Six Years

Lee awoke to the sound of someone tapping on his door. He sat up and stretched then gazed at the book he had been reading. History. He hadn't meant to fall asleep in the middle of an era. The knock came again and Lee reluctantly switched forms. He walked up to the door and opened it. D looked at him for a moment then stepped inside.

"You look like you just woke up," he commented as Lee pushed his hair back away from his face.

"I did just wake up," he said. "So what's going on?"

"Well I've got some good news. My dad got some pills made to help control any involuntary regression back to our natural state."

"Do you have bad news as well?"

"A couple more of our kind were killed early this morning. They were kitchen workers. I don't really remember the names, though."

"They are such idiots," Lee said as he poured himself a glass of water.

"Yes, I know and there's nothing we can do about it," D replied as he sat down on a wooden chair. "It's sad that they are distantly related to us."

"They don't even know that. They believe that they're their own species."

"I wish they were. Then I wouldn't be so upset."

"I need to eat something," Lee commented and D leaned his chair back.

"My dad says he's got a possible lead," he said and Lee looked at him.

"Really? What is it?"

"Apparently there's a traveling family with a boy around thirteen years old. Ryo's thirteen, isn't he?"

"Barely thirteen. But for them to play a family...."

"The woman is a blond," D replied and Lee's eyes grew wide.

"No way. Major Izo would never...." he said and D shrugged his shoulders.

"He would if he was ordered to do it. The major would never go against orders. At least that's what my dad says."

"But that would be so humiliating."

"I know. I'd love to see him, though. If it is him, I mean. It would be funny," D said and Lee shrugged his shoulders.

"Well I hope they make it here safely," Lee said as he sat down and picked up a fork.

"You're really looking forward to seeing him again, aren't you? You know he didn't think much of you. I don't mean to insult you."

"No, I know that Ryo didn't think much of me. Part of that was jealousy. I got to do things he couldn't because I wasn't the prince. But I'm going to change his feelings about me. I want to make my father proud."

"Even though he can't see you any more?"

"I know that doing acts to please the dead is pointless but I have to do this. This is why I'm alive. I am sworn to be his companion like your father said," Lee said and D smiled.

"Love works in strange ways," D said and Lee frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not exactly sure. You almost ready to go?"

"Where are we going today?"

"I don't know. I'll think of a place. We've got to be careful, though. The humans are getting paranoid. Plus, there have been some really weird creatures coming into the city lately. They look sorta like us only much uglier. Plus their wings are tiny and their skin tone is completely different. My dad says they work for Levin and they're just here to place more of the blame on the nobles," D said and Lee frowned.

"How did he take over the throne in the first place? It was like he just came and killed Niezon," he said and D nodded his head.

"He did. Xylphara was working for him. That's how he was able to do this with no one knowing about it. At least not until it was too late to do anything about it," D said as he stood up. "But let's not brood about it. Let's go out and have some fun. We could terrorize small animals."

"I'll go outside, but I won't hurt any animal," Lee said as he rinsed off his dishes.

"Suit yourself. I only do it as a stress reliever."

Lee picked up his key ring and attached it to his belt. He then walked to the hallway and switched off the lights. He exited the apartment with D behind him and headed down the stairs to the street below.

 

Izo sat in a wooden chair and glared at Kana through lightly shadowed eyes. Kana pretended not to notice as he gazed at the menu. Ryo leaned back in his chair and counted the ceiling tiles as Izo picked up his glass of water and drank half of it.

"Have you decided on what you want to eat, my dear? The waiter is waiting," Kana said and Izo handed the menu to Kana.

"The lamb please," he replied in the highest voice he could muster.

"I'll take the ham and our son will have the same," Kana said and the waiter nodded his head.

"Excellent decision, sir. Would you like some wine to go with that?" he inquired and Kana nodded his head.

"Yes. I think some light alcohol would help loosen things up."

"Why couldn't we have just done room service?" Izo whispered, once the waiter had gone to the kitchen.

"Because normal human families go to restaurants to eat. They don't go straight to their room and stay there all night," Kana replied.

"I'm getting tired of this facade, sir."

"It's not that bad."

"Sir, you don't know the mental strain this puts on me. I also don't like the looks I get from the human males. It's like all they want to do is rip my clothes off of me."

"That just proves that they're distantly related to us. Some fires cannot be extinguished. Now we've done more speaking on the subject than we should have. The waters are ever dangerous around us."

"I know, sir but can I make a suggestion? Why don't you play the woman for awhile?"

"I think not. Your body is more suited to it than mine."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Let's talk about something else before someone gets suspicious. You don't want that to happen, do you? I know we're armed but I really don't want to get into any fights."

"There's at least three thousand tiles in this place," Ryo said and Izo looked at him.

"You've been counting the ceiling tiles? You've got more patience than I do, kid," Izo said and Ryo shook his head.

"You've got more patience. You're the one that's been dressed up like that for the past month."

"Sir..."

"Apologize, Ryo. The waiter's returning," Kana said and Ryo grinned.

"Sorry, Mom," he said and Izo glared at him. He then glared at Kana who was again, pretending not to notice anything as the waiter set the bottle of wine on the table. He took out two glasses and opened the bottle of wine. Kana listened to the light fizz from the bottle then watched the waiter pour the glasses.

"Leave the bottle here, please," Kana said and the waiter nodded his head.

"Your orders should be coming soon," he said and walked away from the table.

"You're ticking me off, sir," Izo hissed and Kana sighed.

"Patience, major."

"I don't have much left, sir."

"It'll be over as soon as we go back to the hotel."

"Right. I'll be normal for the night and then I'll have to degrade myself again in the morning. I want to be normal again for good, sir. When can I go back to actually being myself?"

"I don't know, major."

"That's not a response I wanted to hear, sir," Izo muttered as he unfolded his napkin.

"I'm sorry," Kana replied as the waiter appeared with their order.

"Here we are. Sorry about the slight delay. There was some trouble in the kitchen," the waiter said as he set the plates in front of them.

"Nothing serious, I hope."

"No. Just one of his highness' men doing a spot check."

"Well I hope everything is safe. We'll call you if we need anything else."

"Very good, sir," the waiter said and walked off to the next table. Izo looked nervously at Kana who was calmly picking up his fork and beginning to eat.

"What are we going to do sir?" he whispered and Kana laid down his fork.

"What can we do? If we panic, that's only going to point us out in the middle of the restaurant. Just eat your meal, Izo, and we'll deal with the possible threat as it arises," Kana replied.

"Yes, sir."

"This is really good. I didn't know they could cook so well," Ryo commented, his mouth full of food.

"Remember your manners, Ryo. People are looking," Kana replied.

"Sorry."

"How come you don't laugh at him when he says something?" Izo asked softly.

"He doesn't looks as funny as you do," Ryo replied as Kana raised the wine bottle.

"Some more wine, dear?" he asked and Izo grudgingly nodded his head.

The lights flickered suddenly then died out and Izo looked at Kana. Some women screamed in terror and Kana glanced around in search of the kitchen. Silverware dropped as people tried to eat their meals in the dark and Izo laid a hand on one of his hidden weapons.

"Let's wait until the enemy makes his appearance," Kana whispered as he waved a hand and brought the lights back up. A demon with tangerine eyes looked around in shock and Izo slid down in his seat.

"Not Talson," he muttered. "I can't believe that guy took that nut in."

"General I know you're here. The squirrel told me so. Now show yourself!" Talson cried and Ryo stood up.

"A squirrel told you? Come on. You expect us to believe that?" he asked.

"Don't make him angry! You see that whip? It's not just for decoration," a human from another table said and Ryo folded his arms.

"Can you trust the integrity of someone that says they talk to squirrels? How do you know he's actually working for the king? Look at him. Does he look like a rational person?"

"Shut up! The squirrel told me they came here to seek alliance with the water sprites. Don't make me use this on you, boy!" Talson cried and Ryo folded his arms.

"Would you just listen to him? Water sprites? Come on. The king couldn't have an idiot such as this working for him. I say he's one of the ones that's been destroying our homes," Ryo said and Izo looked at Kana in confusion.

"What's he doing, sir?" Izo whispered and Kana shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not exactly sure but the humans look confused," he replied. "I believe they're trying to decide whether they should believe him or us."

"Enough! I'm sick of hearing you talk! Did your parents teach you not to talk out of turn? I guess I'll have to discipline you instead."

"Don't you dare lay a hand on him!" Izo cried and Talson turned around.

"Are you his mother? You'd better teach this kid some manners. Here, be my guest," Talson said and handed his paddle to Izo.

"In my opinion, he hasn't done anything wrong. You're the one that should be punished. I mean, honestly. Turning the lights off in the middle of a restaurant and scaring everyone. That's a crime in itself."

Talson's eye twitched in anger is he patted his paddle. He then put away his paddle and took out his cat o' nine tales. He then spread his severely damaged wings and grinned evilly. Izo folded his arms as he watched Talson. Surely he wasn't planning on using it on him here.

"Woman, you are charged with assisting the enemy. You all should be warned. Don't interfere with the safety of the world," Talson growled and let the tails of his whip fall to the floor.

"Punish me if you must but please do not do it in here. You have already spoiled everyone's appetite. There's not need to frighten them further. Please watch over our boy, my love. I do not wish him to see this," Izo said and turned around.

"Mother, I'm going along too. I will not let him hurt you," Ryo said and Kana stood up.

"You can come out and watch but I don't want you to get in your mother's way. Let her take care of herself first and if she needs assistance then you can help her," he said as Izo walked out to the front of the restaurant. He lowered his head so that Talson couldn't see his grin. He was going to have fun with the insane demon.

The street was vacant and dark as Izo and Talson stepped out from the restaurant. Talson raised his hand and brought his whip down on Izo's back. Izo shut his eyes in pain as Kana and Ryo walked out of the restaurant. Ryo clenched his fists in anger as he watched Talson strike Izo again.

"Is he just going to stand there and take it?!" Ryo demanded and Kana laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I told you to let him deal with it. If he needs assistance, he will let us know," Kana said as he watched the sinister whip strike Izo again.

"Cry out, damn you!" Talson growled as he drew away and put up his cat o' nine tails. He brought a hand to his right side and unclasped a flail from his belt. The flair, unlike the whip before, was made out of a flexible metal with razor sharp edges on each piece. Talson flicked his wrist deftly and watched in pleasure as the chained flail tore through Izo's robe. Izo shut his eyes and endured the pain as he felt blood run down his shoulders. His robe ripped further as Talson moved to Izo's front. He moved to Izo's chest and brought the whip down upon one of the most painful areas of a female's body. The robe split open at the front and Talson's eyes grew wide in fear.

"A...man?" he whispered and Izo grabbed hold of his flail.

"That's right and I've been hit with things a lot worse than that thing. I also wasn't going to give you the pleasure of hearing me cry out. I only cry out for one person and you'd never get such acts from me," Izo said and Kana shook his head.

"Okay he didn't need to say that," Kana muttered as Talson bared his fangs in rage.

"You're going to die," he hissed and Izo grinned.

"I doubt it. I've got a secret for you. Sure you cut me with your little toy, but I've got more strength than you could ever imagine," Izo said and Talson's good eye twitched in anger.

"Die, human!"

He moved his flail about rapidly in an attempt to catch Izo off guard. Izo glanced down at his leg where the flail had wrapped about him like a snake and fell down on his hands and jerked his legs upward. The handle of the flail flew out of Talson's hand as Izo flipped himself back onto his feet and deftly untangled his leg. Talson scrambled for the flail then stopped when he saw a sword blade resting on the tip of his weapon. He gazed up at the handle and his eyes grew wide.

"You....you're not human!" he cried and Izo cocked his head.

"I'm not? What am I then?" he asked and Talson's eyes darkened.

"People of the village! You have been deceived! What you thought was a woman was merely a demon in human's clothing. A demon against the king! Show your true colors, you noble scum. Show yourself so that the humans know what their true enemy looks like!"

"Talson you are a liar and a lunatic. Your master only seeks to destroy the nobles and the humans in order to take over the world."

"You are the liar, whoever you are. You know nothing about Levin and his true intentions."

"I know that they can't be good, considering he took you into his employ."

"Show your true colors, damn you!"

Izo took out his other katana and gazed at Talson darkly. Talson watched him through his good eye and tried to remember which of the noble demons carried a set of katanas. There were so many nobles and so many weapons that it was extremely difficult to keep them all straight.

"It still doesn't strike a bell, does it? Talson, your memory is faulty and your thoughts are skewed. You don't know what's true and what exists only in that twisted mind of yours."

"I know why I was thrown out of the army! I know why my wings are the way they are! Your precious general abused me! He tortured me!" Talson cried and Izo glared at him.

"You were thrown out because you were attacking your own men! The only one that abused you was yourself," Izo growled as he unfolded his wings. "And I'm not going to let you touch the general. You only have one opponent for this dual and that's me."

"It all makes sense now. The loyal Major Izo. I should have realized it was you. You protected the ones that were planning to kill me in the night. I had advance warning about it from a rock and yet you stopped me and put me under house arrest. Killing you will be a pleasure. You've mocked me for the last time."

"Talson you don't remember how you lost your eye, do you?"

"An animal, no a bird attacked me."

"You destroyed it yourself. You were talking to the wind and then suddenly you brought a hand up into your eye and pierced your own sight organ."

"That's sick," Ryo said and Kana nodded his head.

"Is it any wonder I threw him out of the military? He was entirely too dangerous to keep under my command. I understand he fled for the ocean but I have no idea how he got here and in Levin's employ," Kana replied.

"I'm going to kill that guy. Look at what he's doing simply because he wants my throne. He's willing to kill us and humans. That's not right."

"He will be taken care of in time. Our main concern should be the horses right now. Let's leave Izo for now. He can deal with Talson. We need to get our horses before the humans surround us and start asking questions."

"All right. Don't you think Izo should be told that we're leaving?"

"With an opponent such as Talson, I do not wish to interrupt his concentration."

Izo's ears twitched as he heard their retreating footsteps and narrowed his eyes. He didn't know what the general was doing but now his had his entire concentration available for the killing of Talson. He grinned darkly as he watched Talson move. It was going to be an enjoyable fight.

"I'll give you the first move. I'm feeling generous today," Izo said and Talson glared at him.

"Damn you! I will make you pay for making a fool out of me!" Talson growled and wrapped his flail around one of Izo's katanas. Izo pulled his blade sharply to the side and Talson lost his balance. Izo brought his other sword to the side and slashed Talson's flail. Talson's eyes grew wide in shock then he narrowed them in rage. He rushed Izo and Izo thrust his sword into Talson's chest. He then ran his second sword through and Talson stared at him in shock.

"Where did I go wrong?" he gasped as blood ran down Izo's katanas.

"Your weakness was in your selection of weapons. Your weakness was also in your mind. You destroyed yourself and your fighting spirit by listening to the imaginary voices that you hear. You also didn't fight back. You could have avoided that attack but you chose not to. Your body wanted to die. Your body wanted to be free from the disease in your mind," Izo said as he pulled his weapons out of Talson's flesh. He watched Talson fall to his knees as he sheathed his katanas.

"You can't just let me die like this! I have a job to do!"

"You had a job to do when you joined the army. The sight of actual combat frightened you, didn't it? That's why you went mad and began destroying yourself and then began destroying others. You could have let your superiors know. We could have talked with you, we could have helped you work through your problems but you wouldn't allow us. You chose to enclose yourself in your own make-believe world and that's what finally brought you down. The one that truly killed you was yourself, Talson. I merely liberated your sanity or what was left of it."

Talson's eye grew dark as he fell forward on the ground. Izo sighed and turned around, only to come face to face with an elderly human. Izo studied him for a second then after sensing no hostility from him, drew his hand away from his weapon.

"Is all that true?" the elder asked and Izo folded his arms.

"What would I gain from lying? Why would one lie to the dying anyway? Besides, you heard his rantings, didn't you?" Izo inquired and the elder nodded his head.

"Every word of it and what was said in the restaurant also makes sense. The stories we hear from other villages never describe people...uh, demons like yourself. Some of the elders remember the legends about the wise ruler but the younger generations know nothing of it so they're quick to place their loyalties with what they know or are mislead to believe."

"These are rough times but perhaps the tide will turn soon and life will get back to the way it once was. One thing that is not a characteristic of our kind is the disregard for life. We would never wipe out villages just for the fun of it for we know just how short life is. We take lives in hunting and in battle only when it cannot be avoided but we do not go around senselessly killing others. At least the nobles don't. The one in the throne now doesn't care who or what he kills as long as we are eventually wiped out. Now, does that sound like a true ruler?"

"No, it doesn't. Please, come with me and I'll give you some things to take with you on your journey. The reinstatement of the rightful king will also benefit us."

Izo folded his wings and followed the elder. It was true. Not all humans were complete idiots. It was possible that they could even find some allies in the lesser species. He sniffed the air as he tried to locate the general's scent then nodded his head. They had gone in the direction of the stable to ready the horses. Smart decision, but Kana always chose his actions well. He would rejoin them shortly, he told himself as he followed the elder to a small house. The elder stepped inside and Izo glanced at the doorway and then at himself. He was seven and a half feet tall which was a little above average for a demon but extreme for human height. He switched back to his human form which made him almost two feet shorter and stepped into the house.

"The horses look well. That's good. Izo should be joining us soon. I just hope too many people aren't questioning him," Kana said as he patted Firerain's nose.

"Do you think they might try to kill him?" Ryo asked as Kana mounted Vengeance.

"No. It seems that most of the humans here are merely normal humans. I didn't sense anything threatening from the ones around us in the restaurant. Come on, let's go see if he's finished. I'll lead Firerain out of the stable. You lead us down the street."

Ryo nodded his head and lead Nightwing out of the stable and down the street. Kana and Firerain followed him as Kana glanced to the side. He brought Vengeance to a stop and gazed at a small house.

"Hold on, Ryo," Kana said and Ryo looked back at him.

"Something wrong, sir?" he asked as Kana let go of Firerain's reigns and watched the horse walk over to the house.

"No, nothing's wrong but for some reason, the major is in that house."

"Are you sure?"

"Firerain would never lie. I propose that we head over there and see what's going on. Perhaps he found a demon in hiding that's willing to assist us."

The two followed Firerain and watched as Izo stepped out of the house. He waved a hand goodbye to the elder then jumped slightly when Firerain's nose bumped him. He turned around and glanced at the Kana who sat watching him. He turned to Firerain's saddlebag and put a small bag inside. He then mounted his horse and turned to face the others.

"I am hoping you will offer some explanation, major," Kana said and Izo nodded his head.

"I will. Let's get started on our way, first," Izo replied.

"We're going to have to get you a new outfit."

"But you can be yourself, now," Ryo said then looked at the cuts on Izo's skin. "Didn't it hurt you?"

"It did, but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that it hurt me. The cuts aren't deep, though so it isn't anything you should worry over," Izo said as Kana rode beside him.

"We'll stop once we're a little ways from this village. I want to check your wounds," Kana said and Izo looked at him.

"I'm fine, sir. They're just some light cuts, nothing serious."

"I still want to look at them."

"As you wish, sir."

"Is that sarcasm?"

Izo didn't reply as he prodded Firerain to move faster. He wanted to get out of the village for the elder's sake. The elder had been kind enough in giving them some money for their cause, even though Izo had tried to refuse it and the old man had been entirely too generous in giving him a bracelet of some sort that when worn, would tell people not to fear them. He brought a hand up to his chest and drew away at the texture of blood. It was true that Talson hadn't cut him deeply, but the pain was still real. It wasn't the same type of pain he had experienced when he was getting over the poison, but it was a pain that made it slightly difficult for him to ride properly.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Kana asked and Izo glanced at him.

"I'm sure, sir. Don't worry about me. I'm not gonna die because of this or anything," Izo said as he prodded his horse to ride faster.

"I still would like to check over your wounds once we find a safe area."

"Can I check over your body as well, sir?"

"Perhaps. We'll have to see."

"So why were you at that house?" Ryo asked and Izo looked at him.

"He saw the entire thing and he wished to give me something that might assist us along the way," Izo replied.

"A young gentleman?" Kana inquired and Izo's face flushed slightly.

"No. An elder. A human elder. He said that there are still some people out there that remember life as it was before Levin took over. Life as it was before the races started drifting away from each other."

"We were never close to begin with."

"I know but obviously, there were some humans that respected our way of life. That is what may help us in Levin's defeat."

"I think it's safe for us to dismount. There's a stream over there. We can let our horses get some water before we set off again," Kana said and Izo looked at him.

"We haven't been on the road all that long, sir," he said.

"I'm fully aware of that."

"Why are you so concerned about me, sir? It's not like I was severely injured."

"Talson was a lunatic and he may have poisoned the edges of his weapon. You know how quick he was to kill in the army. I just want to make sure for my peace of mind."

"I understand, sir. I didn't mean to be insubordinate."

 

Dylnar walked up to his son and tapped him on the shoulder. D jumped slightly then glared at Lee who stood watching a cat then glanced behind him. He took a step back in shock and ran into Lee, who fell forward slightly. After regaining his balance, he too turned around to see what the cause of the commotion was.

"Dad? What are you doing here? Did you hear something?" D asked and Dylnar looked around to make sure no one was listening.

"They're definitely alive. Talson caused a commotion in a restaurant then made the mistake of picking out the major in the crowd as a suspect for treason and he proceeded to beat the major until Izo got enraged and struck back. Needless to say, the fight was one-sided but Izo's companions were clearly identified as a tall man with short black hair and a teenage boy with long pinkish hair. Kana obviously cut his hair during their trip and the boy has got to be the prince," Dylnar said and Lee's eyes grew wide in excitement.

"Are they coming this way? When we'll they get here?" he asked and Dylnar smiled.

"Keep your sexual desires down for your own sake. They will make it here eventually, rest assured but I don't know when they will arrive. The road for them is going to increase in treachery since Talson was killed. Levin's not going to take this lightly."

"So how am I supposed to take care of my desires then? I really want to see him."

"Do it in your apartment. Don't talk about it out here."

"I haven't been constantly talking about it, you know," Lee said and Dylnar folded his arms.

"Don't get so excited over the news, then," he said and Lee turned away.

"Can you get a message to him from me?"

"I can try. I don't know how he'll take it, though. You know he didn't think much about you."

"I'm fully aware of that but I swear I'll make him change his mind about me."

"You're very determined. Lendas would be proud of you. You've got a lot of him in you," Dylnar said and Lee turned away and sighed.

"I think I'd better go home," he said and D took his hand.

"Don't take things so emotionally," he said and Dylnar looked at him.

"He can't help the makeup of his blood. If he wishes to go, let him. You need to come home as well. I've got things for you to do," Dylnar said and D sighed.

"All right. Just be careful going home. We really can't lose you."

"I know. I'm not going to die until I see him again. There's so many things I want him to feel," Lee said and walked off.

"I had forgotten how annoying he could be," Dylnar said and D grinned.

"Hey you had it lucky. You didn't have to sit in class with him like I did. But he's not all that bad, just a little...eccentric," he replied.

"True and I'm sure the news of his father's suicide still affects him."

"But why would it? Lendas is dead. Shouldn't the emotions end there?"

"It is true that we can do nothing about death but that doesn't stop our feelings from doing things in an irrational light. Come, I believe it would be safer to explain this belief in the safety of our own home. The city streets are constantly growing in danger."