I'm sorry, I know I haven't updated my other stories in like forever, I come up with all these plots, but I can never finish the story. This is just a little something that I thought of one day at school. I hope you enjoy it. I'm working on the next few chapters already. Enjoy!!!!!

I fixed up some of the places. Instead of the Kinomotos being Roman, they are still Japanese, and the plot shifted somewhat. But yeah, I hope the story is still good.

The Amber Eyed Gladiator: Forbidden Games

By: Sakuratenshi89

Chapter One

China, 85 A.D.

Chaos consumed the land. Men and women were running about with their children crying. There were cries of pain and agony over the deaths of loved ones. There was the shouting and begging of mercy and the dreadful sound of death. Death was in the air. One could smell in as they took a deep breath, they could sense it miles away.

No one was safe; they were either killed or taken captive. Few escaped. That is what war is all about. Hurting and killing other people who are considered to be the "enemy." Of course, nothing good ever comes from that, no one benefits from it, except for of course, the emperor, the one in control.

Buildings were being burned down every second. The place where a beautiful, charming village once stood was now a burnt, black, charred mass with a foul smell. Everything was burnt to a crisp, nothing was left. There was no such thing as mercy. If one was in the way, that person was automatically killed, no matter the gender, the age, whether you were royalty or just a common man.

Men were fighting against men. Somewhere going one on one with each other, in which there would be only one victor, the other, would die. There was blood spread across the ground on top of many dead bodies of men who had fought to protect their country. They had died in honor, but at the hands of a ruthless people. Some were able to put up good fights, others, they had no chance from the very beginning, not having been trained very well to their disadvantage.

What was once a beautiful country, now lay in a pool or red and black. There was no life here and there wouldn't be life here for a long time. The sky was a dark blood red, matching the land. All of a sudden all the yelling stopped and the land was covered with a deathly silence. It was as if someone had placed a pall over the country.

The captain looked on grimly from above on a mountain as his men continued slaying the Chinese army. The Chinese army was in no condition to fight against his army. He sat tall and proud on his magnificent steed. He was ruthless in the killings, any one who dared to attack him was asking for his own death. He watched his well-trained army as they plowed through the fields, killing everyone in their path, sparing few. He gave a grim smile as he watched some of his own men get slain, sacrifices had to be made; they were required for this job.

The air felt thick with blood and sweat. He heard more cries of pain and death. He clenched his fists on the reins tighter. He could feel it; it was almost over. But it would only be the beginning in truth.

"Sir," came a voice from beside the captain.

He turned to face the messenger.

"You may speak."

"The royal family has surrendered."

The captain l raised an eyebrow. "Well, it was about time they did too, before they had no more people in their country."

"Would you like me to deliver a message to them sir?"

"Yes, please do," said the captain. "Tell them that from now on they are under the rule of our country and they will be obliged to do whatever we ask of them. They are also now under our protection and are part of our country."

The messenger bowed.

"You may leave now."

The messenger stood up again, climbed back onto his horse and galloped off in the direction of the palace, which could be seen far off in the distance.

The captain closed his eyes, allowing his thoughts to wash over him. The wind blew at his already tousled dark brown hair as he sat on his horse, just letting his mind soak in his thoughts. His thoughts were about home, his family, and everything he had accomplished in his life.

"Pardon me sir," said a voice, abruptly interrupting the silence.

He turned at the voice and saw one of his generals. He saw behind the general a man held by four soldiers. He raised an eyebrow at the general.

The general bowed, along with the four soldiers, the man stood there, a scowl across his face, until the soldiers yanked him down on his knees, forcing him into a bowing position.

"Yes? What is it?" the captain asked indifferently, looking upon the group with no emotion, as he was trained to do.

The general rose and began to speak, "We believe that we have caught the captain of the Chinese army. He was fighting with some of our own men when a myriad of soldiers came running to him and began defending him. He told them to leave, but they said that since he was the captain, it was their duty to protect him. Capturing this man was another story altogether. To tell you the truth captain, he is very good."

The captain looked a bit amused. "Really?"

The general gave a slight nod.

"But not good enough obviously," the captain smirked at the frowning man.

The man growled and began pulling away from the soldiers who were holding him.

The captain could see that this man was very strong; the soldiers holding him were among the best in their army. And this man took four soldiers to hold down, whereas the normal man would only have two.

"He almost got away," admitted the general. "But we got him, as you see."

"Yes I do, so you say he is the captain of the Chinese army hmm?"

The general nodded fervently.

He turned to the man being held captive. "Well, are you the captain of the Chinese army?"

The man scowled even deeper.

"You will answer the captain," commanded the general, glaring at the captive.

"Enough, Yukito," said the captain, "let the man speak. It is his life that is on the stake."

The general, Yukito, grew silent from the orders of his captain. They both looked towards the man, who still refused to say a word.

"Do you know who I am?" asked the captain, giving the captive a cold smile.

"Of course I do," said the captive after a few moments of silence. The captain waited for him to go on. "You are Touya Kinomoto, the captain of the Japanese army, future emperor of Japan, son of the current Japanese emperor, Fujitaka Kinomoto."

"You speak our language," said an amused Touya, he was actually surprised that someone of Chinese heritage should know the language of the Japanese. It wasn't very often that one could find a bilingual person. That usually meant the person was either very clever or very rich and was able to afford a language tutor.

"Just as you speak ours."

"How many languages are you able to speak?"

"I speak many languages."

"You speak our language fluently, you seem to be intelligent and very well educated."

"Much more than you I can guarantee it, baka" growled the prisoner.

"You will not speak that way to the captain," hissed Yukito, pulling out his sword and placing it upon the prisoner's throat, ready to slash it and kill him at the order of his commander.

"Calm down," said Touya.

"But…"

Touya glanced at Yukito sternly; effectively silencing the general and making him draw back his sword reluctantly. He then turned to the captive, who was still glaring at him and smirked, "You have spirit. I respect that. Now tell me your name."

The captive said stiffly, "I am Syaoran Li."

"Are you the captain of the Chinese army?"

"Why would it matter to you? I'm still going to end up with the same fate as the rest of the Chinese army and people have. It doesn't matter who I am, you will most likely still kill me just as the others have been killed."

"You are bright indeed," said Touya, who was beginning to like this young man.

He rolled his eyes and stated sarcastically, "It does not take anybody smart to figure that out. So why do you care about who I am?"

"Because I wish to know. You still haven't answered my question, are you or are you not the captain of the Chinese army?"

"Yes I am the captain of the Chinese army," said the captive, Syaoran.

"Well, captain," said Touya, smirking still, "You will be coming back with us to Tokyo."

Syaoran looked rather surprised. "Why not just kill me here as you do with all the others. I will be useless to you in Japan. I am an outsider."

"You will be auctioned off in the slave market," said Touya coldly, he glanced over Syaoran's terrible condition. Syaoran's uniform was torn to pieces and he was smeared with blood and dirt. Even under all the dirty stuff, one could tell, Touya especially, that Syaoran was well built and was very able-bodied. Touya was trained to tell the good from the bad and that included picking out the good soldiers from the bad. And Syaoran was good, he also looked young, which meant he would be able to work for a pretty long time that was always a good thing.

Syaoran stared at Touya stonily.

"You are fit, young, and well educated, and will be sold for a high price. You even might be given as a gift to…never mind."

"So, I'm to become a slave," said Syaoran emotionlessly.

Touya rolled his eyes and said in a wry tone, "No, you're to become a citizen, that is what happens to the people who are auctioned off in the slave market."

"I have a question to ask this man," said Yukito. He looked at Touya, "May I have your permission to ask him a question?"

"You may."

"Thank you," said Yukito, bowing. He turned to Syaoran and asked, "Are you in any way related to the Li Clan?"

The captive was silent for a moment before answering, "I am a distant relative of theirs, but I have very little contact with them."

"That is all," said Yukito.

"Very well," said Touya, turning around from talking to the soldiers who had been holding Syaoran and making sure he hadn't escaped. "We will be setting out tomorrow at dawn."

Yukito and the soldiers bowed, only Syaoran stubbornly remained standing, much to the amusement of Touya.

"You may lead him away," said Touya, waving his hand, dismissing them from his sight.

Emperor's Palace, Tokyo, Japan, 85 A.D.

Jealously and wistfully would be the correct words to describe the looks on people's faces as they looked upon the palace of the emperor. It was magnificent, created by the best architects there were in all of Asia. It stood tall and proud, carved of marble and engraved with gold and fine, rare gemstones. There was none other like it throughout Italy.

Of course, the actually occupants of the palace, one of them, did not find living in a splendid palace to be utopia. In fact she thought it was boring and hated it.

She stood at her balcony and looked down upon the marketplace not too far off. How she wished she could be down there, selling, and buying interesting foods and other things with the people of Japan. She didn't like being cooped up and pampered all the days of her life. She never got anything her way; sure she got almost everything she wanted, everything except for freedom.

She wished that she had been born into a more poor family, so she could experience all the freedom she ever wanted. Then she would not have to sit with the tutor all day and learn lessons on how to be a lady, she could just be whoever she wanted to be. Then she would not have to marry for political reasons, but could for love.

She sighed as she saw the people below her bustle about with baskets in their hands, carrying fruits, clothing, and other wonderful things. She placed her arms on the balcony rails and leaned forward, avidly watching the scene that was unfolding beneath her.

"Princess, do not lean too far!" reprimanded a voice.

The princess rolled her eyes at the owner of the voice. "Oh Chiharu, you worry too much, besides, what could possibly happen to me?"

Chiharu, the maid opened her mouth to answer, but the princess interrupted her.

"Don't answer that question. I've done much worse things," the princess smiled mischievously. She motioned for the maid to come a little closer, and then she whispered in her ear. "I've done some training with Touya before."

"Princess!" exclaimed Chiharu. "You know your father forbids it!"

"Yes I know," she sighed. "That's why you're not going to tell him." Her emerald green eyes begged the maid to keep this a secret.

It was Chiharu's turn to sigh, "Very well ma'am. I will not tell a single soul."

"Thank you!" shouted the princess happily as she threw her arms around the maid, shocking her. "You're such a great friend!"

"Princess, you are not allowed to hug servants, much less call them your friends! If we get caught, then we'll both be punished."

"Oh shush," scolded the princess. "I can do whatever I wish in this horrible place. Don't forget that my father is the emperor. I know I might sound like I'm bragging, but since I'm my father's only daughter, he spoils me and he would never hurt me. So even if I was caught hugging you, we wouldn't be punished."

The maid silently endured the princess's tight hug, for she knew that what the princess said was altogether very true.

"Thanks again Chiharu!" said the princess before returning to watch the scene below her.

"Don't forget that your father will be holding a party tonight!"

"I won't!" the princess said absentmindedly.

"You are expected to be there, your father hopes that you will find a suitable husband at the banquet. He's invited all the wealthiest and most prestigious bachelors in all of Asia and I heard, Europe, to come."

The princess snapped and whipped around saying, "I don't want to get married! Why can't father understand this! He wants me to marry someone who is wealthy and will take care of me; I want someone who loves me. I don't care if he is poor."

"I'm sorry princess," the maid said timidly.

Sakura took a deep breath, "No, I should be the one apologizing, I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just that, Father is placing too much pressure on me and I can't take it. I'm only sixteen, I'm too young for this."

"I was married at your age," said Chiharu quietly.

"But you married for love," said the princess just as quietly. "You were lucky you found someone who loved you just as much as you loved him when you were my age. All the males my age just want me for the money or for my looks. Yamazaki is a great man and one of my brother's finest generals. You are so unbelievably lucky that he is your husband."

"I know."

"Well, I'm going to take a short nap before the ball. I didn't get much sleep last night because some of the festivities that were being held. I just had to watch them, they were incredible."

Chiharu chuckled; the princess was as adorable and curious as a five-year-old girl.

"I'll see you later then Chiharu."

"Yes ma'am, I'll be back to help you put on your dress."

The princess smiled softly before she headed to her bed to rest.

Chiharu smiled and shook her head at the princess before leaving the room, for she had other chores to do before evening came.

Journey Back to Japan, 85 A.D.

Two soldiers pushed Syaoran along the road, normally he would have pushed back, but his hands were tied together around his back, forcing him to comply with the soldiers' wishes. He frowned; this wasn't how everything was supposed to end. He wasn't supposed to lose. Not after everything he had gone through, he just couldn't believe it. He had definitely not planned on losing to some Japanese army.

They had been the best; no one had been able to stop them. Not until now. Now he had been defeated, as always there will be winner and a loser. He was the loser and he hated this position already. He was born to be a winner, never a loser. He had never been a loser until now, which meant he had much more to learn. He wasn't very happy with this either, he had always prided himself on being the best, but now, he wasn't. He was second place, or rather last, considering the position he was in at this moment.

Now he was on his way to Japan, and he would be sold there for a good, high price. Syaoran scowled deeply, he wasn't meant to be some slave. But hopefully, with some luck, he might earn his freedom once again. He prayed to the gods that he might once again be free and not live under servitude.

Syaoran glanced behind him and saw the kingdom where he used to live, where he had lived his whole life. It was now just a speck. He was further from home than he had ever been and though he wouldn't admit it, he was a bit scared of what was to come. All his life, the only place he had ever actually known was China. Sure he had heard of many other wondrous cities and countries, but he had never actually seen them.

"Move it!" a soldier grunted as he pushed Syaoran who had completely stopped moving.

Syaoran blinked and saw the faces of some angry soldiers and annoyed captives. He had not known that he was blocking traffic.

"Is something wrong?" asked Touya who had come from the front of the line. He had heard some of the uproar and had come back to check on them.

"N-no sir," said the soldier as Touya watched him through narrowed eyes.

'Ha, what a coward,' scorned Syaoran.

"All right then," said Touya, still watching them with narrowed eyes. "I expect there to be no more of this for the rest of the journey, otherwise, you will face the consequences, which I hope you are already well acquainted with." He steered his horse back towards the front after giving them a dark glare, as if daring them to cause a commotion once more.

'Killing us is doing a favor for us,' thought Syaoran bitterly as they once again began to move. 'There is no longer a reason for us to live, everyone we knew and loved are dead, or were left behind. We might as well be dead. We would definitely be better off.'

"Move," the soldier said gruffly, pushing Syaoran.

Syaoran glared at the soldier and glanced at his home country one last time before turning around and walking.

'Goodbye…China.'

A/N: Please review!!!!!! I hope it was a little better.