A/N: *cringes* Yes, it's been a long time. Yes, last time I updated was during the summer. Would you believe me if I said I've been busy because of school? Yup, school indeed…
Thanks very much for the reviews I've been getting lately. You guys are awesome (as always). I'm sorry if some found my demand for reviews offensive; I admit I have been a bitch lately. Well, no more! I've resolved to be the most pleasant writer to ever grace ff.net. NOW REVIEW, DAMNIT! ^_______^ hehehe…
Still, you reviewers help me continue this fic. Honestly. Recently I've been planning on stopping this fic and getting someone else to continue it if they wished, but no more! I'll stick to it till I get to the end! Bwahahahahaha!~ So, no worries! Please enjoy this chapter; mostly an intro of all the rulers and two of the Elders, and a history lesson! Yup, we finally get to find out what happened…during a civil war in Makai! Isn't it exciting!?
(Sorry for the excessive amount of OCs…they're necessary. Don't worry, half of them will die before the story's half way over.)
Love through Centuries
Chapter 9: The Past and the Present
By: ketsuki
1/12/04
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"The fact remains! Your pathetic cat demons have crossed the line!" Rauldin glared at Namir, eyes flashing dangerously.
The tall woman smirked and with a flick of her tail, turned to leave. "Please do not consider, even for a second, that it is my fault. Perhaps you should blame the weak soldiers you have guarding the border?"
"Excuses! Your disgusting felines will never stand a chance against my army!"
"I cannot deny that my own solders have went past the border on several occasions, but at least my subordinates, Rauldin, do not kill on sight. Or else all of yours would be dead carcasses lying amid the grass and rotting as we speak".
The demon bristled with hatred at Namir's mocking tone. She was known for her sharp tongue and quick mind; she usually could outthink most of the other rulers and because her kingdom of the cat never did favour killing their prisoners, her punishment was always swift, yet brutal. She always had an impeccable appearance as well; with her flaming hair and confident smirks, almost always dressed in expensive silks and sashes.
She sashayed away, before letting her lips curl into a disdainful sneer. Rauldin was one of the most unreasonable and overly violent rulers; boastful and next to no power to back it up. A few of the rulers were like that as well, and all she treated as a joke.
The rulers weren't exactly enemies, persay, but more rivals then anything. They competed over territory; military power; their influence over parts of Makai, and even their ability to keep their temper in check whenever the meeting was held every twenty years. Apparently, Rauldin had just lost. Then again, she sighed in quiet exasperation, he was never one to mind the rules.
The Makai Lords were three of the most powerful demons that resided in the Makai (hence the name). The rulers were seven demons that were second only to them, in terms of power. In Makai, that only thing that mattered was power. If you were weaker, then you were useless.
Four hundred years ago after the Dark War, a government of sorts was established within the Makai. The Elders were of the highest ranking; although not for power, but for their ability to lead and their own individual capabilities. The Makai Lords were the next group to be established; determined by their sheer power and control. The fear that they instilled within the lesser demons was unimaginable. Lastly, since the Lords couldn't control all of Makai (and to avoid unnecessary conflict between all three of them, as their less then friendly relationship was especially well known throughout the demon world) half of it was given to the seven rulers to sort out between themselves.
That is not to say, of course, that the rulers had successfully done so without disagreement. Given the amount of destruction produced in a day; the entire land was in complete disarray.
Sighing disinterestedly, she shifted through the crowd. The young demons were nearly driving her mad; their incessant chattering resounded wherever she went. Edging forward, carefully avoiding a small clustered group of giggling female demons, something caught her attention.
A tall young woman, and a cascade of clear blue; a waterfall of beauty. A pair of dainty pale eyes stared back at her, and delicate lips lifted into a smile. The woman was dressed in a long kimono of many shades of blue, and she was very beautiful, a mystifying beauty and yet a very cold exterior could be sensed by the other demons around her. She drifted amongst the rulers and their company, eyes roaming carelessly over them, until finally she merely stopped and gazed at the redheaded cat demon that stood demurely in front of her, grinning quite wickedly like the feline she was.
"Mizuko of the Ice Maidens. So nice to see you again", Namir purred, flicking strands of scarlet over shoulder.
The ice maiden bowed in a very traditional manner and nodded at her, the expressionless face she wore unaffected. "Namir, the feline ruler of Makai. Of course, you would be here. I should've been expecting you".
She smirked. "I apologize to have surprised you so. Since the land of the ice maidens is so far from my kingdom, we hardly ever get the chance to even get a glimpse of each other. How are you and your dear sisters, Mizuko?"
"They are well". The blue haired woman glared coldly at the cat demon. "But if you please, Namir, the false pleasantries are getting rather irritating. Stop, if you may?"
Namir laughed loudly, tiny sharp fangs quite visible in her mouth. "It is always you that gets right to the point. Rauldin and Iro hide behind the shield of recklessness and unreasonable anger, while Dashiki refuses to display any type of emotion at all. Sarena is as playful as Savil is deadly. And Jaiya; the ever perfect and reasonable one. Quite an assortment of rulers we have here, don't you think?"
"And Namir, queen of felines, always arrogant and willing to use just about anything to get her way. But I shouldn't expect too much from a cat, as devious and downright bitchy as they are known to be", Iro snorted, coming up from behind them. His pitch-black hair was braided and he was dressed in a pressed uniform of white, edged with gold. He had sharp grey eyes and a thin mouth, and glinting jewels worn in various places on his body.
"Iro, you were always an eyesore", Namir tapped her left eye with a dainty finger, and shook her head gingerly, red hair swaying rhythmically. "Yes yes, I'm quite informed of my reputation, if I didn't know better I would've thought you were ignorant of your surroundings. Apparently, I was wrong".
"The self-proclamation of superiority astounds and amuses me. But I shouldn't be so surprised, hm? My fellow rulers never did abide by the rules well", a low alto voice resounded, and a tall woman stepped up, beside her came another. Both were identical, and wore ringlets of whitish blond that spiralled down their back and both wore white slip dresses. The only difference between them was that one had pale hazel eyes and the other had dark violet ones. The latter had spoken.
"Yeah, and all of us just wants to kill each other! But isn't it just exciting? This is going to be so sweet!" the other cried, eyes flashing.
"It is rare to see rulers gathered into one tight knit group during the Sovereign Meetings, is it not?" a woman with tanned skin and pure white hair had spoken.
"Of course not, Mistress Celadorn…We wouldn't dare", Iro excused himself smoothly and glided away, but not without casting a dark look at Namir. She merely waved her fingers in a goodbye and turned away herself, Mizuko at the corner of her eye.
The ice maiden nodded at the Elder that had spoken and remained silent but stayed where she was. The twins looped arms and walked in the opposite direction, refusing to go against an Elder on their own turf. It was unwise to go against a direct (or indirect, for that matter) order of an Elder in a place where they had complete control. Only a fool would assume the Elders was nothing but talk.
Celadorn cast a stern look around before walking away, her heels clicking against the marble floor. She was determined to keep the peace of the meeting intact…as long as she was able to anyway.
Ellquin met her half way across the dance floor and he grinned, bangs hanging over his right eye and the rest spiked up. He was dressed extremely casually, a buttoned down shirt and training pants with knee boots. She smiled uncertainly, but glanced around just in case there was any trouble brewing nearby.
"Hey Cela! You know you really should relax…this is only the beginning. Don't worry, you'll have a whole month to worry", Ellquin commented, eyes brightening with amusement.
Celadorn shook her head. "If for one minute you can remain as serious as you are during a sparring session, perhaps you wouldn't need so much watching over."
He pouted. "That's mean. Are you implying I'm immature?"
She levelled at him a very steady glare. "Yes."
Chuckling, he and Celadorn fell into a rhythmic walk, slowly so that they could talk. Eventually they reached the west wall in silence, and she looked expectantly at him, knowing he had something to say.
His eyes were unexplainably serious, and Ellquin was amongst the five the most able to sense danger and strange presences, perhaps even better then the guards. When he got serious, you learned to listen. His advice was valuable on a battlefield, although he lacked caution and commonsense.
"I can tell you right now, there is something very wrong with one of Koenma's company", he said, eyes averting towards the lone girl that stood a far way off, who gazed at the crowd in front of her with inscrutable eyes.
She concentrated, and her eyes became pure black for a split second, glinting under the dim light. She glared at the girl, and sent a touch of her energy forward, just enough without attracting the guard and everyone in the near vicinity. The girl suddenly swivelled her head around, staring at her directly with violet eyes. They weren't as bright nor as deadly as Savil's, but they pulsed with deep knowledge and power, and Celadorn was astounded to see the girl smile, before nodding in greeting and walking away.
The girl had seen her power and saw the immense strength behind it, and so she had withdrawn instead.
She turned to Ellquin, eyes wide and back to normal with the usual dark brown. "I think I know what you mean."
He had watched the entire exchange with interested eyes, and grinned slightly. "I don't think she's dangerous but we definitely have to watch out for her. I don't know why, but I get the idea that something is going to happen in the near future and she's going to be in the centre of it."
Celadorn smiled in a very motherly manner. "Let's just hope your premonitions don't come true this time…Although they are never as accurate as Morrayne's, they do have their credit."
Ellquin grinned. "Thank you."
~*~*~*~*~
Some of the female demons (and some males) were staring at him. Youko Kurama shook his head, glistening hair flowing smoothly down his back, and gracefully walked in the opposite direction. He hated being in the centre of attention. As a human, he had never liked being stared at but now, as a demon, it was a hundred times worst. After all, he was one of the three most famous demons in all of Makai, and he did have the power to level one third of said world without lifting a finger.
Goes to show what the benefits of living for more then a millennia did for you.
But then again, he had never liked having excessive power. If he could beat his enemies, then that was enough. The difference perhaps, between him and his fellow Makai Lords, was that he never strived for power. Yusuke and Hiei were entirely too power hungry, and he had never noticed as a human, while fighting alongside them. The darkness of a demon's soul was a truly frightening place to delve into.
"Yo-Youko Kurama-sama…if I may have a word?"
He turned and saw a young cat demon, a young female in fact, with blood red hair tied conservatively back in a braid, and emerald green eyes, glinting with gold. She wore a very simple sleeveless red sweater and a long black skirt, and he found that he liked her simplicity. Her ears twitched with nervousness, and he hid a gentle smile.
"Yes?" So he tried to be as polite as possible, but then again, when was he ever not? He wasn't like Hiei or Yusuke, the former glaring at poor curious demons who dared approach him and the latter, who issued death threats and challenges every time he faced someone he wasn't familiar with.
"I-I was just wondering really…Oh! I mean, how rude of me. I am Avarine, of Ruler Namir's company, alongside Prince Jenaka. I…I was just wondering what you thought about the Dark War. I mean, since you are one of the key players in said history…I don't mean to sound smart, but I've been reading so many documents about the war and I'm just utterly fascinated by it. But there is one part I don't understand, and no one in my land can explain it to me. So I really was just wondering if I can ask you a question about it." She said all this in such a rush that Youko Kurama was only able to catch a few words, and afterwards, she fell silent, eyes wide and hopeful.
Youko Kurama blinked, and then nodded, smiling a little. "It will be my pleasure to answer your inquiries, young Avarine, as isn't the future of Makai resting in young demons such as yourself? And all demons should learn from their past mistakes, however weak that may make them seem. Humans have the ability to change rapidly, and that is perhaps something we should learn."
Her eyes glowed with happiness. She nodded vigorously. "Oh yes, I believe it too! So many demons these days have such prejudices against humans, and since the preying upon humans have been outlawed since Neo Queen Serenity's rule began in Ningenkai, there have been so many demons left disgruntled and believe the humans to be worthless, like insects really. Of course I don't believe it, and I really do think that humans have their worth too, and not just as food, mind you, that's not what I was trying to say. I mean – "
"Slowly, Avarine", Youko Kurama interrupted, with a wince. "Perhaps my appearance deceives you, but I am too old to be spoken to with such enthusiasm."
She blushed scarlet, looking very much like a ripe tomato. "Oh, I do apologize, Youko Kurama-sama. Yes, I will slow down. My mother always says if I don't shut up she'd chop off my tongue. And I won't doubt her that she really wouldn't do so if she was ever inclined to!"
He smiled, enjoying the young demon's company. Her age extended to perhaps a few decades, still quite young in Makai standards, and he wistfully remembered his own human childhood, how she sounded exactly like how human children would sound. Her youth was refreshing.
"If I am to answer your questions, we must find a place more private. I'm afraid that the subject you have chosen to be curious of is not safe to be spoken about to the general public."
"Oh, but of course!" She blushed again, and they walked together, towards one of the balconies. When she saw Youko Kurama drawing the curtains and closing the large window behind them, she blushed even harder, and leaned against the stone ledge, trying to relax. Just because she was with the most legendary demon of her time, who could kill her in an instant without anyone knowing about it behind the glass, she felt that it was worth more to hear the story from him. After all, if he was willing to speak, she was willing to listen, despite dangers.
'Easy for me to say…But I'm terrified. And…Well, he is definitely good looking', she blushed at her train of thought and shook her head hard, ridding herself of such childish thoughts.
"So, your question, Avarine?"
"Oh, right." She furrowed her brow and seemed to be in great thought, before she spoke again. She looked up at him with curious but serious eyes. "How did it all start, Youko Kurama? Why, of all places, did one of the royalty of the cat demons start a civil war upon Makai six thousand years ago?"
"The rumours, have you not heard of the rumours, Avarine?"
"Oh yes, of course I have. I've done so much research on that subject, but there are simply too many theories. Some say because he was born under a full moon, others say he was consumed by darkness at the moment of birth and was born as evil as the Wielder of the Glaive[1], there are simply too many reasons!"
He smiled mysteriously. "And if they all had a semblance of truth within them?"
She looked confused. "But how can they? How can being born during a full moon[2] have anything to do with leading armies of demons against each other and destroying Makai from within?"
"Some things are not as they seem, of course. So much history behind us…perhaps the story should start when one such demon was born. A cat demon, with eyes of silver and a soul as dark as night." He cast her an amused glance. "Normally I do not use such…poetic terms, but it was appropriate. If you had seemed him yourself, you would've described him the same way. He was of a cold and very dark beauty, seemingly the offspring of the Wielder herself."
She perked up. "Herself? You knew of the legendary Wielder?"
He shrugged, and shook his head. "Well, no but many of the old demons assume that the Wielder was the Goddess, so we refer to both of them as female. The Wielder merely represents the dark side of her, and the Goddess is the saviour within her. But shall I get back to the topic at hand?"
Avarine nodded eagerly.
"He became well known throughout Makai because of his antics; he murdered many humans in cold blood, and performed many dark spells that only sorcerers of this time and age can do, and with great difficulty. He had great power, and he enlisted many demons to help him. Even now, no one really knows what his true intent had been. Perhaps it had only been to cause chaos amongst those in Makai. Nevertheless, he attracted the attention of demons all over Makai, and those who wished to become their natural demonic side joined him. I was one of those against him."
Avarine nodded, but stayed silent, knowing that Youko Kurama was becoming enraptured with his own story, his golden eyes adapting a faraway look.
"I was one of the first demons to go against him. I became the leader of a rebellion against him, and spent many long years watching others die around me at his hand. Soon, the entirety of Makai had fallen under war. The demons with no conscience on what side, demons with good intent on the other. It seemed as if it was a never-ending war. We may be demons, and it may be a natural instinct to kill, but it is never our intention to murder at a constant rate. Many demons went insane because of those that died by their hands. Demons were never meant to kill in excessive amounts.
The one you know as Lord Yusuke and Lord Hiei entered the picture at around this time. There is some that I cannot tell you, but in the end the prince of the cat demons was defeated, and the Elders were elected, and they chose a semblance of a government for Makai. And that is where it leads us to now. That occurred over a span of three hundred and sixty five years."
"Wow", she breathed, eyes wide. She had expected an answer, a bland one, but had never expected him to tell her the entire story behind the war, however brief it was. "That's…amazing. History is amazing…To hear it from one who experienced it…It's safe to say now that you have definitely quelled my curiosity, Lord Youko Kurama. Thank you", she said graciously, and smiled.
He nodded. "Of course, you're welcome. If you have any other questions, you may come to me. I did enjoy your company, young Avarine, however fast paced it was."
She glowed with pleasure, a big grin breaking across her face. A Lord of Makai had said that HE enjoyed HER company! Wait'll the other cat demons back home heard about this!
"OH, and I, you! Thank you very much for your time, and I will seek your company again if I have any other questions, thank you for offering! Now I suppose I must return to Ruler Namir's side, it worries her when one or the other of her company disappears for a long time and I doubt Prince Jenaka will return anytime soon, he's much too playful!"
With that, she bowed respectively and scurried out the window/doors, and he was left standing there, too amused to move quite yet. But then he sighed and looked upon the inky black sky. 'The night is young, and yet I feel so ancient. If Avarine had been there, during the war, I doubt she would be very curious of it. It would give even demons nightmares, if demons were capable of having nightmares at all.'
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[1] = Wielder of the Glaive has already been mentioned in the last chapter. There is a Goddess, which is obviously Queen Saturn, Hotaru's past mother (during the Silver Millennium). Since the glaive is the symbol of death and destruction in Makai, the wielder is part of their 'religion' as well. In a way, the Wielder is the evil one, kind of similar to the Devil in Catholicism, and the Goddess is, obviously, like God. But the Wielder and the Goddess is rumoured to be the same person. When one is referred to as the 'offspring' of the Wielder, that either means they're really evil, or that they're extremely powerful that they have the force to destroy the world. So far, only the prince cat demon that began the Dark War was referred to as such.
[2] = the cat demon prince was a) born during a full moon, b) consumed by darkness at the moment of birth. That should tell you something.