A/N: Because I replaced the author's note with chapter 9, it never actually
said I updated, so I apologize (which is why I tried to get this chapter
out as quick as possible). Anyway, in the chapter…FINALLY something
happens! And the banquet is almost over…*sighs in relief* Thank the
gods…I'm not very sure of Chibi-Usa's older personality, since well…I've
always considered her to be a bit of a brat and the anime only show her as
a seven year old anyway. I think that as a fourteen-year-old Heir of
the throne, she's going to try a little too hard to maintain the front of
a dispassionate ruler yet going a little too far with her 'act' (well, far
enough to offend a few of the rulers of Makai with her cold attitude).
As for her inner self, she's going to be slightly unconfident in terms of
herself as a person and as a ruler and part of this story is also going to
explain how she gets over it. So that's pretty much how Neo Princess
Serenity is going to appear in this story. Sorry if anyone else considers
this OOC for her. If you do, please tell me ^__^ Comments much appreciated!
Implications of shoujo ai are going to be quite obvious in the chapter (I think I mentioned that there would be same-sex couples in this story awhile ago). I'm trying to show that demons, though they are not necessarily hedonistic in any way, they do not care much for gender in terms of love or lust (they concentrate too much on power and just trying to survive). So I hope nobody gets offended because of that.
Love Through Centuries
Chapter 10: The Commencement
Ketsuki
1/24/04
~*~*~*~
"It's unbelievable", Botan said with wide-eyed awe. "It's been centuries…I never thought she would be able to regain a sense of herself after so long".
Koenma sighed, placing a hand on the balcony ledge. Botan was perched upon it, both hands beside herself for balance and her legs swinging back and forth. She could see clearly that her 'boss' was under a lot of pressure, being the king of Reikai and yet not receiving the respect he deserved from everyone within the Sovereign Summit. He was being treated as if he was an outsider; a being that had not been given permission to speak with those that did have the power to speak.
But then again, now wasn't the time to dwell on such thoughts. Both of them were concerned about the ice maiden named Yukina, the one who had spoken after a millennia of silence.
They were standing on one of the many balconies that the large arch-like windows in the banquet hall opened to. The windows were closed behind them and the curtains down; it provided a sense of privacy for them as they spoke.
"We always thought it was a psychological impediment [for her lack of speaking] due to the shock of…Well, what happened, but if that was so, how did the presence of a complete stranger reawaken her ability to speak; or even to think?" Koenma frowned.
Botan shrugged, but her eyes shone with a great concern, and a very thinly veiled pain that had been born many years ago. She sniffed lightly; remnants from her earlier crying. When Koenma glanced over at her, she smiled tightly and looked down onto her lap. "Yukina always did have a very fragile heart".
"But we never knew how frail her mental comfort in her immediate surroundings was. Once her anchor, so to speak, broke, she had no way of regaining all that she had lost even before she met him", Koenma finished, looking incredibly sad.
The blue haired young woman shut her eyes tightly to prevent tears from falling. Her bangs hid her closed eyes as she bent her head to keep her superior from noticing her emotional state. "Why did it have to end like it had?" She whispered brokenheartedly, choking in a sob.
Koenma glanced towards the sky, a starless sky; a sea of black and darkness. There were no stars in the Makai, he reminded himself. "There are no such answers for such questions in this universe. Things happen because they do, not because they were meant to. It was inevitable that eventually he would die. She was a demon and he was a human. No one could foresee that she would react as she had".
"I feel like I've failed them!" Botan said, head turning to stare at him with wild magenta eyes. "I feel like I've failed them all! They were my friends and I could do nothing but watch as they…as they all…" Her whole body slumped back into her position, her expression defeated.
He could feel a headache coming, but as it was his duty, he laid a hand on her shoulder. "You could do nothing", he said softly, eyes pained. "As much as we both hated to admit it, we could do nothing to change the course of their future".
"I know…how many times have we had this conversation, Koenma?" Botan said tiredly, refusing to look at him. She opted to refer to him without the respectful suffix, because now was a moment between friends, not between work partners. "Too many to count".
"And as always, how many times have I told you to stop blaming yourself?"
"But…that's just it, Koenma!" Botan suddenly jumped off the ledge and turned to him; looking as hopeful as one like her could look. "Yukina talked today! She spoke her name; that means she still remembers and she still knows who she is! There may be a chance she can recover and become who she was so long ago!"
But Koenma only shook his head and avoided her expectant gaze. "Even if…it is possible, Yukina will never be the same again. Botan, I don't want you to get your hopes up over something like this. The chance of recovery for someone like Yukina is very slim, and if by chance she is revived and becomes her old self again, she might not be the same Yukina that you and I remember".
"I know", Botan whispered. She shut her eyes. "Don't you think that I'm always being reminded of that fact? 'Yukina will never be the same again; she'll never be the sweet and kind-hearted girl that we all knew'. After she was taken under our custody, those words ran over and over again in my mind. It doesn't mean I've accepted that fact, but it's something I cannot change. I only have my hope left within me. If I am denied that as well, I will lose everything".
She looked up, straight into Koenma's silent stare. "I don't want you to encourage me in my hopes, but to accept my theories and beliefs. That's all I ask, really".
Koenma smiled, sad that amongst the load she had weighing down her shoulders, he had suddenly become one of them. And she knew it as well. "That I can accomplish, and I will do so to the best of my ability".
Botan bit her lip and nodded, a determination shining brightly in her eyes. "Thank you".
~*~*~*~*~
Morrayne watched them as they swirled around her. She watched them as the younger ones stared at her with curiosity and the older ones eyed her with caution. She was silent as the two elders began to drift towards all ends of the room, carefully keeping watch for the demons who never followed the rules. She herself was stationed at the back, directly in front of the stairs/stage and the large doors.
Another elder, Irale, was with her. He was a close companion; a friend, but more business related then not.
"Yusuke seemed very excitable today, didn't he?" she commented.
"Yes, he was", Irale responded. "Unfortunately, he seemed determined to follow through with what he said". His voice was deep, it fit perfectly with his physical appearance, but then again, with someone like Irale, no one could be sure what his true appearance was. This time, he had appeared with long blonde hair, artistically tied back, with a simple shirt and black pants. Even with the rather humane outfit, he had a very aristocratic air around him.
"I have absolute confidence in the guards and Kalian. I'm sure we needn't worry", Morrayne glanced up to smile reassuringly at him, but he didn't meet her gaze, instead opted to glance around the room.
"Koenma and one of his company is not here", he noted dutifully.
Morrayne shrugged. "He has permission to step out if he ever so wished to. And besides, I'm sure Botan-san will keep him in line. Especially after what happened to Yukina".
"The ice maiden?"
"Yes, Hiei's very lonesome company. Sometimes, I must wonder as to how they could ever be related", she said, smiling good-naturedly as she gazed at where Hiei stood stiffly beside Yukina, glaring at one of Lady Serenity's company, who stared frightfully back at him. She took careful note of that, but dismissed it as anything overly important.
"You're probably not the only one".
"Hello Sellem, back so soon?"
The one in question smiled back at her, pale green eyes alight with pleasantry. "You know me; I can never stay in one place for long. But Kalian told me to tell you the portals in which the messengers disappeared in seemed to have been rerouted. No one can get through without disrupting the main system".
Morrayne frowned. "That's horrible. We must get them cleared as soon as possible".
"I know, but the guards are busy with their duty and I as an Elder, therefore Kalian can't possible reroute more then sixty portals, as powerful as she is", Sellem reported, shaking her head mournfully. Her long snowy white hair drifted over her shoulder and she hastily swept loose strands behind her ear.
"Well then, what do you propose we do?" Irale spoke up from behind them.
"This has been the worse traffic we've ever had in years. Normally, portals only lead to one designated place and are the only ways of travel between the three worlds and within Makai; but when in rare times, portals branch off to other places because of bugs in the original programming, it takes months to rewrite the portal's code work", Sellem explained.
"But it is still possible to fix?"
"Um…" Sellem had the nerve to look extremely sheepish. "It will take a long long time, because apparently, the portals have all shut down instead. They're completely inaccessible".
Morrayne caught on quickly. "But not only will the messengers be trapped in wherever they have been sent, but it seems that this is no ordinary bug".
The taller woman nodded. "If it was just a minor problem in the programming, it may take a while but it is definitely fixable. But now that the portals have shut down itself, that means someone's actually behind this and controlling all those portals and where it is expected to go".
"And how to prevent us from meddling in their plans by shutting all of them down".
"Only Kalian and Sellem are capable of tampering with the system", Irale reminded them, always the logical voice between all five of the elders.
"The two of us are definitely not capable of reconstructing the entire program for those sixty portals before this month is over. But if we cannot clear them by then, the guests of the Sovereign Summit cannot leave. We must clear enough of the system so that the majority can leave. And I'm afraid that before our mysterious nemesis decides to shut down even more of the portals, we must cancel the meeting for this year", Sellem suggested.
"An impossibility", Morrayne shook her head, and both elders turned to her. "An agreement was made centuries ago that every five years, we hold the meeting of the Sovereign Summit to preserve the peace of the Makai. If the agreement is not held, then something much worse then having three Lords and seven rulers of unpredictable violent tendencies together in the same place will happen. Much more horrible then that".
"A mysterious entity suddenly having access to all the portals and even to the main system – and all of you are wondering how these guests are going to leave?"
They turned. Kalian stood there, blue eyes flashing with anger and dark brown hair flew in ever directions as the air around her crackled with energy. All three elders blinked as the woman glared at them, trembling with anxiousness and worry. "This is much worse then all of you think! This demon is capable of travelling wherever it wishes to go – for example, if it suddenly decides to attack Reikai through our portals, we'll be blamed for it!"
"Ah…" Sellem glanced sheepishly at Morrayne, who was staring wide-eyed at Kalian's outburst. "That was something I forgot to mention".
Morrayne sighed. "We will deal with each problem separately. Irale, please inform Celadorn and Ellquin of the problem and arrange for them to meet me after the banquet in my quarters". She turned to Sellem and Kalian. "The two of you will take part in the meeting tonight".
Kalian looked almost defeated but nodded, a determined expression setting onto her face. Sellem slung a casual arm around her shoulder, and leaned down to whisper in her ear. Kalian gave her a sweet smile of thanks and nodded again.
"Should we inform the guests of this?" Irale asked.
"No", the ancient elder shook her head. "That will only cause unnecessary commotion".
He nodded and stepped backwards, seeming as if to melt into the shadows. Morrayne glanced over where he used to be and smiled satisfyingly. At the very least, she could still depend on him. Then she turned to the two women standing beside her.
"Well, the night is still young. You two are welcomed to enjoy yourselves; you needn't worry about this until tomorrow".
With that said, Morrayne vanished in a flurry of sparkles, which disappeared as they touched the floor. The remaining elder and the head of the guards glanced at each other and sighed. As old as Morrayne was, she would never change.
~*~*~*~*~
He mingled with the rulers' company, as he had been told to do. His mother was here strictly on business, and she had made it clear enough that he was not to intrude upon her plans. He could've said the same to her.
He wandered around the area, drifting past others who had actually started dancing. His height and small stature made it difficult for him to move around, so he resorted to ducking and weaving through the crowd. He grinned playfully, treating this as if it was all a huge playground; a place where he could play and no one would notice.
Of course, a being such as his and with a history such as his, that was next to impossible.
He could feel the eyes of the guards on his back at every turn. Giggling silent, he dodged a particularly clumsy couple that had been trying to dance and ducked under an arm. Dirty looks were thrown at him but he cheerfully ignored them and went about his way.
It certainly wasn't his fault that they couldn't dance and yet had attempted to, resulting in merely making a complete fool of themselves. Smirking, he continue his leisurely walk around the dance floor.
Suddenly, he looked around, with eyes narrowed. His entire demeanor changed, his stance rigid as he glanced around inconspicuously. He only relaxed when he spotted his fellow Company rushing towards him, a look of wild excitement on her face.
She burst through a large crowd of demons and managed to separate a couple whom were slow dancing, both sending her dirty looks. She paid them no mind and didn't stop her walk until she was almost past Jen, before he stopped her with a hand on her arm and a stern look in her direction.
Immediately she turned to glare at him, pupils becoming slit and golden brown eyes glowing meeting his stormy grey ones, before she noticed who he was and dropped her eyes, mumbling apologies.
Giving her a stern smile, he let her go. "My mother isn't in the mood to play, Ava. She has granted us permission to mingle and enjoy ourselves, but to barrel across the dance floor and draw attention to us certainly isn't what she had in mind." 'How ironic that Botan reminded me of the same thing just a few hours ago.'
"Ah, I apologize, Prince Jenaka. I was…too excited to mind my manners", she said shamefully, a shy blush spreading across her cheeks.
Granting her a curious look, he inquired to know why.
Instantly, a guarded expression crossed over her face and she looked away, staring everywhere but at his face. Gingerly, he noted this but mentally shrugged. Avarine had always been shy and often when someone regarded her with a bit of suspicion or asked to know something of her, she'd turn rather emotionless and walk away. She was a strange demon, for she hated to be distrusted yet disliked to reveal anything about herself. Only in the throes of knowledge, or in the action of gaining it, did she ever act out of character.
"Sometimes…ah never mind, Prince Jenaka, it isn't anything you should concern yourself over", she said and smiled, albeit a tad uneasily.
He nodded, and looked away, and yet, in a deep dark part of his mind, he knew. Tonight was the night it was to begin. When everything was to be set in motion once again, starting with this young cat demon, for what she was to reveal in the near future was the push needed to set everything into motion. Resisting the urge to grin at the delicious prospect of darkness once again reigning as the one power of Makai, he glanced at Avarine, who blinked unknowingly at him.
But that time was not yet to come. 'Soon', he told himself softly, 'soon…all things will come to a halt and my time will begin once again'.
~*~*~*~
Smiling politely at the demon with the bright yellow eyes and green hair, with the body of a hulking giant, she declined his offer to dance and moved on, carefully avoiding any other unpleasant…requests. She was here on a mission, not to have fun. 'Though I can't consider dancing with some of these demons much fun', she thought sarcastically, and sighed.
Neo Princess Serenity moved with the air of regality, as she should've. The absence of two tails of pink dangling by her sides was noticeable, but she supposed it was a relief. Now no one could claim that she was trying to imitate her mother for any apparent reason, nor was she trying to gain respect from her (soon to be) fellow rulers/monarchs of worlds by expecting them to think she claimed her mother's right of power to herself. Again, by looking like her.
She was here on a mission. Her past mother's absence to this meeting had been expected of course, after all, she had to be encased in a crystal in order for her own past self to receive the training she desperately needed by going into the much farther past. Chibi-Usa had been a brat when she was seven, even now, as Neo Princess, she could admit it. Her current mother, who looked to be the age of twenty-five but was really much older, had told her that this was another form of training, but this time, not as a Sailor Senshi, but as a future monarch.
And what better way to train as a future monarch by being amongst the current monarchs of this time and learning how to survive within the lion's very den?
She heard, before she saw, the approach of two sets of footsteps, and she knew they were heading for her. Before she could react, a strong push came from behind and she managed to whirl around before she fell flat on her face; now she fell slapping the ground as she hit the floor (as drilled into her by Haruka many many times; having been told that was 'the proper way to fall') and she stayed down, looking up with wide eyes at two identical faces, one with a look of disdain and the other with a look of pure mischief.
Expecting no hand to be offered, she pulled herself up to her feet and brushed herself off, face entirely emotionless, waiting for the other two to speak. She had been informed of them (by Puu and her mother, in fact), Sarena and Savil, twin rulers of the land of Fuuriin. Instantly, she reviewed what she knew of that place. The dominant species of demons were twinlings, demons born as twins both sharing the same power. They were famous for their destructive forces because of their combined power, but the disadvantage of that, if one twin died; the other was soon to follow. The bond between twinlings went beyond mere siblings; to put it bluntly they were also quite famous for their incestuous relationships, although many were unsure of whether they were mere rumours or not. The demons of Fuuriin kept to themselves quite a bit due to the fact that they were probably deeply bonded to their twin to worry about what the outside world was up to.
Of course, the twin rulers were quite different. They were far more active in the 'outside' world and tended to flaunt their power, and they weren't at all private. In fact, their public displays of affection was what actually led to the rumours to begin with.
"I apologize, Princess of Ningenkai, we were utterly unaware of the fact that you were standing in front of us", the one with the violet eyes so alike her best friend said with a monotonous voice.
The one with the hazel eyes laughed. "Aw look Sav, she knows how to fall. Then she must not be utterly defenceless hm?"
Serenity smiled coldly, the carefully controlled expression coming with years of experience, and was not so easily cracked. Still, her insides shivered with fear and she had to breathe deeply to regain her sense of calm. They were unlike Youko Kurama, who she had been told did not kill on sight, they were perfectly uncaring and didn't cared who they killed. And her mother had told her repeatedly not to let her power as the ruling monarch of Ningenkai to get to her head, since no demon particularly cared about any other ruling power other then their own. She had to treat demons with extreme care, and regard herself as an outsider with no amount of control over them.
"The training I received from our weaponsmistress certainly cannot amount to anything the both of you are capable of, rulers of Fuuriin", she replied, and made an effort to look nonchalant, brushing misplaced strands of hair behind her ear and relaxing noticeably. That was both a warning and a precaution; to let the two know she wasn't scared, and nor was she incapable of protecting herself. At least, until help arrived, if they did decide to attack. 'But the guards certainly wouldn't allow it', she reassured herself, but realized that they did not protect against physical assault, merely the use of any type of energy. 'Damn.'
"You don't have to worry, darling, we won't attack you", Sarena claimed. "We just wanted to see who you are. We're so used to seeing your mother here; we wanted to see if you were just as cool!"
Serenity blinked.
"Don't interfere", the motionless Savil said, voice lowering. "If you don't wish to die, you'd stay out of all our ways. Your mother was one we all respected, but you however…I cannot vouch for your safety any more then Koenma can. To us, rulers of Reikai and Ningenkai are outsiders, and you can never be anything more."
The pink haired girl, for she was merely a girl of fourteen, shivered at the woman's sinister tone, and struggled to maintain her cold front. "I assure you…Ruler Savil, that I have no intention of being in your way, anymore then you have any intention of accepting an 'outsider' to be a voice of reason in this place."
Sarena grinned. "That's what we wanted to hear! Because you know…we wouldn't want to pick up your remains in some dark hallway somewhere in the second floor", she giggled as if it was the most hysterical thing she had ever heard.
Gritting her teeth, Serenity offered them a tight forced smile and prepared to take her leave. "Thank you for the warning, very much appreciated coming from those who apparently do not care for my well being. I shall take it into account", she replied in a voice that was cold enough to freeze hell over.
Faster then the eye could see, Savil's hand shot out and grasped Serenity's chin in a tight grip, before pulling her forward and tilting her head up to meet Savil's own face, whose eyes (Serenity was once again reminded of Hotaru's, though even the Messiah of Death's eyes weren't as bright nor as deadly, though infinitely friendlier and wiser) had narrowed into cat like slits and her lips turned dangerously upwards. "Such imprudence from a youngster like you, Neo Queen Serenity's daughter of a mere fourteen years. Know your place, my dear one, a human cannot possibly understand the mentality of ones like I, but you, so attractive yet so naïve…" she purred, trailing a perfectly manicured nail down Serenity's pale cheek. "will seem to be easy prey for many."
Sarena leaned in and placed her lips by the young princess' ear, who shivered, and not necessarily out of fear. "After all, such a lovely young flower that you are…"
Eyes wide, she tore herself away from their grip just as Savil let her go without a struggle and stumbled back a few paces, biting her lip harshly and breathing slightly out of sync, face pale yet slightly flushed at the same time. Sarena stepped back with a wink and a little wave, before looping arms with her sister and gliding away. Savil cast her one dark, almost lustful look, before following.
Shaking, Serenity turned around abruptly and walked in one direction, trying to calm her beating heart. "What in the world was that?" she hissed under her breath, and earned her strange looks from a large group of younger demons, and she avoided their glances. Making it to the west end of the room, she leaned against it; arm propped up.
'That was…beyond strange. What did they mean?' Desperate, she glanced around her as if searching for an answer, but not receiving one. Finally, she spun around and leaned against the wall on her back, staring towards the ceiling.
She stayed like this for the remainder of the night, only leaving the safety of the shadows when approached by several demons of averaged power, whom were wondering as to her mother's absence.
As she spoke to them and tried to convince them that her mother was not missing because of Ningenkai's own affairs (for they might have considered Ningenkai to be going through a weak phase and be ripe for the taking) nor was she to take over her mother's place in the Sovereign Summit permanently, she couldn't help but continue to be reminded of the event that had just taken place.
And for some reason, she couldn't stop shaking.
~*~*~*~
A/N: Was that part a bit too much? Did Serenity react in the way you expected her to? Do you like the twins, or hate them? Since I actually introduced which land they're from and what kind of demons they are, expect them to stick around a lot longer then I planned for them to…Well, at least one of then anyway *hinthint*
Implications of shoujo ai are going to be quite obvious in the chapter (I think I mentioned that there would be same-sex couples in this story awhile ago). I'm trying to show that demons, though they are not necessarily hedonistic in any way, they do not care much for gender in terms of love or lust (they concentrate too much on power and just trying to survive). So I hope nobody gets offended because of that.
Love Through Centuries
Chapter 10: The Commencement
Ketsuki
1/24/04
~*~*~*~
"It's unbelievable", Botan said with wide-eyed awe. "It's been centuries…I never thought she would be able to regain a sense of herself after so long".
Koenma sighed, placing a hand on the balcony ledge. Botan was perched upon it, both hands beside herself for balance and her legs swinging back and forth. She could see clearly that her 'boss' was under a lot of pressure, being the king of Reikai and yet not receiving the respect he deserved from everyone within the Sovereign Summit. He was being treated as if he was an outsider; a being that had not been given permission to speak with those that did have the power to speak.
But then again, now wasn't the time to dwell on such thoughts. Both of them were concerned about the ice maiden named Yukina, the one who had spoken after a millennia of silence.
They were standing on one of the many balconies that the large arch-like windows in the banquet hall opened to. The windows were closed behind them and the curtains down; it provided a sense of privacy for them as they spoke.
"We always thought it was a psychological impediment [for her lack of speaking] due to the shock of…Well, what happened, but if that was so, how did the presence of a complete stranger reawaken her ability to speak; or even to think?" Koenma frowned.
Botan shrugged, but her eyes shone with a great concern, and a very thinly veiled pain that had been born many years ago. She sniffed lightly; remnants from her earlier crying. When Koenma glanced over at her, she smiled tightly and looked down onto her lap. "Yukina always did have a very fragile heart".
"But we never knew how frail her mental comfort in her immediate surroundings was. Once her anchor, so to speak, broke, she had no way of regaining all that she had lost even before she met him", Koenma finished, looking incredibly sad.
The blue haired young woman shut her eyes tightly to prevent tears from falling. Her bangs hid her closed eyes as she bent her head to keep her superior from noticing her emotional state. "Why did it have to end like it had?" She whispered brokenheartedly, choking in a sob.
Koenma glanced towards the sky, a starless sky; a sea of black and darkness. There were no stars in the Makai, he reminded himself. "There are no such answers for such questions in this universe. Things happen because they do, not because they were meant to. It was inevitable that eventually he would die. She was a demon and he was a human. No one could foresee that she would react as she had".
"I feel like I've failed them!" Botan said, head turning to stare at him with wild magenta eyes. "I feel like I've failed them all! They were my friends and I could do nothing but watch as they…as they all…" Her whole body slumped back into her position, her expression defeated.
He could feel a headache coming, but as it was his duty, he laid a hand on her shoulder. "You could do nothing", he said softly, eyes pained. "As much as we both hated to admit it, we could do nothing to change the course of their future".
"I know…how many times have we had this conversation, Koenma?" Botan said tiredly, refusing to look at him. She opted to refer to him without the respectful suffix, because now was a moment between friends, not between work partners. "Too many to count".
"And as always, how many times have I told you to stop blaming yourself?"
"But…that's just it, Koenma!" Botan suddenly jumped off the ledge and turned to him; looking as hopeful as one like her could look. "Yukina talked today! She spoke her name; that means she still remembers and she still knows who she is! There may be a chance she can recover and become who she was so long ago!"
But Koenma only shook his head and avoided her expectant gaze. "Even if…it is possible, Yukina will never be the same again. Botan, I don't want you to get your hopes up over something like this. The chance of recovery for someone like Yukina is very slim, and if by chance she is revived and becomes her old self again, she might not be the same Yukina that you and I remember".
"I know", Botan whispered. She shut her eyes. "Don't you think that I'm always being reminded of that fact? 'Yukina will never be the same again; she'll never be the sweet and kind-hearted girl that we all knew'. After she was taken under our custody, those words ran over and over again in my mind. It doesn't mean I've accepted that fact, but it's something I cannot change. I only have my hope left within me. If I am denied that as well, I will lose everything".
She looked up, straight into Koenma's silent stare. "I don't want you to encourage me in my hopes, but to accept my theories and beliefs. That's all I ask, really".
Koenma smiled, sad that amongst the load she had weighing down her shoulders, he had suddenly become one of them. And she knew it as well. "That I can accomplish, and I will do so to the best of my ability".
Botan bit her lip and nodded, a determination shining brightly in her eyes. "Thank you".
~*~*~*~*~
Morrayne watched them as they swirled around her. She watched them as the younger ones stared at her with curiosity and the older ones eyed her with caution. She was silent as the two elders began to drift towards all ends of the room, carefully keeping watch for the demons who never followed the rules. She herself was stationed at the back, directly in front of the stairs/stage and the large doors.
Another elder, Irale, was with her. He was a close companion; a friend, but more business related then not.
"Yusuke seemed very excitable today, didn't he?" she commented.
"Yes, he was", Irale responded. "Unfortunately, he seemed determined to follow through with what he said". His voice was deep, it fit perfectly with his physical appearance, but then again, with someone like Irale, no one could be sure what his true appearance was. This time, he had appeared with long blonde hair, artistically tied back, with a simple shirt and black pants. Even with the rather humane outfit, he had a very aristocratic air around him.
"I have absolute confidence in the guards and Kalian. I'm sure we needn't worry", Morrayne glanced up to smile reassuringly at him, but he didn't meet her gaze, instead opted to glance around the room.
"Koenma and one of his company is not here", he noted dutifully.
Morrayne shrugged. "He has permission to step out if he ever so wished to. And besides, I'm sure Botan-san will keep him in line. Especially after what happened to Yukina".
"The ice maiden?"
"Yes, Hiei's very lonesome company. Sometimes, I must wonder as to how they could ever be related", she said, smiling good-naturedly as she gazed at where Hiei stood stiffly beside Yukina, glaring at one of Lady Serenity's company, who stared frightfully back at him. She took careful note of that, but dismissed it as anything overly important.
"You're probably not the only one".
"Hello Sellem, back so soon?"
The one in question smiled back at her, pale green eyes alight with pleasantry. "You know me; I can never stay in one place for long. But Kalian told me to tell you the portals in which the messengers disappeared in seemed to have been rerouted. No one can get through without disrupting the main system".
Morrayne frowned. "That's horrible. We must get them cleared as soon as possible".
"I know, but the guards are busy with their duty and I as an Elder, therefore Kalian can't possible reroute more then sixty portals, as powerful as she is", Sellem reported, shaking her head mournfully. Her long snowy white hair drifted over her shoulder and she hastily swept loose strands behind her ear.
"Well then, what do you propose we do?" Irale spoke up from behind them.
"This has been the worse traffic we've ever had in years. Normally, portals only lead to one designated place and are the only ways of travel between the three worlds and within Makai; but when in rare times, portals branch off to other places because of bugs in the original programming, it takes months to rewrite the portal's code work", Sellem explained.
"But it is still possible to fix?"
"Um…" Sellem had the nerve to look extremely sheepish. "It will take a long long time, because apparently, the portals have all shut down instead. They're completely inaccessible".
Morrayne caught on quickly. "But not only will the messengers be trapped in wherever they have been sent, but it seems that this is no ordinary bug".
The taller woman nodded. "If it was just a minor problem in the programming, it may take a while but it is definitely fixable. But now that the portals have shut down itself, that means someone's actually behind this and controlling all those portals and where it is expected to go".
"And how to prevent us from meddling in their plans by shutting all of them down".
"Only Kalian and Sellem are capable of tampering with the system", Irale reminded them, always the logical voice between all five of the elders.
"The two of us are definitely not capable of reconstructing the entire program for those sixty portals before this month is over. But if we cannot clear them by then, the guests of the Sovereign Summit cannot leave. We must clear enough of the system so that the majority can leave. And I'm afraid that before our mysterious nemesis decides to shut down even more of the portals, we must cancel the meeting for this year", Sellem suggested.
"An impossibility", Morrayne shook her head, and both elders turned to her. "An agreement was made centuries ago that every five years, we hold the meeting of the Sovereign Summit to preserve the peace of the Makai. If the agreement is not held, then something much worse then having three Lords and seven rulers of unpredictable violent tendencies together in the same place will happen. Much more horrible then that".
"A mysterious entity suddenly having access to all the portals and even to the main system – and all of you are wondering how these guests are going to leave?"
They turned. Kalian stood there, blue eyes flashing with anger and dark brown hair flew in ever directions as the air around her crackled with energy. All three elders blinked as the woman glared at them, trembling with anxiousness and worry. "This is much worse then all of you think! This demon is capable of travelling wherever it wishes to go – for example, if it suddenly decides to attack Reikai through our portals, we'll be blamed for it!"
"Ah…" Sellem glanced sheepishly at Morrayne, who was staring wide-eyed at Kalian's outburst. "That was something I forgot to mention".
Morrayne sighed. "We will deal with each problem separately. Irale, please inform Celadorn and Ellquin of the problem and arrange for them to meet me after the banquet in my quarters". She turned to Sellem and Kalian. "The two of you will take part in the meeting tonight".
Kalian looked almost defeated but nodded, a determined expression setting onto her face. Sellem slung a casual arm around her shoulder, and leaned down to whisper in her ear. Kalian gave her a sweet smile of thanks and nodded again.
"Should we inform the guests of this?" Irale asked.
"No", the ancient elder shook her head. "That will only cause unnecessary commotion".
He nodded and stepped backwards, seeming as if to melt into the shadows. Morrayne glanced over where he used to be and smiled satisfyingly. At the very least, she could still depend on him. Then she turned to the two women standing beside her.
"Well, the night is still young. You two are welcomed to enjoy yourselves; you needn't worry about this until tomorrow".
With that said, Morrayne vanished in a flurry of sparkles, which disappeared as they touched the floor. The remaining elder and the head of the guards glanced at each other and sighed. As old as Morrayne was, she would never change.
~*~*~*~*~
He mingled with the rulers' company, as he had been told to do. His mother was here strictly on business, and she had made it clear enough that he was not to intrude upon her plans. He could've said the same to her.
He wandered around the area, drifting past others who had actually started dancing. His height and small stature made it difficult for him to move around, so he resorted to ducking and weaving through the crowd. He grinned playfully, treating this as if it was all a huge playground; a place where he could play and no one would notice.
Of course, a being such as his and with a history such as his, that was next to impossible.
He could feel the eyes of the guards on his back at every turn. Giggling silent, he dodged a particularly clumsy couple that had been trying to dance and ducked under an arm. Dirty looks were thrown at him but he cheerfully ignored them and went about his way.
It certainly wasn't his fault that they couldn't dance and yet had attempted to, resulting in merely making a complete fool of themselves. Smirking, he continue his leisurely walk around the dance floor.
Suddenly, he looked around, with eyes narrowed. His entire demeanor changed, his stance rigid as he glanced around inconspicuously. He only relaxed when he spotted his fellow Company rushing towards him, a look of wild excitement on her face.
She burst through a large crowd of demons and managed to separate a couple whom were slow dancing, both sending her dirty looks. She paid them no mind and didn't stop her walk until she was almost past Jen, before he stopped her with a hand on her arm and a stern look in her direction.
Immediately she turned to glare at him, pupils becoming slit and golden brown eyes glowing meeting his stormy grey ones, before she noticed who he was and dropped her eyes, mumbling apologies.
Giving her a stern smile, he let her go. "My mother isn't in the mood to play, Ava. She has granted us permission to mingle and enjoy ourselves, but to barrel across the dance floor and draw attention to us certainly isn't what she had in mind." 'How ironic that Botan reminded me of the same thing just a few hours ago.'
"Ah, I apologize, Prince Jenaka. I was…too excited to mind my manners", she said shamefully, a shy blush spreading across her cheeks.
Granting her a curious look, he inquired to know why.
Instantly, a guarded expression crossed over her face and she looked away, staring everywhere but at his face. Gingerly, he noted this but mentally shrugged. Avarine had always been shy and often when someone regarded her with a bit of suspicion or asked to know something of her, she'd turn rather emotionless and walk away. She was a strange demon, for she hated to be distrusted yet disliked to reveal anything about herself. Only in the throes of knowledge, or in the action of gaining it, did she ever act out of character.
"Sometimes…ah never mind, Prince Jenaka, it isn't anything you should concern yourself over", she said and smiled, albeit a tad uneasily.
He nodded, and looked away, and yet, in a deep dark part of his mind, he knew. Tonight was the night it was to begin. When everything was to be set in motion once again, starting with this young cat demon, for what she was to reveal in the near future was the push needed to set everything into motion. Resisting the urge to grin at the delicious prospect of darkness once again reigning as the one power of Makai, he glanced at Avarine, who blinked unknowingly at him.
But that time was not yet to come. 'Soon', he told himself softly, 'soon…all things will come to a halt and my time will begin once again'.
~*~*~*~
Smiling politely at the demon with the bright yellow eyes and green hair, with the body of a hulking giant, she declined his offer to dance and moved on, carefully avoiding any other unpleasant…requests. She was here on a mission, not to have fun. 'Though I can't consider dancing with some of these demons much fun', she thought sarcastically, and sighed.
Neo Princess Serenity moved with the air of regality, as she should've. The absence of two tails of pink dangling by her sides was noticeable, but she supposed it was a relief. Now no one could claim that she was trying to imitate her mother for any apparent reason, nor was she trying to gain respect from her (soon to be) fellow rulers/monarchs of worlds by expecting them to think she claimed her mother's right of power to herself. Again, by looking like her.
She was here on a mission. Her past mother's absence to this meeting had been expected of course, after all, she had to be encased in a crystal in order for her own past self to receive the training she desperately needed by going into the much farther past. Chibi-Usa had been a brat when she was seven, even now, as Neo Princess, she could admit it. Her current mother, who looked to be the age of twenty-five but was really much older, had told her that this was another form of training, but this time, not as a Sailor Senshi, but as a future monarch.
And what better way to train as a future monarch by being amongst the current monarchs of this time and learning how to survive within the lion's very den?
She heard, before she saw, the approach of two sets of footsteps, and she knew they were heading for her. Before she could react, a strong push came from behind and she managed to whirl around before she fell flat on her face; now she fell slapping the ground as she hit the floor (as drilled into her by Haruka many many times; having been told that was 'the proper way to fall') and she stayed down, looking up with wide eyes at two identical faces, one with a look of disdain and the other with a look of pure mischief.
Expecting no hand to be offered, she pulled herself up to her feet and brushed herself off, face entirely emotionless, waiting for the other two to speak. She had been informed of them (by Puu and her mother, in fact), Sarena and Savil, twin rulers of the land of Fuuriin. Instantly, she reviewed what she knew of that place. The dominant species of demons were twinlings, demons born as twins both sharing the same power. They were famous for their destructive forces because of their combined power, but the disadvantage of that, if one twin died; the other was soon to follow. The bond between twinlings went beyond mere siblings; to put it bluntly they were also quite famous for their incestuous relationships, although many were unsure of whether they were mere rumours or not. The demons of Fuuriin kept to themselves quite a bit due to the fact that they were probably deeply bonded to their twin to worry about what the outside world was up to.
Of course, the twin rulers were quite different. They were far more active in the 'outside' world and tended to flaunt their power, and they weren't at all private. In fact, their public displays of affection was what actually led to the rumours to begin with.
"I apologize, Princess of Ningenkai, we were utterly unaware of the fact that you were standing in front of us", the one with the violet eyes so alike her best friend said with a monotonous voice.
The one with the hazel eyes laughed. "Aw look Sav, she knows how to fall. Then she must not be utterly defenceless hm?"
Serenity smiled coldly, the carefully controlled expression coming with years of experience, and was not so easily cracked. Still, her insides shivered with fear and she had to breathe deeply to regain her sense of calm. They were unlike Youko Kurama, who she had been told did not kill on sight, they were perfectly uncaring and didn't cared who they killed. And her mother had told her repeatedly not to let her power as the ruling monarch of Ningenkai to get to her head, since no demon particularly cared about any other ruling power other then their own. She had to treat demons with extreme care, and regard herself as an outsider with no amount of control over them.
"The training I received from our weaponsmistress certainly cannot amount to anything the both of you are capable of, rulers of Fuuriin", she replied, and made an effort to look nonchalant, brushing misplaced strands of hair behind her ear and relaxing noticeably. That was both a warning and a precaution; to let the two know she wasn't scared, and nor was she incapable of protecting herself. At least, until help arrived, if they did decide to attack. 'But the guards certainly wouldn't allow it', she reassured herself, but realized that they did not protect against physical assault, merely the use of any type of energy. 'Damn.'
"You don't have to worry, darling, we won't attack you", Sarena claimed. "We just wanted to see who you are. We're so used to seeing your mother here; we wanted to see if you were just as cool!"
Serenity blinked.
"Don't interfere", the motionless Savil said, voice lowering. "If you don't wish to die, you'd stay out of all our ways. Your mother was one we all respected, but you however…I cannot vouch for your safety any more then Koenma can. To us, rulers of Reikai and Ningenkai are outsiders, and you can never be anything more."
The pink haired girl, for she was merely a girl of fourteen, shivered at the woman's sinister tone, and struggled to maintain her cold front. "I assure you…Ruler Savil, that I have no intention of being in your way, anymore then you have any intention of accepting an 'outsider' to be a voice of reason in this place."
Sarena grinned. "That's what we wanted to hear! Because you know…we wouldn't want to pick up your remains in some dark hallway somewhere in the second floor", she giggled as if it was the most hysterical thing she had ever heard.
Gritting her teeth, Serenity offered them a tight forced smile and prepared to take her leave. "Thank you for the warning, very much appreciated coming from those who apparently do not care for my well being. I shall take it into account", she replied in a voice that was cold enough to freeze hell over.
Faster then the eye could see, Savil's hand shot out and grasped Serenity's chin in a tight grip, before pulling her forward and tilting her head up to meet Savil's own face, whose eyes (Serenity was once again reminded of Hotaru's, though even the Messiah of Death's eyes weren't as bright nor as deadly, though infinitely friendlier and wiser) had narrowed into cat like slits and her lips turned dangerously upwards. "Such imprudence from a youngster like you, Neo Queen Serenity's daughter of a mere fourteen years. Know your place, my dear one, a human cannot possibly understand the mentality of ones like I, but you, so attractive yet so naïve…" she purred, trailing a perfectly manicured nail down Serenity's pale cheek. "will seem to be easy prey for many."
Sarena leaned in and placed her lips by the young princess' ear, who shivered, and not necessarily out of fear. "After all, such a lovely young flower that you are…"
Eyes wide, she tore herself away from their grip just as Savil let her go without a struggle and stumbled back a few paces, biting her lip harshly and breathing slightly out of sync, face pale yet slightly flushed at the same time. Sarena stepped back with a wink and a little wave, before looping arms with her sister and gliding away. Savil cast her one dark, almost lustful look, before following.
Shaking, Serenity turned around abruptly and walked in one direction, trying to calm her beating heart. "What in the world was that?" she hissed under her breath, and earned her strange looks from a large group of younger demons, and she avoided their glances. Making it to the west end of the room, she leaned against it; arm propped up.
'That was…beyond strange. What did they mean?' Desperate, she glanced around her as if searching for an answer, but not receiving one. Finally, she spun around and leaned against the wall on her back, staring towards the ceiling.
She stayed like this for the remainder of the night, only leaving the safety of the shadows when approached by several demons of averaged power, whom were wondering as to her mother's absence.
As she spoke to them and tried to convince them that her mother was not missing because of Ningenkai's own affairs (for they might have considered Ningenkai to be going through a weak phase and be ripe for the taking) nor was she to take over her mother's place in the Sovereign Summit permanently, she couldn't help but continue to be reminded of the event that had just taken place.
And for some reason, she couldn't stop shaking.
~*~*~*~
A/N: Was that part a bit too much? Did Serenity react in the way you expected her to? Do you like the twins, or hate them? Since I actually introduced which land they're from and what kind of demons they are, expect them to stick around a lot longer then I planned for them to…Well, at least one of then anyway *hinthint*