Panacea

Summary: Rewrite. As the power struggle between the Lords of the Makai escalates, Yomi must gather his trump cards: the mysterious healer from his past who holds the key to the legendary panacea, and of course, Kurama.

A/N: I've rewritten this so it would be shorter, therefore more reader-friendly (and writer-friendly). Please bear with the very fast pacing, I know no other way to write this. And please bear with the OC, I promise she's not a Mary Sue. I promise that through her, the fic will be telling more about Yomi. Did that make sense? It will later on. Read and enjoy! Spread the Yomi love!

Chapter One – Lord of Makai

In the very center of the underworld lay his stronghold, the capital of his vast territory-- the great and awe-inspiring city of Gandara.

Sitting on his throne, Yomi mused on the humble origins of his kingdom.

It was almost unbelievable really, how quickly he had risen to power in a few hundred years.

After he had lost his sight almost a thousand years ago, he had trained furiously and learned to make use of his other senses in order to quickly regain his edge.

And he came out of it eve n more powerful than ever before, at the same time even more greedy for more power.

He had tried going back to thievery but, realizing that this was not so easy now that he no longer had followers to back him up, he turned his mind on other lucrative pursuits. He became a mercenary.

Never before had mercenaries been more in demand, especially since the human lords in the other world were each trying to overpower one another in a mad dash for power. They were willing to pay any sum to any black-hearted assassin who could eliminate the competition. And Yomi was exactly that.

He offered his services to the highest bidder, often switching sides to whoever would pay more. And he did his job well. Even though powerful demons ran amok in the human world in those days, he had been able to defeat any and all of them, not one of them a match for his incredible strength.

In this way, he began to gain followers among the demons, from both his enemies and his comrades.

He became the leader of a group of demon mercenaries. They built their stronghold in the very center of the underworld, their ill-gotten wealth and loot stored in vaults of steel. They grew in number as the group became wealthier and more powerful.

After some time, it was not enough anymore for Yomi to remain a leader of mercenaries. From the very beginning, he had wanted to rule his very own kingdom.

And have his kingdom he did. Employing his mercenary subordinates, he conquered neighboring towns and villages, pillaging and burning down any who choose to resist, quickly expanding his territory.

In time, he was able to conquer almost one-third of the whole of the underworld.

From a mere bandit turned mercenary, he became one of the three most powerful lords of the underworld.

And from a mere mercenary stronghold, his castle became the city of Gandara: a city more technologically advanced and well-equipped than any other city in the underworld. Combining human technology and demonic energy, Yomi's city was the only one of its kind. And Yomi was proud of his creation.

But of course, it wasn't enough for his ambition to control only one-third of the underworld. He was bent on total domination, not only of the demon world, but of the human and spirit world as well.

Now it was only the power of the other two Lords that stopped him from total domination of the demon world.

And now, with Raizen expected to expire in mere months, it was time to plan and engineer a take-over of his kingdom at the opportune moment when it is thrown into chaos after the death of its lord. With Raizen's kingdom in tow, he would easily be able to overpower the third lord, Mukuro.

It was time to gather his trump cards.

One of them was still in the human world and would not be arriving for some time. That one he was most looking forward to see again.

The other was now swiftly being brought to his castle, borne on the back of one of the fast horses of his soldier trackers. He could already hear the hoof beats of the horses, and he knew they were not far.

He had been searching for her for a very long time, some few decades in fact. She and her power were finally in his hands.

At that moment, Youda came forward and made a little bow.

"Lord Yomi, the trackers you hired have sent a messenger ahead of them," he said deferentially, "It appears they have found the healer."

"Yes, I know," replied Yomi, looking pleased, "I can already hear them coming."

Shachi, the demon who was his second-in-command, bristled visibly as he stood by Yomi's throne.

"I don't understand the need for this healer woman," Shachi said haughtily, "Our kingdom's medical facilities are second to none."

"Fool!" said Youda with equal haughtiness, "Have you never heard of the panacea?"

"What, the cure-all? Is that even for real?"

"Lord Yomi, in his infinite wisdom, has been able to locate the demon who holds the key to this legendary substance," said Youda, nodding his wizened head.

Shachi, who didn't believe in anything but brute force, could not understand the significance of it all, "I still don't see how this will help us in the coming war."

Yomi frowned in irritation, and said, "Think, Shachi. With that miraculous substance in our hands, our armies will never get ill, never get tired, and will be completely immune to any damage. Perhaps even capable of repairing themselves."

Shachi's yellow eyes widened in understanding, as Youda humphed contemptuously.

Suddenly, the doors to the throne room were thrown open and in trooped several soldiers. They ushered in a disheveled woman in chains.

They stopped several feet in front of Yomi's throne. Everyone's eyes were on the woman, but her eyes were downcast and a curtain of matted and tangled hair covered her face.

Yomi leaned forward in his throne, lacing his long white fingers.

"Welcome to my kingdom, Shizue," he said, smiling an enigmatic smile.