Lucky Souls

Author's Prelude: Well, let's get this gravy train rollin'. Curl up with me now, and let me serenade you into a false sense of security.

On the first day man was granted a soul, and with it, clarity.

On the second day upon the Earth was planted an irrevocable poison.

A Soul-Devouring demon…

King Allant the twelfth, by channeling the power of souls, brought unprecedented prosperity to his northern kingdom of Boletaria…

…That is, until the colorless Deep Fog spread across the land.

Boletaria was cut off from the outside world, and those who dared penetrate the Deep Fog never returned.

But Minoru of the royal Twin Hosts broke free from the fog and told the world of Boletaria's plight.

That the Great King Allant had aroused the Old One, the great beast below the Nexus, from its eternal slumber.

And that a colorless fog had swept in, unleashing terrible demons.

The demons hunt down men and claim their souls.

Those who lose their souls also lose their minds.

The mad attack the sane, and chaos reigns.

Minoru spoke of the enticing power of the demon souls.

Each time a demon claims a human soul, the demon's own soul is invigorated by the life force.

And the power of a mature demon soul is beyond human imagination.

The legend spread quickly. Mighty warriors were drawn to the accursed land, but none have returned.

Akira of the Twin Hosts.

Kuroi, the Silent Scholar.

Sage Ayano.

Patricia, the Wanderer.

The Sixth Saint Yutaka, and her knight Minami Iwasaki.

And Sage Hiyori, the Visionary.

The colorless Deep Fog slowly creeps beyond Boletaria's borders.

Humankind faces a slow and steady extinction.

The Deep Fog will eventually swallow all lands near and far…

…But Boletaria has one final hope. A band of young warriors, who have braved the baneful fog.

Has the land found its saviors, or have the demons found new slaves?

Chapter 1: Wherever You Go, I Shall Follow...

Night had fallen, and with it darkness. This shadow had slowly crept over the lands of Boletaria, as the sun had slowly sunk below the horizon. The forests of Boletaria, at the foot of its mighty and dizzying mountain ranges, were particularly dark and dank as the light of the day slowly vanished, and any who were traversing them, especially during this hour, were more than likely to get lost.

Trudging along, four young girls heaved their way through the dampness of the forest in an almost dead silence, filled only by their hard breathing as they struggle to take just one more step, being pushed on by their short, blue-haired leader. They cannot stop, they must not stop, they set out to these cursed lands on a mission, and they cannot give in to their base human weaknesses such as fatigue. They must be on a higher plane of existence than that, or this dreary and dangerous land would surely eat them alive. However, walking for twelve hours straight could make anyone beg for a break, even the mightiest of warriors. These girls however, are not mighty warriors, and the simple fact that they were still heaving along, carrying their weapons, and gear, not to mention themselves, was nothing short of a miracle.

"Konata, we're setting up camp. I'm not asking this time, I'm telling. My sister is tired, I'm tired, and Miyuki is tired. We're stopping, and there will be no discussion about it." A crabbed retort from a girl with purple hair tied in two twin tails, whose shorter, more eccentric companion had just begun to suggest they go a little while further for the fifth time that hour.

"Kagamin, just a little—"

"Don't you say it! I swear to god Konata, don't you say it again." An equally crabbed and fiery response from the bluenette's weary companion.

Looking back and forth between her three friends, the young girl named Konata couldn't exactly disagree. They were tired, they were hungry, and they had been walking for hours through this musty and densely fogged forest with no end in sight, and surely no end for quite some time. One little break couldn't hurt, right?

Heaving a sigh, Konata conceived, she couldn't exactly win in an argument when she saw her merry band of friends in such a weak and depressing state, and she sure couldn't be the one to heave them onto her not so broad shoulders and bend her not so supportive legs in a futile attempt to carry them all.

"Alright. We'll set up camp, I wanted to catch up on some 'readings' anyway. I've fallen behind you see, on my 'readings'. In fact my 'readings'…" With each sound of the word readings, the bluenette made quotations with her fingers, trying to not so subtly imply what her readings may be, but she only received two half-hearted smiles, from two half-understanding friends. And one half-murderous smile, from one half-listening friend.

"We get it, Konata. You like to read dirty books. You don't have to announce it in front of my sister, and if you just have to read them, could it not be out loud? Just for once? Just tonight? My feet haven't ached like this in forever…it feels like I have rocks in my soles…" Kagami complained, slowly sitting down and removing her boots, and tenderly rubbing the walk-weary feet from within.

Collapsing down next to her friend, Konata quickly wrapped an arm around the lilac-haired girls shoulder, placing the book in front of them as she did so. "I'll make sure just you and I can hear it Kagamin, don't worry!" The bluenette cooed as she tenderly rubbed a cheek on her friend's shoulder, only to be rejected post-haste and pushed roughly into the dirt.

"How about you just shut up and let me sleep for once?" Kagami groaned, turning her back on her friend and laying on the hard, muddy ground of the forest. Resting her weary and now slightly pounding head on her not-so-comfortable backpack.

"Aw Kagami! You're just bashful. It's alright, I know your dere-dere side can't come out voluntarily, special requirements need to be fulfilled, or certain circumstances need to be taking place, maybe if it were just the two of us in the forest? Alone? Under the dark night sky, filled and illuminated with brilliant stars and—"

"One, not ever happening! Two, it's cloudy! Three, shut up!" Kagami hushed rather loudly, a furious crimson blush beginning to envelop her face as she hoped her sister and Miyuki were too tired to care to listen to Konata's antics and mock flirting.

Shrugging it off, Konata decided her tsundere had suffered enough punishment and teasing for one evening, and crawling on all fours, the young girl made her way over to her two friends, Tsukasa and Miyuki, who were currently preparing some sort of herbs and forest mushroom stew on their makeshift fire, and their hand-me-down pot.

"Whatcha' makin'?" Konata asked with a sniff, letting her nose hang in the air for just a moment as the younger of the two lilac haired twins managed a smile.

"I don't know exactly. Miyuki-Chan found some really tasty looking mushrooms earlier, and said they didn't look poisonous, so I decided to try putting them with the last of our herbs and spices, and see what happens, I guess." Tsukasa admitted rather bashfully, a little ashamed that for all her culinary prowess, she couldn't even divulge what she was making to those she was serving up to, as she was not fully aware of what exactly was in the strange concoction.

Lifting up a book she was reading, and pressing her glasses up the brim of her nose, Miyuki leaned over to her bluenette friend, showing her a page within. "It's this mushroom here, the Boletaria Ruthencap, it's supposedly very tasty when mixed with spices found around the kingdom, so I suggested that Tsukasa-Chan make some of it, it did look filling after all."

Eyeing the brew once more, Konata shrugged, leaning back on her palms and staring over at her pretending to be sleeping tsundere. "Well, anything's better than the swamp-paste stew Kagami made for us last night, my stomach felt like it was being consumed in a black hole or somethin'..." Konata cheered with a laugh, throwing her hands up into the air illustratively to make her point, knowing her tsundere could take one more joke before snapping.

Trying to control her bubbling rage, Kagami clenched and ground her teeth, struggling with all her might to not stand up and clobber her friend into the dust, in front of her sister even, she was that steamed. "It was vegetable soup, thank you very much!" Kagami called out, her back still turned towards her friends.

"Vegetables! Then what the heck were those black squishy things?" Konata asked, genuinely interested now, but only receiving a low-pitched rumble of a growl in response, and with a grin, she decided to leave it at that.

"Anyway…hey, Miyuki, how much farther 'til we reach the Boletarian palace anyway?" Konata asked as she lay back, resting her hands behind her head and staring up into the towering trees which blanketed the forest in darkness.

At her friend's question, the pink-haired moe-blob of a woman slowly reached into her pack and pulled out a large and detailed map, showing the various greater cities and landmarks around the small mountain kingdom of Boletaria. Although the map had been made before the colorless fog had enveloped the land, and no doubt many cities and landmarks were gone completely, it still proved useful in order to find some of them, and to keep them going in the right direction.

"Well…we passed through the fissure around three days ago…travelling around three miles per hour, and travelling for about twelve to fourteen hours every day…we've traveled anywhere between one-hundred and eight and one-hundred and twenty-six miles. Meaning if we keep at this pace, we should be at the slope of the palace by mid-day tomorrow assuming no other circumstances arise." Miyuki explained, with her companions only hearing the last part, that they were almost there, and that they could finally reach the place they had been seeking for several weeks now.

"It's strange." Tsukasa chimed in. "We've broke through the fog almost three days ago, but haven't been attacked by any monsters or demons or anything." Tsukasa had noticed, sharing glances between her two friends, and turning Konata's grin into an uneasy smile.

"I guess we're lucky, but let's not jinx ourselves now, eh?" Konata said with a nervous laugh, her two friends' warm smiles turning into frowns, each one giving off a small gulp in response.

"Well, actually, the reason is most likely that we're still within the outer fog. And that any real dangers are within the mountain ranges of the palace and its surrounding cities. I don't really think luck has anything to do with it." Miyuki explained knowledgeably once more, this time raising her pointer to the air as she did so.

Feeling slightly better that they weren't in any immediate danger at the moment; Konata couldn't shirk an inkling feeling that had begun to swell up inside of her. The inner fog was dangerous? That certainly wouldn't make their mission any easier. Not to mention the person they sought would likely either be dead by now, considering said danger, or in danger themselves. "Do you think…he's still alive?" Konata quietly asked, a hint of unusual sadness present within her voice.

Seriously considering it for a moment, Miyuki didn't know what to say. There was certainly the possibility that the one they so feverishly sought out was still alive and intact, but those were very low odds. The fog was filled with innumerable and unbelievable dangers, ones that even those with special training of the most elite kinds could not easily face. The entire country of Boletaria, even with its mighty army and warriors, were no match for the demons that consumed their land once the fog set in. How could one person, alone, with little to no training at all ever hope to survive in such a damned place?

Miyuki couldn't simply tell her dear friend this, however. No matter how terrible the chances of their target's survival, she wouldn't get anywhere by telling everyone how hopeless it was, even if it in fact, was hopeless.

"I'm…I'm sure he's fine." Miyuki quietly responded, twiddling her thumbs in her lap and averting her gaze from her questioning friend.

Staring back and forth between her two friends, Tsukasa managed to heave a light sigh. And rolling onto the ground and her side, decided to go to sleep without interjecting. What could she say? Nothing she would believe herself. She could tell Konata it would be alright, that their mission would be a success, and they could all go home together, but that didn't mean she believed any of it.

Not accepting the answer placed before her, Konata grumbled something under her breath, and stood up to take a walk, feeling her shoulders actually sink lower as she did so.

"I-Izumi-San! Please don't go too far!" Miyuki called out, only receiving a wave of the hand from her bluenette friend in response.

Walking far enough away from the campsite, Konata turned just to make sure she was a safe distance, and placing her hands over her mouth, she screamed in frustration, her muffling screech being ended with a painful punch to a nearby tree. She felt like crying, like giving up here and now, but she couldn't cry, and she certainly couldn't give up. She had come too far, and she had dragged all of her friends with her, she certainly couldn't tell them to just give up and go home, it was too late for that.

Kicking at several rocks with her toes as she caught her breath from her yell, Konata plopped down onto her bottom, now deciding to pick up the rocks and toss them into the small pond in front of her, causing tiny ripples that seemed to be the only movement around her within the dead forest.

Konata felt like this was somehow her fault, like the one she sought left because of her. Was it her fault? Did he hate her? Blame her for something she did, but could not remember? These and many more thoughts raced throughout the young girls head. She didn't know why he left, nobody did, he just up and vanished without a word, note, or without telling anyone. He wasn't the type to do this, Konata had thought, he was a gentle and caring man, and wouldn't do this to those he cared about the most. Lately though, Konata had begun to notice his slight depression, in the simplest and subtlest of things. The slight curve of his wily smile, the ever-present bags under his eyes, his constant fatigue, he was not as happy as he let on, surely.

Scratching at the dirt beneath her, Konata looked to the sky. She couldn't see it, hidden behind the towering and almost monstrous trees, but she knew it was late, and if they wanted to reach the Boletarian palace the next day, she would need her rest. Standing up to leave, the bluenette was suddenly halted by something. It seemed to grab at her feet, tug at her stomach, and wrench behind her eyes. She didn't know why, but for a brief second, she became immobile, and in the second following, a bright light suddenly appeared behind her.

She didn't need to think, only one word came to mind, demon, and with a swift and graceful movement she tore her sword from its sheath to face it, only to be met by nothing. Nothing, but a ball of radiant and golden light.

"W-What the…?" She shakily said to herself, lowering her sword and taking a step backwards, mesmerized by the small light in the everlasting darkness around her. She didn't know what to do, should she wake the others? The light didn't seem threatening, but it didn't exactly put her at ease either, and carefully, she put it to the test, and reached her hand out to it.

"Brave soul, who fears not death." The light suddenly beckoned to her, causing Konata to almost yelp in surprise. It spoke! The light had spoken to her, perhaps it was a demon after all, but she couldn't know, she couldn't ask, as it interrupted her before she could even manage a thought.

"I shall guide you." The light spoke once more. It spoke in many voices, at first, it sounded like a woman. But at second listen, it could be a man, or even a child, she didn't know. "So that you may lull the Old One back to slumber."

"What…? What are you talking about?" Konata asked quietly, growing ever more confused by the ball of light she was having a conversation with, which sounded odd in and of itself.

"Be not afraid." The light quietly said, and before Konata could respond, it shot off through the forest.

She didn't know why, and she did it without thought, but Konata's small legs suddenly began to work on their own. She felt the gears that turned within them suddenly slicked with grease. It was a slow run at first, a light jog, but that quickly turned into a full on sprint, her muscles burning and stretching past their limit as she pushed with all of her might to keep up with the radiating globe that seemed to get ever farther away.

"Wait! Please, come back!" Konata screamed out at the top of her lungs, throwing an arm forward in a futile attempt to grab onto the light several meters ahead of her.

"What was that?" Kagami sounded, sitting up quickly with sword in hand. "Konata?" She asked, turning her head around the campsite, but seeing only her other two companions. "Konata!" Kagami called out once more, this time waking her two friends from their equally light slumbers.

"Onee-Chan…? What's going on…?" Tsukasa sleepily asked, rubbing her eyes as she sat up from her makeshift mat of a bed.

"Where's Konata? I just heard—"

"Stop! Please!" A voice suddenly called out in the distance, and at that, Kagami didn't need an answer, she shot off into the woods, fire in her eyes as she did so.

"O-onee-Chan!" Tsukasa now asked worriedly, standing up herself, followed by Miyuki, who confusedly gave pursuit to their compassionate friend, who seemed to disappear into the darkness ahead of them.

It was too much, too much for even her. Konata was no slouch when it came to running, one might even say she was incredibly talented at it, but this was too much. She was competing against an otherworldly force, one that didn't require rest, and for who speed and distance were not a problem. Coming to a stop next to a tree, Konata gave up, supporting herself against it, her knees ready to buckle and give way at any moment.

She could only watch as the orb of gold vanished into the darkness, and she could only grumble as a lump appeared within her throat.

"What was that thing anyway?" Konata quietly questioned to no one in particular. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it felt nostalgic, warm almost. Something about the light gave her a sense of comfort, and she needed to know why she felt this way. She wouldn't know now, she couldn't, the light was gone as fast as it came.

"Konata!" A voice suddenly screamed behind her, and turning around slowly, the bluenette spotted her three sweaty and hard-breathing companions, who had likely just tried to run after her, she thought.

"Kagami I—"

A slap from her tsundere suddenly cut her off, a slightly sweaty palm coming crashing down upon her cheek, causing her to stumble back for a moment, and instinctively reach up and grasp the afflicted area.

However, before she could respond with anger, surprise or anything, she was cut off again, this time by a crushing hug, and two gentle arms fiercely wrapped around her frame. "Konata…you're such an idiot." Kagami shakily whispered, squeezing her arms as hard as she could around her tiny companion. She feared the worst when her friend was nowhere to be seen, and feared worse than that when she began screaming. The kingdom of Boletaria was now the deadliest place on their small planet, filled with dangers most inhuman, and when situations such as this arise, you can do nothing but fear the worst.

The older Hiiragi twin felt her cheeks subconsciously flare up, and turn a deep shade of crimson, but she didn't care. Her dear friend was safe, unharmed, and back with her. Trying to let go, she found she couldn't, as her blue-haired friend had now wrapped her own arms around her with equal unbreakable force.

"Konata, what happened?" Kagami asked as she steadily pried her way out of the bear hug, scratching her cheek to alleviate some of the crackling feeling she felt within it.

"I…I can't explain it. I was just gonna take a little walk, then I found this pound, and there was this golden ball of light, and it talked to me, and I followed it and— ugh…" Konata poured out quickly all at once, stopping herself when she realized how ridiculous she sounded right then.

Turning back to her sister, Kagami raised an eyebrow, only to receive a shake of the head from her younger twin, and turning back to Konata, the twin-tailed girl let a nervous smile slip onto her lips.

"Konata, maybe you're just tired. We've had a long day after all. Why don't you come back to the camp and get some sleep, alright?" Kagami concernedly asked, placing a hand onto her friends shoulder to begin pushing her in the right direction.

"But Kagami, it was there! I wouldn't make that up! Why would I make that up? I wouldn't! It talked to me! It said something about the Old One…or something, I don't know!" Konata yelled at her friend as she was pushed along, but at the sound of the Old One, their bespectacled companion let out a slight gasp.

Glancing back at the sound, Kagami squinted slightly. "Miyuki, don't tell me you believe this?" Kagami asked with a sigh, earning a shake from her pink-haired friend.

"Well…I don't know about any talking golden balls of light, but…what was that other thing you mentioned, Izumi-San?"

"Huh? The Old One?" Konata said once more, earning another slight gasp from her friend. This one causing Kagami to groan.

"Okay, what's so gasp-worthy? Why do you keep doing that?" Kagami moaned, Miyuki only reaching into her backpack and removing a large tome, and quickly flipping through its many golden brown pages, each one looking older and moldier than the last.

Finally finding what she was looking for, Miyuki ran over and placed the book in front of her friends face. Kagami didn't know what to think of what she saw at first. The picture was of a large…something. It was made up of snarled roots and tree branches, all of them leafless and dead. At its front, a large maw-like mouth, with jagged, broken branches forming some sort of teeth of different sizes and shapes. Within its mouth, a blinding light, something indistinguishable by physical appearance, but it seemed menacing nonetheless.

"This is…?" Kagami asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"The Old One." Miyuki began to explain. "A great demon, one of the most powerful ever. It was said that it could destroy entire nations with a thought, split mountains, drain oceans, and erupt volcanoes." Miyuki continued, her friends were mostly enthralled by the story, but Tsukasa was mostly just frightened. "Another demon, of even greater strength, with its last shred of humanity, sealed the Old One away forever, and gave up its demon form for a more human-like appearance. However, King Allant, ruler of Boletaria, harnessed the power of the souls of demons…and somehow, made all of this happen. Some say it even awoke the Old One, and it is actually the cause of all of this." Miyuki illustratively explained, putting her arms to the air and pointing to the dense and colorless fog that now swept across the land, ever present, ever looming.

"Indeed." A voice suddenly chimed in, causing all four girls to jump suddenly, shooting their glances in the direction of it.

The girls couldn't explain what they saw exactly. It was about the size of a small boulder, and floated several feet off the ground. It was bathed in light, and had no physical form to speak of, or none that could be seen. One might say it was even a…

"Ball of light?" Kagami noted, taking a step backwards as she noticed Konata taking one towards the orb.

"I told you guys! I told you! This is it! This is the ball of light that talked to me! Told you!" Konata sounded somewhat excited, even if she didn't intend for it to come out quite like that.

"The Old One has indeed been awakened. It sends its minions throughout the land in search of sustenance, of fresh souls. It requires them." The ball of light spoke in its many different voices, causing equal confusion among the band of girls.

"O-O-O-Onee-Chan! What is that thing!" Tsukasa worriedly sounded, grabbing onto her sister's arm and squeezing with all of her might.

"I…I have no idea. It's beautiful…" Kagami whispered, once again noticing her small companion walking ever closer to it. "Konata, don't!" Kagami worriedly yelled, her friend completely ignoring her protests.

"What are you? Why did you call out to me?" Konata asked quietly, the orb of light just sitting there, not answering her. It seemed to just observe the girls for a moment, take in their auras, their appearances, it soaked them in. Without a word, it slowly began to expand, growing ever larger.

Instinctively, Kagami rushed forward with her sword in hand, pushing Konata behind her and pointing the tip of the blade at the orb. "Stay back, demon!" Kagami roared, ready to do anything and everything to protect her friends should the mysterious light be a threat, although, it did not react in any way.

The orb offered no response, and just continued its strange transformation, eventually culminating in a door-like appearance.

"Please. Step into the light. All will be made clear." The light whispered, slowly beginning to glow ever brighter, its golden hue slowly melting into a sharp, blinding white.

Silence filled the air; nobody said a word, not the girls, and not the orb. Konata was the first one to even make a movement, and taking several steps forward, she suddenly felt a rough hand grip on her wrist.

"Konata! What the hell are you doing? Are you actually thinking about doing what the demon says? It's a demon!" Kagami almost yelled, but Konata didn't hear her. She seemed fixated on the door presented before her. She wanted to know why it approached her; she wanted to know why it felt so familiar, so gentle to her. She wanted to know why…

"I'm sorry." A hushed whisper escaped the bluenette, and without thinking, she wretched her hand from her dear friends, and ran head-long into the door of light.

"Konata!" Kagami screamed at the top of her lungs, and without thought, charged in after the brave yet stupid girl, her hand outstretched in a futile attempt to pull her back. Kagami couldn't do it though, she couldn't move. The light seemed to paralyze her, consume her; she couldn't do anything but surrender herself to its will, its unyielding, unending will.

Konata couldn't see her tsundere anymore; she couldn't see Tsukasa or Miyuki either. She heard one final scream from Kagami, and that was it. The screams and forms of her friends were blocked out. They were replaced with low pitch ringing sounds in her ears, the noises rumbling her to her very core, sending shivers down her spine, chattering her teeth. And all she could see was the light, that unending, blinding, consuming light. All around her, and even within her. Reaching her hand in front of her face, Konata watched as it too, was slowly devoured by the light, vanishing before her very eyes. She didn't seem to care though, the light was comforting. It felt like it needed her, and she needed it, and she had no protest of this. She didn't dwell on it long however, as suddenly, she felt tired, more exhausted than she could ever remember, and quietly, she succumbed to the deep sleep that was gently placed over her. Before she finally allowed herself to leave the realm of conscious thought she was currently in, she uttered one final word.

"Dad…"

Author's Note: Well, after putting it off for a long time. I finally decided to give this whole deal a try. I made a single chapter for about five different stories before I finally came to a decision on this one. I'm a huge Demon's Souls fan, and a huge Lucky Star fan, and a huge yuri fan. Why not add these three wonderful things, I thought? And so, I did. I may decide to go back to the other stories once this one is finished, but for now, I'll concentrate on this little adventure. And for those who have played Demon's Souls, you know it's a very dark, disturbing tale. Well, some of those elements WILL be in intact in the story, but some won't. For instance, their certainly wasn't any romance elements in Demon's Souls, but in this, there is. Some other elements revolving around certain characters will be removed as well…for purposes yet to be seen. Well, goodbye for now, and 'til the next chapter. Which knowing my completely free schedule at the moment, will be out in no time.

'Til then, Hasta La Bye Bye!