Things were rather busy in the Soul King's Realm, more so than usual upon an island, attached to the forested Kingdom of Magika; Dragon Isle. It was a generally large island, capable of housing nearly one hundred average sized dragons, the average size ranging from ten to thirty feet tall, but it was seeing quite a bit of activity. It made the residents of the realm nervous, unsure what these wild creatures intended, swarming the island like that.
If any of them had the ability to go inside, they would see what the fuss was about. Every dragon inside had their attention focused on the only human figure amid their ranks, one of the few allowed into their place of sanctuary. The figure stood proudly, head held high and teal eyes full of power and intelligence. Their Dragon King himself, Toshiro Hitsugaya, matured quite a bit in the past two years. His hair was a little longer but he preferred to keep it short, eyes of icy teal wiser than they'd ever been, his lean figure standing about five foot five. Behind him stood the sapphire colored dragon of Ice and Water, Myndræl. There was a silver coloring to the dragon's scales now, and he had reached a height of twenty-two feet, ice blue eyes shining with wisdom bestowed upon him by the Keepers of his elements once his partner had become Soul King.
"You want us to help the people who exiled us?" A Lightning dragon growled, the first to speak. "Surely you learned of this. It was humans who forced us into this realm."
"I know of it," Hitsugaya replied calmly. This dragon was not the first to argue against him on his idea. Though he knew it would be difficult, he was determined to get the dragons to help them fight. Dragon Magic would be useful against the demons, and the beasts were resilient against Fear, almost immune to it. They would be powerful allies. "The Soul Reapers are not as blind as the living; they have accepted several of your kind already. If you recall, the Fire dragon Dyrilæn lives with them now, as do Shimmer, Shadow, Infiro and Aberon."
"They always were soft." He heard a dragon snort. He said nothing, spotting another dragon growl defiantly at the speaker, one of the named dragons being his friend.
"Aberon is one of the strongest Dark dragons." Toshiro pointed out. "His added power over Lightning makes him a rather intimidating dragon to fight. I met him myself before he partnered with Ichigo Kurosaki, and he seemed rather adamant against helping humans. Now he stands beside one daily. Infiro is also a powerful dragon who hated humans, but now doesn't stray far from his partner. Surely you all could do the same?"
Mutters went up around the island as they thought about it.
"I rather like the idea." A female spoke, stepping forward. The Keeper of Ice, a stunning ice-blue dragoness with swirls of white and transparent blue wings, rounded horns and spikes made of purest ivory. Crystal blue eyes looked fondly upon the Dragon King, as she was connected to him more than most. "It was once tradition to search out a partner. Shall we do so again, instead of living alone in the wilds?"
"You're a Keeper, you can't have a partner." A Fire dragon snorted at her.
"And yet I'm agreeing with it." She sat next to the Ice King. "Shouldn't that tell you something?"
"I agree as well." Firzara, the Keeper of Darkness, also stepped forward. That was two of thirteen elemental Keepers on his side. That guaranteed two sets of elemental dragons on his side. Small, but it was a start, and Toshiro wasn't greedy.
"This is pointless." An Earth dragon stepped forward. "We changed our traditions because of our exile; we're not going to change them back just to be exiled again."
"But these are the souls of the dead." A different dragon spoke up from the crowd. "They've learned a bit from their mistakes."
"Ha! As if." Another voice shot back. "Humans are humans, living or dead, they won't take us back in."
"That's where I come in." Toshiro cut in, silencing the argument. "If needed, I will have the various Soul Societies come to terms with your existence just as the Japanese branch has. There is hope you will find a partner, all of you."
"It's true that for every dragon there is a soul to bond with it." The Keeper of Light stepped forward, brother to Firzara and like him in every way except pure white instead of black. "Also, it is easier to find mates, meaning more dragonlings. But there is still concern for how long it will take humans to accept us." He turned his golden gaze to the gathered dragons. "As we all know, when we meet our partner we cannot find it within ourselves to attack them. They, however, are fully capable of killing us. In that way we are at a disadvantage." The dragons murmured their agreement, the Keeper turning back to Toshiro. "I believe without a doubt your intentions are good, but even we have fears, and with our numbers so low we cannot risk another war with humans."
"I understand." Toshiro nodded. "That's why I will help in any way I can. The Japanese branch has already accepted your kind…start there, and it will eventually catch on that dragons are friends to us all. You may never return to the living world, but considering how long you all live, I would think it better you partner with souls, who live just as long."
"Fair argument." A dragon mused aloud. "He does have a point."
'I think you're winning them over.' Myndræl spoke to his partner telepathically, having gained the ability some months ago and mastering it over a brief amount of time.
'I hope so.' Hitsugaya replied, keeping his gaze on the crowd of dragons as they exchanged thoughts and concerns. 'With Lilianna's help I was able to expect a lot of these questions and arguments.' His gaze flickered to the violet dragon sitting calmly off to the side, a grin on her face. As an Elder she had a lot of influence, but like the other Elders, kept quiet. They knew the younger ones would follow them and had an unspoken agreement to let them talk it out among themselves first before stepping in if needed. If her silence was any indication, it was going well.
"Alright then, Dragon King." A Wind dragon spoke up, lifting onto her hind legs to be seen. "What do you suggest we do? Not even your Japanese allies will like all of us heading to their city at once."
"Most likely not." Toshiro smirked slightly. "But I'm sure they would welcome a few more of you. Those already there have been very helpful to the Soul Society, they wouldn't mind the extra power."
"That's all they want, power." A Fire dragon snorted.
"Don't you?" Toshiro raised a white brow. The dragon went silent, head lowering. "You don't have to decide today, but an answer is best given soon. The demons mass their armies, there's no telling when they'll strike, and there's no way to say for sure they won't attack the dragons."
Several growls went up around the island. While they had mixed feelings about humans, all dragons despised the demons.
"I plan on returning to the Soul Society soon." Toshiro moved towards Myndræl. "If any of you are interested, I'll gladly take you with me."
"May Swift guide you well," Lilianna called out to him as the young king mounted his dragon partner and prepared to leave.
"And may he praise your kindness," Toshiro responded easily. It was a farewell all dragons used. Swift was a legend among them, the first dragon and a mighty guardian, a god among lords.
Spreading his wings, Myndræl lifted off from the ground and took off over the rocky walls of the island, heading back to the palace.
'You'll have more than one of them asking to come with you.' Hyorinmaru purred as they glided through the air.
'I agree.' Myndræl replied, moving downwards to the open area on the side of the palace building, a new addition that came with the creation of the newest level to the tower. 'I could hear several of them talking about it.'
'Let's hope you're both right.' Toshiro responded to his dragons. 'For now there are some things I need to take care of.'
The Ice dragon landed softly on the stone platform and his partner dismounted, heading inside quickly. He had a lot to do, and the meeting with the dragons had taken longer than he'd wanted.
He passed through halls of dark wood, almost black, silver candelabra lining the walls and currently put out, the lights shining through the large, white curtained windows giving enough light. The floor was a dark gray wood, the rice paper doors dark with lighter colored paper. One would say the entire floor was monochromatic in color, but would occasionally find hints of blue or green.
Overall the floor gave off a wintry feeling, mixed with the young king's power that held a constant chill and one would think winter never ended. But it was not a harsh cold, no. The chill that pervaded the air was welcoming to everyone, and only turned harsh when the king was in an off mood. Some thanked having a king with an elemental power like ice, as it was always easy to tell what his mood was through the feeling of the cold. Others cursed the constant cold but held their tongue when he passed.
Toshiro stepped inside what seemed to be a large waiting room. This one had a few warmer colors in order to make guests comfortable, as he knew not everyone appreciated his fondness for the cold. The couches were a dark foresty green, the woods lighter shades of brown. Currently there was only one person inside, a green-haired woman with fiery amber eyes, dressed in black with accents of green and purple. The tanned woman glanced up at him as he entered and beamed.
"I was wondering when you'd get here, nephew," Sylfie Greenleaf, the current head of the Greenleaf Family, spoke with a light voice, clearly a playful woman who acted far younger than her age.
"I'm surprised you sat still for so long," Toshiro shot back with a small smirk.
"Oh I was eager to hear what you had to say." She waved off his comment. "You'd be surprised how patient I am."
"Not really, you did put up with me after all."
She gave a laugh that sounded like a stream bubbling joyously in the forest, a bell-like tone to it. When she laughed like that it was almost scientifically impossible not to smile, further proved as Toshiro gave a small one.
"Oh really, nephew, it was a good challenge that I volunteered to take."
"I see." Shaking his head in mock disappointment, his aunt smirking wide, he donned a more serious expression. "I'll be heading off again; will you hold the fort for me?"
"Don't I always?" Sylfie shrugged. "How long this time?"
"That depends…"
"Ah, I see." A mischievous gleam entered her eyes. "So this visit is for HER, isn't it?"
"Perhaps." His teal gaze refused to meet her amber. That was answer enough and the woman giggled happily.
"Alright, I'll see you in a week."
"A week?" He turned to her in surprise. "I hadn't planned on that long-"
"You do now." The woman stood and grasped his shoulders, turning him to face the door again. "You've been gone a long time since your last visit, and I'm sure she's getting riled up about now."
"She knows I'm busy." He frowned. "And it hasn't been that long."
"Yes, but she's your girlfriend, they always get upset." One eye winked at him and he sighed. There was no arguing with this woman.
"Fine, one week." He held up his finger to emphasize his point. "I have some things I need to do before I go, though."
"Don't take too long!" She called after him in a sing-song voice as he walked away. "I'll take good care of this place while you're gone!"
He heaved another sigh. Yes he could trust the woman to do as she promised, but no matter what he always felt nervous about leaving the realm to her for any longer than necessary.
But, he did like the idea of spending a week with his girlfriend. He hurried off to finish his other duties.
'Should I let Dyrilæn know we're coming?' Myndræl questioned. Though he and Toshiro had mastered telepathy, it was not possible to speak to Karin through the dragons. For one thing, she hadn't gained the ability just yet, though they seemed to be getting close, and another, it was just too much strain on both dragon and partner to hold a conversation telepathically with more than one person and/or dragon. With zanpaktous it was different, because they were a part of one's soul.
'No, not yet.' Toshiro replied to his partner, smirking slightly. 'Let's surprise them.'
The faint rumble of the dragon chuckling echoed in his mind before things went quiet.
After working through his paperwork, which he wanted finished before leaving for an entire week and letting it pile back up, and meeting with the Evereed Family, in charge of affairs in the North American region, about what to do with their rebellious citizens, Toshiro went to gather a few things before leaving.
"America really needs to reconsider its freedom rules," Toshiro grumbled to himself. "No society is perfect, but their democracy is clearly becoming an issue when it comes to protecting the World of the Living." He sighed. "And they need to stop being so nosy."
He picked up some paperwork off his desk and looked through it briefly. It was a reply from the other Royal Guards about a particular decision of his, one of the reasons he was heading back to the Japanese branch of Soul Society. Only one disagreed but understood he'd probably be the only one and therefore didn't much care. Two had mixed feelings and concerns, and the others agreed wholeheartedly. The last one he read was from his most trusted guard, Ruala Nakryin, adopted daughter of his aunt Sylfie and Ruler of Magika. She was one who had mixed feelings, unsure how it would work out, but trusted his decision.
He sighed as he read it; Ruala was hard to convince of anything, but she also didn't disagree very much, only stood in the center. She didn't want to lose his trust, but didn't want him to fall too far either. Sometimes her neutral outlook on things made decisions all the more difficult to make.
Still, they seemed willing to accept his idea for the most part and that was enough. He was sure they'd go along with it after a while. The harder part was convincing the people the idea was about to go along with it. As king no one really went against him unless they knew him well enough to know he welcomed contradiction in order to make better decisions, but this particular group didn't give a damn about his status and spoke their mind freely. And one of them happened to be his girlfriend.
A smirk played on his lips at the thought and he set the papers back down, grabbing his bag as he left and heading back to where Myndræl waited patiently. Hopefully Ruala was already there waiting, and maybe a few of the dragons if they were willing enough. Ruala was almost always the one to go with him to the Soul Society, the other Royal Guards keeping busy in their own way. Actually, he was pretty sure one of them was currently already in the Soul Society.
But that wasn't important. He checked up one last time with Sylfie but she just ushered him off outside to the Tenchuren, assuring him the realm would be fine with his absence for a while. Her determination to send him off made him cautious but he went nonetheless, Myndræl standing patiently beside the large tower with a petite figure next to him, two draconic figures nearby.
"Ruala," Toshiro greeted kindly.
She removed her white hood, platinum blonde hair gleaming in the sunlight. One eye of green and one of amber, both looking at him with respect as she curtsied to him, traditional of her people.
"You were rather vague with your answer," He told her, meaning her reply to his request he had just read over. Somehow she seemed to know he was talking about this and shifted her foot nervously.
"It's a good idea…but risky," She said in her quiet voice, barely above a whisper.
"I know it is, yet I think it will be good for all of us. And I haven't broken any laws."
She smiled softly and nodded her agreement, looking a little surer now. She instead turned to two larger, reptilian figures with them. One was a thin Wind dragon, her element best known by the fact that she did not possess wings, as many Wind dragons didn't. She was a sky blue color with dark purple eyes, purple spots underneath them, and a feline look to her thin muzzle. Silver speckled down her back with a dark gray mane down her spine, some dark gray fur on her chest as well. Dark purple feathers peeked up atop her head and at the end of her tail, her horns looking more like antlers of a light purple color. She lifted a silver speckled paw in greeting, a playful grin on her face.
"Greetings, Dragon King," She purred. "I am Ahvain, a Wind-Gravity dragon. I wish to accompany you to the Soul Society."
"You're welcome to come." Toshiro nodded to her, turning to the second.
This one was also female, a small Ice dragon with light pink eyes, scales a shimmering ice blue speckled with white that looked like snow. A long lavender mane flowed down her back, part between her eyes that made Toshiro think of the Kuchikis. Her feathered wings started off purple at the joints before fading through blue to white, her tail ending in lavender colored feathers. The dragoness perked her furry ears forward before bowing her head.
"I am Tælaf, an Ice-Lunar dragon," She spoke respectfully. "I also wish to accompany you, Dragon King."
"I think I have an idea who your partner is, Tælaf," Toshiro told her and she looked up, excited. "I'll introduce you to her."
"Thank you!"
Ahvain huffed but thought nothing of it, as she knew it wouldn't be as easy for everyone. She only hoped her partner was there as well. A feeling in her gut told her she was, but sometimes that feeling could be wrong.
The three dragons and two spirits entered the Tenchuren, ready to depart. Toshiro glanced briefly at his dragon, noticing a mischievous glint in those ice colored eyes at getting to surprise his mate. The look was copied upon the young king and he couldn't help but smirk.
Today would be interesting indeed.
Here's the first chapter for your enjoyment! ^^ This has been Beta'd by Writer of Craziness (many thanks to you!)
The dragons are starting to become a little more important to the story now, but more as like allies than anything major. Just like a king on Earth allying with other countries for more man power. And now he's off to see 'you-know-who' XD Enjoy!