Chapter 11 - Crossing into Seiryuu

When Naraku returned to Ashara and the rest of his group, he realized that everyone would soon be looking for him and he had to leave the area immediately. He hoped that Mirago would keep their secret until at least a week had passed, but he could not depend on it. Once again, fortune favored the evil Demon and Mirago kept her secret for two long weeks. By the time the Village found out about Naraku, he was long gone.

Tomorrow they would cross into Seiryuu where they would be safe from the multitude of searchers since none of Otherworld's Protectors would be allowed to cross the border, even if they did manage to trace him here. But Naraku felt he could safely cross because of the gifts he brought and his assumption was correct. Seiryuu's border guards took them directly to the Emperor in his palace. Naraku and the Princess were brought before Emperor Balago while the two Demons were given rooms and the three hostages were placed into a locked room next to theirs. 

Behind the Emperor stood a tall mage dressed in black. On his cheek was his mark of power. Naraku asked for asylum and offered Tasuki as a gift. Balago was delighted to have one of the Celestial Seven in his power and gave Naraku the run of the castle. The mage whispered that he needed to seal Tasuki and the Emperor nodded his assent. The mage came down from the dais to lead them to his rooms, asking the guards to bring Tasuki to him.

The mage's main room reminded Ashara of Bakura's tower since it was also filled with strange potions and devices. In the corner stood a boy of about thirteen, small markings around his eyes heralded his potential as a mage. Jodah glanced at the boy, "Balago would love to get his hands on my apprentice." The boy was startling beautiful, with golden skin, white-blond hair and huge lavender eyes.
Naraku addressed Jodah while they waited for Tasuki to arrive. "I often wondered why Seiryuu was so strong a kingdom when it had such a weak ruler and now I know. You are the true power of Seiryuu."

The mage smiled and nodded. "The Emperor is a fool. But I am far from one. I know of you, Naraku, and know that you came to Seiryuu for more than just asylum. What do you truly want?"

"The Four Gods World."

Jodah laughed. "I like your candor!  It will not be as easy to take as you think!  The other two kingdoms, Byakko and Genbu, are already secretly under our control, but Suzaku will fight and it has powerful allies. Our control of Tasuki may stop them from summoning their guardian but it will not break the alliance. Suzaku has already been warned about you and Tasuki's capture. Raizen and Otherworld will protect them."

"I discarded that plan long ago, when Bankotsu died.  And I always have a backup plan.  Raizen will have problems of his own soon enough." Naraku indicated Princess Ashara, "Otherworld is broken and can give no help. Three of her most powerful males are dead or helpless. Sesshomaru lies in a coma. And Kouga and his wolves will stay close to their village, fearing my return."

"You have underestimated Otherworld. Sesshomaru is comatose but will come out of it soon. But I can stop that from happening with Ashara's help. But you have also underestimated the power of Otherworld's allies. Kouga may stay at home, but the Bobcat Demon clan is combing the mountains near Suzaku and will go to Suzaku's aid."

"The Bobcats will go to Raizen's aid, not Suzaku's." Naraku replied.

"You are mistaken. Tekken is the leader of the clan and he is Tasuki's father." Upon seeing the surprise on Naraku's face, he added, "It seems your Princess forgot to tell you a thing or two."

Naraku glared at Ashara, who flushed and stammered, "I ... I thought you knew."

Jodah continued, "And Otherworld has new allies, very powerful ones. But now so do you. I am tired of pretending to serve Balago. Who would he be replaced with? Yourself? No, that is not your style. You are like me, the power behind the throne. It is the Princess who would rule in his stead. And I would not mind standing behind her throne."

Ashara glared at the haughty mage. Wait until he tasted her power! As if reading her mind, Jodah told her, "Don't even try to use your power on me! I have had better than you try to enthrall me!"
Turning back to Naraku, Jodah continued, "So you have other plans in the works for Raizen? You must mean an attack from the Eastern Lands. Do you have the ear of Mukuro?" Naraku nodded. "Ah, I see. Mukuro will try to take the Western Lands of Sesshomaru and Raizen will come to its aid, forsaking Suzaku. Very good! I like your mind!"

"You mentioned new allies. Do you know who they are?" Naraku asked.

Before Jodah could answer, guards came in with Tasuki. He was thrown roughly to the floor in front of Jodah. The mage motioned them to leave. As long as Ashara was standing there, Tasuki would not make a move against them, for she could merely command his obedience.  Jodah nodded to Naraku and, between the two of them, they roughly undressed him. 

 "He needs to be sealed. I do not trust the combination of Aara and Bakura. They might find a way to reach him. I will need his fluids. Princess, if you would use your power on him." Ashara nodded and slammed her power into her hapless male. Tasuki screamed as it hit him, and then the heat took him over. 

Jodah told his apprentice, Malik, to fill two small bowls with Tasuki's fluids. Malik went to Tasuki and, without hesitation and with disturbingly expert fingers, stroked him until he released into one of the bowls. Ashara refused to even think about the relationship between him and Jodah.  Since joining Naraku she had decided that there were things that she just didn't want to know about.

Tears ran down Tasuki's face; his Princess had done this to him. He had wanted to believe that Naraku deceived her, but now he knew the truth. Ashara was just as evil as Naraku. Had she ever cared for him at all?  Then Malik took a sharp knife and punctured Tasuki's wrist, filling the other bowl with his blood. He took the bowls to Jodah to prepare.

After a short while, Jodah carried a large bowl to Tasuki's side. Then Jodah rubbed the potion he had prepared onto the young man, head to toe, effectively sealing him. Now Bakura and Aara would never be able to find him. 

After being sealed, Tasuki was dragged to a small, barren cell. The room was damp and chilled and his clothes had not been returned, but his trembling was not from the cold. It was partially from fear, but mostly from anger. He had been violated, although not in the usual sense, but in far more subtle way. He had been treated like a thing instead of a person. And worse of all, he was completely helpless. They were planned a war on Suzaku, his country, and there was nothing he could do to stop it!

Jodah could not spend more time with Naraku and Ashara or Balago would get suspicious. Naraku told the mage that he had something that would occupy the Emperor's time and Jodah told them to return here later. In the evening, under Naraku's commands, Ralf pulled Shilo from his sister's arms and took him to a separate room to prepare him.

A short time later, Naraku brought the Emperor to the room, showing him his waiting gift. Balago's eyes shone with avarice when he saw the young boy lying there. The emperor didn't know what excited him more, the young untouched body or the terror in the boy's eyes. Naraku bowed and left the Emperor to his pleasure.
Then Naraku and Ashara went back to Jodah's main room. Malik was not in sight; the boy was probably asleep behind one of the closed doors. "You were telling us about new allies." Naraku began.

"Do you know of the Great Dragons?"

"I have heard the myths." Naraku replied. "And I have seen dragons. I removed a seal from one but it could not even kill Sesshomaru and was destroyed by the Dog Lord. Dragons are not as powerful as you think."

"The lesser dragons like Ryuukoysusei are not. But the Great Dragons are. And almost all of them sleep under the mountains. They take human form when they walk the lands and one is now living in the Castle of Otherworld. He is the great Red Dragon, Kyoryugeromaru."

Naraku was stunned. How did Jodah have this knowledge? A Great Dragon? There was no way he could fight against a Great Dragon, not if the myths were true. Their power was immense! "If this is true, there is no way for our plan to succeed!"

Jodah smiled and went to one of the closed doors and opened it, motioning them inside. The room was a simple bedroom, but on the unmade bed lay a young man, long black hair spread across the sheets. He was completely nude. Jodah sat next to him and absently fondled the man, who writhed under his hands, moaning softly.
"We were digging into the mountain behind the palace, building another treasure chamber, when we found him. He tried to enthrall me, but I enchanted him instead. He lives only for my touch now. And will do whatever I tell him to."

The young man opened his eyes and looked at them. His yellow eyes seemed to be lit from within. "This is Rhuyogeromaru, the Black Dragon." Jodah said triumphantly, his eyes glittering, "It will be a war to end all wars! We will send the armies against Suzaku, and Aara will ask the Red Dragon for help. But they will not be expecting my Black Dragon. Suzaku will burn with his fires! I can't wait for it all to begin!"

Malik lay there in the darkness, listening to the voices on the other side of the door. He liked hearing the voices, because they meant that Jodah was busy. But eventually the voices would stop and the inevitable would happen: Jodah would enter his room as he had done every night for six years now, ever since Malik first manifested powers and was torn from his mother's arms and taken to Jodah to apprentice. From the first day, Malik had seen how the mage had looked at him -- the naked desire gleaming from his eyes. And it had terrified him. Jodah waited only a few days before coming to him late one night, his voice soothing and gentle while his hands touched him. Five years later, Malik was very used to being Jodah's plaything, but he still hated every second of it, every touch, every stroke, and more than anything, every penetration. And today he had seen that same fearful look -- that very first terror -- written on the face of a young boy. One of the captives of the human-Demon Naraku, he had seen the boy being washed and scented and knew that he was being readied to become Balago's next plaything. And the terrible memories had flooded back. If only he had full powers; if only he could somehow help!
Naraku and Ashara left Jodah's rooms, with Ashara returning to her own room. Naraku stood there in the hallway in front of the door where Shilo was. He wondered if the Emperor was still in there or if he had finished and left for his own rooms. He wanted to take Shilo back to his sister and wet-nurse. It had been several hours now and Balago should be done. Very slowly he cracked open the door and peeked in. And immediately closed the door, his face ashen. By the gods! What had happened in there? Naraku ran back to Jodah's room and knocked on the door but there was no answer. He opened the door and knocked on the inner doors. Jodah came out of one of them -- probably Malik's room -- adjusting his clothes, anger showing on his face. "What is the meaning of this intrusion?"

"I looked into the room with the Emperor and Shilo and saw blood."

"There is always blood the first time. The Emperor is not gentle."

"Not like this!" Naraku said, his face tense and pale. Jodah nodded and together they went into the room, closing the door behind them. The room was a charnel house, blood was splashed everywhere. What had Balago done to the boy?

Naraku gingerly walked into the room, trying to avoid the blood but it was impossible. There were arcs of it splattered on the walls, pools on the floor, and the bed was soaked in it. How could one little boy have so much blood in him? And where was his body?

Jodah lifted his long robe and walked through the carnage to the other side of the bed. Then he saw him, sitting there against the far wall, his eyes huge with terror. He was covered in blood.

"What is he?" Jodah asked Naraku, pointing to the child against the wall.

Naraku followed the gesture and saw Shilo. He rushed to him and checked him. The boy whispered, "He tried to hurt me." None of the blood on his body was his own. Naraku looked around and saw the body -- or rather the largest piece. The Emperor!

"What is he?" Jodah repeated.

"He is the son of Shido."

"Shido!!! A Blood Demon! You sent the Emperor to a Blood Demon!" Jodah cried. "The most dangerous Demon there is! You fool!!!"

"But he is a child. He can't even drink blood yet!"

"Obviously that isn't a problem! Blood Demons are incredibly strong and vicious. The Emperor didn't stand a chance. And now what are we going to do? We needed Balago in order to bring the armies together. They will march on his orders, not on mine! I cannot begin a war on Suzaku! You've ruined everything!" Jodah's voice rose to a shrill shriek.

Naraku glared at the mage, who was so angry he was almost foaming at the mouth. He mentally called Ralf, who came and carried Shilo away, to be cleaned and returned to his sister.

"Do have people that can clean this room without talking to everyone? People you can trust?" He asked Jodah.

"Yes, but what good does that do?"

"Get them in here." Naraku commanded sharply. Then he concentrated and pulled out a Demon from his multitude. He was man-sized, but scaly. The Demon went to the larger piece of Balago and bent down and licked the blood. Then he stood up and his body morphed, turning into a perfect replica of Balago.

Jodah looked at the duplicate in amazement, "How?"

"He is a chameleon Demon. Not very bright, but he'll do for now. He can only stay in this form for about four hours at a time, and then he needs to return to his original form for about two hours, so we will have to be careful with him. But he should do the job for a while."

Malik watched the clean up through one of the servants' eyes. That was his secret power; it had manifested itself a year ago: the power to control minds. And he was very, very careful to hide it from Jodah. He now controlled three different servants and two guards, going in and out of their minds whenever he wanted to. When he released them, they didn't remember anything about his invasion, and went on their lives as usual. The boy had killed the Emperor! Not just killed him, but torn him to pieces! Maybe he could not only save the boy, but save himself as well. With Shilo's strength and his power, they just might be able to escape. It was worth a try! But it could only be Shilo; there was no way he could take Tasuki and the girl with them and not be caught. Malik separated his mind from the servant and lay there in the dark, planning. Planning for freedom.
Kaiba went into check on Sesshomaru as he did every morning. Kaiba took his wrist to check his pulse. It was barely registering! Something had happened. The Demon Lord was in an even deeper coma than before, barely alive! Kaiba called for the Princess and Bakura and both came swiftly to Sesshomaru's room. Kaiba told them what had happened. Bakura placed his hand on the Demon's forehead, trying to read him.
"There is magic at work here!" He exclaimed. "This is the work of another mage!"

"Does Naraku have a mage in him? He once told me that he was half Demon-mage." Aara asked.

"Who knows what kind of Demons make up Naraku, but no, this is not the work of a mage stuck inside of a human body. This is a free mage. And one who may be more powerful than I am."

"This is not good news. Naraku is powerful enough by himself. If he has allied himself with a mage… Do you know who it is? I thought you kept track of the mages." Aara asked Bakura.

"I do, but only the known mages in Demon World. In Otherworld, the only mages are Kaiba, Suzuki and myself. There has to be another mage but I don't know how he has kept his identity secret!"

"Unless he is not in the Demon World." Aara ventured, "Naraku has been heading northeast. Perhaps he was not heading to Demon World, but more east than north, to the Four Gods World. Except for Suzuka, that World's borders are closed to us."

"I cannot believe that a Demon Mage would ally himself with Seiryuu. And this power is definitely comes from Demon Mage. If I can find out anything, I will let you know." Bakura stood up and then turned to Kaiba, "I will try to break the spell, but I fear that Sesshomaru is truly lost to us now."

 

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