Sorry for the long wait, everybody!! I finally got inspired to write this chapter. Don't know how, but I'm not sure that matters. Anywhatzit, this chapter doesn't have much of Kori in it, but it explains some stuff that I wanna put in in the future. So read it, then review it and tell me what you think.

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH, Kori or the name of the elders, though I own the elders themselves. I do own Syd, Tarro, this story and the word "anywhatzit."

Chapter 4

Syd stared blankly at the elders. They were staring at her expectantly. What kind of reaction did they expect from her? She thought for a minute. Then she asked, "Do you know what will happen if she dies?"

The female elder, whom I have decided to name Eimelle with the help of a friend, snorted. "What could possily happen? That abomination should never have existed!" she declared. The other two elders nodded in agreement.

Syd resisted the urge to punch the elder as hard as she could. She didn't have a death wish at the moment. "I don't suppose you've heard the prophecy, Lady Eimelle? Lords Kaze and Irius?"

When all three of the elders shook their heads, she continued. "In an apparently long forgotten time, the hellfire demons and the angels had a tentative friendship. Then one day, a prophecy was made by the hellfire demons that broke the two races apart. The angels, who had never beleived in mating with the hellfire demons, found the prophecy absolutely absurd, but parts of it turned out to be true." She stopped for a second, trying to remember the exact wording of the prediction.

Then she recounted, "'One day, there will be a demon of both angel and hellfire heritage. The angels will shun and eventually banish this child that will be left with them and holds the fate of Makia in her being. If she is destroyed, the angels will cease to exist within 10 days. Without the angels to balance them, the hellfire demons will destroy all of Makai.'" (Not the best prophecy, but it works.) She looked at each of the elders in turn. Two of the three looked ready to laugh. Syd allowed a small scowl to form on her face. "I should've expexted this reaction."

That was when Eimelle and Kaze, the black-eyed elder, burst out laughing. When he was calm enough, Kaze said, "You actually believe that? That is the most absurd thing you have ever said, Sydney." Syd's scowl deepened at the use of her full name.

"The angels and hellfire demons have never had any sort of friendship," added Eimelle.

Irius, the eldest elder, silenced them both with a look. "Stranger things have happened," he said softly, his piercing gaze directed at Syd. Kaze and Eimelle stared at him incredulously. Syd looked at him, hardly daring to hope that he believed the story. "I believe that she believes the story she has just told us. Personally, I believe that the two races she spoke of were once friends, tentatively, of course, but friends nonetheless. Something broke them apart; I do not believe it was a prophecy, for I do not believe in them."

Silence followed his announcement. Syd occupied herself with visions of beating the old man senseless. How dare he get her hopes up! If only she were allowed to hit any one of the elders...

Eimelle broke the silence. "Then what broke them apart?" She asked the question out of a mix of curiousity and resentment. She resented the idea of the enemy races having ever been of friendly terms, but she was curious all the same about Irius's belief.

Irius shrugged. "The hellfire demons and the angels are known to have some vastly different beliefs," he answered. "It could have been that, but no one can truly be sure." He turned his attention back to Syd. "You, child, are the only known angel to believe in a hellfire prophecy. I cannot, however, accept that as a reason for you not to accept your punishment. Beliefs--"

Syd cut the man off. "Should not be stated in the court house when one is unwilling to accept their punishment. I know and you can skip the lecture." She decided to drop any attempt at being respectful. After all, being respectful just wasn't her thing. The elders looked shocked at her disrespect.

Each launched into a different lecture, none of which recieved any attention. When they had finished, Irius announced, "You will accept and complete your punishment or be declared banished from this village." His tone left no room for arguement.

Syd nodded stiffly then turned on her heel, storming from the court house. She walked from the middle of the village she no longer called home to the edge of it to her house. She grumbled to herself all the while. Once inside, she collected everything she valued or needed and placed them in a sack.

Satisfied, she left the village, never planning to return.

Genkai's Temple. Kori's Room

Kori rolled onto her side in her sleep. She hated it when Syd wasn't around to talk to, because then she was haunted by nightmares of her past. Having been shunned and beaten by the hellfire demons, and shunned by all the angels, with the exeption of Syd, she wasn't pleased with the idea of watching every painful moment of her past.

She never could pull herself out of her nightmares without help. That was what pissed her off the most: the feeling of helplessness. It only existed while she was asleep, but the fact that it existed at all gave her a feeling of shame that refused to go away.

Then her mind went black. Slowly an image started to form. A figure appeared even more slowly. When it spoke, the ethereal vision of Syd was fully formed.

I'm not gonna be here long, because I'm not tired, but I felt you should know something.

And that would be...?

I am now officially banished from the village.

Why?

I decided that I'd rather not have to kill you to regain my former rank. Didn't really see the point of killing a friend for something that stupid.

At least you have a place in the world.

Kori, you do have a place in the world. You just haven't found it yet. You will one day.

If you say so.

Sigh. Gotta run. You should probably wake up now.

Yeah...

The next thing Kori saw was the ceiling of her room at Genkai's temple. She sat up slowly and looked around, half forgetting where she was and why. When she remembered what she wanted to know, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and ran a hand through her waist-length hair then fixing her bangs so they covered her red eye.

She walked out of her room to find Kurama standing there, looking like he was about to knock. They both blinked. "What do you want?" Kori asked. She knew she sounded rude, but she didn't care. She didn't want to be there, after all, so it wasn't like she wanted them to like her.

"Are you hungry?" Kurama asked, completely ignoring her rudeness. "Dinner is ready." Kori shook her head, only to be betrayed by the growling of her stomach. Kurama smiled and gestured for her to follow him.

Grumbling to herself, she followed, cursing her traitorous stomach all the way.