Another peak into the past. This time, we're looking into when Takashi and Ryuji first meet at the Warrior's Academy.
Ryuji and Takashi's relationship is so pure and I think about it a lot. So in this piece, I chose to tell it from Takashi's POV to give some background onto how Takashi feels about the academy, since in the last piece we found out why Ryuji arrives there.
I hope you like it! 🥰
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An Unexpected Meeting
“There you are, your highness.”
Takashi peaks up from the book he's reading. “So, you found me,” he sighs, letting the book fall into his lap as he sits up in the grass. He eyes the servant in front of him. Delan, he thinks, is his name. He’s the smallest of the crew assigned to spy on his every move, a nervous, fidgety fellow, who isn’t comfortable ordering an authoritative figure. Which, naturally, Takashi uses to his advantage.
“Um, yes, your highness, you missed your training regimen this morning.”
“I’m aware” Takashi shrugs, “I had better things to do.” He leans back against the tree, stretching out his legs.
“It’s important for you to follow your schedule, your highness. Your father expects”
“I know what my father expects,” Takashi interrupts. “I don’t need you to tell me.”
“Forgive me,” Delan bows. “But we must get to your next class before you are late.”
“Do you like poetry?” Takashi asks, ignoring Delan’s instructions. He picks up the book from his lap and opens it to the page. But before he can start reading, it’s snatched out of his hand.
“Play time’s over, highness.”
Takashi looks up, squinting at the shadow outlined by the sun. Gorwin, he's the brute of the group and a real stickler for rules.
“Come,” the broad servant commands, “or do you want to be put on cleaning duty again this week?”
The young Prince rolls his eyes, getting to his feet. If he listens to them now, he’ll have a better chance of escaping later. So he tucks his hands in his pockets and heads towards the building. Gorwin and Delan follow a step behind on either side of him.
When his father told him he'd go to the Warrior’s Academy, he was excited. There was no one his age around the palace, and everywhere he went there was always a maid, a guard, or a servant watching him. A public school across the land seemed like the perfect start to an adventure. But he couldn’t have been more wrong.
In the past four years, he’s barely had a moment to himself. The ever-watchful eyes of servants and teachers are suffocating. Even now, as he walks through the cobblestone halls, the students he passes all bow their heads. No one will meet his gaze. In the beginning, many approached him. But the young Prince quickly found that the eager boys and girls disguised as friends wanted nothing more than to earn good favor in the court. They cared nothing for him.
Some of the older students, children of high lords, caught whispers of their parents, who shared Takashi’s father’s beliefs that he wasn’t fit to be a Prince. They bullied him. Nothing serious. Pranks, a couple of tussles, it was fun. No one had dared lay hands on the son of the great King, so Takashi cherished the bruises on his skin. They were proof that he was equal. That he bled like everyone else. That he could be one of them.
But that too was short-lived. One teacher caught wind of the student’s actions and reported it to the royal servants. Gorwin put an end to it and Takashi was alone again. It’s easier when Sultaun is here. He’s been Takashi’s caretaker since he was a child, but he works closely with the King, so he can only visit the academy. He’s coming sometime next month and Takashi is already counting down the days.
When he enters the classroom, it’s full. The students all sit around and on top of the desks chatting while they wait for the Professor to arrive. Takashi heads to the back of the classroom to sit by the window. His chosen spot. The teacher enters shortly after ushering everyone to their seats and goes over the lesson. Takashi makes it about twenty minutes before he sneaks out of the window when the Professor has his back turned. His first instinct is to head to the library, but that’s the first place his babysitters will look. So instead, he heads to the valley just up from the training grounds. The open-air is weightless there.
But as he crosses the way, he hears a loud TWACK that draws his attention towards the courtyard. When he approaches, he notices a boy, around his age, with short brown hair. He's tall. So tall that the pressed uniform pants end just below his shins rather than his ankles. He must be new, Takashi thinks. Something about how the stranger mercilessly throws daggers at a workbook pinned to the tree draws him in.
“You know destroying school property can get you put on kitchen duty for a week.” The young Prince says.
The student pauses, stopping the dagger in his hand before it flies.
“And don’t even waste your breath on the argument of it being your workbook,” he continues, coming to stand near the boy. “I tried that the last time I burnt mine, and I still got kitchen duty.”
The stranger doesn’t move, just eyes Takashi, flipping the dagger in his hand.
“It’s not so bad,” Takashi says, picking up three daggers off the ground, “mostly just cleaning dishes in the back.” He closes one eye and throws the dagger. It misses the tree and lands in the grass behind it. “It can actually be very peaceful.” He aims another and throws it. This time it hits the tree, but nowhere near the workbook.
“I’m Takashi,” he says, holding out his hand to the student. “Takashi Han, and you are?”
The boy doesn’t answer at first. He just stares at the Prince’s outstretched hand. “You’re Prince Han?” the stranger asks, eyeing the workbook on the tree.
“Last I checked,” Takashi shrugs.
The boy quirks an eyebrow at him, flipping the dagger, “you’re a terrible shot.”
Takashi stares at him for a moment and then shrugs. “I’m better with a sword.”
The stranger gives a curt nod, turns towards the tree, and throws the dagger. It smacks against the workbook in a perfect bullseye.
Takashi whistles. He moves to ask for the stranger’s name again but hears his own name instead.
“YOUR HIGHNESS!”
“PRINCE HAN!”
Up on the hill, Takashi can see Delan and Gorwin. They must have noticed he slipped out. Why can’t they just leave him alone? Gorwin announces he will check the library and tells Delan to go to the valley. As Delan starts towards the courtyard, Takashi panics. He runs behind the stranger, grabbing his arms to turn him so he can hide behind him. He waits until Delan is out of sight before turning to thank the student who eyes him curiously.
“They just won’t quit,” He grumbles. “Thanks for being my shield…” he lets the sentence hang.
“Ryuji,” the stranger says, “Ryuji Zenko.”
Takashi blinks. “Zenko? Like General Zenko? The one who formed that secret group of assassins that hunts casters for my father? What are they called?” He snaps trying to remember. “The Kemuri!”
Ryuji nods stiffly. “He’s my father.”
“Oh, I see,” Takashi says, taking in how rigid the boy has become. “So, are you one of them? A Kemuri?”
The boy pulls up the collar of his shirt and steps back. “No,” he says. “Not anymore.”
“Huh” the Prince hums, “Good.”
“Good?”
“I’ve always thought it was a silly group to have, no offense to your Dad or anything. I just find the needless killing of innocent people wrong,” Takashi shrugs. “Kings are supposed to protect the people. At least that’s what I’ve always thought. Right?”
The taller boy stares at him, dumbfounded, and for a moment Takashi wonders if he’s said too much. After all, anyone can be a traitor of the King, even his own flesh and blood. But then the boy’s shoulders relax and the side of his lips curl upward. Takashi breathes a sigh of relief.
A bell sounds out from the tower, signaling the end of class, and he glances around Ryuji at the hustle and bustle of students. At the entrance of the courtyard, he spots his entourage. Gorwin looks furious when their eyes meet, and Takashi squares his shoulders.
“Well, Ryuji,” he says walking towards them, “I don’t think there’s much that this school can teach an elite assassin, but if you ever need a good spot to ditch class, I know a few.” he winks and meets up with Gorwin who starts yelling at him before he’s out of the courtyard.
Tag List: @littleturtle95 @magnus-the-maqnificent @elettralightwood @high-warlock-of-brooklyn @my-archerboy @sassybookworm2020 @khaleesiofalicante @radisv @raziyekroos @spotsandclawsthings
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OC Horror Movie Night:
Questions by @oc-growth-and-development
✨ found this in my drafts & it’s just too good! ✨
1. Who is spooked but is still having a good time?
Takashi
2. Who pretends to be brave but is actually terrified?
Myya
3. Who spills popcorn everywhere during a jumpscare?
Myya
4. Who laughs gleefully during the scary scenes?
Ryuji
5. Who is at least a little suspicious of the person laughing during the scary scenes?
Myya
6. Who hides or refuses to watch the movie, but still shows up at movie night to hang out with their friends?
Astraea
7. Who pretends to be scared so their crush will put their arm around them and comfort them?
Ishida
8. Who spends the entire movie talking about film trivia or special effects?
Kai - Aris
9. Who tries to spook the others by making a noise during a tense scene?
Takashi
10. Who is covering their face for most of the movie, but is sneaking peaks every once in a while?
Hein
11. Who brutally roasts the characters’ decisions and their archetypes?
Ishida & Uma
(Ryuji will scoff and roll his eyes)
12. Who is the best at predicting the plot based on just the box art?
Uma
13. Who is too scared to sleep alone afterwards and convinces the others to have a sleepover that night?
Hein & Myya
Tag list : @littleturtle95 @phoenix-and-dragon @khaleesiofalicante @my-archerboy @clumsyowl-in-a-fandom @radisv @raziyekroos @magnus-the-maqnificent @spotsandclawsthings @sassybookworm2020 @shadowhuntingdemigod-blog @elettralightwood @high-warlock-of-brooklyn
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