Disclaimer: I don't own anything, well I do own the cross, but I don't own Nightseer, written by the wonderful author (who won't make a sequel to Nightseer) Laurell K Hamilton! Oh and I don't own Sailor Moon either...

Junsuisa
Chapter Seven: The Demon Mark

Okay VegaKatt told me this was hard to read. Sorry!! I don't like putting spaces in between paragraphs and I only have two spaces as indentation. I have to much of a habit to put spaces in between paragraphs but I'm gonna put bigger indents or at least try! Sorry! Oh and thanks VegaKatt for reviewing and telling me this piece of advice!! Arigatou! And thank you to PolyMorphic for the great idea! This chapter is dedicated to you!
Oh and Carrick is OOC for those who have read the book.

The three weary and pained friends landed hard in the same spot they had left from, although now it was daylight and many people of all ages milled around. Surprised people stared startled as the three flopped to the ground. Everyone stood still for a moment, startled and confused, silence filling the court yard. The birds were silent too, their lovely songs no longer filling the air.
One of the trio slowly got to her feet, her broken arm cradled to her chest. Blood dripped in a steady line, hitting the ground with a plop. Her knees wobbled and she she could barely lift her head. Gold hair brushed the ground with thin silver streaks running through. The girl whimpered slightly and turning towards the door of the keep, she saw Carrick the Weapons Master standing there. Every movement seemed to cause pain. Tears fell down her dirt covered face, leaving clean trails behind. Very quietly she said, "We failed..." before falling down, passing out. Her voice carried in the silent air and many in the courtyard heard her.
Suddenly every one moved at once, some rushing to get healers, others to help the trio, others to get Zeln. Yells and orders filled the once silent sky and the birds shrilly screamed. Carrick moved up towards the battered girls and the broken Belor and said, "You did your best." With that he turned and left, disappearing into the noisy crowd.
Zeln rushed out of the keep, yelling at the students to get away from the trio. "Selene, go and fetch Jodda the White Healer and any other available healer, no matter what color, and bring them to the rooms of Keleios and Usagi. Hurry to it, girl!" He said to Selene, the closest person to him. Then her turned and pointed to four guards nearest to him, "You, you and you, help me carry these girls up to their rooms. You, take Belor to the room next to theirs, because at the moment it's occupants are in class. Let's go!" And they went.

Usagi groaned as light of the sun hit her eyes. Scrunching up her face against the light she stretched and felt no pain. That was what made her open her eyes. A white ceiling stared back at her. She was in her own bed at the keep. "This just a wonderful, wonderful dream... when I wake up all be back on that God forsaken island and see Queztl walking in the door." She closed her yes and pinched her arm. When she opened her eyes she was still there. Joy spread through her, filling her till she felt like she was going to burst.
Sitting up fast she took in her surroundings. Keleios lay on the bed next to her, sill a sleep, clean and healed of all wounds. Usagi looked down at her body in wonder, marveling the healed flesh. She lifted her arm and saw it was healed as well, but their was still a bulky white bandage taped around her right hand. 'Why wasn't that healed?' Slowly she unwrapped the bandage and dropped it to the floor. Flexing the hand she turned it over. There in the center of her palm was almost perfect circle. Usagi gasped. A demon mark! But there seemed to be something not right about it. She lifted her left hand from the bed reaching to touch the mark. She was only inches away from it when she stopped herself.
A demon mark is a mark the evil Gods give to those who they deem worthy. When Usagi, Keleios and Belor had passed through the pit they had gone through the fifth darkness, and now on Usagi's hand was a high mark of corruption. Most people who sought the demon mark and received it only got a small shiny flat scar in the shape of a circle. But Usagi had received a circle, but in the center was not a flat scar, she had a unclean circle, full of disease and infection. Pus and other unclean fluids were held in this circle. It would never heal and never fade away. It was a high mark of corruption and few ever received it. So why had Usagi gotten it?
Usagi stared in shock at the mark for a while longer before bending over and picking up the discarded bandage. Usagi smiled when she sat back up with no pain. She had lived in a world of pain and agony for so long she had forgotten what it felt like to have none. Wrapping the white cloth around her hand she fastened it securely with her teeth and got up out of the bed... And fell face first to the floor.
"Ouch." She muttered, rubbing her nose. Grabbing the bed post she hosted herself up, trying to get a firm grip to support her weak legs. When she got her footing she took a couple of experimental steps and smiled when her legs held up. She made her way slowly to the door then looked back at Keleios.
Keleios was laying on her own bed, snoring softly, a little smile gracing her face. Usagi paused for a moment then decided against waking her up. It had to be the first time she had been able to sleep for more than a few hours with out the cold or the pain to bother her. Let her sleep, she thought.
Walking to the door with weak legs she grabbed the knob as if it were a life line. Pulling the door open she leaned against the door frame, almost panting. Going weeks with out walking much or doing anything at all had left her weak. Taking a deep breath she stepped out into the hall. Three steps away from the door she fell, landing hard against the stone floor, jarring her hip. Rubbing the pain to get it to go away, she tried to push herself up with no avail.
"Loth's blood, I hate being weak." Usagi muttered, her legs feeling dead.
"Well at least it keeps you out of trouble." A soft voice said. Usagi whipped her head around and was confronted by Master Poula.
Master Poula is the keep's Master Herb witch. She wore a light blue flowing dress with little embroided herbs on the edges. Her long brown hair held a few strands of grey, showing her age. Her leather mask was firmly in place in the light of the day, completely smooth and unflawed.
Poula had been blinded and scared beyond healing by an enchanter she had fought on the sands, an evil enchanter. Poula had won, but because she worshipped Mother Blessen she gave mercy to her opponent and did not kill her. That was her mistake. Poula now could only see through a magical necklace that allowed her to see the outlines of objects in colors. As far as Usagi knew only she and Keleios had been blessed with the story as to how she had gotten scared and they were also some of the handful of people that had seen Poula unmasked on several occasions.
"Poula..." Usagi breathed. "Poula!" And she jumped up with new found energy and wrapped her arms around her frail friend. "I thought I would never see you again!"
"Oh, child, you are strong and I knew that you would be safe. The cards told me of this. And this they fore warned also." She said lifting the bandaged hand. Poula was also a card prophet, but she did not look to them often.
Again the impossible tears came again and she fell against Poula and just sobbed out her pain and worry. Poula lead her back into the room with Keleios in it and sat the girl down on the bed, stroking the silver streaked hair. "What's wrong, Usagi? You are safe and so is Keleios and Belor. There is nothing to fear." Usagi snapped her head up and stared straight at that smooth leather mask.
"There is everything to fear! Harque still lives and only when she has been killed by my own hand will I be safe." Usagi cried. Keleios moaned and stirred in the next bed. Usagi quieted and wiped her tears. "I fear for Keleios also. If she had died on me when we were on that dreaded isle, I would not have made it out myself. She gave me courage and strength. She gave me a reason to live."
"As did you for me." Came the hoarse voice. Usagi stood quickly and rushed to Keleios's side. Keleios sat up and said. "We made it."
Tears fell again down Usagi's face as smiled and said, "Yes we did." Keleios paused for a few moments just to marvel at the idea of being free and being alive and then jumped at Usagi, pulling her into a hug. The two girls cried tears that they did not know they had left, laughing at the same time. Stepping back from one another they giggled a little, wiping their tears. Keleios turn to Master Poula, who was watching, or rather following, this emotional realization with her magic sense. Keleios moved up to Poula and gently hugged her too.
"I am glad to be back, even though I failed my goal." She whispered.
Usagi nodded at this and then asked, "Master Poula, where is Belor. I am eager to see him. When we were on the isle we never got to see Belor and until the day we escaped we had thought he was dead. I would like to see him."
Poula smiled in understanding. "Belor has been up since early morning, he wanted to talk to the master illusionist and ask him some things. He has also explained his side of the story to Zeln and I. Although we have told no one about what has truly happened, the people of this school needed to know something, since you just showed up in the courtyard, covered in blood and dirt, so we have told them that you had trouble with some demons when you went questing all theses weeks, and that is all they need to know. Everyone knows not to be nosey about questing."
Keleios nodded and said, "Thank you Poula, Usa and I will explain to you our side of our 'quest' but first we must see Belor. Usa wants to be sure her cutie pie is all right."
Usa nodded... "WHAT!?" Her face flushed red and Keleios laughed, a real laugh, for the first time in ages, before running out of the room. Usagi followed in close pursuit, Poula's soft laughter echoing after them.
Before the girls were to far off she yelled, "Belor, is in the still room!" And they were off.
Keleios rushed down a flight of stairs, past a second year journeyman, almost crashing into a guard, and then turned left at the corner. Usagi followed close behind, running fast enough to keep up with the half-elf. She dodged the shocked journey man and the dazed guard, grabbing the corner to turn. Keleios's brown hair was flowing behind her as she counted the rooms. '6... 7... 8... 9!' She turned and dashed into the room, her laughter filling it with joy. She felt great! She felt free.
Belor's head lifted up when Usagi burst into the room, seconds after Keleios. Keleios ran right up to Belor, pulling him into a tight hug. Usagi stopped at the door and waited. When Keleios let go she turned and looked to Usagi, and raised her eyebrows. Usagi blushed again, then rushed forward to hug Belor too. He wrapped his arms around her, in a comforting movement, then leaned down and kissed her forehead.
"We're all okay, Usa, we are all okay." Usagi nodded, breathing in the smell of his clean shirt. Keleios coughed and the two broke apart. She grinned evilly at Usagi and watched as she blushed for the third time that day.
"Do you two know that you have been asleep for two days?" Zeln said. Usagi jumped and turned to see Zeln in the doorway. "We were getting worried." He smiled at the girls and Belor put his arm around Usagi.
"I woke up early this morning and told Master Zeln and Master Poula what had happened. There's not enough proof to take before the council so we can't ask for her death by court." Usagi looked up at him, deep in thought.
"What do you mean not enough proof!" Keleios yelled.
"Since we told no one of where we going and since we have nothing of Harque's we have no proof that what happened ever happened." Belor quietly explained.
"What about our wounds and all the pain! That was real and they can't say anything to take away those days of my life!" Keleios yelled back.
Usagi looked down at her hand then looked to Keleios and saw that she had a bandage on too.
"They said we could of got those wounds anywhere." Belor said, still calm against Keleios's temper.
Usagi moved towards Keleios, leaving Belor's warm embrace, she walked up to Keleios and took her hand, unwrapping the cloth. Keleios looked to Usagi in confusion, but stayed quiet.
Leaving Keleios hand half wrapped she unwrapped her own again putting next to Keleios's, taking off both cloth's at once, reveling two demon marks. Keleios gasped. She lifted her hand to her face, trying to get a closer look at it.
Usagi said quietly, "And where would we get these." She lifted her head to Belor's shocked one and Zeln's confused one. Zeln moved forward and gently gripped Usagi's hand, making sure not to touch the mark it's self. He inspected it carefully.
"How come I was not told of this?" He asked.
"Because," Came a voice from the door, "we do not want the whole keep to know what these girls possess." All four occupants looked up to see Poula standing at the door. "No one knows of your marks except a few of the masters and healers." Poula told the girls.
Zeln nodded at this and said, "I still should have been informed."
"I only found out that they truly had them yesterday and the only time I saw you today, Zeln, was when we were talking to Belor. It must have slipped my mind." Poula answered.
Zeln looked unsatisfied but turned back to the girls. "Do you know what these are?"
Usagi shouted, "I do!"
Keleios looked at Usagi and said in a skeptical voice, "Then what do you think they are?"
"Demon marks are the symbol given by the dark Gods to people they think worthy. When you walk through the levels of darkness you can be given these. The lowest form is just a faint circle scar, for people who just make their God happy. They have only walked through the first darkness. The other, what most evil people get if they try to walk the darkness for a symbol, is a flat shinny scar in the center of you hand. You have to at least be initiated into the second or third darkness for this. What we have is a mark of high corruption among Gods. We walked through at least the fifth darkness and made it back with this." Usagi paused to lift her hand to show them. "People are given them so others may see that the evil Gods have deemed them worthy. It is said that if the mark touches other flesh, it will kill the person."
Usagi gave a smug smile at Keleios's stunned expression before she continued, "But not everybody who goes into the darkness gets these symbols. Many die. Some get nothing, even if they survive, but others can get demon aided magic with no scar. The people who bare our marks also have demon magic, but the others get no symbol, just magic. It is hard to find these people. It doesn't say why they do not get a symbol, though. But I think there is something different about our marks, they don't seem normal. I mean they feel different then I would have thought they would." Usagi paused again in thought. She had always wondered why and how the Gods choose who to give what or if they were just going to kill them. It was so confusing, but then again this was the Gods she was talking about, no one could figure them out.
Keleios got over her shock and muttered, "Shittakaburi (know-it-all). Usagi no baka."
"Nani yo!?" Usagi yelled, whirling on Keleios. "Usagi no baka!? Keleios no baka!! Watashi wa 'Demon mark' no benkyou o takusan shiteiru." (I studied about the demon mark a lot.)
"Honto ni?" (Really?)
"Un." (Yes.)
"Doushite?" (Why?)
"Watashi wa akurei ga suki dakara benkyou suru. Anata wa akurei ni tsuite wakarimasu ka?" (I like learning/studinging about demons. Do you know about demons?)
"Hai, sukoshi dekimasu." (Yes, a little.)
"Demo..." (But...) Usagi trailed off, letting Keleios continue.
Keleios sighed and said in English, "I never bothered to study them much. I never found them that interesting."
Usagi made a small humph sound and smiled. "Anata wa akurei ni tsuite motto narau hitsuyou ga arimasu. (You need to learn more about demons.) I'll help you, since you now have some demon magic in you." She threw her arm around Keleios's shoulder.
"Un." Keleios agreed and they both smiled. A small cough made them look up.
Three confused faces stared at them, well two, you couldn't see Poula's face since she was wearing a her mask, but you could still tell she was confused. There were even a few faces staring in from the door. All confused. Belor had heard the language before because he had known both girls since they were four, but he never really learned much. He never really bothered. Now he thought that maybe he should have paid more attention.
"Okay, what did you just say?" Belor said.
Usagi sighed in frustration. She hated to have to translate what she said so usually she didn't. "Stuff." Was all she said, and was all she was going to say. She bent down and picked up the two cloth's, giving one to Keleios and taking the other for herself. They both wrapped and tied them tightly around their demon marked hands.
Zeln shook his head and told the girls, "I have never heard a language like that before. And I have learned many different languages. What language is it?"
"Nihongo." Usagi said offhandedly. She knew that he would not understand it, nobody did. It seemed that they didn't have many of the languages that Usagi had had in her world. They didn't have French, Spanish or Japanese. Those were the only languages that Usagi knew. She knew only little Spanish and a moderate amount of French. Of course she knew Nihongo.
"Pardon?" Zeln asked.
"Ni-Hon-Go." She said, pronouciating each syllable slowly.
"Nihongo?" He said hesitatingly. When Usagi nodded he told her, "I have never heard of this language before. Where is it originated from?"
"Nihon."
Keleios sighed. Usagi wasn't being very helpful. "What Usagi means is this language is called Nihongo from Nihon and no it does not exist. What I mean it that Nihon is from where Usagi came from."
Everyone looked up at this. "And where does Usagi come from with this language and place that does not exist."
Usagi slapped her forehead and shook her head. Keleios whispered, "Kuso." They had never told anyone about Usagi's origins, well except Belor, Magda and Methia. They did not want anyone to treat Usagi different.
Belor stepped forward and said, "Keleios and Usagi made it up when they were kids to confuse the adults." Both girls threw him greatful looks.
"You must have spent a lot of time to remember all the words and their meanings." Zeln said suspiciously.
"We had a lot of free time when we were bored and then when my mother... died, we did not want to go outside and all we did was talk. We decided to make up a new language so we could talk in front of the staff and know that they wouldn't understand, it was a fun thing to do."
"Well what about this place you said it was from?" Poula asked.
"Well... we made that up too. We even made Usagi the princess. I was the royal adviser. Usagi, Princess of Nihon!" Keleios play acted, pumping her fist in the air for emphasis.
"And Keleios, the Royal Adviser of Nihon!" Usagi giggled, mocking Keleios.
Zeln looked at the girls like they had lost a few screws while on the isle but said nothing about it. Instead he changed the subject totally. "I will not ask what happened on the Grey Isle because I got enough information from Belor, but I need to know how you got these marks."
"We were sent into the pit." Keleios said simply.
"Can you be more suspific?" Zeln asked.
"Have you ever gone through the pit?" Usagi asked Zeln, although she already knew the answer. Zeln shook his head and Usagi continued, "Then you don't know what goes on in the pit. It is not the thing you talk about. I will not sit here and tell the horrors of the pit. I have to go and find out what I have missed."
Usagi turned on her heel and left. A few minutes later Keleios jogged up to her. They were both silent for a moment before Keleios asked, "Do you remember what happened in the pit?"
"I don't have a clue. You?"
"Nothing." The girls smiled at each other and continued on their way in silence.
Belor, Usagi, and Keleios were excuse from their classes that day to 'recover'. Usagi felt like doing anything but recover, she had been confined to a small room for so long she wanted to run and see the beauty of nature again. Returning to her room she got a change of clothes and went to get a shower. She had already been cleaned by the healers but she still did not feel clean enough. Passing by a mirror she paused, took a step back and dropped everything she was carrying. Her tentivly touched her hair and whispered, "Kami-sama... What has happened to my HAIR?!" Silver streaks ran from root to tip, all evenly spaced. Usagi ran her hands through her hair, trying to wipe away the streaks. "Oh man, this looks terrible!" Usagi moaned. She bent down and picked up her clothes and drudged to the showers. "Maybe they'll come out after the shower." Usagi said to herself.
"What will come out?" Asked an amused voice.
Usagi looked up to see Melandra standing in front of her. Melandra is only seven and only arrived at the keep not even a year ago, but both Keleios and Usagi had become friends with her. She came from Caltu, where magic is outlawed. She turned out to be an enchanter and her parents had tried to beat the 'evil magic' out of her, but magic cannot be gotten of so easily and because there was no magic in Caltu, there were no healers to save Melandra from scarring. Melandra now carried scars on her face that no healer could cure.
"Hello, Melandra." Usagi greeted.
"Hello, Usagi... I missed you." She said, her head low, her long hair moving to cover her scars.
"I missed you too." Usagi smiled at her and Melandra smiled uneasily back. Her scarred face moving stiffly against the foreign movement. It hurt Usagi's heart to see her like this. She had always felt like Melandra was her little sister, to be protected. Usagi bent down and picked up her belongings. "Here let me." Melandra said, and took the cloth from Usagi.
"Thanks."
Silence filled the air. Melandra shifted a bit before opening her mouth but Usagi beat her to it. "I know that you want to know where we were and what happened but I can't tell you. I'm sorry."
"It's all right." She said, then silence filled the hall once more. The girls started to walk towards the bathing rooms, their footsteps the only noise.
Melandra couldn't take the silence anymore and asked, "What did you mean when you said you failed in the court yard the morning you came back?" Melandra asked curiously.
Usagi looked up. "You heard me?"
"Everybody in the courtyard did, and now most of the school knows. Rumors are circulating about what happened and where you went. I even heard some people talking about demons. They said you had demon marks! Of course I didn't believe them." Melandra said proudly. Usagi winced at the 'demon mark' part. Who had heard that they had these? Usagi looked at her right hand and felt it itch. Melandra followed her gaze, saw the bandage and said, "Did the healers forget to heal that?"
"No, they just couldn't."
"I know what that feels like." Melandra whispered, as she lifted one small hand to her scarred face.
"Oh, don't worry, Melandra." Usagi said, throwing one arm around the small girls shoulder.
"Hey, you never answered my question. What did you mean when you said that you had failed?"
Usagi was silent a moment before saying, "It has to do with a quest. I hope you don't mind, but I don't really want to talk about it." Melandra nodded her head as if she understood. Both girls continued walking slowly towards the bathing rooms.
When they reached the wooden doors to the room they stopped and Melandra handed Usagi her clothes back. "Thanks." She whispered. Melandra nodded.
"Well, I have to get to class, I'll see you later?" She asked it like a question, putting that lit at the end.
"Yeah, later." And Usagi walked into the bathing room and closed the door.

Hey how was it?! PolyMorphic your idea will come to light in the next chapter! That's all for now folks, see ya! Oh yeah, I've already finished half of the next chapter so it shouldn't take as long as this did. I LOVE March Break!
Silver-chan