Rin, of course, was waiting for the group when they returned, ready with numerous questions. Makoto was half-on half-off the couch, lazily rolling a ball he had made out of some leather and a large pile of ash. Luna glanced at both of them and knew she was about to play 'twenty questions'... only, she knew there would probably be more than just the twenty advertised. "Yes?"
"Where'd you go?"
"To go get Shippo, Sango, and Miroku."
"Why'd that take so long?"
"Traffic." Luna forced herself to rely on whatever came to mind first that wasn't about the actual events of that evening. She hated to do that, but Rin's questioning was becoming more like gunfire, and twice as dangerous.
"Why's your arm bloody?"
"Got in a fight." Luna had to admit that Rin was getting good with quick observations. That was a skill useful to anyone, especially a questioner. 'Or a warrioress...' Luna had to shove that thought away as the next round of questions began.
"With who?"
"It's whom, Rin." The grammar correction gave Luna a chance to think out her answer.
"Whatever. Still."
"A hunter."
"Just one?"
"Working alone. I'm surprised that Inuyasha and I didn't see him before he tried to attack."
This answer seemed to satisfy Rin, however, now Makoto was glancing up at Luna expectantly.
"Yes, Makoto?"
"When's class?"
"Which class?"
"History. Rin wanted to know the history of demons, and you know my current grade."
Luna wanted to facepalm. He had been her only student, and she couldn't keep his attention long enough to drop a penny. "Well, I have nothing much to do... get some paper and pens, enough for three students, and I'll teach."
As Makoto rushed to find some paper and pens, Luna calmly bandaged her arm. She had refused treatment due to needing to hurry back. Now, she had to multi-task as she grabbed one of the chalkboards that a nearby school had thrown out, while still bandaging her wounds. At least Kagome was nice enough to get one of the pouches of chalk for her.
Her 'class' as she called it, was already assembled. Sighing to herself, she took a piece of chalk from the pouch. "Where to begin? ...Maybe Demonic History 101? Yes, I think that will work. Is my class ready?"
"Yep." A not-so-excited Makoto replied. "Maybe this time I'll pass..."
Luna took a deep breath, knowing that this was a long lesson. "In the beginning, radiation altered proteins in the water, causing life to form." She drew a cell on the board. "From these bacteria cells came all life. Plants sprang up 156 million years B.S.E." She drew a leaf near the cell and wrote the date on the board. "Aquatic life came in about 143 million years B.S.E." A fish joined the leaf on the board. "Land life evolved from that, and this is where our story begins."
Rin glanced at Makoto, who was scribbling the notes onto his paper. 'Should I do that too? Guess I should...' She rushed to copy the drawings and dates.
"When land creatures first became sentient, there were two species: humans and winglies. Winglies were creatures with silver hair and a natural talent for magic. They were called 'winglies' because all of them could use their magic to make glowing wings. It was their signature trait. Humans, well, were humans. Still the same as they were back then. Winglies and humans both segregated the unusual, which, over time, led to species such as the gigantos and minitos. It was also frowned upon for winglies and humans to mix, but, of course, love knows no bounds. When they were caught, which was often, they were shunned from their societies. Over time, this selective breeding of sorts created a whole new species: the demon race."
Gasps of wonder seemed to across the room as Luna realized she had an audience. "Very early demons could hardly be called that, by today's standards. There were no real traits to mark them. They were human-like with magic abilities. While the species was developing, however, trouble was brewing. The winglies had discovered the strongest source of magic in the world, and were manipulating it. They established five floating cities, where every point in everyone's lives was dictated. At the helm was a man named Melbu Frahma, and he was a cruel dictator. He and his royal guard lived in Kadessa, the capitol city, and he ruled over the entire world with an iron fist. Every day, his guards would kidnap people and force them to fight to the death against creatures that they stood no chance against. Beyond that, there was the birth city, Deningrad, the death city, Mayfil, the law city, Zenebatos, and the magic city, Aglis. Lives were governed from birth to death and all points inbetween. This was true for all species.
In the year 4 B.S.E., a faction of demons grew tired of Melbu's dictatorship. They had learned an ancient secret from none other than Melbu's own sister, Charle. She had told them of a secret power sealed within dragons of every element. This power could overthrow the government, and since Charle disapproved of her brother's cruelty, she happily aided the rebels. At the heart of this were two demons... misfits of their own species due to their lineage. Zieg Feld, the figurehead leader, claimed the power of the most fierce of all the fire dragons. Rose Tiernihara, the decision-maker and Zieg's mate, took down the slyest of all the darkness dragons, gaining its power. They were the first dragoons, which were people that could harness the power of the dragons and use it without being consumed by the power. Together, they found those strong enough to take the dragons' powers, one of each element, and led the attack. The demons helped the efforts by carrying gigantos to the battlesites. Humans shot arrows and brought down some of the turrets. Minitos climbed in through windows and supplied ammo. It was anarchy.
Then, on Day 1 B.S.E., Kadessa fell, but so did almost all of the dragoons. Five died and two disappeared from sight. It was with this sobering thought in mind that the victors decided that three countries were to be born, and there would never be war between them again. The three countries were Serdio, Tiberoa, and Mille Seseau. Dates are counted in Serdian Era years and Before Serdian Era years only because they took history as important long before the others did."
"Wow..." Rin's eyes were wide with amazement. "You must be really old then, if you remember so much..."
Luna facepalmed from embarrassment. 'Wait until she finds out that Rose is your mom... Ok, that's a thought I didn't need...' "I'm not that old. I learned this from people who had learned this from people who were in this."
"Still makes you old..." Shippo rolled his eyes. 'Honestly, are all adults this stupid?'
"I will admit, older than most, but that means you have to respect me." Luna grinned. "Over 11,000 years passed, and the dragoons faded into legend, and legend faded into myth as time went on. More pressing issues were found. Every 108 years, the moon would turn red and some unfortunate village would be destroyed. That was considered more important. But far worse was in store. A man was helping Melbu release his source of power. Melbu had him thinking that the power could bring peace and prosperity to the world, but Melbu wanted it for other reasons. The dragoons rose again, led once again by a fire dragoon and a mysterious woman named Rose. Melbu had succeeded in freeing the power source, but not in using it for his own goals. The dragoons destroyed it, Rose and her mate staying behind to rip its soul in half, even though they knew it would kill them. One half was sealed inside 'a vessel that can never be broken', but the other got loose and still might circle the world to this day. These are the most important stories in demonic history. There are lesser ones, such as Krina the silent killer, who single-handedly caused the plague in Europe, or Teshirrou Sekitachov, who was known to humans as King Albert, but these stories were truely minor in demon history. There was also the rise of the hunters, but I'll cover that another time. That concludes our lessons for today." Luna smiled as everyone finished writing down her notes. "Any questions?"