Saber's Tear
~ Heero is a prince in disguise as a vagrant warrior; Relena is the heir to a cult of assassins. They met by chance and it was hate at first sight...
***
?The scorching heat poured onto his skin like a bowl of lava and woke him from his sweet nap. What was once a shaded region now the brightest spot on Earth. Not displeased by the heat, he opened his eyes and by instinct, he carefully studied his surroundings. The landscape had kept its tranquility during his few hours of slumber; his horse, like before, stood nearby battling against the same old noisy flies. Quickly, he got up to a standing position and stretched his arms high above his head and then let them fell down to his sides with his right hand landing on the hilt of his sword. It was indeed a quite relaxing rest for him after all his traveling. Walking over to his horse, he patted his loyal companion on the back and took the gourd off the saddle.??
" I do pity you, friend, " He drank hungrily. " it must be hard to have black furs in this weather." He wiped his mouth with his hand. The horse seemed to understand him and shook its head. He laughed a bit then spoke again. " Where should we go-"
" Please spare my life. " A sound came from inside the woods. " No, please, I beg for your mercy, please..."
" Well, that pretty much answered my question, doesn't it?" He said to himself, and in one swift motion he climbed onto the horse and galloped toward the origin of the distress call.??
" Please, I beg of you. I have a sick daughter at home to take care of, I cannot die."??
He saw a white-haired old peasant on his knees pleading for his life. Next to him was a figure clothed in black who resembled the fighters of the Far East with his face and head hiding behind a dark kerchief, only his eyes were visible. In his right hand was a sword but its length was unusually short, and sapphire gems were embedded in its hilt. It was a rare weapon indeed, but to use that on an innocent old man was a disgrace to its beauty.??
" A sick daughter, is that right? " To his surprise, the dark figure was in fact a woman. " So that's your excuse. Well, sick daughters or not, you violated the rule and you are to be punished for it! You should be glad that I was ordered to kill you-"
Kill? He couldn't just stand aside and let this old man be killed. He kicked the side of the horse and dashed toward the woman in black.??
" Stop!" He yelled as he drew out his sword. The two looked up at him in confusion. His sword was now right between the assassin and her victim. " Stop, if you value your life." He threatened the killer.?
Her move was so agile that he didn't even see when or how her sword intersected his own. " Who are you?" She asked coldly.??
" I'm a traveler. That's all you need to know." He said, keeping the sharp blade in place.?
" I never fight a stranger." She said with equal strength in her voice. " Tell me your name, so I can kill you first."
" Heero Yuy. " He answered. "And what makes you think that you can touch me?"
" Because I'm the best at what I do." She attacked. He blocked her sword easily.
" So, you know a little about sword fights after all." She positioned herself ready for another attack in a classic fighting stance. ?She then studied him from head to toe. Looking at his gray uniform and sliver armor, she said, " Are you a knight of the Cinq Kingdom?"?
" No." He smirked. " I borrowed these clothes from one though."
" So the chivalrous knight is a mere thief." ?
" What makes you think that I am lying?"
Ignoring his remark, she somersaulted up and attacked from the air. He jumped down from the horse and once again blocked her but not without some effort this time.
" Impressive." She said and landed in front of him. " But not good enough to stop me." She flipped her body over his head and before he could defend himself she was behind him and her blade fell right next to his throat. She was too fast for him.
" I said I was the best. " She laughed but her sword remained in place. " Just give up."
" Go ahead, if you want to kill me."
" What, you want to die so soon?" She glanced at the old peasant still kneeling on the ground who was too afraid to move and said. " You, over there! Thank this knight and leave. I never want to see you again!"
" Thank you, thank you." He stood up trembling and walked over to them. He bowed to the traveler and said. " Thank you for helping me, your honorable knight." He looked over at the assassin and bowed at her. " Thank you for not taking my life, Lady. I shall never forget the mercy you've shown me today."?
The old man backed away and walked toward the edge of the woods.?
She lifted her sword from his neck and slid it back into its sheath. A few strands of his dark brown hair fell to the ground. " I don't want to see you again either, Heero Yuy. If so, next time I won't be this easy on you. Next time, I won't leave without your blood on my sword." She walked off deep into the woods.
" I won't be this easy to beat next time!" He yelled after her and climbed back up onto his horse. Heero Yuy followed the tracks of the old man hoping to learn from him just who that dark assassin was. A woman with such strength and skill must not be underestimated again. Still, how could a woman be so vicious and cold? And those eyes? He remembered the pure aqua blue of her eyes. They were too gentle to be the eyes of a cold blooded killer. Why was she after an unarmed old peasant? Why?
" Hey!" He called out to the old man ahead of him. " Wait!"
The peasant turned around and looked at him then continued walking. Yuy caught up next to him and said, " I was going to let you ride my horse, sir. But seeing that you are doing quite well, I guess I'll save that offer for later."
" Why did you follow me?" The old man asked coldly. " You should go before you get yourself into trouble again."?
" I will go, but I have a question to ask you first." He studied the strange old man. " Who was that girl and why would she want to kill you?"
" You should never address Lady Peacecraft in such manner," He replied. " and as for my business with her eminence, it is not your place to know."
" Peacecraft?" He chuckled a bit. " How ironic! An assassin named Peacecraft."
" I find your rude manners unacceptable." The old peasant sent him a glare.
" May I remind you that she was going to kill you."
The old man shook his head.
" No? Then why were you begging her for mercy?"
" Lady has her reasons, you should never question her method."
" Her method?"
" Lady was trying to save me." He answered.
" Save you?"
" Appearance can be deceiving, young lad." He laughed. " You still have much to learn." The old man seemed to relax a bit. He looked up at Yuy half smiling and said, " If you wouldn't mind, my house is just ahead of these woods. You can stay the night, and I can tell you more about Lady Peacecraft, eh? How does that sound, young lad?"
" It would be my pleasure, sir."
" They call me old Schbeiker."
* * *
She gently lay down the black material in the box and placed it under her wooden bed. She walked over to the wooden table opposite of the bed and sat in front of the mirror resting on the surface. The girl brushed her soft golden tresses with care and smoothed out the sleeves of her present attire. She was wearing a dark crimson dress with embroidered prints on its wide sleeves. A black obi was tied at her waist to bring out her slender figure. The brilliant colors of her clothes, however, seemed to be out of place in the simple colorless wooden room.?
Three knocks were placed on her door, and softly another girl entered the room. She wore a dress of the same style except it was black with a red obi. She too had blonde hair, but it was a shade lighter then the former.?
" Lady Dorothy, what brings you here?" The girl in red stood up and bowed formally. The other girl returned the gesture.
" Lady Relena, why the formality toward your favorite cousin?" Dorothy teased.
" Fine, just tell me what it is that you need, Dorothy?" Relena said with a slight irritation in her voice.
" Oh, such insult you place on me, Relena. I am only here to visit my best cousin." She found a wooden chair and sat down.
" You are here because of my father, right?" Relena asked. She rest herself in the same chair she was in before. " What does he want?"
" Oh, nothing much. Uncle just wants to know if you have completed your task, have you?"
" I did. " Relena took out a fan under her sleeve. " But some traveler dressed like a knight almost stopped me."?
" Oh? A knight?"
" No. He apparently stole the clothes."
" So? He was not much trouble, was he?" Dorothy too fanned herself. " Did you kill him?" She laughed softly.
" He was actually pretty good with his sword." Relena said with some seriousness in her expression.
" But he can never be as good as you, my dear cousin." Dorothy laughed more. " I do pity the man, he fought the Peacecraft daughter, and he didn't even know it. What a shame!"
" I didn't kill him." It was sudden coming from Relena.
" The knight?"
" No, Schbeiker."
Dorothy was silent for a moment then she spoke in a low voice. " You do know what the punishment is for violating the rules, don't you?"
" Death. "
" And you have failed your mission." She said icily.
" I didn't. He is no longer one of us. That's same as dead."
Dorothy stared at her and shook her head in disproval. She stood up and said, " Lord Maxwell has invited us to his manor tomorrow, I hear that his son has returned from his training as a knight. Do not even attempt to decline this invitation, Uncle has ordered you to go. Please rest, my dear cousin, we have a long day ahead."
* * *
Although the tiny cabin was located outside of the woods, but it was still far from any civilization. Yuy looked around and found the place quite peaceful. He had always loved the simplicity of life, though he never had the luck of living one.
" Here, young lad." Old Schbeiker pushed gently open the half broken door to his half broken house. " Please excuse the poor condition of my home." He said shamefully.
" It's quite alright. I like it better this way." Heero spoke sincerely.
The old man motioned Yuy to follow him into the cabin. The inside was just as simple as the outside but kept clean and well preserved. The only furniture present were an old rose wood table, three chairs, a cabinet, and a small cot at the far corner of the room. The afternoon sun was setting, but a few rays managed to slant through the rafters. The light though was still dim, so a few candles were lit.
Old Schbeiker went into the inner room and Yuy followed without asking. He saw the old man came near to a bed and sat beside the girl lying on it. She was about eighteen some odd years old, the same age as Heero, but she seemed much weaker. She would be beautiful if she weren't so sick. Her hair was long and dark, and her eyes match the same midnight color. Her lips were as pale and dry as the white sand of the desert.
" Father, you are home?" She asked and coughed, her hand clutching her chest trying to hold the pain. " I thought-"
" Lady Peacecraft spared my life, child." The old man said gratefully. " And this young knight here had tried to save me." He pointed at Heero who stood at the threshold. He bowed as was a custom. She tried to get up but couldn't.
" I'm sorry. I can not greet you properly." She apologized. " My name is Hilde Schbeiker. Thank you for saving my father's life. "
" Heero Yuy. Pleasure." He replied.
" Now, child. You rest here. I'll check on you a while later. " Old Schbeiker kissed his daughter's forehead and left the room with Heero.
They sat in the outer room where the old peasant had prepared tea for them both.
" Do you still wish to know about the Peacecrafts, young lad?" He asked.
" If you would tell me, sir."
" Alright then. I hope what I am about to tell you won't sound too disturbing. " He sighed. " I was once too an assassin under the Peacecrafts twenty years ago." He studied Yuy's reaction and upon finding none, he continued. " I knew the family very well, in fact I watched the young Lady Peacecraft grow up. After I became useless, they kept me as their servant instead of the usual death, and to that, I shall be forever grateful just as I shall be indebted to the Lady after today. She is such a gentle child."
" I wouldn't call her gentle." Heero said.
" You do not know Lady. Her mother died when she was still just a child. Her father never knew how to rear a child, so she grew up among swords and blood. It was her family and her destiny as the sole heir to the cult. She had to assume her role. She was born to be a killer."
" Then why would she want to kill you?"
" For two reasons. " He took a sip of tea. " I knew the secret of Saber's Tear."
" Saber's Tear?" Heero quetioned.
" Forgive me, lad. I can not tell you about it. I have sworn to never tell." He shook his head. " Except the Peacecraft family, I am the only other person who knew its secret. And now Lord Peacecraft wants me dead."
" Why now?"
" Because he suspects that I have betrayed him. Lad, I cannot say anything more than I have told you."
A moment of silence passed.
" Then what's the other reason?"
" The second one is used to cover up the first." He paused for a second. " My daughter Hilde is very much in love with a young man. He is from the well known Maxwell family. His name is Duo Maxwell, the son and heir and now a knight of the imperial court."
" Duo!" Yuy was surprised to hear that name.
" So, you know him?" The old man asked.
" No. " Heero said. He had to keep his cover unknown.
" Well, he is such a cheerful child. I only wish my Hilde weren't so sick." He sighed. " But the cult will not give consent to their courtship because he is a knight. Assassins and knights are not to be mixed together. I gave my consent without their permission, and I was to die for violating this rule."
" Ridiculous!"
" I know, lad. But I am a dead man anyway."
" Sir, could you tell me what is your daughter sick with?" Heero asked, remembering that he had brought some medicine with him all thanks to his half brother Quatre.
" I haven't had the time to find a doctor, but I think Hilde is sick with the lungs." He replied.
" I think I might have something to cure her illness, if you would let me try."
" Thank you, Lord Yuy. Thank you so much." The old man bowed. " Maybe she could go see young Master Maxwell tomorrow if- "
" The medicine probably can't work that fast, but if you want, I can bring Maxwell here." Heero offered. 'I need to see him myself after all.'
A/N: This is a new genre that I'm experimenting with. Hopefully it turned out alright. Sorry about the ooc even if it is AU.
Sabre's Tear - Chapt 1
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Dark Mistress
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