Hero At Heart || [Kassim]

Head securely veiled in a white cloth, Kassim was leisurely walking through the richer and fancier quarter of Balbadd, in search of his new target. His golden eyes roamed about the area, his eyebrows furrowing slightly at the sight of the obese men that were talking animatedly a few yards away. The precious-looking rings they were wearing around their fat fingers gleamed whenever sunlight touched their surfaces.

Kassim huffed inwardly and turned his head away. He loathed the rich. He loathed them with a burning passion. Their selfishness and the condescending looks they constantly gave the people of the lower class made him sick. Just slave owners who treated others like trash were worse.

The brown-haired male relaxed his right hand; in all his thoughts he hasn't realized that he had subconsciously clenched it into a fist. At the moment he couldn't do much anyway.

As the golden-eyed youth rounded the corner of a house, he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight before him. It was the stately manor of one of the king's advisors. The imposing building towered over all the other mansions in this area and its elaborate exterior finish emanated a high status.

Kassim smirked slightly as his yellow orbs set on the sprawling edifice - this one looked quite promising. A new target was found for the Fog Troupe.

Just as he turned around to return to the Fog Troupe's hideout, the dark-haired male felt something bump into his chest. His surprised eyes trailed downwards to see a girl around his age sitting on the stony ground, holding her forehead. Her dress was ragged, torn at the seam and had some dirty stains here and there. Her exposed arms and left cheek were covered in gashes - Kassim could instantly tell that these wounds were inflicted on her with a whip - and a big basket filled with oranges was lying next to her.

"Ow..." the female murmured until realization struck her. Quickly, she tucked her legs beneath her in a kneeling position and bowed low. "I very much apologize for bumping into you, sir. I wasn't looking where I was going." the girl spoke in a meek voice as she started to gather up the astray oranges lying on the ground.

Kassim remained silent as he watched the [hair color]-haired girl for a short moment before he got down on one knee and collected the residual fruits. She was quite obviously startled by his action as she gave him a rather wide-eyed look.

"It is alright." the brunette said as he put the oranges back in the basket. Both teenagers got up and the [eye color]-eyed female bowed lightly, a tinge of red dusting her cheeks. "Thank you very much for helping me." she whispered and hurriedly brushed past him. And just as she did so, Kassim clearly heard the jingling at her feet.

His golden orbs flickered towards the source of the sound and his eyes widened at what he saw.

Chains.

That girl was a slave! No wonder her body was this weak and wounded.

Much to his surprise, the dark-haired youth noticed the frail female rushing towards the manor he had been inspecting a few minutes ago. So apparently she was owned by that greedy advisor, huh?

It simply couldn't be more convenient.

*~*~*

With the pale, white moon at its peak and the dense fog as their trusted companion, the Fog Troupe was once again advancing towards their destination. Kassim walked at the head of the posse, but his mind seemed to constantly drift off to that girl he met this morning. It was a pity he didn't ask her name because that would've made his search a lot easier.

"Kassim! You're spacing out again, keep your mind focused! It's a big thing we're going to pull here." Hassan admonished his friend when he noticed the distant look in his eyes.

The golden-eyed teen sighed inaudibly. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry 'bout that."

Both Hassan and Zaynab exchanged looks which reminded of a mixture between worry and confusion. Kassim had been acting this absentmindedly ever since he returned from his reconnaissance and neither of the two cadres had managed to find out what his mind was so occupied with. It was dangerous to be muddle-headed, especially during a raid.

Just as the troupe closed in on the desired manor, Zaynab stepped forward and activated her Household Vessel, Sekigen Mutou. Suddenly a dark magenta mist started to ooze from the sword, rapidly expanding and enveloping the surrounding area.

The other members quickly covered their noses and mouths with a piece of cloth in order not to breathe in that fog. Zaynab's Vessel was the most sufficient way to get rid of the unnerving guards that were loitering around the mansion.

A miniscule smirk scurried across Hassan's mouth as the sturdy man took a step forward, about to compliment Zaynab. But before he could even open his mouth he was interrupted. "No, Hassan! Less talking, more working. We don't have any time to lose." The brunette female sent a rather irritated look his way as she said that.

The male in question just snorted, turning his attention back to the wall which was rechucking the grand manor and activated his own Household Vessel, Oushou Mutou.

The yellow, acrid mist immediately started to eat away at the masonry, the stones melting like hot candle wax.

Kassim was the first one to step through the freshly constructed hole, the Fog Troupe following shortly afterwards. As the dark-haired male scanned the extensive courtyard he couldn't help but let a small, smug smirk cross his lips. With the guards out cold and a direct escape route this raid will be nothing but a piece of cake.

The golden-eyed youth raised his arm, capturing the attention of his fellow members. "Alright, guys, this foray should be a simple task. Take as many goods as you can and then let's get out of here!"

"Yeah!" the members of the Fog Troupe cheered, raising their weapons above their heads.

"And remember," Kassim addressed them by looking over his shoulder. "don't let anything get in your way, understood?" He turned his head forward again. "Now let's go!"

*~*~*

Your body was aching all over. Lying on the cold floor of your squalid, little room, you ventured a short glance at the door where 'he' had just left. Yes, your fragile body was covered in bleeding gashes, the blood slowly spilling from the cuts and dirtying your skin and clothes further.

Your master just lashed you because you had accidentally slopped a droplet of grape wine on his silk robe during supper. It wasn't really your fault, though. You were incredibly tired due to sleep deprivation and the great amounts of work and chores you always found yourself occupied with. It had been difficult enough to even properly hold the bottle of wine.

Life was outrageously miserable under that man. Every little mistake, every little disagreement ended up in severe punishments and abuse. You had already long ago lost count of how often he had punished you, but you knew your body was getting weaker and weaker with every beating you took. It was only a matter of time until that torment finally ended and you'd—

"Somebody HELP! Intruders! It's the Fog Troupe! HEL—"

That voice broke off just as abruptly as it had invaded your thoughts, and you heard a dull 'thump' when a body fell limply to the floor. Intruders? Fog Troupe?

Making no effort to get up, your eyes sluggishly drooped. It was no use anyway. The pain in your body was numbing and you had already lost too much blood to even attempt to move. Maybe, if you were lucky, this 'Fog Troupe' wouldn't even find your shabby room.

However, as if luck wanted to laugh in your face, the door was suddenly ripped open and a tall, dark figure was standing in the doorway. Your breath hitched in your throat when your glance fell upon the black sword in his right hand. Was he... going to kill you?

"Hey!" the unknown person suddenly exclaimed, rushing over to your side and kneeling down. You felt him place a surprisingly warm hand on your back and a faint pain shot through your body when he touched a gash. "Are you alright?"

You tried to turn your head a little bit, just to be able to see who that person was, but the deep wounds on the back of your neck restrained you from doing so. Not even a single spark of strength was left to answer his question.

Now you also began to feel the blood loss taking its toll on you. It was getting more and more difficult to keep your eyes open and until now you haven't even realized how labored your breathing has become. Life seemed to gradually be losing its grip on you...

"Hey, stay awake! You can't die here!" the male at your side called out, and before you registered what was happening he had picked you up bridal-style and was now carrying you through the wrecked corridors of the grand manor.

The milky white moonlight slipping past the numerous window frames cascaded onto his form and you took this opportunity to scrutinize his features. However, the moment your eyes locked on his face, your heart skipped a beat - most likely due to both shock and astonishment.

"You are..."

"Huh?" The male temporarily broke off his focus on the way to catch your gaze, but instantly skidded to a halt when he noticed the ceiling crumble above the two of you. He swiftly got down on one knee and pressed you against his sturdy chest, shielding you from the debris with his arm.

As luck would have it, the ceiling decided to show mercy as it only dented slightly without crashing down on you.

The dark-haired youth rested his eyes on the ceiling for a few tense moments to ensure that it really wouldn't come plummeting towards the both of you before he set his gaze back on you. "Did you say something?"

Your fine-boned figure was still squeezed against him as your eyes met. "You are..." you repeated, a little louder this time.

He couldn't help the tiny smile flitting across his lips. "The guy from this morning? Yeah, that's me. The name's Kassim."

You stared intently into the male's eyes as if you were searching for something. Answers, maybe? His own orbs didn't yield; you could easily discern strength and self-confidence in those golden jewels of his.

Needless to say that neither of you would have thought at that time that this raid, this encounter, this rescue would develop into a very special kind of friendship.

*~*~*

A few months had already passed since the day Kassim had saved you and your body has made a pretty good recovery. Even though the umpteen wounds have healed, numerous scars blemished your soft and tender skin, always reminding you of the past.

However, you didn't mind those scars one least bit. In fact, you even cherished them because despite reminding you of your excruciating life as a former slave, they also reminded you of your life-changing meeting with your 'knight in (not so) shining armor'.

A small, blissful smile took over your features as you recollected this eventful day, taking a deep breath.

But during the last few weeks your guilty conscience has been nagging at you. You had realized that even though so much time has already ticked away since then, you hadn't thanked him yet for saving you.

'I wonder if he's mad at me for that...' you pondered.

Casting these thoughts aside, you left the spot on your bed, exited your chamber and made your way over to Kassim's room. Back then when you set foot on this place for the very first time it had only taken you a mere few hours to become accustomed to the Fog Troupe's surprisingly large hideout.

The moment you reached your destination, you gave the door a short knocking and waited for permission to enter. The only response arrived in form of a gruff "Come in." Apparently Kassim seemed to be in a bad mood. Why didn't that surprise you...

"Kassim?" you voiced quietly and cautiously opened the room door. As soon as your gentle and soothing voice sounded in his ears, the male in question whipped his head around, posture relaxing. "Ah, [Name], it's you. What brings you here? Did something happen?"

You shook your head slowly and cast a subtle glance at the table he was sitting in front of cross-legged. An old map of Balbadd was lying on its surface; the golden-eyed teen was quite obviously planning the Fog Troupe's next raid.

"No, I just wanted to tell you something." you said, a mellow smile gracing your lips. Kassim raised an eyebrow at you. "Is that so? Fire away."

However, he did not see your next move coming.

Being tackled by you, the leader of the Fog Troupe found himself on the ground with your smaller figure on top of him, slender arms circling around his midsection in the semblance of a hug. His surprised yellow orbs trailed downwards to see your face buried in his chest and he felt a slight heat settling in his cheeks.

"I have been thinking about it a lot." the brunette male heard you say before he even had the chance to question your sudden (and rather forward) action. He propped himself up on his arms, resulting in you comfortably landing in his lap.

"Thinking... about what?"

You kept your face hidden from his view, but your embrace tightened ever so slightly. "You know, quite a lot of time has already passed since the day you have saved me and I... I never had... expressed my gratitude to you properly." Your face started to heat up all of a sudden; you didn't expect that showing one's gratitude would turn out to be so difficult and awkward.

Kassim, however, albeit with reddened cheeks, smiled genuinely at you - an action you couldn't see, though. His right arm snaked itself around your waist, pressing you closer to himself, and his left hand caressed your silky [hair color] tresses.

"There's no need to thank me, [Name]..." the leader of the Fog Troupe whispered in your ear. "You know I won't let anything happen to you."

Clutching the soft fabric of his clothes, you buried your face further into Kassim's chest, thankful that he couldn't see how your cheeks flared up at his words.

For outsiders he might look like nothing but a brazen thief, but for you he was a lot more.

He was a hero, but not just any hero.

He was your hero.