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Language:
English
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Published:
2024-06-13
Updated:
2024-06-13
Words:
1,163
Chapters:
1/?
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18

Pride Revolution

Summary:

Taking on a new name and a new style of fighting, Kylie sets out to save his (adopted) Grandpa in a faraway land.

Notes:

shout out to my sister and only my sister

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: Prologue

Chapter Text

A quiet hiccup echoed throughout the empty alleyways.

In the distance, cheers and jests could be heard from the pub still. The night was technically still young, but the man in an unkempt suit had decided to call it here. His wobbles and occasional stops to make sure he didn't puke attested to the fact that that was a good decision indeed. A sigh from his lips made him furrow his brows in frustration, the lingering smell of alcohol irritating.

The chill was his only solace. His mind was racking to remember the way to the inn he had rented for the week. He had not yet found a permanent residence to stay in, his innate restlessness and indecisiveness making the idea of staying in one place moot. All he knew was he didn't really want to keep traveling. It was about time for him to settle down. The thoughts were bouncing around in his head, but the already cool air dropping degrees cut his train of thought short.

It was an instinctual reaction, his arm coming up to block the sudden blow, years of assassin training coming back to him all at once. A stinging sensation pierced his left arm, blood flying through the air. His mind was struggling to catch up. Taking a quick look around, there wasn't anything immediate to fight back with. In this situation, he would have to rely on martial arts.

The alcohol wore off his mind as pain started to truly settle in. The enemy had a blade, this he was sure of. Not only that, but they were skilled. If he had been a lesser man, his arm would've been cut clean off. His eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness of night, the figure slightly blurry as he jumped back to get some distance.

A man in a plain kimono, poised with a katana in hand. The blade was still slicked with blood, their expression grim but neutral.

"Hell of a greeting, man..." His breath still smelled of alcohol as he whispered.

He would've liked to try and stop the bleeding, but it was clear he would get no free time to do so. He wasn't a stranger to pain anyways. Putting his fists up in a defensive stance, the other man spoke with a deep voice.

"You are a danger. I'm going to get rid of you."

Straight and to the point. It wasn't even malicious—it was as if they were simply stating a fact.

A wry smile appeared on his face, and the blade swung silver in the moonlight as it came toward him once more.

 

"...ie. ..ylie...

...Kylie?"

His eyes popped open with force, and Kylie's chin slipped from his left arm as he awoke. He didn't usually sleep on the job—hell, it was hard falling asleep at all—but it seemed he dozed off. The bookstore was quiet as usual, with muted ambience from beyond the closed door. There wasn't a customer in sight, but an older man in his sixties standing in front of the desk. His face was grimly neutral as always.

This man was the owner of the bookstore, and Kylie's employer. A man in a plain kimono named Kaguya, he was very much a lover of books and had come from afar and set up a book shop. Though most people would've been horrified to have their boss catch them slacking off, neither of the two seemed to particularly mind.

"...It's rare for you to be sleeping." Though not slacking. "Something on your mind?"

He spoke in his native Kogyokuan, instead of the common continental language. Kylie had understood most of it, so the owner didn't bother to speak common language unless needed. Not that he spoke to the other villagers often, though he was regarded quite well.

"...Just reminiscing, I guess. What're you doing here, jii-san?"

It was rare for the owner himself to be here, indeed. He usually traveled all over the continent and even other island countries from time to time. Even when he was in town, he left most of the store's affairs to his only employee, Kylie.

"I'm heading out. Take care, as usual."

"Where you headed this time?"

"...Kogyoku."

"I see. Have fun."

Kaguya turned towards the door as Kylie nodded and gave him a small wave. Before he left, he turned his head slightly towards his employee.

"...? Jii-san?"

"...If something happens to me," he said quietly. "I leave this place in your hands."

Kaguya left the bookstore properly, not turning back once.

A sense of foreboding enveloped Kylie. He didn't know where it came from, and that made it all the more worse. Perhaps it was intuition, or just unheeded worry for the man who took him in and gave him a job. Either way, he didn't want to dwell on the feeling for too long. Picking up the nearest book, Kylie had started reading to pass the time. His mind, however, couldn't focus for long.

"Hm... hm? Kogyoku? That's pretty rare for him to go all the way over there, ain't it...?" Another wave of anxiety poured over him. It wouldn't be unusual for someone to go visit their home country. But something about it bugged Kylie. He didn't really want to think about things deeply, and so he picked up the book again.

His leg bounced up and down restlessly. The inside of his cheek was being bit. As the sun started to set down the horizon, the oranges and pinks lighted up the bookstore in a warm glow. The bell signaling someone had come in rang throughout the small store, but it was quickly drowned out by the sounds of a scraping chair and a book falling to the floor.

"Uh... excuse me?"

"Argh, dammit, I'm way too curious!" Kylie had stood up with an anguished shout, unaware to the customer who had came in for a book. "That's it. I think it's about time I travel to Kogyoku myself!" His hands, which were covering his face with agitation, fell to reveal an assured grin.

"Um. Do you work here...? Can I, uh..."

"I mean. I've already traveled two countries before. If you count my home country as somewhere traveled. This'll be a piece of cake!"

By then, Kylie was already in his own world. If it didn't concern him, it practically didn't exist. The job he was supposed to be working, the responsibilities he had as both an employee and a person, ultimately amounted to nothing in the face of something new popping up.

"...Ah, a customer? Just find whatever book and leave money behind the counter. I'll get to it some time." He walked past them and out the door in a hurry, his mind already thinking of what he had to pack and how he had to get to Kogyoku.

"Oh. Um. Okay. I guess." The customer, who had just wanted a book, was left dumbfounded. "I'll just... be here..."

Notes:

jii-san = gramps/old man/ whatever