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The Council of Thirteen
Book Fourteen: Invasion
Chapter 4: Peace
Beta:
In the aftermath of the successful defense against the invasion by the Sapphic Circle, the Council of Thirteen gathered in a hastily set up conference room in the base camp set up for the defense. Even Omer who had sat out the defense entirely had joined them around the simple set of folding tables that had been set up for them.
"Alright, Twelfth, we are all here." Sakura said as she shot the ancient man's projection with a glare. "Now, explain what you did?"
"I saved us all by invoking the Moderators to mediate our conflict with the Circle."
"And why would a faction of Outsiders care? Much less side with us against another faction of their own?" Dom asked, shooting the Twelfth a suspicious glare.
"Why, that's simple. We are a Outsider. Hence, the Moderators stepping in is entirely logical."
"We are a Outsider!? What are you talking about?" Rose Iris shouted, her dual voice drowning out everyone else's shocked muttering.
"Yes," the Twelfth nodded. "We are a collective Outsider. I'm sure some of you have noticed that the magic that empowers us as members of the Council is tied more deeply than to the Earth? That it connects us to the very fabric of the universe itself?"
With the exception of Omer, the remainder of the Council exchanged looks of shock. Yes, everyone of them had upon their ascension to their rank quickly realised they were tied to the power of their universe but for that to mean it made them an Outsider? That was something that Sakura had never even considered and if her fellows' reaction was anything to go by, neither had they. After all, Outsiders were individuals weren't they? Was it even possible to have a collective Outsider!?
Exploiting the shock and confusion that had surrounded the other members of the Council, the Twelfth continued his explanation.
"It was our nature as an Outsider that allowed me to invoke the Moderators, the adjudicators of Outsiderkind who ensure the rules and etiquette of their kind are followed." The Twelfth said with a serious tone. "Unfortunately, I could not do so until we actually defeated the Sapphic Circle and they actually crossed the line by threatening to first continue the fight and worse to destroy our world."
"Well, that explains your timing." Helena said with a bitter laugh.
The Twelfth nodded before continuing once more.
"The whole invasion by the Sapphic Circle had never been aimed at conquest. Instead, they sought to extend their influence over our world and thus reshape the membership of the Council of Thirteen by filling it with lesbians so that in the end it would become a new member of their clique."
"That was their motive?" Bella asked incredulously. "Wait! Does that mean that our relationships-"
"Were manipulated by the Circle? Yes." The Twelfth said apologetically. "However, that does not make them any less real."
"True," Yuki said, looking up at the roof of the tent where they had gathered tiredly. "Though I am surprised that a celibate like you would be wise enough to say that."
"I was not always celibate." The Twelfth reminded them. "And I am ancient. I have seen enough to be wise."
"Fair enough." Eriol said with a sigh. "But let's not second guess our love lives and focus on the matter at hand."
This was met by nods from everyone, some more reluctant than others.
"Twelfth, please continue." Legion continued from his latest avatar, a generic looking android, as everyone turned to look at the ancient.
The Twelfth nodded before speaking once more.
"That said, the Circle mainly saw the whole affair as a game as they emphasized repeatedly in the final battle. That was probably in part to cover themselves should the Moderators choose to make an issue of things."
"And you were aware of all of this?" Sakura asked, glaring at the Twelfth.
"Most of it, yes."
"Then why did you not tell us?"
"To be honest, I was only able to truly divine the true nature of our magic during the battle to drive out the Sapphic Circle myself. Only then did the magic of the Council inform me of the fact that we are an Outsider."
"Uh, apologies, Twelfth-sama, but aren't you the arbiter of the magic?" Yumi asked, blinking in confusion.
"I am," the Twelfth nodded. "However, just because I am its arbiter does not mean that I understand every aspect of its nature. Especially, as it has evolved over time. In truth, I was honestly surprised when the magic reached out to me at first with this information."
"Are you surprised by this?" Omer said with a chuckle. "We've always known that the magic of the Council is its own thing. Considering how powerful and old it is, it is no surprise that it would have developed some degree of sentience if it didn't have such from the onset. Most ancient magic does so to some extent or the other."
"You have no right to call us out on anything, Omer." Dom said with a glare at the lich knight. "Not after abandoning us when we went to fight the Sapphic Circle."
"You handled it without me, didn't you?" He replied with a shrug. "You clearly didn't need me."
This earned him a room full of glares but the undead Frenchman was unfazed.
"I understand the anger at Omer for what he did, or in this case failed to do," Twelfth said, cutting into the tense silence. "However, he is still one of our peers and we should not become divided. That said, that does not mean that you can't be angry with him especially since he deserves it."
Omer rolled his eyes at the reprimand but otherwise did not reply, earning him another round of glares.
The tense silence returned and was cut into by Tomoyo coughing politely.
"We can all pile on Omer later." Tomoyo said once she had the floor. "Right now, we need to focus on mopping up the aftermath of the battle. So let's save the hate and get down to work."
This was met with affirmatives from everyone and one by one the various Lords left the tent to play their part in the mop up. Sakura waited till everyone had left but herself, Tomoyo and the Twelfth before addressing the ancient.
"Never keep the truth or your suspicions for that matter from us again, Twelfth." Sakura warned the old man. "We are your colleagues, your peers. Treat us like it."
"That was always my intention." The Twelfth said with a nod. "I shall endeavour harder to do so going forward."
"See that you do." Tomoyo said sternly.
With that one last warning, Sakura and Tomoyo turned to leave. Hopefully, the Twelfth would keep his word. If not… Well, they'd just have to take precautions in case he did not, wouldn't they?
"So Twelfth, have the other Lords settled down?" Géraldine asked her guest as she poured the projection of the ancient a cup of coffee as they sat at the patio table in the gardens of the chateau that served as her and her husband's home.
"Has Omer not kept you informed about it?"
"Of course, I have." Omer said defensively. "My wife just wants to hear your opinion on the matter as the target of their ire."
"I do believe you were subject to a fair share of it as well, Omer."
"Ah, but that's not what I am asking about." Géraldine said with a chuckle at the two Lords' friendly bickering. "I'm asking about the matter of your friction with the other Lords, not my Omer's."
"I see." The ancient said with a nod and took a sip of his coffee before properly replying. "They have mostly calmed down, but I will continue to give them space for now. They are still quite cross with me. I imagine they will be for years to come. A month is far too soon for their ire to fully cool."
"Pretty much the same situation as me then." Omer observed with no small amount of amusement.
"Indeed," Géraldine observed even as she gently slapped her husband on his shoulder to tell him to curb his teasing. "We need to wait for the other Lords to come around. Thankfully, patience and time is something that you and my husband have plenty of."
"Agreed." The Twelfth said with a nod. "Though we need to also learn to trust our fellows more going forward."
Omer rolled his eyes but Géraldine shot him a warning glare and he sighed and he reluctantly nodded with the Twelfth's statement.
"But enough talk about such serious topics." The Twelfth siad with a smile. "Let us speak of lighter topics for now."
"Yes, let's." Géraldine agreed with a smile and Omer nodded as he obediently followed her lead.
Six weeks after repelling the Sapphic Circle's invasion, Yumi found herself sitting in a limousine provided to her by the Imperial Palace as it drove her to school after the last of the meetings convened to handle the aftermath of the battle. At least the last of said meetings where her presence was required for the moment.
Thanks to the meetings, she'd been away from school for weeks, longer than she'd imagined. There were just so many things to handle, especially to maintain the masquerade in the wake of such a massive magical battle in the digital age. Legion had helped immensely in scrubbing the internet of footage of the battle, but they couldn't just do that to the numerous international powers who had acquired such. All of whom had to be convinced of the need to keep quiet on the evidence that they'd just gained.
As the Imperial Court Magician and with the battle having taken place in Japan, Yumi had unfortunately had to take the lead on the matter. There would be plenty more work ahead, of course, but for now things had eased enough that she could at least return to school.
"Fukuzawa-sama, we've arrived." The driver said over the intercom, pulling Yumi out of her thoughts, as the car came to a stop.
A quick glance out of the limo's windows revealed that he was right. They had just pulled up to the gates of Lilian.
"Thank you." Yumi said, offering the man a smile even though he probably couldn't see her and moved to open the door.
Sadly, she was a little too slow and the door swung door moments before she could wrap her hands around the handle. Pouting at that, she stepped out of the opened door and offered the driver who had opened it for her with a thankful nod.
She was greeted with a cacophony of shocked whispers as her schoolmates gossiped about her arriving in such style. She probably should have let the driver drop her off a little distance from the school and walked the remaining distance to avoid all the gossip that would now inevitably surround her for the next few weeks at least, but the meeting that she had come from had overrun - It had lasted the whole night! - and she was tired so she hadn't bothered.
"Onee-sama!" Touko-chan said, her happy, welcoming voice cutting through the noise as she led the rest of the Yamayurikai as they pushed through the crowd towards Yumi.
"Touko, everyone, gokigenyou!" Yumi greeted, just barely suppressing the yawn that threatened to escape her lips as she opened them to speak.
"Gokigenyou Onee-sama!" Touko-chan said, returning the greeting as she finally finished pushing her way through the crowd. "Are you okay? You look exhausted."
"I'm fine." Yumi reassured, doing her best to hide how tired she was. "The meetings at the Palace just overran a little."
"Gokigenyou Yumi." Onee-sama said as she joined Touko. "You should've skipped school today, Yumi. Touko is correct, you look very tired. You should go home and get some sleep."
"His Majesty suggested that Yumi-sama do so," the limo driver said, cutting into the conversation. "But Yumi-sama insisted that she needed to attend lessons today."
"I've already missed weeks of lessons, I can't afford to skip mo-"
"Nonsense," Yoshino-san said, interrupting her as she and Rei-sama joined them, speaking over her cousin and grande sœur's greeting. "Driver-san, can you drive Yumi home?"
"Gokigenyou Yumi-san." Shimako-san and Noriko-san said as they too arrived.
"And Touko-san," Shimako-san continued. "Would you be willing to accompany Yumi-san home and make sure she gets some sleep?"
"Yes, Touko. Would you?" Onee-sama asked with a stern look at her cousin that made it clear she was not making a request.
"Of course," Yumi's girlfriend said with a smile as she began gently pushing Yumi back into the limousine.
"But the teachers, my classes." Yumi tried as she allowed herself to be shoved back into the vehicle.
"We'll speak to your teachers, Yumi-san." Rei-sama assured her. "And make sure to get your classmates to provide you notes for your lessons. I'm sure that's more than enough for you to keep up with your lessons. Touko-chan as well."
"I'm not escaping from this, am I?" Yumi said with a sigh as she obediently took her seat in the limousine.
"No, you will not." Noriko-san said with a smile. "Go home and get some rest, Yumi-sama."
"I'll make sure that she does." Touko-chan assured as she took a seat next to Yumi.
Yumi shook her head in fond exasperation at her friends' bossy concern.
"Fine." Yumi said, finally conceding. "Thank you everyone."
"You are welcome, Yumi." Onee-sama said with a smile. "Rest well."
Yumi smiled back and appreciated the view of her friends all looking at her with concern. It was for this. For her friends that made everything she'd gone through recently worth it. To protect moments like this.
"I will." Yumi reassured them and offered them a wave as her friends waved back before allowing the driver to close the car door.
Once it was closed, she all but collapsed into Touko-chan's side who carefully maneuvered her so her head rested on her lap.
"Sleep well, Yumi-chan." Her girlfriend said, patting her head comfortingly. "I've got you."
"Thank you, Touko-chan." Yumi said as she let her exhaustion claim her and she dozed off, even as the limousine once more drove off. This time towards her home.
"Suppi, give that back!" Sakura heard Kero-chan shout as he chased Eriol's sugar intoxicated Guardian, Spinel Sun, as he flew away with an entire cake that he was supposed to be sharing with her own Guardian.
"No, this, hick, cake, is all~ mine!" The inebriated Spinel said as he flew off at impressive speed considering he had a cake balanced on his head and with Kero-chan in hot pursuit.
"Go, go Suppi~!" Nakuru-san, the human guise of Eriol's other Guardian Ruby Moon, cheered as she tucked into her own sugary treat as the two feline Guardians disguised as plush toys flew through the french doors of the sunroom of the Hiiragizawa Manor in London and out into the gardens.
"Should we do something?" Sakura asked, just slightly concerned. Whilst she knew full well that Spinel-san got like this whenever he had even a little sugar, it was still disconcerting to see him behave in such an out of character way. He was usually so reserved…
"It's fine, Sakura-chan." Kaho-san said with a smile as she topped up Sakura's tea. "Here have more tea."
"If you're sure," the First Lord allowed uncertainly.
"Spinel is fine, Sakura." Eriol reassured her. "He might be too embarrassed to admit this but he is using his sugar high to unwind. Something I'm sure all of us should be doing as well."
"Most definitely," Tomoyo agreed as she put a scone onto Sakura's plate. "So stop worrying and just relax."
Sakura looked around at her present company and was met by a sea of reassuring faces.
"Alright," she said with a sigh. "I'll try."
Tomoyo rolled her eyes at her but the others smiled, and Sakura took that as a win.
"So now that it seems our little war with the Sapphic Circle is over, do you two have any plans Eriol, Kaho-san?"
"Not particularly," Kaho-san said with a shake of her head as her husband took a sip from his tea. "It's not like we put our lives on hold whilst the Circle was playing their little game with us. Did the two of you?"
"No," Tomoyo answered for them as Sakura shook her head. "But it is a relief that it is over."
"Indeed," Eriol agreed. "It relieves the lingering worry of what the Circle might do next from our minds and makes it easier to enjoy tranquil moments like this."
"Yeah." Sakura said this time as Tomoyo nodded.
"Then let us make the best of it, shall we?" Kaho-san suggested.
Sakura was about to agree when Kero-chan let out a pained cry and they all turned to see him weeping over a ruined cake. It seemed that at some point in their little chase, Spinel Sun had dropped the cake. How that happened probably had something to do with Nakuru-san if Spinel-san's glare her way was any clue.
"Eriol-sama~! Save me!" The brown haired woman shouted as both feline Guardians turned their fury over their lost sugary treat upon her.
"No, I think I'll let Cerberus and Spinel punish you a little first." Eriol responded with an amused grin, causing Nakuru-san to look crestfallen for a moment before she became too busy dodging the fireballs and energy beams Kero-chan and Spinel-san were shooting her way to make faces.
All the while, Sakura, Tomoyo, Eriol and Kaho-san looked on in amusement at the Guardians' antics.
"And here we are girls," Helena said with a smile towards Bella and Jane as her shadows receded and the three of them found themselves standing in front of the couple's house in Forks, Washington. "Right on your doorstep as promised."
"Thank you so much for the lift, Helena." Bella said politely. "It saved us a plane ride."
"I honestly don't know why you couldn't teleport us home, Bella." Jane asked as she went over to press their doorbell for some reason that was lost on the Nosferatu.
Bella blushed in embarrassment even as she replied. "I am terrible at long distance teleports. Anything over a hundred miles and I'm liable to get us lost. It's something I'm still working on."
"Really?" Jane asked as the doorbell rang and through her superhuman vampiric hearing Helena could hear the sound of someone - A housesitter perhaps? - fumbling around inside the house as if in surprise. "Is that why you always 'port all over the West Coast whenever you go training? To practice?"
"Pretty mu-"
Bella's response was cut short by the door to her home being slammed open by a mustached man with curly brown hair in disheveled clothes.
"Bella! Jane!" The man, who Helena belatedly realised was Bella's father Charlie, greeted as he pulled the Ninth Lord and her mate into a hug. "Thank God that the two of you are safe and home."
Helena smiled at the sight and not wanting to intrude in what was clearly a private moment, silently took a step back and slipped into the shadows to teleport home. It was nice to see that Bella had someone to welcome her home like that. Heartwarming even. Now if only she could expect something like that to-
"Welcome home Lady Helena!" An enthusiastic chorus shouted as Helena stepped out of the shadows and into the entrance hall of her manor house in New York City, leaving her blinking in shock at her gathered staff and retainers, Human and Midian alike.
Overcoming her shock with the supernatural swiftness that came with her nature as a Nosferatu, she smiled at her well wishers.
"It's good to be home." Helena said and perhaps for the first time actually meant it.
"I'm exhausted." Yuki whined as she pulled off her dress and clad in only her underwear, she threw herself onto her comfortable bed in her bedroom in the townhouse in Sapporo she shared with her fiancée .
"That doesn't mean you shouldn't get dressed for bed." The ever attentive Yori chided as she finished undressing and slipping into a nightgown. "Do you want me to help you?"
"Yes, please." Yuki said as childishly as she could manage.
Yori rolled her eyes but obliged even though she was just as tired as Yuki was from yet another day of touring the hospitals where the injured from the battle against the Sapphic Circle were receiving treatment.
"You can be so needy sometimes, you know that, Yuki-sama?" Yori asked with an amused quirk of her lips as she unhooked Yumi's bra.
"I know," Yumi agreed as she lifted her arms to allow Yori to slip the undergarment off. "But you love me anyways."
"Yes, I do." Yori agreed as she walked over to the laundry basket near their ensuite bathroom, picking up Yuki's discarded dress along the way, and putting both into it. "But honestly, Yumi-sama, what would you do without me?"
"Honestly, I wouldn't know." Yuki confessed as she stood up and allowed Yori to help her into a nightgown of her own. "And I don't want to find out."
"That's sweet Yuki-sama," Yori said with a smile and a slight blush that showed just how much she appreciated the truthful admission. "But if you think that's going to lead somewhere… I'm sorry but not tonight. I'm exhausted."
"I know." Yuki replied, just slightly disappointed. She wasn't lying when she said she was tired earlier. "Let's just sleep."
Yori just nodded and pulled the sheets of their bed aside in invitation. Yuki gladly accepted and slipped under them, followed shortly afterwards by Yori herself before her mate pulled them over them both even as under them, Yuki cuddled into her side.
"I love you." Yuki told her fiancée as she allowed the warm embrace of both the comforter and her lover to begin to lull her to sleep.
"I love you too, Yuki-sama." Yori replied with a peck to Yuki's lips.
Yuki was tempted to return it with one of her own but as Yori followed it up by pulling her close, she let the matter slide. She was sleepy and Yori's arms around her were super comfortable! She could kiss Yori back in the morning. In the meantime, she just wrapped her own arms around her lover and let Morpheus claim her for the night.
"Ri, you ready to go?" Dante asked from the front step of one of his family's Milanese safehouses that he and his girlfriend were making use during their stay in the city as part of their vacation after the final battle against the Sapphic Circle. It was their first night in town and they'd decided to go out on a date to celebrate the occasion.
"Yup." Ri said as she stepped out of the house in an outfit that had Dante's jaw dropping.
And who would blame him? Ri looked incredibly hot in the black braid texture knit fabric crop top with a crisscross front design, dropped shoulders, a ribbed back and long sleeves and matching black leather mini skirt that she was sporting. Just the hint of her well muscled midsection offered by her top just adding a little mystery and sexiness to make her even more absolutely stunning.
"Judging by your reaction, I look good?" Rose asked with a smirk.
Dante could just dumbly nod.
"Why thank you, Dante." Iris said smugly. "You don't look half bad either."
Looking down at his simple shirt and jeans, Dante could only look back at her incredulously. They weren't shabby by any stretch of the imagination, they were just... Normal. Painfully so. Especially in comparison to Ri's outfit. Though in his admittedly very biased opinion, that had more to do with the girl wearing it than the clothes themselves.
"You make it work." Iris said with a shrug.
"If you say so…"
"I do," Rose said with a giggle. "Now stop gawking at me and take me out on the night on the town like you promised."
Dante nodded and took a moment to collect his wits before turning around to offer Ri his arm, which she happily wrapped her own around without hesitation.
"As my princess commands." He said with all the charm he could muster as he led her off towards the sports car that they'd be driving for the night. "Our night of entertainment awaits."
Home at last. Dom thought to herself as after days of hunting down and dealing with the surviving Sapphic Circle cultists, of which there were a disturbingly high number, she finally activated the teleport that would take her home to Sanctuary at long last.
She'd barely rematerialised into the material world inside the teleportation point in the gardens of the Governor's Palace when two pairs of familiar arms grabbed hold of her own and yanked her forward into a passionate three-way kiss.
"Argh!" Mamas stop that already!" Fleda groaned from nearby and Dom tried to disengage from the kiss to see where but Shirayuki's hand snapped to the back of her head like a viper and held her firmly in place.
"Oh, let them. Dom-mama has been away for weeks." Alyssa told her eldest sister, her tone dripping with amusement. "Felicia-mama and Shirayuki-mama have missed her terribly."
"Yeah, and it's hot as hell." Chihiro said with a perverted little giggle.
Okay, I don't think we can let that slide. Dom thought as she moved to finally pull away from the kiss.
She wasn't the only one who had the same idea though and even as she did, Felicia did too and shot Chihiro a chiding glare even as Shirayuki sighed in disappointment as their kiss ended.
"Chihiro, no dessert tonight." The yuki-onna said as she recovered her poise and helped Dom out of her coat.
"Wait, what? Why?" Their middle daughter sputtered.
"For interrupting us, that's why." Felicia said, her hands on her hips and still glaring at Chihiro.
If it had been Fleda, she'd have likely contested the punishment by decrying it as being unfair. But Chihiro, despite her attunement to the element of fire, was generally a shy and polite child and took the punishment with a chastised nod.
"Yes, Mamas."
Fleda rolled her eyes at that and probably would have said something to stoke the flames, but thankfully Alyssa covered her mouth and whispered to her urgently thus saving her elder sister from saying or doing something that would've earned her a punishment of her own.
"Now then, let's get inside shall we?" Felicia said as she led them all inside the mansion - Palace actually but Dom was loathed to call it that. It made her seem so pompous. - with the rest of their family following behind her. "Shirayuki, I and the girls cooked dinner tonight, so let's not have our efforts go cold."
"You all cooked dinner?" Dom asked, shooting Shirayuki a surprised look.
The yuki-onna just nodded. "We wanted to celebrate your return. And what's more heartwarming for a homecoming than a home cooked meal?"
"Thank you." Dom replied honestly, even if she dreaded to think just what awaited her in the dining room.
Whilst her wives and daughters weren't exactly bad cooks… They weren't good ones either.
Still, she knew they'd poured their heart and soul into it, so even if it was inedible…
"I'll be sure to try everything."
She just hoped whatever they prepared didn't kill her.
Even as his mother returned home from playing her part in the mop up operations that followed their victory over the Sapphic Circle and joined the other Lords in the varied activities they engaged in to enjoy the peace they had won, Legion kept himself busy preparing for the next conflict that would warrant the Council's attention and wherever possible did his best to nip in the bud. To that effect, he played his role as the Diviner Lord and kept a close eye on the Earth's infosphere for any sign of suspicious activity, flagging anything of note and informing the relevant authorities. On the rare occasion that said authority was the Council, he used his authority as the Tenth Lord to direct their forces to deal with it. Thankfully, outside of a couple intercontinental ballistic missile strikes to take out a few of the more powerful remnant Circle cults attempting to resummon their gods to their world, there had been nothing that needed the Council's intervention.
He would be loath to interrupt his colleagues as they winded down from the war.
He would remain ever vigilant though. Someone had to. As the famous saying went…
"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."
Done!
So this epilogue is just essentially a collection of snippets of the Lords enjoying the peace. Hope it wasn't too bad and you guys enjoyed reading it.
Right, for the curious out there. Probably among the guys. Some of you might be wondering why I had Yuki take off her bra when she went to bed. As my 'research' - Thank you dear! - on the matter suggests, whether or not to do so is a matter of preference. However, I wanted to do something mundane and utterly domestic to demonstrate the level of intimacy between Yuki and Yori and this is what I came up with. Mainly 'cos I occasionally do it for my own significant other for various reasons like she's just feeling lazy or teasing.
And on that note, I think I'm going to call it for this fic. There's still a short story collection (many of which will be set after this fic and thus can be counted as sequels to this story) to write but the main bulk of this project is done. So hooray for that! Well, till said short story collection hasta la vista!