One of my old ones I had posted in KuCa. The transfer is long overdue. Other than this, I have another Menaka/Gandharva Fanfiction and that's it. I'll post that one later. They both happen in the same Headcanon as Courtship of a Phoenix.
Also, Visnu can take on the appearance of any age and gender. (Wink, wink.)
Disclaimer: Kubera belongs to Currygom.
S-C-N-D
When the first Nastika King fell in battle, all the Suras in his clan cried for him. All, except one.
...
Bravery
...
Ears drooped. Tails hung limply. Even the Nastikas did not know what to do at this gathering. After all, what could they do after seeing the tragic skeleton of their beloved leader, once a giant ape so powerful that the very ground on which he walked rumbled with every step?
A few female Nastikas, Yaksha's past lovers, couldn't even bear the sight of his bones. They turned away tearfully and hid their faces in their bushy tails. Even then, anguished sobs penetrated and escaped into the air that was otherwise heavy with silence.
Before the king's skull, a stunningly beautiful female was brought to her knees in a bow. Although most of her face was hidden by long, pink bangs, her cheeks were dry and her mouth pressed into a hard frown.
"Shuri-nim," one of the king's children sniffed. "What are we going to do? Dad is—hic—dad is gone. Who will protect us now?"
Shuri rose to her feet and gazed into the empty eye sockets of her deceased friend. Once, there were twinkling brown irises held in there, eyes that brightened at the mere sight of her.
"Shuri!" Yaksha had been running to her.
"Shuri!" Yaksha had been tearing apart an Asura Sura.
"Shuri," Yaksha had said with his broad back turned, "Varuna has killed another one of my children. I have long run out of patience when it comes to the gods. Earlier today, I promised that she will never touch another Yaksha Sura again." He had turned and given her a broad smile, a smile that was quickly fading away in front of her eyes. "Until I come back, please take care of my children for me, especially my first stage. They're much too young and weak. I know that there are many Nastikas who do not care for their children, but I would at least like to see mine grow big and strong."
Shuri turned and gathered the small child into her arms. Having been mothered by one of Yaksha's earlier wives, she was already a third stage Rakshasa, but that didn't stop her from bawling like a baby and clutching tightly onto the back of Shuri's dress.
"Shuri-nim!"
Soon, all of Yaksha's children were flocking to her. They were wailing, their tails swishing back and forth. Their hands outstretched, eager to touch any part of Shuri's body for comfort. She gathered the youngest Rakshasas in her arms while the older ones scampered around her on the ground below, clutching onto each other's bodies instead but still trying to get as close to her as possible.
"It's true that our clan cannot go on without a king," she stated to her clan while stroking the rabbit ears of a little boy who had buried his head in her shoulder. "The rational thing to do would be for the us to appoint a new king. The only problem is who? No king has died before and we do not know the proper procedures for one to ascend to the throne. We must wait for Visnu to come and bring instructions."
Everyone had mixed opinions.
"Visnu?" asked a man with orange wolf ears. "Will he really come?"
"Yes," she replied. "I believe that Visnu will come to help us. He has helped protect the human race against Suras and he has also helped the eight great kings in times of great need. Visnu is the guardian of the universe. If our clan is thrown into chaos, he will come and restore order."
"But when will he come and how?" a shrill female voice demanded.
"That, I do not know. But he will come. I am sure of it."
"How can you be so sure, Shuri-nim?" the boy in her arms asked with two huge brown eyes. Yaksha's eyes. "Do you know Visnu-nim?"
"I do not know Visnu," she admitted with a gentle smile, "nor have I seen him. Visnu has only shown himself to the eight great kings and Nastikas in great emotional turmoil. I have only ever felt Visnu and it was so long ago that it almost feels surreal; in my very first moments of existence, I was wrapped in a layer of warmth, almost like an embrace."
S-C-N-D
She slept in a field of tall grass with two children tucked underneath each arm and a few more cuddling around her body. Their tiny hands trembled against her soft skin. Sometimes a hiccup or two would pierce the air, but mostly it was quiet with nothing but the rustling of a gentle breeze.
"Shuri-nim."
Shuri fluttered her eyes open drowsily to see a small child. The young girl had green hair that stretched down to her knees. Her long bangs covered well over her eyes and she was biting her lips nervously.
Yaksha's children also sat up curiously. They were young and didn't know how to tell apart Suras of one clan from another, yet they knew that there was something different about that particular kid. Something they weren't quite sure they liked. Their hands reached for Shuri and they hugged her tighter, half fearfully and half possessively.
Shuri could neither see nor smell Yaksha on this child. In fact, she couldn't smell anything on the child. Before the girl spoke, the Nastika hadn't even noticed she was there.
"What is your name?" she asked.
"Ah, U-Utpala."
"Utpala? Utpala, like the Vritra Nastika?"
The girl nodded.
Shuri furrowed her eyebrows. "Hm, I always thought Yaksha was a little bad with names, but I never knew he was this hopeless." She shook her head, sighing, before outstretching her arms to the child. "Come here, Utpala."
The child ran to her and curled up into her lap. She glanced up at Shuri's face with a half open mouth and eyes that were still hidden by long, green hair.
"Shuri-nim, why didn't you cry after Yak—father died?"
"Yaksha once told me that the most important thing for a Nastika to have is a strong heart. We must never waver and we must never fall. To do so is the same as inviting the gods and rival Sura Clans to attack our children, to steal them and harm them."
The girl continued to stare at Shuri in wonder.
"Maybe one day, when you grow up and start a family, you will understand."
S-C-N-D
"Shuri!"
Murmurs of outrage surged through the crowd of Nastika.
"Our clan is falling apart!"
"You said that Visnu would come! Where is he?"
"The Ananta Suras are already invading our western borders! What do we do?"
"Relax, everyone," Shuri said, holding up a second stage green-haired boy on her arm. "Visnu will come to us. Have some faith in him. In the meantime, we must all fight back against the Ananta Clan. I ask the Nastikas to each gather an army of Suras and defend a piece of our territory. It is what Yaksha would have wanted us to do."
Grumbling, the crowd dispersed as the Nastikas left one by one with their children trailing behind them.
"Shuri-nim," the young boy said, a tinge of curiosity laced in his words. "You always talk of father so fondly. Were you ever his lover?"
"Me? No, Yaksha was my dear friend. He had many wives and children. He lived a very happy life with lots of Nastika friends by his side. We fought together and dined together, but we never loved each other. He once told me that I was too pretty for him to love."
The boy frowned. "He was a fool then. I think you're very lovely, Shuri-nim." Then, he did something very surprising: he leaned forward and gently kissed Shuri on the cheek.
S-C-N-D
She sat alone on a barren planet, hugging her knees and peering down into vast but desolate lands from a high cliff. She and Yaksha had once fought Indra on that planet together. Curling her body even tighter, Shuri flattened her ears and pressed her nose into the crease between her knees.
"Shuri-nim," a familiar voice called out to her, except this time it was gentler and quieter.
"It's you again," she mumbled. "I already know that you are no Yaksha Sura. If I promise not to attack you, will you show me your true form?"
Two strong arms embraced her figure from behind. His signature green hair came into view. As the man pressed Shuri against his body, a very familiar warmth encompassed her—the familiar warmth she had felt when she first entered this curious new world, before she learned how unforgiving it could be.
Pink eyelids fluttered close. "Visnu," she sighed contently, curling up against him.
"I wish you weren't so sad," he said in his real voice, a rich, warm baritone. "Yaksha was, amongst many things, a great king. When you are grieving over him, Shuri, the Yaksha Clan feels unrest and loneliness inside their hearts. That is why the Ananta Clan has claimed so much of your territory."
"But," she protested, turning and hugging him back tightly, "Yaksha is gone and our clan cannot function without a king."
"You will be king, Shuri."
Shuri peered up at him with sad and confused eyes.
"Haven't you noticed it?" Visnu asked, smiling, "how the Nastikas of the clan listen and obey your words without question? How Maras scamper after you eagerly because they just want to be near you? How the children, despite having loving mothers, yearn for your embrace? Haven't you noticed that when you're happy, the Yaksha Clan is also happy, and when you're sad, the Yaksha Clan is also sad?"
"I—but how can I be king? I've never done anything."
"When a king dies, it is only natural for the second strongest Nastika of the clan to ascend to the throne. Of course, it's not something that happens overnight and sometimes other Nastikas can claim the right to the throne, but by the time your clan starts to feel emotional resonance from you, your position is as good as solidified."
"No. I-I can't. How will I ever measure up to Yaksha? I—"
He gently grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to the barren lands in front of her.
"Shuri," Visnu told her, "this planet is called Isholy. Look at how godforsaken it is. Now, imagine lush green forests over there and succulent fields of grass beside them. Vines and moss will decorate these cliffs. Yaksha Suras will be seen everywhere. That is the future of your clan, and it will all be your doing."
Her eyes widened incredulously.
"And," he whispered, "this is where you will die protecting your clan and their sacred grounds. This is where all the Nastikas and Rakshasas will gather, where every single one of them will cry for the death of a great king."
She trembled under his touch.
"This is also where I will be mourning for the loss of a dear, beautiful friend."
He leaned forward to kiss a single teardrop of fright that rolled down her cheek.
"Shuri, today I, Visnu, crown you as the official King of the great Yaksha Clan."
S-C-N-D
I am not exactly sure what I was thinking when I wrote this. Hm. Shuri and Visnu are an interesting pair to talk about, almost like a higher version of human/Sura relationship. He will live on forever, but she can only have one life.
Currygom never revealed the proper procedure to becoming a king so I just made it up. :P
Thanks for reading! Please leave a review!
-SCND