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Sons of Antiquity	By : Grumblebear Category: +M to R > Ronin Warriors Views: 2158 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Ronin Warriors, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
-Note: As of this
update, the chapters will now be slightly shorter, which will
hopefully allow me to update more often.

Chapter 6

For Touma, returning to
Rome was like returning to the scene of some unpleasant childhood
memory. During his time with Seiji in Volaterrae, the incident with
Gaius almost seemed as if it had happened years ago. It had been two
weeks since they received the letter, and the five of them had spent
their remaining time at the villa rehearsing for their performance.
Despite his friend’s best efforts to stay busy to keep
themselves from worry, time had seemed to drag by at a maddeningly
slow pace. They had returned to Rome two days prior to the party, and
once the anticipated day arrived, Touma actually found himself
relieved, anxious to put the impending confrontation behind him.
His household had returned to normal; all of his relatives had
returned to their own homes. Most of the revelry in the city had died
down, and the event they had been summoned for was the last of the
senatorial parties celebrating the new emperor’s induction.

Having already been
loved by the citizens of Rome before he was installed as emperor,
Gaius had wasted no time in utilizing his new authority to garner
even more adoration. In only three short months, he had abolished an
unpopular tax, discontinued Tiberius’s brutal treason trials,
recalled and dismissed all charges against all of Rome’s
exiles, and paid compensation to those whose houses had been damaged
by fire. He declared new holidays and held extravagant banquets, and
staged great theatrical shows and epic gladiatorial contests. He
completed many projects that had been neglected by Tiberius, such as
the Temple of Augustus and Pompeii’s theater, and began
construction on a new aqueduct. As a result, his popularity was
immense, and all of Rome seemed to be in a state of euphoria, so
enamored were they with their new ruler.

Hearing all these
things, Touma had felt a faint hint of doubt as to his own opinions
of the man. Despite Gaius’ many unsettling vices, inexperience
with politics, and vicious tendencies, it seemed as if he might turn
out to be a capable ruler after all. What if the incident between
them in Tibur had just been a misstep, an extremely poor decision on
Gaius’ part? Touma desperately wanted to believe that were
true. Naïve as it was, when he awoke on the day of the party he
had decided that if his one time friend, by some miracle, had seen
the error of his ways and approached him asking for forgiveness, he
would give it, even if, for nothing else, it meant avoiding being on
the bad side of the most powerful man in the world.

And so now he found
himself waiting in the wings of the previous emperor’s palace
~~---~~ which Gaius had wasted no time in claiming for
himself ~~---~~ along with his four friends, all dressed
in their performing silks, waiting for the call to enter the large
banquet hall and begin their performance. They could hear the din of
voices coming from the tremendous room. Hundreds of the richest, most
famous, most influential people in the empire were in attendance,
from senators and royals, to high ranking equestrians, governors,
various officials and even a few kings from neighboring realms. But
the vintage of the audience hardly fazed them. They were used to all
manner of people attending their performances, from the lowest
citizens, to the emperors themselves. The only one of concern this
night was the one for whom the party was being held.

Touma peeked out from
behind the corner to search the mass of people assembled in the room.
He picked out a few faces he recognized here and there, but didn’t
see the one who concerned him the most. He disappeared back around
the corner and took a deep breath. Just concentrate on the
performance for now. One thing at a time, he told himself. He
felt a gentle nudge and turned to find Seiji, who opened his mouth to
speak, but then a wiry little man who was sweating furiously from
nerves appeared around the corner, telling them to prepare to be
called into the room. They didn’t have much preparing to do.
All of their props and instruments had already been placed by a
makeshift stage set up on an open-air terrace that flanked the main
room.

Seconds later Touma
heard the troupe being introduced, and they emerged from the side
room to an almost deafening ovation. It had been nearly three years
since their last public exhibition, and judging from the crowd’s
reaction, their performance tonight had been highly anticipated. As
they headed onto the stage, Touma released a deep breath and focused
on the task at hand.

The next half hour was a
complete blur of resounding weapons, colorful silk, precise
movements, and music, all stimulated by the rush of adrenaline. He
focused himself so intently on the performance that he barely
remembered any of it afterward. The only thing he did remember with
clarity was Seiji’s face ~~---~~ intense, excited,
immersed in the act ~~---~~ as they came at each other
in a particularly dangerous show of swordplay. Seeing him enjoying
himself so much compelled Touma to do the same.

They finished with a
flourish, and after the waves of cheers and applause died down, took
their leave from the stage, heading back to the wing they had been
waiting in earlier. Once there, they freshened up and changed into
formal togas. Anxious as they were to leave without a confrontation
with the emperor, decorum insisted that they mingle with the guests
for a while after the show. As they wandered throughout the crowd,
Touma was touched by how his friends never left his side. It was
almost humorous at times how they seemed to circle him protectively.

The most popular one of
them by far was Seiji. Touma watched amused as both men and women
crowded around him, vying for his attention. Seiji never returned his
look however. They were being very careful to keep their relationship
a secret, and wisely remained as discreet as possible when with each
other in public. Touma chuckled as a particularly insistent young
woman attached herself to Seiji’s arm before he could
graciously dodge her, and then chuckled even more at the ensuing look
of annoyance that momentarily tinted his otherwise diplomatic
expression.

His amusement was short
lived however. A balding man in the purple striped toga of the
senatorial class cleared his way through the crowds to approach him
and take his arm. “It’s time for your commendation, young
man,” he said with a good-natured smile.

Touma blanched, caught
completely off guard. He hadn’t been told about any
commendation. As the man led him away from his friends, he turned to
catch their worried eyes as the crowds swallowed them from view. This
time, Seiji had returned his look. He was ushered through the
mass of people and to the bottom of a short flight of stairs, beyond
which stretched another wide, open terrace. At the top of the stairs,
silhouetted by the night sky and waiting with a crown of oak leaves
in his hand, stood Gaius.

A startlingly booming
voice coming from somewhere to his right called out for silence, and
the throng obeyed, a hush settling over them as they turned to watch.
With the blindingly charismatic smile of a politician, Gaius raised
his hands to the crowd. “My honored guests, please humor me
once more. I know I have bored you enough with my speech earlier this
evening.” A chuckle drifted up from the crowd. “But I
have a matter of great importance that needs to be addressed
immediately.”

“There is one among us I wish
to honor tonight. Who, by risking injury to himself, did a great
service to Rome. Who, while returning home through the mountains,
single handedly stopped the robbery and probable murder of a merchant
and his grandson. Even after suffering grievous injury at the
criminal’s hands, he managed to apprehend the entire band of
thieves that had eluded even the centurion guard, returning them to
Rome where they were swiftly executed. His bravery and skills have
made the pass safer to travel for all of the empire’s citizens,
and for that, tonight we shall honor him.”

It really isn’t that big of
a deal, Touma thought, cringing inwardly at all the sudden
fanfare and momentarily forgetting some of the embellishments in
Gaius’s speech that had piqued him. He felt a tiny shove at his
back as Gaius motioned him to the top of the stairs. With heavy feet
weighed half by embarrassment, half by frustration, he ascended the
steps to stand one down from the man at the top, who was beaming
almost triumphantly down at him. He bowed as Gaius raised the crown
of leaves and placed it securely on his head. Another cheer arose
from the crowd as Touma straightened and turned to them, blushing
furiously, but nodding his acknowledgement of their praise.

Eventually Gaius waved
the crowd back to it’s socializing, and Touma stood there
awkwardly, waiting to be dismissed so he could return to his friends.
But instead, the emperor took two golden cups of wine handed to him
by a slave, and offered one to Touma.

“It’s been a long time,”
Gaius said with a disarming smile. “Join me for a while?”
He stood with the drink outstretched, the question lingering in the
air, until Touma reluctantly reached up to take the cup from his
hand. With a satisfied look, Gaius turned on his heel and headed out
onto the terrace.

No going back now, Touma
thought, gathering his resolve and squaring his shoulders. He took
the last step up and followed Gaius onto the starlit terrace.

*****

Seiji fought back panic.
It had been bad enough when Gaius called Touma up in front of the
crowd and then lied about how his friend had received his injuries.
Now it appeared that the emperor wasn’t yet finished with him
for the evening either. He had known there would be some sort of
confrontation between the two of them, but he had planned to remain
at Touma’s side so that he didn’t have to face Gaius
alone. It didn’t appear however that the emperor was going to
be so accommodating.

He felt Ryo sidle up
next to him and say in a hushed voice “He’ll be alright.
They were going to have to face each other sooner or later. There
isn’t much Gaius can do with all these people around. We should
probably move closer to keep an eye on them though.” By now
Touma and Gaius had moved to the far side of the empty terrace where
there was little light to illuminate them, and Seiji wasn’t so
sure the crowds back in the hall would ensure the emperor’s
good behavior.

“Friends,” he heard Ryo
call back to Shin and Shuu as well as the mob of people gathered
around them. “These crowds are a bit stifling. Why don’t
we move closer to the terraces so we can get some fresh air?”
The other two met their eyes with looks that showed they understood
his reasoning behind the sudden action. They were just as concerned
with loosing sight of Touma.

As the group moved
toward the other side of the room, Seiji noticed guards had been
placed at each pillar that stood between the terrace and the main
hall. They would have to watch from a distance. “He’s
ensuring their privacy,” he muttered to Ryo. He saw his friend
nod slightly and they moved to stand just at the bottom of the short
flight of stairs leading up to the terrace. Here they could at least
see Touma and Gaius clearly, even though the two men were only black
silhouettes against the night sky. The group returned to their normal
banter, Seiji trying his best not to show his concern, but unable to
avoid stealing glances at the two dark figures standing out in the
night air.

*****

It was near the middle
of the year now, and the peak of summer was fast approaching. The air
hung warm and still as Touma joined Gaius at the stone balustrade
that lined the edge of the terrace. The view out and beyond was
spectacular, especially at night. Lights from the city below
stretched for miles and spread in all directions, blinking and
wavering in the dissipating heat left over from the day. Off in the
distance the black profiles of the mountains stretched up to meet the
night sky. There was no moon out, so the stars provided the only
light on the terrace.

“I’m so glad you and your
friends were able to make it tonight,” Gaius said, staring out
over the city.

It wasn’t as if we had a
choice, Touma thought

“I was counting on the five of
you to make this last party one of the best. From the applause you
received, I would say you exceeded my expectations,” Gaius
continued pleasantly. “How was your vacation in Volaterrae?”

“Good,” Touma answered
shortly. The emperor’s tone may have been pleasant, but it
carried a menacing undertone Touma had heard before. Gaius was in the
mood to pick a fight.

“I was dismayed to learn that
you had run off to leave me to deal with the coronation on my own,”
he said, turning to lean against the balustrade and gesturing toward
the crowds inside. “I’m glad I was able to find you in
time for this last party. It wasn’t easy. It was almost as if
you were hiding from me.”

Touma ignored the thinly
veiled taunt. He glanced back and noticed the guards that now stood
between them and the main hall. “What’s the deal with the
guards?” he asked casually.

“To ensure we aren’t
bothered. I’d rather not be disturbed right now.”

“I see,” Touma said,
setting his untouched glass of wine on the wide ledge of the
balustrade.

“There are your friends,”
Gaius said, pointing his chin at the group standing just inside.
“Your all rather tight knit tonight. None of you seem to want
to let each other out of sight for very long.”

Touma sighed. The idle
conversation was making him anxious.

“Seiji looks rather worried.”
There was venom in the emperor’s words. “Don’t tell
me you finally grew a pair and told him.”

There it is, Touma thought
dourly. Gaius had picked up on his frustration and immediately seized
the opportunity to try and provoke him. Touma pushed away from the
balustrade in annoyance. The man didn’t seem at all interested
in anything other than pointless taunting. “If the only reason
you asked me out here was to mock me…” He took a step in
the direction of the main hall, but Gaius caught his arm.

“Lets not fight,” the
emperor said in a smooth, pacifying tone. “There are far too
many eyes watching right now.”

Touma glanced back
inside. Not only were his friends watching the two of them, but many
others were watching as well. He hated to admit it, but Gaius was
right. The last thing he needed was to cause more trouble for himself
by getting into a public argument with the emperor. He felt Gaius’
grip release on his arm.

“Lets go someplace more
private,” he said, drifting past Touma and heading to the other
side of the terrace, further into the shadows and further from his
friend’s watchful eyes.

“I’d rather stay here,”
he protested, but Gaius ignored him and kept moving. Realizing he
didn’t have a choice in the matter, Touma followed him off to
an area where the terrace was separated from the main room by a wall
and decorated with massive potted plants and large statues poised
atop marble pedestals. Just as Gaius had wanted, they were now
completely secluded.

“Now isn’t this better?”
Gaius asked.

Touma didn’t
answer him, and instead leaned back against the pedestal of a nearby
statue, crossing his arms. An awkward silence followed, as if both
were unsure how to continue the conversation.

Finally Gaius spoke. “I
know you’ve been avoiding me, and I wanted to apologize. I have
missed you, Touma. It’s been… lonely, having to deal
with all this on my own.” Touma could barely believe his ears
at the mention of an apology. The man sounded truly remorseful.

“But isn’t this what you
wanted?” he asked. “Its all you talked about ever since
Tiberius became ill.”

Gaius ran a hand through
his hair, his eyes searching the ground in front of him, and Touma
recognized it as a sign that his normally carefree facade was
cracking a bit. “I wanted safety,” he said quietly. “For
my family and myself.” By family he meant his three beloved
sisters, the only members of his immediate family still living. His
mother and two brothers had died in exile. An exile that Tiberius had
ordered. “I didn’t want to worry about them anymore…”
He trailed off, and Touma saw his eyes harden again, and the normal,
nonchalant expression slip back across his face.

“I’m sorry it’s so
hard on you…” Touma said quickly, trying to keep him
from closing up again, but it was too late. Gaius waved off his
comment.

“Don’t get me wrong. I
enjoy all the attention, just not the responsibility! Things were so
much easier before. I could eat and sleep and do things when I
wanted. Now there’s a schedule for everything. And there’s
always someone who needs something from me!” He sighed
dramatically. “Its just so tiring. I could use the support of a
good friend.” He glanced pointedly at Touma.

“I’m not sure I can do
that anymore, Gaius,” Touma admitted quietly.

“Why not? Don’t tell me
your still upset about what happened in Tibur.”

“Of course I am and you know
it. Quit trying to be coy,” Touma almost snapped.

“Touma, you’re making
such a fuss over nothing,” Gaius chided him like a parent
talking to a moody child. “It wasn’t that big of a deal.”

“It was to me.”

“Nothing happened—“

“It would have Gaius!”
Touma said. “Whether it happened or not isn’t the point.
The point is that you tried, injured me in the process, and you’re
not sorry for any of it.”

“Why should I be sorry?”
Gaius asked incredulously, as if the thought of regretting his
actions offended him. “I was only trying to show you how I
felt. And you were being difficult. If you had just been a little
more agreeable you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

“There are other ways of
showing someone how you feel Gaius,” Touma shot back. “I
thought this was supposed to be an apology, but so far all I’ve
heard are excuses.” He straightened from his leaning position
against the base of the statue. “So if you’ll excuse me,
its been a long day and—“

He was cut off as Gaius
moved in front of him and placed one hand on each side of his
shoulder against the cold marble base, effectively trapping him
against it. Caught off guard by the sudden action, Touma shrunk a bit
against the stone, pressing back as far as he could away from the
emperor.

Gaius’s eyes were
dark as he loomed over Touma. He leaned in a bit, bringing their
faces close. Touma swallowed his panic.

“Let me make it up to you,”
Gaius said in a deep, almost strained tone. “Stay with me
tonight.”

Touma stiffened at his
words and felt his eyes widen. The audacity of the man stunned him.
“No.”

“I’m asking you
this time,” he said almost pleadingly, leaning in closer.
“Please.

“No, Gaius,” Touma
answered firmly.

The emperor paused for a
moment, his eyes looking confused. He moved forward again to take
Touma’s lips, but Touma simply turned away, brushing aside one
of the arms pinning him against the statue and moving away, leaving
Gaius to remain staring at the empty space before him in dejected
silence.

They stood quietly for a
moment until Gaius straightened his shoulders and walked back to the
balustrade. His kept his back to Touma as he said, “Leave me.
Take your friends and go.”

A kind of definitive
sadness knifed through Touma at his words. Despite everything that
had happened, there had always been that small hope that their
friendship might still be salvageable. But that hope quickly faded as
Gaius showed him he was now going to shut him out completely. Why
couldnt this man grasp why his actions had caused so much harm? Touma
shook his head sadly as he reached up to remove his crown of leaves.
Placing it on the stone banister beside Gaius, he said softly, “I
wish things had turned out differently. I’m sorry.” With
that Touma headed back toward the main hall, and the emperor made no
sound to stop him

His friends greeted him
with looks of relief as he rejoined them. “Ready to go?”
he asked, and the others eagerly agreed. Excusing themselves from the
persistent crowds, they slowly made their way toward the far end of
the hall and out to stairs that led down into the gardens and from
there to the front entrance of the palace. As they descended one
flight and stepped onto a landing, a leaf floated down from somewhere
above, drifting past Touma’s face. Something crunched under his
feet, and he stepped back, finding a small pile of debris littering
the otherwise clean swept landing. He watched as the leaf drifted
down to settle atop the pile, then glanced up, realizing that they
were directly below the spot where he and Gaius had been talking. And
then he recognized what it was he had stepped on.

It was his crown, the
one he had placed next to Gaius as he left. It had been torn to
shreds and tossed carelessly over the parapet to land where it now
lay in pieces beneath his feet. I understand, he thought.
That’s it then. He stared at it sadly for a moment, then
stepped over it and continued down the stairs. His friends had paused
when he did, and it had taken them a moment longer to figure out what
it was they were looking at on the ground. Now they watched him as if
unsure whether or not they should say anything about the tattered
crown.

But Touma surprised them
with a small, valiant smile. “Lets go home. Its late,” he
said, and continued down the stairs.

*****

They had retreated to
Touma’s home for the evening, and after listening to him
recount his conversation with the emperor, they had discussed whether
to stay in Rome or to return to the villa in Volaterrae. The other
four wanted to return to the countryside, but Touma was adamant about
staying in Rome, saying that he didn’t want to live his life in
hiding, and that it was pointless to try to hide in a place Gaius was
now aware of. He made the point that no matter where he ran to,
he could eventually be found if the emperor searched hard enough, so
they might as well just stay in the city. No one could argue against
that. Eventually they agreed to stay in Rome for the time being, if
only to take advantage of the demands for performances that their
show at the party would ultimately produce. After the other three had
retired to guest rooms for the night, Seiji and Touma wandered
upstairs together, both of them eager to put the day behind them.

Touma now stood leaning
against the frame of his balcony door, gazing out over the dark city.
Shrugging his toga to the floor, Seiji walked up behind him, still
clothed in his thin under-tunic, and wrapped his arms around Touma’s
waist. Resting his chin on Touma’s shoulder, he asked softly,
“You alright?

The dark haired boy
relaxed against him and nodded but remained silent.

Seiji felt no need to
prod. Touma never pushed him away anymore. All he had to do was wait.
Eventually Touma would feel like talking. He wasn’t kept
waiting long on this occasion.

“I know it was foolish, but I
wanted to believe that we could fix things somehow,” Touma
said, leaning his head back against Seiji’s shoulder to stare
up at the stars. “That maybe it had all been a big
mistake. I was even going to accept an apology if he offered one.”

“That was pretty
foolish,” Seiji agreed in a not unkind way.

Touma gave a small
laugh. “You didn’t have to agree with me.” Then he
grew sober again. “I didn’t want to end up his enemy.”

“In the end, it wasn’t up
to you though.”

“It’s strange,”
Touma said thoughtfully. “Despite everything, I feel lighter
now, like I’ve lost a burden.”

“I don’t think the danger
has passed yet.”

“I know, but I feel as if I can
face anything with you next to me.”

Seiji followed Touma’s
gaze into the night sky. “Be careful the Fates don’t hear
you and take that as a challenge.”

Continued in Chapter
7

A/N: First off, thank
you again for such wonderful reviews! I love you all! And once again,
I’m sorry for how long it took to release this chapter. I’ve
finally made it to my last required algebra class for college, and
its kicking my ass! I had to really buckle down and study, which
meant no time for writing. Only eat, sleep, and solve for f(x)! It’s
no fun at all! But at least all the hard work is starting to pay off.
Made a 94 on my last test, and for me, that’s phenomenal.
Because the numbers and I, we don’t play so well together.

In any case, I’ve
decided to do away with the 10+ page chapters in favor of smaller,
easier to write, edit and read chapters, beginning with this one.
Hopefully this will help me be able to update more quickly. That way
I wont take nearly 3 months in between updates anymore, heh.
- 8
- 9
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Sons of Antiquity