Hello fanfic readers! This is my first fanfic ever! :D Reviews and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
This takes place about two or so years before Ryuuko's death mainly in the Shadow and Light Palaces.
starfruit-kitten: Time for the disclaimer! Homurabi! *drags him over* Would you do the honors of telling them what I'd rather not say?
Homurabi: Uh, sure...? As much as starfruit-kitten would like to, she does not own Monochrome Factor or any of it's characters. It all belongs to Kaili Sorano. The OC (Nori) is hers though.
Shirogane: Thank heavens she never will...
starfruit-kitten: Does the almighty Direct Royal of Shin have a problem with me or something?
Shirogane: Yes. You and that OC keep harassing me!
starfruit-kitten: I have done no such thing! ...have I...? O_o
Shirogane: Just leave me alone unless you wish to die!
starfruit-kitten: You're no fun! 3 Oh well... *turns to reader* enjoy the fanfic! ;)
Shirogane: ...who are you even talking to?
Warning: Some mild language (like... two words?) and possible mature content (yoai!) in later chapters. (MWAHAHA!)
Chapter 1
Nori's POV
It had started off as any other day for Nori. The always inconvenient wakeup call from Lulu or another someone else, having to deal with the occasional smartass Kokuchi, training her powers, the usual. Her life seemed to be one big eternal rut!
Even though she lived in the both the Shadow and Light Palaces, she wasn't really a Shin or a Rei. She was some "strange Shin/Rei hybrid that didn't belong in the Shadow Palace" according to Sawaki, whose opinion was nothing more than meaningless words to Nori. Regardless of what she was, Shirogane (the Direct Royal of Shin) and Ryuuko (the Direct Royal of Rei) took her in.
Nori had always been rather antisocial towards most people (especially Sawaki) and spent most of her time lying in midair staring into what looked like an endless nothingness. But that would all change very soon.
"Nori-chan!" Lulu called from the hallway below Nori, as cheerful and bubbly as always. "Where are you Nori-chan?"
"Up here!" Nori replied, lazily looking down, sending long black and white bangs into her copper face. Her pale grey eyes showing little interest in anything.
"Shirogane-sama wants to talk to you and asked Lulu to look for you." The pink pigtailed girl beamed, looking up at Nori. Other than Shirogane and Homurabi, Lulu was the only Shin who would actually converse with her.
She sighed. "Alright, I'll go see him." Not really wanting to get up, Nori simply dropped from her nonexistent platform, and landed with catlike reflexes.
THUD!
Her heavy combat boots hit the ground. Their grey chains rattled slightly. She smoothed the wrinkles in her ebony tailcoat-like dress, and started down the black and white checkered hall.
Lulu giggled, "Shirogane-sama's the other way!"
"Oh… thanks Lulu!" Nori laughed at her own horrible sense of direction. Turning on her heals to face the other direction, she stopped, unsure of where she was supposed to be headed. "Where am I going?"
Lulu's giggle erupted into uncontrollable laughter. After a few minutes of waiting for Lulu to clam down, she finally said between laughs: "second left…, first two rights, and then another left. Haha! It's the fifth door to your left!"
Nori smiled. "Thank you Lulu!" she exclaimed, running past the still laughing Shin.
There's no way I'll be able to remember that. Nori thought to herself. What did she say? Second left, first three rights and another left? "Why the hell is this place so freaking huge?"
Lost in thought and trying to figure out if she was even headed the right way, she slammed into something tall and covered in black as she turned a corner. The impact sent her flying back by about a meter and skidding another few feet on her rear.
"Ugh... dammit…" she swore under her breath, slowly forcing herself into a sitting position. Her rear ached terribly.
An outstretched hand appeared before her. "That was quite a hit. Watch were you're going next time you decide to rampage through the Palace." Nori looked up, seeing the owner of the hand and familiar cold tone.
"Shirogane!" she gasped, taking his hand and slowly made her way to her feet. "I'm sorry; I wasn't really looking where I was going."
"Its fine," the silver haired king waved his hand as if brushing away the current situation. "You were wasting too much time being helplessly lost as always, so I decided to drag you back myself. You're just as bad, if not worse than Ryuuko at arriving on time."
Grabbing Nori by the arm, Shirogane led her down nearly a dozen halls until they reached the large main doors of the palace. "Where are we going?" she enquired, lightly struggling to escape the Royal's grasp. It was useless; his hand was like a reinforced steal bear trap! "You're not kicking me out are you? In my defense, I don't really do anything around here because there's never anything for me to do!"
"Shut up and calm down!" Shirogane scowled, releasing Nori's now sore arm at long last. "You will be going to the Light Palace for a while."
"Oh," Nori chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry 'bout that…"
"Just go." Shirogane ordered; face palming as he turned to the palace doors. His stunningly long silver hair and black white-trimmed cape were elegantly flowing behind him.
"Hey, wait!" Nori demanded, grabbing onto Shirogane's sleeve. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you since I arrived here five years ago."
Shirogane's POV
The Royal sighed, "Alright, what is it?" he turned around to face the short Neutral, impatiently shooing her hand off his sleeve.
Nori pressed a finger between his eyebrows. "How is it that you can scowl like that all the time and not get any wrinkles?"
Shirogane felt his eye twitch. The nerve of that little brat! "Leave! NOW!" he bellowed, restraining himself from violently beating Nori to kingdom come (literally). As far as Shirogane knew, she was the only person, other than Ryuuko and his damned dog, who was capable of bringing about his murderous intent. "Unless you have a death wish, I suggest you go be a nuisance elsewhere."
A smug smile of pure satisfaction in her work spread across Nori's pink lips. "Alright, alright, I'm going." she laughed, leisurely walking in the direction of the door to the Light Palace. Shirogane hoped she could feel the numerous katana he was glaring into her back. "I'm glad my ability to enrage you is still as sharp as ever!"
"…arrogant…little brat…" the ticking time bomb of a Royal colorfully swore as inaudibly as he could, storming back to the palace in a huff.
"Is she giving you a hard time again?" he heard Homurabi, the King of Shin, chuckle inwardly from inside the palace. He caught a glimpse of Homurabi's short ruby hair as he angrily sped in through the door. The tall Shin walked beside him as he strode down the hall. "You really should try to watch your temper. You wouldn't want to injure the girl would you?"
"Is that an option?" He glared up at the overly amused Shin.
"Relax," the lesser king laughed, which seemed to piss Shirogane off just as much as the Neutral had. The diamond on his forehead moved as he cocked an eyebrow, pissing Shirogane off even more. "I'm sure you'll be able to tame her eventually"
Nori's POV
"Oh, shut up!" Nori barely heard Shirogane scoff, likely glaring daggers at some wall far in front of him. I pity that poor wall, she though.
Now determined to keep off the emotionally unstable Royal's bad side, Nori set off for the Light Palace. Although the stone labyrinth between palaces and the human world looked all the same in everyway with its yellow-grey brick structures, the route she usually took was rather simple: go straight until you see a large grey-white pillar and continue left to a large white door. The door itself was usually locked, but Nori figured out how to pick it using her dagger or the sharp parts of a Kokuchi. With a loud click, the door was open, granting her access to the residence of Rei.
Thank you very much for reading my first fanfic! Reviews and suggestions are very much appreciated. (sorry for repeating myself)
I hope you all enjoyed it and I'll work on the next chapter soon so I can post it eventually.