Keito knew there would be trouble the moment he laid eyes on her. She was beautiful – of that, there was no doubt in his mind, but it was not her beauty that fortold his demise, it was her attitude. She knew she was gorgeous, but it had not gone to her head. Instead, that childish innocence had remained despite her unchildish career within the family. She still smiled with her heart in her eyes and her laugh still told of happiness and delight – there was nothing seductive about her, and thats what was so appealing.
She was happy – honestly happy and that was not easy to find, especially not with families so deeply embedded in the dark markets of the savannah.
Keito had been placed within the family by his brother to watch them and make sure they were no threat to the pride. They weren't. They were too foolishly entranced within their own lives to care about a pride they had never heard of. Keito scoffed at them as they feasted on buffalo – a prize beast they had been traded by a hyena gang for one of their females which would likely later be offered to a lion colony in return for something the hyena's required.
Not the beautiful innocent though. No. She was kept close to the patriach. She was, after all, his courtesan.
Keito glanced towards her, almost without conscious decision. She was perched at the edge of the group, staring back at him without any attempt to disguise her gaze. Catching his glance, she smiled and rose to her feet, moving towards him with light steps.
“Are you enjoying yourself, Ma'li?” She asked, using Keito's fake name. She pronounced it wrong, saying “ Ma – Lie” instead of “Ma – lee” but he did not bother to correct her. It wasn't like he truly cared how she said his name, after all it was not the one that mattered.
“Yes,” he affirmed, dragging his eyes away from her and once again towards the feasting family. “And you, Mistress Kazuki?”
“Oh yes,” she agreed readily. “I always find the feasts enjoyable.” She cast her glance towards her paws, before looking at the family too. “You are leaving soon though, are you not?” Her voice was quiet, perhaps recognising the sensitivity of the issue – leaving the family was not how things worked. You did not leave – you died, or you were killed. It was as simple as that, really.
Keito shot her a sharp glance. “What are you talking about?” He asked, stiffly.
She gave a half smile. “Don't forget to say goodbye,” she encouraged, but pressed him no further about his plans to leave. Instead, she sat beside him quietly, watching the group surrounding them with a look of childish delight – until the patriach called her name and requested that she sang for them. She didn't hesitate, and moved to stand where the carcass stood, giving a soft lyrical purr to warm her voice.
Keito listened to her sing without too much interest in the lyrics. She was good at singing, but the words always fell flat. Who could sing of love and mean it without experiencing it herself? There was no love in the family – just greed and need, which were often interchangeable.
Had he tried to explain it to others, his emotions would have been dubbed 'infatuation' and cast aside, but Keito felt no desire to mate this female, nor did he want her to feel any similar need towards him. The stirring that drew his eyes to hers was not that kind of desire – more so, it was the desire to protect.
The idea disturbed Keito. One did not get attached to those you were trying to watch. Ever. And yet he had.
Nanashi was going to kill him.
That thought brought a slight grin to Keito's downturned mouth. His big brother was the protective type, he could easily imagine Nanashi desiring to protect those he'd sworn he wouldn't – though he would know when to stop too.
Keito scowled.
Perhaps Nanashi would not be the one to kill him, but his new mate Nyoka would. 'New' by his standards, since he had had very little opportunity to get to know her. He did not trust her, to be honest, but it was not his place to judge.
Not that Nanashi would listen any way.
Bugie would. Keito grinned. Bugie always would. Aiko probably would too, but with significantly less interest. He wondered idly if his brother had killed their sister yet – last he heard, she was working her way up the ranks of the pride to Geisha, much to Nanashi's horror. With Aiko as one, and now with Kazuki, Keito was unsure if he would honestly be able to look at such females without thinking of them – which rather spoiled their whole purpose, but Keito was not one to seek out companionship, except for the companionship of his family.
He was hit by a pang of longing for the family he had left behind – it had been so many months now since he had seen them, but he would be returning to them soon. He would leave and inform them of the group's passivity to their cause, and then all would return to normal, and Keito would be one with his family again. It would be simple, and clean, and all would be well again.
He thought pleasantly of those dreams, but they were soon distrupted by the sound of pawsteps approaching Keito's den. He tensed – almost expecting the patriach to have caught wind of his plans to leave and be confronting him with his goons, but he could only hear one set of footsteps.
When the pale figure appeared in the entrance, Keito could only tense more.
Kazuki's tear stained cheeks were bright in the moonlight. “Ma-li,” She whispered, still mispronouncing his name. “I am in so much trouble.”
Keito's chest clenched.
Damn it.
He'd always hated to see people cry.
“Don't worry,” Keito said, without even pausing to think. “I'll save you.”
Kazuki smiled – but it was slightly jaded, as if she didn't quite believe him.
But,
oh,
how she wanted to.
To be honest...even Keito didn't really believe him.
“What's wrong?” Keito asked, rising to his feet smoothly, with all the grace of a fighter. Perhaps he should have asked that question first, before assuring her that he would 'save' her. With that single declaration, he may have damned them both.
Kazuki wobbled on her paws, her energy draining. “He's dead,” she said quietly, dully, almost without emotion. She swayed, before steadying herself. “I didn't mean to.” Her voice was almost childish. “I never meant to hurt him!”
“Who, Mistress Kazuki?” Keito prodded.
She stared at something beyond him, beyond the wall of his den, perhaps even beyond the lands they inhabited. “Patriach Hon'en.”
Oh, s**t. Keito's eyes widened.
This was so going to end badly.
