Fake Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Illusions ❯ Echoes Of The Past ( Chapter 5 )

FAKE

Shattered Illusions

by Lady 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.

WARNING: Angst

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Chapter 5. Echoes of the Past

Ryo's midnight eyes slowly fluttered open and he gazed in a dreamlike state at the fabric of the canopy bed draped above him. He stretched and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as his body practically melted into the silk sheets that surrounded him in their comforting embrace. He must have been asleep for awhile, he reflected as he sighed softly and wrapped his arms around the large pillow that cradled his head. Ryo suddenly bolted upright, his mind reeling as he became aware that he was alone in a huge bed that was not his own. He took in his unfamiliar surroundings with a questioning gaze. How had he gotten here?

He vaguely recalled the events of the previous night, how he had lay down on Dee's balcony and how the raven-haired sovereign had found him sleeping there and carried him to his bedchamber. He had felt so safe and secure in Dee's arms. Then Dee had passionately kissed him, rendering him helpless under the charismatic man's spell. Ryo remembered losing himself in Dee's tender embrace and surrendering to his heart's desire to be loved. The walls that he had surrounded his heart with for so long crumbled in the instant that Dee's soft lips had touched his. And those eyes. Dee's piercing emerald eyes had seemed to search the depths of his very soul. Had it all been a dream? It all seemed too good to be true. He still did not know Dee's true intentions. Ryo had been too caught up in his emotions last night. Rose's warning rang out in his mind - `Each betrayal begins with trust'. Ryo knew that he could trust no one but himself. He had a job to do. He had to assassinate the king or risk losing his own life.

Ryo steeled his gaze in determination and wrapped his arms around himself as he swung his muscular legs over the side of the bed. He knew what he had to do, no matter how much his heart pleaded with him to reconsider. As the blankets fell away from his lithe body, he looked down and gasped. The intoxicating events of the night before had indeed occurred. He was adorned in the beautiful white silk robe that Dee had offered to him last night. However, he did not remember putting it on. Dee must have undressed him and wrapped him in the robe. A blush swept across Ryo's face at this realization and his cheeks burned hotly. Perhaps Dee was only interested in him as a conquest, as so many others were. Ryo had always been told that he was beautiful for a man and praised for his physical appearance. A sad frown spread across his features. He had hoped that with Dee, it might be different.

Still lost in contemplation, Ryo did not notice the tall raven-haired figure who entered the room and closed the door noiselessly behind him. Ryo sat with his robe partially opened, the fabric draped loosely to the side, leaving one sun-kissed shoulder uncovered. A subtle hint of flesh carved a path diagonally through the smooth fabric to reveal the elegant curve of his neck and collarbone and dipped down to outline the firm planes of his broad chest. Dee observed the gorgeous honey-blond appreciatively for a minute before walking over to the bed with a tray of fruit and wine and placing it on the bedside table.

Ryo's head shot up with a start at hearing another's presence in the room. The object of his musings had managed to startle him out of his reverie. He looked down shyly and blushed further as he noticed his state of undress. Ryo quickly wrapped the robe around him, effectively shielding his exposed flesh from Dee's intense eyes.

Dee smiled disarmingly and sat down on the bed across from Ryo. "Good morning, Ryo. I trust that you slept well?" the handsome ruler inquired. Dee was dressed in an elegant jade tunic that brought out the deep green of his eyes and tight black leather pants that outlined the contours of his muscular legs.

"Y-yes sire," Ryo replied, still blushing. No matter how hard he tried to deny it, Dee's very presence had a hypnotic effect on his body. He had to distract himself somehow before he would no longer be able to go through with his mission. His eyes wandered over to the bedside table, where they alighted on the dagger that Rose had given him the first time he had been sent to assassinate Dee.

Dee followed Ryo's gaze and picked up the dagger thoughtfully, turning it over in his hand as if deciding his next course of action. He suddenly flipped it so that the blade lay in his palm and extended the handle towards Ryo. "It's Dee, please, and I believe that this belongs to you," he said enigmatically as he positioned himself next to Ryo on the bed with his tempting offering.

Ryo hesitantly brought his eyes up to meet Dee's as he closed his hand over the dagger's handle, his fingertips brushing lightly against Dee's palm before he brought the weapon closer to him and clutched it, his hands shaking, belying his indecision. Ryo wondered why Dee had returned the weapon to him, rendering himself defenseless in the presence of an enemy. Was the raven-haired man conveying it to him in an offering of trust, or had he simply seen past the veil of uncertainty that enshrouded Ryo's heart and had exploited his hesitancy in a cruel tease? Ryo wondered if Dee was testing his limits and calculating his weaknesses in this decisive moment of vulnerability.

Suddenly, Dee grabbed Ryo's hand that held the dagger and placed the blade against his throat. "Kill me," he commanded as he increased the pressure against the tender flesh of his neck, piercing the skin and drawing forth a thin trickle of blood that flowed slowly down the blade. His deep green eyes held a formidable aura, as if he dared Ryo to defy his request. "What are you waiting for?" Dee asked harshly. "It's what you came here to do, isn't it? Don't fear me. I will not try to stop you."

Ryo's dark expressive eyes opened wide and he gasped. He met Dee's penetrating emerald stare and gripped the dagger's handle tighter. He was so close to completing his mission. He could finally avenge the deaths of his parents and end the vendetta that had been unwillingly bestowed upon him when the last breath of life had escaped their lips. Yet he still hesitated as he looked into Dee's eyes. "I-I can't do it," Ryo whispered bitterly in regret as he held the dagger steadily against Dee's throat. Ryo's eyes welled up with tears and he released the dagger from his now trembling hands, letting it fall out of his grasp onto the bed before collapsing against Dee's chest, eyes closed, and sobbing as though his heart would break.

Dee breathed a sigh of relief as he held Ryo close to him against his chest, running his hand soothingly over Ryo's back in an attempt to comfort and reassure him. When Ryo's sobs had subsided, Dee laid him back against the pillows and sat beside him. Ryo, still recovering from the exhaustion of last night's journey, didn't protest as he sank into the folds of the silk sheets. "Why can't you, an assassin of great skill, bring yourself to kill me? Surely that is why you returned after you had failed the first time. It's just another assassination for you. What difference does it make whether I live or die?" Dee asked gently as he picked up the dagger and returned it to his bedside table. He knew that Rose would have no qualms about executing the fair assassin for betrayal if he returned from his mission in failure once again. Dee did not know if his heart could bear seeing the soft-spoken man leave, knowing that he had inevitably sealed his fate by defying Rose's whim.

Ryo looked up sadly from under his dark lashes and met Dee's emerald gaze that was full of concern. "When I looked into your eyes, they were not the eyes of a murderer. You were supposed to pay for your crimes - I was supposed to avenge their deaths," he trailed off in a whisper. "I couldn't bring myself to do it," Ryo admitted in defeat, tears once again glittering in his expressive eyes and threatening to spill over.

"Whose deaths?" Dee asked softly as he turned on his side to lie closer to Ryo. He took his thumb and tenderly brushed away the stray tears that had fallen down Ryo's cheeks which marred the honey-blond's beautiful features.

Ryo lowered his obsidian eyes and said in a soft voice, "My parents." The pain in his heart was evident to Dee and he longed to take the gentle assassin into his arms and hold him close, but he knew that Ryo had a story to tell and he was curious to know what had driven the honorable man to become a mercenary.

Dee took Ryo's hand in his own and squeezed it sympathetically. "I'm sorry to hear that. Please tell me how it happened," Dee encouraged gently.

Ryo looked up at Dee, grateful for the man's comforting presence and genuine sympathy. "My full name is Ryo MacLean. My parents were traveling merchants whom some suspected of dabbling in espionage. My father was native to this land, but my mother was a foreigner from the East, so they were able to speak the languages of both lands and transverse the barriers that divided the two cultures," Ryo explained.

`Ah, so that was where the man got his exotic looks from,' Dee noted. He had never seen eyes that were so dark before coupled with the man's fair hair, and he was captivated by their exquisite beauty. He nodded his head in encouragement for Ryo to go on.

Ryo smiled bravely and continued his story. "I never got to see them much, but when we were together we had the best of times. I felt a sense of warmth, belonging, and love with them. They were determined that I get an education and study as a scribe so that I would not have to endure the hardships of wars and know the fierce battlefields as only a warrior does. I stayed at a training encampment where they taught education as well as defense strategies basic to survival. They were supposed to come home to my village to celebrate the Solstice holiday with me, but they were killed on their journey. I happened to discover their bodies which had been brutally slaughtered, even though they were innocent and carried no weapons. I had never seen carnage to that extent before. By the time I arrived, I could do nothing to help them except to vow on their deaths that I would avenge them. Whoever had killed them would pay with their life. Justice would be done by my hands that had been anointed with their blood. I have lived to keep that promise ever since. When Rose came upon me and offered to train me as an assassin to fulfill my destiny, I was only too willing to agree to his terms. I have been trying to rid the world of evil ever since that fateful day and have never stopped searching in my quest for vengeance for the one who took everything that I valued in my life away," Ryo finished, looking at Dee sorrowfully.

"I apologize if I have indeed killed your parents," Dee said sadly as he gazed into Ryo's deep eyes. "My soldiers and I have only killed in the heat of battle, but sometimes innocent civilians have been caught in the crossfire between rivals and their deaths have been inevitable. I do not know if I am responsible for their deaths, but I am truly sorry for your loss."

Ryo blinked back his tears at Dee's words and his eyes widened. The powerful ebony-haired man was neither confirming nor denying what Rose had so confidently told him. Ryo did not know who to trust anymore. However, Dee's emerald eyes were so honest and unwavering that Ryo simply couldn't believe that he was a murderer.

Seeing Ryo's reaction to the information that Dee had offered, Dee placed his hand under Ryo's chin and gently tilted his face up so that his face was only inches from Dee's own. Dee sighed sadly at the troubled look on Ryo's handsome features. He wished that he could do anything to somehow take away the pain that had remained with Ryo, haunting him for so long.

"Let me tell you my story," Dee said softly in an attempt to distract Ryo from his own sorrow. "I am an orphan of war. I never knew my parents. They had been killed in a village raid by plunderers when I was just a baby. Everyone in the village had been massacred except for me. I was found by the warlord Jess Latener in a back alley and taken to an orphanage run by kind missionaries that also housed children from the surrounding villages. Although Jess was often away fighting battles, he always managed to stop by and check up on me every time that he passed through the village. As I grew up, he taught me how to fight in order to become a noble warrior and soon he had recruited my three closest friends and me into his army. By the time we were fifteen, we had become skilled enough to fight alongside the best of his ranks."

Ryo smiled as he listened to Dee's story. He could feel that they had an underlying deep connection, drawn together by the stories of their past and the people who had touched their lives, and he was consoled by this intimate knowledge of the kingdom's fearless leader that Dee had chosen to share with him.

Dee's face took on a somber expression as he continued. "However, one of my friends was killed shortly thereafter and when I tried to investigate the cause of his death, I ran into some unscrupulous characters who wanted to recruit me to take his place in their underhanded dealings. I knew too much for them to just let me go. My options were to either join them or die. When the man who tried to entice me to a life of dishonor saw that I had no intentions of joining with the likes of criminals, Jess sacrificed his own life so that I could live mine. The last words he said to me as he died in my arms were to keep living my life as honestly as I've always lived it. I've tried to uphold those values that he bestowed upon me through my training and have worked towards the betterment of my kingdom. When I took Jess's place as the commanding leader of his army and finally managed to overthrow the previous king five years ago when I was twenty, I knew that the hopes and dreams of my ideal kingdom could at last become a reality. The head of the missionaries at the orphanage, Mother, told me to believe in myself and to always be true to the path that I chose. I wanted to protect the weak and the innocent whom the wicked of the land exploited and do away with the corruption that ran rampant in the streets. I have strived to uphold the ideals which those whom I respected have instilled in me. I feel that no one should have to grow up without a family, and consequently the soldiers in my kingdom fight with honor to protect their treasured way of life," Dee finished as he laid his head against the pillow, closing his emerald eyes wearily. His tale had emotionally exhausted him.

Ryo reached a hand up to entangle his fingers in Dee's thick ebony mane and brushed away a stray wisp of hair that covered his eyes, bringing his hands down to rest against Dee's smooth face. "Oh Dee," he breathed as he imagined the hardships that Dee must have had to endure in his struggle to propagate justice and righteousness throughout his kingdom, crushing all foes who threatened the peace and safety of his land. From Dee's sincere confession, Ryo knew in his heart that even if Dee had been responsible for the deaths of his parents, it had not been intentional. Upon further reflection, he realized that Dee or his men couldn't have done it. The bodies of his parents had been deliberately slaughtered to the point where they had been almost unrecognizable. No, whoever had done it had deliberately wanted them dead, there was no doubt in his mind about that. Besides, his parents had been killed when he had been eighteen, and Dee had not even come to power until years later as he was a year younger than Ryo.

"Rose told me that it was you," Ryo said incredulously. "Every assassination, every life that I have taken, Rose said that it would bring me closer to the day when I would be ready to finally confront you. But they died before you ever came to power. I almost took the life of one who didn't deserve to die. How could I have been so blind? Rose lied to me! Everything he said…it was all a lie!" Ryo yelled hysterically.

Dee pulled Ryo close against his firm body and held him tightly against him, running his hands soothingly across the width of Ryo's back. "Shhh…It's not your fault, Ryo. He used you as a conduit in his scheme and twisted your grief to further his own ambition. You couldn't have known his true intentions with only the information that he provided you with. He altered it so that you would be blind to the truth. That coward used you as a pawn in his viscous attempt to gain power. I forgive you," Dee said comfortingly.

"Oh, Dee, I'm so sorry," Ryo murmured as he caressed Dee's soft cheek and ran his fingertips lightly over Dee's sultry lips. "I'm so sorry that I ever doubted you when you told me that I could trust you. How can I ever make it up to you?" he trailed off as Dee's dark lashes swept up to reveal the twin emerald flames that burned with an intense passionate fire.

"By living your life as your parents wanted you to live it. You may not be able to change what happened in the past. The past inevitably shapes us into who we are today, no matter how we try to deny it. However, the beauty of our past experiences is that we can learn from them. Your future is your own. Please let go of the chains that bind you to your past and live your life the way that you want to live it," Dee beseeched him.

"I-I would like to," Ryo ventured hesitantly, pondering Dee's offer, "but then I would never find out who killed my parents. Their deaths must be avenged. If I were to give up the life of an assassin and remain in a village, I would not be able to venture out and pursue any leads pertaining to the killer's whereabouts in order to bring him to justice. I would not want people worrying about my safety. I know that the job of an assassin invariably entails encountering death. Should I die, I am ready to accept my fate. I would not want to leave any loved ones behind when I cross over to the other side."

"It's too late for that," Dee said angrily. Did Ryo really not know how he felt about him after he had shown him how much he cared for him through his fiery passionate kisses and uncharacteristically tender seduction?

"What do you mean?" Ryo asked worriedly, fearing that he had somehow committed an unforgivable transgression against Dee with his words.

"If you were to die, I don't know what I would do. I care for you very much, Ryo. You say that you believe in an unalterable fate, but I believe that your life is your own to do with it as you wish. Relinquish your previous ideas and embrace the power that you have over your own life. It's not too late to take control. You are so much greater than what you have had to endure. You just have to reach inside yourself and find the courage to conquer your fears. I know that you can change. You've already proven that. You were fated to kill me, but you chose a different destiny," Dee said heatedly. Dee sighed as he held Ryo's hand in his, intertwining their fingers. How could he convince him that things did not have to remain as they were? He took a softer approach, determined to make Ryo see his reasoning. "If you were to find your parents' killer, would you be satisfied after you had shed his blood? Once you have taken your revenge, then what? Will you stop or will you only propagate the cycle of hate? Once you give up the life of an assassin, will you have anything left? Please let me give you a reason to live for. You need someone who cares for you. I want to protect you," Dee entreated with longing in his voice.

"Don't try to distract me! I can take care of myself. Just because I look the way that I do, many have sought to conquer me. I am only a pleasant diversion for them, an amusement that adorns their arms at banquet halls for the sake of show. Once my beauty fades, who will love me then? Please, I can take anything this cruel world throws at me, but I will not take pity from another," Ryo said defiantly.

"It's not pity, Ryo. My feelings for you run far deeper than that. You've taken care of yourself for all this time. You've carried this burden for so long, but it's time to let others into your heart before you are consumed by your hate and become like those whom you despise. Do you want to become like Rose, lusting for power at every opportunity to fill that void in your life, with only an icy heart for a conscience? Let me show you how to love and be loved again," Dee said sincerely as he brushed a wisp of Ryo's hair away from his troubled face.

"I-I can't. Please, Dee. I must do this. It's what I have lived for for so long. It's an integral part of my being. Some ideals are meant to stay a whimsical fancy. Don't try to tell me how to live my life. I'm still trying to cope with the fact that the man who took me in and trained me has been using me to further his own ambition. He lied to me, Dee. Everything I've ever believed was an illusion," Ryo said desperately.

"No Ryo, what we have is real. Don't try to deny your feelings for me," Dee said softly. "You can have a second chance at living your life doing an honorable trade. Leave all of the bloodshed and carnage behind and start anew."

"I'm sorry, Dee," Ryo said sadly as he removed his hand from Dee's and let it drop dejectedly against the bed. All of the fight had gone out of him. "I'm just so scarred from my past that I don't know who to believe or if I can even trust my own feelings anymore."

"Trust what's in here. Trust your heart," Dee implored as he put his hand under the folds of Ryo's robe and placed it against the smooth flesh of Ryo's chest over his heart. Ryo drew in his breath at the close contact. Seeing Ryo's emotions wracking his face in a bout of indecision, Dee decided to play a hunch as to how he could give Ryo a sense of self-worth, a new reason for living. However, he knew that once he had crossed this line, there was no going back.

"What if your future was here……… with me? You can help me to make this a better place for people to live in as I rule with you by my side. You can teach the people of the village how to read and write and how to defend themselves in battle. The children at the orphanage would love to hear your stories from afar. The soldiers could benefit from your assassin's abilities and knowledge of stealth, enemy tactics, and hand-to-hand combat. Anything you choose to do would help to promote the greater good of the kingdom. Leave Rose's false promises behind. Stay here with me," Dee entreated the shy honey-blond.

"I-I don't know," Ryo admitted bashfully. It wasn't that he didn't feel an attraction to the raven-haired ruler. It was just that Ryo was becoming overwhelmed by the intensity of his emotions and he needed time to sort out what Dee wanted from him. He felt that he could trust Dee, but a part of him still questioned Dee's motives for his apparent attraction. He had only known others' lust and deceit for so long that he could not fathom why Dee wanted to help him, especially since he had his whole kingdom to look after. What difference could Dee caring for him hope to make in the grand scheme of things?

"Of course, you could always become my personal bodyguard," Dee said, lowering his voice seductively, "although I may be preoccupied with watching your body instead." With that, Dee leaned down and captured Ryo's soft lips between his own. He was determined to show Ryo that he meant what he said about being able to trust him. Dee also wanted to convey to Ryo how he felt in the best way that he knew how to - physically. The handsome king had never failed at enrapturing the object of his desire with a kiss. However, with Ryo it was different. He did not simply want Ryo's body. He wanted his mind and soul as well.

Ryo just wanted to lose himself in Dee's embrace as he felt warm lips caress his own, temporarily scattering the painful conflicting emotions running rampant in his wounded heart. It just felt so right and he let himself get lost in the moment, closing his eyes and not allowing himself to think, only to feel. He was bombarded with sensations of pleasure as he parted his lips to welcome Dee's velvet tongue into his mouth. Dee thrust his tongue hungrily into Ryo's heated cavern and rolled on top of Ryo, snaking his hand between the folds of Ryo's robe to run his hands tantalizingly across his chest. "Uuuuuhh, Dee," Ryo moaned, throwing his head back and breaking the kiss for a moment. Dee immediately reclaimed his lips, relentlessly plunging his tongue again and again into Ryo and pillaging his mouth, making the honey-blond dizzy with euphoria as he reflexively clutched the bedsheets with fervor. Ryo began to pant lustily against Dee's fiery mouth as Dee continued to passionately devour the flesh of his swollen lips, finally breaking the kiss to gaze into Ryo's passion-glazed eyes and flushed cheeks when his lungs screamed for air.

As he watched Dee gaze at him in longing, Ryo slowly came to his senses, back to reality. "I must return to the campsite now. Rose is most likely wondering why I have not returned already," Ryo said, looking up into Dee's penetrating eyes.

"Don't go," Dee implored. "I want more than just a fleeting night of you wrapped within my arms to remember you by. I want a chance to get to know more about you. If you return, Rose will surely kill you."

"I must return," Ryo said steadfastly. "It is my duty. I must continue to uphold my honor, despite my failure as an assassin. I will tell Rose of his mistake. I know that you are not the one who killed my parents. Surely he will understand and retract the order for you to be killed," Ryo reasoned with a smile as he stood up from the bed on slightly shaky knees.

Dee frowned at the man's naivety. Did Ryo really think that Rose would listen to his heartfelt pleas? He felt that Rose would do away with the kind-hearted assassin anyway, regardless of the fact of whether he had succeeded or failed at his task. Ryo knew too much information. Rose would not risk letting his weaknesses be known to an enemy, especially when so much was riding on the man's well-laid plans. "Men like Rose will never change," Dee ventured. "You do know that, don't you?"

"I have to try. It's what I believe in. You told me to trust my heart," Ryo said ardently. "Thanks to you, I've found the courage to follow it."

"You don't have to do this," Dee pleaded, frantic. He was willing to do anything in order to get Ryo to change his mind as he stood up and walked over to Ryo. "It doesn't have to end this way. I don't want to lose you, not like this." He grabbed Ryo's hand and spun him around, crushing his bruised lips against Ryo's in a desperate heated kiss that spoke of passion, longing, desire, and sadness.

To his horror, he felt Ryo vehemently pushing him away and felt the tears that were trickling down the sides of Ryo's beautiful face splash against his cheek. "No Dee. Don't make this harder on me then it has to be. I have made my decision. If it is fate's will that we are parted then so be it," Ryo said softly as he looked into Dee's deep emerald eyes one last time.

"I'll never let you go," Dee vowed as he pulled Ryo close against his body and clutched him tightly, wrapping his arms around Ryo in a possessive hug as he nuzzled his face against Ryo's neck. Dee breathed in the scent of the one that he found comfort in, blinking back tears. He had finally found the other half of his soul. He could not bear to part with him now, not when they had so much more to discover about one another.

"Then you leave me no choice," Ryo intoned flatly as he brought his hand up from where it rested against Dee's back and placed a well-executed blow between Dee's neck and shoulder. Dee's body went limp in his arms as Ryo rendered him unconscious. Ryo caught Dee as he fell and carried him over to the bed, laying him against the pillows and retrieving his assassin's outfit from a nearby chair. Ryo changed out of his robe and placed it reverently next to Dee, stepping into the black suit and pulling it up over his sleek frame. He surveyed the form of the gorgeous raven-haired man with a fleeting smile before walking over to Dee's bedside and softly brushing against Dee's inviting lips with his own, bestowing upon him one last gentle kiss. "Please forgive me. It was never meant to be," he whispered sadly as he turned to go, gathering his bag and grappling hook and silently departing from the comfort of Dee's castle to face his fears and confront his destiny.

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