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Post by Tsubarisu Hotaka on Nov 21, 2007 9:49:41 GMT -4
I sent a summon to Tomoyo. I wanted a better understanding of what this whole war thing was even about. It was my job I felt as one of the Only active member of Heaven. To act in Heaven's best interest. Lots of people were going to die if this war came to be. Me, my compatriots and even Our enemies. Above all else I sought to promote life. True those in Hell were sinners to a certain extent, but No one sinned without a reason. Which was why I was sitting patiently behind my desk waiting for the Ha-Ou of Hell.
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Post by Sanada Tomo on Nov 23, 2007 1:05:44 GMT -4
Tomoyo was actually surprised that she had been summoned, without promise of arrest, to the chambers of one Tsubarisu Hotaka; she had not been expecting that at all.
Remembering the last time that she was here, trying to convince Hotaka that the War was pointless, she had been sure that her reasoning had not gotten to the Upright at all. However, seeing that she was being summoned, clearly there was something of value that Hotaka wanted to discuss--and the fact that he was discussing anything with Tomoyo meant that he accepted her, at least, as someone to NOT be immediately killed.
She did wonder what Tsubarisu wanted to talk about, or request. She figured offhandedly that Tsubasa didn't know about the conversation or Hotaka would have already been dead.
Tomoyo, deciding to be polite, actually went to the headquarters the official way, passing leery but accomodating guards who glared at him as they let him through, and Tomoyo progressed through wide gates, through the main village, to Hotaka's own location of business, continuing until she reached his desk.
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Post by Tsubarisu Hotaka on Nov 23, 2007 2:31:15 GMT -4
I stood as Tomoyo entered into my office. Giving a slight bow and a bright smiled I motioned at a scowling Joan to leave the room as she drew her sword at the sight of Tomoyo. This was no time for violence. I had to get to the bottom of this! War should only be used as a VERY last resort. I wanted to prevent as much death as possible (despite my random outbreaks of bloodlust) which was why I had erupted the Tower of Aegis in the central part of town. As much as I wanted to punish sinners and right the wrongs of all things.
"NOW!" I said to Joan pointing to the entrance of my office.
I then turned back to Tomoyo and smiled brightly once more.
"Good day." I said bowing slightly once more.
I pointed to a tray of self made finger sandwiches and a bottle of Tomoyo's favorite Windtini. I wanted to make her feel as comfortable as possible, for my next question was quite serious.....I wanted Clarity. Something I doubted Tsubasa could give to me.
"Explain to me in great detail.....The Reason you Fell." I said in a very serious tone.
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Post by Sanada Tomo on Nov 25, 2007 23:02:27 GMT -4
Honestly, Tomoyo had seen this coming for a short while. Those in Heaven tended to eventually gravitate to the question of why the two realms were fighting in the first place--not enough people had survived or were willing to tell the tale.
Even though Hotaka had the courtesy to have sandwiches and Windtinis there, she did not want to accept such sudden hospitality.
In any case, the last time that she had offered Hotaka a scone, he had refused; she would return the favor...
"No thank you," was the first thing to escape Tomoyo's lips as she snapped her fingers coldly. Symphony appeared from the shadows beneath the King's own feet, as per usual, and the servant handed her her own bottle of Windtini. Yes, the guesture wasn't a kind one, but considering that she was the one being summoned and ther treatment that Hotaka had given her in the past, she wasn't about to take so kindly to the invitation.
Drinking from her own bottle, she said, simply, "Why?"
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Post by Tsubarisu Hotaka on Nov 26, 2007 11:24:20 GMT -4
Pride was not an issue for me. I had no problem with admitting that i was wrong. I didnt expect everything to go smoothly when I invited her here. I cared enough about my people and the neutral beings in Heaven and Hell as a whole. War was something that should only be used as a last resort and even then If it can be avoided it should be.
It was a shame and I was a bit embarrassed to have to tell Tomo that I couldnt trust my own people and so I had to come to her. I would accept momentary embarrassment to have overall clarity.
"Because if war can be avoided, I'd like it to be. Perhaps I could find another alternative, so that both sides can be equally satisfied." I said pacing around the room.
I then in the same breath did what I could to show her that I was not so prideful as to not admit my mistakes.
" I admit it Sanada. I was wrong."
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Post by Sanada Tomo on Nov 29, 2007 5:09:54 GMT -4
Tomoyo couldn't help the smile that slid across her face. It wasn't quite the same as Hotaka denouncing the existence of his fabled "God", but it was a start, for him to admit that he was wrong about anything, in Tomoyo's thought process. Perhaps he was actually taking a step back and looking at things. Perhaps he was only being so open so that he could save lives in Heaven, and he had to force himself to recognize that he would saving lives in Hell as well. Once again, Tomoyo could not be sure of the origin of his actions. However, any Heavenly King trying to end the War--or keep it from continuing--was a good one, in the Yami-ou's opinion.
The smile still displayed across her features, she said, "The thing is, Hotaka, the War between Heaven and Hell had never officially started. If you want to be technical, Mei's attack on my Realm was the first full-scale, planned attack that either Realm has had on each other. This War hasn't really been going on that long. Mei started it. Personally, it's the first time that relations between Heaven and Hell have been this bad..."
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Post by Tsubarisu Hotaka on Dec 1, 2007 11:12:50 GMT -4
This was definitely news to me. From the waqy Tsubasa spoke, I would have been led to believe that Heaven and Hell had always had problems such as this. I knew not how to respond to this, but i had to think of something as it was my duty to see this wars undoing...If possible. I scratched my head and looked at Sanada. I nodded and then said:
"But what of the incident with Hallowed Mother Chiyo? Involving the destruction of n entire Layer?"
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Post by Sanada Tomo on Dec 1, 2007 15:05:03 GMT -4
Tomoyo brought her hand to the back of her head, scratching furiously, as though to distract herself as she said sheepishly...
"Well...not to piss on Chiyo's memory...but...she attacked the Fourth Layer of Hell because I stood her up at dinner to...um...how would you put it...? Have relations with...a..erm...servant of mine..."
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Post by Tsubarisu Hotaka on Dec 4, 2007 14:10:04 GMT -4
I sat down in my chair and stared eeply into her eyes. Surely this could not be the truth. I had never thought, that a being that was so important could be so.......CHildish, but then again there was Tohru. I quickly discarded any further thoughts of her from my mind. After the I alooked at Tomo I sat back and thought for awhile. If the first time an asault on Hell happened was from CHiyo.....Then, we would have been the aggressors from the start. I sat back in my chair and put my chin in my hand. My eyes quickly shooting over to the door and scowling as Joan attempted to sneak in. She darted back out quickly.
"Well then, I guess I'd have to apologize for our ignorance..." I said earnestly.
"Where does Tsubasa come inot play with your Fall?" I asked.
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Post by Sanada Tomo on Dec 4, 2007 18:46:47 GMT -4
"You cannot apologize for something that Chiyo did not truly do. She...has a condition...that...forces her to switch personalities. That was the first time that it ever happened, and therefore she had no control. There is nothing to do about it now...Chiyo has already taken everything that ever meant anything to me. And that death had nothing to with it and I do not hold it against her." Tomoyo really did not want to get into the details of Chiyo being ressurected from the dead just so that she could take Tomoyo's children. No. That was too painful.
Taking a gulp of air, like she was choking, the Yami-ou managed to say calmly, "...as for...as for Tsubasa, she WAS the reason for my Fall. She tried me as a guilty criminal when I did nothing. And now you must tell me whether or not there is a real reason for this? Do you wish to torture me by commanding me to speak about the incidences in my life that disturbed the very nature of my soul? Can't you see, Hotaka, that I have lived through enough? I have lived through too much to sit here and allow you to torture me by bringing those things back up. I have done nothing to you. I did not go to Setsuna to ask her about YOUR past life, so that I could torture YOU. I know that your brother works for me, but being your brother was not the reason why I did that. He wanted power, badly, and I don't think that it's right for you to use me in this way."
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Post by Tsubarisu Hotaka on Dec 4, 2007 21:01:59 GMT -4
I ask you these questions not to torture you or bring up feelings of extreme sorrow, but to gain a better understanding of things to come and things that were." I said giving Sanada a sympathetic pat on the back.
I was not in the business of harming people emotionally. I just wanted to know what happened before I got here.
"I.....Never spoke to Setsuna about you. Ive only heard bits and pieces from Tsubasa. You speak to me as if I am some kind of villain Hellbent on the suffering of other beings. I want to know if what Ive fought for has been in vain."
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Post by Sanada Tomo on Dec 5, 2007 0:49:10 GMT -4
Tomoyo laughed bitterly. "What is it that you've been fighting for, anyway? Don't fool yourself into thinking you've been trying to conquer Hell. Don't even try. Heaven's purpose in fighting us has never been for conquer--Hell is likewise. The purpose of our fighting, dear Hotaka, is so that neither side gains too much power. Things used to be honest between Heaven and Hell; we used to get along. But when the Kings of Heaven, led by Tsubasa, tried to aspire for more, to take over Hell instead of letting it exist, that was when things became truly violent. Even Chiyo's actions against Hell were forgiven so that the peace would remain. That is what we used to want, Chiyo and I..." she trailed off, admiration in her voice. "Peace...no fighting...no killing; the occasional squabble, but no War..."
Then her voice again was bitter and cold. "But you and your generation have ruined it. You know not of the truth or lies that Tsubasa feeds you; and you have ruined what I have worked so very hard to build. Notice, Tsubarisu, that I have never once struck a critical blow to you, nor to most other beings in Heaven. None. That woman tried to kill my husband...and she destroyed our peace. She will pay."
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Post by Tsubarisu Hotaka on Dec 5, 2007 13:37:48 GMT -4
"You killed our Ha-ou, that was reason enough I thought." I said calmly.
I sat back in my chair thinking. I didnt really ever want to conquer Hell just for the sake of conquering. In fact, I didnt want to kill any of them either....I wanted them all to just turn away from the past trangressions and begin anew. Souls were just like shirts, You didnt have to throw them away just because they were dirty, you could just wash them and theyd be as good as new.
"Yes, I agree. I dont know of the what Tsubasa feeds me, which is why Im asking you....Unless this is a mistake."
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Post by Sanada Tomo on Dec 5, 2007 14:12:23 GMT -4
Tomoyo cried out in anguish, "I killed your Ha-ou? I killed the Ha-ou? I used to be the Ha-ou!! I was your Ha-ou's ruler!I don't see you taking offense to having the orignal Ha-ou cast down for no reason!!!"
She was losing herself, and she knew it. "I loved her. I loved her and I lost her and I gave her children and she took them from me! You may not understand--because you're not a 'Mortal' and you don't truly understand the meaning of even your own life--but you did not love her and you certainly did not have children or give children to anyone. And you will never understand my plight so don't you judge me! You do not even have the right to even think of how you approach judging me. You do not know me. You are a mere child, and children should know their place. You still believe in "a" god who isn't there, too blind to see that we sealed away the few gods that were there to help us? You cannot judge anything correctly when even the basis of your faith is wrong. I can sense lies, Hotaka, and you have been lying to yourself since you were born. So don't you dare look at me with those judgemental eyes. You have only lived a mere grain of my existence and you know nothing about me or my beloved Chiyo!"
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Post by Tsubarisu Hotaka on Dec 5, 2007 14:28:45 GMT -4
"Do I have to accidentally press your buttons for you to give me information? It seems like thats whats been going on lately. I ask a question, you rant at me, and then you give me something vital that I wanted to know in the first place." I said becoming a bit annoyed.
"IM TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, BUT YOURE NOT HELPING ME!!!!" I yelled.
I had reached my limit. Even I could only take so much before I exploded. I was clueless about the past and I didnt know who i could trust in it. As a "child" seeking the truth, I was stuck between one who was supposedly the ultimate enemy of Heaven and one who constantly said she had the best interest of Heaven in mind with every decision she made. Here I was asking questions and getting to little information. Sanada could sense lies, so surely she could sense that my quest for truth was indeed not a lie.
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Post by Sanada Tomo on Dec 8, 2007 13:24:48 GMT -4
Tomoyo gritted her teeth. "Fine. I will tell you the story in pieces, from the beginning. Will that be enough for you?
"I was born in Heaven; I was trained by Suzaku to compete for the Kingship of the Seventh Layer. When it was all said and done, there were eight Kings: Mikage Soramu, myself, Ryo Fi, Yamazaki Chikara, Shirogane Yamashiro, Aizawa Sasuke, Arima Akito, and Hanajima Satori. We were the first official Kings, though the history won't tell you that..."
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Post by Tsubarisu Hotaka on Dec 12, 2007 15:26:20 GMT -4
"Yes it will. You have my thanks." I said giving a respectful nod of my head.
I jotted down what Tomo was saying I wanted to gain a better understanding and now I had the opportunity to do so. A slight smile crossed my face. Whenever I felt like I was on the verge of doing sokmething Just, that always happened.
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Post by Sanada Tomo on Dec 14, 2007 21:06:24 GMT -4
"But those are not the Kings that are down in history as the first. Mikage Soramu's name is taken out all together. I'm sure that you've heard rumors about the infamous eighth layer of Heaven that would not follow the Shijin's rules. This is not true. Soramu, with the other seven of us, shut the Shijin away. While...they did good for Heaven while we were there...they had other plans for us...they...they were fickle. They were fickle and we were afraid that they would leave us...leave us like they had the Mortals..." Tomo's voice began to shake. "I Loved Suzaku. The Goddess meant everything to me. She trained me. She kept me safe. I thought that she loved me...
"That was before Mikage Tsubasa was placed in out lives. Yamazaki Chikara wanted to marry her childhood love--Takaishi Jiishita. But the Shijin told her no. The Shijin told her that she could marry another King and no one else. That it had to be another King. She refused, and the Shijin told her that she would just have to be content with being alone.
"Yamazaki Chikara walked out of Heaven. Technically, by all rights she is the first Fallen Angel, but because she refused to attempt to keep her magical and racial abilities, her wings didn't turn black. They turned...grey. lifeless. Their wings mean nothing. Even now, she can barely fly the way that we do. Takaishi left with her, and they got married in the Mortal Realm.
"That was when Mikage Tsubasa, the runner up to the fifth throne of Heaven, entered our lives. She cursed Chikara for her insolence and the Shijin adored her. I went to go speak to Suzaku about it, because I believed it was unfair to force Chikara to such action. Suzaku had this look....this look in her eyes that I had never seen before as she spoke. She turned, with this glazed look, Tsubarisu, and she told me, 'Chikara could not be allowed to bare children with that commoner. With your crown came magic directly from us, Tomoyo. You don't understand. Only Kings can begat Kings. We want your children, Tomoyo...we want them to be...glorious...' and she kept repeating that to me. 'Glorious, Tomoyo...we want glorious children...'"
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Post by Tsubarisu Hotaka on Dec 21, 2007 3:29:15 GMT -4
I couldnt believe my ears. This sounfrf like something very similar to what kings and queens of the mortal realm did. Except it was a bit different. Kings and queens were only made through family ties, but in this realm, it was more of them using the children of the original kings to further reinforce the power already given them. Truly a selfish and vile act. I couldnt help it. A frown came across my face as I listened to this. Such treachery in Heaven?! I sighed in despair. This was not the way I pictured Heaven at all...This was all so wrong to me. I ran my fingers through my hair. I couldnt really think of anything to say next, but I knew one thing was most certainly for sure.....I had to see to it that this trwchery and selfishness was stopped immediately. ......Peaople should not Fall for choosing to take a wife. I was speechless...I motioned for Tomoyo to continue in hopes of finding my voice once more.
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Post by Sanada Tomo on Dec 21, 2007 17:52:10 GMT -4
Tomoyo continued her story. "Hanajima Satori and Arima Akito along with Shirogane Yamashiro left their posts as well; all had family members that they were prophecized to take their places when they were born. The Shijin told us that they had been trained to fight on behalf of their family line.
"But after she became King, Tsubasa spoke blasphemy about these very things. Said that the Shijin didn't deserve to rule us, that we should govern ourselves if we couldn't even mate with whom we wanted. Said that they would eventually abandon us, become occupied with yet another race of their own creation and have them oppress us. She did not think that we needed watching over. We weren't Humans. We could govern ourselves. We had our own Kings. Why should we listen to them? They weren't doing anything but visiting and taking choice samples of our race as their servants. We did not need them.
"And we, the Kings, we listened. We got together and we ambushed them one by one. We chained them. We captured them. We contained them because that was all that we could do.
"For a while there was peace. We governed ourselves in fear, at first, of retaliation for our Sins. But after a while, we relaxed, and we began to realize that we had actually caught them.
"I reigned as the leader, as the Ha-ou of Heaven, and things were good. That was before Tsubasa wanted my position. Before she wanted to rule absolutely."
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