Namikaze: okay, to the few people who enjoyed this, and actually reviewed, (major hint hint) thank you for being patient while I wrote this. I meant to have it uploaded by sunday, but there wasn't enough time to write the last couple of hundred words. So, once again, thanks for being patient! (Fine, you too, non-reviewers!) Enjoy!
P.S.--I forgot to warn you last chapter -- this story contains OC/OC slash. Apologies to those narrow-minded idiots who are going to stop reading this just because of that.
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Prologue: Hierarchy in disorder's shadow
I know that you are probably somewhat captivated with this tale by this point-- but you must hold your excitement for a while yet; I must inform you of the hierarchy of Exilthyr in order for understanding of the demonkin to truly begin.
Now, the hierarchy of Exilthyr is structured into three castes, or three levels, so to speak. Each of these levels is one of the three prominent clans that form the upper levels of Exilthyr's government. Each clan has different roles in the government, and they also have techniques, abilities, and traditions of their own.
The first clan is house Necroti, the royal family. A bit more modernized than the other clans, the ruling family follows their own code. They are the perfect hunters, typically nomadic masters of blade and bow. They are the upper caste.
Next is house Aeroni, the councilors. They are a more traditionalist clan, following the old ways as masters of nature, sword, and shadow. They form the High Council, who creates laws to be approved by the Shadow Lord, and to balance the lord's power. They are the middle caste.
And last, the Centroni. Masters of the blade, and the lowest caste of the hierarchy. They are the military police force, and it is their job to enforce the rulings of the Necroti and the laws set in place by the Aeroni. Sometimes, their more powerful clansman serve as bodyguards for the council members, or, on rare occasion, they are bound as vassals to the Shadow Lord.
There is only one other position of power and it goes to only a single individual: the Shadow Lord. The Shadow Lord controls the Malaki Hall and oversees the rule of Exilthyr. The head of the Necroti clan always holds the title of Shadow Lord; it is a hereditary position.
So, now that you have a somewhat expanded view on the hierarchy of the demonkin, I shall return to the story at hand.
The current Shadow Lord is quite young for someone of his stature, yet behind his immature-seeming exterior lies a cold, soulless heart and the iron will of a warrior. His name… is Shuichi, of house Necroti. He is far more powerful than he appears, causing many to underestimate him. He has a slim, girlish build, vibrant violet hair, and deep, radiant onyx eyes. This appearance has led many to mistake him for a woman--and it was their last mistake, as they immediately fell victim to either his blade or his bow.
Shuichi may be the Shadow Lord, but you should not assume that he is a patient man. On the contrary, he is anything but. And at the current moment, it would be in most people's best interests to avoid him. You see, he was very irritated as he marched to the chambers of the High Council, as they had summoned him. Yes, they had dared to assume that he would come whenever they called like a stupid animal, or a trained beast that would accept anything they said pleasantly without any objections whatsoever.
He hoped, for their sake, that there was a damned good reason for them to summon him. If it was for a trivial matter that was barely worth wasting his time, then his hands would definitely be stained with their blood by the end of the night, He surely had better things to do than to listen to the pointless words of the useless peons that served beneath him. He severely disdained most people, especially those who must be helped with even the simplest of things, and needed him to hold their hand and guide them along the way.
Now, I know that you are thinking, "This man is far too self-absorbed. If his ego was any larger, I'd not have room to breathe!" right about now, but… Shuichi, he wasn't always like this. When he was younger, he had used to be a kind, and gentle boy. His father, Lord Soichirou, had always raised him with the belief that you should treat others fairly, and they shall treat you fairly in return.
However, this stance could not last long. Shuichi eventually became brash and arrogant, easily prone to becoming violent and enraged. What circumstances could possibly change a person so drastically, you ask? Well, on the night of his tenth birthday, (which would be four decades for a human) a horrible tragedy befell the young lord-to-be: an assassin infiltrated the Hall, and he suffered the mental trauma of witnessing his father's murder.
Witnessing this disastrous event damaged him heavily, scarring his psyche and deeply wounding his very soul. The servants and nobles treated him tenderly, as if he was made of glass and could break at any moment. Thinking himself weak for not being able to help his father in any way, he became insecure. He felt that if he let anyone as close to his heart as his father had been ever again, he would be able to be hurt once again in such a manner as this. So, he became cold and distant, his new frigid persona quickly driving all others away from him.
In his somewhat twisted mind, he felt that the less people who were close to him, the better. After all, his father's death had taught him one thing: friends and loved ones are only a weakness that your enemies can and will exploit. So, in order to keep the innocents from harm, he would form no bonds with anyone, save for himself. He would not… no, he could not allow another person to be hurt because he was a weakling.
But for now, none of that mattered. All that was important was going to answer the council's summons. He didn't want to go, but he knew that ignoring them wasn't worth the headache that he would get from the repercussions of doing so.
--SceneChange--
While Shuichi prepared to be bored to death by the council, elsewhere a young spy prepared for his mission. He was young, but he was highly skilled even though he had very little experience.
He had been assigned a mission, a mission of utmost importance. If he succeeded on this mission, his future would be assured. The council had given him the order to assassinate the Shadow Lord, who would soon be leaving for the human world on a training journey as per tradition, before formally accepting his title as the lord of Exilthyr. The council felt that the young lord-to-be was a loose cannon, and that it would be in their best interests to remove him from play early in the game.
The would-be assassin was rather… diminutive, only measuring 5'1' at age 16. (64 for a human) He had ocean-blue hair, and large rounded orange eyes, resulting in him having a rather childlike appearance. He dressed in black save for a gray cloak, and had a pair of curved daggers in their sheaths secured to his belt. As for his identity, he is Ichigo, of house Aeroni.
--SceneChange--
(Shuichi PoV)
So, the council… they're definitely plotting something. I mean, it's actually quite obvious-- picking a highly skilled assassin to "protect" me during my journey? Subtlety really isn't their strong point, is it? …Not that it matters. They think they can manipulate me? Well, two can play at that game!
Anyway, I strode down the corridor, intent on heading to the room of portals to rendezvous with my "protector". I'll charm their little minion, and mold him into the perfect weapon to turn their plots against them-- because, the end justifies all, no matter the means used to reach it.
--SceneChange--
(Ichigo PoV)
I stand in the chamber of portals, awaiting Lord Shuichi. I heard the door open, and turned to look. As I gazed upon the man who had entered, my breath hitched, catching in my throat. He… he was gorgeous!
"M-my lord?" I said, extremely nervous. He opened his eyes and gazed into mine, pitch onyx meeting with my bright citrus orbs. "Yes?" he said, calm and suave. "Anything I can do to you?" My face flushed, and I stumbled, surprised. "Well?" he said, "how can I have you?" I regained my composure, standing upright and becoming calm. I must have misheard him, that's all. There's no way someone like him could desire someone like me.
(Shuichi PoV)
Heh. Hook, line, and sinker – it's Childs play. Little Ichigo's gone and got himself caught in my trap, and there's nothing he can do about it! I dangled the line, and he took the bait. "So," I said, "Ichigo, that is your name, isn't it?" He nodded vigorously, obviously surprised that I had deemed him important enough to bother to remember his name. "Okay then – let's get going, shall we?" I said, and met his eyes, flashing him an "I'm-undressing-you-with-my-eyes" smirk. He immediately flushed bright red, and looked down at the floor. And that's two points me, zero points council!
(Ichigo PoV)
Did he just give me a look? I think he's hitting on me! That's so… wait, why am I getting so worked up? He's a guy, damn it! I mean, I like girls… don't I? I'm… I'm just so confused! It's like there's something, some force drawing me towards him, as if gravity itself pulls us together! He's just… he's just so cool…
"Ah…" he sighed. I looked up, prior embarrassment momentarily forgotten. "Yes, my lord?" I said. He shrugged, and crossed his arms over his chest. "When you're being formal, you really bore me--" he said. "—But when you aren't being formal, you're too embarrassed to even speak straight. It's just so damned annoying!" As I was still frustrated from my inner dialogue of a few moments ago, I was quite irritable. And unfortunately, out of irritation, I didn't take time to think before I replied. "I'm oh so sorry my lord," I snapped, "But you know me, I just LIVE to piss you off!"
A look of shock momentarily crossed his face, quickly shifting to amusement. "Oho," he said, "little strawberry (1) does have some fight in him! This may yet turn out to be fun!" Then, he stepped closer. "Or," he purred, his warm breath caressing my forehead, "would you rather I entertain you?"
(Shuichi PoV)
His face flushed, and he once again looked down at the floor, obviously embarrassed. "Hah! Eat it, councilors," I thought, "That's three for me and none for you!" I smirked, raised two fingers up, pressed them to my lips, and whistled. Hoofbeats sounded against the floor and my horse galloped into the chamber, coming to a stop in front of me. I ran a hand along his mane and grasped the saddle, hoisting myself up onto his back to sit on it. "Right. 'Lo, Mithrandir. (2) Ready to ride?" I quipped. He whinnied, and made a motion like that of a person nodding their head.
I looked down at Ichigo. "Alright, let's get going, strawberry." I said. His eyes flashed with something, most likely anger, and he replied. "Think you can keep up with me, princess?" I froze. Oh, he did not just say that! That's it; it's go time now! "I can keep up, but can you keep ahead?" I asked. "I can keep ahead as well as you can over-inflate your ego!" He quipped. "Oh, his cute little ass is going--wait, his little ass is NOT cute!" I thought, pausing.
(Ichigo PoV)
He looked like he was going to retaliate, but he suddenly faltered, as if he'd had a surprising thought. I grinned, and didn't let up on my verbal assault. Unfortunately, I once again didn't think due to my zeal. "So," I said, "We can keep on arguing pointlessly, or you could make better use of that mouth, you know?" He twitched, and met my gaze, startled. "I'll take a rain check for now," he said, "but maybe later." I froze, not having expected him to say yes.
He laughed, and gestured towards one of the portals. "Come on," He said, "Let's go. The vast grassland plains of Sacae await us." I nodded, and followed him into the bright, swirling portal to the world beyond. I know not who or what awaits us; I only know where we'll be. So, I must keep up my guard. I'll not yet kill the young lordling; this is far too entertaining as of now. So, he'll live until I'm no longer interested, and then I'll complete my mission and flee. For now, he's still useful to me. And yet, somewhere in my heart, I don't want to complete my mission. But, if I deliberately fail at my task, it would be considered an act of high treason against the council and I'd be executed. So when it comes down to it, it's either him or me; and dying really doesn't have that much appeal to me.
--EndOfChapter--
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Namikaze: So, I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry if the "flirty" scene is rushed, it's my first time writing one of them. Okay, now you should press the purple button and tell me what you think!