SYNOPSIS:
King Daifuki, ruler of the Southlands, is dying, and in celebration of his retirement, he decides to throw a month long party. He revels his daughter, Itoshi, who he's kept secret all her life, to the awaiting spectators and promises her hand in marriage and the crown to the lucky demon who wins a contest. Team Urameshi, who accepted the invitation as a vacation, gladly attends the party. But, strange things are happening. Kurama is sick, and it's not just a common cold. Hiei is getting ogled at by the princess, but wants nothing to do with her. And even Yukina, whose care-free smile brightens everyone's day, seems to be falling apart. Not to mention the strange black outs, or the dead bodies found throughout the castle (which won't happen for a while). The even turns out to be exactly what the Urameshi Team was taking a break from.
Okay, so it's slow at the beginning and focusing on the OC for a bit, but it'll get better, I promise. I'm terrible at starting beginnings.
ENJOY!
Who would she be when she stepped out of the chambers that'd held her captive all her life? The dark Makai sun only greeted her when it was at a window, and the faces she saw were only those close to her father. Even stories that her mother told her when she was young were only about the Southlands and their glory. She knew of a world beyond her own, but she was trapped; locked in her home by her parents and those who "cared" about her. They didn't care. She was nothing more than a trophy to be paraded around at the end of the day. Southland subjects, even townsfolk who lived a step away from the castle, had no idea what she looked like, and she had no idea about them.
Her older sister was looking for a husband when she was her age, so why couldn't she? Why did she have to be the delicate flower that her father never wanted to let go of?
She wasn't precious or perfect, and from what she's seen of the world—at least her world—no one was perfect. She wasn't even frail, she'd been fencing since she was a child and knew how to wield a sword better than most of the guards. In fact, thanks to her mother's blood, she could heal her wounds in seconds. But, she was still locked behind the grey stone walls, waiting for her chance to be set free.
She heard her father before he got to her door. His footsteps boomed in her ears as he made his way down the corridor to her room. For such an old man, his feet were heavy. Moments later, the locks outside of her door clicked open and her father stepped into the room.
King Daifuki—King of the Southlands of Makai. No other king or state man dared to cross him or his people. His constant need for perfection and keeping the Southlands glorified led other rulers of Makai to fear him. After six thousand years of ruling the Southlands, his black beard had turned white and his blue eyes became a dull gray. He was once quite a sight to behold—strong, proud and stable, but he shriveled up and seemed to be dying slowly. He wobbled over to his daughter, touching the black hair that fell down to her waist.
"Itoshi," he muttered, combing his fingers through her hair. "My daughter, I can see you've grown restless. What I've given to you is no longer suiting your taste. What is it you want?"
"I want what Sachi has. I want to live my own life and be free. How am I ever supposed to be happy if I stare out a window all day?" Itoshi yanked her head from her father's feeble fingers. "What are you so afraid of? "
The king rested himself against the wall, letting his sagging cheek rub against the cold stone. "I'm not afraid. I'm old, Itoshi—six thousand and fifty years old. I am the oldest demon known to have walked the lands of Makai, and yet I still cannot find the words to explain why I have kept you locked away...I sometimes wonder if I'm losing my mind."
Itoshi glanced down at her feet. No matter how much she despised him, he was still her father. "You can't be losing your mind," she muttered. "You've been ruling for so long. And who will take your place? Not Sachi—her husband isn't fit to be King. And I—well, I don't know anything about Makai. And all my siblings died years ago."
The king winced at the idea of losing all his children. They were born hundreds of years ago, some of them hundreds of years apart, and he lost all of them, except Itoshi and Sachi. He didn't understand why he'd been chosen by the God's or fate to live so long, but it was his greatest curse. His body finally started catching up with his age, though. And when Itoshi was born thirty years ago, he was more than pleased to have some sort of legacy that didn't marry a beggar.
The silence pained Itoshi—her entire life had been surrounded by it. "Why are you here, father? Do you have something to tell me, or have you just come to remind that your old? I can see that," she snapped, brushing her hair from her eyes.
"No," the King mumbled and made his way toward Itoshi's bed. She turned in her seat to face him. "I have come here because, Itoshi, it is time for you to grow up. You can no longer stand sitting in your room all day, and I can barely stand. After a few weeks of studying and preparing, you will find a mate and be crowned queen."
Itoshi suddenly stood up and took a step toward her father. "I can go outside of these walls? To find my husband?"
"No," King Daifuki shook his head. His lifeless eyes gazed up at his young daughter. "There will be a party, a sort of contest that will help you pick a suitable husband, so you don't make the same mistake as your sister. The party will be greater than any in Makai, to celebrate your coronation--and my retirement. Because, my dear, dear daughter, I am dying."
Kuwabara pushed through the crowd of drunks singing and wailing at each other. He hated bars, but Kuwabara still found himself in one to meet up with Yusuke. The congestion and noise drove him up the wall, especially when he gets fondled accidently or a whiff of a drunkard's breath. He dodged a flailing arm and a falling man, but there was still no sign of the Spirit detective.
"Oy, Kuwabara!" someone called over the crowd. Kuwabara strained his neck to find Yusuke sitting next to someone wrapped up in a scarf and hat. The stranger swirled the whiskey around in his glass, and barely looked up when Kuwabara sat down.
"Urameshi," Kuwabara whined. "Did you have to meet here? It smells terrible, like someone threw up!"
Suddenly, the stranger began coughing, doubling over as his cough got worse. It took him a few moments to stop and sit back up, pulling the scarf farther over his face. Two green eyes watered as he let a few spurts of coughs go until he was finally silent again.
"What's your problem?" Kuwabara leaned closer to the man, trying to figure out who it was.
"Don't get so close," the man mumbled. His voice, although horse and raspy, was familiar—too familiar. "I hate this body. It gets sick whenever I go to Makai, and it gets worse when I come back."
"Is that--" Kuwabara waited for Yusuke or the man to answer, but neither of them did. "Kurama!" he practically shouted and pulled Kurama's hat off. Long, red hair layered out from under the hat. Before Kurama could stop him, Kuwbara threw his arms around him.
"How long has it been, Kurama? Don't tell me the last time I saw you was my wedding--damn, that was over a year ago! How have you been?"
Kurama grinned under the scarf and touched Kuwabara's arm. "You're going to get sick, you might want to move away. And yes, it's been a year."
"Imagine that," Kuwabara gazed at the red head in awe. "A year."
A few years prior, after Hiei set permanent home at Mukuro's, Kurama lived with Kuwabara for a while until he got his life organized. Although no one knew why, Kurama seemed to be falling apart as the days went by. Finally, Kurama decided to start his own business in Makai, aiding demons who were victims of kidnap, rape or thievery, and since then he'd be more than busy. His entire life revolved around his business, in hopes to make up for all the wrong he'd caused others and lift his heavy conscious--at least that was the theory. Even at Kuwabara and Yukina's wedding, Kurama was distracted talking to his assistant or sneaking paperwork to the bathroom. And when Yusuke confronted him about it, Kurama denied everything and proceeded to apologize that he had to leave.
Kurama yanked the scarf tighter around his mouth, trying to force down a sneeze. He examined Kuwabara a minute, smiling to himself. Kuwabara looked even better than he did at the wedding. His skin was glowing and his smile, which always seemed a bit crooked, was much brighter than normal. Overall, Kuwabara seemed to radiate amongst the drunks and humans around him, even Yusuke. Kurama glanced over at Yusuke, and before he could stop it, memories started to flood his mind. His thoughts tortured him, reliving the moments over and over again. He wanted to cry out, scream, ask Yusuke for help--but he couldn't feel his body. Suddenly, he sneezed, yanking him from the journey into his mind's Hell.
"You alright, Kurama?" Yusuke tilted his head, eyeing the nearly empty pitcher of beer in front of him. He shook his empty glass, figuring out whether he should have another or not. The room was already spinning, but he decided one more glass wouldn't hurt.
"Yeah," Kurama muttered. "I never sneeze when I'm in my original body—human's can be so fragile."
Kuwabara opened his mouth, ready to protest, when Yusuke interrupted him. "Kuwabara, did you get the invitation from the Southlands? They sent one for each of us and Koenma got them because, well, it's nearly impossible to send messages from Makai to Ningenkai."
"Yeah," Kuwbara beamed. "Yukina already has everything packed. When are we leaving, again?"
"Tomorrow," Kurama said, clutching the scarf.
"To-tomorrow!?" Kuwabara jumped up, nearly knocking the table over. "Oh man, I thought it was in a week. Why does no one tell me anything? I have to call in work and cancel all my appointments—crap, and I was supposed to get my haircut in a few days for the party."
"Sit," Yusuke demanded. "You have plenty of time to call. This is the first time you're seeing Kurama in a year and we're going on a vacation tomorrow. You should be excited. Have a beer."
Well, at least that's what he wanted to say. Instead, his slur caused his speech to come out as a drunken ramble. Kuwabara, although he understood the gist of it, stared at Yusuke blankly.
"Whaa?" Yusuke's body tilted slightly foreword, until he caught himself. "Do I-gotsumting--in my teeth?"
As if scripted, Kuwabara and Kurama started laughing at the exact same moment. Yusuke stared at the two as their laughter grew louder. He didn't see what was so funny about his speech, and he certainly didn't do anything funny—right? He sighed and shook his head, not stopping until the two relaxed. When his head was straight again, the room seemed to keep whirling.
"I think we should all get some rest," Kurama finally said after his laughter died down. "Tomorrow is going to be a long day. The journey from the newly opened portal to the Southlands is several hours. Besides, I'm sick and exhausted. Hiei is waiting for me at the hotel, since I haven't seen him in a while either—if you guys want to come."
"Hell yeah!" Yusuke stood up, only to stumble backwards and bang into the wall. He chuckled to himself and stood up, using his chair a support. He followed a sniffling Kurama out of the bar.
Kuwabara stood up and glanced around, only to find the room was full of foul-smelling strangers. "Hey, wait for me!" he shouted at the vanished Kurama and Yusuke. Suddenly, the entire room fell silent and everyone's heads turned to face him. Kuwabara chuckled nervously, apologized and ran out the door after the two boys.
"The dress is beautiful," Anakii smiled down at Itoshi. "You look like your sister."
Itoshi stared at her reflection, fingering the fabric on her hips. The dress fit her shape perfectly, hugging and extenuating her curves. Even the red color contrasted with her ivory skin perfectly. The dress was beautiful, yet Itoshi didn't feel it. She was just a trophy for the men to win and eye candy for everyone else. Her father calls it the unveiling of his daughter, although Itoshi felt more like a statue. None of the men cared about who she was, but about her status and who they could be.
Then again, she didn't even know who she was.
"Thank you," she gazed at her reflection.
From her father's chambers to her new husband's bed—she was going to be a prisoner all her life. And the dress was her handcuffs. She tried desperately to see the positive in the situation that maybe she would actually meet her perfect mate, but somehow she doubted it. Already her and her mystery mate's love was based on a want for power. They didn't want her, they didn't even know what she looked like.
And they wouldn't turn their back when she stepped out to the balcony and greeted them because, like Anakii said, the dress was beautiful. She couldn't fathom how gorgeous she looked, and her potential mates would want her even more. Power and sex…that's what they would want.
Itoshi gripped the fabric tighter, yearning to tear off the dress and jump out the window. But, her death would not make anyone's life easier. And her sister and that terrible man she married would rule Southland, and it would be chaos. No, Itoshi had to do this. No matter how much she didn't want to, her father's—her kingdom relied on her.
Besides, when she is made queen, she could explore Makai…If her husband lets her.
If anyone knows if there was originally a ruler in the southern part of Makai, let me know. I know Mukuro has Northeastern, but I can't remember anyone else. Thanks.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, there are the usual pairings (YusukexKeiko and KuwabaraxYukina). The other pairings...well, you'll have to find that out ;]