Disclaimer: Okay...yeah, pretty sure we've gone over this before...Yeah, we have, folks. I no own. I gain no profit (except possible ways to improve my writing). Otherwise, no profit.
A/N: Okay, by this time we should know what characters I own. However, in this chapter, I add yet again, two new Shape-shifters of darkness. These two are Shadow, who was briefly mentioned last chapter, and Hikari, leader of the Shape-shifters of Darkness. Since this is before I type the chapter, I am not sure if Jin, Touya, Neko or even Kaze are in this. However, it does explain certain...abilities of the Shape-shifters and what happened to them before. Any how...hope you enjoy!
CHAPTER TEN: THE SHAPE-SHIFTER HIKARI AND HER SHADOW
"Koenma, sir? I have the information you requested." Botan said seriously, walking in with a thick packet of papers. Spirit World's prince sat on his desk chair, stamping away as usual. He stopped, looking up at the ferry girl. Her eyes glinted with burning questions, and her mouth was set in a frown. Which was not like Botan.
"Good. What did you find?" he asked. A trickle of sweat rolled down his face, hinting at his own discomfort.
"It's even worse than we thought." the blue-haired girl stated, motioning to the dimension mirror. Its screen had been black moments before, but now a very vivid, colorful image appeared. A very...interesting image.
On one side, two figures were embraced by chains against a dead oak tree and another figure crouched in a nearby bush. One was clearly dead; an arrow deeply embedded into her heart and blood splattering the snowy ground the trio of black, blue, and silver blood. Silver hair streamed from her head, and elf ears poked through the mass of silver. Wings the same hue were folded tightly against her, while a whip-like tail remained limp upon the dirt and snow. The black, shredded outfit contrasted with the ground as fire does water, and a Celtic cross rested on her chest. With chilling realization, both Botan and Koenma noted it was supposed to be Kaze in her demonic form.
The other chained figure, however, made the scene even colder. It was another girl; one with blue cat ears and tail. Her head hung low with her long, shimmering blue hair, while her white dress was stained red; much like the snow about her. The third figure, hidden in the bush, gazed up at this girl, his eyes shining like ice. A soundless scream seemed as though it would escape from his mouth, and with Touya that was a pretty damn hard thing to do. Yet there it was, portrayed on a screen.
On the other side, shrouded in deep black, were two more figures. Unlike the two girls on the other side of the image, these two were not chained or bound. Nor were they dead.
Surrounded by a glowing white light, one girl wore the distinct dress of a miko (priestess). Long, raven-black hair fell softly past her shoulders, trailing along her back. She was facing another figure, a black arrow and bow in hand. The smoky, blue eyes pierced through the darkness to the second figure.
The other girl was garbed in a midnight-black kimono, which made it hard to tell how long her equally black hair was. A deep purple aura consumed her outline, revealing a skeletal body similar to Kaze's. Her slate eyes glared at the miko, and a katana rested firmly in her own grasp.
Yet what devastated the two was what rested in the middle. Even after seeing Kaze and Neko dead and chained to a tree, and the glares of two other Shape-shifters of Darkness, they were not prepared for what resided in the middle of the image.
Illuminated by the pale, silvery light of the hazed moon, several bodies were involved in something more revolting than cannibalism. Dressed in a flowing white gown and beautiful white roses stood the only Shape-shifter of darkness permitted to be in Human World. King Enma himself had declared her a peaceful and fairly harmless demoness. But she didn't look it.
The girl stood in front of a demon anyone attending the Dark Tournament wanted dead; Risho. He wore slick black pants, but in the image had no shirt covering his sickly, pale skin. Instead of soft cloth, he wore a mixture of black, blue and silver liquid that streamed off his body in tiny trails. Both the girl and Risho wore matching rings on a certain hand...
"That is so gross!" exclaimed Botan, tears pouring out of her watery orbs. Koenma nodded, grabbing his cup of water in front of him and gulping it down. They both turned their attention back on the image.
Beside the bride and "groom" was a tall tree, from which an infant hung with it's neck snapped in two. Leaning against the tree's trunk, a certain moonlight warrior lay, staring at the dead child with equally dead and vacant eyes. Kanaria stood in the shadows of the giant plant, passionately sharing a very intimate kiss with a redhead from Ireland. Her hands circled about his waist, she was pulled tightly against him. Beneath the wind master and earth sprite, scrolled in neat, blood-red letters, were the words: "Aid who you will, but know...blood soon will cover the land."
Botan, upon reading the words, fell to her knees crying. Koenma swung around his desk, wrapping his arms about her for support and comfort. He himself was sickened. Yet there was nothing they could do about the image, except rid the screen of it. But even then it was burned into their minds, and thoughts kept it there. Finally, after Botan had quieted enough, Koenma decided; it was time to unveil the Shape-shifters of Darkness.
"Botan, do you hear me well now?" he asked the girl, who hastily nodded and wiped her tears off her face.
"Good." the prince continued, tilting her face up towards his and looking her straight in the eyes, "Now Botan, I need you to answer me as best you can. Where did you find that image?"
"I-I found it in t-the records, K-koenma s-sir. I looked up Shape-shifters of D-darkness, and it was in a b-book." the ferry girl blubbered, still trying to control her sobs.
"Okay, okay. Can you remember what book?" to this the prince received a distinct "no" as the girl shook her head.
"All right...What else did you find?" he asked calmly. The girl took a deep breath, again ridding her eyes of troublesome tears.
"There was a-a prophecy...It st-stated that Kaze was going to d-die in front of Jin..." Botan sniffled. "And there was a t-text that explained how...But pages were missing...So all I found was a prophecy."
"Hmm...The Prochecy of Life and Death..." Koenma muttered, causing Botan to gasp.
"The Prophecy of Life and Death? What is that?" she inquired, struggling to stop her own emotions from taking her down.
"Well, it's actually very complicated." Koenma began. "You see, there has always been a Shape-shifter of Darkness that controlled at least one wind. The reason for this is because, although sunlight and the heating and cooling of the earth create wind, wind controls the weather. Without wind, dust wouldn't be picked up to form clouds, which carry rain. And water means life."
"Then how is wind placed into this prophecy of life and death?" the ferry girl interjected.
"Oxygen is in the air, which many things need to survive. Wind is moving air. It carries water in clouds and oxygen we breathe. That is life. But wind has a darker side too. Destructive storms such as tornadoes and hurricanes claim lives left and right. It demolishes buildings which often have people inside. It both gives and takes lives. So at least one Shape-shifter of Darkness controls wind." Koenma continued.
"Oh, but then why are the other Shape-shifters hoping to cause conflict with Kaze?" Botan questioned. Koenma sighed.
"Because this time, there are two wind users from the Shape-shifters' clan. Kaze, the arctic wind of darkness, and Atatakaitenki, the warm wind of light. So long as one lives, weather is not effected." he replied.
"But why take Kaze out? Wouldn't two wind users be a good thing for them?" the girl asked.
"Kaze is too rebellious and will not do as the others say. She merely wants to stay out of world affairs. Not only that, but Kaze and Atatakaitenki are twin sisters. That makes it hard to decide which one ensures that there is a next generation of wind Shape-shifters. It usually goes to the eldest. However, even though Kaze was born 27 minutes earlier, Atatakaitenki is probably their best choice for raising healthy children. She isn't so cold." Koenma responded.
"Then why haven't they taken her out yet? There are many Shape-shifters this generation. Surely ten other Shape-shifters would be enough to take Kaze down." Botan replied, pacing about the room as she pondered nervously.
"One would think. But you have to remember, Kaze is a cold wind. She can heal, and even bring the dead back to life. But her greatest power lies in death." Koenma explained, "If she takes the life from something while it breathes, she can regain energy. Therefore, the other Shape-shifters have to find a way to kill her without getting in Kaze's attack range. And it is a large attack range."
"What do you mean?" asked a very confused ferry girl. Koenma sighed.
"Unlike the earth and sea realms, the sky realm is endless. And because wind controls weather, anyone that wields the winds can actually wield any other elements, at least to a certain degree. For example, do you remember the hurricanes last year? How they were all very strong and devastated many coastal areas? Part of that was the winds that Kaze emitted. Her range is so vast, and her element so close with her, they affect anything storm-related. The winds in most of those storms were very close to 327 miles per hour! A new record. All from one stressed Shape-shifter of Darkness." he informed her. Botan then had yet another question.
"Stressed? I know she has issues, but what do you mean by stressed? By what?" she questioned.
"The leader, Hikari, has finally broken out of the Demon Slave Trade. That means the others will soon attack. She has failed to aid the leader, and will be punished for it. Other demons will be rewarded highly for returning her to the Slave Trade. Add our two Shinobi masters and a love-struck Neko into the mix as well as two ex-shinobi, and then you wonder why she's always so gaurded. She doesn't have much to hang on to, and she has little to lose in her mind. But her life is big. The prophecy says she will die, but that doesn't mean she will." the prince continued.
"What does that mean?" Koenma nearly face-faulted at the question.
"It means, Botan, that wind is a funny element. It can grow until you think it can't grow any more, and it can fade away and "die" away. But then it comes back just as strong." he finished, after calmly regaining composure.
"How true, young prince. How true." came a cold voice from the shadows, making the two engrossed in conversation jump in surprise. Instantly, Koenma began turning a bright shade of red.
"How DARE you come back here!" Koenma roared. A dark, slender figure swiftly appeared next to him.
Although the girl stood in the dark shadows beside Koenma, Botan could make out every detail. Long black hair and an equally midnight-black kimono, katana, and slate eyes greeted the ferry girl's gaze coldly, sending a spine-chilling wave of fear swiftly crawling down her back. The skeletal frame looked much the same as the image Botan had only just seen minutes before, but this time there was something different. Very different.
Despite the girl's appearance, there was no doubt she was pregnant. A slight bulge on the girl's abdomen proved it, as well as a slightly defensive posture.
"Shadow, hush. You have already tested my patience by getting with child. You know bodily pleasures lead to such foolishness." came an even colder voice, before a second female stepped forth, directly into the light. Smoky blue eyes shone in the lit portion of the room, reminding Botan of an even more foreboding figure from the picture. However, Koenma's reaction changed in a heartbeat, turning from angered red to paper white in seconds.
"H-hikari? But...What do you want here?" the prince stuttered, backing away slightly.
"Isn't it obvious? You hold direct power to the lives of thousands. I believe you already know our target. Yes? How could you not? She's the little traitor that sold us out. If it weren't for her, you and I would have been wed long ago. But she was jealous, the little bitch. Jealous that she couldn't love until it was decided if she would bear children." the girl said, stepping closer with every step Koenma took to get away.
"Y-you lie! It was forbidden that any of you even look at men, much less try to marry!! She tried to protect you! But you still persisted, and for it you were cast into the Slave Trade!" the male exclaimed, now backed against a wall. The woman stopped where his words caught up with her.
"Koenma...Sweetheart...DIE!!!!!!!!!!" Hikari yelled, instantly drawing a black bow and arrow from her cloak and firing one into his chest.
A/N: Yeah, yeah, not the best...but I thought it would be nice to clear some of that up. So yeah. Reviews welcome (and yes, Araine, I am working on my plots. Sheesh...Cut me some slack will you? These ideas aren't written down anywhere most aren't anyways so I need time to figure out how things fit together. If anyone noticed, I update at random intervals, though scattered. I finish a chapter and instantly start to work on the next. So taking into consideration, I have a younger disabled brother to look after, arguing parents, arguments with "friends", and lots of in-my-head planning. (I don't want my parents to find some of the planning...) And, just a heads up, I plan on doing Neko and Touya next chapter, then Botan, Neko, Touya in chapter 12, then go to Jin and Kaze again...But I need at least 3 reviewers to respond to a question: What the hell do we want to happen between Touya/Neko and Jin/Kaze? Need to know more? E-mail please. I have some ideas, but this is for readers too. What do you want to see happen? And bonus question: Anyone know who Jin saw in chapter nine before he collapsed? I need reviews for my questions!! This fic is for readers!!!