(Edit! I forgot to post the concept art for this fic... Which really just started as a doodle.. But then I liked it so i turned it into a whole fic... So yup! Its right here : ht tp : / / i640 . photobucket . com/ albums / uu122 / Oridesu / CubeandEri002 . jpg copy/paste it to your browser and take out all the spaces to see it. :) )
"That teacher doesn't know what she's talking about! Eighty percent? I'm the freaking princess of the Demon world! It should we a hundred by default!"
"Well maybe if you did less yelling and more reading..."
"What did you say! Its not like you did any better!"
Cube could hear the heated arguement upstairs. Lady Yucie had invited her friends over to study and, as usual things were getting quite lively.
"Hey guys... we all did really bad so..." He could faintly hear his Mistress's voice as she tried to smooth things over between the princess of the Demon Realm and the princess of Heaven. It didn't seem to be working, it usually didn't, some divides were too deep-seeded to overcome. But the fact that they were in the same room and not killing eachother was testament to Lady Yucie's power's of diplomacy. Though, he should probably to go up and make sure that they didn't break any furniture. They were all friends, but with Lady Glenda involved there could still be casualties...
"My answer was correct! She marked it wrong just to spite me okay?"
"Well I would much rather have the answer the teacher wants than yours even if it is correct, and why would she even pay you enough mind to have spite?"
"-Excuse me..." Cube knocked softly as he opened the door and breathed a sigh of releif when he spied the unscathed furniture, nothing had come to blows yet, apparently.
"What do you want, traitor?"
"I've always prefered the term 'Ex-Patriot'...", Cube's smile got just a little bit sharper as he directed it at the pale-haired girl who'd been making an effort to dominate all conversation. He couldn't help but respect her as a member of the royal family, but he lamented the fact that that selfish, unreasonable nature seemed to be genetically hardwired into most demonic women.
"-Cube! You're a demon right? Maybe you could help!" Lady Yucie's voice grabbed everyone's attention as it always did.
"That's true but..." He could feel Glenda's glare making his hair stand on end, "I'm sure I wouldn't be very helpful... Maybe Gaga-san?" He looked over at the Princess wondering why her loyal steward wasn't around today.
"I gave him the day off! But we don't need anyone's input, the teacher just messed up."
"Glenda! Stop being so stubborn!" Yucie glared at her friend and turned back to Cube. "Please?"
"How can I be of service?" Cube replied with a smile, a bit confused as to the controversy.
"We all did poorly on this Demonology unit in magic class, so we're studying for the make-up quiz and there's this one question that everyone is unsure of."
"I'm not unsure! I even know one!" Glenda piped up but settled back into sullen silence. Cube nodded and let Lady Yucie continue. He wasn't an expert in demonology in the same way that most humans weren't experts in biology, but he would do what he could.
"It asks us to define a cambion..." Yucied said as she scanned the piece of paper, "We know its the child of a succubus and a human, but it also asks for abilities and weaknesses. Glenda says that they're great shape shifters and that their weakness is their stronger than usual emotional responses. But she got marked off on that question so..."
It took a few moments for Cube to think about the seemingly innocent question. He handn't even formed a factual answer before he felt a lump rising in his throat. He tried to to contemplate the princess's comment about "knowing one". Of all the questions they could have asked, it had to be that one.
"Cube?" Lady Yucie waved her hand in front of his face slight concern coloring her expression. "You okay?"
"I-I'm fine!" Cube's forced a smile back on his face. It was a simple question, describing an unusual type of demon, it shouldn't be hard to explain it to the girls without getting too personal.
"Cambions have dual true forms, both demonic and human. It's not that they are particularly good at shape shifting in comparison to the average demon. They have a pretty good level of control over their height and such in demonic form. Their human form on the other hand is decidedly static and can only change with age if they remain in it for too long. That is both a strength and a weakness because their human form is an undetectable disguse and gives them ability to use magic beyond the usual black magic repitoire, but, the human blood in their veins also means that they are physically weak in comparison to other demons. It's also true that they tend to have a more human-like range of emotions. Thus, they are generally looked down upon in the demon realm." He closed his mouth as he started to feel his tone change. There was no use in getting outraged, he had already failed long ago and, for that matter, those problems had been clearly solved.
"I see! Thats really interesting!" Lady Yucie smiled and things felt a little less bleak. He was so lucky to be where he was. His life was fun, comfortable and the people he served were worthy of his alleigance and respect as well as friendship. Regrets, he tried to convince himself, were just a part of life he had to live with.
"Yes, I hope that that information was useful, though everyone should really go home soon. Master Gunbard will be unhappy with me and you certainly won't do well on your tests if you don't get enough sleep!"
He watched quietly as Lady Yucie saw her friends off. What a different time this was, a time where the daughters of each world could could live so closely. The memories of so many wars no longer marring their impressions. It couldn't have made him happier. But he had to admit that it was because even he was a totally different person these days. He reached into his pocket, his hand meeting nothing but the beat up coin purse that was always there, the last item that he'd kept from his home world. "I wonder if she'd even recognize me?" he dreamily as he stared out at the starry sky.
...
It was that odd time between the demon realm's scorching summer and figid winter. Humidity was clinging to Kuyabrion's skin and hair as he waited for the match to begin. It had been a good call to leave his armor at home, it would have been unbearable otherwise. Outside the waiting area, he could hear the crowds talking and cheering. The smell of metal, alcohol and roasting meat came drifting in. Typical fare for the solstice festival, or so he'd heard...
He cracked his neck and streched out a bit, the room was empty, save for him, a low table, and a somewhat uncomfortable couch. There were probably at least fourty minutes before he was up, so maybe he could have wandered around for a bit, but he wasn't hungry and had never really gooten the "drunken swordsman" thing to work in his favor, he just ended up on his face in the dirt. Instead, he lifted his sword and took a moment to savor the familiar weight. There was a scrap of cloth lying on the table, his precious weapon had been cleaned this morning, but it never hurt to clean it again right?
As he buffed the blade, he sighed aloud, he didn't care for festivals. It wasn't that he wouldn't have liked them if he acctually got to participate, but as the King's head Knight, he spent his festival time alternatively sitting in dark little rooms and then then fighting in front of loudly cheering crowds. Not exactly his idea of an awesome time; but it was his job and he took it quite seriously. Though he really couldn't wait until another war broke out, maybe a big one with Heaven or the Human realm, some time on a real battlefield would do him well...
"No armor today, Sir Kuyabrion?", an unfamiliar voice took him by surprise. His eyes flicked quickly to the door. A small figure stood, watching him calmly. She had been so quiet as she slipped in that he hadn't noticed, though her face he imediatley recognized. It was the Queen's stewardess, the eye-like symbol on her forehead marked her as such, and Kuyabrion remembered seeing the four-and-a-half foot tall cambion following Her Majesty around. He was a bit surprised to see her away from her mistress's side, it was a bit gutsy, considering how much of an easy target she was.
"No, uh, I guess not..." He started to reply casually, but stumbled over his words a bit as their eyes met. Though he had been in the same room as this person more times than he could count, it was a bit surreal to hear her speak. He's never really though about what she must sound like. She had a pretty voice, soft, but somehow still confident.
"It is a bit too humid isn't it? I certainly wouldn't bother with it for such a throw-away match." She smiled at him, it was a warm, sweet-looking smile. Her eyes were a very bright blood-on-snow color and it somehow intensified her expression. As he continued to look at her face he could almost feel that warmth shimmering in the air between them. Kuyabrion had to look away, somehow offset.
"Uh, sure..." Why was his face getting all hot?
"Whatever the case," Her brisk tone yanked him back to the present, "I bear a message from Her Majesty, the Amaizingly Beautiful and Talented Queen Matilda of the Demon Realm." She used the queen's self proclaimed title without the slightest hint of sarcasm and maybe even a bit of reverence. Kuyabrion had to swallow his own smirk as the name came up, but the mention of a message set him at attention. Whether Her Majesty was eccentric or not took a back seat to the fact that she was indeed the queen of the underworld and It was his and every other knight's duty to take heed of the words of the royal family.
"I see," He stood up, ready to carry out whatever orders this small girl carried, "What is the message."
"Her Majesty will be gracing the arena with her awesome and all-knowing presence today and, for whatever reason, she wishes to offer you her words of encouragement. She would also like you to know what an amaizing honor this is and such, which she is sure you already understand being a knight who has done rather well in the past."
"Um..." His heart sank when he realized the message carried no mission, just a rather underhanded compliment. "Is that all?"
"Yes." Her warm, sincere smile remained, despite the idiotitc words she had just spouted.
"How can you say that with a straight face?" he replied, a disappointed bite coloring his voice. It wasn't really this girl's fault that everything was so boring, but he had to display his annoyance to someone.
"How can you sit around in unattractive places like this and then chop up other sentient beings with that oversized meat cleaver?" The girl's eyebrow twitched and the warmth seeped out of her smile in an instant. The sharp edge came without warning and the young knight felt a bit of his own confidence drain. He hadn't really mean't to offend her, nor had he expected much of an response from someone who's job it was to serve. "Now if you'll excuse me I'll be taking my leave." With that she turned on her heel. Kuyabrion watched her pad away, feeling confused.
"Um, thank's for the encouragement!" he tried to sneak in a few less-offensive (?) words as she walked away.
"The encouragment was only from her Majesty. I", she said with emphasis without looking at him, "Have always been rooting for the other guy."
...
"Wh-What do you mean you're comming here!"
"Huh? Why not?" Eriya cocked her head to the side, a bit confused by her grandfather's reaction, "I thought you'd be pleased, with all those ridiculous letters you've been sending me."
"Well, you, um, love the demon realm so much! Why would you travel so far from home! Princess Glenda and I are here for the Platinum princess selection but..." Eriya rolled her eyes, after all she'd been through Grandfather still thought that he could shelter her from the intricacies of life.
"Not really, I'd acctually been hoping for a change of scene." Eriya held the letter she had received up to the mirror they were communicating by, "I got a letter from Queen Erecell, one of the magic teachers at the Princess Academy is taking a leave of absence and she offered me a temporary position. Isn't that nice?"
"You'd really want to work for a human? What about your demonic pride? What will people say with the Archmage of the Demon realm teaching a bunch of spoiled girls?"
"Ehehehe... Hasn't that always been my job? I rather like it..." Eriya laughed a bit at her own reference to everyone's favorite spoiled brat, it really had been lonely since Ms. Glenda had left. "Besides, its both more interesting AND respectable than conjuring giant bows and smiley faces all day. I'll even have a salary and free time. It's not like Im being enslaved here..."
"Even still-"
"-Grandfather..."
"Yes Eriya-chan?"
"I made this call only to let you know I was comming, not to seek your counsel. I am quite set in this decision."
"There's nothing I can do to stop you?"
"Not a thing, but your deternination is making me suspicious." She smiled the hard, cold smile that had made her a bit famous, it said "Don't Cross me or Else".
"I see, well, it will be lovely to have you around then..."
"It will be great to see you as well, Grandfather."
"Bye-bye Eriya-chaan~"
"Farewell." Her smile faded along with the connection. She felt a pang of guilt at the fact that she woudn't be able to give the job her best. All those children deserved to get a proper magical education. Sadly, she would not be the one providing it... There was something far more important to tackle.
...
"Eriyaaaaa~" Her majesty's voice extended into a whine, "I'm sooo bored."
"Is that so, Your Majesty?" Eriya replied sweetly to the same words that she heard every day, "What do you suppose we should do? There's the Solstice festival, so we could get somthing to eat... I hear the roasted helboar is good!"
"Only you would think that eating was something that could ease boredom. Are you trying to make me fat? I don't just naturally fit into these leather dresses you know... Think of somethign else! If I get any more bored I'll diiiieeee..." Her majesty flopped onto her bed and gave Eriya a dubious look before staring off into the distance.
"Well Your Majesty-"
"-You'd think marrying the devil would give you a more interesting life you know... " Queen Matilda interupted without thinking. But as the sad look on her face deepened Eriya couldn't stay mad. His majesty hadn't made an appearance for a few weeks now, he was either locked away in his quarters or off in another worlds doing who knew what. The silence got louder as time went on, so Eriya spoke up, doing her best to drown it out.
"Well, there has to be something you might want to do! Erigal the Incomptent is supposed to be drawn and quartered today! You sentanced him, so it you shoulld go and make sure its done properly right!" She rested her small hand on the older-looking woman's downturned head and patted it softly. Though truthfully the tiny stewardess was at least twice her age. She merely thought it more respectful to keep a form that was smaller than her mistress.
"I sentanced Erigal to painful death because I neverwanted to see his face again. Why the hell would I want to go see it now?"
"I simply though you might wish to view your handiwork."
"Nah, do you know when that ridiculous husband of mine is comming back?"
"I don't know, your majesty. Grandfath- I mean Mr. Gaga said that he was taking a trip to the Human Realm."
"Oh! Another war!" Her majesty perked up at the talk of inter-worldly carnage and Eriya cringed, she had never quite felt the appeal. Though her spirits raised a bit as her mistress's did. Eriya could imagine how painful and confusing it must be to live without a distinct purpose as the queen did. She owed her life to the restless young ruler and if a war made her happy, then a war there had to be.
"I wouldn't know, your Majesty, but is there anything you would like to do in the meantime?"
"You said there was a tounament right? Lets watch it!" Her lithe form was up in seconds, looking at Eriya expectantly.
"As you wish." Eriya said with a small bow, "Which matches were you interested in? I heard that there alot of new military recruits trying to make names for themselves, maybe you could give them your encouragement!" She thought that as queen, it might be a good idea to try and raise everyone's morale, though she knew before she received an answer that her majesty had other ideas.
"Hmm..." The queen's smile grew more sultry as she considered the idea, "Are any of them good looking?"
"Your Majesty!" Eriya could feel a bit of color rising in her face at her Mistress's infidelity, "Your a married woman you know!"
"What? I'm just watching them fight!" Queen Matilda winked, "And this is the Demon Realm after all, who said I couldn't indulge in a bit of sin? Now lets seee... Is that really really pretty one fighting? You know the one... mocha complexion, green eyes... What was his name Kura- Ku-"
"Sir Kuyabrion, Ma'am?" Eriya bit her tounge, she really didn't want to encourage this selfish behavor, but she had filled in the blank entirely out of habit.
"Yeah! Him... And I want you to go annonce me to him! The usual speech, and make sure you don't seem too soft and fluffy like you always do." The Queen waved her hand dismisively, "Now go, I'll meet you in the stands."
Eriya opened her mouth to say something, probably asking what she meant by "soft and fluffy", but was silenced by a serious glance. If she said anything more, the bounds between master and servant would be overstepped.
"As you wish..." Eriya glared at the ground as she made her way to the arena and the fighter waiting rooms. She hated it when she was sent on pointless, embarassing errands like this one. Next time this happened, she wouldn't stand for it!
Or at least, that's what she liked to think, but, as soon as the thought occured to her she felt terrible. What kind of horrible person would forsake their savior so easily? With the weak, human blood that flowed through her veins, she would have been devoured ages ago, if not for the queen's protection and her grandfather's training. And beyond that, the king had been gone for so long, it was understandable that her majesty would be lonely for male company... Or umm at least that's what sounded about right. Eriya personally didn't see a reason, but that was how things were, apparently...
Though she wished that it wasn't Sir Kuyabrion she had to encourage. He was a jerk. At least, that was what Grandfather said. He hated the King's Knight's guts for more reasons than he could coherently outline. What Eriya thought might constitute the most legitimate issues were that he was stupid, disrespectful and untalented, yet he had a very honorable position in court and was popular among the his fellow members of the military. She'd only seen him from across the room at court gatherings and other ceremonies, but he looked like he might fit that description and if Grandfather said so, it was likely to be true.
No one stopped her as she made her way to the waiting rooms underneath the Capital's arena, she could thank the mark on her forehead for that. No one messed with royal stewards.
The stone was cool and pleasant on her bare feet despite the droll looking brownish-gray walls and thick, humid air. Since the match wasn't for a while, the underground passageways were deserted, it was the typical mentality of the demon realm, procrasinators every one of them. There was no way anyone would be here to prepare for the match until, at most, ten minutes before.
Eriya figured that she'd have to wait a while for her query to appear, which was a bit of an annoyance, but it was her job, so she wouldn't wander off. She started to climb the right flight of stairs and the sounds of the ground-level arena grew louder. The door to the small waiting room, stood slightly ajar. Breifly, she thought she might simply wait outside for others to arrive, but inside she could sit down and she was feeling sort-of tired. Anyway, she would be able to hear anyone comming and quickly get to her proper post. She was bending the rules a bit, but there was no one around to know...
She slipped quietly through the small crack in the door-
-and froze. The room wasn't empty. Oh man... she was so dead. It was against protocol to not knock! She held her breath as her brain slowly registered who sat on the couch. This couldn't have been worse... It was Sir Kuyabrion.
Her stomach turned, her job, her very life was in danger! That guy... He was probably the type who would get really mad about that sort of thing. He'd tell the king to make sure she was fired! Then she would be at the mercy of the whole, unmerciful world. She took one long quiet breath and got a good look at the person who would be her downfall. He hadn't noticed her yet.
His shoulders here bent over an ornate longsword, he was polishing it with a scarp of cloth. There was a certain focused intesity within his posture, as if the only thing in the world that existed was his task, it was a kind of dedication that she didn't expect from someone like him. Eriya took another quiet breath, wanting to watch him work for a bit longer.
She was surprised to see that he wasn't wearing his usual suit of plate and mail. She had never seen the King's knight in plain clothes before. He wore a black tank top and a loose pair of trousers tucked into his boots. It made his physical form seemed slightly smaller, but Eriya liked the effect, the shape of his bare arms looked simple, but somehow striking. Much better than all that bunch of hammered steel if you asked her... His dark purple hair fell over his face on the side closest to her, obscuring his eyes, but she could see the nice line of his neck and well formed collarbone. She leaned forward a bit farther...
No!, she took a silent step back, What the hell are you looking at?, she gave herself a sharp reprimand, her mind had begun to move like her Majesty's and somehow she found that distasteful. It was true that he really was handsome, especially in comparison to most demonic men, but that didn't mean she needed to start drooling like an idiot, She took a third breath and realized that she had calmed down. He didn't notice her, so she could have snuck back out and knocked, but for some reason she felt inclined to start a conversation. Eriya took one last breath and spoke.
"No Armor today, Sir Kuyabrion?" She started. As she made the first sound his eyes locked right in on her's, they were a deep green-blue.
"Uh-No, I guess not...", He looked right at her and smiled a bit, it was unexpected but Eriya felt her own polite smile becoming brighter in return. Maybe this wasn't the right Sir Kuyabrion. He didn't seem like a jerk to her...
"It is a bit too humid isn't it?" She commented and then quickly tried to think of a compliment, "I certainly wouldn't bother with it for such a throw-away match."
"Uh sure..." He looked away pointedly and Eriya realized how offensive her compliment could have been. Warriors really cared about fighting strong people right? If she had implied that his opponent wasn't strong, maybe that was a huge insult. Doubt started to pour in around her shoulders and she desperatley reached for something to switch her attention to. Oh, right! She was here for a reason! Why was she such an idiot?
"In any case," Eriya said quickly, focusing on her job. As she delivered the message her pulse slowed again. Nothing made her happier than a job well done, no matter how small the job was and the kind words of one's benevolent ruler always made good conversation!
She heard the tone before she understood the words, he sounded annoyed. She stomach twisted.
"How can you say that with a straight face?" his eyes had turned darker, it wasn't the reaction she expected. The edge of his mouth was turned up in a smirk, her resolve faded at the negative reaction, was he making fun of her? She wasn't sure why, but she no longer felt safe.
Wait a second! Who cared what this guy thought! He should be more grateful! She had been stupid not to keep in mind everything she'd heard. He may have had an attractive form, but he wasn't any less a violent, lawless brute than his fellow soldiers. And it was her job to say whatever she was told to with a straight face, just like it was his job to be a violent brute! She felt the venom in her tone, as she spit the question back at him.
(Thanks for reading!~ )