Sand and Fire

This story is a collaboration between Koroshi and wildcatv2.

SaF will be posted on our website, aarinfantasy, and adult-fanfiction.org. Updates will appear on the website before any other place, so check there first. Artwork from the story will also be posted there.

Summary: Summary: In a world of magic and alchemy, Inusuke longs to escape his princely responsibilities and explore the world outside of Napaaj. He stumbles across Ookami, a quiet vagabond who immediately enthralls the prince. What will Inusuke do to escape his country and be with Ookami? And what dark plots will they uncover?

About the story: Sand and Fire is set in an alternate version of Earth. The continents, geography, and weather patterns are all the same, but names have been changed – and not too cleverly, either, lol. The first country seen is Napaaj, or Japan, and is also the home country of Inusuke. Because of that, we’ve used several Japanese titles. Should you need to know the definition of one, you will be able to find their meaning at the end of the chapter.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. All characters, places, and plots belong to Koroshi and wildcatv2. They cannot be used without express permission from the authors, nor can Sand and Fire be posted on any site without the express permission of the authors. Any similarities between real people and the characters in this piece of fiction are purely coincidental. The cultures in this story were inspired by many real life cultures. No offense is intended by the portrayal of any race.

Warnings: This story will contain a homosexual relationship between two men. There will be graphic sex scenes and violence, with the possibility of more warnings to come in later chapters.

Please enjoy the first chapter of Sand and Fire.

***

“Your Majesty, it’s time to rise!” a voice bellowed out, much too early in the morning. Footsteps treaded across the floor in the direction of the windows.

Inusuke, the individual hidden under a mound of blankets didn’t move.

“Your Majesty.” Why wouldn’t the persistent voice shut up and let him sleep?

The heavy drapes were violently ripped open, showering the room with bright sunlight. The young man's indistinguishable shape moaned and shifted slightly in response.

“Please get out of bed, Your Majesty. You are required to attend your morning alchemy lessons.” The voice was closer now. The prince merely burrowed deeper into the blankets, trying to become invisible; then the servant would go away.

The voice sighed, clearly becoming impatient. The man must still be fairly new to the staff. The older servants had long since bothered to kindly ask him to get up. Ripping off the blankets was quite the effective strategy.

“Prince Ouken no Hideinosuke.” Damn, did Inusuke hate his given name. At lease the servant was aggravated, if his clipped tones were anything to go by. The prince of Napaaj loved to torture the palace staff.

“It is six o’clock. You have thirty minutes to bathe, get dressed and eat before your first lesson. I refuse to be held responsible for any punishment your sensei will give you if you fail to show up yet again.”

The prince decided to indulge the man by revealing a hand to wave the servant off. “Uh-huh. I hear ya. Gimme five minutes an’ I’ll be ready.”

The voice sputtered, “Y-your Majesty! It is not befitting a young man of your status to speak in such a manner!”

Servant suitably sidetracked, the prince popped his head out from under the blankets and glared. The man sighed one more time before giving up and leaving the prince to get ready, but Inusuke had other plans.

Once the servant had left, he threw off his covers and went to his wardrobe.

“Tch. Me attend lessons a week before the tournaments? Yeah, right. I don’t need any tutoring in alchemy, anyway,” he smirked, thinking of all the things he’d see at the docks of Nishi Port where he aimed to be instead of a classroom. His unconventional and unapproved of mentor, Crei Xanataer, owned the Scarlette Heretic, a top quality tavern and inn.

He pawed through his outfits quickly, looking for something simple to wear on his way to the stables, where he would change once again. He settled for a light green yukata and a dark grey obi. He grabbed a pair of sandals to put on once outside.

Checking the time, he realized he wouldn’t have be able to braid his hair before a servant came to check on him again. He gathered his long, white blonde hair into a haphazard ponytail, several errant strands falling around his face and over his blue eyes.

Instinctively knowing there was at least one servant and quite possibly a guard or two waiting to escort him to his lesson, he quietly opened his window and fell the small distance from the sill to the ground. The sandals were slipped on and he ran to the stables, easily avoiding the patrols of the palace guards with ease from long experience.

The familiar stench of the manure hit him as he neared the animal sheds. He headed for the largest barn where he saw old gamekeeper Clooss tending a young mare.

“Headin’ out this morn, Inus’ke?” The man didn’t bother looking up from brushing the dark coat in front of him. Clooss had been a decent pirate in his youth, as well an old friend to the previous royal family. Thanks to his colorful background, he picked up a variety of useful skills that allowed him to remain a member of the palace staff – and know when someone was trying to sneak up behind him. Inusuke swore he had implanted a third eye in the back of his head during his travels. Clooss neither confirmed nor denied the accusation.

The prince waved to Clooss. “Hell, yeah. I’m out of here! You think I want to be stuck inside for lessons when ships are arriving from all over the world to see the tournament?” His voiced had diminished slightly as he entered the older man’s chambers located in the far corner of the barn. He always kept his “street” outfits here. He couldn’t have the servants finding them.

It was here in the stables Inusuke first learned of life outside of high society. The young prince as a boy – then only a mere noble – had longed for a life not consisting of boring history and etiquette lessons, or exhausting weapons drills.

Fed up one day, the young blonde snuck out of the palace, looking for a suitable hiding place to relax for a few hours. He eventually found himself in the stables, calmed by the presence of the animals and fell asleep.

Inusuke had been jolted awake when he was roughly kicked in the leg. He jerked to a sitting position and looked up to a grisly man with dirty, white-grey hair and missing more than a few teeth in a crooked smile. The man, Clooss, took an instant liking to the boy that put the entire palace into a massive panic from his disappearing act.

Inusuke fondly remembered wheedling the gamekeeper until he explained how he got the many scars the boy discovered from subsequent visits to the stables. After that, came the begging for more stories of his life as a pirate, then advice on how to meet these colorful pirates.

Now, six years later, the prince was back in the stables, not for stories, but to change into less conspicuous clothes before escaping the palace.

Clooss looked up a few minutes later when the kid reemerged. The nice yukata was gone, replaced with a patched up vest, loose black bottoms, and a well-worn leather brace on his lower arm, covering the runes found only on those of nobility and strong alchemic decent. The light blonde hair was now braided and his head was covered by a dark blue bandana.

Clooss frowned, eyes roving Inusuke up and down, and cocked his head to one side. “C’mere, boy.”

Inusuke approached the grandfather figure curiously. Suddenly, filthy hands were rubbing over his cheeks and bare torso.

The prince jumped back. “Gross! What the hell, jiji?”

“Can’t ‘ave ya lookin’ all clean, now.”

Inusuke’s shoulders slumped and he grumbled, “I was going to do that. You probably have shit on your hands.”

Clooss laughed, or at least that’s how the blonde interpreted the wheezy noise the man made. “Get goin’, or Xana’s gonna give away all tha fun jobs.”

Grinning, he muttered a “yeah, yeah,” and left the stables, running until he was safely away from the palace grounds.

A heavy sigh was heard from a young man as he looked out to sea from the bow of the pirate ship Zeppelin. The island of Napaaj could be seen looming on the horizon.

The brooding man perked his ears as he heard approaching footsteps. “Been awhile, hasn’t it?”

Ookami didn’t acknowledge the annoying pirate, but moved to lean over the railing and stare at the approaching country. Gregson, captain of the Zeppelin, joined his comrade. “That’s your homeland, yeah?”

Ookami didn’t bother to face his captain and only gave an affirmative grunt as a response. Silence fell between the two of them as they stared into the abyss of the ocean.

Gregson finally asked, “You alright with this? Competing in the country where-”

Glaring grey eyes halted the captain in midsentence. “Yeah.”

“You’re real elegant, ya know that?”

“Hn.”

The two lapsed back into a comfortable silence until it was rudely interrupted by a loud crash. The Zeppelin’s all female crew could be heard a mile away when they began to yell at the passengers as they attempted damage control.

Gregson grinned, and took off flashy his hat to scratch his head. “Looks like the girls need me.” He then turned with a flourish towards the direction of the accident without a backwards glance at his friend. His hat was haphazardly returned to his head. “Ladies, damage report!”

With the captain’s departure, Ookami returned to his inner musings.

Currently, Ookami was the ship’s only male crew member. This fact had caused many pirates to raise an eyebrow, but none could deny that Gregson’s Zeppelin was one of the most profitable pirate vessels on the seas. The captain might be a sucker for a pretty face, but the females making up his crew were nothing if not excellent pirates. One would think Ookami would feel awkward being one of two males on the ship. That would be incorrect, of course. He didn’t give a damn about the crew as long as they were competent.

Several hours and a few more incidents later, the Zeppelin was finally safely docked at Nishi Port. Captain Gregson could be heard shouting out information concerning the ship’s schedule for the duration of the city’s festivities.

Arms folded, Ookami leaned against the ship’s cabin and sighed from boredom. He was watching the commotion, clearly not caring about the rest of the crew’s duties, but rather awaiting his own orders.

Fortunately, the dark haired man didn’t have to wait too long. Gregson soon gestured him over. Ookami pushed away from the cabin wall and strolled towards the grinning pirate.

A small box was all but thrust into his abdomen. “Feel like makin’ a delivery?”

Ookami shrugged. “Yeah, sure. Get’s me out of lifting duty.”

Gregson eyed him playfully with hands on his hips. “You’re not getting lazy on now, are you?”

He was answered with yet another harsh, grey stare.

The captain guffawed and slapped his stoic companion on the shoulder. “Fine, fine. This goes to Crei Xanataer. His main office is above the tavern Scarlette Heretic. You’ll find it southeast of here. He’s pretty damn flamboyant, so you should have no problem spotting him.”

Ookami grabbed the package and left without a word.

The rest of the crew scattered, following their captain’s orders that were barely heard over the hustle and bustle of the busy port. Crates and boxes were transferred off the ship and into the harbor famous for its large black market. Nishi Port was a haven for smugglers and pirates of all trades. This was possible thanks to the infamous trader and gentleman bastard Crei Xanataer, the intended recipient of the package Ookami now carried.

According to the rumors, Xanataer made his first official appearance at Nishi Port some ten years ago when he was barely eighteen. He brought with him incredible good looks and a quick wit, charming dozens upon dozens out of their fortunes. From the money and valuables he conned out of his unsuspecting victims, he began his own little trade empire. He escaped prosecution from his illegal dealings thanks to some very nice blackmail material he had picked up here and there.

The change to Nishi Port was quite noticeable. Ookami had left Napaaj before Xanataer had had a chance to exert his influence on the area, so he looked around dispassionately, noting the differences. The buildings that had once been decrepit fire hazards were now fully repaired, painted, and housed a variety of shops and taverns. Certainly, this port couldn’t compare to the one used by the navy or the nobles, but it was a vast improvement from what he remembered.

The port was hectic with all sorts of people, rushing to and fro to complete their own business. Ookami trudged through the crowds with his parcel, easily keeping an eye out for his mark due to being at least a head taller than the average man. Unfortunately, Gregson’s description of the guy was rather vague.

“Flamboyant, huh?” he mumbled to himself, shifting his eyes from person to person. There wasn’t a well dressed guy in sight. Everyone looked - and smelled - like they had been out to sea for weeks without a decent shower, dressed in drab rags of cheap brown clothe. He decided to concentrate on finding the Scarlette Heretic first. He’d start from there.

BAM!!

Ookami turned his head slightly to the right, towards the disturbance. He noticed a dark liquid, most likely a strong alcoholic beverage considering the numerous bars in the area, leaking out of a broken barrel. His eyes traced the path of the liquor to a young man sprawled on his ass, rubbing his face. A conspicuous pole was positioned right in front of the boy. As he quirked a dark eyebrow at the scene, he noticed an older pirate offer the blonde kid a hand up.

“You alright, Inusuke?”

The clumsy kid, Inusuke, grudgingly took the offered hand and was briskly pulled up by the grisly man. He didn’t look like the typical brat found consorting with pirates around the docks, earning pennies for manual labor. Certainly, the style of his outfit was standard street urchin wear, but the material was clearly high quality. The booze he was recently soaked in just ran off the cloth as if it were water-resistant, something that should have cost a fortune. The vest also did little to conceal the young man’s relatively clean, pale complexion instead of the expected filthy, sun bronzed skin. Another oddity came in the form of a large leather bracer encompassing the entirety of his left forearm, while the right remained bare.

At least, Ookami would have picked up those details if he believed they were actually relevant. In actuality, what he was able to discern from his brief glance was the kid’s slight build, belying a swiftness able to catch an unsuspecting foe off guard, along with all of the possible locations weapons could be hidden on his person. Every feature not dealing with combat was discarded.

Inusuke attempted to brush the street grime from his pants. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine,” he mumbled.

A man then came storming out of the nearby tavern that had been painted a garish dark red. Tavern? he thought. Ookami made a closer inspection of the pole. From it swung an equally offensive red sign with gaudy gold letters spelling out Scarlette Heretic.

Ookami looked back to the new arrival. At once, he stood out from the rest of the crowd thanks to his well-tailored, brightly hued clothes, and he was not at all pleased with the sight that greeted him.

“Inusuke!! Kid, what the hell? I saw you basically run head first into a pole from my office window. That’s good money you’ve spilled!!” The man pointed to the still-leaking keg.

Ookami eyed the man that had to be his target, thankful that his search was over and began to head in that direction.

Inusuke glanced around anxiously. “Sorry, Aniki. I, uh – I was in a hurry! You said-”

His excuse was cut off with a well-jeweled hand. “I know I told you to make it quick with another keg from my stores, but you’ve still got to watch where you’re going, kid.” He sighed and rubbed his face tiredly. “How exactly did you run into the sign post anyway? It’s practically a foot in diameter!” His eyes narrowed accusatorily. “You were daydreaming. Again.”

The errand runner gulped and inadvertently looked to Ookami.

The tavern owner followed Inusuke’s gaze and sighed again. He cuffed the kid and turned to fully face the approaching man.

Crei looked up into solemn grey eyes, somewhat peeved at the large height difference. Even with the specially made lifts in his boots, he was still a few inches shorter than the younger man. “Hmm, yes? Can I help you?”

The tall man stopped in front of him. “You Xanataer-sama?”

Crei Xanataer cocked a shapely eyebrow in surprise at the rarely used honorific. The surprise was short lived, however, as he grinned and gave an extravagant bow. “Why, yes. I am indeed the great Pirate Lord Xanataer.” There was a snort from the drenched kid that went unacknowledged by the older two. “How may I be of service?”

“From Captain Gregson.” He shoved the box at the man.

“Ah, yes.” He plucked the box from the large hands. “I’ve been waiting for this for quite some time.”He spared a quick glance at his young protégé and was amused to see that Inusuke had turned a brilliant shade of red. He kept stealing quick looks at Gregson’s man from beneath messy blonde bangs.

Crei gave Inusuke’s newest crush a once over. He couldn’t really blame the kid for finding him attractive. The messenger had rugged good looks not often found among pirates. His chin length dark hair was lightly tossed about in the wind, first hiding then revealing storming grey eyes. Thick dark brows were relaxed and gave the man a blank expression. Chiseled cheek bones and a strong jaw completed the handsome face. He was dressed simply and practically, smelling faintly of sweat and the sea. If Crei weren’t currently involved in several relationships already, he’d consider propositioning the stoic man himself. “So Gregson’s finally come back, has he?”

“Yeah,” was short and sweet rumble of a response. The pirate lord thought he sounded somewhat annoyed that he even said that much, as if the answer should have been obvious.

Crei smiled indulgently. “Well, give your captain my regards and let him know that I will pay a personal visit to him later this evening.”

Ookami nodded and turned to leave.

“Ah, pirate. Before you leave, could I have your name so I may commend your efficient delivery to Gregson?” Crei inquired in his suave accent. Inusuke perked up in interest.

Ookami merely peered over his shoulder. “Hn. Ookami.”

Inusuke made a low inarticulate sound at the unintentionally sultry over-the-shoulder-look Ookami was now giving them.

So, that was Ookami. Crei smirked mysteriously and waved to the man. “Take care, Ookami.”

He nodded and then fell back into the throng of the crowd.

Crei turned to the kid. “You’re welcome.” At the sound of the voice Inusuke snapped out of the staring contest he was having with Ookami’s ass and made move to leave. “Don’t think you got that piece of information for free. You get to pick up that mess, kid. I don’t want the liquor attracting drunken vagabonds to my establishments. They’re likely to lick it right up from the cobblestones.”

Inusuke sighed. “I’ll get right to it, Aniki,” and took off in the direction of a mop.