Chapter 35
"You going to be okay?" Yuki asked with concern as he helped arrange Kuon's epaulets, and checked his parade armor, as Zeus nodded restlessly in the background.
Kuon nodded nervously. "Yeah, I just haven't been out like this in a long time." He explained, referring to his waist-long blond hair, green eyes, tattooed runes, and perfectly healed white wings that were folded closely to his back.
Yuki hummed in thought. "Well, if you need me to, I can ride on your shoulder. It's not like anyone would notice." He suggested.
Kuon chuckled. "I don't think I'll need my fairy protector sitting on my shoulder for the parade." He glanced at his best friend. "No, it's better that you go on ahead with my parents to the arena."
Yuki patted him on the back. "I'll be sure to cheer for you from the stands." He handed him his cloak. "You can do this, Kuon. Just... keep your wits about you."
Kuon nodded somberly. "You can be sure of that. Now get going before you miss the whole thing." He told him as his cloak fluttered around his shoulders and covered his wings, while watching Yuki exit the preparation area.
"Hizuri-san, it's almost time to begin." The attendant assigned to him announced at the door, as Kuon checked Zeus' armor, tack, and saddle.
Kuon waved him an acknowledgment. "Thank you." He patted Zeus on the neck. "Time to go now." He told the horse as he led him out, with his helm held under his arm.
~xoxo~
"Are you sure you still want to do this?" Miroku asked as Reino adjusted his dark garments. The sight always disturbed him, he looked like a phantom from some horror movie. He could never fully get over the way his garments seemed to billow around him like living smoke, and shadows. The way his violet eyes pierced through the blackness of his mask and hood, as if peering out from an abyss that seemed to absorb the light around him. It was oppressive and intimidating, to say the least. Of course Reino's abnormally large black panther certainly didn't take away from the image projected either.
Reino turned to his friend and all Miroku could see was the two points of amethyst staring at him and then a wide sinister show of white teeth in a twisted smile. "Why wouldn't I want to?" He cocked his head. "Are you still worried?" He waved his hand. "I promise he won't receive a scratch."
Miroku glanced up at him sharply. "You mean, you won't get a scratch... Right?"
The creature within chuckled. "Yes, yes... Of course." He called out as he watched Miroku leave.
That was an admission, right? Miroku thought to himself as he hurriedly pulled out his phone to make contact with the monks he'd been communicating with for the past months. "It's me... Go ahead with the plan... Yeah, I'll meet you at the arena, but we cannot let him suspect. I'd like to keep this as covert as possible. I don't want him punished for the sins of someone he has no control over... Okay... Thank you." He pocketed his phone and left to join Reino's family.
~xoxo~
"You okay?" Chiori asked when she saw Kyoko shiver a bit.
Kyoko nodded, and sighed. "I'll be fine when all of this is over." She told her friends as they helped her adjust the armor she was wearing over the thin white, silk loincloth, and gemmed bra-like top. She sighed as they placed the decorative gold clips with chains in her feathers, and on the joints of her wings.
"Mo... Stop worrying about it. You already know what you're going to do... Right? Just go with it and fight your best. He wouldn't expect you to do any less than that." Kanae encouraged.
"She's right Senpai. Lord Kuon will understand and you already discussed this with your father. So that shouldn't be a problem." Chiori reminded her.
Kyoko nodded and let out a calming breath. "Okay." She breathed out as they draped the gossamer, white cloak around her shoulders, and arranged it to flow behind her and between her wings.
"Perfect..." The pair told her as the three stared into the mirror at the armor that would not stay in its place for very long. "Time to make your entrance, Milady." Chiori smirked as they left to meet up with Bladetooth and the two other dragons that would be accompanying them for their grand entrance at the beginning of the parade.
Although the three dragons weren't any larger than a large elephant, the Princess and her small entourage were still very impressive and intimidating. Kuon couldn't have been any more proud than he was at that moment. Yuki along with the other spectators were quite impressed. He'd heard of those creatures in the Forbidden Zone, but to actually see them in reality, instead of books and recordings, was something entirely different.
Several of the contestants were seriously beginning to rethink their plans on making this princess their queen, especially if she was capable of taming three dragons and using them as mounts. Well, that wasn't entirely accurate. Certainly they were the mounts that she and her entourage were using, but it had been voluntary on the part of the dragons. They had offered their services to her when they were granted a comfortably sized island several kilometers off the coast. One that provided plenty of food and nesting grounds for the few that were left of them. One from each clan had volunteered their services. Kyoko's dragon was an all black shadow dragon, Kanae's was a shimmering, blood-red fire dragon, and Chiori's was a dark blue that had tiny tendrils of electricity sparking off of her scales, a storm dragon.
If one were to observe the long procession, they would see nearly all of the world's princes in their finest parade armor atop their mounts. The Russian prince, a distant relative of Juli Hizuri was garbed in a fine silver armor with gold trim, his blue steel sword sheathed on his back, sitting atop the largest Polar Bear anyone had ever seen. Three of the princes from the European Continent sat astride their war-horses. There was a large white lion, a tiger, elephants. Then there was Reino sitting comfortably atop his panther cloaking everything in shadow around him, causing the others to give him a considerable berth. That is, all but Kuon.
Kuon had been in darkness before and this was certainly nothing to him as Zeus trotted impatiently up next to Reino, and stamped his hooves, ready for anything at a moment's notice. Amethystine eyes peered through the darkness at the being next to him that sat regally atop the large, black, winged equine. Never in his existence had the creature within Reino experienced such an oppressive darkness hidden in the man next to him. He shuddered. "Not what you expected?" Reino whispered in the invader's ear, and chuckled.
"Shut up..." He murmured.
"Even Shadow sees through your little ruse..." Reino chuckled again. "The only reason she hasn't eaten you is the fact that she knows you're using my body... Temporarily." He sing-songed gleefully.
"Shut up!" He growled.
Kuon glanced down at his competitor and narrowed his eyes at the potential threat. "I don't know what your fucking problem is Reino, but you better pull yourself together." He smirked wolfishly. "Or you just might accidentally lose your head." He finished in a low tone that no one else could hear.
The invader blinked away what he thought was a projected illusion, and steadied himself on Shadow. Oh my... It seems as though Kuon has finally gained control of his demon. Reino thought pensively. Perhaps things are actually looking up.
All eyes trained forward as the band began playing the music to begin the Coronation/Tournament Parade, and the procession began at 9 am, on the main street of downtown New Tokyo.