside, the redhead instantly headed to the stove, lifting a pot to the table. "I think I managed to get it right this time." He nodded towards the food, grinning at his lover. He had managed to burn the stew for the first few attempts and ruin it otherwise a couple of times. When he wanted to turn around again and walk over to his seat, he was hindered by two arms which were wrapped around his waist and a mouth that pressed hotly against his neck.
"I'm proud of you, but the stew is far too hot to be eaten right away," Kaoru whispered, amusement resonating in his voice.
"Far too hot?" Die had to laugh and tilted his head to look at the other man from sparkling eyes, making an agreeing sound. "You're right. And I bet you have a good suggestion what to do until it's edible?"
The smile that was dancing on his lips widened even more as the arms around him tightened, giving him the answer without any words needed.
ENDING VERSION A - ENDING VERSION B - ENDING VERSION C
no subject
Yuh totally, I think die would have done more if he wasn't stopped by Kaoru. I take it you would have done more if Seinen_no didn't stop you ;)
You are welcome ^___________^
no subject
no subject