Hi everyone! How're you?

Thanks to CuteTyHil, MagicalPhoenix12, TLP, Guest, Scarlet witch of Terra, LadyPeach7 for reviewing :D

TLP: Oh, it's alright. Hope your exams are going well *Shows thumb*. About the chapter, well...I don't know whether the ritual even existed really in Russia, I just made it myself xD. Hope you've understood the fact that this story has already been about the past lives of our heroes (And villains). Thank you so much for reviewing.

And thank you too KaneXSally! I'm glad that you're loving the fic. Thank you so much for the reviews, fav and follow. Love you a lot! :'D

So...here's the new chapter. Enjoy! :D

The whole castle area was totally overflowed with the festive ambiences of colors. Vermillion, azure, bumblebee, jade-all the powdered tints were flying across the north, south, east and west. Wooden sticks held in hands were continuously hitting the scabs of cylindrical drums. Fiddled flutes were spreading a mellifluous wave along with their rhythm. The skilled fingers of the musicians were thudding the strings of the violin-like instruments. Colorful petite birds were sitting on the granite railings of the porches, effortlessly matching their voices with the musical jingles. Beautiful ladies were running across the marbled passages, enclosing golden and silver trays containing jewelries, regal attires of men and women, cosmetics, flower petals, candles, flags, colors and what not? They were much careful, not spilling or dropping anything on the floor. If mistakes happened, they wouldn't be left unpunished.

"Everything alright?" A chubby Chinese woman asked a maid, holding two rose garlands.

"Yes, my lady," The servant respectfully nodded, "In kitchen, shrimps have already been fried. Now, we just have to make the dumplings."

"What?" Biyu raised an eyebrow, "You haven't completed making them yet? What were you all doing?"

"Sorry, my lady," She bent down, "We were trying our best to complete all the chores as soon as possible…but the groceries have been delivered late…"

"Look, I haven't come here to hear your excuses," The crown princess sternly spoke, "The more we will talk, the more we will waste our valuable time. So, stop giving explanations and do your jobs fast. Got it?"

"Sure, my lady," Bowing again, the servant left the lobby.

"Ugh!" Biyu wiped her sweat-soaked forehead, "Being the bride of a royal family doesn't mean that your life will be comfortable! Know what? The married life itself is about all sorts of problems and discomforts. Had I ever known about it, I would never have got married!"

"That's why I don't want to get married ever, sister-in-law!"

As the familiar voice of the acquainted dear one buzzed into her ears, the chubby lady looked behind. The particular redhead was standing there. Her ebony orbs were glossing as if some kind of mischief had been playing there. Lips were holding the same naughty smirk. She was looking pretty as always, well, except her cloths. Her sister-in-law had to blink thrice or four times to recognize her properly.

"Salima!" Biyu rushed to her as she felt that the woman standing before her wasn't unfamiliar at all, "What the hell have you worn? Are these clothes worn by a princess? Especially in her groom-choosing ceremony?"

Yes, the redhead was wearing cream-colored puffy-sleeved gown which was plain and mono-colored, grasping her waist firmly with the help of a wide purple strap. Her hair was tied in a tight high bun. No, no earrings were hanging from her ears, nor did any necklace surround and beautify her goose-like neck. Her get-up didn't diminish her splendor but surely it snatched the aristocratic aestheticism from her.

"Hush!" Salima put a finger on the lips of her sister-in-law, "If mother sees me in these cloths, she'll lock me up for a whole week!"

"You deserve that!" Biyu grouched, "Tell me dear, have we ever left any stone unturned to keep you happy and satisfied? Have we made a mistake?"

"C'mon Biyu, you are acting like such a butter-doll," The Chinese princess patted her shoulder, "When have I told you that you have made mistakes or failed to keep me happy? Which brother wills to sacrifice his dignity by battling against an amateur only for keeping his sister happy? Which sister-in-law on the earth treats her husband's sister like her own sibling? Which father teaches his daughter martial arts and archery and gives her the rights which his sons enjoy? I'm such a fortunate girl, Biyu. That's why I don't want to leave you."

Hearing her, the ultramarine orbs of the plump woman glittered once as a bead of tears trickled down on her left cheek. The redhead was just like her own sister. She had never treated the Chinese princess like an outsider. It was true that Biyu had used to taunt her, reminding her of married life and in-laws'. But deep inside, she started missing the mischievous, yet sweet scarlet-haired princess though she was before her eyes.

"Forget it," Biyu wiped her face, "How hot the environment is! I've already been covered with sweats."

"The environment isn't hot at all, Biyu," Salima grinned, "Why don't you accept that you've eaten a lot of cheesy and creamy items today?"

A real droplet of sweat passed across her cheekbone as she got reddened, "Come on, Salima…...the groom-choosing ceremony of the princess of China doesn't come every week!"

"Oh really?" The redette frowned, "When all the participants fail to defeat brother Gordo, your face will decrease its circumference. Just imagine… tiny cute round face on a big, muscular, wrestler-like body…."

"Salima!" Biyu snapped, "Don't be so overconfident regarding your brother. I know that my husband is strong enough but not the strongest of all in the world. There may be…. sorry, there must be someone who will show your brother what the real prowess is. By the way, how was your meeting with the prince of Hong Kong? How was he?"

"Stronger than any other candidate, I guess," Not showing any sign of emotion, the princess answered, "But snobbish."

"Snobbish?"

"Yeah," Salima waggled, "Drenching my face completely with his blood, he said that he doesn't fight with women."

"With…...blood?" Biyu screwed her eyebrows, "You hit him so hard?"

"I expected that he would defend," Salima sighed, "But he didn't."

"Aww…how caring and respectful…"

"Shut up!" The princess fumed, "He is a cocky guy. I'm not going to marry him. Not only cocky, but also…"

She was about to complete her sentence but she couldn't. Remembering something, her eyes were widened, shivering slightly.

Flashback:

"Hmmm…"

She was humming, wiping her hair gently with a velvety towel. The threads of the wipe-cloth were sucking the humidity of her drenched strands.

'Today, mother has given me such a nice bath….' She sarcastically mused, 'How roughly did she rub my skin? When I practice with my father, I usually get a few scrapes or bruises. But they are not so painful…'

Her jaw dropped, so did the towel from her hands when she saw a conversant manly figure striding through the carpeted hallways of the fortress. He had his long hair tied on his back with a white strap. Instead of a metal headgear, his forehead was covered beneath a red fabric on which a taijitu symbol was painted. His footsteps were cagey as if he had been a professional thief.

The girl quickly hid herself behind a pillar. Peeping at him, she saw him going towards another direction. Beside her, there was the main servant quarter of the fort. Without thinking or delaying, she entered that compartment.

Flash forward:

"What?" Biyu moped, "Don't say that he was trying to steal anything valuable from that room. You know, it's the most precious chamber of our palace. Even we aren't permitted to go there without informing father!"

"You're right, Biyu," Salima nodded, "When I asked him, he said that he entered there mistakenly. I told him to leave the place and turn right for reaching the guesthouse. He went out but instead of right, he took a turn at left."

"Hmm…something must be fishy, Sal," The crown-princess of China expressed her thoughts, "But don't worry about him. He must be very curious to know about our palace. After all, ours is one of best castles in whole Asia!"

"I wish I could get him caught red-handed by the guards," The redhead pouted, "But no, you all are worshipping him like a deity."

"The one, coloring our sweet sister-in-law with his own color…. what else could he be?" The chubby woman wickedly sniggered.

"Biyu!"

Flashback:

He discovered himself in a gigantic arena. The ground of the dome was made of limestone. It was so shimmering that he could see his reflection on it. The ancient spirits were painted on the walls of the chamber. At a corner, some shards of shattered crystal goblets were scattering. Odor of a certain liquid was coming from the junction. It was intoxicating, yet bothersome.

Closing his eyes, he approached the paintings. He could see a large, white-colored bird. Its chest was red and beak was representing a slightly curved scimitar. Spreading its purple-striped wings, it was seeming to be ready for raiding. Following it, a black and white turtle bound by a venomous snake, a white and green tiger whose fangs were glossing like the edge of a sword were there. On the opposite wall, there was a pair of two eerie members of canidae family. One had two heads when another had three. All the pictures were illuminating in the half-dark environs.

"Where's he?" The neko-jin asked himself in his sub-conscious mind, his glimmering amber eyes searching for a specific beast, "All the secret spirits of our kingdom are kept here. Then…...he must have been here, mustn't he? But…but I cannot see his picture on the wall. Then where? Where has he gone?"

Soon, his restless vision fell on the piles of crushed pieces of drinking pots and jugs. Beneath them, there was a piece of handkerchief. The black cloth couldn't escape from the cunning eyes of the Chinese. Curious, he went towards it. Removing all the mess, he took the folded fabric. He couldn't believe his own eyes when he unfolded it.

There was a map. Actually, a direction of someone's residence. Painted white, it was showing the tracks of underground. The ending point was seeming to be someone's house…...or palace. On it, there was a signature.

"Boris Balkov."

He tilted the handkerchief. On the opposite surface, there was a letter.

"Zagart, my dear friend,

I'm thankful to you. I never thought that you would give me Driger so easily. Without your help, my achievements would remain incomplete.

Yours ever,

Boris Balkov."

Reading each word of the letter, all the hairs of his body erected in wrath and disappointment. His gold-like eyes turned bloodshot, his cheeks flushed. He breathed hot. Gritting his fangs, he grasped the map aka the letter firmly, almost cringing it inside his grips.

"Boris Balkov!" He spat, "How…how dare you?! How could you snatch the protective spirit of China? Now what will happen to her? Who will guard her? And Zagart, you too! Which king on the earth gives away the treasure of his kingdom to a Satan? Since when have you become so generous, huh? When you subjects die because of famines and epidemics, where do your benevolence go?"

His citrine orbs started brimming with tears. His heart ached at the thought of the absence of the mighty white tiger in China.

"Following and observing the trails of the soldiers of this palace, I've been successful to come here," He knelt down on the floor, "But what? What have I got? Nothing! I wanted to save you, Driger, I wanted to save mother China. Alas! I couldn't do that. Mother, oh my beautiful mother! I'm not your worthy child. Please, pardon me, mother China!"

Waterworks cascaded down on his cheeks. He took a deep breath for filling the lack of fresh air inside his lungs. He felt painful, he felt defeated.

"What will Master Tao think about me now?" The neko-jin questioned himself, "I…...I couldn't be an ideal student too! I failed to save the dignity of my teacher. How will I show my face to him now? Shame on you, Ray, shame on you!"

"Don't curse yourself, son."

The sweetened utterance eradicated all the pains of his heart, filling his lungs with what they had wanted. For once, he felt contented. Standing up, he called while his tone was quivering, "Who's that?"

"I'm your mother, my son," The feminine tone replied, "All the people around the world know me as a mere state. But for you and all patriotic Chinese like you, I'm mother China."

"Mother?!"

He was baffled. He looked here and there but found nobody. He was standing at the center of the room, alone. Then who was talking? Was it his imagination only? Or was it real? Yes, often he revered his kingdom as his mother but could China talk? Could a place have life ever? How?

"Son, your ears have heard right," She tried to make him believe what he was hearing, "You've called me mother. You always respect and love me. You're even ready to sacrifice your own life for the sake of my sovereignty and well-being. Then how couldn't I respond when you're disappointed? If I don't, what kind of mother am I, son?"

"Mother, I'm sorry…." He curved his head down, joining his hands together, "I'm a sinner, mother. I…I failed to save you and Driger. Please, forgive me, mother."

"You haven't done anything for which you're apologizing, Ray," He felt as if his own mother had been patting his head affectionately, "Rather, you're trying your best to protect me from my former ruler. A true rebel you're, son!"

"But how can I achieve my goal?" Ray queried, shivering, "I've lost Driger."

"Surely, he's not in front of your eyes. But it doesn't mean that you've lost him. He needs to be rescued. For that, nobody on the earth is worthier than you are, son. Nobody."

Tears went back, leaving his eyes completely dry. The temperature of his body also got down. His heart felt appeased a bit.

"Listen to me, son!" China spoke, "You've already observed the fort of the burden of my womb. You've also got the map which will show you the way to get the real demon. Using your knowledge and these pieces of information, you can easily retrieve Driger. Once Driger returns, nobody will able to defeat you, Ray. Even not Zagart!"

"Excuse me!"

The honeyed tone disappeared as another girly voice took its place. Quickly hiding the cloth underneath his kimono shirt, he turned back. A certain red-haired girl was standing there, crossing her arms on her chest. Her eyebrows were screwed and nose was tacked in annoyance. Behind her, a broom was leaned against a pillar. The girl wasn't unknown to him at all.

"What are you doing here, prince Yamashita?" She strode, "Is it a manner to enter someone's house without informing?"

"Pardon me, my lady," He pretended to be perplexed, "I've heard that the royal castle of China is very beautiful. Observing the exquisiteness of the lovely citadel, I couldn't understand when and how I ended up here."

"It's okay," The girl took the broom, "I won't tell anyone about it. But I'm warning you once again, you won't be able to defeat Prince Gordo."

"Huh!" Ray rolled his eyes, "How can you be so confident of his strength?"

"Cannot you understand?" The disguised princess cocked an eyebrow, "Yesterday night, you were about to lose to me, a mere maid of this palace. Then just think how strong the prince of China is. In each of his arms, the power of ten elephants gathers."

"I don't care whether I'm going to fight against an elephant or a tiger," He commented, "I just want to resurrect the beauty of China."

"China is already beautiful, prince Yamashita," Salima showed him the broom, "Besides you're the prince of Hong Kong. You should think more about your own kingdom and less about our empire. Now, will you kindly leave the room? I have to clean the place."

"Sure." He stepped out.

"Oh, turn right to return to the guesthouse," She informed.

"Thanks, but I don't need the direction. I know it." Reply came.

Coming out, he looked here and there. Then, slowly, he turned left. A satisfying smile could be seen all over his face. However, if he had noticed the girl watching him standing behind him, the smile wouldn't have stayed there.

Flash forward:

His eyes roamed all over the large courtroom was embellished with colorful fragrant candles, sitting on the diamond and pearl lusters. Velvety runners having golden fringes were laid on the floor. By its both sides, guests were sitting on soft-seated chairs under the crystal chandeliers. Flower garlands were wrapping the agate columns. Soon, the soldiers hit the floor with their javelins. One of them announced:

"His Majesty is going to enter!"

Trailing his announcement, the evil king entered the courtroom, followed by the queen and the princes. All the guests stood up for showing him respect. Despite not wanting, the neko-jin also had to stand up. The king smirked, glancing at the guests.

"Hail His Majesty, the mighty king of China!"

"Hail Emperor Zagart!"

Blood started boiling inside his veins as he heard those huzzas. His feet were trembling. He couldn't tolerate it at all. He clenched his teeth, shutting his eyes firmly.

'Cannot believe my own ears!' He pondered, 'Don't they know that their king is nothing but a traitor? Yes, he's a real deceiver. Why not? How could he sell Driger to such a crude person like Boris Balkov? Driger is the guardian of China, not his own property. Still…still these people are praising him? No no, I mustn't be surprised, it's obvious. They're cheering him because of being afraid, not for his own qualities. Hmm…. sooner or later, I'll remove all the fears from their hearts. It's my promise, mother China!'

Sitting on the throne, Zagart raised his hand. Understanding the gesture, all the guests sat down, including Ray. Then, the emperor stood up. Taking two or three steps forward, he opened his mouth:

"My dear people and honorable guests, good evening. I, Gonglu Zagart, the emperor of China, wholeheartedly welcome you all to the groom-choosing ceremony of my daughter, Salima Zagart. I hope you all know the condition of the contest. Then again, let me announce it: The one who will beat my son Gordo in a sword duel, will hold the hand of my daughter for marriage."

Hearing the condition, the guests stared at one another. Some were confused, some closed their eyes in nervousness. However, there was no expression of fear or tension or confusion in the face of the raven-haired neko-jin. His eyes were also closed but they were holding a serene mien.

"Minister Warren!" Zagart commanded, "Let princess Salima be called in the courtroom."

"Sure, your Majesty," The minister bowed.

Within a few moments, accompanied by a few beautiful young ladies, the redhead entered the assembly, taking her first step on the red carpet. Her hair was braided perfectly, thick like taproots of a banyan tree. Several lavender flowers were tucked there, making her braid as gorgeous as a garden. She was wearing a long, full-sleeved qi pao made of satin and laces. On its scarlet texture, there were golden embroideries of the parabolic mirrors of a temple. Inside it, a strapless fitting gown was worn by her. It was also golden. From her ears, two earrings made of pure gold and fire opals were swaying. A sun-like tattoo was embossing her sky-like forehead. On her head, a dazzling tiara was set, studded with rubies and golden tourmalines. Concealed beneath the fringes made of the granules of gemstones, her black diamond eyes were sparkling. Her rosy lips curved a bit as she lowered her gazes. When the rays of the wax-lights fell on her shiny skin, they got reflected.

She was a real flame of fire at that time, burning the guests completely from the depth of their hearts. In fact, a certain one almost showed his burning scars.

Awestruck, the neko-jin stood up from his seat. Before a while, he had been calm and cool. There'd been no fear, no confusion or no tension inside his heart. But they all were encircling him from all the four directions right then. His heart started beating fast as his orbs dilated. Looking at him, the princess smiled a bit. It was wicked.

It was saying to him that he had lost the game…...

Hehehehe...*Smiles evilly*

What will happen to Ray now? To know more, stay tuned and keep reading "Kingdom".

Do read and review. Pardon the grammatical and the spelling errors. Take care :D

-Misty ^_^