Angels and Demons
This was written as part of the original LJ Challenge. The time limit was still in effect.
It wasn't polite to ask, of course, but some people were obvious. Kouyuu glared at the man chatting to one of the court ladies. 'I hope he's assigned to the do-goodiest gods-botherer in the entireity of Saiunkoku,' he muttered to himself. 'Jerk.'
Kouyuu, of course, was hard at work, of course, doing what he was supposed to be doing. Of course.
The Emperor, who only got his job by virtue of surviving the last civil war, which he only did by being too busy chasing boys to worry any of the sets of factions, had managed to escape his duty again and everyone, including some of the older cadets, had been ordered to find him and bring him to the ceremony.
Kouyuu needed to leave early to be anywhere on time, thanks to the interference of demons who altered the landscape around him, or did something to distract him, or, or,... it was their fault! Finding someone who was trying to be lost by using someone who got lost when he was desperate to be found, was Sou Taishi's idea. Kouyuu wondered if he wanted Kouyuu to miss the ceremony so that he could make fun of him for another year. Well! Hah! Kouyuu had already filled out the forms to graduate in absentia and delivered them to the appropriate location furing the first month of his study at the Imperial Palace.
Sou Taishi never wore one of the tokens that marked angels as angels and demons as demons. He was also so old that the only people who could possibly know if he was an angel or demon were General Shou and Sa Taishi. Neither of them would say anything, because, as the three advisers of the Emperor, they were supposed to be above that sort of thing. Also, his immunity was their immunity.
Sometimes, Kouyuu thought the war was started because the Emperor was the only one who wasn't sorted. He ruled over both angels and demons, but sided with neither. He alone (Oh, he was "advised" by a council, but the decision was ultimately his) stamped each graduate and chose their future. Angel or demon. Demon or angel. One man decided if you were good or evil and one man decided whether your life would be spent encouraging good works, or encouraging evil ones and one man decided whether you would bring joy or despair. One man and one man alone.
It must be tempting.
It was expected that every member of the Imperial Family entered the Angelic or Demonic Sevice. It would be a good way to humble your potential heirs, or cast doubt upon the public facade of one or another. You could shame entire families and, and,... cause a war in the process. Also, the system would fall apart if you appointed people who were unsuitable.
The courses they studied, the tests they took, all were designed to find ther aptitudes. The tutors were ultimately trying to find out as much as they could aboutt he personality and capacity of their students. Sometimes, secrets that were buried a little too deeply were revealed during the process.
It was surprising who could be the greatest tempters. Kouyu always found it hard to get someone to do what they really, really wanted to do. At least, to get them to do it for the right reasons. He was great at the theory, but the practical work was hard and he sweated for hours studying. Other people could crack the challenge with a minute and two or three careful words, but Kouyuu would invest solid hours niggling away, until the person he was working on capitulated.
Surprisingly, some of the nicest people were demons. How could you dislike someone who told you to have a piece of cake, as though it wasn't important who the cake belonged to? Those ones were usually assigned to children. The deep, dark insides of adults were too much to expose them too.
There were very few angels for children. Tons of demons, though.
oooOOOooo
'Angels are good aren't they. I thought that you were supposed to aspire to angelity.'
Shuuei took her delicate, little hand in his calloused one and kissed her fingertips. 'Maybe, but being a demon sounds more interesting, doesn't it?'
She giggled at his audicity.
'The muses are technically demons, aren't they?' he pointed out.
'You're right!' she exclaimed. 'I forgot all about that when I was labelled a muse, but they called out "demon" first.' She giggled again and fluttered her eyes. 'You must think me remarkably dense.'
'No, my dear,' he replied solemnly. 'As with everyone, you gave me an awful lot to think about.'
She turned her head to one side and he felt compelled to continue.
'I had a long conversation with General Shou, when it became obvious who was being groomed for angelhood and I asked him to transfer my classes to those of a more demonic bent.'
She frowned. 'I thought that no representations could be made. I thought that everything was decided in an unbiased manner.'
Shuuei nodded. 'But if someone's interested in a job, they work harder at it. I thought that extra study, extra classes and more effort could swing it.'
'Has it?'
'I'll find out later today,' he said with a smile.
oooOOOooo
Kurou was definitely a demon. Only a demon would insinuate himself into a family and usurp the 'loving uncle' role that rightfully belonged to his brother.
The richly dressed man seethed as he raced through the compound. The graduation and assignment ceremony would begin soon. He was late, he was late and it was all Kurou's fault. Kurou was evil. He loved the Kou family, but hated the individual members of it. Reishin was the exact opposite of him, so Reishin must be good.
oooOOOooo
Shouka ambled along the path from the archives. It was a beautiful day and he paused to view the cherry blossoms as they shook themselves free of their branches and drifted on the wind. It was unreal that his little girl had come so far and that soon she would be an adult and no longer need protecting. Perhaps a new role was required.
The wind blew more strongly and teased the few strands of hair that had escaped from his loose ponty tail. Maybe not right away. Shuurei was still precious, even if her duties took her far away. She would need a home and stability for her first adult years.
Still, he could at least surprise Kurou.
oooOOOooo
The Emperor nodded from his throne as Shou Taishi stepped forward and started calling out names. The majority of the cadets would become personal demons and angels, some would take on duties in the Imperial Palace and others would form the backbone of the regional authority.
'Li Kouyuu!'
Kouyuu held his breath. His hands sweated and he desperately tried to worry them dry. If it was a good position, then the Emperor himself would hand Kouyuu his scroll and take his hand and Kouyuu couldn't offer a damp hand to the Emperor. He just couldn't.
'Angel.'
Kouyuu's knees buckled in relief. He just about managed to stagger to his feet and head to the dais..
'Personal appointment to the Emperor.'
Inertia kept him going. In the crowd he could see his father snap open a fan and gossip with the Department Head beside him. Did he expect this? Did anyone?
The Emperor smiled widely when he presented Kouyuu with his scroll and pinned a tiny pair of angel wings on his chest. Sa Taishi guided him to a spot beside the Emperor and pushed him onto a stool, when his legs appeared to stop working.
'Ran Shuuei.'
As always, that man was never far away. Still, he could not hope to achieve the honor that had been granted to Kouyuu. Yes, even if he was assigned to the Palace, Kouyuu would have many moments of Shuuei-free bliss.
'Demon.'
Kouyuu hissed. He'd managed to clamp down on the exuberant "I knew it!" that threatened to break free and still thumped at the back of his skull.
Shuuei stood far more gracefully than Kouyuu had and began to walk down the aisle, towards the dais.
'Personal appointment to the Emperor.'
oooOOOooo
Of course, Shuurei realised as she knealt with the other cadets awaiting their assignments, it didn't really matter which side you were assigned to. Both angels and demons could have a great and wonderful affect on the people of Saiunkoku, as long as they worked hard and made sure that those around them reached their potential.
She wondered, just before her name was called, if the greatest effect of the demon wasn't on the angel beside him.