[FIC] A Whisperer's Love: Chapter 15
Title: A Whisperer's Love
Author: isha_mabin
Pairing: AKAME
Raiting: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Disclaimer: I only own the plot, nothing (or no one) else
Summary: The King's only son, Prince Jin, is gravely ill and it is said that only a kiss of life from a Whisperer - immortals who are able to wield magic - can cure the Prince. But Whisperers happen to be wiped out in the old times due to the decree passed by the previous royalties. Or so they thought until a Whisperer was caught. But there's a catch - this Whisperer happens to be a male.
A/N: I'm busy with my summer classes so I might not be able to update as fast as I did before...
Previous Chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14
Chapter 15: A Visit and A Warning
"Your highness..." a maid bowed respectfully upon seeing Kazuya.
"Um, could you not call me that?" Kazuya requested uneasily. He was not used to all the sudden high respect everyone was giving him. Practically everyone who works for the royal family were calling him 'your highness', treating him delicately, and giving him much attention.
It was unnerving.
He talked to Pi about his concern but the man only laughed, telling him he better get used to it.
"You will soon be their Queen, of course they'll treat you as such."
Pi really does love teasing him about the fact that since he accepted Jin's marriage proposal, he would have to take on the title of being Queen.
"I'm sorry your highness but it is King Jin's order that we all give you the same respect that we give him," the maid apologized, bowing even lower.
"Okay then." He didn't want to get the girl in trouble for disobeying direct orders.
"Your highness, someone wishes to see you," another maid informed.
"Who is it?" Kazuya asked curiously. He was not expecting anyone. Besides who would ever visit him? "Ah, is it Yamapi?"
"No, your highness. The kind sir refused to say his name but he said you know him. He said to show this to you." She handed Kazuya a small bottle with gold dust in it.
Gold dust. Then he remembered his family. Except for him and Mint, all his family members' special lights were all gold-colored.
"Where is he?" He asked excitedly.
"On the courtyard, your highness."
The girl was barely done speaking when Kazuya sprinted away, leaving the two young maids very confused.
Kazuya shielded his eyes from the bright sunlight that momentarily blinded him once he stepped into the courtyard.
"Congratulations on your engagement, your highness."
That voice...
Kazuya couldn't stop the tears that fell on his eyes.
There on the courtyard was none other than his older brother Tatsuya.
"Nii-chan! I thought I'd never see you again."
"I never thought our reunion would be like this." Tatsuya shook his head and sat next to Kazuya. "Here, hug me like you used to." He opened his arms and Kazuya jumped into them instantly.
"I missed you so much!"
Tatsuya grinned and hugged him back tightly. "I missed you too little brother."
"How did you find me?"
"I heard from the winged horses. Pegasus was here on the King's proposal to you and word traveled." He shrugged. "Ever since we were chased away from our home, I was trying to find you. I never thought I'd find you here. I thought Mother warned you not to return here Kazuya."
"You...don't approve of me being here?" He asked hesitantly.
"I just don't understand why you chose to stay here."
"I left this kingdom before but on one of forests that I stayed in, a human woman and her son took me in. They were kind to me."
"You were lucky, then." Tatsuya smiled wistfully.
"Yes, I was," Kazuya agreed. "After that, fate led me here. And I found a Prince that needed the kiss of life, just like Mint predicted."
"Mint huh? So that prince is obviously your now fiance, King Jin."
Kazuya smiled brightly. "I didn't think it would ever happen but yes. Enough about me. How about you? What happened to you, nii-chan? That day we parted, where did you go?" He asked curiously.
"I was taken in by someone too."
"Really? Tell me all about it!"
Tatsuya laughed. "Years had passed and you're still as lively as ever." He looked at the sky, the memories coming back to him. "When we parted, I ran and ran until I passed out behind a bush near a mansion. When I regained consciousness, I was in a comfortable bed and a noble was sitting beside me..."
"Oh, you're awake! Tell me child, what were you doing in my front yard?"
Tatsuya eyed the human in front of him with distrust. He didn't like him. He seemed kind and friendly but then, so were the humans his parents knew before they betrayed them.
"You cannot speak? Poor thing. Why don't you stay here in my mansion? My son is about your age. You can be his personal butler. That is, if you want."
"He didn't suspect you of being a Whisperer?" Kazuya asked.
"Unlike you my younger brother, I am not exceptionally beautiful so I easily hid my identity." He smiled fondly at Kazuya.
"Why do you always say that?"
"Say what?"
"That I am exceptionally beautiful," Kazuya clarified.
"Because you are. In our village, we had to hide you sometimes because people just couldn't stop staring at you. Even among the Whisperers, no one could compare to you. You were very young then but everyone could already see your unearthly beauty. Time has been kind to you as well. You're even more stunning now. If the women who saw you when you were young could see you now, they'd be envious of you," Tatsuya explained at length.
"That's not true! I remember a lot of lovely women in our village."
"You think they're lovely because they were feminine but I tell you Kazuya, they're not in the same league as you are. You're above them all. If mother was here, she'd tell you the same thing."
"Mother! That's right! Where's Father and Mother? Are you with them? Are they alright? Oh and did you find all our siblings? Ah, Naomi! Did you find Naomi?" Naomi is their youngest sister.
"Kazu-"
"Kaoru nii-chan and Hikaru nii-chan must be really stunning right now right? Those two took after father's looks so they-"
KAZUYA!
Kazuya cringed. "I forgot how your shout gives me headaches."
Tatsuya laughed. "Sorry." He sobered up and looked at Kazuya solemnly. "Kazu, I didn't find them. I tried but I couldn't. We have to accept the possibility that...we might never see them again."
"Oh..."
They were quiet for a while before Tatsuya broke the silence.
"Do you still want me to continue with my story?"
"Of course. Go on nii-chan."
"Well I didn't trust that man. But I figured I can use him to find you and the rest of our family. He was rich so I thought he would have a lot of connections."
"So you became his son's butler?"
"Yes."
"Son, meet your new butler."
When the boy turned, Tatsuya was surprised. He had seen the child before, in his vision.
"He's cute. I like him," the young master said pleasantly and then turned to Tatsuya. "What's your name?"
Tatsuya glanced at the man who found him.
"He's mute so he can't tell us his name. You may call him in whatever name you wish." The man ruffled his son's hair. "I must go. Be good to the child okay?"
"Yes, Father." Once his father left, his eyes turned calculating. "You're not mute. I saw you before Father found you. You were talking in your sleep. Tell me, what is your name?"
"T-tatsuya."
The young master smiled. "I'll call you Tat-chan then. Don't worry Tat-chan, this will be our secret."
"He seems nice." Kazuya rested his head on Tatsuya's shoulder.
Since they were young, Kazuya had always thought that his eldest brother was a sturdy person to lean on.
"He was," Tatsuya agreed. "I was happy in serving him because he didn't treat me like a servant. He treated me like I was his equal. That was why for a while, I forgot my mission to find you and the rest of our family."
"Master?"
"Tat-chan, I told you it's useless to call me that. I am the only one who can hear you because everyone else thinks you're mute and I don't really like you calling me that. You're more than just my servant, you know that."
"I just said one word and you launched into a speech," Tatsuya teased.
"So you're teasing me? Come here you!"
Their loud laughter was not heard by the other servants who were passing by the room so no one disturbed them. It was a good thing the noble's room had thick walls, otherwise the servants might gossip about the peculiar relationship between the butler and his master.
"Why didn't you bring him here with you? I would have loved to meet him."
"We're not together now, Kazuya. I left him and his family."
"What? Why? You seemed happy together."
"As the eldest child of our family, it is my duty to find at least all of my siblings. It was a duty that I neglected while I was in that mansion. I shouldn't have forgotten that. Maybe if I left earlier... Well, enough about that. No need to ruin your day with depressing stories."
Kazuya felt his brother's pain. He was almost 100 percent sure that his brother had loved that noble romantically. And by Tatsuya's stories, it seemed like his master had loved him back.
It was strange how Tatsuya's stories had a hint of bitterness in it. How could they had parted when they seemed to be in love with each other?
Kazuya was getting incredibly curious.
But of course he had no right to force Tatsuya to talk to him. His brother would eventually tell him what happened. He always does.
"Very well. But can you at least tell me that noble's name?" If he would know who that noble is, maybe he'll be able to help his brother.
"His name is-"
"So you were here, love!"
Kazuya smiled at Jin who was walking to them. "Love, meet my older brother Tatsuya. Nii-chan, this is my fiance King Jin."
Tatsuya stood up and bowed before the King. "It is an honor to meet you, King Jin."
"The pleasure is all mine. I'm glad that I finally met one of Kazuya's family." Jin turned to Kazuya. "I was looking for you to remind you of the meeting with our wedding's organizers. But seeing that your brother is here, I'll just tell them to postpone it." He kissed Kazuya's forehead.
"Oh no, you don't have to do that King Jin. I need to go anyway," Tatsuya protested.
"What? Already?" Kazuya held Tatsuya's hand. "Don't go nii-chan."
"Don't worry Kazu. I'll be back some other day. I just need to take care of some things first."
"I'll leave you two alone so that you can say goodbye properly. It was nice to meet you, Tatsuya. You're welcome here, anytime." Jin politely bowed to Tatsuya, kissed Kazuya's cheek and then walked back to the palace.
"Your eyes follow him," Tatsuya observed.
"It's natural, I guess. He's very eye-catching and I'm in love with him." Kazuya shrugged.
"Kazuya...is he really the one for you?"
"Do you not...like him for me?"
"I'm not sure if he's good for you. His ancestors killed our kind after all. And he's this kingdom's king. How sure are you that the people would allow him to marry you?"
"He's a good person nii-chan. Besides, he promised to take care of matters concerning our wedding."
Tatsuya looked at his younger brother. What he saw in his eyes scared him. He was scared because he himself had the same look in his eyes once.
Trust. Hope. Love. Those were things that can bring great happiness to a person. But it can also bring great pain.
"Kazu, of all of our siblings, you have always been the one whom I am most worried of. You take after our grandmother so much, it's alarming." Tatsuya shook his head. Kazuya's soft spot for humans was just like Mint. He fears that his brother will suffer like Mint did.
Even though Whisperers can't kill humans, a lot of them despises the human race still. Mint was different. Whereas most lost hope for the reconciliation of the two races, Mint still believed that there would come a time that humans and magical creatures would co-exist peacefully. When most were quick to judge humans, Mint had always defended them, protecting them like they were her own children.
And they saw the signs in Kazuya too. He was only a baby when it first happened. Their mother brought him out of the house for the first time and their human neighbor cooed over him. He had laughed and smiled the whole time and then cried when the human left. It happened every time since then. Their mother was puzzled because Kazuya's reaction was not as strong when it was Whisperers he was interacting with. When Kazuya grew older and one of his siblings would make fun of the humans, he would use his powers to play pranks on them (Kazuya had once accidentally turned Kaoru into a huge potato).
Kazuya might not have been conscious of what his actions imply so maybe he didn't remember having such strong emotions for humans. But that doesn't mean he has them still. One does not simply change heart.
"What do you mean, nii-chan? What is it with Mint that's alarming?"
Instead of answering his brother's question, he held Kazuya's hands. "As your eldest brother, I'll give you some advise. A human's promise...don't believe in it."
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to be continued....
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I intentionally didn't reveal the noble child's name. But I guess a lot of you already know who he is ^^
Author: isha_mabin
Pairing: AKAME
Raiting: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Disclaimer: I only own the plot, nothing (or no one) else
Summary: The King's only son, Prince Jin, is gravely ill and it is said that only a kiss of life from a Whisperer - immortals who are able to wield magic - can cure the Prince. But Whisperers happen to be wiped out in the old times due to the decree passed by the previous royalties. Or so they thought until a Whisperer was caught. But there's a catch - this Whisperer happens to be a male.
A/N: I'm busy with my summer classes so I might not be able to update as fast as I did before...
Previous Chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14
Chapter 15: A Visit and A Warning
"Your highness..." a maid bowed respectfully upon seeing Kazuya.
"Um, could you not call me that?" Kazuya requested uneasily. He was not used to all the sudden high respect everyone was giving him. Practically everyone who works for the royal family were calling him 'your highness', treating him delicately, and giving him much attention.
It was unnerving.
He talked to Pi about his concern but the man only laughed, telling him he better get used to it.
"You will soon be their Queen, of course they'll treat you as such."
Pi really does love teasing him about the fact that since he accepted Jin's marriage proposal, he would have to take on the title of being Queen.
"I'm sorry your highness but it is King Jin's order that we all give you the same respect that we give him," the maid apologized, bowing even lower.
"Okay then." He didn't want to get the girl in trouble for disobeying direct orders.
"Your highness, someone wishes to see you," another maid informed.
"Who is it?" Kazuya asked curiously. He was not expecting anyone. Besides who would ever visit him? "Ah, is it Yamapi?"
"No, your highness. The kind sir refused to say his name but he said you know him. He said to show this to you." She handed Kazuya a small bottle with gold dust in it.
Gold dust. Then he remembered his family. Except for him and Mint, all his family members' special lights were all gold-colored.
"Where is he?" He asked excitedly.
"On the courtyard, your highness."
The girl was barely done speaking when Kazuya sprinted away, leaving the two young maids very confused.
Kazuya shielded his eyes from the bright sunlight that momentarily blinded him once he stepped into the courtyard.
"Congratulations on your engagement, your highness."
That voice...
Kazuya couldn't stop the tears that fell on his eyes.
There on the courtyard was none other than his older brother Tatsuya.
"Nii-chan! I thought I'd never see you again."
"I never thought our reunion would be like this." Tatsuya shook his head and sat next to Kazuya. "Here, hug me like you used to." He opened his arms and Kazuya jumped into them instantly.
"I missed you so much!"
Tatsuya grinned and hugged him back tightly. "I missed you too little brother."
"How did you find me?"
"I heard from the winged horses. Pegasus was here on the King's proposal to you and word traveled." He shrugged. "Ever since we were chased away from our home, I was trying to find you. I never thought I'd find you here. I thought Mother warned you not to return here Kazuya."
"You...don't approve of me being here?" He asked hesitantly.
"I just don't understand why you chose to stay here."
"I left this kingdom before but on one of forests that I stayed in, a human woman and her son took me in. They were kind to me."
"You were lucky, then." Tatsuya smiled wistfully.
"Yes, I was," Kazuya agreed. "After that, fate led me here. And I found a Prince that needed the kiss of life, just like Mint predicted."
"Mint huh? So that prince is obviously your now fiance, King Jin."
Kazuya smiled brightly. "I didn't think it would ever happen but yes. Enough about me. How about you? What happened to you, nii-chan? That day we parted, where did you go?" He asked curiously.
"I was taken in by someone too."
"Really? Tell me all about it!"
Tatsuya laughed. "Years had passed and you're still as lively as ever." He looked at the sky, the memories coming back to him. "When we parted, I ran and ran until I passed out behind a bush near a mansion. When I regained consciousness, I was in a comfortable bed and a noble was sitting beside me..."
"Oh, you're awake! Tell me child, what were you doing in my front yard?"
Tatsuya eyed the human in front of him with distrust. He didn't like him. He seemed kind and friendly but then, so were the humans his parents knew before they betrayed them.
"You cannot speak? Poor thing. Why don't you stay here in my mansion? My son is about your age. You can be his personal butler. That is, if you want."
"He didn't suspect you of being a Whisperer?" Kazuya asked.
"Unlike you my younger brother, I am not exceptionally beautiful so I easily hid my identity." He smiled fondly at Kazuya.
"Why do you always say that?"
"Say what?"
"That I am exceptionally beautiful," Kazuya clarified.
"Because you are. In our village, we had to hide you sometimes because people just couldn't stop staring at you. Even among the Whisperers, no one could compare to you. You were very young then but everyone could already see your unearthly beauty. Time has been kind to you as well. You're even more stunning now. If the women who saw you when you were young could see you now, they'd be envious of you," Tatsuya explained at length.
"That's not true! I remember a lot of lovely women in our village."
"You think they're lovely because they were feminine but I tell you Kazuya, they're not in the same league as you are. You're above them all. If mother was here, she'd tell you the same thing."
"Mother! That's right! Where's Father and Mother? Are you with them? Are they alright? Oh and did you find all our siblings? Ah, Naomi! Did you find Naomi?" Naomi is their youngest sister.
"Kazu-"
"Kaoru nii-chan and Hikaru nii-chan must be really stunning right now right? Those two took after father's looks so they-"
KAZUYA!
Kazuya cringed. "I forgot how your shout gives me headaches."
Tatsuya laughed. "Sorry." He sobered up and looked at Kazuya solemnly. "Kazu, I didn't find them. I tried but I couldn't. We have to accept the possibility that...we might never see them again."
"Oh..."
They were quiet for a while before Tatsuya broke the silence.
"Do you still want me to continue with my story?"
"Of course. Go on nii-chan."
"Well I didn't trust that man. But I figured I can use him to find you and the rest of our family. He was rich so I thought he would have a lot of connections."
"So you became his son's butler?"
"Yes."
"Son, meet your new butler."
When the boy turned, Tatsuya was surprised. He had seen the child before, in his vision.
"He's cute. I like him," the young master said pleasantly and then turned to Tatsuya. "What's your name?"
Tatsuya glanced at the man who found him.
"He's mute so he can't tell us his name. You may call him in whatever name you wish." The man ruffled his son's hair. "I must go. Be good to the child okay?"
"Yes, Father." Once his father left, his eyes turned calculating. "You're not mute. I saw you before Father found you. You were talking in your sleep. Tell me, what is your name?"
"T-tatsuya."
The young master smiled. "I'll call you Tat-chan then. Don't worry Tat-chan, this will be our secret."
"He seems nice." Kazuya rested his head on Tatsuya's shoulder.
Since they were young, Kazuya had always thought that his eldest brother was a sturdy person to lean on.
"He was," Tatsuya agreed. "I was happy in serving him because he didn't treat me like a servant. He treated me like I was his equal. That was why for a while, I forgot my mission to find you and the rest of our family."
"Master?"
"Tat-chan, I told you it's useless to call me that. I am the only one who can hear you because everyone else thinks you're mute and I don't really like you calling me that. You're more than just my servant, you know that."
"I just said one word and you launched into a speech," Tatsuya teased.
"So you're teasing me? Come here you!"
Their loud laughter was not heard by the other servants who were passing by the room so no one disturbed them. It was a good thing the noble's room had thick walls, otherwise the servants might gossip about the peculiar relationship between the butler and his master.
"Why didn't you bring him here with you? I would have loved to meet him."
"We're not together now, Kazuya. I left him and his family."
"What? Why? You seemed happy together."
"As the eldest child of our family, it is my duty to find at least all of my siblings. It was a duty that I neglected while I was in that mansion. I shouldn't have forgotten that. Maybe if I left earlier... Well, enough about that. No need to ruin your day with depressing stories."
Kazuya felt his brother's pain. He was almost 100 percent sure that his brother had loved that noble romantically. And by Tatsuya's stories, it seemed like his master had loved him back.
It was strange how Tatsuya's stories had a hint of bitterness in it. How could they had parted when they seemed to be in love with each other?
Kazuya was getting incredibly curious.
But of course he had no right to force Tatsuya to talk to him. His brother would eventually tell him what happened. He always does.
"Very well. But can you at least tell me that noble's name?" If he would know who that noble is, maybe he'll be able to help his brother.
"His name is-"
"So you were here, love!"
Kazuya smiled at Jin who was walking to them. "Love, meet my older brother Tatsuya. Nii-chan, this is my fiance King Jin."
Tatsuya stood up and bowed before the King. "It is an honor to meet you, King Jin."
"The pleasure is all mine. I'm glad that I finally met one of Kazuya's family." Jin turned to Kazuya. "I was looking for you to remind you of the meeting with our wedding's organizers. But seeing that your brother is here, I'll just tell them to postpone it." He kissed Kazuya's forehead.
"Oh no, you don't have to do that King Jin. I need to go anyway," Tatsuya protested.
"What? Already?" Kazuya held Tatsuya's hand. "Don't go nii-chan."
"Don't worry Kazu. I'll be back some other day. I just need to take care of some things first."
"I'll leave you two alone so that you can say goodbye properly. It was nice to meet you, Tatsuya. You're welcome here, anytime." Jin politely bowed to Tatsuya, kissed Kazuya's cheek and then walked back to the palace.
"Your eyes follow him," Tatsuya observed.
"It's natural, I guess. He's very eye-catching and I'm in love with him." Kazuya shrugged.
"Kazuya...is he really the one for you?"
"Do you not...like him for me?"
"I'm not sure if he's good for you. His ancestors killed our kind after all. And he's this kingdom's king. How sure are you that the people would allow him to marry you?"
"He's a good person nii-chan. Besides, he promised to take care of matters concerning our wedding."
Tatsuya looked at his younger brother. What he saw in his eyes scared him. He was scared because he himself had the same look in his eyes once.
Trust. Hope. Love. Those were things that can bring great happiness to a person. But it can also bring great pain.
"Kazu, of all of our siblings, you have always been the one whom I am most worried of. You take after our grandmother so much, it's alarming." Tatsuya shook his head. Kazuya's soft spot for humans was just like Mint. He fears that his brother will suffer like Mint did.
Even though Whisperers can't kill humans, a lot of them despises the human race still. Mint was different. Whereas most lost hope for the reconciliation of the two races, Mint still believed that there would come a time that humans and magical creatures would co-exist peacefully. When most were quick to judge humans, Mint had always defended them, protecting them like they were her own children.
And they saw the signs in Kazuya too. He was only a baby when it first happened. Their mother brought him out of the house for the first time and their human neighbor cooed over him. He had laughed and smiled the whole time and then cried when the human left. It happened every time since then. Their mother was puzzled because Kazuya's reaction was not as strong when it was Whisperers he was interacting with. When Kazuya grew older and one of his siblings would make fun of the humans, he would use his powers to play pranks on them (Kazuya had once accidentally turned Kaoru into a huge potato).
Kazuya might not have been conscious of what his actions imply so maybe he didn't remember having such strong emotions for humans. But that doesn't mean he has them still. One does not simply change heart.
"What do you mean, nii-chan? What is it with Mint that's alarming?"
Instead of answering his brother's question, he held Kazuya's hands. "As your eldest brother, I'll give you some advise. A human's promise...don't believe in it."
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to be continued....
----------------------------
I intentionally didn't reveal the noble child's name. But I guess a lot of you already know who he is ^^