Riz:
How many month has it been since I last updated this fanfic? A long time, definitely. Things been happening to prevent me from writing, all too many to mention. Let's just say that I've had a run of bad luck lately..
Thank you guys for reviewing. I truly appriciate that you are still reading this story despite how long it's taken. And because of that, I've mad this chapter extra long. Hope you find this update intruging, as this one raises a hell of a lot of questions that should be answered shortly.
Chapter Twenty One: In Her Eternal Grace
Information extracted from the Public Archives:
Country: Rukailia
Level: Third of Berkana
Governing City: Salitan
General Information: To many, Rukailia was known as the "Second". This strange title comes from the fact that the country could almost, but not quite, come first in every factor of its specialization. Technological advances, scientific research, agricultural harvesting and maintenance, economical growth and stability, military power; all of these things and much more are all ranked second. Many country management analyses have shown that if Rukailia was to focus more on one particular factor while sacrificing a few others then there would be no problem for the country to take that long awaited top rank.
However, when the suggestion was handed down to Rukailia, the citizens and many of the other countries protested against the action. Their reason was quite simple; being second at everything and first at nothing was what made Rukailia unique. To force the country into specializing would no doubt destroy the unique reputation it had held for so long. And so, with such a large amount of protesting, Rukailia is what you see today.
Being the middle level of Berkana, the weather could be termed paradise. Eternally spring, many of those who move to the country do so to evade harsh winds of autumn or bitter coldness of winter. Of course, if one has a tendency to lose one's nose, eyes and lungs to stuffiness, tears and chocking or coughing when in contact to various blooming plants, then perhaps one might reconsider an alternative.
In terms of the residence, the country harbors an amazing mixture of culture and citizens. Considered to be the one of the most diverse place, many come to live there. The weather is a main factor, but the other tantalizing lure is large business opportunities, both in terms of investors and buyers. With business comes development in the standard of living for the country. Education, health, law and such have all been upgraded to the finest anywhere. But the easiest way to see that is in the central point of Salitan, where stands the largest structure in the country.
The National Archive holds at least one copy of every official text ever released. Near every piece of information could be found within the diamond re-enforced marble walls. Birth, death, medical records, stories, poems, weekly news, auction results, everything. That's all for the public though, but if one has the authorization then there is absolutely nothing that they could not know.
But a word of warning; for everything good and perfect there is always a dark shadow underlying the grand beauty. To the majority Salitan is a great place to relax or find what one is searching for. But to those who knows, the governing city of Rukailia is home to the largest organization of Unauthorized anywhere. If one finds their wallet suddenly stolen and is extremely stubborn in pursuing the whereabouts of the criminal, they just might find their wallet returned on the first night and all their assets suddenly disappearing by the next morning. Any effort to trace the culprit's movements would be in vain, for only the best can be found in Salitan.
-
Flipping through the pages, Youko grinned to himself as the words "stolen" caught his eyes. It would appear that this world was not as alien as he had first though. Reaching the end of the page, the thief added yet more notes to the mental "Important (And Interesting) Thing to Remember" list.
So much to learn, so little amount of time. Barely three days here and already the youkai's head felt light from all the information he had been presented with (forced upon, more like it.) by his hosts. Speaking of which…
A knock on the door announced the entry of one of the said host. Inoseki's head appeared from behind the door and blinked at Youko. The woman smiled as she saw what the thief had been so engrossed in. The smile widened as Youko's golden eyes blinked at the sudden intrusion. Blinking out of his daze, the white haired youkai had a surprised, almost childish look on his face; such a cute expression compared to his normal cool politeness. Hiding her thoughts from Youko's look of confusion, the woman wandered into the room.
"So, I guess you find all of this information to of interest?"
A smirk touched his face as one hand reached up to brush away silken lock.
"It's alright, enough to pass the boredom."
His eyes, though, said otherwise. The light in them had that same unrestrained eagerness that one see in children when they are given a mysterious present, all wrapped and nicely hidden beneath layers of packaging. Inoseki raised one brow at Youko's nonchalance response. Although it;s only been three days, the woman had come to know Youko's personality as well, if not better, than himself. Well, that's what you get for being nearly six hundred years old.
"So I presume you won't be interested in something like, oh let's say, learning how to use your powers?"
Furred ears shot up as Youko's attention snapped towards her. Inoseki bit down on a chuckle. She loved to do that, watching his ears flicker with surprise and happiness. The thief might think that no one can read his thoughts and actions, but obviously the youkai's brilliant mind must have underestimated his host. Like most people, Youko only saw Inoseki as a motherly and authority figure; someone who made sure everything's done within schedule and to the standards. She doesn't blame him though; after all, showing people what they want to see and telling them what they want to hear had been her job for the past five hundred years. But that's another topic, for now…
"Come on then; be at the courtyard library in ten minutes."
-
:Seritsu, come quickly! I found an unconscious person out the back!"
Sound of running thundered through the ground.
"Alive?"
"Still breathing, strong pulse. Must've just fainted."
"Blood loss? Just look at the cloth!"
"Possible, but I doubt it. There aren't visible wounds at all."
A pause. A flicker of consciousness sparked in the suffocating slumber.
"Why did the alarms set? They should've gone if any one trespasses without permit."
"I don't know. The Words are working; I checked on them a moment ago."
The voices. What are they saying? Why are they so loud? The consciousness began to die out.
Another pause, longer now.
"… Could this be a trap?"
"Maybe. But they won't be this stupid to think we'd fall for something this obvious."
"…"
"Why don't we go inside first? It's not safe out here, even with surveillance up."
"And we are taking…"
"Yea. If it's a trap then we'll get to the bottom of it. If not, then I'd love to know how this brat got past my alarms."
Shadows. Sensation of being moved. The darkness closed in again.
-
"So, how are you feeling? Is this place of adequate furnishing? I would move you out of the jail, but I'm afraid protocol demands that you two have to stay in official supervision until everything's sorted out. So until then I'll do my best to make you two comfortable."
Kuwabara laughed in embarrassment and waved a hand at Tainuki.
"Na, don't worry about it. You do what you need to do sir. We won't want to get you in trouble with those higher up, you being so nice to us and all, even looking for our friends and stuff."
"Speaking of which…"
Seated opposite Tainuki, Yuki suddenly spoke up.
"Have you found any information on them yet? I mean, they couldn't have gone far, right? After all, Kuwabara and I landed pretty much in the same area, so…"
The azure gaze wavered slightly as Tainuki sighed and shook his head slowly.
"I'm afraid it's just not that easy."
Yuki frowned and leaned closer over from her seat. Strands of crimson fell on her nose. Startled, it took Yuki a moment to remember about her new form. It had taken two hours of convincing, reasoning and detailed explanation from Tainuki that yes, this is exactly what she was supposed to look, and no, there was no way he could revert her back to her old form. Not that she complained much, the woman didn't mind her current appearance. Eyes of bright azure contrasted nicely with the streaks of rich ruby in locks of velvet black. Still, it takes a while for her mind to remind the woman that this new body was indeed hers. Tucking the offensive lock back where it belonged, Yuki bit down on a sigh of worry. Even if it's been three days, but a bunch of strangers shouldn't be that hard to spot, right? So why isn't there any hint of the others? As if sensing the confusion in her mind, Tainuki shifted in his seat and sighed again.
"It's by pure luck that you and Kuwabara appeared so close together. Then again, when you think closely, Kuwabara was fished out of a river, one which runs for miles on a very strong current. The fact is that Kuwabara might have appeared some distance away and by pure chance pulled himself out where he did.
Roads are not as easy as they appear to be. A hair's difference in the portal might mean hundreds of miles, dimensions apart, even. There's no guarantee that your friends are even here, in this dimension."
Tainuki winced inwards as he saw the hope in both Yuki and Kuwabara's eyes come crashing down with those words. He wanted to tell them the truth of the matter that in actual fact that one of their friends is in fact, right this moment, merely two corridors down from their room. After all, it's not these two's fault they were involved in this whole game. But he knew, he knew how important these two were to him and his cause. Although against every moral fiber in his body, Tainuki could not allow this opportunity pass. And so, he did the thing he hated most; he lied through his clenched teeth to the two.
He left Yuki and Kuwabara, leaving behind fake words of assurance that he'll send any news of their friends over as soon as any are reported to him. Walking back towards his office, the man's moody silence was broken by a hesitant question from his oldest sub-ordinate.
"Yes, Naris?"
The man in question flushed and coughed nervously. It's rare to see the normally grounded and calm Tainuki to be so dark. But as always, Naris's curiosity got the better of him. Besides, he knew the Superior better than anyone else and knew when not to cross the line.
"Sir, I was just wondering… Why did you place those two in the same room and yet made sure that the other one… Kurama, is being kept in isolation?"
Tainuki rubbed the bridge of his nose. The man felt a headache coming on. Must be revenge for him lying to those two…
"Naris."
"Yes, Superior."
"Tell me what you think of that Kurama person, judging just from what you heard from Yuki."
Tainuki was moving slower now, and Naris unconsciously slowed his own pace so to remain a full step behind the older man.
"Personally? I think he would make an excellent spy. The man sounds like one with a sharp wit and not the type to lose his head in a tight situation. He seems to have great analyzing abilities, of allies and enemies alike."
Tainuki nodded.
"Indeed. Which is exactly why I need to keep his separate. If Kurama was to reunite with Yuki and Kuwabara, then with their combined information Kurama might be able to realize that something's amiss. I do not doubt that one with his mind would see through this façade."
A sharp turn brought the two to their destination. Shuffling through the papers on his desk, Tainuki grinned to himself.
"And I've no doubt you are just itching to ask me why I allowed placed Kuwabara and Yuki in the same room?"
Standing at the door, Naris chuckled at this.
"You know me too well, sir."
"It's not something that takes much consideration, but a happy customer is an oblivious customer. If Yuki and Kuwabara were to be left on their own, it would be very possible that both of them might cause trouble, enough to be noticed by other authorities. Placing the two together is so that both are at least slightly calmed with the familiarity of things… Naris."
"Yes, Superior."
"I need to make a report to higher authorities. I won't be gone long, one day at most. I trust you to look after things here while I'm away."
"Yes sir."
-
Freedom! That holy angel upon celestial wings who cradles the soul and lifts them beyond the eternal heavens. How long had it been since she was free from rules, from boundaries and prohibitions? Too long, that's all that mattered. So long in fact, that for a moment the mind was at a loss of what to do. That changed quickly when smoky green gaze looked down at the body. A snort of disgust sounded in the air. Only moments before had the mind was wandering aimlessly, seeking for some sort of direction. Well, now it had found one; the need to find some wearable clothing before seeking out a wholesome meal, a hot bath and a soft bed with fluffy pillows. The lips twitched in a smile. One only had to nudge the mind to set it rolling nicely down the road of life…
-
A light flashed before her desk, signaling the arrival of a customer. Turning around, Areth was about to greet the customer before the word of welcome died on her lips. By heavens, who is this person? Marching into the store as if she owned the place, the customer's confident gait only accented the bloody state of her garments. The woman strolled up to the counter and raised one brow at Areth.
"What?"
Areth suddenly realized that she was staring. Blinking and taking a step back, the girl regained her composure. Putting on the customary smile of politeness, Areth bowed her head to the woman.
"Welcome, syl. I hope you find whatever you need here in this store. If you need any help please call for me. But…"
As she was speaking, the woman had already wandered away, stalking down the room with a critical eye on all the clothing on display. Areth cleared her throat and began again.
"But I must warn you, it's the shop's policy that which ever article of clothing the customer damages, whether by accident or on purpose, they must pay for."
The woman stopped her pacing, squinted at a pair of calf-high boots, picked them up and continued walking.
"Are you implying that I might not be able to afford what's in your shop?"
Areth startled at this. Arg, why did all the others have to be on their lunch break? She's here all alone, to fend for herself against this strange woman.
"I… Of course that's not what I meant! It's… It's a routine warning we must tell each customer, just in case."
"A routine… Of course, how silly of me."
The note of laughter in those words was too hard to miss. Areth bit her tongue and tried again.
"Um… If you don't mind, could you please tell me what exactly you are looking for? I might be of service to you."
One hooded eye shifted their lazing gaze onto her. Areth gave another smile and shifted nervously on her feet. A moment passed, before.
"If you really want to help me. Actually, I have no idea what I'm looking for. Something simple, clean and is suitable for Berkana's weather. Any ideas?"
-
"And that all adds up to… Do you want the rounded figure or the actual price?"
The woman waved a hand.
"Rounded price. I hate spares."
"Sure. Then it comes to… seventy two cres. And you shall be paying…?"
"By Book. Can I have it?"
Areth passed a leather-bound book and silver tipped pen over to the woman. Taking them, the customer opened the book up, flipped through the pages until she found a blank one and signed something on to there. The book stayed open, a sign that the payment had been transferred. Returning the tome to Areth, the woman strolled towards the door.
"Well, it's been a real pleasure meeting you."
Areth rolled her eyes as the door closed. Heavens, who was that? Opening the Book, Areth flipped to the last written page and ran a finger to the bottom of the list of signatures. And… What? The girl stared at the name, her mind jolting through the list of possibilities. It could be a fake name, that woman might have broken into the account and simply using the account to pay for her needs, there…
But still, what if it was all true, what if the name and person were both real? The mind reeled before finally coming to a snap decision. Bring both hands together in a clap; Areth spoke a name to a small blue pyramid that appeared before her face.
"Ze' kana? It's me, Areth. Listen, I just got the news that my brother's seriously injured himself. I really need to go home. I'm closing the store, right... Thank you."
The pyramid disappeared as the girl pulled her hands apart. She stayed silent for a moment, as if trying to hear something or someone. Whatever it was, the result must have pleased her, for a small smile tugged at her lips as she once again clapped the glowing pyramid into life. She spoke another name, but this time with a password as well.
"Nem? Areth here. Tell syl-Vera I'm coming over. I got something important that he needs to know immediately… Well of course I'm not going to come by public Markers… I don't care, make one for me, steal one if you have to, this is very important."
-
Mm… Dragon… Pretty… Wait, where's this place? Sheets, pillow, bed? What? Was everything before all a dream? Someone… no, more than one person there, moving. Was it safe to take a small peek?
"Oh my, looks like our mysterious visitor's awake."
Biting back a groan of frustration, ruby eyes opened and glared at the one who spoke. A woman met his stare, mid-aged and grinning faintly as she took in his fierce look. Growling softly, Hiei pushed himself off the bed and was prepared to jump at the woman when his body froze.
"Ah good, you are awake. We've both been waiting for some time now for you to wake up."
Another came into the room, a man of similar age to the woman. He smiled politely at Hiei's immobile figure before flicking his fingers through the air. The invisible barrier around the fire apparition's body disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. Growling at this strange phenomenon, Hiei snarled at the two.
"Who are you?"
The woman leaned back in her chair, the faint smile growing wider at Hiei.
"Actually, we should be the ones asking you that, since you are trespassing illegally on our private property. So, tell me, who are you?"
The fire apparition snorted.
"I asked the question first."
Hearing this, the woman sighed good-naturedly while the man chuckled. Shrugging, the woman grinned at Hiei.
"Since I'm feeling extra generous today, I'll listen to your all-mighty command. I'm Seritsu and him over there is…"
The man gave a very extravagant bow and beamed happily.
"I go by the name Seth. A pretty easy name to remember, won't you say?"
Hiei grunted into his chest.
"I'm Hiei Jaganshi, of Makai."
Seritsu raised both brows at this while Seth nodded slowly.
"I have no idea where Makai is, but… it doesn't sound like a lie."
Seritsu shrugged, sable eyes closed in thought.
"Maybe, but that does not explain how she was able to pass the security unnoticed."
Hn, they were acting as if he wasn't in the room. Hiei was about to snap out at the two when something clicked in his mind. Turning to Seritsu, the fire apparition pointed a finger at the woman.
"What… What did you just say?"
Seritsu frowned.
"Maybe, but that does not explain how she was able to pass the security unnoticed. Why? What… Are you alright?"
For Hiei suddenly found himself slumped against the wall for support. So, before, it wasn't a dream. What he saw before when he first woke in this strange world was indeed real. But… how? How could have this happened? Who could have done this? A cup appeared under Hiei's nose; someone put it to his lips and tipped its content down his throat.
The sharp burning sensation of the liquid forced Hiei out of his daze. Hacking and coughing, the fire apparition pushed himself to stand. Seth was staring at him, an empty cup hand while Seritsu was snapping her fingers before his eyes, a concerned look on her face. Hiei's lips moved, whispered words floating out into the air. Seritsu leaned closer.
"I didn't catch that. Could you speak a little louder?"
"… Why… Why am I a god-damned female?"
-
Darkness came. No stars or moon lit the night, but soft, almost ghostly wisps of silver drifted through the shadowed heavens. His throat dry from speaking, Hiei ended his story.
"And when I woke up, I was here, in this house, in a female body. End of story."
His two hosts both sat before him, silent as they took in all the information they were given over the afternoon. Both were contemplative, but one was out of curiosity while the other suspicion. Finally Seritsu spoke up.
"At least that explains why none of the alarms worked; the bloody kid fell straight out of the sky."
Seth tapped his nose in thought.
"Don't think he's lying. You?"
Seritsu sighed, pushing herself up from the chair and proceeded to walk around the room.
"But do you think he's reliable? For all we know it might just be a trap."
"…Still, there is a possibility."
Seritsu sighed, the woman rubbing her temples in frustration.
"I didn't say that it's impossible. Just that… I mean, would you believe the kid's story?"
All the while, sitting on the chair, Hiei was grinding his teeth and resisting the urge to kill. Those two were talking about him as if he wasn't there. And calling him a "kid"… Blooded orbs narrowed dangerously…
"Of course! Why didn't I think of that before?"
Halting in her pacing, Seritsu grinned madly as she turned to Hiei. Raising her left hand, the woman spoke as the index finger traced a pale hourglass in the air.
"Neither Seth or I can tell if you are lying or not. But there's an easy solution to that; we'll just take you to someone who can tell. Have a nice dream."
The symbol flared once, and the last thing Hiei remembered before falling into slumber was thinking of how he would look in a skirt.
-
"Now, let's see if you were actually listening to me or just nodding mindlessly. Draw Isa for me."
Sitting inside the gigantic glasshouse that was, in actual fact, a library, Youko flickered his ears in annoyance at the sound of laughter in Inoseki's voice. It was as if the woman was certain that he had not been listening and would not succeed. The youkai smirked to himself and raised on finger in the air. Granted, the thief really wasn't listening to his tutor, but rather allowing his mind to drift upon the bodies of the females who moved in and out of the courtyard. There was no danger of anyone seeing Youko; the glass was like that of those one-sided glasses they had back in Nigenkai, where someone could look out from one side but not in through the other. Excellent things for spying…
Inoseki coughed and smiled, arms crossed across her chest and an expectant grin on her lips. Youko rolled his eyes. Yes, he had no idea what to do, but it couldn't be any harder than using Youki. After all, the basic principles ought to be the same; it's just drawing out one's powers, right? Taking in a deep breath, Youko frowned in concentration, lifted one hand and slashed an "I" through the air.
Nothing happened.
Inoseki snorted in laughter, the woman biting back her glee in chokes and coughs. Youko growled under his breath. Damn, what went wrong? Clearing her throat and the last of her laughter, Inoseki grinned in triumph.
"Just as I expected; you wasn't listening, were you? Then we'll… Yes?"
Someone knocked on the glass door and was now waiting at the entrance. With a sigh, Inoseki walked over to the intruder, a frown marring her face. Leaning back in his chair, Youko yawned and stretched in the sun.
A bare three days had passed, but it seemed more like three weeks or three month than days. Then again, perhaps it has been three weeks, and someone had simply placed an illusion over him to make it seem like three days. Youko grinned. That doesn't help much, so many here could have created the illusion with a snap of their fingers. The thief remembered a conversation he had with Inoseki on his first day (Or week) here, the first real conversation they had since he woke up. That was the conversation that had changed Youko's life…
…And that's how I suddenly woke up with three beautiful women sitting next to my bed and realizing that I was no longer in Makai."
Pacing the length of his room, Youko tilted his head at the silent Inoseki.
"I've told my side of the story, now you tell me yours. Why am I in this place? Wait, where is "this place", for that matter? Who are you, why do you not allow me out of the room, why is there no lock on the door and yet I can't get out, and lastly, what do you want with me?"
Hand folded in her lap, the woman by the name of Inoseki merely smiled at Youko's seething anger and frustration.
"I'll answer your questions, but only if you stop burning up the carpet with your pacing and sit down. As for your questions… Why are you here? Because one of my girls found you unconscious, battered and without any source of identification. She brought you back here and I, out of the kindness of my heart, had planned to take you in until you woke up and tell us how you found yourself in this predicament.
Where is here? It's a place of schooling, a very prestigious one as well. Appearance, wit, ability to use their power, personality, everything must meet a very high standard before they are allowed to come here."
Youko crossed his arms in light amusement.
"Tell me, why do they want to come here? Why can't they study elsewhere?"
Inoseki smiled. He was a bright one, this Youko. At first she had thought that the thief's mind was addled and that his story was just one of imagination, but now she realized that maybe what he had told her was the truth, that he had indeed come from another unknown dimension. The woman tapped a finger. Perhaps she needed to rethink what was to be done with this Youko…
"Why? Aside from the fact that only the best of their profession teaches here and that the best of their specialization leaves here? Aside from that… Well, the rest is all politics actually. It's hard explaining to you, since you just arrived, but to summarize it… The government and its rules can not reach here. It's a long story, but this place has the privilege of being outside of any government laws or political influence. Things that might be banned elsewhere are allowed here. It's… Like I said, its politics, and I don't think you'll be interested anyways.
Who am I? I'm the current manager of this place. That should be easy to understand. Why don't I allow you out of your room? Eh… Let's just put it this way; in this world, someone of your appearance would be immediately spotted and remembered. Not only that, but here in this dimension you are quite, no, extremely special. You said yourself that you came from another world. I doubt you want to attract any sort of attention for now, so I took the liberty of keeping you to this room. The door? It's the ability those in this world has, something along the lines of your… Youki or Reiki, if I remember correctly. And what do I want with you? Well…"
Inoseki closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. Moments passed, long enough for Youko to wonder if the woman had fallen asleep or not. But just as he was about to go and poke her, Inoseki sighed and spoke.
"At first it was all easy; you wake up and tell us what happened to you and I'll report your case to the law. At least, that's what I was planning to do, but now, after hearing your story…"
The woman's mellow voice drifted off, strings of thoughts running across closed eyelids. There had been rumors, these past few decades or so. Rumors of forbidden researches, strange new workings of Words. And transformations, strange workings both of body and mind. Whispers of the terrible consequences these experiments held were both of twisted and cruel; for nothing good comes from the natural order of things. The power behind these rumored researches was still yet unknown, but it's very likely that someone of high ranking and power was linked. In other words, someone who had a great political influence…
She blinked and lifted her gaze when Inoseki felt a pair of eyes on her still form. It was Youko, the pale man staring at her with an expectant look in his eyes. Oh dear, she drifted off again, leaving the thief hanging in the middle of her sentence. Inoseki chuckled to herself, much to the confusion of Youko, who, by the look on his face, was deciding whether he should trust this madwoman. Shaking her head, Inoseki let out a deep breath.
"Ah child, you have not the slightest idea just how special you are."
Hearing this, Youko's ears twitched with annoyance. Turning to the window, the thief flicked a careless hand through his silken tresses.
"Child? I do not think you have yet fully comprehended just how wrong you are."
Inoseki smiled at the smug looking fox. Oh she fully comprehended alright, the woman knowing just exactly what she spoken of. The thief might be old in age, but in wisdom and wit, especially of knowledge of this world, he was indeed a child.
"If you think that I have wronged then I shall take back my remark on your age. But you shall soon see what I meant. For now…"
Thinking back, Youko felt a grin widen on his face. How easily he had been trapped, unknowingly lured into where he was now, diligently (or almost diligently) studying away at all that this world had to offer. It was as if Inoseki knew what was going on in his mind and had purposely kept the youkai's mind busy from other matters. Other matters…
Yuki… His lips moved; a tiny twist of the muscles that was shown in a bitter grin of sorts. In a way, the thief had always known that something like this would happen, that she would be killed by someone who had a death grudge against him. The fact that she was human, one without any special power or hidden reserve of sleeping Reiki like Kuwabara, only reinforced the possibility. In a way, when he had seen that golden bracelet back in his home in Nigenkai, Youko already knew how the end would play out. And yet he still went for it, dragging the old group along with him. Golden eyes crinkled slightly in silent humor. If they were here now, Kurama and them, Youko wondered just how many inventive ways of torture they would have thought of to kill him by for pulling them into such a mess.
It doesn't hurt now, her death. That was the second thing he noticed when he first woke up in this world, the first being his utter loss of Youki. It was there, the incident still strong, but strangely hazy, as if it all happened in another world, in another time. Youko snorted at that. Well, it did happen in another world. But… It almost seemed as if all his life, his previous life before waking up in this dimension, was nothing more than some lingering dream. The intellectual part of his mind, always a bore of a thing, pointed out matter-of-factly that it was technically impossible that his life had not existed. Youko rolled his eyes and took a mental swipe at the technical side of things. Of cause he knew that; the thief wasn't a complete idiot as a certain part of his brain had thought.
Sound of footsteps broke his train of thoughts. Youko sighed heavily. It was too much to take in right now, what with his studies and adjusting and presumptions and guessing and… One step at a time. The thief nodded to himself. Yes indeed; if he was going to find the rest of his companions, then he must focus hard, one thing at a time. As Inoseki strolled back to her seat, Youko tossed his hair over his shoulders and grinned at her.
"So, may I have the pleasure of hearing your melodic voice as you explain again just how this Word thing works?"
-
The warm fragrant of the tea drifted in the windless day. Leaning back in the cushioned seat, the woman closed her eyes and basked in the spring sun. This was where she belonged, in real civilization, with civilized people. Not like back then, in Reikai, Nigenkai or Makai. Not like those idiotic specimens who called themselves "intellectually evolved". Pft…
But… what was it like back there, in that other dimension? Those last seven years, the seven years of laughter, fights, insults and sadness. Everything's… faded, gone, as if it was nothing more than mere dreams flitting past the recess of her mind. She could remember some things, like the roar of transportation on a busy road or the smirk of arrogance on Hiei's face every time Kuwabara did something stupid. Still, even these thoughts, the ones she could remember, they were nothing more than a blink, a single moment in which time a leaf fallen, a breath drawn, a light flickered. To look into that moment or around it was impossible, a tiny smear of faded color upon a canvas of utter grey.
Metal flashed under the sun as she raised the fork to her mouth. She chewed slowly, savoring the flavors running over her tongue. This was real; the salty taste of meat, the bone-drenching warmth soaking her body, soft cushion of her chair and wooden table under her arms. She stretched, catlike in movement, causing silken garments to slide against her skin. Something gave way and cracked in her spine, minute shifting of the bones in relief. Leaning back in her chair, one corner of her lips curled upwards as seek to remember.
Oh, how foolish she had become, those seven a years. How ignorant and simple her mind had turned back in that dimension? A smirk touched her lips, ivory incisors hinting in the sun. Such pathetic level she had groveled to, giving her life to save those humans, who deserved to die where they stood. The snarl deepened. Worse yet, she trusted her life to them, the Reikai Tentai. She remembered thinking of how sorry the bunch was. Too right, that was. Looking back, her mind wondered just how she could have allowed herself to become aquatinted with them.
A shadow passed by, shuffle of feathers upon the wind. She blinked, inky green eyes refocusing back to the present and to her cooling meal. Appetite suddenly gone, a shift of chair against floor announced her exit from the restaurant. Where to now? The mind wandered for a moment before settling. First; find out the exact number of years she's been gone from here and second, catching up with all the things that had occurred while she was gone. Before, when she had gone to the vault to retrieve some money, the worker behind the desk had frowned, glanced at her, frowned again and requested (politely) that she identified. Curious, she did as told, drawing up a random Word in the air and waited for the security to check.
Everyone's power had their own unique mix of colors, and no two could be exactly alike, be shade, mix or light. Hers was the same hue as her eyes; a smoky thing, dark and ever-shifting from near-black to glossy evergreen. A few second passed, the identification passed and she was allowed to take her money. The man behind the desk flustered as she raised a brow at him.
"I… I'm sorry, but it's just that your account hasn't been touched in such a long time… I'd thought… I deeply apologize for your time."
Trailing through the streets of Salitan, the woman's feet took her towards the center of the city, where the National Archives stood in all its majestic glory. She had been here not a few times, looking up references to artifacts or ruins she was interested in. It would be as easy as drawing a breath to simply go through the records there and find information on the years she had missed…
Someone brushed against her from behind, a strange occurrence when there was so much space on the wide path despite the moderate crowd. Raising a brow, words of bored curiosity were about to leave her lips when the stranger turned left. It was only an instant, but their eyes locked, hers and that of the girl's, the one whom she had bought her clothing in earlier in the day. A second later their gaze broke, the girl lowering her eyes to the ground. But that was not what caught the woman's attention. No, it was what the girl was doing; the thumb and middle finger of her right hand tugging at the left cuff her jacket. It was a sign, a gesture known only to a specific few. And it had a meaning.
Follow
The girl disappeared around the corner. Now sufficiently curious, the woman trailed after the girl in amused interest. She didn't bother guessing why the girl purposely caught her attention, or why she knew those silent gestures, or even how the girl knew her. Patience was a virtue that rarely graced her, but when the scent of a hunt was in the air, the woman knew how to wait…
-
Oh, a garden maze? She grinned. Strolling up the park's well tended paths; her confident strides took the woman headlong into the well-tended labyrinth. Inside she walked slowly, both enjoying the tranquil isolation and waiting for the girl to introduce herself. It didn't take long; the presence of another soon touched her senses. Taking in a deep breath of the leafy air, one dark eye turned back and glanced at the girl.
"I never caught your name back in the shop. What is it?"
"… It's… Areth."
Her lips twitched. She wondered why this Areth had hesitated for that moment before revealing her name, if she was the one who had wanted this meeting in the first place. Meh, never mind that. Now onto the second question.
"And just how have I gained the pleasure of knowing you?"
Areth's footsteps stopped there, a sudden gesture that nearly, but not quite, caught the woman by surprise. Coming to a rest herself the woman turned, one slim brow arched in idle curiosity.
"Oh? Pray, is there something wrong?"
Areth was looking at her feet again and fidgeting a bit, as if trying to decide on something. Then suddenly the girl bowed to her.
"Forgive my lack of politeness, syl- Roviel Windred, but I… we have a proposal that you might find to be of interest."
Roviel Windred? For a moment, two people came to mind. One of dark raven hair and sunlit eyes, a one sided grin on her young face and grudging kindness in her eyes. The other was older, smoky pine gaze that was alight with nothing but amusement curtained by wavy tresses of russet gold and bronze red. The two wavered in her mind. Who was she, out of the two?
A soft chuckle floated through the air as green eyes took in Areth's words. Running one hand through her autumn locks, Roviel regarded her company with an amused eye.
"My my, I see that news still travel as fast as before. I've only been back for a mere day or so and already there's someone looking for me? You say you have something that's worth my attention? Pray, do tell."
Ah, but this was the real her; knowingly arrogant while tossing polite nothings into the air. She was doing that now, courteous words hinted by bored curiosity and a seemingly lack of attention. And it was working; Areth hesitated before speaking, not sure if the woman was really interested or just making idle conversation.
"We… we have a proposal that we think might be of interest to you. It's been quite a while since you were last here on this world, and many things have changed. So…"
Roviel flicked a hand at Areth, the careless gesture done much the same way one would wave a hand a passing insect.
"Get to the point. Right now I'm tired and want to find a nice bed to sleep on. If you waste any more of my time then I'll take it that you are not serious."
Areth glared at Roviel. Was this woman the right person? Was she the one who had disappeared a near two centuries ago? Two centuries… not that long in terms of average life spans in this world, but long enough for many things to happen… The girl frowned inwards. Did she get the person right? She should have, for Nem's information was never wrong. Besides, syl-Vera described her exactly. But… Areth felt like scratching her head in confusion. The Roviel she had in her mind from all the stories told of the woman put an image of some smiling, sadist, evil looking woman who had a penchant for mentally playing with her victims. But here was Roviel; arrogant, bored, and acting as if the most important thing in the world right now was that her collar was nicely folded. Areth sighed. Oh well, a chance's still a chance, no matter how strange it might look…
"Then I shall get straight to the point. Take up your father's position in the Council and use your influence to aid us in gaining control over the leadership in the government."
Hearing this, Roviel winced aloud.
"My dear, have you never heard of being subtle?"
"But you were the one who asked me to say everything straight out!"
"Yes well, that came out a bit too blunt, thank you."
"So, will you accept?"
Roviel watched as a gust tossed a leaf up into the sky. She sighed and shrugged.
"No."
Areth stared. Seconds of unbroken stillness passed, before…
What? WHY?"
The smoky eyes blinked at the fuming girl. Shrugging again, the eyes turned away, all traces of curiosity now gone from the dark orbs.
"Why? Easy. First of all, I have no interest in either politics of influencing politics. The world works fine as long as I have a good bed to sleep on and well-cooked food to eat. Second; I do not know where you get your information from, but if my memory serves, I think I renounced my family name quite a while back."
Areth swelled. She was not about to give up now, especially not to this egotistic woman who looked at her with an expectant patience as one might look at a small child throwing a tantrum. That infuriated her; to be looked down upon as if she did not know any better. Areth growled to herself.
"Not officially you didn't. As far as my information goes, there were only rumors, nothing substantial!"
Roviel frowned and plucked at her collar again. For some reason the bloody thing was digging into her neck, quite an uncomfortable thing really.
"Whatever. Even if I still wanted to keep any ties with my family, that does not mean I would want to take up my father's job. But those aren't the main reason I declined you offer."
"…They aren't? Then…"
Roviel raised one brow at Areth.
"Isn't it obvious? You said you would give me a proposal which would interest me, but as for now I can't find any evidence of that. Besides, what do I get out of this deal?"
The girl mentally groaned. Areth thought that she had turned Roviel's attention from that, but obviously she was just thinking to positively.
"If you agree to our terms, then we in turn will help rescue your friends."
Friends? Roviel blinked, her mind automatically going back to the old days. Who was it now? Syra? That was the most probable choice; the girl was always jumping into fights and brawls that did not concern her. Lailos came up as a close second. Every time they walk into a shop or any room with remotely breakable items, the illusionist would always manage to damage it. Roviel grinned at the memories
"What? Even Zyril can't get them out of their predicament with his wealth or tongue? This is a rare one, what did they do now?"
To her surprise Areth flustered and shook her head in confusion.
"I… I think you are mistaken, syl-Roviel. The friends I meant were the ones who arrived with you from the other dimension."
Friends… who? Ah, them. Darkened eyes closed as Roviel snorted in disdain and flicked two fingers at the air.
"Them? Pft, I couldn't care less if the whole lot of them were torn apart into droplets of flesh. The truth is that I despise them, they who…"
They who commanded me, they who used me, they who bound me…
A heavy sigh left Roviel's lips and her body seemed to slump with the outtake of breath. Shaking her head, the woman stretched up at the sky. That was another life, a life that she had left behind and had no intention of stepping back in. The Reikai Tentai… They were history, a hazy vision that was already fading bit by tiny bit as she rolled her shoulders. Falling into anger because of them would not be worth it. Besides… one eye roved the leafy maze, devoid of other life from aside from her and Areth. …Besides, this isn't the appropriate place for her to be angry. Letting the last of her frustrations float away upon the winds, Roviel tilted her head and grinned at Areth.
"Sorry, but your offer is not adequate enough for me to spend my time upon. I would like to help, but charity work is just not my thing. Maybe another time, when you have something that would hook my curiosity? So, bye for now."
Then she was left to stand there, staring after the disappearing figure of Roviel. Her mind suddenly kicking back in from the sudden departure, Areth clenched her teeth. It wasn't supposed to be this way; Roviel was supposed to help them so that her friends would be rescued. Could it be that they were lying, that in truth Roviel didn't think much of them at all in the other dimension? Striding further into the maze, Areth clapped for the pyramid. That didn't matter now. All that mattered now was to find a way…
-
Hand folded behind his back, shoulders squared, head held high, Tainuki could not but feel fear despite his confident posture. The figure sitting in the high-backed chair before him pushed up his glasses and peered at Tainuki from behind the thick lens. Feeling the squint upon him, Tainuki broke out in cold sweat again.
"My report is finished, syl."
The man with the glasses pursed his lips and nodded to himself, one finger tapping the chair's arm-rest in thought.
"Even though neither of the two we are looking for are in the three you captured, they might have some use later… Good work, Tainuki."
The man gave a stiff bow at his compliment, his limbs twitchy and unfocused. A part of him felt relieved that nothing's going to happen to Yuki, Kuwabara or Kurama. At least, not yet. Taking in a deep breath, Tainuki raised his head from the bow.
"I apologize that my information does not possess anything of use."
The chair squeaked as its occupant rose.
"Don't think that, Tainuki. Not only have you obtained three of the group already, but you have been able to gain their trust in only two days and make them reveal so much information. Now, out of the seven, we only need to track down three more."
Tainuki frowned. Seven?
"Syl, forgive my impoliteness, but from what I've heard from Yuki and Kuwabara, there are only six people who were thrown into this dimension. Yuki, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei…"
"...Roviel and Youko. Correct. But you seem to have forgotten someone."
Tainuki was at a loss. Who? His thoughts wavering, the man remembered something else he had heard just then.
"Before, you said there are only three more to track down. Does that mean aside from myself, someone else had already found one more?"
The glasses slipped again as the head nodded once.
"And… Might this one be the person who I…?"
The spectacles turned his way. Tainuki froze. Did he just step over his boundary? Someone with his rank only had to obey, not ask questions…
"You have a sharp mind, Tainuki. Indeed, we have been able to locate one more. It was most fortunate; the Road opened right in my estate. And despite what you said before, I believe you have heard of this person."
Light bounced off the glasses as the gaze shifted.
"He says his name is Koruku."
My, that came out rather... long and... full of speaking bits and... long... So, everyone's gathered in the same country, some just one wall apart while others few towns over. Ironic really, how something could be right under your nose and you'll never realize. Oh well, if your interest is still in this thing, then please wait for the next chapter, where the questions would (hopefully) be explained. Until then, take care!
"Syl" is the equvilant of "Madam" or "Sir". What one calls another out of politeness and respect, much as one might call their boss or client.