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Michael Kaiser doesn’t have anything to worry about. He, being the son of the most powerful man in Panem and the one who will inherit it all. He has everything at his fingertips, from the Districts and their citizens to the Capitol and its riches; the whole Panem has no choice but to bow to him. He has everything, and people would kill to be in his position, and he can kill anyone with it, but where will the fun be in that?
And the Districts are fun; most of their people may be boring, but at least he’s got a whole playground for himself. Even if the Games are getting dull and repetitive, he has him to play with. So, no, Kaiser can’t have the Districts get destroyed; he can’t have his playground go into ruins because that would mean ruining his toys as well, and that would not be entertaining for him.
Case in point: Isagi Yoichi, son of the Mayor of District 6, the object of Kaiser's affection, interest , Kaiser's precious toy and pet; scratch that, he’s just Kaiser’s .
Michael Kaiser met Isagi Yoichi on the boy’s 9th birthday. Kaiser saw him behind a Japanese man, probably his father or whatever. Michael didn’t care as he locked his eyes on the blue-eyed boy, who was small and evidently growing uncomfortable under the young Kaiser’s blatant stare, but still, he didn’t look away.
"Young Master..." The butler stammered behind him as the double door closed behind them, creaking. "Your Father has..."
The said Father waved him away, saying, "Ah, Kaiser, why don’t you take young Isagi on a tour around the manor?" He didn’t say why; he didn’t need to, and Kaiser simply just didn’t care for it, so he didn’t ask.
Isagi flinched at the sound of his name, deep blue eyes widening, hands gripping his father’s slacks. He looked away from Kaiser’s piercing stare and peered at his father instead, who nodded at him encouragingly, his tiny fingers letting the fabric go, albeit unsurely.
Kaiser ignored his Father, his boring Father. He had known him for years now, and he knew how his mind worked; however, these two Asian men —the son, specifically— were not, or not yet , boring, that is. He eyed their interaction with interest.
"Kaiser," his Father said, a warning .
Kaiser found it interesting how they all thought they had a say in this. How Isagi believed that he could say no, how his father also thought he could, and how the President of Panem thought he could tell Kaiser what to do
They were wrong.
Kaiser nodded apologetically, " Yes, Father." He locked eyes with the District 6 boy, satisfied that his attention was on Kaiser again, he grinned, " I’ll take him away ."
And that he did, with an uncertain hand in his, Kaiser took Isagi away.
"W-Where are we going?" The boy — Isagi asked him.
Kaiser stopped dragging him across the hallway and looked at him, "You speak English?"
"Yes?" He answered like it was a question, like he wasn’t supposed to be speaking the language.
Were we allowed to, am I even permitted to talk to him? Kaiser could tell what he was thinking and knew that he was right. Kaiser was always right.
"Do you speak Japanese as well?"
"Yes…"
Kaiser grinned. Even as a son of a Mayor, the boy spoke and acted like a commoner, totally unbefitting of being a son of a powerful person—in a District, of course. A Mayor is nothing compared to the President of Panem and his son.
The boy's looks, however... Kaiser could already imagine those disgusting old geezers from the Capitol leering at this kid.
Kaiser hummed and said, "Speak it to me."
"What?" Isagi asked, confused. His eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"Your language. Japanese. Nihongo." Kaiser told him with unexpected patience as he pulled him along. If he was Ness, he'd be spouting insults by now, and Ness would accept them because that was how he was. But Kaiser didn't want Ness, he wanted this raven-haired, blue-eyed boy.
"I—What do you want to hear?" The boy, still bewildered by Kaiser's actions and requests, relented. It was a fight he couldn't win, and he didn't even know there was a fight to begin with.
(There was and there will be more.)
"Your name. What's your name?" Kaiser asked him. A pet needs a name, don't they?
"Isagi… Yoichi."
" Yoichi ." Kaiser tried the name on his tongue, the syllables rolling on it like waves; the name sounded just right.
"Yes?" Yoichi asked as they walked, his hand still in Kaiser's grip. Kaiser adjusted his grasp in a gentler—because he couldn't have his new pet running away from him, right?—but no less firm hold—so Yoichi couldn't run regardless of how he was held. Kaiser would make sure he wouldn't—not now, not ever. He just found him, and a kid with a new toy would play with it until all of its tricks don't work anymore. How long will Isagi Yoichi last?
"What does it mean?" Kaiser wondered. He knew Asian names usually have meanings, and he really couldn't care less about this information, but having a Japanese pet who spoke the language might be interesting, at least for now. "Isagi Yoichi," Kaiser tried again, the name settling on his tongue like fine sugar cubes.
Kaiser didn’t like sugar.
But he could always adjust his palate.
The fine sugar cubes melted in his mouth, and Kaiser swallowed them all.
"It's—It means... The boy stuttered, his face reddening. Kaiser couldn’t help but smirk; his name must mean something embarrassing for him to react that way. "The world’s purest," he whispered, "undefiled, pure, and righteous," he recited like it was something he memorized. Kaiser thought that he probably did.
Kaiser laughed, and Isagi turned redder.
"It suits you," he said, and he wasn't lying. If Isagi was the world's purest, then Kaiser would be the world .
Isagi looked at him, cheeks still pink and deep blue eyes glinting in wonder. "What about you? What's your name? What does it mean?" He asked as he stared up at Kaiser.
Kaiser looked down at him. "Michael Kaiser," he said, "God's chosen emperor," his lips curling.
Isagi Yoichi stared at him like he was God himself, and Kaiser felt like he was.
Ah, Kaiser would keep him forever.
"Come, Yoichi ," Kaiser said as he pulled the younger into his room, and the other let himself be pulled along.
Because who is Isagi Yoichi before his God?
"Is this your room?" Isagi looked around in awe, and Kaiser couldn’t help but feel pleased with the boy’s reaction.
"Yes," the young master replied as he waved the dessert in front of Isagi, who was currently seated at the divan in front of him, "eat."
"What about you?"
Kaiser was about to say no, but he held his tongue and opened his mouth. He might as well start curating his taste with Isagi. "Ah," He emphasized when Isagi made no move to feed him. With furrowed eyebrows, Isagi took some of the strawberry cake and fed Kaiser unsurely. Kaiser hummed, took the fork from Isagi’s hand, and fed him with it.
"Ah," He repeated, and the raven-haired boy opened his mouth, uncertain and shy. Kaiser was delighted at his reaction as the boy chewed and swallowed; the pink hue on his pale cheeks was palpable. Kaiser really outdid himself by picking such an expressive toy.
The blonde motioned for him to eat on his own.
And Isagi did need to eat. He was quite thin for his age—how old was this boy even? He was younger than Kaiser, that was for sure, with his height and weight as well as his face.
"How old are you, Yoichi? " He asked.
"I’m eight— oh, " He paused then looked away, "I’m nine."
Oh. Kaiser wondered why the oh, and then it clicked to him: "Did your father bring you here because it’s your birthday today?"
"Is that…not allowed?" The birthday boy asked, looking unsure. Kaiser decided that he liked that look on him. So innocent and so malleable, he thought, very ideal to have as a pet. Internally, he criticizes Isagi’s father for bringing such a kid to the Capitol, where people are disgusting underneath their pleasant disguises and where old people are even worse, but on the other hand, Kaiser was pleased because he got a new toy out of it.
He shook his head, and it was not a lie. Kaiser decided that he could not lie to his newfound friend just yet. "It’s okay for visitors to come, although they must be very important," he tells him.
"Oh," he said, but his face was scrunching in an expression that told Kaiser he didn’t believe the things he said. The son of the President of Panem should be offended that a mere son of a Mayor didn’t believe his words like gospel, but he found them amusing instead. After all, Isagi was young, and he could learn still.
"You are important, Yoichi . Even more now that we’re friends."
"We are?" Isagi asked, eyes wide and glinting. It reminded Kaiser of something.
Ah.
Isagi is not just a pet, a toy, or a friend. He will be Michael’s precious gem too.
" Yes, " Kaiser’s lips curled as his Yoichi smiled at him.