Asahi Hiromori, firstborn of his mother's house-- son of Sorceress Aoki and Daimyo Nobukane Hiromori, rulers of the great frozen province of Hiromori. A promising child, bright and alert, who took to the sword and war magic as easily as another might simply breathe. By twenty, he was already battle-proven, a natural leader, a commander of lesser men. Proper, polite, reserved, the perfect ideal of the noble samurai.
So of course, it was an easy choice when an egg from the Imperial House was ready to hatch. A great-grandchild of the Empress herself, who would need a stalwart companion, a perfect ideal of the ideals of the Empire. He left his family home at twenty, to be enlisted in the elite guard in Ryuko, where he would be for the hatching of a new member of the Imperial House.
The first time seeing Sayomi's eyes, as she broke through her glittering shell, would only be matched upon seeing the birth of his sons. She was perfect. Scales as black as his, eyes a deep violet that were bright and curious from her first breath. He loved her as he had never had loved another creature before. He became her fierce protector, her guardian, her mentor as she grew.
He took few breaks from their training, but he was in the capital, and his companions in the Elite Guard drew him down to the Floating World-- the beautiful houses of pleasure and entertainment, where powerful women, and those few men who had been elevated as he had, found pleasure and relaxation.
"Wait, why's it just women and a couple of men? Doesn't everyone love a brothel?" Sagatti interrupted, and Coinach rolled their eyes.
"They are a strict matriarchy. Women rule over men, keeping the wealth, titles and land. Men serve as warriors, laborers, craftsmen... risky jobs."
"But, couldn't they just... I don't know, fight back?" Sagatti queried. He was deeply puzzled, in the Courts, gender was a mere fashionable afterthought most of the time.
"The Empress decreed that men aren't allowed magic more powerful than war spells. And, the dragons are, ostensibly, loyal to her." Coinach explained, slowly, like speaking to a slow pupil in a lecture.
"Right, right."
It was here that our dear samurai found something he had never anticipated-- love. He had been hesitant to indulge as his comrades did-- he found no joy in buying affections-- but there was a courtesan that caught his attention. A beautiful man that drew all the eyes in the room when he entered. His skin, scales, and hair were as white as the snows of Asahi's home island, he moved with perfect grace as if he didn't touch the ground, and his pale pink eyes glittered like precious rose quartz. He felt brutish and savage in this man's presence, and so when he slid beside him to pour tea for him, Asahi felt lightheaded.
Katsuo. He learned his name in those first few moments, though it was only the beginning of something beautiful. He would find himself spending hours of each evening laying with his head in the courtesan's lap, as the man listened to his worries of war, and spoke to him of kinder, sweeter things. They read poetry together, they played games of strategy over sweet sake and tea. Katsuo had listened with a smile to his bragging as Sayami improved in her training.
He knew it was foolish to believe the courtesan loved him, but he would drink in the moments as if they were wine, and let it be heady and soothe him. War pulled him from Katsuo's arms, and he, and his beloved dragon, and his soldiers fought against the Kingdoms of Ferran and Galae. Dragons struck against air ships-- guns and magic flared against each other as boarding parties leapt through the air at each other, swords clashing. Years of it-- the raven-black hair at his temples turned to silver, he gained as many scars as victories, but his loyalty did not waver, nor did his yearning to see his beloved again.
And Asahi returned to Ryuko a hero. He had expected that when he returned to that house of beauty, he would see Katsuo holding a beautiful woman in his arms, or laying with another in his lap as he recited poems. But, when he stepped into the dim space and was announced, he saw the ivory form of his beloved coming to meet him-- the man looked like he would have come at him in a desperate rush if propriety hadn't demanded his emotions be kept in check.
Asahi's heart was in his throat as he embraced his beloved. But, even though he knew now that Katsuo's heart was his, there was no parting the Lady of the House with her most prized courtesan. No amount of money would snatch him away from the old sorceress, and Asahi felt he would have to content himself with spending his money and his nights with his beloved, departing in the morning.
That was, until, tragedy found the Floating World. The sorceress, Ikoma, who owned the brothel had enemies, most of whom she had made with her vile deeds. Asahi did not know the particulars, but what he learned, he learned in the heat of a battle-- a boy had been bought from a lesser noble lady, who had been tricked into thinking that Ikoma was a matchmaker, and that her son would be put into a good position as a second husband. Instead, the boy was in training to be a courtesan, even though he was barely old enough to shave. It was enough that the lady had sent her daughter, Tananua, who had been returned from campaign, to rescue her brother with a retinue of soldiers.
He had been stretched out, Katsuo lying in his lap, drowsing after a hot bath. Naked, his weaponry across the room as the first shouts went up. The soldiers of Tananua had not cared to preserve the lives of the men and women who worked there if they stood in their way. His mind focused on protecting his beloved, but Katsuo was grabbing robes and flying out the door before Asahi could get his sword.
His beloved was trying to save his companions-- the other men and few women who worked in the brothel with him were his family, and Asahi now found himself, bare naked, swords in hand, trying to evacuate the place. He was holding off other samurai, though most backed down when they saw him, since it was clear by his boldness, even unclothed, that he was a fierce combatant. It was then that their commander explained the situation to him, and his heart sank. A child had been bought and sold, and he was then faced with the worry that this was clearly not the first time.
He joined their number, his commanding voice shifting their violence to be directed at Ikoma's guards and not the courtesan's as they searched for Tananua's brother. Katsuo knew the boy immediately, and led the way through the house, telling the others to evacuate.
But, most of them didn't leave the walls, they ran to the courtyard to escape the danger-- directly into the magical clash in the garden. The delicate, trained plants were already ablaze, the heavy sting of complex magic raced over his scales. Ikoma had a silver knife to the throat of the adolescent, and was laughing, her eyes focused on Tananua.
That was his one moment. She likely did not expect any of the swordsmen that Tananua had brought to challenge her, a powerful noblewoman, a sorceress with political sway and vast wealth. But, Asahi had no reservations. He charged, his wild hair loose, his bare skin splattered with blood and smeared with ash. She saw him only at the last moment, and she knew that killing the boy would not halt the savage charger. When the bolt of lightning struck him in that last moment as his blade struck her neck, he was glad he could die honorably in such a heroic moment, rescuing a child.
But, he came to, magic flooding his chest. He expected to see the other sorceress, perhaps rewarding him for saving her brother with healing. But, to some dawning horror, he saw it was Katsuo above him. There was no horror at his beloved healing him, the love and tears on his pale cheeks as he eased the pain from his chest-- but the fact that there were dozens of witnesses. Katsuo was trading his life to save him, for using magic this complex was forbidden to men on penalty of death.
Sagatti lowered a wine glass and blinked in horror. "Death? You're joking, right?"
"I am not. I told you, it is forbidden by their Empress. All Sorceresses pay her tribute, and men are only permitted simple spells-- elemental things to be used only in combat." Coinach explained, before continuing, mildly annoyed by Sagatti's interruption.
"How'd he learn it, then?"
Coinach rolled their many eyes. "This isn't his story, Sagatti. We'll get to it, once we unravel how Asahi is in such proximity to a Godhunter."
There would be little in the way of a trial or hearing, Tananua was a witness against his beloved, and a judge was called for. By the time they arrived, Katsuo had dressed in his finery, and tied his hair up, prepared to meet this fate in splendor. Asahi dressed as well, and held him as the news of the attack spread through the city. He was not surprised when Sayomi arrived, her black wings fluttering in upset. She knew his love for Katsuo, and though she had never met him, she was exceptionally protective.
When the judge arrived, the sentence was declared quickly. First, Katsuo would lose his hands, and then his head. That was the price, and her executioner-- a heavily built man carrying a heavy wooden block and a massive sword-- stepped up and indicated that Katsuo should put his hands on the block. He rested the blade across the back of Katsuo's wrists, drawing thin lines of blood. The blade rose up in the air, and Asahi darted in. His sword catching the executioner's blow.
He would not stand for it. Loyalty to the Empress lost in that moment as his heart swore itself to Katsuo. He shouted to Sayomi, who snatched up Katsuo in her claws and roared before grabbing him from the clash with the executioner, and gaining the sky in a burst.
They did not properly speak until they reached the coast-- hopping from island to island, riding carefully on Sayomi's back for she was not in a proper harness and saddle. But, by the time they reached the colonies, the news of his exile, and criminal status had reached the magistrates here. And, grimly, they both knew that they would have to go deep into the Independent Lands if they were to survive.
Asahi had been prepared to be nothing more than a disgraced laborer, to work in the mines to dig up spiritstone in the blasted desert. Katsuo reminded him over and over that his profession would be needed anywhere, and Asahi would not need to debase his noble lineage and upbringing, but Asahi would not hear of it. Katsuo could work as he willed, but, Asahi would not lounge about as some pompous noble while his beloved worked in a brothel on the edge of civilization.
But, when they arrived in distant Nirase City, riding atop the sleek black beast, they were met with strange fanfare. The Governor of the province had called them from the boarding house at the edge of the city. They had arrived at a difficult time, the sheriff had just been killed in action, and Governor Erdwulf seized at a chance to enlist a veteran commander, and one with a dragon at his side. Asahi took it, as well as the promise of a home in the city--one large enough that Katsuo could keep his work at home, and be comfortable to be selective of clients.
That was fine by Asahi. And he fell into the tasks of learning the laws of the Independent Lands as he enforced them along side Sayomi. She enjoyed the work, and among his deputies, he trained up a crew for larger engagements-- there were few bands of ruffians who stuck together when a dragon with crew of riflemen descended on them.
The strangeness really started, however, when one of the Cynri Clans-- the strange, barbaric, fae race that lived in the deep wilderness by choice-- called out for aid, he flew out with Sayomi to learn of an Ameryu who had been adopted to their clan had been snatched up from the clan by villains. It was like something out of a quarter-mark pulp novel, But kidnapping was kidnapping, even if he'd never heard of an Ameryu living among the Cynri as a Clan member. They tracked the kidnappers by air, following the tracks of their mounts to the edge of the desert, into a dusty stretch of grassland.
There was a camp of canvas tents, and a band of mixed strangers milling around. They did not look like rough clad villains, their clothing was in good repair, the men clean shaven, the women with hair tied up. Most were humans, with a pair of Ameryu, a handful of Deserai, and a Naga among them. They appeared to all be engaged in heated discussion before Sayomi dropped from the sky-- deputies unclipping from her harness and spreading out with repeating rifles leveled.
He expected they'd surrender, as he joined his men on the ground, pistol in his left, his light wakizashi in his right, the gleaming star of his rank proud over his heart. What he hadn't expected was powerful magic. An arc of lightning lanced from the hands of a wiry looking Ameryu woman-- with faded green scales, her face twisted snarl-- and struck two of his deputies dead on the spot, their bodies tossed like paper dolls in the wind.
The report of rifles answered immediately, and she forced his hand. He brought up his revolver, firing twice with his left hand. They struck her belly and he pushed into the camp, Sayomi roaring behind them, her voice so loud as to rattle the canvas tents. One of the Deserai was bleeding from a wound in his arm, and the blood roiled, formed into a solid lance shape and lashed out at Asahi like a striking snake, slicing through the oilskin of his duster and ripping into his arm beneath. The Deserai man was killing himself as more blood surged from him into a dark-red horror and so the answer was a bullet between his eyes, putting him out of his misery.
Another strange barrage of magic, and the world seemed upside down for a moment, Asahi was sent tumbling and rolling over the stands of dry grass--getting caught up in the ropes of one of the tents, his momentum carrying it with him. He'd never felt magic so raw before, and as his vision focused, he saw it had come from the other Ameryu. She was like the first he had shot, green scaled, and with an expression of pure vitriol.
She was yelling something, running towards him-- no, towards the cowering, bound figure, wrapped in colorful fabrics exposed to the sun by the collapsed tent. Was the kidnapped victim a child? They looked so small, and they were cowering, shaking. It was with horror then that he saw tendrils of putrid black, lashing together shards of old bone, shoot up from the ground like a sapling, grown all at once, into something like a spider of rot and bone. Though, there were too many 'legs' that stretched rather than flexed as it charged the approaching sorceress.
His mind blanked then, as the thing truly moved. He couldn't quite comprehend as it ripped old bones from the grassland, black and gray tendrils rising up to meet the mass. It had come from the soil itself, and was now ripping through the land in pursuit of the green scaled woman. She fled in a flash of light, and a crack of air. The resounding void of teleportation tugging on his magic-sensitive scales.
And, that thing was gone.
There was no sign of the mottled horror, save for shards of fresh dug bone, and the smell of mold on the air. His mind came to, and he untangled himself from the ruined tent, and brushed off enough to look presentable. The surviving mages-- a naga, and a trio of what he had initially thought were humans but were actually shape-shifters, but were actually one Alarie, and a pair of Skaldi with lupine ears and eyes now-- had surrendered to arrest. In all, he'd lost three deputies, their bodies wrapped up in the tents to be taken home to Nirase City for burial, and the four prisoners were bound and tucked into harnesses on Sayomi's belly to be transported back.
But, the... Well he couldn't quite call them a girl, or a boy, man or woman. Their features were vague, their skin was an odd pale hue, like a tan that had faded. Their scales were a bright, emerald green, and their wide, observant eyes the color of summer grass. He asked their name, hoping to get some gauge of who this person was, and they just stared at him. Not frightened, or shocked, just silent. He asked them to nod if they were mute, he tried hands signs, he even tried writing out in the dirt as the deputies loaded the prisoners. Nothing.
He worried they were drugged, or worse, and scooped them up in his arms. They felt so thin, so light, like they hadn't been fed properly, and that made him worry further. Made him wonder why the Cynri had sent him, instead of one of there war bands. His mind flashed back to that moment of horror as the rot underfoot took shape-- he wasn't even sure it had happened, or if he had just hit his head.
"Sheriff's star. I am safe, then." They said, as he carried them over to Sayomi, in a voice that was at once sweet and deep--still androgynous. His mind raced with old stories of those who existed outside of Ameiaa's graces, not born to male or female, but somewhere in between. It was almost heresy. But, their face was pretty, and sweet, as they tucked in against his chest, those huge eyes closing, and the thin body relaxing.
He got them home, and straight away to Katsuo. He was certain he could help if it was that the frail figure needed a healer. Katsuo asked them to undress, and they didn't step behind a curtain, they just stripped down, as if the gentle question was a command. Both he and Katsuo's breath caught as they saw the sprawling tattoos that covered all but their face. Dark ink that hurt the mind to look at for too long, that roiled with some inner magic. But, he saw then that his worries were confirmed. Both male and female in anatomy, they would have suffered greatly in Ryuko, for such a thing was considered the work of evil.
They were kind, though, and smart, even if they said very few words. He sent a messenger jay to the Cynri, and they said that so long as Mikasi was safe, they were content. It was then that he learned that the mostly silent figure in his house had a name.
Mikasi. He felt a strong affection for the strange figure, as did Katsuo, and within a few months, Asahi admitted he loved them. And, then, so did Katsuo. They learned to help with their odd silence, and got them a job as a surveyor, where they could wander the desert in peace and quiet-- the strange magic in their tattoos was far more sensitive to veins of spiritstone than anyone could have dreamed. They'd write reports, and they were happy. It was a bit of a surprise that they could become pregnant, but not an unhappy one, the twins were born healthy and happy, and Asahi couldn't be happier.
"The Godhunter is rot-bound." Coinach hummed, drumming their fingers on Asahi's scroll.
"Why's it matter if they're both male and female?"
Coinach pinched the bridge of their nose. "The Ameryu believe that things have to be one or the other. It all fits into neat little boxes. You can't be an in between thing."
"Boring."
"Hush now, this has given me a lot to ponder. Be a dear and check on the deer, please." Coinach said, and closed all of their eyes to rest.
