Mekura ai: Remixed

By: Okami Cloud

Part 0-Prologue

Far above the peaceful planet of Arcadia, our story takes place, set high in the heavens where angels and other creatures make their home. In a golden building in the center of this heavenly area, a man fully clad in white robes with golden trim spoke to two young boys, both wearing similar robes to his, only trimmed in the lesser color of silver.

The man turns to the first boy and inclines his head to the youth, getting a stoic expression in return. It seems that this boy is blind, his cloud-blue eyes glazed in a milky sheen and he seems to "see" things through his other senses. The man had just finished telling the two boys about an important mission given to them by the head archangel, Estes, himself. Estes rarely bothered with things, especially when they concerned the people on the ground, but when he did take interest it usually meant something very important was about to take place centered on whomever Estes had shown any knowledge of.

"You know that Lord Estes rarely shows any interest in the people on the ground, this means that this mission is very important for the two of you. We cannot afford any failure." said the man, his dirty blonde bangs covering his pale violet eyes for a moment, "You both are from the future, you know what it is like there. If you fail, the worst will befall Arcadia and two of you will most likely fail to exist any longer."

The younger of the two boys turned his head, clutching the folds of his robes in hopes that this would stop the hot tears from cascading down his tanned cheeks. What the man said was true. He was from the future and life was disgusting there. He had to run from demons and Celestials every day of his life until the man had saved him and taken him to the past. Both of his parents were killed in a bloody battle between the races of Arcadia just after he was born. His uncle and aunt had raised him as best they could but the war soon took him after his sixth birthday.

The man felt the heartache in the youth, his emotions washing over him like a tidal wave, however, this was business and there were more important things to be taken care of now. He could not allow his emotions to override his better judgment. He squared his shoulders and stood tall behind his desk, before he leaned forward, his hands coming to rest in front of him. "Kibo Mekura, Akiyama Oni, the two of you must do this if you do not want your future to become a reality for the people of Arcadia. If you are to be born, Akiyama, you know what you have to do."

The younger boy snapped to attention, his emerald green eyes drying in a moment's time. He nodded to the man behind the desk; "We must make my father fall in love with my mother before they can declare war with each other's kingdoms in a years time." comes Oni's strong reply, "If we do not, the wars will begin and they will meet on the battlefield when it is too late to do anything."

The man nodded and turned his back to the two boys, rummaging around in his drawers until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a small wooden box and set it out on his desk in front of the one he called Mekura. "These are from Lord Estes, Kibo. He did not want any mistakes on this particular mission so he is making sure that everything is going to go off without a hitch."

Mekura blinked blindly for a moment before feeling around the desk until his pale fingers brushed against the cool wood of the box. He lifted it up to his face and turned to Oni, pushing it into his hands gently. The younger boy opened the box and looked back up at the man in front of them, confused.

"Those contacts will allow Kibo to see, despite your blindness." explained the man, shuffling the papers on his desk. "Lord Estes says that if the two of you complete this mission without anyone figuring out what is going on, you are allowed to keep the contacts for the rest of your life." Mekura froze visibly and Oni glanced at him before looking down at the box in his hands.

"Sight without seeing…" whispered Mekura before taking the box from Oni, and opening it after fumbling with the latch. "If someone does find out what we were sent there to do, we are to return the contracts to Lord Estes, is that correct?" There was a slight edge to the youth's voice, but by the way Oni and the man were acting, it seemed normal for it to be there.

"That would be the agreement with Lord Estes, he is not a man known for his charity." returned the man, with the same edge in his voice. A smirked tugged at the edge of Mekura's pale lips and he closed his milky-blue eyes in amusement, "However, the two of you are the only ones who will be able to complete this mission set before you. I know that you will want to complete it as best as possible because of your emotional attachment with this subject. You know what the future is like, and unless you want to see your family die a second time, Akiyama, you will make sure that the job gets done."

Oni gritted his teeth. "I understand, Grandfather," he said before turning on his heel and walking out of the room, slamming the golden doors behind him. The man sighed, bowing his head so that his bangs were covering his eyes once again. Mekura turned at the sound of his friend leaving and frowned before returning his attention to the man in front of him and setting the box down on the desk, removing the box's contents and putting them into his eyes. He blinked for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the foreign objects.

The room then began to come into focus, everything blurry and misshapen at first but as the young boy blinked to focus his eyes, items began to take shape around him and he saw the man before him. Mekura took a deep breath and folded his arms neatly over his chest, leaning back on one leg. "You should show a little more compassion, Master Angel. Your own son's life is at stake and now you are placing your grandson's life on the line as well. Oni may not understand the true severity of this mission, but I understand it with a clarity that should not be my own." He brushed back his pale blue locks as they fell into his still milky eyes, "My father taught me well before he was murdered by Oni's father."

"There is nothing to be done about it, Kibo." came the Master Angel's curt reply as he sat in his chair and leaned back, staring up at the ceiling, "I died years ago, his is no longer my son and Akiyama has yet to be born on this plain, so he is not my grandson. When you die, you lose everything that you held dear on earth and gain other senses of duty, duty to yourself and duty to Lord Estes.

"It may seem like a bad thing, but I can no longer care about it. You and Akiyama are still alive; you still care and feel for those you hold most dear to your heart. Hold onto that, Kibo, you do not know when you may be without it." Mekura narrowed his eyes at the comment.

"Your reason is selfish, Master Angel, and you know it. You chose not the care, not because you died and left your son behind, but because you no longer want to deal with his pain or his feelings any longer." With that said, Mekura turned away from the Master Angel, bowed his head offhandedly and exited the room, following the path Oni took. The Master Angel watched as Mekura left the room, his violet eyes quivering with some unknown emotion, an emotion that he had not felt since he had been alive. Remorse.

Mekura ai: Remixed

By: Okami Cloud

Part 1-The Masquerade Ball

Arcadia is a majestic land where creatures of lore make their home and try to coexist peacefully with the other creatures of Arcadia. At least, the holy creatures try to coexist. Demons and other unholy creatures of darkness have been said to never be able to coexist with the holy creatures of Arcadia. However, recently there has been a truce between the demons and the Celestials, both ruling over either side of the creatures, demons controlling the forces of darkness and the Celestials in control of those who live in the light.

That is where this part of our story takes place, in the peaceful land of Andromeda, city of the Celestials. Sitting in the large garden outside of the Celestial Castle is a young man dressed in a button-up white T-shirt-undone so that his pale, yet muscular chest was showing-and dark blue pants. On the man's chest was a large scar in the shape of an awkward X set over his heart. This did not distract from the youth obvious beauty, merely added to it, some say.

A gentle breeze blew through the trees around the man, blowing his silky, dirty blonde hair out of his sapphire eyes. The young man's eyes were trained on the horizon in front of him, a small mountain range in the distance that led to darker skies and a lick of fire kissing at the gray skyline. His face was serious as he continued to stare out into the distance, almost expecting something to appear there, headed toward him with an intent to kill all those he loved and held dear. The past years had not bee kind to his psyche. Demon attacks and murders had turned him from a cheerful boy into a young ruthless warrior with no mind for nonsense.

He was the crown prince of the Celestial kingdom and in a year's time, he was to be crowned the king of Andromeda in his father's place. His father had died years before but complications had gotten in the way and the High Council of Andromeda had deemed the crown prince unfit to take his father's place as king of the Celestial Kingdom. The young man's name is Okami Cloud, a merciless warrior trapped in the body of an innocent young man. His body appeared to belong to one of the highest elfin princes but his eyes were those of a man who had seen blood, who had claimed many lives in his past life and intended to do so in his future. That was the real Okami, the Okami that very few people saw and lived to tell the tale.

He had learned to hide his heart away from the rest of the world after he lost his parents so long ago, betrayed by those his parents had called their allies. Okami was finally beginning to open up, to show some signs of caring for a young woman by the name of Tamoki Miyomoto. He and Tamoki had been friends since they were very little, when Tamoki had moved to Andromeda from Cyrus, a small human town in the far north. They had started to date back when Tamoki turned eleven and they hit it off from the start. It seemed to have been a very good thing for Okami, dating Tamoki, but then, that was before Okami decided to read her mind and search out why his young lover was acting strangely around him all of the sudden.

The young crown prince narrowed his eyes, an evil look flickering in his sapphire eyes as they darkened to almost an onyx color. He found that Tamoki was cheating on him, dating another man behind his back, just because Okami was too "innocent" for her. She could not see the hardened warrior in his eyes; she could not see what the body of an innocent boy hid from the rest of the world. Tamoki will not live to regret her foul actions. If he did not get to her first, when the High Council found out about this treason, they would sentence Tamoki to the highest penalty, death by a thousand swords. It was one thing to cheat on a normal lover but to go against the crown prince and future king of Andromeda…it was just not done and Tamoki would pay for her crimes one way or the other.

Okami closed his eyes, leaning back against the tree he was standing in front of. He knew this would happen. He felt it deep down in his heart, but he had to go for it for some reason. Something was telling him that there would be good out of it, a good that would benefit all of Arcadia and he lived merely for the purpose of seeing his brothers, Haru Matsumoto and Shuichi Cloud happy, if they were not happy, there was just no point in living on. They were all he had left in life and he would do anything for them.

There was the sound of a twig breaking somewhere near by and Okami's eyes flashed open. He turned toward the direction he heard the twig break and spotted his best friend, Fukki Tsunomi, standing near a rosebush. He felt a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips and he allowed himself to smile for Fukki's sake at the very least. Okami and Fukki had been through everything together and Fukki cared so deeply about Okami, one would think that they were brothers. "Fukki, what are you doing out here? I thought that the High Council was holding you up in a meeting today."

The young man shook his head as he made his way toward Okami, "They had to reschedule the meeting for later. It seems that something with Miyomoto Tamoki came up and they had to look into it without me." He frowned slightly as he turned to look over at his best friend, Okami's expression turning stoic once again. "I thought you would know something about it, Okami. Whatever Miyomoto did, you will have to get past your emotions for her because the High Council seems to want to give her the 'death by a thousand swords' punishment and you know what that means…" His voice trailed off as he turned his gaze to the mountain range in the distance, finding the distant flames very interesting.

"I will have to deliver each blow." whispered Okami as a dead silence fell between the two.

They stood like that for minutes before Okami finally pushed away from the tree and set out for town. Fukki called after him, knowing that he was planning to do something dangerous and probably very stupid at the same time. "Where are you going, Okami? The High Council is going to want to talk to you as soon as they find Miyomoto." Okami paused just as he was about to descend a knoll.

"I need to find her before they do, Fukki. She may have betrayed me but I cannot just go and kill her with the punishment the High Council is planning for her. I need to warn her and if she ever comes near me again or seeks me out, I will kill her myself, in my own way, not the High Council's." He turned around and smiled weakly at his friend, trying to reassure him that everything was going to turn out fine in the end, but, truth be told, he did not know if everything was going to be fine.

Okami waited until Fukki nodded solemnly and they turned their backs to each other, Fukki heading back toward the Celestial Castle and Okami heading out to the town to find Tamoki and deal with her before the High Council could get their decrepit hands on her.

He found her in a local restaurant built in the middle of the town. The waiter let him in as soon as he realized that he was the crown prince and Okami silently walked toward the table Tamoki sat at with the man she was cheating on him with. He knew the man quite well, actually. They had worked together to build a memorial for the lost souls that journeyed to the demonic planes and never returned. Okami knew that the man was just and he would never agree to treason against him, so Tamoki must be lying to him as well.

Millions of thoughts danced around in Okami's mind. Actions of violence seemed to call out to him with such force, he almost gave into those deep desires but he held back, a placid expression settling over his features as a storm of emotions raged in his eyes. He would, however, let at least one violent act out. He slammed his hands onto the table, drawing Tamoki and her date out of their conversation and stopping everyone in the room dead as his aura rose and washed over them, bathing them in a blanket of unprecedented power.

Tamoki turned and looked up at Okami, her pale gray eyes quivering in fear of what the crown prince might do to her now that he found out. The man sitting across from her turned and jumped when he realized that Okami was standing there, he jumped to his feet and bowed down low, a respectful gesture that Okami did not care of right now. It only seemed to anger him more. He leaned forward, a malicious glint sparkling in his sapphire eyes.

"I am sure that you are surprised to see me here, Tamoki." he whispered softly, a hint of something playing in his normally kind voice, "And let me tell you something, I sure am surprised to see you here with this young man." The man sitting across from Tamoki had to have been at least a year younger than Okami himself.

"Okami, please, I can explain-" started Tamoki, rising out of her seat as the other man watched the two, obviously confused as to what was going on between them. Okami smirked to himself, bowing his head briefly and shutting his eyes.

"Yes, I would love to hear what you have to say, Tamoki, but I am through listening to your lies. I just came here to tell you that the High Council has discovered what you have been doing and the punishment of the death by a thousand swords is most likely being prepared for you as we speak." The young woman let out a sharp intake of breath and dropped back into her chair.

I can be so cold and uncaring sometimes. Thought Okami dully as he watched the young woman, lift quivering hands to her face and bury her small face into her hands, her whole body shaking as she began to cry. "This is a warning to you, Tamoki. I do not understand why you did what you did; you must have known I would have found out eventually, you cannot hide things from me. I can talk to the High Council and stop the punishment as long as you promise to never come near me again.

"Do not seek me out and do not even think about me or look at me. If you do any one of those things, I will personally kill you with my bare hands. The High Council has meddle with my life too much in the past, if I am to act out my revenge through death, then I want to do it on my own terms, not theirs." He pushed back a loose strand of Tamoki's taupe colour hair and he frowned slightly, the silky strands falling back to their original spot, "I truly did love you, Tamoki. I want you to know that. I never do people favors like this. I think I may…always love you, even after this betrayal."

Tamoki lowered her hands to look up at Okami again, a small hiccough rattling her whole being again. Okami smiled weakly and leaned down, kissing her tear-soaked cheek before pulling away and taking a few steps back, "Farewell, Tamoki, my love." He turned around and made his way to the doors of the restaurant, the manager following him to the doors and apologizing along the way. He could hear Tamoki crying more than before, muttering that she was sorry and the man she was sitting with yelled at her. He inclined his head ever so slightly to the manager and he walked out the door, apologizing for the disturbance.

The High Council may not like what he would have to tell them but there would just have to get off their high horses and deal with his decisions.

The High Council building was built on the outskirts of Andromeda, must like Celestial Castle, but to the West instead of the North. He reached it in half an hour and entered the ancient building without announcing himself to anyone. He strode through the hallway, making a beeline for the High Council's common room, where they held their meetings and spent most of their time.

The High Council was made up of eleven immortals and one elf and that one elf was Fukki. Fukki was there as per Okami's persuasion. He needed someone on the inside of the High Council to work with him and feed him information about the Council's plans for him and Arcadia and who better to do that job than his closest and dearest friend. There was originally twelve immortals making up the Council but the twelfth immortal, the youngest one, had decided to leave and pursue his more personal dreams that did not have to do with the Council. Fukki had taken his place on the board since there were no longer any immortals left in Arcadia, all of them had taken their lives long ago, fed up with the changes gripping their beloved home.

The High Council made the decisions for Andromeda now that the Celestial city had no king, thanks to the High Council. When Okami's parents were murdered, he had gone and sought his revenge, killing those who killed his parents. The High Council found this unjust, not believe the "life for a life" idea. They decided to postpone his inauguration for at least five more years. When he thought he was going to finally become king of Andromeda, something else had came up and then another something else and he was not due to take the crown until his sixteenth birthday. Late next year he would turn sixteen and he would take what was rightfully his.

He entered the common room and found eleven of the twelve Council members sitting in their chairs, heads turned to the door as they open, almost as if they expected Okami to burst into the High Council building unannounced. The leader, a kind old woman that looked her age, which was a very bad thing for she was the oldest of the immortals, smiled down at Okami as he reached the center of the room, the immortals never taken their eyes off of the young man.

"You were expected, son of Robin Cloud and Naoko Li." started the leader, formal as usual. She had never once called him by his first name or even by his full name. He was always and probably would forever be known to her as 'Son of Robin Cloud and Naoko Li.' Okami bows to the eldest immortal respectfully and rises, eyes set on her and her alone. The other members of the High Council were against him and she was the only one to be trusted.

"We found out about Miyomoto Tamoki's betrayal and you know what the punishment for a sin such as hers is." said one of the younger immortals to Okami's left. He glanced at the woman out of the corner of his eyes and frowned slightly, "Death by a thousand swords, delivered by the one she betrayed.

"However, your decisions is far better than the death by a thousand swords punishment." she continued, her voice resonate in the empty room, "And we agree with this. The punishment is yours to decide if she is to ever seek you out or even look at you."

Okami nearly lost his composure at this. The High Council, immortals that had been against him ever since he was born, were now agreeing with his decisions. It made no sense to him at all. He bowed his head to the eleven immortals in turn and lifted his head as he faced the head of the Council once again.

"I am sure you have gone through a painstaking ordeal today, son of Robin Cloud and Naoko Li," she said, her voice suddenly sounding old and tiered to his sensitive ears, "You should return home and get your rest. Your fifteenth birthday is coming up soon and I believe that there is a grand masquerade ball being planned in your honor. Royals from across the land will be sure to attend this grand event."

"I understand, Milady," whispered Okami, finally turning around and walking out of the common room and finally the High Council building.

Normally he had to fight the High Council to get what he wanted out of them, to make them even listen to his simplest decisions. This was not what he had prepared for and the meeting had left his brain numb with confusion. They had even remembered the masquerade ball that his brothers were planning with Fukki and his mother for his fifteenth birthday. It was Fukki's fifteenth birthday as well but they would hold a smaller party for just friends and family when they celebrated Fukki's birthday.

He walked through the crowded streets of Andromeda, eyes set on the ground in front of him, not really seeing the worn dirt road. Okami knew the way back to the Celestial Castle perfectly; he did not have to see where he was going to be able to navigate through the streets of the town. His mind was too busy with other thoughts now. The strange behavior of the High Council being one of those thoughts.

Before he could reach the Celestial Castle, his twin brother, Shuichi ran out to him, throwing his arms around his older brother's neck as he reached him. Okami staggered backwards under the added weight of his brother and caught himself before the two could fall to the ground. Shuichi's sapphire eyes were red and puffy and from the sound of his voice when he went to speak, it sounded as if he had been crying recently. "I heard about what Miyomoto did to you, Okami," His grip around Okami's neck tightens as he says this, as if he were afraid to lose his big brother.

"Shh." soothed Okami, smoothing out Shuichi's unruly hair, "It is going to be just fine, Shuichi. I do not want you to think about that right now or ever again, okay. It would be better to just forget about what she did and put it behind us with everything else. My birthday is coming us soon, we need to entertain hundreds of royals from all over Arcadia with the masquerade ball."

Shuichi lowered himself to the ground and looked up at his brother skeptically. Okami usually tried to hide his feelings from others, especially if it was someone close to him, just because he did not want them to worry about him. Sometimes it was annoyingly selfish of him, or that is how Shuichi saw it at least. He needed to stop thinking about other people's feelings and start thinking about himself a little more.

The younger teen let out a sigh and nodded to his brother, letting his arms fall from his brother's neck and rest at his sides. Okami smiled and looped his arm around his brother's shoulder, turning him around and leading him back to Celestial Castle, down the path he had just ran down. He knew better not to bring something up once Okami told him to forget about it or to just drop it, but this was serious. Shuichi remember how Okami had fretted with Tamoki's birthday rolled around each year, how he wanted to find her the perfect gift and when he did find what he had been looking for, he still was not happy with it, saying that it did not compare to Tamoki. Okami could be weird like that sometimes, but Shuichi still loved him with all his heart.

A young woman with pale taupe eyes and similar hair, only slightly graying here and there, greeted them at the door to Celestial Castle. This was Futaru Tsunomi, Fukki's loving mother who looked after Okami and Shuichi as if they were her own sons. She lived in the Castle with Okami and his family since she saw it as her duty to take care of her best friends' sons now that they had passed on. Futaru had known both of Okami's parents when they were still alive and had been very close with both of them; it was a little endearing to have Futaru caring for him as if he were a little child.

She looked as if she had been crying as well, but she hid it as she grabbed Okami and pulled him into a tight hug, making Shuichi stumble to the side. Futaru may not have looked it but she had lung cancer and was fighting for her life every day, holding on through sheer willpower and elfin healing spells courtesy of Okami and Fukki, the two best healers in all of Arcadia.

Okami smiled weakly as he pushed Futaru gently away. She was like a mother to him. She had been there for him when his parents had died; she had been there after he returned from seeking his revenge. Futaru had always been there for him and she was here for him through this. It was hard to even begin to imagine life without Futaru there. He doubted that he would be able to handle it if the cancer took the young woman away from him as well.

"Hey, Futaru." he said softly, choosing his words carefully so he would not bring her to tears. She returns his weak smile and nods to him, "I suppose you talked to Fukki about Tamoki, correct?" Another silent nod, this time forced. "Please do not worry about it too much. I am just fine with it. If it happened like this, that must mean we were never meant to be together and that I was meant to be with another. It is better to look at it that way, isn't it?"

Futaru breathes in deeply, closing her eyes for a fleeting moment before returning his taupe gaze to Okami's sapphire one. "You are always full of surprises, aren't you, Okami?" She smiles and glances from him to Shuichi and then back again, "Come now, we have a ball to prepare for, there is still much work to be done before the 25^th." Okami sighed, messing up his hair purposely.

"That is in only five days from now, Futaru. Aren't we finished with the preparations yet?" he asked, "It is just a bunch of royals from Arcadia coming to the masquerade ball just because I am one of the main rulers of the two factions of Arcadia. The only thing that matters to me if the party after the ball, when I get to be with you, Fukki, Shuichi, and Haru."

"Now, Okami, I am surprised at you," teased Futaru as she walked down the hallway, the twins trailing behind her as if they were walking to their execution, "You know how important this kind of ball is to your reputation as a crown prince and future king. You need to make a good impression on everyone to make sure they know you are serious about your duties or they will not show you respect and without out their respect you are nothing to them but some spoiled brat prince."

"Yes, but we will all be wearing masks until midnight," started Okami, "they will not even remember me running around the ballroom. If you expect me to dance, Futaru, you have another thing coming. You know that I cannot touch people without feeling their emotions." Futaru sighed, turning around and giving Okami her saddest puppy dog eyes. Oh no. She had him with that puppy dog look now.

"Naoko would have loved to see you dancing the night away with a young princess from a far away land, perhaps a majestic elf from the deep forest, come to meet her knight in shining armor." she sighed again, leaning forward so that she and Okami's faces were inches apart. Futaru could be weird sometimes. "Then at the masquerade ball, the two of you would see each other from across the room and slowly make your way to the ballroom floor, meet in the middle of the ballroom floor and begin to dance to the most romantic music, lost in each other's eyes.

"Then at the strike of midnight, just as she is about to remove her mask so you can gaze upon the face of the woman who has stolen your heart, she is taken away by her father or angry brother and dragged off back to her kingdom." Futaru giggles childishly and continues with her fanciful daydream, "Angered by these turn of events, you jump on your horse and gallop after her, searching every elven kingdom for the beautiful princess that disappeared without leaving her name. You finally find her in a peasant town on the outskirts of an ancient elven kingdom nearly forgotten by time and you discover that she is no princess but a mere peasant elf.

"You care not for this; you only love her because she is your true one and only! The two of you return to Andromeda on your gallant steed and marry." Okami and Shuichi gawk at the woman, suddenly wondering why they respected her or even let her into the Castle for that matter. Okami blinks for a moment.

"You must hate the fact that your son is gay." She grabs Okami's ear and drags him down the hallway, pushing him rather roughly through the ballroom doors, Shuichi hurrying in after him. Okami nurses his ear, muttering a few choice words under his breath.

"Not at all," she beams at him, "All of my hopes are on you and Shuichi now." With that said, Futaru closes the doors on the two and goes to help with the preparations elsewhere. Fukki ascends the marble steps until he reaches his friends, frowning slightly.

"What was all of that about? I heard my mother ranting all the way here." Okami shrugged his shoulders and took the box Fukki was holding.

"Just your mother preaching to me about finding someone. I know she loves Haru and all, but she is not warm to the fact that the two of you are in love. She still does not know that the two of your are having sex, does she?" Fukki blushes crimson and Okami shakes his head, descending the stairs Fukki had just climbed. "That answers my question. What are you so worried about, man? It is not as if she can do anything about it. She has seen Haru when he is mad and forbidding the two of you to ever see each other would be something that would make him very mad."

"Yes, but I don't want to intimidate my mother in to letting me stay with Haru." he muttered quietly as if expecting Haru or his mother to suddenly pop out of nowhere and start to yell at him. Neither would do that to him of course, they both loved him deeply, Haru just a little more than Futaru, though. "I know how much my mother wants for me to be a normal teenager and it breaks my heart to do this to her but I cannot just forget about my feelings for Haru. I love him and I would rather die than be without him."

Okami pauses in the middle of the steps and turns around to face his friend, a serious look set in his eyes before he smiles, "I am glad that you ended up with my brother, Fukki. At least I know that I can trust you with looking after him." Fukki smiled back, "What do you say we finish with the decorations, we have been at this for days and I want to get some rest before the ball. Do you know how many women are going to want to dance with me once I remove my mask?"

"Oh yes, the women will just be throwing themselves at your feet." came a deep voice from the ballroom floor. The three boys turned to see Haru standing there, his white jacket slipping off his left shoulder as he rose from the ground after setting a box on the marble floor. "Think again, little brother, they will most likely be flocking to me, seeing as I am so debonair." He flicked back his long, light green hair and winked up at Fukki, making the youth blush again.

"Please, you're probably going to be out in the gardens making out with Fukki," returned Okami, puffing his cheeks up in anger. Haru was three years older than him but looked about in his twenties already. It was true though, if he was not with Fukki, he would probably have a date with a different woman lined up for him every night for the rest of his life. It annoyed Okami sometimes but he was happy to say that Haru had not even looked at another person since he met Fukki.

"No, I think we'll be up in our room." smiled Haru. He laughed at the expression Fukki shot him. "Anyway, has Futaru given you her 'finding that present girl elf' speech yet? She gave that to me today, as if hoping that some elven girl would just waltz up to me and ask me to dance. Maybe if I were not wearing a mask that showed my eyes, sure, some girls would walk up to me, not that I would dance with them, though. I have all that I need."

"Okay, you two have officially become too cute that it's just sick," sighed Okami, finally reaching the bottom of the stairs and pushing the box into his brother's arms. The thing about Haru's eyes…Haru was a half demon, born of the same father as Okami but by a different mother. It was a very confusing story and even Okami did not understand the full aspects of it yet. Haru's eyes were a bright yellow color and his pupils were slits, common trait of a demonic being. Half-breeds were frowned upon if they were half-light and half darkness, accepted by neither side.

Haru smirked, shrugging his strong shoulders and walking off in the opposite direction to set up some of the other decorations. Fukki trailed off after him, leaving Shuichi and Okami alone again. The older of the two surveyed the ballroom, checking off everything in his mental "to do" list. "We finished the banners this morning and the cooks said that they would finish the food the day before the ball. The only thing we have left to do is make sure our kimonos are ready and that we have our masks for the ball."

"Wait, kimonos?" asked Shuichi, gulping, "Does that mean we have to wear geta sandals with the kimonos? You know I can't walk in those, Okami, least of all dance in them." Okami waved his hand at this.

"You are going to do just fine. Futaru wanted this to be a traditional Andromeda ball so we cannot do anything about it. The kimonos will have to stay and you are going to just have to get used to running around in those geta sandals of yours." replied Okami, pausing at a table on the other side of the ballroom, "You have five days left before the ball, I am sure you can get the hang of it by then. You did master a sword in under an hour when you were younger. You have to walk before you can run, Shuichi."

Shuichi groaned but nodded, slinking off to his room so he could master walking in his sandals. The crown prince watched his brother until he disappeared around the corner. He turned back to the table and leaned forward against it, thinking about what he should do now. Everything was already being done and there was nothing for him to do in the meantime. His mask was already set out on a chair in his bedroom, lying on top of his winter kimono. Therefore, the kimono and mask was already taken care of. Haru and Fukki would make sure that everything was completed and he knew the two had probably already planned the after party for just family.

Okami tapped his chin thoughtfully as he turned around and watched people running around making the final arrangements. There had to be something he could do, he just did not have a clue as to what it was. The High Council had told him to go home and get some rest. He almost wished they had argued with him about Tamoki's life, at least then he would still be busy with trying to make them agree with his decision. With nothing to do, he felt useless and he hated to feel useless.

He stretched his arms into the air and pushed away from the table, heading up the stairs and walking out into the hallway leading to his bedchambers. He opened the door to his bedroom, slipped in silently and locked them behind him after pulling them shut. Okami staggered to his bed, suddenly feeling very tiered. For once, the High Council had been right. It had been a strenuous day for him and even his family. Even though Haru would not outwardly show it, he could tell that he was very angry and sad for Okami. Fukki and the others probably had to hold him back when he found out what Tamoki had done.

For some reason, all of Okami's anger had drifted away from him, leaving him numb and confused. He fell down onto his bed and reached for his pillow, hugging it close to his chest when his fingers finally brushed against the cool fabric. He wanted to curl into a little ball and die or at least be forgotten by the rest of the world. Okami buried his face in his pillow, closing his eyes tight against the tears that threatened to cascade down his pale cheeks.

I will not cry. I will not cry for her. Okami repeated in his mind as if it were now his mantra. I probably should have stayed in the ballroom. At least then, it would not have been this hard to keep from crying.

~.~

Miles away from Andromeda, near the rocky mountain formation Okami had been gazing it hours before, Mekura and Oni fall from a portal that opened up in the sky, landing ungracefully in a thorn bush near a dark cave. Oni flinches as he climbs out of the prickly bush with the help of Mekura, both of them developing bloody scratches from the dangerous plant. Mekura holds out Oni's arms and inspects him to make sure that none of the scratches are life threatening.

"You are not hurt too badly," he muttered dully, dropping the younger boy's hands and looking down to check himself, even though what little wounds he has received from the thorn bush disappears as he looks at them. One of the few advantages of being half vampire. "If you are ready, we need to get to Andromeda before the masquerade ball. We have five days and about a three days walk before we can reach Andromeda."

Oni lets out an exasperated sigh as he nods and Mekura turns, heading toward the North. "Tell me again why Lord Estes could not open the portal a little closer to Andromeda? At least then we would have had more time to rest before the ball and how do you even know if they are going to let a couple of kids into the ball."

"Oni, you are the son of two kings and I am the son of a demonic princess." explained Mekura, "We are royalty." Oni rolled his eyes as he flowed the older boy down the rugged path. "We just cannot mention that we do not exist in this timeline yet and that your parents hate each other and that my father is going to make me kill my mother."

"Yes, that would ruin things." grumbled Oni, "I'm not going to be born for two more years and you are not going to be born until the middle of next year." He sighed as he watched the back of Mekura's head, the older boy making no indication as to if he heard him or not. "Why are you helping with this, anyway, Mekura? I mean, even if we do get my parents together before they declare war on each other's kingdom, your father is still going to make you kill your mother and then my father is going to kill him for making you kill his sister.

"So why do what Lord Estes asks? There is nothing in this for you." Mekura pauses and turns around to face Oni, his milky eyes searching Oni's emerald ones. He studies him carefully for a moment before smirking and taking a step toward him, removing a twig from his chestnut locks.

"I am doing this because I know what the future is like, Oni." he whispered. "I do not want to go back to a world where I have to fight to stay alive every day, where I have can barely sleep because I have to make sure that no one comes into my home and tries to kill my in my sleep. I am sick of living like that, Oni, and the only way we can change it is to make sure that the war never begins. You know that that is the only way our future will change for the better.

"We have a year to change everything but we will only need one night. We have to get them to meet and then get them alone together." Oni flushed and broke Mekura's gaze. The older boy shrugged his shoulders and turned away from him, startling to walk along the path again. "You know, you are going to have to get over it sometime. They are your parents and they have to do that or you would not even be here in the first place."

"I get that, I do…but still, I am just a little uncomfortable with the fact that my parents are gay." Mekura glanced back at Oni and smirked. "What? What is it now?"

"You know, technically your parents are bisexual considering Cloud did have a girlfriend who he happened to brake up with an hour or so ago and your father is dating a girl right now." Oni puffed up his cheeks.

"You know, he is your uncle." He folded his arms across his chest and turned his head and he followed Mekura. "Why are we even discussing this in the first place? We do not have a say in what goes on today. We are just here to pair them up before they decide that they hate each other and declare war on their two kingdoms."

"You were the one who was so touchy about Cloud and Akiyama having-" Oni punched Mekura's arm, successfully shutting the half-vampire up. Mekura hissed at him, his upper lip curling back and revealing his vampiric teeth. "I swear, you are a spoiled little brat. I will never understand why I saved you back then. Maybe I should have just left you so I would not have had to deal with your incessant badgering."

Oni frowned at this, pausing to stare at Mekura's form. "You really mean that, don't you?" The older boy turned around, surveying Oni carefully as he returned to normal, his fangs disappearing beneath his upper lip. "You really hate me that much, don't you?"

"I was just angry with what Lord Estes and the Master Angel are making us do. You know me, Oni." However, he did not sound so sure of himself. They had been with each other for a long time, ever since they first meet each other on the outskirts of the holy lands in the future, both too young to fight in the war between Darkness and Light, both dismissed by either side as traitors to both sides. They did know each other. They had stayed up late at nights when they could not sleep for fear of being attacked while they slumbered, they had to do something with themselves so they talked. Talked about whatever came up. Their parents, their lives, everything.

"Yes, I suppose so." whispered Oni, kicking at the dirt on the ground with his boot. Mekura sighed, turning away for a final time. "Mekura…"

"We do not have time for this right now, Oni. You want to change the way we lived, right? You want to make everything better for our family, don't you?" The younger boy nodded at this, though it was reluctant, almost forced. "Then we have no choice and we have no time to stand around and ponder our thoughts. Whatever you have to say can be said later. I am sorry if I sound harsh but I want to make our lives better. I may not be able to save my mother but at the very least, I can save her brother. That is all I have the power to do now."

He stared down at his hands, eyes blurring for a moment. Mekura thought his contacts were malfunctioning or something but when he saw a bloodstained tear fall onto his pale hands, he knew that he was crying. The young boy wiped the tears away before anymore could fall. I was too weak to stop my father from making me kill my mother, he thought bitterly, continuing again, I know she would have wanted me to help save other people even if I could not save her. I will do everything in my power to make sure that the war between Darkness and Light never commences in this reality. We cannot lose any more lives to the Darkness.

~.~

Far from Andromeda, in a fiery place behind the mountain range that bordered the Celestial City's forests, was the demonic town of Draco where the demonic castle was built in the middle of a dark forest filled with bloodthirsty, mindless creatures that were known to even attack their own kind at times. It was a very good defense for the royals of the castle, who would dare attack them when the creatures living in the dark forest would lash out at anyone who would even step foot near the outskirts of the forest.

The crown prince of the demonic kingdom was preparing for something special himself. In other words, his parents were preparing for his "upcoming wedding" taking place on his eighteenth birthday, when his father would renounce his crown and allow his son, Akito Akiyama to take his place as the king of all demons.

Akito, on the other hand, had no plans for his wedding and would rather not think about it until the year of his eighteenth birthday, which was still a year away. He was sitting in the tallest tower of the demon castle, staring out at the mountain ranges, wondering what he could do until his parents found out where he was hiding. He spent most of his days like this. Waking up at the crack of done to one of the elven servants and then avoiding his parents for the rest of the day until it was time to retire or just sit around in his room, staring up at the bare ceiling until sleep took him. It was a very boring life.

The only thing that he looked forward to was going out with his girlfriend, Link Dagashii, a young half-demon from Polaris, the city of the Elementals. His parents hated Link because she was not a full demon, because she was not a pureblood, however, they were afraid to say anything about her because of what she was and who her parents had been. Link came from the Dagashii Clan, descendents of the Wind God, Lunae. Link herself was a direct descendent of Lunae, however, this was not the reason his parents feared her so much. The Dagashii Clan was a clan of mercenaries, mercenaries who were well known throughout Arcadia for their ruthless manner. It was easy to tell a Dagashii from the rest of the mercenaries. If they had killed on a mission, blood red strands would appear in their hair. Only four Dagashiis were left from the Clan, Link, her younger sister, older brother, and their grandmother.

The girl in question was standing right behind Akito, dressed in all black leather and leaning back against the brick wall of the small tower, watching the demonic prince with a look of indifference set in her eyes. The demon sighed and turned to glance at her, his pale face expressionless as always. "I told you a million times before and I will say it as many times as you ask me, we are not going to that masquerade ball in Andromeda. I understand that both of us received an invitation from Cloud but that could only mean it is a trap set up to lure us there into the Celestials' grasp."

The young woman tossed back her hair and walked over to the demon, sitting down on the ledge next to him and resting her head on his shoulder. "It is not like we cannot take care of ourselves, Akito," she murmured, closing her eyes. "Plus, I doubt that Cloud would stoop so low as to set a trap for you. Let's just go to this one thing."

"Don't you dare start that 'You never take me anywhere' crap, because I do not want to hear it, Link." started Akito, receiving a quick glare from the young woman.

"I was not going to say that." came her curt reply, "Look, I just think that it would be a good idea for you and Cloud to get along. You hate your parents, right? Well, your parents hate everything Cloud has to deal with and forming an alliance with him may be just the thing that you have been searching for out of life. I only want you to be happy, Akito. I know that you never crake a smile because you do not want your parents to take away what little emotion you have but you deserve to be happy."

Akito turned away from her and stared at the horizon line in the distance. "So you want us to go to the ball then, right?" Link nodded happily, knowing she had won the demon prince over in the end. "Very well but you are going to owe me for this one, Link." She smiled, turning away from him, something mischievous glinting in her eyes.

~Night of the Ball~

The ballroom was filled with people from all around Arcadia, everyone wearing masks to hide their faces until the clocks struck the midnight hour when they were to remove their masks. One young man moved among the ground, slipping through the shadows, a pale mask with a single blue tear painted over his right cheek. His kimono matched his mask perfectly, a hurricane of blue and white mixed to represent a hostile current in the storm.

It was hours before midnight and the ball had just begun, not all of the royals having arrived yet and many of the young woman at the ball were looking for Prince Okami Cloud, someone spreading the rumor that he would be wearing a crown to this event so that everyone would know who he was. Rumors start with a sliver of the truth.

Okami was supposed to be wearing his golden crown, however, he had given it to his younger brother to wear so that he could merely slip into the crowd and be ignored until midnight. So far, everything had worked out as he had planned. He was the one wearing the mask with a single blue tear on it. It had been his father's mask before he had given it to Okami on his fourth birthday.