Warning: This is an AU fanfiction!
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He dropped himself off the top of the wall, and down onto the ground below him, crouching immediately after so that he does not hurt his knees. He quickly moved so that no one would notice his presence, and climbed the nearest wall up to the beams of the ceiling. He stood up at the beams, carefully walking on it on tiptoes.
He was here last night to fulfill his mission, but he failed. Then again, it might be wrong to assume that Mafu had failed his mission. He hadn't even got the chance to initiate because he couldn't even find his target.
The higher-ups in his association gave him this one important task, saying that the ruler of their country now was nothing but a foolish King, and he needed to be eliminated so that a better person could lead. The higher-ups also seemed to already have a candidate in mind.
To be frank, Mafu had not a single care of who deserved to be King. It was going to be the same out at the slums anyway. What gave his higher-ups the rights to say when all of them didn't know what exactly was happening in the country? Having him go through so much trouble just for their satisfaction, what was he doing, really? He always wondered why he still remained in the group.
... He supposed there were a ton of reasons why.
Mafu's eyes widened at what he was seeing when he brought himself back to reality. It seemed he unconsciously made his way towards the garden in the castle again; the place he was at last night, where he encountered a guard.
And speak of the devil, there the man stood, standing at where he was last night when Mafu jumped over the walls behind the garden. The man had his hood on, so Mafu couldn't quite tell what facial expression had the guard put on, but he gave Mafu a feeling that he was waiting for someone.
Last night, when Mafu jumped on him, and knocked his hood back, revealing his pure white skin, black hair, and deep, dark sapphire blue eyes, it took the breath out of Mafu. It felt as if he could drown in his eyes as it reminded him of the first time he saw the ocean by the seashore at night when he was younger. And the man's voice was definitely not what a human would have, because how could he make Mafu's heart waver in mere seconds with just a few exchanges of word? Him, Mafumafu, the infamous great assassin who had done good and bad deeds for various people?
He was honestly the person who Mafu would least love to encounter at the moment, not after what happened last night.
The man turned his head to look at Mafu's direction, and Mafu flinched visibly at him.
"Are you here to kill the King again?" he asked, his voice echoed down the hall.
Mafu didn't know if he should respond to his question. It was already unlikely of him to be talking to other people during a mission, and to even let the guard put his dagger away, and not to mention, touch him too! Thinking about it made Mafu feel frustrated as he was mad at himself for being so mindless and careless, he felt the need to punch himself.
He decided to ignore the guard. It was best to be wary around the likes of him. Mafu continued walking on the beams, lowering his body as the ceiling got lower. He tried to see if there was a way to another building in this heavenly huge castle that must shape like a maze since Mafu still got lost even though it was his fourth time in here.
The guard then slowly moved to turn his body towards him, and chuckled.
"You're choosing to ignore me?"
Mafu turned away, not wanting to look at him.
"I'm not going to hurt you," the guard said.
"Who said I was going to let you hurt me?" Mafu spat at him, feeling challenged when he heard him say that. Who did he think Mafu was, a kid?
The guard let out a chuckle.
"You seem to be well," he said, looking amused as he got a response from Mafu.
"And you're just as annoying as you were last night," Mafu hissed at him. He reached in to the tiny bag he had on his waist to retrieve a small knife, just in case he was going to be engaged in a fight. "Why are you here?"
It sort of annoyed Mafu to a certain extent, but it had been forever since he saw someone smile, and he never remembered that it was something so beautiful.
The man shrugged, saying "I don't really know why," as he gave Mafu a troubled smile. Mafu turned away from him, unable to let his gaze fall on him. His heart pounded loudly against his chest. It confused Mafu. It was not as if he was nervous or anything, but why was it racing like the wind?
"Come down," the man said, breaking Mafu's thoughts when he was still trying to figure out what was wrong with him.
"That's impossible," Mafu answered immediately.
"I already said I'm not going to hurt you,"
"You can't, anyway. I'll stab you in the throat with my dagger before that happens,"
Mafu reached to the back where he pocketed his precious dagger, but what he grabbed wasn't the hilt of his dagger. He grabbed the air. He tried again, not believing the fact that he forgot his dagger for a mission. He then patted himself all over to see if he placed it somewhere else.
"You mean this dagger?"
He instantly looked up at the guard. The guard reached under his cloak, and pulled out a familiar-looking dagger. He held the dagger by the hilt in between his thumb and middle finger, and swung the dagger around. The guard then cocked a brow at Mafu, as if to ask him if he still wants to stay up there or come down to him to get his dagger back.
Mafu clicked his tongue at him. He hated the man after all. He crouched on the beams, his senses all up. It didn't seem like he brought people with him since Mafu couldn't really hear any other person's breathing around them. It was just him.
... Really?
Mafu placed his hands on the beams, a little hesitant at whether he should really go to the man. What if it was a trap? He might even get stabbed by his own dagger if the man was plotting something. But he needed that dagger back. He climbed down, letting his body hanging in the air with his hands gripping on the wooden beam.
"You don't have to come so close if you don't want to," the guard added when Mafu dropped himself on the ground. Mafu started walking towards him carefully, still unable to trust the man standing right before his eyes. The man tilted his head slightly as he said, "There, you can stand right over there,"
Mafu then stood at where he was after hearing him say that. He was definitely closer now, but there was still a big gap between the both of them. Now that he was out on the hallway, and with the stone walls out of the way, he managed take a good look at the garden. It was a sight, not something he could normally see in the slums.
The leaves of the trees were trimmed neatly. Some of them were even trimmed to shape like animals such as a rabbit, a giraffe, or a cat. There were many different types of flowers planted around the area too, but Mafu didn't know what they were, he just found them pretty. How could there possibly be so many flowers in one place? This was just simply wondrous. It was as if he was in some sort of fairy land that he often dreamt of in his sleep when he was younger.
He wondered if tiny little dwarves would come running out from under the bushes.
The guard was quiet, and Mafu quickly tore his gaze away from the garden, mentally scolding himself for letting himself get caught up at the sight of this beautiful garden. He looked over at the guard to see that he was staring at him, his gaze soft and warm. He wanted him to stop looking at him like that, or he thought he might waver like how he did last night.
"... Stop staring at me," said Mafu quietly, breaking the silence between them. "I'll stab you,"
The guard blinked, as if he was just brought back to attention, looking confused at Mafu's statement. Then as if he understood it after a while, he cleared his throat, and looked away.
"You seem to have taken a liking to the garden," said the guard.
Mafu decided that it was no harm for him to give him a respond. He looked back at the garden as he saw images in his head of the place he had always lived in since birth.
"It's probably because I don't usually get to see something like this outside,"
The guard stepped down the step, and into the garden, walking towards a certain flowerbed. The flowerbed was planted with these really pretty flowers with yellow coloured petals, but Mafu didn't know what they were.
"These are daffodils," the guard said as he pointed at them.
He turned to Mafu, and tilted his head a little as a gesture to have him come over for a good look. Mafu had to. He had to because he just simply loved flowers, and it seemed to be the golden opportunity to actually look at them. He got down to his knees together with Mafu when Mafu got beside him.
"I planted them myself,"
"You did?"
The guard smiled at Mafu's reaction. The man was a guard, and from the feelings of it, he should be one of the higher ranks too, seeing how he managed to dodge Mafu's attacks calmly and efficiently. Why was a man like him, here at the garden, planting flowers when he should be on duty? And wasn't this supposed to be the gardener's job?
"I had a lot of time after training back when I was younger. The gardener is the one in charge of taking care of them now though,"
"... I see,"
"Every flower holds a meaning for itself, and they're known as the flower language, did you know that?"
Mafu shook his head, feeling a little excited to know about something new at a night like this, but he did not allow it to show on his face. Good thing he was good at it, didn't want the man to be teasing him again about minor things he accidentally showed to him.
"A yellow daffodil is known to be a lucky symbol for success," he plucked one from the flowerbed, and brought it up to his face. He then quietly added, "But it also means a new beginning,"
He handed the flower to Mafu, and waited for him to take it.
"Are you wishing me luck on my mission of killing the King?"
"Of course not," he chuckled lightly.
Mafu took the flower off of the man's hand, and the man looked back at the flowerbed lovingly. Mafu averted his gaze from the man, and instead put them on the flower he just received. It looked common, but it felt special to Mafu because it was his first time receiving something pretty like this. He just hoped it didn't have to be in a situation like this where a guard and an assassin are just casually talking in the royal garden.
"I planted these for my princess,"
"The daughter of the King?"
The man nodded.
And it ended there. Mafu knew better to not pry, especially not in this situation. Right, he was not here to have fun watching flowers. Where was the King at?
Mafu stood up, and so did the guard.
"What's your name?" asked the guard before Mafu could do or say anything.
Once again, taken aback by the guard, Mafu had to stop and think about whether he should or should not tell him.
"My name is Soraru," the guard said, probably thinking that Mafu would feel better at telling him if he told him his. He was already perfectly attractive on the outside, and now even his name was beautiful.
How unfair, thought Mafu. The sound of his name tingled in his ears. "Soraru, Soraru," Mafu would let the name run in his mind for a couple of times, and it all just felt so strange. The man looked to be older than him, so should he use honorifics on him? So would that make it "Soraru-san" if Mafu were to call his name?
The name fitted the man well.
... Soraru.
There shouldn't be any harm in telling him, right? The man already told him his after all.
"... -afu,"
"I'm sorry?"
"... Mafumafu,"
Soraru looked at Mafu, blinking a few times as if in shock after hearing his name, and then smiled.
"You're an assassin but your name makes you sound soft,"
"Wha-! I don't want to hear that from you!"
This was why Mafu never liked his name. It made him sound weak, soft, and especially uncool. Why wasn't he given a better name? Why wasn't he named "Rakshasa" or maybe just some sort of cool phrase which he could use as a title? Then when his enemies see him, they all would go, "Run, it's the Shadow of the Wind!" or something. That would be so cool.
The next thing Soraru said brought Mafu back to attention.
"Mafumafu," Soraru called out, testing to see how his tongue would roll when he pronounced his name. And surprisingly, no matter how much Mafu disliked his name, he didn't hate the sound of it when it came out of Soraru's mouth. Why was that?
"It's a really nice name," Soraru said. "It pictures you well,"
"... Are you mocking me?" Mafu asked after a long pause.
"I thought I was complimenting you,"
"You're mocking me," Mafu frowned.
"I'm not," Soraru laughed.
Being together with Soraru makes Mafu feel at ease, but of course, Mafu shouldn't feel this way. He gripped his fists tightly by his sides.
They were immediately back to business again.
"Give me back my dagger," Mafu put his hand out at Soraru. "You've wasted a lot of my time,"
"Only if you promise you'll stop going after the King," Soraru responded quietly.
"That's highly impossible,"
"Then I'll ask you a question instead," said Soraru, turning his back towards Mafu as he walked back to the hallway, stepping up onto the stone floor. "Why is it that the group is after the King?"
"I can't tell you that either,"
Soraru went quiet for a while, before he turned back at Mafu. His facial expression was dark, but his blue eyes gleamed with the pride of a knight's, showing his loyalty to his King, his firm determination to protect the King and his country. He was not smiling or laughing like he did with Mafu just now, not anymore. He was serious.
"The reason, Mafumafu,"
"... I can't,"
Mafu lowered his head, not wanting to look at Soraru because he was afraid he would change his mind. If Mafu told him the reason why, he would lose a place to go back to, and he'd constantly be in grave danger because who knows what the group would do to him.
Soraru seemed to notice that something was wrong, but he kept it to himself. He looked solemn for a moment before he opened his mouth again.
"Mafumafu,"
"I told you," Mafu began, feeling his blood boiling in his head. Why was he trying to push him to a corner? It suffocated him. "I can't,"
"Are you afraid?"
Afraid?
Mafu went still, but he pretended that he was not fazed by Soraru's question.
"... No,"
What was he saying? Of course he was afraid. He had never wanted a life like this. All he wanted was to live life like a normal lad, maybe even work as a gardener because he felt it was something he would enjoy doing. Even though he knew it was not true, but he still wrote a letter to Santa every Christmas, asking Santa for a normal life.
But he was a bad boy, so he never got what he wanted.
"You don't have to be," Soraru said, seeing through Mafu's lie. He looked up at Mafu, straight into his eyes. "You'll be fine,"
So tell me, he heard Soraru urge him. It was as if Mafu was charmed by his confidence, he opened his mouth, and breathed in before he said:
"... They said if they allowed your King to rule, the country would be doomed for,"
"But they are not the ones to decide that,"
"I know," Mafu let out a deep breath. He felt as if a stone was lifted from his chest, and for once in so many years, he felt fine, just as Soraru said. His words gave him comfort and courage, as if they were true even though they might not be. But still, it really did sound as if it was alright to tell him. "I thought they were the foolish ones when they said that. Who else was going to rule if not for the King? Them?"
Mafu snorted, rolling his eyes at what he just said. These were all things he wanted to say when he first received the mission, but he knew better to not do anything stupid like this because he'd probably be imprisoned for days without food or water, get beaten up like a punching bag, and thrown under the sun to dehydrate him further. But they were not here now. It was just him and Soraru. So as Soraru just said: Everything is going to be fine.
"The King tries his best every day,"
"... He does?" the King didn't seem like one to do so. He had always been holding balls and parties, and it happened so frequently, people started to doubt his abilities, which was why the group suddenly came to a conclusion that he needed to be eliminated.
"I suppose he felt the need to improve himself," Soraru nodded at Mafu's question. "When the King was younger, when he had the princess, he'd work all day long, even until the sun sets, paying no attention to his precious daughter. At night, when I would go to the throne room to report to him about the princess' condition, he'd smile, and then he'd always ask me if he met everyone's expectations. I knew it was all because he had this new determination in him when he first saw her, seeing the need to protect her, he had to work hard, and before he even knew it, he lost all time,"
Soraru paused for a while, and smiled sadly.
"I did too, for her,"
"Is the princess really all that important to the both of you?"
When he heard that Soraru worked so hard for someone, an alien emotion came rushing into Mafu's heart. He didn't exactly know what it was, but it just felt unpleasant.
"In a sense, she is the future Queen for this country,"
Mafu only hummed disinterestedly in response, kicking at a small rock on the grass in the garden. He then jumped up the step into the hallway, back to Soraru's side, not forgetting to keep an appropriate distance between them.
"So can I have my dagger back now?"
Soraru looked up at the night sky.
"I'll be keeping it,"
"What? I answered your question, and I get to get it back,"
"I said it was only if you'll stop, I never said I'll give it back to you if you answered my question,"
What a sly man.
Mafu glared at him, upset at the fact that he was played by him.
"Plus, I get a reason to talk to you like this if I have your dagger with me,"
"... Are you stupid?"
Mafu's heart fluttered a little when he heard Soraru say that. He felt normal when he was talking to Soraru like this. Was it alright for him to anticipate things? Things like having a normal life, even though it was just for a little while?
"I'm starting to think that I am," Soraru sighed, shaking his head at himself. "To want to talk to someone who is trying to kill my King, I might just be extremely exhausted,"
Now that he mentioned it, he did look tired. With the looks of those heavy eye bags, just how many days had it been since he last slept?
"Are you alright?"
"And now I think I might be hearing things because of how exhausted I am,"
Mafu kicked Soraru lightly at the shin. Soraru laughed, and said, "Ow," even though Mafu was sure it didn't even hurt for him. Mocking him even when this great Mafumafu was giving him one of his rarest concerns, how absurd could he be? They both went into silence again, and it was not too long before Mafu opened his mouth again.
"... Soraru,"
His name rolled smoothly with his tongue, and it held a nice ring to it. He really liked his name.
"Honorifics, Mafumafu,"
"Soraru, can I-"
"Honorifics,"
"...... Soraru-san," Mafu said, hesitantly through his gritted teeth.
"What is it, Mafumafu?" Soraru smirked, and tilted his head to the side.
Mafu let out a snort. What a troublesome man, he thought, but he didn't dislike the part about him. He was supposed to call him with honorifics anyway. It just felt as if he was losing if he did, and he never liked losing, and for some reasons, he didn't think he would like losing to a person like him, especially him.
"... Soraru-san, can I come again?"
Something might have gone haywire in Mafu's mind for him to ask something like that. It didn't make sense for the both of them to be talking calmly like this to begin with. But he just felt that if he came here, he could feel differently about himself, and he was hesitant to let that feeling go.
"There's going to be a ball tomorrow night," said Soraru.
"Are you stupid?" Mafu stared at Soraru, bewildered. It was his second time asking the same question for the night.
"What? I just thought it'd be nice if you could come,"
"The King is going to be there, and I'm here to assassinate him, remember?"
Heavens, he didn't need to remind him over, and over again about the fact that he was an assassin. Why was Soraru letting his guard down in front of him?
"Worry not. The King will be unharmed because I would be there by his side the entire night," said Soraru with confidence. "I know you're different from the others, so you wouldn't,"
The man was definitely not thinking straight.
"... And you seem like you've always wanted a place where you could feel normal," Soraru shrugged, looking out at the garden before turning to look back at Mafu again with those blue eyes of his.
Mafu felt his body stiffen. How did he know? Did Mafu somehow blurt out whatever he had on his mind? He made sure he didn't, though. So, how?
He lifted his hand, staring at the yellow daffodil he received from Soraru. Was that what he meant when he gave him the flower?
"So, what do you think?"
"No," rejected Mafu.
"Well, I figured you'd say something like that,"
"You're a strange one, Soraru-san,"
"It's the first time I've been told that, but I shall take that as a compliment,"
Mafu stifled a laugh, but he ended up laughing softly at Soraru anyway for being so dorky. Soraru smiled at him, and reached out to put a hand on his head. If Mafu was still in his right minds, he might have dodged it, and slapped his hand away, but he didn't. He did, however, jump a little when he realised what Soraru was trying to do.
Soraru was hesitant at first, but he eventually placed his hand slowly and gently on Mafu's head over the hood. He carefully moved his hand, petting Mafu. Mafu closed his eyes, and lowered his head unconsciously, as if wanting him to pet him a little more.
How long had it been since someone did something as simple as this to him? Probably never, not that Mafu remembered anything of the sort, but he liked how this feels. He didn't know he craved the warmth and gentleness of another person's until now.
"The ballroom is in that building over there,"
Soraru looked towards the building at the opposite side of the garden, Mafu followed his gaze. It was a huge building, just like every other one they had in the castle. Soraru pointed at the veranda at the left side of the building.
"I'll wait for you there,"
Mafu stared back at Soraru's eyes, and Soraru returned the stare.
"The veranda, and at this time of the night. I'll be waiting for you until you show up," Soraru petted Mafu again, and Mafu felt blood rushing to his face. He was sure he didn't want Soraru to see his face, so he reached up to move Soraru's hand away from his head.
"... I'm not a child," Mafu lowered his head, and fixed his hood, hiding his face behind it.
And as if on cue, the both of them could hear footsteps coming into the hallways to the garden. Soraru gave Mafu one last gentle pat over his hood, as if to tell him that it was time he left, and Mafu stepped back, making his way out of the castle with the same route he used yesterday.
TBC
A/N: This was my second attempt on this chapter. I had to throw the previous one away for this. I gave this chapter a little bit more srmf element than the last, because I have a feeling there would not be a whole chapter of it in the next. Also intended to show more of how Mafu thought about this, and obviously he didn't like the idea of it, but it was hard for him to keep away.
This was actually also supposed to be up in April, but it's White Day today, so I thought I'd update today, and take the opportunity to thank you amazing readers. Thank you and Happy White Day!