Passive versus Active

Chapter One: Diplomatic Tensions


A/N:

This just came out of nowhere into my head, so I hope you can forgive me for working on this when I was supposed to be working on SAO: Fallen Angels, TKC: Playing for Keeps and The League of Blades.

That said, two of those stories are coming along quite nicely. If all goes well, you might see multiple updates to TKC: PFK and SAO: FA by the end of the month! I'm sorry to say, however, that The League of Blades is the lowest on my priority list at the moment, due to the incredible amount of plot holes that need fixing.

Anyway, I think that's enough of that! On with the story!

I'll see you at the bottom!


A room with no walls. A room where the only color in sight was silver, the most neutral of colors between the races. In reality, it was not a room at all. It was a dimension used solely as a meeting place for conflicting tribes who wished to settle their differences without violence.

The aptly-named Silver Room had existed long before all the tribes came into being, almost as if it had been around as long as time itself. No one knew its original purpose, though the invisible silver chains that occasionally let themselves be seen to those who entered implied that it was once a prison. What it once kept imprisoned boggled even the oldest and wisest sages of all the tribes, should that even have been its original purpose.

Whatever the origin and purpose of the Silver Room, it was widely known that only the members of the royal bloodlines of each race were able to open doorways to it. Thus, the room became used almost exclusively to settle differences between tribes in order to avoid war.

Two spheres of energy appeared a few meters apart, one of light, and one of darkness. They soon expanded, forming massive corridors. Two humanoid beings walked out of the corridors.

The first could only be described as an angel. White wings, porcelain skin, blond hair and a graceful yet commanding aura. He wore white robes with blue and golden trim, adding to his divine appearance. His name was Shouzou, and he was the king of the Fairy Tribe.

The second could almost have passed as human if it weren't for his pointed ears and blood-red eyes. His glossy, ebony hair came down to his shoulders where it met with the collar of his regal black coat, almost completely hiding his neck. The coat had silver and red trim, making it the complete opposite of the robes that the Fairy King before him wore. His name was Akihiko, and he was the king of the Demon Tribe.

"You wanted to see me?"

Were the words that left the Fairy King's mouth immediately after spotting the Demon King before him. Akihiko's devious grin, which he had begun sporting upon arrival in the Silver Room, only intensified as Shouzou's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Yes, indeed I did."

Was the reply that Akihiko gave, his grin making Shouzou shudder. The Demon King was much more powerful due to his younger age, and Shouzou knew this well. If things broke into violence, the Fairy King knew he would be slain within minutes.

"Well, what did you want?" Shouzou asked curtly, looking Akihiko in the eye to establish that he was not afraid of the Demon King. "I'm a busy man, so try to make it quick."

"I believe that we both know how things will play out if we break into war right now, and we also both know that such a tragedy is imminent at the rate our tribes' tensions our rising," Akihiko replied, his grin replaced with a look of grave seriousness. "Both of our tribes would be in dire straits by the end, no matter who would come out on top. But I don't want that."

"What is the purpose of you explaining all of this?" Shouzou queried. "You're right; we both know that a war between our tribes is imminent. What of it?"

Akihiko once again began smiling. "I believe I have a solution that will prevent war from breaking out."

Shouzou's eyes widened slightly in disbelief. There must have been some ulterior motive behind this, but he needed to investigate further. He needed to know more about this 'solution' to discern the true plans of the Demon King before him.

"What do you have in mind?" the Fairy King queried after a moment's pause.

Akihiko smiled broadly. "I was wondering when you would ask," he said, clapping his hands exactly three times. "I hear that your tribe is quite fond of arranged marriages."

"You don't mean to—"

"But I believe I do, Shouzou," the Demon King cut Shouzou off. "I believe that the betrothal of our heirs would end the war before it begins. It would signal the end of our conflicts and the beginning of a new era of peace!"

At the last word, Akihiko threw his arms up in excitement. Shouzou just stood there, mind racing as he weighed his options. He knew that there had to be some ulterior motive, some trick behind the idea. But what if the Demon King was being sincere? What if he genuinely wanted to end the fighting?

The Fairy King decided then and there that if he played his cards right, he would be able to handle any problems his tribe may face due to deception. "All right, I'll allow it. However, your heir will stay in my tribe's territory until the wedding. If we find out that you are deceiving us, we will execute him. Do we have we have an agreement?"

The Demon King eyed Shouzou, looking for any signs of deception. When he found none, he smiled and said, "Very well, then. I'm glad we could come to an agreement."

"I will take my leave," the Fairy King said, turning around and walking towards the corridor of light he had left open. "I need to inform my council so that arrangements can be made."

With that, Shouzou walked through his corridor. It turned back into a sphere, and after a few seconds, disappeared altogether, leaving Akihiko alone in the Silver Room.

The Demon King's smile changed into a smirk fitting for the devil he was. "Shouzou, you are far more predictable than you will ever know."

He walked to his corridor of darkness, turning around just in time to see a flash of chains making themselves visible to him. "Soon, my pet. Please be patient."

With those words as a parting message, he walked through the corridor.


A/N:

So, what do you guys think of this? Good or bad? Leave a review telling me what you think!

I know I changed the appearances of the first two characters, but believe me, there is a reason for that. Plus, they still have their human forms, both of which look like their regular appearances in the anime. (Their real-life appearances, that is.)

By the way, Shouzou is the name of Asuna's real-life father, for those of you who didn't know.

So yeah, I apologize for giving such a short first chapter. It was basically to set up the premise.

Well, I guess that's it for now! Here's the disclaimer!

I don't own the Sword Art Online light novel series, any of its adaptations, or anything I use from them!

See you in the next chapter!