Keiryi's Point of View
Hiei led me down the road a few blocks until we came to an old, beat-up building. Paint was peeling from the sides, and I could see that a few of the top floors had fallen out. "Why are we here?" I asked. He had just pulled me out of my house as soon as I was packed, and I had never had the time or courage to ask where we were going. Hiei stopped, and turned to glare at me. That was all I needed to know that talking wouldn't be welcome. I knew he wasn't the social type, but I had never thought he would be trusted to take care of someone else's child.
"This is where your mother came here," he explained flatly. "The remnants of the portal are still here." Okay. I decided to just wait and see what demon world would look like. My idea of Demon World was hellfire and brimstone, and vicious demons trying to kill me. At least I knew the last part was right. Untying the bandanna around his forehead, Hiei revealed a third eye, a disturbingly blue one. Though it clashed with his crimson eyes, which were in the natural place, it was apparent that all three eyes belonged on his face and were in their proper places. I only got to see the third eye for a moment though.
After a few seconds, that blue eye started to glow, and I stared in awe. Before our eyes, a gaping black hole opened up, and beyond I could see an electrified web with a small hole in it. When Hiei saw my puzzled look at the solitary hole, he laughed darkly. "The Enchantress opened the gates for us," he said, and then jumped through, dragging me along with one tug of his wiry arm.
The journey through the portal was worse than any Hell I could imagine. It was like my soul was rent apart and then put back together again. Impossible as it sounds, I kept my conscious the whole way, but then puked when we landed on solid ground. Hiei glared at my weakness and waited until I was done.
However, when I opened my eyes, I noticed something thick and black hanging beside my face. When I felt it, something tugged at my scalp. Where was my red hair? Pulling back, I looked down at myself and gasped. A slanted, dark blue skirt swirled at my knees, and I wore a dark blue top that was clasped over one shoulder, with a golden sash tied around it under my bust. A broad, golden belt held my skirt up.
When I moved to walk, I felt an extra something near my bottom. Looking backward, I saw a black fox-tail tipped with gold. Black fox-ears tipped with gold twitched atop my head. Hiei stared at me for a moment and then smirked in an annoyingly arrogant way. "So this is what you would have looked like," he mused. "Interesting."
"What?" I demanded hotly, still getting over the shock. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing," he smirked, and walked away.
Demon World wasn't half as bad as I'd thought it would be. Vast plains covered in grass stretched out, and I could see that there was a forest in the distance. A clear, though dreary, sky gazed down upon us as we walked calmly to the place where Hiei was going to be taking me. Eventually, I got used to the fox-tail swishing behind me and the black ears that twitched on top of my head. Now that my voluminous black hair was tied back in a ponytail, I felt we were ready to go.
Hiei set a grueling pace, and refused to stop even after darkness fell. When we reached a small alcove, we ducked in there to catch a few hours of sleep. Dreams came to me again, but they were different than anything I had ever dreamed before...
I was engaged in the hunt, the exhilarating rush that came with the chasing of my helpless prey. Unable to see what I was chasing, I charged ahead and bounded forward. Lucky for him, he had escaped my clutches. The rotten bastard would make a great chase indeed.
Trees flashed by, and I stopped all of a sudden, caught in front of a jagged stone wall. Looking up, I saw that that wall was part of an enormous castle with only one turret that seemed to reach eternally to the heavens. Dark crimson streaks slashed across the face of the stone in a sort of vulgar way, but then they seemed to belong there, too. My eyes widened when a bolt of lightning came crashing down. Frightened, my mind scrambled to find a way to escape the greedy claws of death...
Screaming, I awakened to see Hiei leaning over me with a hand pressed to my forehead. Had he really been worried about me, or was he just trying hard to keep his promise? When he realized I was awake, Hiei gasped and fell backward, glaring at me with all three eyes. "Sorry," I said demurely, "I had a bad dream."
"Shut up and let's get going," Hiei grumbled. "We have a ways to go still."
Once more, we set off at a shockingly fast pace. Though I'd never even come close to this pace before, I ran with abandon, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that I could maybe even outrun Hiei if it was worth the trouble. Very little bothered us, but when we approached the forest that had been in the distance for so long, Hiei slowed to a halt.
"Someone's watching us," he murmured suspiciously. "Stay behind me." Drawing in a quick breath, I stood behind him and waited, crouched down and ready to spring away if need be. Before long, something crept out of the shadows, and I could make out a man with pitch-black eyes and flowing, dark brown hair that swept his waist when he walked. A certain grace was portrayed in each of his movements, and I could tell that he was powerful.
"Give me the child, Hiei," he said in a deep voice. When he moved his arm to point at me, his muscles tensed in anger.
"No," Hiei breathed finally, drawing his sword out slightly. The man smirked and stood there, casting off the crimson cape he had been wearing to reveal his full appearance. A long raiment covered him, something like s priestly robe. Underneath, I glimpsed part of his bared chest, and those eyes stared at me in a predatory way.
"Come now," he coaxed, smirking, "you know you can't win, Hiei."
"I promised an old friend I'd keep her safe."
"That tramp is nothing," he retorted, his eyes growing as hard and unmoveable as twin stones. "He left my daughter bereaved of everything she once was, and still you defend their spawn."
Suddenly, it sank in, and I sprang over Hiei, running at the man. "Don't insult my father!" I shouted, too young then to realize how stupid I really was. He smiled at my courage and then steeled himself again. In one flash of glimmering steel, I found myself lying on the ground with a long gash in my stomach. Pressing an arm to my wound, I sat up and watched them bantering.
"Fight me, then," Hiei said, and the man shrugged. I couldn't see him, but Hiei went flying into a tree so hard he was out cold.
"Fool," the man muttered, and turned to me. As he walked over, I saw those lustful crimson eyes flashing before me.
"No..."
"Come to me Keiryi, and claim the heritage that you will come to desire," he hissed, extending a hand to me. Fear was blatant in my eyes as I tried to scoot backward on my hands and feet.
"Never...you...slandered him..."
"Kaiina was just a whore who gave herself to love," he said. "Weakness doesn't suit your bloodline, Keiryi. Become what you were meant to be.
All of a sudden, I felt my world spinning as I flashed between my familiar self and my fox form. Everything was confused, and I saw his face flashing too. One moment he was the stranger...then Hiei...the Hiro..then the beautiful red-haired youth, Shuiichi. "Father?" I whispered.
"Yes," said a deep soothing voice. "I'll take you home."
After that I was half asleep in my father's arms. Though the ride was bumpy, I soon found myself at the foot of the crimson-streaked castle from my dream. I looked up to see that it wasn't my father who was carrying me, but that man from before. "Let me go," I demanded weakly, trying to struggle only to feel something wrenching my stomach in two.
"But you're in no condition to leave," he said sarcastically. "Don't you want to acquaint yourself with your own grandfather?"
"No," I said acidly, rolling out of his arms and onto hard stone. That didn't help the ribs that seemed to be broken.
With a confident smirk, he picked me back up and carried me up a very long spiral staircase. By the time we were at the top, I thought I would throw up from dizziness. "What do you want from me?" I asked, and he looked at me with a smile.
"You'll just have to wait and see." He flashed a ridiculous, irritating smirk and stroked my hair, pretending to be a decent grandfather.
"You're too young to be my grandfather," I stated flatly. Within my own mind, I sighed and noted how much I had picked up from Hiei already.
"I see you've got quite a bit of your father's blood," the man remarked casually, standing up and weighing me with those deep, dark eyes. "Kurama never trusted anyone much. I offered him part of the throne once in exchange for my daughter. Funny he wouldn't take it though. I was watching his every move when he was watching my daughter. You even have the build of a kitsune."
Remembering that I was still in this odd fox body, I smiled uneasily and scooted down a little further away from this strange grandfather. First he was fighting Hiei so he could take me, and then he acted as though we had been friendly for years. It bothered me to know that most of my only living relatives were probably the exact same way. "Are any other members of your family alive?" I asked, curiosity overcoming my fear. For a very long moment, he fell silent, and I could see him waging an internal battle. Should he tell me what I knew and risk me ratting him out to Hiei, or should he leave me in the darkness? It was so plainly displayed for one who must have been used to so much manipulation.
"No," he said. "Your last cousin died not a month ago. Those of the Ashrana family who were still alive regrouped a year ago, but I was the only one who survived the daring feats that we attempted. We even managed to steal something from Koenma's vault."
"Why didn't you consider their well-being?" I asked, infuriated at the little faith they had in the value of life. Was one soul so negligible that they could all just throw away their lives to be thieves?
"You look demon enough," he hissed, "so why don't you get some sense of how things work in Makai?" I could see the rage in his eyes as he got up in my face.
Even though we had talked for a while, I still didn't understand why he had brought me here. Every time I asked, all I got was a sigh and a disappointed look. Couldn't he at least hint at why he would steal me away from this very important training. Finally, I asked for the last time, "Why am I here? Why won't you let me go train with Hiei?"
"Because they don't understand your destiny," he replied darkly, turning away from me slightly. "You are a beautiful young kitsune, not some puppet who should be afraid. You know little of your power, and Hiei doesn't know much more. Stay with me, and I will train you to be the greatest heir ever to grace my land." The idea of ruling my own kingdom was enticing, but there were other ties I had that would not allow me to remain here that long.
"What about my family?" I asked, throwing my hands in the air. "Won't I be able to go home and see Mother again? She'll...she'll die if she never sees me again. One loved one taken is quite enough taxation on her mind." He shook his head and sat down once more, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
"Your family is not what matters anymore," he began. "Keiryi, you must learn to make a name for yourself, and fend for your own good."
"I'm only thirteen," I argued, feeling like being a difficult child. "I can't rule a country when I'm this young."
"But that doesn't mean you can't learn," he retorted, smirking confidently, as if he'd already won the argument.
Suddenly, a tall, willowy girl glided into the room gracefully, smiling as if she was being forced to do so. Snowy white wings trailed on the ground from her back, and it looked like her total span was somewhere around fourteen feet. Light brown hair fell raggedly to her shoulders, the back tied into a tight knot. "Master," she said demurely, giving a sweeping bow with the added effect of her wings. They spread out on the ground as she bent almost double, and I smiled at the beauty of it all.
"What is it, Angela?" he demanded firmly, staring directly into the servant's eye contact.
"Sakore's entourage is here, and I believe they have a matter of business to attend to," she replied.
"Sakore?" I echoed dumbly, feeling as though nobody told me anything anymore.
Angela smiled and dug in her pocket, trying to find something. When she pulled it out, I saw an envelope sealed with a wax seal depicting a white dragon fang on an icy blue background. "Jakiri," he whispered harshly. What would Jakiri have to do with any of this? Was she coming to rescue me? Angela bid us farewell and then backed out the door, lifting her wings off of the floor so as not to step on them.
"Why such distaste for Jakiri?" I inquired, looking at my grandfather.
"She drew your mother away from me and closer to the wilderness. After this transferral, she quickly fell in love with that seductive thief." When he touched my forehead, I could see the images through unseen eyes, those of my mother...
"Please understand, Fehreil," a young woman pleaded. "I am of the Iceshadow...our race has guarded your people for countless generations, and I ask of you only your trust." Snow-white hair was tied back in a thick ponytail that went all the way down to her waist, tapering slightly at the end. Frozen, ice-blue eyes gazed at this young Fehreil, who looked like a more naive version of the man I had been standing before a moment ago.
"Your race is trustworthy," he replied stonily, "but you are not. Time and time again you have failed to reign in my daughter when she disobeyed my orders. By now, a less merciful master would have had you stoned in public for being disloyal to your true master."
"I serve only one," she spat back, "and it will never be you!" Once he heard those harsh words, Fehreil leaped forward and slapped Jakiri across the face. It stung from the rebuke as she placed a hand upon the place where it hurt.
"Know who punishes who," Fehreil steamed. "I won't allow you to take away my only heir! She is my daughter!"
"Only because you raped Rhia," Jakiri shot back, defying him once more. Her ice blue eyes started to look more like those of a snake. White wings sprouted from her back, and soon enough, she had transformed into a sleek, white dragon.
Perched on two slender legs, she whirled about, slamming her tail into a wall. "Let her go where she will be happy!" she shouted. "She will not be the heir to your kingdom of graft and corruption!" Fehreil leaned back against the wall and panted heavily. That was the first time I had ever seen him acting that nervous, and soon Jakiri advanced.
Though she didn't kill him, she still grazed him arm with her tail, leaving a long gash that went all the way up the length of the arm. Once satisfied with the terror she had caused, Jakiri reduced herself to a humanoid creature once more and walked out of the room, turning back to tell him that his daughter would be leaving, whether he liked it or not...
"And that is why," he finished. "I am Fehreil, and once I was the king of all of Makai. Now, my domain has been reduced to ashes, and my people reside in anarchy. Yomi...Mukuro...Raizen...the three current rulers feud so much that little is done. Their domains clash and it ends a stalemate. There is nothing they can do once I have assembled my full power." Only slightly, I cringed at the thought of Fehreil as ruler. If only there was a way to defeat him and his tremendous power.
In the depths of my heart, though, I found a sadness at the fall of such a great king. He had everything taken from him...his daughter, his kingdom, his life. I couldn't imagine living without the things that were most important to me. Hiro, Mikari, Kazuma, Yukina, and most importantly...Mother. Mother was at the core of my life, the core of what I did with myself. If she was to leave this world, I knew I would die.
Suddenly, Fehreil's voice wakened me back to reality. "It's time to go see Jakiri," he said wistfully, and I reluctantly got up, ready to go face the next scene in this horrific play that had become my life...
Author's Note:
Sorry for the really long wait for an update. I know you fans of Midnight Rose are probably slightly disappointed, but it's alright. If I think of an idea for the next chapter, I'll try and get that one done sooner.
Ta!
Miari