Games of Power

Author: Lhunuial
Fandom: Samurai Deeper Kyo
Main Characters: Akira, Tokito
Minor characters: /
Pairing: Akira x Tokito
Genre: Romance
Rating: PG-13 for language
Fic: Multichaptered
Disclaimer: Not mine, not ever, don’t sue me, you know the deal.

Warning: Spoilers for chapters 280, 281, 282 and chapters 251 to 259

Games of Power

Chapter 6
The Gardener and her Mockingbird

Our children...

Those words kept on echoing in Tokito’s mind. Her fists no longer pounded Akira’s chest. She dug her fingers into his skin instead. No snarky rude comment emerged from her throat. It was hard to believe the samurai who was currently holding her actually said what he did. He was always scheming and plotting for his own amusement. It was hard to believe him. She always expected him to just turn around and leave her. He turned away from her before, after all. All she wanted was for him to stay.

It took a while before she snapped out of that and remembered she needed to throw something back at him. “I happen to think it doesn’t fit with my hair at all. Now put me down, jackass! I don’t like talking to the back of your head!”

Akira also recovered from his words and increased his grasp on her. “I don’t think I will. You never seem to talk to my face. It’s always screaming or kissing, like last night showed.”

She started to wiggle again to free herself and pound his back with her fists. “That’s the only way you’ll listen!! No, skip that. You never listen to me, you bastard. How else can I get your attention?!”

It didn’t end there. She was just catching her breath. Trying to break free and scream at the same time took up a lot of breath. “You’re always flirting with other girls, like that Suzaku slut or that Yuya chick!”

He lowered her and settled the young Taishirou in front of him. Her ankles were still frozen together, so he had to support her. “She’s not a bint,” he answered coldly. “And it’s not flirting. It’s called ‘being nice.’ I know, an unknown concept to you.”

The second those words were uttered Tokito turned back into the little girl she hid behind her foul mouth. “I can be nice,” she protested with a shaky voice.

“No, you really can’t.” The answer was harsh and cold, as was the expression on Akira’s face. It didn’t take long though, the smirk appeared again shortly after. “But that’s ok. I don’t have to worry about infidelity this way.”

Tokito growled angrily when the words registered. “And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?!”

“Nothing,” he snickered. At the same he settled her back onto his shoulder. Tokito was annoyed enough. It was almost time for his amusement.

She was screaming again. “Put me the fuck down, Akira!!! This is annoying!”

Akira burst out in laughter. It echoed through the gardens, in all its sarcastic glory. “Really? I’m having a great time and the water is almost cold enough.”

Her arms were crossed in front of her chest. She was mocking him behind his back. Her ears shot steam into the air and her eyes were narrowed into small slits. “Fine. Throw me into the water, you jackass. Like I care. I can get out of it anytime. No problem.”

Judging by his voice with the amused tone he was smirking again. That smirk she would so love to cut off his face.

“We’ll just have to see about that, won’t we?”

She didn’t reply, being too busy with fretting on his back and cursing mentally. What else was there to say? All she could do was lay on his shoulder, freezing.

Before she realised it he tossed her. “Akira!!!!!!!” She screamed as she fell. He was laughing still, the sound reaching her ears and infuriating her even more. Her eyes were focussed upon the ice covered pond beneath her. She would break the ice with her fall, maybe even herself. At that moment she squeezed her eyes shut. Any second now she could hit the ice. She was waiting for impact.


But the impact didn’t come. Akira appeared on the newly formed ice with his arms spread, ready to catch her. She didn’t open her eyes until she felt his arms strong and steady around her, waiting until she was secure in his arms. Even then she waited, just to make sure that he wouldn’t drop her after all.

“Having fun, Tokito-chan?

The first thing she saw as she opened her eyes was that smirk, that annoying smirk. Ohh, how she’d love to take it off his face!

“You bas...”

He brought his face close to hers. Not even an inch was left between them. “Just remember that mine is the only name you’ll scream.”

Even before he removed the ice around her ankles and lowered her to the ground she started to hit his chest. “Jackass!!! You’re the only one who does these annoying things to make me scream! You like making me scream!!”

He gave her a look of deep significance. “In so many ways...”

“Hpmh.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

His hand ran through her radioactive hair, feeling the silky locks sliding through his fingers. He tilted his head to the right as he did so. Breathing was hard being so close to her like this. With questing fingers he traced her jaw and her lips. “I wonder...” he murmured thoughtfully.

Unexpectedly he let her go and turned to walk towards the castle. Tokito was left standing there, totally bewildered by his actions. He was leaving her again. She should have expected this, but she didn’t. She trembled as she set a foot forwards. Her eyes filled with salty water.

“Akira!!!” She screamed.

He stopped dead in his tracks. Something was missing in her voice. “Yes?”

“Don’t you dare leave me!!! You can’t leave me here like this!!!” She stomped with her foot onto the ground, shaking with fear and anger.

“Like what? You’re fully capable of walking on your own.” The icy samurai turned around to face her. His appearance was calm and steady, the wind moving his sleeves and hakama. The mocking smirk was absent. He stirred at the sound of her voice. She was still the arrogant Taishirou, but also a little girl. So fragile, he thought to himself as he looked at her.

“I know I’m capable of walking on my own,” she shot back at him. That was the only thing she could say about that. “You...” She wiped her tears away with her sleeve and tried to steady her voice. “You can’t leave me now! You ruined my world, you better as hell still be here when it gets fixed!”

There was a short pause. The silence was hard as ice and yet heartbreaking.

“I order you to stay! If you don’t I’ll kill you! You can’t just come so close and then walk away. Why are you leaving me now? Make it all stop!”

Akira’s face froze. He wasn’t sure why he was walking away. A mere feeling. He was a samurai, he fought to protect. Yet he feared there was something he could not protect her from. Was it the powerlessness he felt? One day she would be gone. He didn’t want anyone else torn from him anymore. What did she want from him?

“Did you hear me, Akira!!!” She was still yelling at him. “I order you to stay!!”

Suddenly he appeared behind her, fleetingly touching her shoulder. He breathed harshly and put his other hand on her shoulder as well. “Still so demanding.”

She froze the second she felt him appear behind her and touch her. That move was still getting on her nerves. Yet her heart leaped. He’d come back to her. Somehow he always did. Why couldn’t he see that his place was at her side?

“Akira...” She whispered softly.

“Yes?” He smiled.

She poked him in his stomach with her elbow. “Stop doing that. You always startle me when you do that, you bastard.”

That was the Tokito he knew so well. He smirked. They would always leave a mark of some kind on each other. “So quick to recover.”

Tokito turned around to face him, an arrogant smirk also gracing her face. She grabbed his wrists forcefully and held them with all her strength. “I thought you knew by now how fast I am.”
The icy samurai cocked an eyebrow, but he didn’t struggle. He didn’t need to now. Besides, he would get back at her the moment she least expected it.

A wicked smile appeared on her face. “I have you at my mercy,” she snickered. “You do remember I am not nice do you?”

He grinned. “Quite vicious actually.”

The Mibu girl released his wrists and grabbed onto his collar, bringing her face close to his. “Do you want me to torture you so badly, huh?”

Again he cocked an eyebrow. “Your brand of torture is questionable.”

“You speak of personal experience I presume?” She lifted his chin with her fingers, as he had so often done to her.

“You were singing the other day.”

For the time first time Akira heard Tokito giggle as a girl would do. It sounded a lot better than her singing he had to conclude. And that brought a smile upon his face.

“Maybe I should do it again,” she grinned wickedly as she thought about that.

If he could he’d roll his eyes after hearing that statement. He cleared his throat. “Maybe you need a new hobby.”

Tokito tilted her head, as if looking at him from a different angle would change things. “What would you suggest?”

He knew his opinion was important to her, even though he did not know why. He had noticed before, when he told her that the way she was treating Bontenmaru was not very ladylike and that she stop treating him that way. She had jumped off the tall Shiseiten instantly. He thought about her question for a moment.

“...Planting.”

A memory appeared before Tokito’s mind’s eye before Akira had even finished speaking. It was the same memory she had before, when she was standing in front of the house of her early youth. She was walking and dancing through these gardens. Her father and mother, her uncle Muramasa and Hishigi had all been there.

“Like my mother...” The words came out of her mouth in distant tone.

Akira gently placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him. “She grew things?”

Her eyes seemed dreamily and she reached out towards the flowers in the garden, while the memory still played before her eyes. “Yes. She was really good at growing flowers. I remember saying I wanted to be just like that.”

“Ah.” He scooped her up into his arms and carried her through the garden. She was light as a feather. No wonder considering how small and frail she was. He fulfilled his heart’s wish to embrace her. The smile on his face was joyful yet thoughtful. Could he ever be more content he wondered, now he had her in his arms?

Tokito held onto him for dear life. She didn’t want him to let go, though she would not tell him. Instead she continued talking about her memory. “I just never became like that. I forgot about it.”

When they reached the edge of the garden he stopped walking. It was a beautiful place, surrounded by trees, flowers, bushes and grass. Right in the middle of the little paradise he lowered himself to the ground, careful not to drop the girl in his arms.

As soon as he sat comfortably on the ground he placed a featherlight kiss on her brow. “There’s no need to give up on that dream...”

She buried her head in the nook of his shoulder and allowed her hand to rest on his chest. “You think I could still do that?”

“Why not? You, Taishirou...” He snickered.

WHACK! “You, Shiseiten!”

He frowned as he rubbed the red part of his cheek where she smacked him. “I quit, remember?”

She stuck her tongue out. “I’m no longer part of the Taishirou, remember? I no longer fight for the Aka no Ou.”

Akira’s stoic face returned. “You fight to protect the clan. Not as... zealously as Shinrei, but you care.”

Her eyes narrowed and she looked up defiantly. “Since when did I become nice enough to care?”

He smirked. “Kyo’s not nice and he cares. Why should you?”

A devilish gleam appeared in Tokito’s eyes. She freed herself from his embrace, even though she would have loved to be there longer. But she had another idea. She pushed Akira backwards until he lay flat on his back on the grass and straddled him. His wrists were caught high above his head.

Her face was brought close to his and she grinned wickedly. “Good, then I can still torture you.”

He returned a wicked smirk. “Perhaps.”

The End