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YOU MAY SKIP THESE NOTES, THEY'RE NOT VITAL TO THE PLOT, BUT THEY ARE GOOD TO KNOW IF YOU FOLLOW ME.

Note about my other story "Where Hope May Fly"

[This Story may seem kind of sudden, Seeing as Where Hope May Fly: Chapter Two is half done and the series has been late to update. I came into a huge problem writing about Bleach, three actually. Firstly there's the time difference between the English and Japanese versions / the Manga and Anime. Secondly trying to stay true to my favorite anime[next to One Piece] without changing the feel too drastically. Thirdly my knowledge of Bleach has slipped over the years, as I've not watched the old episodes since they came out. Where Hope May Fly is on hiatus until these problems are solved]

Note on this story

[I only recently started reading Two Kinds, I marathoned the whole series up until the second page of April 2013(current as of writing), and read it a second time more slowly because I liked it so much. Its a simple world with no real expanded universe as of yet, and has fewer complex concepts than something like Bleach which over explains itself. I love this simplicity, and thought this would be a perfect series to do a fiction on, especially since there's a lack of any gay fanfics for the series on SoFurry. This series will be canon as of the time of each chapter's release, but new updates to the comic may render my older canon incorrect, I will not fix this, we will live with it. Written in dedication to the wonderful comic 'Two Kinds' by Tom Fischbach which can be found here http://twokinds.keenspot.com/index.php I hope you enjoy this at half as much as the original]

CHAPTER ONE: The Young Inherit The Earth

Smoke tainted the first light of morning as the sun attempted to paint the sky a vibrant gold, choking and dulling it like a poison of greed. Civitad'Pacis was once a perfect pearl in a world of corruption, crafted by the Filli'Sancto, known by most as the Filli or the Paladins. Made from marble excavated from the ocean floor by mages, the city was built on top of an underwater mountain, sticking out of the water on a white base. Age had not done the city well since it's construction, but not from the wear of the wave or wind, nor the ravages of age that bring everything to and end, but from the jealousy of outsiders.

All that could be burned was smoking, the haze like a pillar of terror over the small but sacred city. Like the Paladins taught this treachery was spawned from greed, a will to dominate for the benefit of few. Grand Templar Trace was an evil man, but few thought he would attack a human city, and few knew the truth when he claimed it had been taken by the Keidran. The reality was that the Villi'Sanctus order were the last great magical order that could rival the Templar, and in a single night they were wiped from the hundreds to a dozen.

High-father Abner fought in the highest tower from the start of the attack until the end, driven by the order's greatest value, the will to protect, both as the leader of his order trying to protect his people, and as a real father protecting his wife and son. It took until dawn for the High-Father to be driven to the roof, keeping his family behind him for safety as he wielded magic near limitless from his need to protect that which was dear to him. Eventually even he couldn't stand against Trace The Demon. His wife dead and his magic tainted by hate as he held his dead wife the High-Father looked to his son, a boy well on his way to becoming a great Paladin, and he said one thing that would be burned into his son's head forever. "There is light and darkness, the world will always be this way, bet we have a choice whether or not to live in the light as men, or in the dark as demons. Greed drives the blades of the wicked, but I want you to remember that out blades are driven with the desire to protect those who are important to us... The young inherit the burdens of their fathers, and must walk on their own" That was the last thing Jack heard before his father pushed him, a light enveloping him as the High father used the last of his magic to let his son escape, succumbing to death with a smile and tears in his eyes as he looked down to his wife. "I can die happy, I managed to save our son. The young inherit the Earth" He said, the life draining from his body.

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Jack was only fourteen when Trace killed his father, but many other things happened over the next five years of his life. He washed ashore in Keidran lands and was taken as a slave for several weeks by the wolf tribe, eventually he was taken by the Templar during a raid, but avoided detection as none of them recognized him, not even by Trace the one time they briefly met when Jack was sixteen.

Eventually Jack settled into a home near the Keidran Human boarder, the safest place to be when the Templar would have killed him if they found out who he was. Living in that small town Jack was able to practice Paladin magic without fear of detection, other than by a random Keidran patrolling the boarder every once and a while, but in the end Jack at least has a chance to survive with the Keidran compared to the Templar, though there was one problem, one that would lead him on the path that would define his life.

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Jack stood outside his house in the middle of the woods, swinging a sword made for an average foot soldier, though it looked as if he had trouble with its weight and size. "Greed is the root of all sin, the desire to have more than one needs, and to take it from others who do need it, instead show generosity to those who have less. Compassion is vital for all life to exist, without compassion the world loses all light, for we are judged by how we treat the lowest of us. A man should never fight for gain, but to prevent loss of what is vital to his body, mind, and spirit." He said over and over to himself, the three Paladin virtues that were drilled into his head as a child, and literally tattooed to his arm 'Give, Care, Protect'

Jack's training as a Paladin would have been laughed at by his peers if they were still alive, he had no master and learned from the few books he could find about the Paladin order. At his age other paladins used holy bolts, and were top swordsman who could defeat most normal soldiers. Jack however couldn't defeat a blind man with a cane, and his only magical attack was below average. Jack knew his problem though, he had nothing to protect, nothing important to him, not even his own life, or so he thought.

The air was crisp and clean, a perfect day for training, and Jack enjoyed the opportunity to train in the sun after the ravages of winter. Swinging his sword the same way over and over in a foolish attempt to master it, but his body would not comply. He was thin and non-muscular, more suited to magic, though as a Paladin he had to use a sword. It was a way of fighting and casting magic that defied other disciplines, using swords to cast magic while using footwork to throw off an opponent's rhythm, simultaneously absorbing both light and dark mana to fuse with the caster's spirit energy, creating a form of mana that symbolized a balance of all things. Jack knew that if he was ever caught that the Templars would likely try to discover the technique, though he barely knew how to use it himself.

Sweating and practicing, the hours of the day went by until the evening, Jack having to lay down dozens of times to catch his breath from such basic training. Late into the evening Jack was reduced to a sweaty husk in a white robe, still having not improved.

Eventually Jack went inside his small house, setting down his robes so we wore only pants and some cloth strips around his ankles and wrists, revealing his slender form that got him mistaken for a girl from behind once or twice. Soon Jack wiped the sweat from his body and looked over to his bath that he had left heated for after training, stripping what little clothes he had left on before getting into the metal tub, listening to the sounds of the crackling fire in his fireplace, and the river outside.

"I wonder if I would be good at fighting had my teacher survived... I bet he would scoff at how weak I am, the only improvement I've made is from growth spurts or experimenting" Jack said with a sigh as the water around him seemed to pull away all the tension in his lithe body. Soon he started to wash his body with rose and sandalwood soap to reduce the smell of sweat on himself, looking in a mirror as he made sure he got all the dirt off. In hos reflection he could see his wavy light brown hair with hints of golden blonde that came down to his shoulders, as well as his summer sky blue eyes, contrasting his lightly tanned but smooth, fair skin.

After a half hour of washing and grooming Jack got out of the tub, releasing the drain cork to let all the water dump through a pipe outside near his garden, towling off and putting on his basic clothes, leaving his robes off. After a moment of stretching Jack walked into the kitchen, and started to cook himself dinner as the sun went down, looking outside his window before he felt his heart sink.

Outside his house was slowly being surrounded by Templar soldiers, all of them with swords drawn. The one thing Jack hoped would never happen, as they even had a warrant bearer among them. "Jack Grey, You are hereby under arrest by the Templar Order for defecting to the Keidrans during the battle of Civitad'Pacis, and for failing to turn your father in, thus being an accessory to his crimes as well. You are surrounded, and we have a warrant for a legal arrest, you will not get away" The man yelled, hoping they could capture the Paladin without resistance.

Jack didn't know what he was doing as everything seemed to slow down. Grabbing only one or two things he bolted to the back of his house with only his sword, his robe, and a bag of books. In his great need Jack concentrated with all his might before disappearing in a cloud of smoke, creating a haze inside his house as he got away. The one spell Jack could use well didn't always work; Telleportation. Appearing ten feet off the ground in the nearby woods Jack cried out in pain as a broken branch gashed his back on his way to the ground, half spraining his ankle on impact. There was one thing on his mind as he landed, the need to run. He knew that if he made it past the Keidran boarder the Templar would have to retreat to amass a larger force to move forward, and that the Keidrans would be to spread out to catch him right away unless one got lucky on patrol.

All sense of time was lost to Jack, running through the trees with his sword drawn, ignoring the pain coming from his ankle and back. It could have been hours or minutes that passed but soon Jack had to stop as he saw something he hoped he wouldn't ever see again. A figure stood not too far ahead of him, without his sword drawn, looking at Jack with piercing sea green eyes that seemed to shine in the fading daylight that was masked by the thick trees.

Jack knew he had the advantage with his opponent off guard, but his knees trembled frailly like a child, his grip loosening as if all his strength was being sapped away, leaving his blood to feel cold. the heavy sword slipped from his fingers as Jack looked in terror at his one fear, the one thing that appeared in his nightmares the most; a Keidran warrior.

"n-n-No... This wasn't supposed to happen... You're... Please... I can't be a slave again" Jack said, starting to tear up as memories flooded back to him from the sight of the Wolf Keidran in front of him. It was five years prior when Jack washed ashore that he was taken, bound and gagged before being sold in one of the Wolf tribe's villages, to an older Keidran about seventeen years old. The things he was forced to do by a compliance spell that drew from his own mana had burned into his mind, along with the fear of worse that could have been done and could still happen. Images flooded his head of his master looking down at him with a face than conveyed intentions that couldn't possibly be noble.

The next thing Jack felt was completely unexpected to him, something he had not felt in six years, a pair of arms around him, but before he could react there was a sharp pain and he fell unconscious.

In his head Jack floated in and out of dreams, memories of when he was young relived in his head, the way his mother used to hold him after he was beaten up, and the way his father carried him on his broad shoulders when they walked around Civitad'Pacis together. Memories of his father were the greatest treasure to Jack, and reliving them in dreams was a respite to his soul. High-Father Abner, his true father, role model, and the one who saved his life.

---

The keidran was a low level warrior for the Wolf tribe named "Auron", and was extremely strong despite his low rank, but had lived a fairly normal life other than some small skirmishes, but he was always thought of as a greenhorn or soft by the elders, and soon he'd know why.

Auron sighed as he held the human in his arms, looking down at his face which has half relaxed. He didn't know why but when he saw the look of terror that the human had he couldn't kill him, Not one so young as Auron thought, thinking the human looked quite young for his species, maybe fifteen, though he was not skilled in identifying humans in the least.

"That tattoo... It's odd, you must be the one the humans want so badly to come out here, maybe I should deprive them of that, It'd be a shame to kill you for them, or let you fall back into their hands for whatever plan they have" He said out loud, more to justify his actions to himself as he started walking farther into Keidran territory.

---

When Jack woke up he felt disoriented, looking up at the canopy of leaves above as the sound of frogs and crickets chirped around him, the sky a dark bluish black with few clouds. Something was wrong though, he could hear a fire and see the light from it, and he felt slightly bare. Looking down Jack found that all his clothes but his undergarments had been taken, and were replaced with sloppily applied bandages and a shackle on his right ankle, the other end secured tightly to a tree branch

Looking across the fire Jack saw something that made his heart sink, the Keidran from earlier was there looking at him. In a moment of instinct Jack got up and flung himself behind the tree he was chained to, having barely enough slack to hide behind it. As he landed a sharp pain shot up his back, his wound still very tender and now even more painful as the earlier adrenaline had worn off.

"There's no point in hiding, you can't get free of that chain, and even if you could you don't know where you are, I can track you easily. Now come sit down" Auron said, trying to sound civil, though he was irritated for some reason he didn't understand.

After a moment Jack responded in a brave tone that was broken up by a few pauses and he worked up the courage to talk. "No... I hate you, if I let you come near me.. you'll-" "I'll what? Eat you? Kill you? Dress you like a human bitch? If I wanted to I would have done it while you were asleep" Auron interrupted as he walked around the tree, pushing the human against the trunk.

Jack struggled and squirmed, but his attempts were all foiled by Auron's strength, and his own flinching reflex from the pain on his back, though the sharp sensation distracted him from the blush on his face. "Don't touch me you filthy animal!" Jack yelled, before being interrupted as the keidran put a hand over his mouth and picked him up, carrying him back to the makeshift bedroll the human had woken up on.

"I don't know what has happened to you over the years, and I don't really care, but you said you were a slave before. I can say that I have no intention of making you a slave, it would make me no better than the humans, but if you continue to act like such a little bitch I may reevaluate. Now sit down, eat something, and shut up!" Auron said, feeling irritated once again, looking down at the sad human before setting him down and handing him a small cooked fish from the fire.

"Fine... My name is Jack... Thank you for the bandages and food" Jack said with a gulp, as if literally swallowing his own pride.

"My name is Auron, and you're welcome. I guess even humans have manners when faced with a real warrior" The Keidran said with a deep sigh, his fist clenched as he wished the human would just be quiet, grumbling to himself before one could nearly hear the gears in his head start working.

"Wait, If you're a human than how can you speak Keidran?! Are you a spy?!" Auron said angrily, putting a hand on the hilt of his blade as his lips curled into a snarl.

"If I was would I tell you? I'll simply state that if I am and I got caught so easily, than I'm the worst spy in history. I learned your language as a child, when I was a slave. Now put your blade away, I'm an innocent as far as you should be concerned, I can barely fight" Jack said, swallowing his fear and forcing himself to speak rationally, though if was useless, he reeked of fear and even his voice betrayed his guise.

For the next few moments both men sat in silence, trying to relax from their frustration with one another. The forest was beautiful at night, the sound of frogs and crickets filled the air as the scent of soft earth and night air filled their noses, calming them as they each looked in the opposite direction of one another. Jack slowly eating his food while watching some fireflies illuminate the moss on the trees as they flew in radiant patterns. Auron however closed his eyes and listened to the river flowing nearby like silk over marble, the trickling over the rock make soft soothing tones like natural music, the wildlife chirping and croaking like strings and horns, the wind deep and base toned, and the water like a silver flute.

"The forest is beautiful, I hope you never take it for granted, you are fortunate to live somewhere serene as this-" "I hope you see what the forest is like here, serene and untainted by the hands of humans like you, perfect and calm-" Jack and Auron said over each other before frowning and replying "Shut up" in unison.

Eventually Auron had enough of sitting quietly and yawned, walking over and laying on the bedroll next to Jack. "Hey, don't come near me you animal!" Jack yelled in instinct before freezing in fear as the Keidran pushed him down and got on top of him. "Don't you talk to me that way you... Human! I could have killed you, you should be thanking me for sparing your life you worthless little!-" Auron yelled back before looking down at the scared human, sighing and getting off before laying down, pulling the human close to him. "Its going to get cold very soon, and I only have one bedroll. Either you share or you freeze to death, You're lucky I let you share... but you're quite young for a human, so I'll make an exception" Auron said, putting a hand over Jack's mouth to keep him quiet, though he felt quite disturbed, he felt something other than hate for the human, and he couldn't figure out what, but his first thought would have been terrible if the human was as young as he thought.

Jack felt terrified as he was held, the thought of a Keidran that close to him disgusted him to his core, and yet soon it didn't seem to matter as Jack fell asleep. Soon Jack was within the realm of dreams again, this time being chased by Keidran warriors through a desert. After running for longer than he could recall he fell, hearing the warriors near, but soon the sound faded as he was pulled up and hugged from behind by a pair of strong arms, a warm feeling flooding his body. "Father?... is that really you? I'm so sorry, I'm a shame to you, I lived but I can't carry on what you built, I'm a terrible Paladin" He said before being turned around, seeing Auron there instead. "Shut up, just shut up already-..." The wolf said as Jack's dream faded.

"Come on you lazy thing, get up. If you don't get up soon I'll do things to your personal space you won't like" was all Jack heard as he woke up, looking up at the wolf before inhaling sharply, gagging after just a moment before coughing like mad keeled over. "Oh gods your stink and fur is all over me!" He yelled, feeling irritated that someone has violated his personal bubble, especially a Keidran.

"I don't care, all you humans smell like crap anyways. Now get up, we're leaving. I have to get you back to my village so the elder can decide what to do with you" Auron said as he pulled Jack up by the arm, and took the shackle off of the tree so he had a makeshift leash to make sure the human couldn't bolt.

"I doubt your elder will be as noble as you are, I've never heard of a human being treated so nicely here by a native Keidran, he'll likely just make me a slave, then you would be nothing but a slave trader, like the humans you hate. I don't like you... I'm not going to lie... You scare me to my core, but I think we can find a way to work this out... I can't go back to being a slave" Jack said, his tone honest as the thought of what he was forced to do the first time haunted him, and how he was 'Saved' from the Keidran, though it was just a display to spite the Keidran the Templar had slaughtered.

After just a moment Jack was tugged forward by his shackle and forced to walk forward. "Get moving or I may have to get rough with you, we're going and that is final, its walk or I will beat and carry you. I don't think you would enjoy the second option" Auron said as he started to march forward, Jack being forced to follow behind, but keeping his distance from his captor out of fear and disgust.

The smell on Jack's clothes disgusted him, a deep male musk that made him light headed when he smelled it too deeply, like a weak smelling salt. Everything about the Keidran was scary to Jack, his piercing eyes that looked like they could see right through him, his claws that could easily lacerate the human's soft skin, the fangs that showed when he talked, His larger and more muscled form that dwarfed Jack, and his sickening male smell.

The walk went on for hours in silence, the wind brushing past them every once and a while like a stranger walking past on its way from the ocean to the mountains. The trees slowly started to get bigger as they walked, getting into the older parts of the forest where the trees were aged and strong, moss lining the first few feet of their trunks like a green blanket.

Walking along the unlikely pair had time to think about the situation, and most of all about each other. ~He is strong... Stronger than me by far, I don't think I stand a chance, even with basic magic... But he's odd. There's something about his that defies what I know about his people, He left me alive, and refused to dishonor himself by acting like a human would in the reverse situation. Is he the only one like this? Are there other like minded Keidran? I doubt it... I met quite a few back then, and none had any honor.~ Jack said to himself mentally, timidly arguing with his past self and beliefs. ~This human... Gods he's so hopeless and weak, it pisses me off to even look at the little shrimp, skinny as heck, and he doesn't even have the guts to defend himself. Such a stupid weak little thing, it frustrates me to no end, but I have to protect him... Do I? He's never done a thing for me, and he's a human... but he can't help himself... Ugh what am I going to do with this little shit?!~ Auron yelled to himself mentally, though his face remained blank.

After hours more of walking Auron stopped dead in his tracks, causing Jack to nearly bump into him. In an instant the sound of the wind was sliced through by a metal object. In instinct Auron jumped out of the way. Jack yelped loudly as he was pulled forward so roughly before crying in real pain as something sliced his lower leg, a throwing knife. Soon the attackers revealed themselves, three high ranked Templar emerging from the trees.

"This one is mine, I know you want him but you cannot have him. I can't exactly let you do as you please in Keidran lands" Auron said as he stood over Jack, sensing an even deeper fear from the human than when they had first met, mixed with disdain and loneliness.

"You don't stand a chance, you're out numbered three to one, and how do you even know the boy wants your protection?" One of the three generic looking Templar said with a chuckle as he drew a sword. "You filthy animals wouldn't know what to do with him if you were told exactly who he is, now you'll pay the price for your ignorance" said the Templar with the throwing knives.

Auron suddenly felt the weight of the situation, he knew nothing about the human, or what the Templar wanted with him, but he wanted to keep him away from the humans. He thought it was out of spite and to prevent them from completing some grand design, but only time would tell.

Out of the blue as Auron snarled at his enemies he looked down to find a delicate hand on his ankle. "[Auron, they're saying that you're outnumbered, and that I might betray you... that you have no clue who I am or why they want me. Right now I don't care if you're a keidran or not , You're not a templar and you have honor, I trust you with my life!]" Jack said, forcing himself to stand up, but soon finding himself attacked again, an arrow shot to hit his shoulder dead center, but wit ha flash of light it changed course, grazing his arm. Jack had a different look to him at that moment, he seemed to have a soft luminescence, and the smell of Yew wood and roses filled the air.

"You can hurt me, you can break me, but I will never let you hurt this man who saved my life, Keidran may he be he is more pure than you or your High Templar" Jack said before returning to normal, falling to his knee before being picked up.

Auron had a blank look on his face like he was processing too many things, but in that moment he felt like he knew what was right as he handed Jack a glowing stone. "If you really trust me, use this, I'm useless with magic" Auron said before letting Jack stand on his own two feet and drawing his sword, running into the battle with a passion he had never felt before. A sword against the trained Templar assassins was a bad idea as Auron was hit with an arrow and a knife while he charged at the third Templar, who was also wielding a sword. Soon The Keidran and Templar clashed blades, and started to struggle for better footing and territory.

Jack in that moment felt power return to him as Auron was hit. In a single moment he bolted at the archer as he readied another arrow. With a punch to his own palm the Paladin's fist started to shine like firelight as he ran faster than ever before, like a real soldier, punching right through the wooden bow and shattering it like ice, causing the Templar wielding it to fall over backwards, pulling out a knife. The next few moments were hazed as Jack started to dodge and unleash an array of punches, barely missing each time but gaining ground, seeing an opportunity as the Templar was backed against a tree Jack felt a sharp pain in the back of his leg, looking down to see blood running down his calf muscle. In that moment the Templar in front of him took the opportunity to strike, nicking Jack's arm as the blow was deflected with one arm, a single punch following to his head, knocking him out cold.

Jack panted heavily but gasped as he heard the sound of a blade hitting flesh behind him, wondering if he had been hit but couldn't feel any more pain. Turning around Jack saw Auron standing in a defensive position, looking battered as he dashed forward, landing a single punch to the knife thrower before falling over panting, having taken out two high level Templar, but he had left the weakest one to the human, still taking several knife hits for him.

Jack pulled the knife from his leg and ignored the pain as he ran over, looking at the deep knife wounds the Keidran had. "You saved me... I guess The least I can do is help you, disgusting animal" Jack said, but his worried expression gave him away. Working quickly and not hearing any objections from the Keidran he started to removed the knives gentility, but with haste to stop the bleeding. Drawing on the crystal more Jack used his magic to suture up all the damaged blood vessels, and bind the skin back together, though he knew with his limited skill it would scar. All this magic was completely new to Jack, he knew how to make his punch as strong as a normal man's with magic, but to shatter a bow or heal someone was beyond his knowledge, it was more instinct to him than learning.

After all the knives were out Jack started to feel the toll the fight had taken on him, looking down at his sloppy but completed work before passing out.