Ace of Spades
By ForgottenKaze
Here's a small tribute to Mukuro, because she is so under loved. This is set pre-series, so Hiei isn't in it, though I swear I'll write some HieixMukuro fanfics someday!
Anyway, Yuu Yuu Hakusho does not belong to me, yadda yadda yadda, on with the fic!
Makai is a turbulent place. It is a constant battlefield, with no end to the wars between individuals, between lords, and between kings. Even if the millennia-long battle between the Kings Yomi, Mukuro, and Raizen was to end, there would still be more battles a day than could be counted. Granted, there were a small number of rather peaceful demons who lived away from the carnage, but that matters little to this small tale.
--
Mukuro sighed as Kirin finished explaining the situation to her. Apparently, some small-time lord of a nearby castle had decided that killing his overlord would be a fun thing to try, and had plotted against her.
"What should we do, my lord?" Kirin asked, looking up from where he kneeled on the floor.
Mukuro glanced at him, wondering why the other demon hadn't thought of it.
"Kill them, of course."
"Yes, sir," Kirin nodded as he began to slowly back out of the room.
Watching her subordinate leave, the female king remembered something.
"Wait, Kirin?"
Kirin looked up, his eyes just visible beyond his mask. "Yes, Lord Mukuro?"
The blue-eyed woman smirked, though it was not likely that Kirin could see it beneath the bandages she wore to hide her face.
"I take back that order. Bring the lord here. I wish to speak to him personally. Take him to 'that room'."
The masked demon blinked at the abrupt change in orders, but nonetheless murmured "Yes, my lord," as he hurriedly moved out of the room.
Mukuro walked out of her throne room at a brisk trot, and kept that pace until she reached the treasure room. She nodded at the guards stationed at the door, who bowed in return.
Mukuro pushed the door open with a creak and stepped into the dimly light room. She quickly searched among various objects of all sizes that really should have been organized a century ago. (She always forgot to tell someone to do it, and never really had the time or patience to do so herself.)
A few moments later, she pulled out a small wooden box. Opening it, she found a deck of cards that, like so much else in the room, had been given as tribute. She smirked, put the cards in a pocket, and walked out of the room.
She walked to 'that room' in silence, fingering the cards as she went.
Mukuro was not surprised to find 'that room' empty but for a table and several chairs. The majority of the chairs, hard, uncomfortable things, with bat-like ornaments on the top of the backs, were to the right hand side of the table. On the other side sat a single chair, this one different from the rest by the cushions that softened the hardwood.
The demon king made her way to the single cushioned chair and sat there, waiting for the lord-ling and whatever he would bring with him. She didn't have to wait long. Soon after she sat down, Kirin came in. Following him was a self-important looking demon Mukuro assumed was the lord and four others who looked like bodyguards of some sort.
She motioned to the five newcomers to sit down. They obeyed. Kirin bowed to Mukuro, then closed the door as he left the king and rebels.
"Welcome," Mukuro greeted them, her voice reverberating creepily through her mask. "I do hope you know why you're here."
"Yes," snapped the lord. "A chaos-preaching tyrant like you has no right to rule over the Makai as you do!"
Beneath her mask, Mukuro smirked, her eye closed. "And you think you could do any better?"
"Yes," the lord replied, smirking as well.
"Let's cut the chit-chat shall we?" demanded one of the guards, standing up. "Hand over your title and power of the Makai or we will kill you."
Mukuro remained seated, legs crossed, her clasped hands lying on her lap.
"I have a suggestion," she told them as she pulled out the cards. "We'll play one game of cards. We'll say whoever wins the game, also wins the battle."
"So all we have to do is beat you at a card game? Ha!" cried the lord. "Well then, Mukuro-sama," he slurred her title into an insult, "Let the better man win."
Mukuro shuffled the deck of cards, then passed it to lord, who repeated the action with great caution, as if he expected the deck to explode. Mukuro put out her hand, and the lord returned the deck to her. She cut the cards into two even piles, then passed one to the lord.
"Do you know how to play War?" Mukuro asked. The lord nodded, still wary.
"Then let's begin."
They did, with Mukuro winning the first round, then the second, then the third, and so on. Mukuro didn't lose a single one of their exchanges. The lord's rage grew and grew with each lost turn. Mukuro noticed this, and decided to use this to her advantage.
At last the moment came when the two opposing fighters lay down their last cards; the lord's a two of hearts, Mukuro's a queen of spades. The king smirked.
"I win, fair and square," she said, pulling the cards into a neat pile.
"You cheated!" roared the lord, angry at his loss. He attempted to leap out of his chair, but was restrained by manacles that sudden appeared at his wrists and ankles, locking him to the chair. Cries of outrage came from the bodyguards, informing of the same thing happening to them.
"Why you-!" the lord cried, pulling at the manacles with all his strength.
"Did you really think you could win?" Mukuro asked as she flipped through the cards, pulling out several as she went along.
"Big words for someone who hides behind a mask," the lord sneered. "Why don't you take off that ridiculous head-dress and show me your real face?"
Mukuro seemed to consider this. Picking out a fifth card and lying it on the smaller of the two piles, she gave her reply:
"Fine then. I will."
Carefully, as not to tear the bandages, she removed the mask. The lord's eyes widened.
"Y-you…" he stammered. "You're…." He could say no more before a black and white card imbedded itself halfway into his skull.
"And that," Mukuro stated, "Is why they call the Ace of Spades the card of death."
With a flick of her wrists, she sent the four Queens into the skulls of the bodyguards, leaving them as dead as their lord.
Mukuro wrapped the bandages back up, once again covering her face but for her right eye.
"Now you fools know what happens when you annoy me."
Did this even have a point? Was this even in character? Oh well… The thing about the Ace of Spades being the card of death is real, though I'm not sure where the whole thing started. Mukuro's treasure room might be cleaned someday, but I'm not too sure when. Poor Mukuro has to live with a messy treasure room for a while longer!
Anyway, I'd love to hear from my readers, so could you be kind and review please?
Ja ne, minna-san!