Chapter1: The Alpha

The land was littered with the twisted bodies of his enemies, contorted in hideous ways. The soil was soaked deep with their crimson blood. The young lord held his blood soaked blade tight in his trembling hand. His appearance was ragged. His armor, completely gone from his body lay shattered and useless on the ground. His burgundy hair had come loose from it's braid and hung freely down to his lower back. He had been reduced to a tattered royal shirt and pants, which were soaked in the blood of his adversaries. He was the only one standing in a sea of destruction. The young lord held his sword at eye-level. He steadied himself, frame still shaking from the adrenaline coursing through his veins. The battle had been one of gargantuan proportion. All of his troops lay as mere corpses all around him, having died proudly for their lord as they had pledged. Though they had fought valiantly, in the end it was he who was left to destroy the seemingly endless hordes of Yai possessed the power.

"The power to destroy the world." Whispered the lord. "Could it really be as the witch had said?" He shook his head and turned in the direction of his castle. This battle had been so close to his dwelling. About two days walk from were he stood. He was confident that he would be there within the hour. That is if ... "Sakura... call them forth." Said the young lord firmly. The sword pulsed before his violet eyes then from the battle field rose a soft blue light. It surrounded the young lord and he began to ascend. On a platform of souls he glided through the air and towards the castle. It's always faster if you fly.

The young Yai paced frantically back and forth. Gekijou had had be gone so long and she was beginning to worry about his well being. So many weeks had passed by without Gekijou returning and she was on edge. Her silver tresses swayed back and forth as she paced her chamber. He had run so blindly into battle just because of a challenge by an overly ambitious lord wanting to expand his Gekijou never was one to back down for a challenge.

"Where is he!?" cried Sepi in frustration. "He knew that he was injured before charging into that fight! He's so bull-headed!" She was practically growling at this point, her fluffy cat ears pressed against he head and a scowl gracing her features. "Why does he make me worry about him like this?" She gave up pacing and opted for laying with a plop on her bed. Laying on her back she let out a sigh and leaned her head to the side. " Gekijou..." Her ears laid low, she was really missing him. Sepi always felt so... lost without his presence. She looked out the doors of the balcony at the night sky. Morning would be upon them soon. She sighed another heavy sigh and looked away from the night sky, ears still hanging low. "He's not coming..."

Then suddenly her ears perked up and her nose began to twitch. She sat bolt upright and was on her feet in an instant. "I would know that scent anywhere!" She cried bolting for the main hall and swinging open the doors. She looked up to see the young Shennin lord begin his decent on his platform of souls. "LORD GEKIJOU!" Cried the excited Sepi, a bright smile gracing her features. When he drew closer her gleeful expression turned into one of concern. "You're hurt!" The young Yai cried as she rushed to his side upon his landing. The souls dissipated and there he stood. "Come!" She cried as she dragged Gekijou inside his palace by his arm. She pulled him along all the way to his chambers shutting the doors behind her. She turned to faced and spoke. "Ok now strip down."

Gekijou simply sighed at this. It was the same thing every time he returned from a battle, this time would be no different. He untied the sash around his waste and sat it along with the sword it held on his bed. He then shrugged off the tattered shirt before dropping his pants.

Sepi sniffed. " It smells like you don't have too many wounds though a few big ones concern me." She made a thoughtful expression that caused Gekijou to smirk slightly something that only Yai could accomplish though she didn't appear to notice. "You must have slaughtered countless Yai to be coated so thickly in blood. She sniffed again." Wolf Yai."

Gekijou smirked slightly. "The wolf lord Konta was a fool." His voice was even as he spoke. "His entire alpha tribe as well as his eastern and western branches fell at my hands. Not to mention the Yai lord himself."

Sepi gasped." Oh my word. You slaughtered them all? Though what of your troops?"

"Dead, all of them. They died mid-way into the final battle." Gekijou's tone was cold as he spoke. "Their arrogance was their undoing."

She simply nodded. "What of Konta's lands?" She gasped again. "Wasn't Konta the lord of the other half of the western lands?" Gekijou nodded. Sepi's eyes grew wide. "That would make you..."

"The undisputed Lord of the Western lands." His smirk grew. Sepi could only gape at her lord. The Lord of the western lands. "We can talk more of this later. I can assume there is a bathing wench awaiting me in the bath chamber?" Sepi simply nodded having not yet regained her ability to speak. Gekijou walked past her and walked into the bath chamber.

He entered the candlelit chamber with it's high ceilings and fine marble. He walked over to the bath where he found the bathing wench asleep. He ignored her and got into the bath water. It was hot and swirled around him, a pale red color. He eased in and began to relax. The bath itself was fairly large and a waterfall of warm water cascaded into the bath. The bath was fed by a hot spring not far off. He sighed sinking lower into the bath and grabbed a cloth. He had to get the smell of blood from his body.

Sepi sighed as she sifted through Gekijou's wardrobe in search of something for him to wear. She wasn't sure why she did so every time he returned from a battle. She wasn't a mere servant. No, she was a friend. Though despite this she moved cloths aside in search of something. She smiled in triumph pulling out a black sleeveless shirt and a sash to hold it closed. She then pulled out a pair of pants made of silk. She laid them out on his bed and collected his blood soaked cloths wrinkling her nose in disgust as she did so. She walked out the chamber and dumped them in the arms of the first servant she came across. The servant stared at her curiously, but didn't question her. She simply nodded and was gone. Sepi sighed and headed to her chamber to get cleaned up.

Gekijou stepped out of the water that was now tainted with the blood that had coated his body just moments before. The bathing wench was awake and holding out a towel, having awaken not long after Gekijou had started his bath. She was a fox Yai with long black hair and a lean build. She held the cloth with her eyes downcast. Gekijou took the cloth from the young fox before she could began drying his body.

" You're finished here." Said Gekijou, voice placid as ever. His cold even tone commanded respect and complete submission. The young girl let out a whimper before scurrying off as if in fear of being trampled under-foot. Gekijou snorted once before he began drying himself off. He then tossed the cloth slovenly over his shoulder before stepping out into his chamber. He walked to where his clothing lay on the bed and adorned them. He then picked up his sword unsheathing it. He pulled the damp cloth from his shoulder and used it to clean the sword. The blood came from the blade with ease and the blade was soon visible. It glowed with a soft blue light and hummed.

" Are you restless Sakura? Have you not tasted enough blood?" He whispered softly to the blade. The blade simply glowed again in response. Gekijou nodded. "Oh so you are content. Good." He sheathed the blade and placed it beside his bed. He yawned before laying down to rest his body and mind.

Sepi sat on her balcony overlooking the garden and sighed. Gekijou was always so cold, she thought. Though she couldn't began to comprehend why she knew he had always been that way. Though despite this fact she cared for the young lord... deeply. They had know each other for so many years. She had been there when he became a lord. She was also there when he received the prophecy from the old witch Asuwe after... the raid.

Flashback

Sepi sat across from Gekijou. They were both only children . They sat in a field and conversed about nothing in particular. They were both loners and bastared children. Both of their parents had died on the last raid on their village. It hadn't weighed on Gekijou's soul in the least though Sepi,on the other hand, was another matter. She had loved her parents deeply and was particularly close to her mother who had died a rather gruesome death. Her head severed from her body after a myriad of cuts, blows, and contusions. She had endured this torment as a last line of defense for her daughter against the invading hordes of yai. The bird yai were unmerciful killers. They hauled both women and children high in the air dropping them to their deaths. The small village was ablaze with screams of pain and anguish rising from the ashes. Contorted bodies twisted in unholy ways littered the ground. A woman bolted for her life leaving her son alone and unprotected from the throng of oncoming assassins, each more deadly than its predecessor. The woman was cut down within a few yards of her son who stared on with cold, emotionless eyes. The light had long since faded from the young shenin's eyes. He spotted his father who lie motionless in a pool of his own blood. He walked calmly to his father and pulled a sword form it's place plunged deep within his father's chest. He looked over his shoulder and watched his only friend, Sepi, weep over the prone form of her father only a few yards away. He turned calmly and threw the sword. It flew swiftly through the air coming within a hair-breadth of her face. A startled cry of agony augmented from behind the young cat yai and blood spattered the side of her face as well as the back of her kimono. She spun around and watched as a bird yai fell, dieing by the sword of its allies. The wolf yai clan, who had joined forces with the bird yai in an effort to destroy this village, stared slack jawed at the scene that had just taken place before them. Their eyes trailed from the birds' lifeless form to the young shennin who stood erect staring down at his victim. All eyes were on the boy as he walked calmly to the corpse and retrieved the sword from the yai's gut. He then turned to his onlookers, eyes going from cold violet to blazing ember. That's when the reason for attacking the village was mad obvious. Potential.

End Flashback

A loud crash aroused Sepi from her trance like state. The two fluffy cat ears upon her head swiveled and twitched. The sound had come from the main chamber. She was on her feet in moments rushing toward the chamber slightly tripping over herself in her effort to reach the chamber. She could hear commotion augmenting from the chamber as other members of the house began to gather at the source of the sound. Sepi ran down the halls eager to investigate. she arrived within seconds and stared wide eyed at the scene before her as the smell of blood assaulted her senses.