The Underground - Tora x Saga - 30/32
Title: The Underground
Author: silveryxdark @ arcoireis
Chapters: 30/32
Pairings: Tora x Saga [main], Shou x Hiroto, Shou x Tora, Reita x Saga, Saga x various, other various pairings
Bands: Alice Nine, the GazettE, An Cafe, vistlip, SCREW, more to come?
Genre: Romance, paranormal, angst, drama, smut
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Manxman, smut, liberal messing with traditional stories?
Disclaimer: I'll never own them :'(
Summary: In the Underground dwell demons, spirits and cambions of every kind. Ruled by Queen Aria, the most powerful succubus in a century, it is a dark, hellish court. Among them is Prince Saga - borne of Queen Aria and one of her mortal lovers. A cambion - half-incubus and half-human - he is blessed with deadly beauty, powers of seduction and immortal life, yet cursed with insatiable lust and mortal strength and agility, lesser than the other demons. Outcast his whole life for his human blood, things begin to change as he comes of age...
A/N: At the end.
Previous Chapters:
[PROLOGUE] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6A] [6B] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18A] [18B] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26A] [26B] [27] [28] [29]
Interludes:
[Interlude 1] [Interlude 2] [Interlude 3] [Interlude 4]
The next day, Yuuto, ashen-faced, brought the message that the hearing would be in two weeks. Asmodeus, Reita, Byou and Jin would give full confessions in front of the whole court, and the sentences would be passed the next day.
Yuuto quite obviously dreaded this day, but no one could get through to him. Saga knew - he would be losing his lover very soon. There were only two sentences for treason - death or exile to the human world, stripped of their powers. Saga was not sure that they would be so lucky as to escape death. Or perhaps they would actually prefer death - people like Asmodeus considered the human world to be nothing but a hunting ground for prey.
Saga spent most of the next two weeks with Tora, then, slowly making up for the time they had lost over the past seven months. He also visited the rest of his friends, and told them that he would be leaving with Tora on a holiday for a while, saying that he needed some time away. They accepted and understood it.
Saga was not sure, however, if he would be returning to the human world to live in, later. Perhaps he really belonged in the Underground, where there would be his own kind - and where there would no longer be people out to get him.
He would not let himself think about that now, though. He still had a little bit more time.
Then, the night before the hearing, Iv and Ko-ki were sent to bring Tora and Saga back to the Underground. When they entered the Queen's study, they found a pair of incubi, both of whom were dressed in human clothing of t-shirts and jeans, surprisingly. They were talking amiably with Aria, one of them laughing at something the other had made.
"Ah, Saga, Tora!" Aria said, smiling, seeing Tora and Saga. "Saga, meet your uncle Tomo and... ah, uncle-in-law Rui."
"I have uncles?" Saga said at once, before blushing in embarrassment as he noticed his uncles beaming at him, clearly amused. "Sorry, I never knew."
"Just call Rui and me by name," the blond half of the pair said kindly.
"Aria, I can't believe you never told your sons about Tomo and me!" Rui said with a laugh.
Aria smiled apologetically. "Ah, I'm sorry about that. I was always busy with matters of the state, and admittedly..." Her tone was rueful now, as she continued, "I was not so close to them, though Shou was... significantly more pampered."
Saga shrugged. "That's all over now, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is," Aria responded. "Well... your uncle Tomo will be presiding over tomorrow's proceedings. He is more or less a neutral judge, unlike me. After all, you are my own child, and I fear it may interfere with what I have to do. Thus, the responsibility lies on Tomo's shoulders."
Tomo looked at Saga, and there was understanding in his gaze. "You have suffered a lot. Tomorrow's judging will be assuredly fair."
"Thank you," Saga murmured.
He wondered how harshly his attackers would be judged, and wondered, too, if Yuuto would be there. He had come to consider the mage his friend, for doing his best to ward him during those seven months of hell. Seeing him broken up over the betrayal and possible death of the one he loved hurt him, too.
"If there is nothing else, Your Majesty and Your Highnesses, we shall be leaving," Tora said softly, squeezing Saga's hand.
"You may leave," Aria said with a nod.
Tomo and Rui smiled at them both, though there was a little too much understanding in their expressions for Saga's liking. Or, he was simply thinking too much.
"I've heard of them before, actually, when I was much younger. They were pretty famous among the previous generation, actually. I think it has to do with their relationship, actually..." Tora mused.
"Really? Aren't they just like us, or Shou and Hiroto? A prince and his lover?" Saga said, frowning.
"I'm not sure, I don't remember much. Maybe you can ask your mother next time. Shall we turn in early, love? We have quite a day ahead of us tomorrow," Tora replied, frowning.
Saga leaned up and kissed Tora's lips briefly. "All right, then."
-
The hour of the hearing came all too quickly. Tora and Saga sat near the front, with only Hiroto and Rui in front of them. The court was at once familiar and not, with the increased amount of nobles and the harsher lights in the middle of the court. On the throne sat Aria, and to her left side was Tomo, and to the right, Shou.
The other nobles were seated in several rows on both sides of the court, all of them watching avidly as Asmodeus, Reita, Byou and Jin were brought in, bound by magic shackles that restricted their power.
Asmodeus and Reita were decidedly haughty, while Byou looked simply furious. Jin, on the other hand, simply looked sorrowful, face gaunt, as he stared up at the throne - behind which Yuuto stood with Iv, Ko-ki, Yasuno and Mai, also staring back at him.
Reita still held a frightening beauty that made Saga flinch back in his seat and grip Tora's hand more tightly. Reita threw him a look of pure hatred, his face looking somewhat deranged. Saga, however, did not flinch this time. He simply stared back.
One of the guards, whom Saga did not recognise, forced some potion into their mouths. They looked the same, though Saga could sense something different in their demeanour.
"Reita," Tomo called loudly, and Reita glared up at him. "Explain to us how you, under house arrest, managed to employ Byou and Jin, and why you conspired to try to kill Prince Saga."
Reita looked as though he was swallowing something bitter, then said in a loud, clear, voice, "Though I was under house arrest, I was allowed visits from relatives. Duke Asmodeus is an uncle of mine, being my mother's cousin. He came to me nine months ago and requested for my help in getting rid of Saga. I agreed. I hated Saga. Asmodeus employed Byou and Jin first, disguised as his servants when he came to visit. There was a complex ritual, where none of us could say a word about it except to the one we cared the most about. It was the strongest and safest ritual we could find.
"I hated Saga for having made me suffer such humiliation. I nearly had him. A filthy cambion he might be, but one with potential for power. I wanted that power. But Tora came along and ruined it, and so did Shou. I hated Saga for being... loved, as he would say. A worthless thing. Weak. I thought he deserved to die painfully."
By this time, an almost maniacal light had suffused Reita's features. Saga stared at him. Had he really once been in love with someone so demented?
"Asmodeus. Now explain your role in trying to kill Prince Saga," Tomo said, ignoring the murmurs that had risen among the nobles.
Asmodeus glared at him, too, then said arrogantly, "I was disappointed in my son. Saga might be a prince... but an unworthy one. Half a human! I wanted to open up Tora's eyes to the filth he was. No matter how I tried to convince him, however, he remained stubborn. Perhaps Saga had enthralled him, I thought. And Saga will never deserve to belong to the Underground. He must die, I thought. So I conspired with Reita, who has greater magic power than I, to help me employ Byou and Jin, and use them."
Did having human blood matter so much?
Suddenly, Asmodeus continued, "My descendants ought to be proud. A long time ago, I was the Prince of Lust, Lord of the Underground. My descendants are stronger than most incubi. And yet, they throw that noble heritage away! I had to open up Tora's eyes."
Saga felt sick to the stomach. He barely listened as Tomo continued to question Byou, who told them that Asmodeus had come to employ them. promising them rewards after the deed was done, and who asked them to spread rumours of Saga among the people, to stir up hatred for him. They would care less about Saga's death, then, he said, and he declared his belief in power and superiority.
Jin was much quieter and subdued, speaking with great remorse, and how he had finally given in, telling Yuuto everything. He said this regretfully, adding that he wished he had not done anything if it meant he could be with the one he loved.
Then it was his turn. He went up to the middle, and began describing what he had to Mai and Yasuno just two weeks previously. He told the court of how he had suffered, almost breaking down as he struggled to describe the things he had seen, telling them of the dreamlike struggle he had undergone for seven months. It was difficult.
Looking at Tora, Shou and Hiroto occasionally and remembering that there were people who cared for him allowed him to continue, though.
Tomo nodded as he concluded, looking grave. "Very well. Finally... the guard Yuuto?"
Yuuto, too, went up, telling of how he kept visiting Jin, trying to get the answers out of him. How he had finally succeeded, and proceeded to tell the Queen at once. It was all he really had to add, and he walked away looking as grave as he did nowadays.
Tomo looked weary, too, after listening to Yuuto. Finally, he said, "The verdicts and sentences will be passed tomorrow. Saga, Yuuto, stay in the palace. The criminals will return to prison for the time being."
Right. That's it for Chapter 30. I couldn't resist putting Tomo and Rui in. Actually, I've planned it for a long time. XDD I don't really have much to add. Though, I hope the... court scene was fine. I was imagining something out of the Chinese period dramas I watched all the freaking time as a kid xD Thanks for supporting the fic~ <3
Author: silveryxdark @ arcoireis
Chapters: 30/32
Pairings: Tora x Saga [main], Shou x Hiroto, Shou x Tora, Reita x Saga, Saga x various, other various pairings
Bands: Alice Nine, the GazettE, An Cafe, vistlip, SCREW, more to come?
Genre: Romance, paranormal, angst, drama, smut
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Manxman, smut, liberal messing with traditional stories?
Disclaimer: I'll never own them :'(
Summary: In the Underground dwell demons, spirits and cambions of every kind. Ruled by Queen Aria, the most powerful succubus in a century, it is a dark, hellish court. Among them is Prince Saga - borne of Queen Aria and one of her mortal lovers. A cambion - half-incubus and half-human - he is blessed with deadly beauty, powers of seduction and immortal life, yet cursed with insatiable lust and mortal strength and agility, lesser than the other demons. Outcast his whole life for his human blood, things begin to change as he comes of age...
A/N: At the end.
Previous Chapters:
[PROLOGUE] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6A] [6B] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18A] [18B] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26A] [26B] [27] [28] [29]
Interludes:
[Interlude 1] [Interlude 2] [Interlude 3] [Interlude 4]
The next day, Yuuto, ashen-faced, brought the message that the hearing would be in two weeks. Asmodeus, Reita, Byou and Jin would give full confessions in front of the whole court, and the sentences would be passed the next day.
Yuuto quite obviously dreaded this day, but no one could get through to him. Saga knew - he would be losing his lover very soon. There were only two sentences for treason - death or exile to the human world, stripped of their powers. Saga was not sure that they would be so lucky as to escape death. Or perhaps they would actually prefer death - people like Asmodeus considered the human world to be nothing but a hunting ground for prey.
Saga spent most of the next two weeks with Tora, then, slowly making up for the time they had lost over the past seven months. He also visited the rest of his friends, and told them that he would be leaving with Tora on a holiday for a while, saying that he needed some time away. They accepted and understood it.
Saga was not sure, however, if he would be returning to the human world to live in, later. Perhaps he really belonged in the Underground, where there would be his own kind - and where there would no longer be people out to get him.
He would not let himself think about that now, though. He still had a little bit more time.
Then, the night before the hearing, Iv and Ko-ki were sent to bring Tora and Saga back to the Underground. When they entered the Queen's study, they found a pair of incubi, both of whom were dressed in human clothing of t-shirts and jeans, surprisingly. They were talking amiably with Aria, one of them laughing at something the other had made.
"Ah, Saga, Tora!" Aria said, smiling, seeing Tora and Saga. "Saga, meet your uncle Tomo and... ah, uncle-in-law Rui."
"I have uncles?" Saga said at once, before blushing in embarrassment as he noticed his uncles beaming at him, clearly amused. "Sorry, I never knew."
"Just call Rui and me by name," the blond half of the pair said kindly.
"Aria, I can't believe you never told your sons about Tomo and me!" Rui said with a laugh.
Aria smiled apologetically. "Ah, I'm sorry about that. I was always busy with matters of the state, and admittedly..." Her tone was rueful now, as she continued, "I was not so close to them, though Shou was... significantly more pampered."
Saga shrugged. "That's all over now, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is," Aria responded. "Well... your uncle Tomo will be presiding over tomorrow's proceedings. He is more or less a neutral judge, unlike me. After all, you are my own child, and I fear it may interfere with what I have to do. Thus, the responsibility lies on Tomo's shoulders."
Tomo looked at Saga, and there was understanding in his gaze. "You have suffered a lot. Tomorrow's judging will be assuredly fair."
"Thank you," Saga murmured.
He wondered how harshly his attackers would be judged, and wondered, too, if Yuuto would be there. He had come to consider the mage his friend, for doing his best to ward him during those seven months of hell. Seeing him broken up over the betrayal and possible death of the one he loved hurt him, too.
"If there is nothing else, Your Majesty and Your Highnesses, we shall be leaving," Tora said softly, squeezing Saga's hand.
"You may leave," Aria said with a nod.
Tomo and Rui smiled at them both, though there was a little too much understanding in their expressions for Saga's liking. Or, he was simply thinking too much.
"I've heard of them before, actually, when I was much younger. They were pretty famous among the previous generation, actually. I think it has to do with their relationship, actually..." Tora mused.
"Really? Aren't they just like us, or Shou and Hiroto? A prince and his lover?" Saga said, frowning.
"I'm not sure, I don't remember much. Maybe you can ask your mother next time. Shall we turn in early, love? We have quite a day ahead of us tomorrow," Tora replied, frowning.
Saga leaned up and kissed Tora's lips briefly. "All right, then."
-
The hour of the hearing came all too quickly. Tora and Saga sat near the front, with only Hiroto and Rui in front of them. The court was at once familiar and not, with the increased amount of nobles and the harsher lights in the middle of the court. On the throne sat Aria, and to her left side was Tomo, and to the right, Shou.
The other nobles were seated in several rows on both sides of the court, all of them watching avidly as Asmodeus, Reita, Byou and Jin were brought in, bound by magic shackles that restricted their power.
Asmodeus and Reita were decidedly haughty, while Byou looked simply furious. Jin, on the other hand, simply looked sorrowful, face gaunt, as he stared up at the throne - behind which Yuuto stood with Iv, Ko-ki, Yasuno and Mai, also staring back at him.
Reita still held a frightening beauty that made Saga flinch back in his seat and grip Tora's hand more tightly. Reita threw him a look of pure hatred, his face looking somewhat deranged. Saga, however, did not flinch this time. He simply stared back.
One of the guards, whom Saga did not recognise, forced some potion into their mouths. They looked the same, though Saga could sense something different in their demeanour.
"Reita," Tomo called loudly, and Reita glared up at him. "Explain to us how you, under house arrest, managed to employ Byou and Jin, and why you conspired to try to kill Prince Saga."
Reita looked as though he was swallowing something bitter, then said in a loud, clear, voice, "Though I was under house arrest, I was allowed visits from relatives. Duke Asmodeus is an uncle of mine, being my mother's cousin. He came to me nine months ago and requested for my help in getting rid of Saga. I agreed. I hated Saga. Asmodeus employed Byou and Jin first, disguised as his servants when he came to visit. There was a complex ritual, where none of us could say a word about it except to the one we cared the most about. It was the strongest and safest ritual we could find.
"I hated Saga for having made me suffer such humiliation. I nearly had him. A filthy cambion he might be, but one with potential for power. I wanted that power. But Tora came along and ruined it, and so did Shou. I hated Saga for being... loved, as he would say. A worthless thing. Weak. I thought he deserved to die painfully."
By this time, an almost maniacal light had suffused Reita's features. Saga stared at him. Had he really once been in love with someone so demented?
"Asmodeus. Now explain your role in trying to kill Prince Saga," Tomo said, ignoring the murmurs that had risen among the nobles.
Asmodeus glared at him, too, then said arrogantly, "I was disappointed in my son. Saga might be a prince... but an unworthy one. Half a human! I wanted to open up Tora's eyes to the filth he was. No matter how I tried to convince him, however, he remained stubborn. Perhaps Saga had enthralled him, I thought. And Saga will never deserve to belong to the Underground. He must die, I thought. So I conspired with Reita, who has greater magic power than I, to help me employ Byou and Jin, and use them."
Did having human blood matter so much?
Suddenly, Asmodeus continued, "My descendants ought to be proud. A long time ago, I was the Prince of Lust, Lord of the Underground. My descendants are stronger than most incubi. And yet, they throw that noble heritage away! I had to open up Tora's eyes."
Saga felt sick to the stomach. He barely listened as Tomo continued to question Byou, who told them that Asmodeus had come to employ them. promising them rewards after the deed was done, and who asked them to spread rumours of Saga among the people, to stir up hatred for him. They would care less about Saga's death, then, he said, and he declared his belief in power and superiority.
Jin was much quieter and subdued, speaking with great remorse, and how he had finally given in, telling Yuuto everything. He said this regretfully, adding that he wished he had not done anything if it meant he could be with the one he loved.
Then it was his turn. He went up to the middle, and began describing what he had to Mai and Yasuno just two weeks previously. He told the court of how he had suffered, almost breaking down as he struggled to describe the things he had seen, telling them of the dreamlike struggle he had undergone for seven months. It was difficult.
Looking at Tora, Shou and Hiroto occasionally and remembering that there were people who cared for him allowed him to continue, though.
Tomo nodded as he concluded, looking grave. "Very well. Finally... the guard Yuuto?"
Yuuto, too, went up, telling of how he kept visiting Jin, trying to get the answers out of him. How he had finally succeeded, and proceeded to tell the Queen at once. It was all he really had to add, and he walked away looking as grave as he did nowadays.
Tomo looked weary, too, after listening to Yuuto. Finally, he said, "The verdicts and sentences will be passed tomorrow. Saga, Yuuto, stay in the palace. The criminals will return to prison for the time being."
Right. That's it for Chapter 30. I couldn't resist putting Tomo and Rui in. Actually, I've planned it for a long time. XDD I don't really have much to add. Though, I hope the... court scene was fine. I was imagining something out of the Chinese period dramas I watched all the freaking time as a kid xD Thanks for supporting the fic~ <3