I own Nothing
Past 74 A.D.
Revenge. It can drive a person to do unbelievably horrible things.
Aria leaned forward from her perch on the current tree limb she was hiding in. Her eye sight set on a demon that was drinking at a local demon tavern. It was him, the man that orchestrated her aunt's death. It has taken her seven long years to track him down. Seven years of constant hunting, searching, and disappointment. Seven years of anger and frustration, but now, she has finally found him. Tonight, he will pay for what he did, tonight she will get her revenge.
Sitting down on her perch, Aria pulled a sword from her hip and onto her lap. It was just an ordinary katana, no emblems or markings, solid steal and a simple black hilt. To Aria though, it meant something. For this sword, was the sword that was used to kill Maki. The same sword she pulled out of her aunt's chest, and tonight shed used this sword to kill its original owner.
Closing her eyes, Aria leaned her head back. It would be a while before the bastard demon had his feel of the tavern and all that it offers. Her mind drifted back, back to the happy moments with Maki. One memory stood out more than the rest. The day Maki taught her how to make healing ointments out of the herbs in the garden she grew.
...
"Come here Aria."
Aria looked up from where she was playing and ran to her aunt. Her little legs carrying her over quite steadily. She couldn't have been more than 10 years old, and she looked like she was 5.
Sitting down next to Maki, Aria looked down at the herbs in her aunt's hands.
"Do you remember the names?"
Arias brows forwarded in concentration as she looked at each individual herb. "That one is Ashwaganda, it's to help if you have swelling. And that one is Calendula, it's for rashes and to help heal wounds." Aria said as she pointed out each herb.
"That's right, now what is this one?" Maki asked holding up a pink/purple flower.
"Ech..Echnaca." Aria said trying to pronounce that name.
Maki chuckled. "Echinacea, it's to help if you get a cold."
Aria looked at the flower in wonder. She got sick a few months ago and her aunt made her drink an herbal tea that had the pretty flower in it. "Can you teach me how to do it?"
Smiling Maki gathered the herbs and placed them beside her. She grabbed her mortar and pestle and gathered the ingredients to make a healing salve. Aria scooted around until she was next to her aunt. Once the herbs and seeds were ready to be crushed, Maki let Aria hold the pestle and guided her in the motions to properly do it.
"Just like that my child, nice and smooth. You don't want to be too rough, and you can't be to gentle." Smiling she kissed the top of Aria's head. "Learning these skills will help you in life. Always remember, knowing how to save lives is something that is most important. We want to save lives, not take them."
"Yes, Aunt Maki, save lives, don't take them." Little Aria repeated, happily grinding away at the herbs.
...
Blue eyes slowly opened as the memory faded. That happened a hundred years ago, and yet it felt like it was just yesterday. A hundred years, she couldn't believe it's been that long since her birth. Living that long is a baby's life span compared to most demons. Well, those that weren't stupid and got killed early off.
"Save lives, not take them." Gripping the katana in her hands, Aria sighed. "Sorry Aunt Maki, looks like I'm not following your teachings."
A sound below caught her attention, looking down Aria sat up as the demon she was after stumbled out of the tavern. Rolling her eyes at the woman attached to his side. Stupid females, selling their bodies for money.
Quietly, Aria jumped out of her post and hid in the shadows. She followed her mark, silently watching, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The demon turned down an alley, Aria moved around the buildings and came around to the other side. Seeing as how the two demons didn't emerge on the other side, Aria looked over the side of the building.
"Seriously? In public?"
Unsheathing the katana, she looked down at the copulating demons. Taking a deep breath to steal her nerves, Aria jumped. She landed smoothly behind the demon, before he could react she left forward and drove the katana through his back and into his chesT. Unfortunately, it also hit the woman directly in the heart. Collateral damage.
The demon pushed away from the now dead woman and turned around to look at his attacker as blood poured from his mouth. His vision was beginning to blur, but he could make out the shape of a woman in the shadows. His body wouldn't move, his muscles were frozen. Looking down he noticed a purple liquid dripping off the tip of the sword sticking out of his chest. Poison.
"I. Who are you?"
Stepping out the shadows, Aria looked at the dying demon. "Seven years ago, you attacked a would demon that lived in a cottage on the edge of the Forest of Fools. Now I want to know why." Aria glared at the demon as he fell to his knees as the poison raced through his body.
Coughing he looked up at her. "A wolf demon huh? You are talking about that whore that me and my boys took care of." Aria growled and kicked the demon in the face, sending him crashing face first to the ground. Aria yanked the sword from his chest and turned him over, she braced one knee on his chest and pointed the sword at his throat.
"Watch what the hell you say asshole." To get her point across she pushed the tip of the sword into his throat just enough to draw blood. "Why did you kill her!"
The demon coughed and looked up at the woman on top of him. His vision cleared enough for him to make out her face. His eyes widened in recognition. "You, you're that girl. The one living with the female wolf."
Leaning forward, Aria put her face close to his. "You killed my mother your worthless piece of crap. It has taken me seven years to find you, and now that I have you my grasp. You're going to pay for what you did."
The demon's eyes widened in fear as he felt the woman's demon energy start to rise. He watched as her blue eyes began to swirl like storm clouds, her white aura coiled around him like a snake. "Wait, wait...please wait." He begged helplessly, her energy was suffocating him.
Aria sneered. "Begging? That's tasteful, but it will do you know good." Raising the sword up she aimed it at his heart. "You're still going to die, for killing my mother." Her hand dropped
"It was an order!" The demon cried causing Aria to pause, the sword mere centimeters from piercing his heart.
"By who?" The demon whimpered and looked from the sword point to Aria.
"I don't know, I never saw his face. He came to the tavern one night and presented me with gold. He told me that he wanted me to kill someone for him." The demon said, inwardly he smirked. His vision was completely clear, and he could feel his fingers twitching. Just a little bit more, and this wenches poison would wear off. " He said that there was a demon living in the cottage that he wanted dead. He said her name was Aria."
Shocked, Aria's breathing stopped as she stared down at the demon. Someone sent this man to kill her, but her aunt was killed instead. That would mean, that her aunt died to save her, to protect her. Bowing her head, Aria looked down as her blonde hair fell forward to block her face.
"He sent you to kill the one named Aria. Did he tell you what she looked like? Did he tell you which one was Aria?"
"No, just that she lived in the cottage. Why does that matter?" Just a little bit more.
Snapping her head up in anger Aria glared harshly at the demon. "Because I'M Aria!" She yelled before plunging the sword into the surprised demons heart. "You killed the wrong person that night!"
Standing up, she turned away from the demon and walked away. Someone hired him to kill her and her aunt paid the price. Her revenge was not yet complete. Not now, not with knowing that the one responsible was still out there. She didn't know how she would find him, but she knew somebody that could defiantly point her in the right direction.
It was time to pay her old friend another visit.
...
She hated this place. It was so creepy looking. Aria could never understand why Reiko lived in a damn cave. Last time she asked, her answer was something along the answer of being away from idiots and she loved her solitude. Looking up at the red sky, Aria sighed.
Her friend, Reiko, had the gift of sight. She wasn't a seer, as seer is someone who can perceive the spirit world with his or her own eyes, or his or her mind's eye. A seer is basically someone who receives spiritual revelation visually, they are seeing the "unseen realm".
Reiko could see the past, present and future. It was such a sad fate. She knew that Reiko knew she was coming, if not she would have been blasted by the barrier surrounding that area. Reiko's cave was north of the desert region, surrounded by mountains and an impenetrable barrier that kept demons out.
Glancing over shoulder at the desert region she crossed she could make out distant peaks in the far west. Tourin, the region controlled but the demon king Raizen. Aria was half surprised she was left alone while crossing his territory. She has heard the stories about how ruthless the ruler of Tourin is and his ambition of power. Best to stay away from there.
"Are you going to stand out here all day?"
A woman's voice jarred Aria from her thoughts. Turning back around she spotted Reiko standing next to the cave opening with a basket of vegetables in her arms.
"I was waiting for you." Aria said walking forward and taking one of the basket from Reiko. "I really don't feel like getting fried trying to walk into your home without permission...again." Reiko had a barrier not only around the area but to the entrance of her cave too. If a demon was lucky enough get passed the first one, the second one was strong enough to even ward off the strongest of demons.
Following Reiko into the cave Aria stayed silent. They came across a wooden door, which Reiko opened. Inside was a living room of sorts, it had pillows and rugs scattered randomly around a fire pit. A fire was already roaring away, a kettle was hanging over it and from the smell she knew it was tea.
"I know why you've come back Aria." Reiko said as she placed the basket on a table. Aria set hers down as well before sitting down on one of the pillows.
"Then will you give me the answers I seek?"
Reiko grabbed the tea kettle and poured herself and Aria a cup of tea. "You know I can't tell you that Aria. I can only point you in the right direction."
Aria gave Reiko an annoyed look. "The last time you 'pointed' me in the right direction, it took me two years to actually find the guy I was looking for."
"I'm bound by law Aria, I can't reveal more than necessary, even if I wanted to, I can't." Reiko responded.
"Look Reiko, I need to find him. He's still out there, and I can't rest until he pays for what he did tot Maki." The desperation was evident in her voice as she pleaded with Reiko, even though she knew it was of no use. Reiko wouldn't tell her. "How long have we been friends Reiko?" At Reiko's dubious look Aria corrected. "Acquaintances then. I've known you for 39 years Reiko, I know how your powers work. You can tell me anything about my future, but you can give me information about my past."
Reiko set her tea cup down and stood up, walking over to her basket of vegetable, she took a few out and began to wash them in a basin. "You're a demon Aria, demons feed on humans. Yet, you do not. You have never eaten a human in your 142 years of living. Why is that?"
Thrown off by the question Aria shrugged. "Because I love humans. I don't see them as food, even though they are very ignorant and stupid, I've never wanted to bring harm to them unless provoked. I don't want to because..."
"You don't feed on humans because?" Reiko pushed, as she started to cut up some carrots.
"It's wrong, demons need to stop consuming humans. They are not food! They are living beings that have families, and people that care for them. Sure, there are some really nasty ones that probably deserve to die, but not to be eaten by demons."
Reiko turned around to fully face Aria, her soft smile making Aria blinked in confusion. "And that is why even though I am a human, trust you Aria."
Confusion was not something Aria felt often, but Reiko wasn't making any sense. "You trust me? But it thought we weren't friends?"
Reiko laughed. "It's your heart Aria. You have your mothers heart."
"My mother?"
"Yes. I don't mean Maki, I mean your birth mother. You have her heart Aria, and that is why I am going to tell you something."
Aria watched as Reiko once again sat down beside her. She was feeling uneasy, and insanely curious. No one, not even Maki talked about her birth parents. So, finding out that Reiko knew who they were, made her feel anxious. "What is that?"
"Who your father is..." Reiko smiled at Aria's shocked expression. "His name is..."
Updates will be coming slow, I have finals going on for college and it's been painstaking torture.
Totidem Verbis: I know I hated killing Aunt Maki, but I wasn't planning on making her a main in this story. Mystery? And here I thought I wasn't being very cryptic with a lot of things. It's difficult sometimes I guess to keep things shrouded in mystery. As for Aria's , I guess you'll find out.
