Work Text
Title: Veritas
Fandom: Ronin Warriors
Characters/Pairings: Cye Mouri, Dais. Cye/Kento.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Violence, allusions to eye horror
Notes: AU (canon divergence)
Word Count: 2,960
Summary: After Cye is upgraded from Dais’s captive to Dais’s ally, he has to deal with his anger after finding out that Dais was originally going to grab Kento—and his guilt that he has yet to save any of his friends. Meanwhile, Dais learns some things about Torrent’s feelings for Hardrock—and suspects that he may be connected to the closest thing Dais had to a father. This is a sequel to "Home is Where the Spider Is." I will make them a series on Ao3 shortly.
--
He didn’t know his attackers. He didn’t know why they were attacking him. All he knew was that if he did not escape, they would kill him. They had already gouged out his eye, laughing as they said that it was just a matter of time until he… he had somehow broken from them before they could finish that sentence. But it didn’t matter. He was running away to—to somewhere he’d be safe, wherever that was—
He cried out, for what good it did, when the monster in armor grabbed him by the arms. Tight enough to possibly break his bones, but that was the least of his concerns.
“I don’t know why you ran off, little man.” The monster’s voice was chillingly casual as he slung his captive over his shoulder. “We’re helping you out of the kindness of our hearts. All you have to do is be quiet and submit.”
It all happened so fast. The monster didn’t scream when the arrow hit him straight in the heart, but rather he made a strange exhaling sound as he collapsed—with his captive with him. The pain/dizziness was too much, and he could not defend himself as the monster’s murderer scooped him up in his arms.
For a murderer, he looked very worried, though. About him? That was his last thought before passing out.
--Dais’s documents were a disorganized disaster. Even in his anger, Cye was surprised at this discovery. Dais had beaten them, more than once, thanks to the complicated webs he spun. He wondered if Dais was the type to have ‘a system’ or however Sayoko labeled her own messes, but not enough to care as he began to search for some way to help Kento and the guys. He poured over the scrolls, maps, and books. There was a lot of ink devoted to what the Armors could do and what demons lived in the Dynasty, but whatever. He knew plenty about both of those things already....He found a scroll about a snake that had yet to strike because he had not found his prey. Good, that meant Kento was safe for now. He and Dais would just need to find Kento first. Maybe he could find some clue or idea about how to save Kento before he was—Wait.Was this correct? Was Dais going to...“That scoundrel,” Cye snarled as he shifted into his sub-armor. “I’m going to kill him.”--“Dais, you filthy liar!”Dais jumped when Torrent stormed into the kitchen, but recovered quickly as he realized why the innocent little runt was uncharacteristically apoplectic (he was even in his sub-armor, so chances were he was for once looking for a fight). Why was he… oh, of course. That. Well, he was going to find out eventually. Better now than when they were hip-deep in finding the little man. He scarfed down the last scone. “Ah. Someone found my original scheme.”“How dare you.” Torrent’s tone was level now, but there was still a marked undercurrent of rawness in his voice. The lad was near his boiling point, it seemed. “Was this all part of your convoluted mess of a plan? You wanted to kidnap Kento, realize he’d kick your butt, so you kidnap me so you can then catch him?! I knew you were evil, but—”“Cye of the Torrent,” Dais said sharply, even as he held his hands up in surrender. “I gave you my word as a samurai. You and I both know that even I would not forsake that vow.”“… Fine,” Cye snapped, refusing to look him in face. “But I want an explanation for why I should still help you after this. Now.”He wasn’t in the mood for exposition, but he knew that despite his mutable temperament, Torrent could (and would) be stubborn enough to stay frozen in place until he knew the truth. “If you insist. Yes, I was planning on capturing Hardrock. Because even if he is strong, he’s quite fragile emotionally. That makes him quite easy to manipulate, which I suspect is partly why you’re friends with him.” He smirked when Torrent flushed in anger.Yet he recovered soon enough. “Why are you blokes trying to catch us in the first place?” He took in Dais coolly. “How can you claim you’re a samurai when you are willing to use such underhanded tricks?”“Because I’m not a good person, Torrent—” Dais paused when he realized that he was the one snapping now. He took a deep breath. “I’m petty and bitter from all my losses in life/afterlife and am willing to do whatever it takes to gain power. I will not betray you—at least, not until Talpa is vanquished—but you need to remember that I am not your friend if this alliance is going to work.”“I won’t forget,” Torrent assured him tersely. “And, um, I apologize.”“Excuse me?” Torrent was genteel, but even he couldn’t feel compelled to apologize to a Warlord.“We made a temporary pact knowing full well that our overall goals are opposed,” Torrent explained. “But the moment my nerves were shaken, I was willing to forsake our alliance to make you hurt like you were planning to hurt Kento. From now on, I’ll do my best to not throw a fit when I’m reminded that you’re a menace to humanity.”Dais smirked. “That’s all I ask.” He paused for a beat. “I can’t help but notice that you still haven’t changed out of your sub-armor.”“Well, of course. I’m trusting, but not a fool.”Now Dais chuckled. “Well, maybe you should regardless. It’s getting late and you have had a busy day, runt. If you went through my other resources, you know that Sekhmet isn’t going to make his move anytime soon.”“I do now, yes.”“So, we need to get a good night’s sleep.” He patted Torrent on the shoulder. “As you know, your bed is every bit as comfy as the one back in Yamaguchi. There’s no Mummy to tuck you into bed though, sadly.”Torrent rolled his eyes. “I’m fine with sleeping, but I want this gone.”“This meaning…?”“No more illusions,” Torrent said, motioning around his ‘home.’ “If this will be a true alliance, then we need to be honest with each other.” Now Torrent was the one smirking. “As honest as someone like you can be, at least.”“If you insist.” Dais did away with the illusion. A moment later, they were in a humble one-room hut. If Torrent was shaken by that, it did not show. “There are a couple of futons. I’ll get them out.”“I’ll help.”--
When he awoke, he was still hurting, but it was not as bad as before. Still, it was difficult to sit up. He frowned. Why was his vision off?
“I couldn’t save your eye,” the man said bluntly, but not unkindly. He was preparing broth. “You’ll need to learn to do without it. But the other wounds should heal in time.” He was a slim, older man with wavy green hair that brushed his shoulders. His eyes were somewhere between blue and green. As he stirred the broth, he added, “Don’t touch the eye patch for now. I cleaned the wound, but it’s still tender.”
He nodded. Then he started crying.
The man huffed and mumbled something about how he was no good when it came to emotions. “Look, kid. I won’t say that it’s going to be okay, because it’s clear that it won’t be. But I will promise you that as long as you’re with me, you are under my protection.” He huffed again as he stirred the simmering broth. “So, what’s your name?”
“I don’t know,” he confessed. Maybe that was why he was crying. “I—I don’t remember anything before the monsters were chasing me.” He meant to say more, but the sobs were overwhelming him.
--Dais woke up the sound of crying. Nothing loud, but enough for keep him up if Torrent didn’t shut up. But he knew Torrent’s type too well: telling him that crying wasn’t going to solve anyone or something objectively true yet cruelly blunt like that would lead to more tears—and being frozen out of any conversations later. He couldn’t believe that he of all people was going to do this, but…“Um.” Dais sat up. “Do you. You know. Want to talk about it.”“Why?” Torrent whispered coolly as he sat up from his own futon. His face was blotchy from crying, but there was a strange serenity to his features. He was mad, but not throwing a fit like earlier. For some reason, Dais found this more disturbing. “So you can have more ammo to use against me and my friends later?”“Normally, yes,” Dais admitted. “But we’re allies now. And before you remind me that it’s only a temporary alliance, I will also mention that we are both off the clock. So, as far as I’m concerned, none of what we say tonight leaves this hut.”Torrent frowned. “You’ll forgive me if I am still wary of baring my soul to a Warlord.”“I’m not a Warlord at the moment. I’m just a guy who would really like to get some sleep before work tomorrow.”Torrent gave him a long glare. Then his expression softened, if only a bit. “I was dreaming about Kento.”“Ah,” Dais realized. “I’m guess he was in some form of distress and begging you to save him before it was too late?”“I wish.” Aside from some hand wringing, Torrent was still as he spoke. “He said that he had died. That Sekhmet moved faster than any of us and killed him.” His knuckles were white, but Torrent kept talking. “But that he was okay with it. He was at peace. He was bloody happy that it wasn’t me instead!” That realization broke Torrent’s stillness. He made a distressed sound as he hid his face in his hands.For once, Dais didn’t know what to say. “He must care for you deeply if your subconscious sees him that way,” he attempted.The attempt did not work. Torrent stopped crying, and he tried to change his expression to one of neutrality. However, Dais noticed the trace of bitterness when Torrent clarified, “Kento cares for everyone deeply.”Before Dais could respond to that, Torrent began speaking again. “What was even the point of splitting up? Because we were all so sure that the Ancient One thought we were important to talk to, in a dream of all things? I can’t believe I didn’t realize what a bad idea going off on our own was until just now. We had to do with multiple Dynasty threats already; splitting up just made things easier for them.” He made a sound that was too bitter to be a true laugh. “But I guess I should look on the bright side or whatever. Talpa hasn’t eaten me again, at least not yet. And I made it out of the last battle in one piece, even though I didn’t deserve to. I am comfortable and safe, while Kento—he and the guys are—” He was crying too hard at this point for Dais to understand what he was saying.“Torrent. You were kidnapped two times in a row, remember? For what it’s worth, you are hip-deep in peril like the rest of your teammates.”Torrent did not cheer up at that—not that Dais expected him to. But the storm subsided somewhat. “Oh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me.” Torrent rested his chin in his hand while gazing at Dais sulkily. “Now all I have to do is figure out how to save all of us,” he added with a heavy sigh. “I hate being this weak. I really do.”“You’re hardly weak. You just,” and Dais almost said made the mistake of saving some fish, but the runt did not like that reminder the last time. So, instead he concluded with “You just had some bad luck in that last fight. It happens even to the strongest and cleverest warriors.”“Name one,” Torrent monotoned.“Well,” Dais began, “There’s a tale of a brilliant samurai who lost her closest friends in a battle with an impossibly strong enemy. Not because she failed or was betrayed. No, fate was just very unkind to her that day. But that did not change the fact that all of her friends were dead, while their murderers shouted victory cries to the heavens.”“Hm.” Torrent stretched back out on his futon. “So, did some kind spirit conveniently help her out? That’s usually what happens in make believe stories.”“The exact opposite. Her guilt overwhelmed her to the point where she was able to compel the darkest demons to give her their strength for her vengeance. She then unleashed her anger on anyone who opposed her.”“Hm. Plot twist.” Torrent paused. “So, what happened next?”“Well, as you might expect, she earned herself a reputation for her fury, her tactical skill, and her beauty. Because of the last part, she had would-be suitors hoping to ‘tame her heart and help her become a proper woman through marriage’ or some nonsense. If they were lucky, they fled with their lives after trying to woo her. But one day, a traveling ronin looking for work heard her tale at the local pub. He had experienced deep loss and shame himself, which was why he was the first person to feel compassion for her since her friends perished. The ronin naively thought he could befriend her—and he kept thinking that even after she tried killing him more than once.”“Ugh, he sounds more hard-headed than Kento,” Torrent said around a yawn.“Perhaps. But he also saved her life from one of the warriors that killed her friends. The samurai realized that the ronin had a hard head but a pure heart, and allowed him to travel with her as they avenged her comrades. After their quest was done, they realized that they had also fallen in love, and swore to protect the innocent together as long as they could hold their blades in their hands, thus creating a bond out of mutual loss and respect that was stronger than any foe.” He’d never put much stock into that story and its theme of resilience against all odds, but now, suddenly, he believed in it. Or at least he wanted to. “And seeing how you’ve upgraded yourself from captive to ally, I would argue that your own luck is improving.”He was answered by Torrent’s even breaths. Finally, the runt was asleep again.Too bad his brain was too busy to pass out again himself. He had learned two very interesting things tonight. The first was that Torrent was in love with Hardrock. Torrent also thought that there was no way that Hardrock would ever love him in return. Dais doubted Torrent was fully aware of the depth of his feelings for his little friend, at least not yet, but these things were often painfully obvious for everyone except the two people involved. If he’d learned this in any other way, he would have gladly used such useful intel for a particularly traumatizing illusion for sweet little Torrent. But… he had not learned this information in any other way. He had learned it as one man talking to another man in confidence. So, he would keep this secret from everyone, even Torrent until he realized how he felt about Hardrock.(Besides, Torrent was proving to be thankfully/annoyingly tougher than Dais had thought. He had always suspected that he wasn’t as frail as his friends thought he was, but now he wondered if he even could manipulate someone whose spirit seemed built to endure pain.)As for the second thing, it was still more of a suspicion that anything else. But he had more evidence now. The way Torrent moved was similar to him. His eyes were that same strange shade of blue-green. In some ways, it was almost like he was back with Dais again.Dais didn’t know how he felt about that. He did know; however, that it was going to keep him up all night.--
“Kid!”
The man’s tone was so sharp, that he was started out of the worst of his despair.
“I get that you’re scared. Especially if what happened to you is what I suspect happened.” He poured the broth into two chipped bowls. “Talpa’s known for kidnapping people and keeping them in suspended animation for his own purposes. Every now and then, they escape—at least until he hunts them down. You were pretty lucky.”
“I don’t feel lucky,” he said, then hated himself for it. “I apologize, sir. You saved my life. I should be grateful.”
“You need to be yourself, but I do appreciate your words.” The man offered him a bowl. “Careful, it’s hot.”
He sipped warily. It was hot, but also delicious. He didn’t know his name, but he did know that he was hungry—and that he didn’t care that he scalded his tongue/made the man laugh at him as he slurped it up.
“Well, we know that you have poor taste in cuisine,” the man said around a chuckle. “Now you just need to tell me what you want me to call you.”
“I don’t know that, either,” he said with a shrug. “And I don’t think I care. Why don’t you decide? You’re the one who proposed the idea, after all.”
“Fair,” the man conceded. “Hm. How about Dais?”
“Dais,” he agreed. “What should I call you, sir?”
After a thoughtful moment, the man said, “Call me Suiko.”
--Final Notes: Okay, they weren’t drunk, but I still think the title works. At least, I hope that it does.And the reveal that Cye’s dad is a demon has happened, yay. I wish I could say that I can do regular updates, but work is about to get very busy soon. So, no promises. :( Thus, this ‘chapter’ is also marked as complete.The samurai/ronin romance was heavily based off of B’Elanna Torres and Tom Paris from Star Trek: Voyager. I ship those two pretty hard as well, so I wound up ‘sneaking them in’ when I decided Dais was going to have to tell Cye a bedtime story to help him sleep, lol.