familial.ties {CALMAY}

[Calmay]

Yasunari could not help but be relieved when Drako said that he would help him. He knew there was a risk that he would say no, but he was sure that their blood connection would help him. He looked at his uncle, but said nothing. He had wanted to say something, but he did not want to say something that would cause some tension in the room. His curse was already doing that for him. So instead he thought about the things he had done recently and if anything he did was the reason why he was here. He had been more active then his father wanted, but he had made sure not to do something that was to memorable in the wrong way.

When he saw Deveric draw his blade Elric drew his instinctively. He knew that his bade was safe no matter much of his flame he put into it. He was ready to fight. It was clear as his eyes turned crimson as well. This man had no idea how dangerous he could get. After in this form he did not look much of a threat. After all. this was his sealed form. His real form was much different. However, he was not a he point of showing that form to Deveric. He growled as he heard footsteps going towards them. He watched as Deveric heard his message and left. "Stupid demon. You think I wan two have the blood of the two races running through me." He turned around when Deveric left and started to make his way to the exit of the palace. It was not done yet, but for now he was going to deal with his men and give them their instructions.

When Yasunari saw Deveric enter the room unburned he could not help but sigh in relief. He had expected something to happen to Deveric and Elric. He was not sure how he knew, but he knew that Elric was safe. When he heard Deveric's explanation it only confirmed what he had been thinking. He had been cursed by a demon. He looked at Drako. "There is one person that I have angered enough for him to curse me, but I am pretty sure this is not his work. He learned his lesson on his last attempt to end my life. Oh then there was the dream Demon Argth that had attempted to take over my body but failed. Oh and some assassin's guild in your capital, I forgot their name." As he thought about it more he realized there was more people that he may have caused some difficulty. Surprisingly there were many of them that had their residence in Daika.

He stood up and then walked up to Deveric. He knew that he was a demon but he had to make something clear to him. Even if he risked getting hurt. "Sir Deveric, I have a personal favour to ask you. You must know that my assistant is a half-demon and a fire one to that. I want to ask you not to harm him. He is young and irrational. It has not been long since I freed him from being a slave to a man in Daika and right now he is learning to handle not have to control his emotions. He may act in ways that will anger you. So I as you since you are old than him to have some patience during his visit here." He then returned to his seat and sat down. "I do not need another incident where he takes on his demon form."

[Leaf]

As Yasunari listed off people who possibly held a grudge on him, Drako didn't know whether to be worried or amused. It seemed like there were plenty of place to start, but also plenty of gaps and holes to fall into. "Can you harbor an estimate of how many of them were capable of this feat? Surely not of them could get around your father's securities?" Drako inquired as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. He would need to start activating his outside connections. Most of the suspects seemed to reside within his kingdom, which made the whole diplomatic matter easier. However, it was also going to further blacken the nation's reputation if these figures were allowed to flourish any longer. He had to do something about them sooner or later.

Deveric watched the prince warily as he spoke, mentally noting certain names which he was acquainted with. Despite the pure look the boy had, even Deveric had to admit that he had tangled with quite a few shady figures. The prince then stood up and walked up to the demon, who did not move and matched the prince's gaze. The young man's petition was rather irking considering Deveric and Elric's earlier confrontation, but the captain remained polite as he listened to Yasunari. After all, he was related to the king and therefore deserved some respect out of the demon. As Yasunari finished his request, Deveric looked up to Drako. After all, it would be his command that really mattered to Deveric. The king looked back at the demon and gave a brief nod of his head. "If that is what you wish, then." The demon said curtly. He did not want to be restricted on his actions toward Elric. After all, the fire demon was so aggravating at times. However, if the King wished for him to be at peace, then Deveric had no choice but to bite his lip and live with it.

[Calmay]

Yasunari crossed his arm as he started to think who could get close enough. It was no easy task to get through his father's guards and then his guards. It was not just anyone who could get through so many people without being noticed. It took some skill, but there ways. The people after could just acquire the help of those that could get close to him. However, it was sure that his personal guard were not compromised. He was also sure it was not any of the Lords that visited to present their daughters. He had yet to turn them down, so they had no reason to try to harm him. It would not be to their benefit. Therefore, it could only be one of the five that had visited his father while he was there. It looked like they were the only strangers he met before he was cursed.

"I would say that Argth would be able to do it with little difficulty. His minions are capable of possessing anybody they need. From what I understand Argth can only possess certain bodies and it looks like right now mine is the only one he can use without it starting to decompose. As for some of the others I do not think that any of them have the resources to contact one and use one." He sighed. He could not be sure if any of the other people on the list are able to contact to demons and somehow be able use their skills. He was not even sure that demons would be able to use that skill. "There has to be a hint to which demon this belongs to. Its not like my father had a full out demon detector in his ranks and Elric is not always around me."

[Leaf]

Deveric held a grimace on his face as he tried to put the LaRosa boy out of his mind. Instead he thought about what the prince was saying. The name Argth... Deveric had definitely come across it before. Now that the prince mentioned it, it was possible for the dream demon to attempt to possess the prince through such elaborate means. Deveric had always thought the dream demon was demented and even slightly delusional. "My Lord, perhaps we should look into Argth more." the demon said, staring at the king. Drako nodded and looked at Yasunari's curse again before back at Deveric. "Yes, I was thinking the same. Send a few messages to our sources and prepare to seize the demon for interrogation. Go about that in however way you want, but try to use as little men as possible."

The king then looked at the prince again and scrutinized the crest of Sanchu. "Also..." Drako added, "...keep this investigation as secret as possible." Deveric nodded at the order and bowed before turning and heading out the door. The king watched as his knight left the room. He did not want to make this public unless it was extremely necessary. It would draw people who wished to take advantage of the prince during his weakness and that was the last thing he wanted. Drako then looked at his nephew squarely in the eye. "We will attend to this issue immediately. Although I wish for this be resolved in a timely fashion, the process will, without doubt, take longer than both of us would like. During this period, we will have to monitor you and your condition in case anything dire happens. I hope you can understand."

[Calmay]

Yasunari sat there as Draco gave his orders to Deveric. He had no need to interfere in his orders. He agreed with the course as long as he did not have to meet Argth again. his last encounter has scarred him more than he wanted to admit. He had almost lost everything to the demon and he was not willing to give him another chance. He liked his freedom more than he wanted to admit, even if it was limited by his father. It was much better than when he was a small child. He quickly thought of his mother instead of his father. He did not want to think of those memories.

However his thoughts returned to the room when Deveric left the room. He looked at his uncle as he spoke to him. Yasunari agreed with keeping the matter a secret but if what his uncle was suggesting was keeping him confined in he castle he had to disagree. He had wanted to visit the city to see what it was like so he could have a better understanding of this country. "I do not mind being monitored. It is a constant activity from guards at home. However, I still wish to be given some freedom to perform the tasks I have to complete." He did not want to say directly to his uncle that he refused to be confined to the castle.

[Leaf]

Drako was very concerned at this moment. Argth was a known troublemaker throughout his kingdom, but he hadn't known of any extremely evil deeds done by him. Consequently, the king had never sought to challenge the demon by force and did not have a considerable measure of the demon's power. He would need to trust in Deveric's unholy powers and hope that the captain would be able to apprehend the suspect without fail. After all, the demon knight did have some form of illusory abilities and would hopefully be able to counter the dream demon's methods to some degree.

Drako then looked back at his nephew. Without speaking of it directly, the prince had suggested his questions about the conditions of his monitoring. "You may go about any of your business that you must do as long as you stay within reasonable parameters of the capital," the king said, addressing the prince's queries. "However, you will be under continuous monitoring, whether it be discreet or open, by my own personnel and should anything abnormal occur to or around you, you will be brought back to the palace for your own safety." It wasn't that the king wished to restrict the prince in any way, but to prevent any danger from coming to his nephew, he had to be careful. After all, there are many out there who would take advantage of a foreign prince in a weakened state.

[Calmay]

Yasunari smiled when his uncle said that he was free to travel around. He did not want to be confined to his room. He did not like that he was restricted as much as Draco said but who was he to argue. His uncle could have just kept him in his room, and he would have had to consort to other measures and then had to think about make sure that there was someone there to take his spot. It was too much effort to keep up a simple lie and it was too risky to test his uncle.

"Thank you, uncle. It will make sure that I will come back if this becomes any worse than it is right now." He placed his hand on his mark and it disappeared. He did not want other people to see it in case they made the connection to what it meant. He knew very well that he had to make sure that no one saw it here. He then looked at his uncle. If he was going to be followed by his uncles guards he was going to have to make sure to keep his powers under stricter control. "If you don't mind I will have to change. I can not go around town wearing something like this."

Argth sat in his room and sighed. He was covered completely. No one could see what he looked like and he didn't want anyone to see his current form. His body had been fine for a few days, bur like always his current one had started rot. He had been happy when the prince had broken the seal that separated the two parts of his soul, but he hated that he had taken back his body. It was perfect and yet he stole it back. Now if only he could find his body, or maybe try to get the prince's body again. He looked as his servants walked around and completed his duties. This was so boring, he needed to do something to amuse himself. Maybe torture some peasants.

[Leaf]

Drako watched as the prince made the mark fade away. It was good that he could conceal it and had the prince not been able to, the king would've summoned someone who could. "Go then, if there isn't anything immediate we must discuss." The king said, addressing Yasunari's request. If common clothes were more suitable for the prince's need, then so be it. It made Drako somewhat curious as to what the prince was going to do, but knew it couldn't be anything too otherworldly if he had agreed to being monitored. Additionally, however, the king was still unsure of what the King of Sanchu had sent his son over to do. Surely it could only be about the curse. However, that would unfold by itself eventually. "Be sure to rest yourself properly. It's been a long journey after all," the king advised his nephew on a last thought.

A small group of about twenty soldiers stood at attention in front of the barracks, the looks on their faces stoic. Only a few of them were heavily armored; the rest of them armed with lighter but nonetheless dangerous equipment. These were the elite, used for raids and other more sneakier tasks that the Daikan knights and normal soldiers could not do. If one did not see the Daikan crests emblazoned upon their chests, one could think that several of them were rogues and thieves of some sort. In front of these warriors, Deveric paced slowly, his black cape draping behind him. "This is going to be a difficult task," he began darkly. "The target this time is Argth, the dream demon. We have narrowed down to his territory in a certain part of Obscur. However, whom he is currently possessing is a mystery. We need to get in there, seize him alive, and get out. Any questions?" The group answered their captain with a grim silence. "Good. Let's head out."

With the command, the group shifted forward, the lighter figures already speeding toward the city while the heavier ones trudged behind, slowly but steadily. Deveric stood behind them and waited until they were a far distance off before disappearing into his invisible form. Then he spread his black leathery wings. "Argth… prepare to meet your maker."

[Calmay]

Yasunari nodded and got up. He was glad that his uncle was understanding and that he would not have to sneak out of the castle in order to complete all the tasks that he had to do. He owed to his uncle before leaving the room. He was exited to go wander around Obscur and meet his friend again. He was sure that Tamesis would be glad to meet him. He was not sure why he was visiting the country, but at least it meant that he had one more ally here and that was better than knowing that he had to be on his toes all the time. However, he was not going to see Tamesis yet. There was plenty of time to do such things. For now he was going to perform the duties he was tasked with. No matter how dull they were. It was his job as both prince and ambassador to make sure that he kept up certain appearances.

However Yasunari was not as lucky as he thought he was. As he turned the corner and made his way into another corridor he stopped. Though to everyone else he was just standing in the corridor, but Yasunari he was in a dungeon. He stood there confused, not understanding what was happening. He had no idea that the curse was acting up in a way that he had not seen before. He looked at his clothing and noticed that it was ragged like he had wearing to for some time. He looked up to notice two guards standing that entrance. He took a couple steps and heard the sound of chains clanking together. He then felt the cuffs that were linked the chains on him. He moved back until he was standing against the wall of the dungeon. He was started to worry and get scared. He had no idea what was happening.

To the outside world all that the people saw was the prince standing there and then slowly walking back and finding himself against the wall. if they looked closely they would see the mark faintly glowing under the disguise that had been put on it.

[Leaf]

As the wooden door of the study closed behind the prince, Drako stood up and paced over to the lone window of the tower. From there, he gazed out toward the city of Obscur and hoped that everything would go well. Perhaps not smoothly, but he hoped the matter would be settled soon. At least he could count on Deveric to get the job done. Taking one last long look at the city, the king moved back to his desk and began to file through the papers stacked next to his inkwell. All the documents one had to go through in a day… sometimes it was a real bother.

Arcus Havenway was on guard duty today and he stood alerted at his post next to the entrance of a corridor. He knew that it was a big day because the superiors had security tightened very much. He knew it was because the Prince of Sanchu was coming. Or in fact, already arrived. The guard had seen the royal carriage earlier when he was moving to the post for his shift. It seemed so fancy and Arcus had taken an extra glance of the vehicle and gaped at the exquisiteness of it before moving on.

Just as Arcus began to let his mind wander, he noticed a figure at the corner of the corridor. Upon closer observation, he noticed that the figure was the prince! Quickly, he pulled himself up straighter and saw that his partner on the other side of the entrance did the same. The prince was as handsome as all the rumors told and he carried a special regal air that no words could describe. Something was off about the prince, though. He seemed somewhat… distressed. Arcus watched the prince quizzically as the royal man began to back away until he hit the wall. Then Arcus began to panic when he saw that the prince ceased to move. The soldier ran up to the prince and said, "Your Highness. Your Highness! Can you hear me?" The guard did not touch the prince, for he knew that he wasn't supposed to lay his peasant hands on royalty, but he could feel that the prince was suffering in some way.

Around the corner came another soldier… No, a knight. The knight saw the prince and Arcus and rushed over, demanding what Arcus was doing. "I don't know, sire. I was standing guard and the prince suddenly began to act strangely," Arcus stuttered, his hands shaking slightly. The knight studied the guard's face, and then the prince. He seemed to make up his mind about something before pointing down the hall. "Go! Fetch the Ki—no, no, no… that won't do. Fetch his assailant… what's his name… Elric! Fetch Sir Elric at once."

Immediately, Arcus was sprinting down the corridor, searching for… 'Who is Sir Elric?' the guard thought as he slowed to a stop. He wasn't even sure who to fetch! Looking around with a worried look on his face, Arcus decided that he was going to have to crawl back and ask about the target. That was, until he spotted a silver haired man standing in the area. Figuring that it wouldn't hurt to try, the guard approached the man and asked, "Excuse me, sire, but do you know of a Sir Elric? The Prince of Sanchu is acting strangely and I was asked to fetch him."

[Calmay]

Elric had made his way back to the city and informed the other guards that had come with him. They had their orders and were going to their positions as he waited. Until then he did not have much to do. He had no idea how long Yasu would be with the King and he did not care what the two of them were discussing. To him it was more important to keep his current employer, the King of Sanchu, satisfied and that did not include acting as a spy. He adjusted his hair as he heard someone call out to him. He found it strange that someone was asking if he knew who he was. But what really worried was that Yasu was acting strange in public. He had always been adamant about keeping up his appearances. This was definitely not good.

He grabbed the solder's hand and not realizing that his worry had caused his internal temperature to rise. "Take him to me at once. And for God's sake he better not be harmed." He was worried about what the prince might do. He knew secrets that he should not speak of and his powers were considered one of the greatest secrets of the the kingdom. Well one of them was, some people had been able to figure out that the prince could change form, but not what he was able to see. If accidentally used his powers and the wrong people saw it, the curse would be least of his problems.

Yasunari looked at the bars of the cell. He didn't understand where he was or why he was here. The last thing he remembered was being with his uncle. Had he lost so much time? Had something happened to him? It made no sense to him. It all seemed wrong. He paused when he noticed a guard passing by. He tried to speak, but suddenly felt something covering his mouth. He could move his lips but no sound would come out. He kept an trying not wanting to give up. The guard turned to him as if he noticed his attempt to speak. And with that he froze in fear. His guard was not a solder from any of the countries, but a demon. He tried to scream but he could not. All he could do was look at the horns coming from the man's head. And the flames he was playing with. "I would play with you, but your not as fun as Deveric is. I still can not believe that there is a demon that is allergic to flames. It's so much fun to play with him and then leave him helpless. The poor demon just never learns. But alas I digress. I was wondering if you would want to get out of here my dear prince. After all your are taking care of my future son. Or that is what I heard. I don't see how I would ever allow a woman to bear my child but it looks like it will happen."

Yasunari looked at the demon not sure what to say. Something was wrong, but this demon seemed to know who he was. He nodded his head not sure what this demon meant to do, but from what it looked like the demon was paying back the favour for saving his son.

Meanwhile Yasunari's body continued to stay by the wall. It barely moved. On his hand small ruins started to burn on his hands. They were not doing any harm to the prince, they just sat there as if they were waiting for something or someone to touch them.

[Leaf]

It startled Arcus to feel the man grasp his hand. The flesh of the silver haired figure almost seemed to burn with an internal flame. He didn't have much time to marvel at the feature, though, for the immediate reaction from the man indicated that he was probably Sir Elric and that this was an urgent situation. "Right this way, sire." Arcus said before turning on his heel and heading down the hallway to where the prince was.

When the arrived at the prince's side, Arcus saw that the royal man was no longer moving. He didn't know how to respond and decided to wait for orders. The knight from earlier motioned them to come quickly as he observed the prince. Arcus didn't step any closer and instead stood and watched from behind the others. The prince seemed so desolate, as if separated from the current world. The thought both mystified and chilled Arcus's mind. The prince was really a mysterious person. And Sir Elric, his assailant... Arcus looked at his hand which the man had grabbed earlier. The unnatural burn that he felt still seemed to echo in his veins. What was this person?

[Calmay]

Elric followed the solder more concerned about the prince then were he was being taken to. He did not wish to be suspicious of the actions of the solder, like he knew he should. He did not trust anyone in this kingdom, not after what he went through, but this was different. He needed to worry about the prince and nothing else. Worst case he could use his flames to burn those in his way or scare others from interfering. However, that was all just some thoughts in his mind. Nothing more than that. As he turned the corner he noticed the prince and the knight. He quickly ran to the prince not caring about anything else in the corridor. He grabbed the Yasu's hand and in that moment his hand caught fire. He let go of Yasu and quickly extinguished the flames on his hand. They did no harm, but he knew what they meant.

Yasunari looked at the demon noticing more features. The slight curve of the horns as they reached the tip, the silver hair that flowed down covering most of his face. He noticed that through hair was a red blindfold. The red robe, that was tied around his waist, hung freely showing the pale skin that he had. As he continued to look at his skin he noticed the flames that were jumping around under its skin. He was so entranced that he almost forgot that he was not here of his own choice. There was something wrong with this place. However when the demon touched the bars Yasu was attention was brought away from the blade. He took a step towards the demon wondering if this really was a good idea, but the demon had promised to help him. The issue was if he could take what the demon was saying at face value. He knew that demons could not be trusted but he needed help and it seemed that this person was offering that help. "Where am I?" As he spoke he realized that his voice was not his own. The demon held out his hand and waited for Yasu to grab it. However Yasu di

d not grab it, he still was unsure of what was happening.

Elric touched Yasu again with same effect. He sighed and then picked up the Yasu and held him in his arms. His hands and arms were set aflame, but he still continued to hold him. Such flames could not harm him and by the looks of it they were not harming Yasu either. He looked at the knight. "Take me to the most fireproof room that there is. The only person you are allowed to tell this to is the King. If you tell anyone else I will personally kill you. Understand?" He was serious. He did not need people knowing that Yasu seemed to bee bobby trapped with flames.

[Leaf]

Arcus watched as flames sprouted as soon as Sir Elric touched the Prince. He began to panic but saw that the silver haired man was able to extinguish it quickly. The guard found it very odd, seeing as the fire danced as naturally about this man as the blood flowed in his veins. It was very strange. But, Arcus knew better than to point the fact out, especially since he was only a lower sentry with no particular status in the palace. All those in the higher ranks seemed to harbor unique abilities that did not seem natural for normal humans. Unfortunately, Arcus did not possess any special abilites that he knew of.

'The most fireproof room?' Arcus thought before the knight responded. "The most fireproof room... I suppose it would be the captain's quarters, but whether we could use it..." The knight seemed to ponder the issue briefly in his head before he looked at the Prince and nodded. "Follow me, Sir Elric." he said before shifting his gaze to Arcus. "Go and inform the King. We will be in Sir Deveric's quarters."

Arcus saluted quickly before turning on his heel and hustling down the corridor. Why did the Prince need to go to the most fireproof room? Was it because of the flames that were springing up when Sir Elric touched him? And why was the captain's room the most fireproof room? Arcus had always known of the captain's strict policy of no flames in the halls, and that the torches had generally been left unlit, but he had no idea as to why the captain had such a great aversion to fire. When Arcus reached the bottom of the King's tower, he paused to catch his breath. He had never been to this part of the castle and the corridors seemed much more elaborately decorated than others. He didn't stop to think too much before he raced up the stairs. The guard standing in front of the study's door seemed startled at Arcus's approach.

"It's... the Prince! I need... to... see... His Majesty!" he gasped between pants. The guard eyed him oddly, but knocked on the door to gain approval. An affirmation came from the inside and the guard opened the door to let Arcus in. When Arcus entered the study, the very sight of the King made him nervous. He had never been in such a close proximity to any of the royals, much less the King himself. He was an intimidating man and had a very cold aura. For a moment, Arcus didn't even know how to start speaking.

When Drako heard the knock on his door, he was rather surprised for no one really ever visited his study unless he sent for them. When he heard that it was about Yasunari, he quickly allowed the messenger to be sent in. The person who entered was a young man, perhaps a little older than Levi, and when he entered, he seemed a little fearstricken. "Well then, what is your message?" the King barked, growing impatient. The soldier straightened up and began to stammer, "Your Majesty! The Prince, His Highness, has collapsed!"

Drako's eyes widened and he stood up abruptly. "What? Where is he now?" he demanded. It had barely been an hour since the Prince left this very room. How could something have happened already? "Your Majesty, he is currently with Sir Elric in Captain Deveric's quarters as requested by Sir Elric." Arcus reported, unable to keep his eyes on the King for fear that he would lose his life by some reason. "Who else knows about this?" the King asked as he walked out from behind his desk. "Only Sir Elric, the knight who accompanied him to the captain's quarters, myself and the guard on duty with me," Arcus said nervously. The King stared at the guard for a moment before waving him out. "Leave! But should anyone else learn of this, heads will roll!"

Without a wish to stay in the room any longer, Arcus bowed and scrambled out of the room in as dignified of a manner as he could.

[Calmay]

Elric held Yasunari as the flames licked his arms without doing damage. The flames were warm, but he sensed no danger from them. However, he was sure that they would burn anyone else that would touch the prince. He already knew to whom these flames belonged to. He kept it quite, it was not useful information right now. All he needed was a place where he could take Yasu. A place were people would not be able to see him and the state he was in. As he walked through the corridors he found it harder to keep the flames contained around his arms. It was easier to control his own flames than his father's. However, he just needed to keep it up until he placed Yasunari down. He just hoped that it would not take too long. He was starting to feel like his insides were heating up.

Yasunari moved closer to the demon but till did not grab his hand. It was hard to move. It was if his body weighed more than he was accustomed to. For all he knew that was true. This body was already strange and he had not even tried to change his form. He on the chain and looked back. He had not noticed before that ti was attached to the wall. He could move further and from what he guessed he would be in the reach of the demon. He held out his hand and then pulled it back when he saw a flame lick the man's hand. "Tell me where am I?" He looked at the man standing more like a prince than he was moments before. The demon chuckled and then smiled. "Not were, but when. The thing on your rm seemed to have a strange reaction with your body. You are in the past, though it is my present. Now hurry before the guards come. We do not have long before they make their appearance."

As they entered Deveric's room Elric placed Yasuanri on the ground by a wall. The flames disappeared when he let go of he prince. He got up and looked at him. He would have liked to place him elsewhere but for what he needed to do it was safer to have him on the ground than on an object. He looked at the marks that were glowing on Yasu's hand. He put his hands together and focused on summoning small flames on his finger nails. He was not sure if he would be able to do this in his sealed form, but there was no way that he was going t let his demon side out in the castle.