Fake Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Illusions ❯ Destiny ( Chapter 1 )

FAKE

Shattered Illusions

byLady Dragonphire

Summary:  When Ryo, a vengeful assassin, is sent to kill Dee, the sovereign of a kingdom, can they discover love amongst the driving forces that rule their hearts?

Disclaimer:  FAKE and its characters are the property of Sanami Matoh.

A/N:  Hello everyone and thank you for checking out my first AU fic.  The story takes place in an unspecified ancient land (slightly reminiscent of a medieval time, but I think that the weapons used and the presence of warlords, kingdoms, etc. might place it farther back.  Please forgive any inaccuracies with weaponry, attire, etc, for the sake of the fiction.  The characters might be slightly out of character, as I have adjusted them to portray heroes and villains as called for in the situations that arise in the story.  This fic will have some psychological angst in it, as well as some citrus.  There is implied het and explicit yaoi.  This is a considerably darker fic than any of my previous stories, and it will have some character deaths in it - you have been warned.  However, despite the harsh times that the characters live in, it will be a love story, although there will be some manipulation, betrayal, and deceit in the chapters as well as plot twists.  Well, I always like trying something new and I love foraging into previously untested waters, so let me know what you think of the story.  I would like to thank my Beta reader Nightstalker for all of her support and encouragement.  I hope you like the fic.  Reviews are always welcome.  Thank you for reading and enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 1.  Destiny

The sleekly muscular honey-blond haired man ran with a driving vengeance as the sun's morning rays beat down upon his broad back.  Whether he was running towards something or away from it, Ryo didn't know.  All he knew was that he got a certain sense of satisfaction channeling his hatred and anger into physical release.  As his feet pounded relentlessly against the dirt trail, he pushed his sweat-dampened bangs out of his face, his mind staying absolutely focused on the task in front of him.  He was determined to beat his previous time running from the campsite to the river and back. 

As he approached the familiar encampment, he slowed down, breathing heavily, and walked over to the well.  Ryo pulled up the rope and was rewarded with a bucket full of cool water.  He splashed some onto his flushed face and held the bucket over his head, closing his gorgeous dark eyes and tilting the bucket at a slight angle.  Ryo dumped the rest of the water over his supple body, capturing some of the refreshing liquid on his parched lips and reveling in the sensation as the rivulets etched beaded patterns over his sun-scorched skin. 

His midnight eyes still closed, Ryo let himself get lost in the wonderful sensations coursing throughout his steamy body.  He did not notice the figure observing him from behind the drawn curtain of the largest tent in the encampment.  The platinum blonde man licked his lips in satisfaction as he drank in the sight of Ryo reveling in the caress of the water as it slid over his tanned skin.  Ryo looked delectable as he threw his head back in an attempt to shake off any excess water before he walked over to his own tent, his daily training regimen only just begun.  Each toned muscle was beautifully defined as the sunlight flickered against his lithe body, accentuating and highlighting each perfect contour of his frame.  Ryo was absolutely breathtaking.

Pulling back the flap of his tent and preparing to step inside, Ryo stopped abruptly when he felt a hand on his shoulder.  He was suddenly spun around to face none other than Berkley Rose, his superior officer.  The man's predatory smile made Ryo feel uneasy, and he averted his dark exotic eyes as Rose continued to stare at him hungrily.  "Well, well, I see that all of your training is paying off beautifully," he said as his eyed up Ryo's glistening body shamelessly.

Ryo blushed at the underlying implication of the compliment, but nevertheless decided to humor Rose.  It was easier if he just endured the man's subtle overtures.  Otherwise, Rose would just find some excuse to get what he wanted later anyway.  The less time Ryo had to spend alone with Rose, the better.  Steeling his jaw, he politely replied, "Yes, I've been able to cut off two more minutes from last week."  Sensing that the blonde man was waiting for something more, Ryo shifted uneasily from one foot to the other and continued.  "I believe that I am almost fully recovered from my encounter with the last target," he ventured softly, ruefully surveying the scar that ran across his left thigh.

"Remember, next time you must not fail.  The job of an assassin depends on stealth as well as skill, both of which you possess.  However, you must immediately go in for the kill, without hesitation, without sparing a thought for the intended target.  Otherwise, you compromise yourself as well as the mission," Rose said firmly.

"I understand," Ryo said solemnly.  "Will that be all?  I really must get back to my training," he said as he turned around at the entrance to his tent.

"Yes - for now," Rose hinted provocatively as he moved back to let Ryo enter his tent.  He had big plans for the gorgeous man standing before him.  He grinned evilly as he moved away.  He had to keep up his reputation as a ruthless warlord.  Now with his most promising student almost fully recovered, everything was going exactly as planned.   

Ryo walked over to his vast supply arsenal and chose a bow from the array of different weapons present, slinging a sheath of arrows across his back as he sighed deeply.  He reflected how he had come upon this path in his life.  He was not a killer by nature, but in this tumultuous world, one had to learn to kill just to survive.  He only tolerated Rose's overtures because the man had skill for what Ryo desired - revenge.  He wanted to hone his body into the perfect killing machine, the ultimate weapon.  He wanted to bring death to the person who had inflicted death upon his family.  That was all he cared about now.  That was all he lived for.  The evildoers in this world would pay for their crimes with their lives. 

After the deaths of Ryo's parents, Rose had been kind enough to take him in.  He had happened to come across Ryo kneeling next to the bodies of his parents who had been so brutally slaughtered, drenched in their blood.  Ryo had been so young then, only eighteen.  Rose had leaned down next to the young man and had put a comforting arm around his shoulders.  Ryo, grateful for any form of kindness in this cruel world, had let himself get lost in the comfort of Rose's arms.  When Ryo's sobs had diminished, he had looked up into the cold blue eyes of his redeemer.  Surely this man had been sent to him for a reason, Ryo reflected.  He believed in the power of fate and respected the rule that it exerted over all with an unyielding iron fist.  Fate bent to accommodate the whim of neither a mighty king nor that of a small child.  Fate was cruel, and once her mind was made up as to the course of events, nothing could alter her decision.  One could only hope to take small comfort in knowing that all things, good or bad, would eventually come to an end.  Nothing lasts forever.

Ryo continued his musings as he walked to the archery range, his mind deep in thought.  Rose watched him walk off and sauntered over to his own tent.  As he entered, a pair of manicured hands encircled him from behind and he felt the unmistakably familiar soft flesh of a woman press up against his back.  "Why do you torture yourself so, chasing after something that you know you'll never get?  I can offer you all you've ever wanted and more."  The sultry voice next to his ear dripped with temptation as Rose turned around to kiss Diana with a harsh intensity.  After all, she was his most trusted companion.  Fiercely loyal and blindly devoted, she was a welcome distraction from the handsome honey-blond man who always shied away from his advances.  Rose continued to punish Diana's yielding mouth with his vituperous tongue as he pushed her roughly onto the bed and pinned her arms at her sides. 

"I'm not in the mood," he said flatly as he suddenly broke the heated kiss, turning his head away and walking over to the table on which various maps of the surrounding territories were located.  He opened one up and began to pour over it intently, muttering to himself and making notes on a piece of parchment that lay nearby.

"It seems that you're never in the mood now that Ryo's wound has fully healed," Diana pouted, used to the way Rose always brushed her off despite her seductive advances but not liking it anyway.  Now, however, there was an underlying element present in the harsh kiss that he had bestowed upon her.  She could not decipher what it was, but it disturbed her.  The silent rage behind Rose's icy blue eyes only seemed to gleam brighter as his long-awaited plans were falling into place.   

Frustrated that Rose had ignored her pointed comment, Diana got up off of the bed and slipped on her clothing, walking swiftly past Rose and out into the sunshine.  No matter what she did or how many times she had proven herself, she still felt that it was never enough for Rose.  She had succeeded in earning his trust and respect, but she had never received what she longed for most from him - his love.  Rose glanced up briefly at the flutter of the tent flap, but otherwise did not heed her departure.  He had work to do, and he could not afford to be distracted at this critical stage in the game.  Everything was set.  Now, all he had left to do was to place the success of his plans into the hands of the only man who could even have a remote chance of succeeding in killing the next target.  His actions would determine whether Rose succeeded or failed at his lifelong ambition.  However, he had trained him well, both in body and mind.  Ryo would not dare fail him now.  Not when the bonds of loyalty and trust supposedly existed so strongly between them.  To his delight, Ryo had made it a personal vendetta to take revenge against the man who had killed his parents.  Now, if only destiny would not interfere with his well-laid plans.

__________________________________________________________

Ryo positioned the taut bowstring in battle stance and fitted an arrow against it.  Focusing on his target, he pulled the arrow back and exhaled, expertly taking aim and letting go.  The arrow flew straight and true and hit the bull's eye in one fluid motion, splintering the previous arrow that occupied the same space into two halves. 

"Nice work.  You're the best long-range shot in the camp," Rose said appreciatively as he approached Ryo and handed the handsome man a scroll tied with a brown string. 

"What's this?" Ryo asked, unfurling the parchment and scanning Rose's distinctive script with his sharp eyes.

"All of the information that you'll need concerning your next target.  This time I'm counting on you not to fail.  This mission is vital to our survival.  Fail and our whole way of life as we know it will be irreparably destroyed," Rose said ominously.

"I understand, but who is this man that you want me to eliminate so badly?" Ryo asked, his deep midnight eyes glancing up to meet Rose's intense gaze.

"The man who rules this land, and the one who killed your parents - Dee Laytner." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*