Chapter 1 – The blight

Okay, well, I decided to write two fanfics at once. Why you ask? Because I hate myself and want to increase the workload that I'm already squashed under. So, due to some self created confusion, I mixed up this fanfic (An Eternity Past) and my other one (A Game of Embers) and their titles were reversed so I apologise for the confusion. And I decided to undergo mass editing, so I fixed up quite a bit in this fanfic and the other one. I hope it is to your liking. I will now stop talking and let you enjoy.

I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING FROM KNB

A sweet smelling breeze swept through the empty room, swirling around a figure who was gazing out of the window in his office. The corners of his lips curled up into a small knowing smile. The sun was beginning to peak up from below the horizon, casting crimson and golden light upon the land. The figure ran his hand through his equally crimson hair and let the sun's rays warm him. He glanced up at the sky and remembered its colour. A brilliant yet soft blue. Like her.

A gentle knock on the door brought his attention away from the rolling fields of red and gold.

"Come in."

Another person stood in the darkness of the office, bowing before slowly approaching the desk, as if uncertain whether to take another step. The figure didn't take his eyes off the view as the crimson and gold was slowly being replaced by the familiar blue sky and the fields glowed green once again.

"My Lord, the sources say that they have seen her."

The small grin grew ever so slightly. His blood began to boil and his nerves became alive. Finally turning away from the window, he faced the hidden figure. The sun's rays illuminated him but its brightness did not match the deadly glow in his eyes, those devastating crimson and gold eyes. The figure flinched at the lord as those eyes found their mark in their own. A sudden rush of fear ran through their veins as they dared to look deeper.

"Good. Where about?"

"Seirin My Lord."

"Call the others, I believe it is time for us to meet again."

"Yes, My Lord."

~Somewhere far away~

"Oi lady! More beer!"

"Yes! Coming sir!"

"HEY Girl! Get me a table!"

"Yes sir! Please give me a moment."

The bar was never quiet. 'The Den' it was called and rightly so. Like a den of lions, everyone seemed to roar at each other whether it was with laughter or anger. However, never being quiet had its negatives. There were always customers so no breaks and those customers always got out of hand. Stationed behind the counter, a girl watched with her round observant eyes as the poor waitresses dashed about, tending to the needs of the brutish customers. In the middle, two men began to dish out punches, knocking each other to ground in a drunken heap. At this rate, they were going to damage the bar and the owner would kill her for it. Deciding that it was time to leave her station, she tied up her waist length pale blue hair into a ponytail that swished behind her as she stepped out from behind the counter.

The girl silently made her way through the cheering crowd, no one noticing her presence even as she brushed up against them and pushed her way through. The whole bar had formed a circle around the wrestling duo, cheering and betting their money on who the victor may be. The girl smiled to herself. Unfortunately, the only victor here, is me. She stepped into the ring and approached the two.

"Excuse me dear customers, but I'm afraid if you do not stop your fighting, you will be asked to leave."

The two continued to fight. Drunkards. Whipping out a small pistol from the holster beneath her skirt, she fired a shot in the air as the entire bar came to a dead silence.

"Much better. Now then, let me repeat myself. Please stop your fighting. If you wish to continue your fight, please take it outside."

She needed no further words. No need for threats or action. All she needed in her arsenal was her dangerous smile and the two men knew exactly what to do. Both got to their feet, returned to their tables and continued to drink. The crowd also returned to their seats, fearing what the girl might do to them. In this bar, she was well known for her ability to intimidate and controlling the rowdy customers. No one really questioned how a small girl like her could shut down an entire room filled with big and strong men and women. What they did know was that the owner of this bar, Aida Kagetora, was once a mighty and famed soldier who had gone into retirement after an injury had prevented him from fighting. His wife had left him years ago, leaving him with only his daughter who helped him at the bar. One day, 5 years ago, he returned to the bar with a young teenage girl by his side. The young girl was covered, head to toe, in blood and her eyes glowed like the brightest stars in the sky but she remembered nothing. Not even her name.

As the years went by she grew into older but she was quiet. Never spoke to anyone but the owner and his daughter who were raising her like their own, who gave her a name and a home. The owner taught her everything, from defending herself to managing the bar. Eventually she began to grow slightly warmer, beginning to speak to others and smile.

"Ah, my daughter, I see that you are doing well to keep the bar under control."

"Yes father."

He approached the girl and planted a gentle kiss upon her head.

"You go help the girls, I can take over from here. You've done well Sora-tan. By the way have you seen Riko-tan?"

"Thank you father and no, I haven't seen her. She is most likely training the guys."

Sora tied the apron around her waist and headed out from behind the counter once again.

"Ah! Little Sora!"

She approached the older man who had called out to her. He was a good friend of her father's and a regular customer of this bar, one of the few people she was somewhat comfortable to be around.

"I'm guessing another refill Takeda-san? How about water this time?"

The men on the table laughed and Sora couldn't help but join in, a small chuckle escaped her mouth.

"You wound me Sora-chan. I have a reputation to uphold. I can't lose my title as The Drink King."

It was such a garish title, in the sense that it was a play on words and once you got it, it either made you laugh or unimpressed.

"Better to lose the title than your liver. That much alcohol is never good for you."

Takeda laughed again and gently patted her back like an uncle would to tease his niece,

"God, you sound like a mother. But then again, you are a woman now, a fine young woman indeed. It's a shame that my son is already married and I have only young nephews. I've always wanted a cute little daughter or niece like you…what a shame."

The other men laughed at their friend's drunken antics as he began to dramatically wipe his tears and press his hand against his forehead like some damsel in distress.

"Stop it old man, you sound like a pedophile!"

"I agree, I may have to report this to the guard."

The table once again burst into fits of laughter as Sora walked off to grab their drinks. Her father asked her about the noise over on the table and Sora explained that she was 'afraid' to go over there because there was a pedophile. The man howled with laughter as he filled up the mugs with ale and handed them to Sora.

"Tell that old fool to keep his hands to himself."

Then her father turned to speak with another customer as she walked over to the table once again and handed them their drinks.

"Wah, this is great. Your old man truly knows how to make good ale. This is why I love coming here. Nice atmosphere, nice alcohol, nice people…it's a haven."

The other men expressed their agreement with nods and smiles. It made Sora happy that her father's hard work and dedication to this bar was having this sort of effect on the weary and tired. As Sora went around, clearing up tables as people left, she noticed that there was some strange noises coming from outside. She left her tray and the empty mugs on an empty table and headed outside to check it out. The streets were completely empty. For a Saturday evening, it was extremely strange for the streets to be so quiet. And then she heard it. The clopping of hooves against the stony ground and the cruel laughter that began to fill the air.

She went back inside to tell her father, grabbing the empty tray with her.

"Father, there seems to be trouble outside. About 10 men on horses and from the sounds of things, they are not here to be pleasant."

"Bandits and trouble makers for sure…they've been coming here more often as of late. I haven't heard any news about anything that may have caused this though. Anyway, if they come into The Den, then let them. But if they cause trouble, you know what to do."

Sora gave a quick nod as she continued her rounds. The Den was open from around 6 in the evening to 1 in the morning, dedicated to those who wanted to have a good night drinking, eating and socializing. Sure enough, the noisy bunch strolled into the bar and sat themselves down at a spare table. Ten men, relatively young, began chattering away as Sora approached them. She could see that they had guns and most likely other weapons on them. If a fight broke out here, it would most likely come down to a gun fight and a high chance of injuries. She planned to steer as far away as possible from that scenario.

"Good evening, what can I get you?"

The men smirked at the blunette standing before them. Some of them hooted and gestured to her inappropriately. Disgusting.

"The best this place has to offer. You are such a beautiful girl. You wouldn't happen to be of other services too, would you?"

The disgust rolled around in her stomach as she fought the urge to wipe those feral grins of their faces.

"No, this bar does not provide those services. If you wish, there is a brothel further down the street that would be more than welcome to see to your needs. I will be back shortly with your drinks."

Instantly, as she walked away, the atmosphere in the bar became tense as the talking died down and the other customers grew wary of the new guests. Takeda and his group had also become wary. They still wore smiles on their faces but only to hide the tension that they were feeling. She and another girl returned with the drinks and placed them on the table and turned to leave when one of the men snaked his arm around the other girl's waist and pulled her down next to him.

"Oh come on now, don't be so coy. I'll be gentle-"

Sora pulled his arm away from the girl and twisted it around, causing him to slam against the table as he groaned with pain.

"Didn't I say before that we do not offer those kinds of services?"

"You bitch!"

The entire gang pulled out their guns and aimed it at the blunette who continued to keep their companion in an arm lock which threatened to snap his bones in an instant. Behind her she could feel the others pull out their guns too but with a single shake of the head, she stopped them from filling the bar with bullet holes.

"Put your guns away. You do not get to walk in here, touch the waitresses and cause trouble. Either put your guns away and act like the mature men you are meant to be or get out."

The men flinched at the hostility in her voice but did not put down their guns. In fact, the fact that they flinched only made them angrier as they began to growl like wild beasts. Sora knew that at this rate, a gun fight was inevitable.

"You don't order us around you bitch. Don't you know who we are? We are the mighty and feared members of the Fukuda Sogo Gang. Our boss was a member of the Generation of Miracles so you listen to us now. You're all lucky I don't report you to our boss."

Sora only stared at them with a bored and uninterested expression on her face.

"Never heard of them or you. I don't particularly care if you are members of some so called infamous gang. We do not tolerate violence and inappropriate behaviour in this bar. So please leave. You are not welcome here anymore."

They snickered and laughed, mocking the girl. One of the men stepped out and pressed the gun against her cheek and stared down at her with an intimidating look. If only it was intimidating.

"Oh yeah? Who's going to stop us? You? These old men? Make us leave then!"

Sora's lips curled into a small smile. One that was armed with deadly ammunition and ready to fire,

"Gladly."

In the blink of an eye, Sora twisted the guy's arm and a loud pop could be heard as his arm was now dislocated from his shoulder. She kicked him in the head and knocked him out cold. The men started to fire at her and she flipped the table over as cover from the bullets. The other men in the bar just sat there and watched as the gang members continue to fire at the girl. With a hard kick, she sent the table flying at the men who jumped out of the way to dodge. In that moment, Sora jumped out and landed a kick to another man's face, sending him into the wall. The other men continued to fire at her relentlessly, however, they were horrible shots as not one bullet was even close to being a threat. She threw a mug at another man, grabbed his wrist and threw him onto the ground in a painful heap. Grabbing the gun from another man, she ripped it out of his grip and slammed it into his temple and knocked him out cold. Finally the men began to retreat, taking their fallen brothers with them as they cursed at her.

"Demon woman! You'll regret crossing us!"

With that, they burst out of the bar and rode on their horses away. The bar burst into cheering as they laughed and groaned. Once again, they had placed bets on how long it would take for Sora to get rid of them. Some said 10 minutes, others said 5 and those who said 5 minutes won.

"Gah! Sora-tan! You broke my tables again!"

"Sorry father, but there was no other way. Better one table than the whole bar!"

So the girls and Sora began to clean up the mess. It was around 9 at night when Riko finally came home.

"Papa? What happened to the bar?"

"Ah! Riko-tan! You're home!"

Kagetora leapt at his daughter as she walked through the doors. Riko flushed at the nickname her father had given her. It was embarrassing for a 21 year old woman to be called such as childish nickname. She punched him in the face and went red as she stormed towards her adoptive sister who was clearing up the broken wood and glass.

"A gang fight. Members of the Fukuda Sogo Gang came and caused trouble, so I kicked them out."

Riko sighed. She knew that even though her sister was small and seemed delicate, she was far from it, like approaching a little house cat, thinking that it would be harmless only to be pounced on by a tiger in disguise.

"How was training Riko?"

"It was alright. Those boys are more trouble than anything. Damn it that Kagami! He won't listen to me…Ne, Sora, do you think you could possible come with me tomorrow to help? They're more scared of you than they are of me."

"That's because you are sometimes too easy on them. But sure, I will help. Kagami Taiga was it? I'll be sure to teach him a lesson. By the way, that boy, Kuroko Tetsuya was it?"

Riko cocked her head to the side. Only recently had Riko agreed to train some of the males of the large town to defend themselves and fight. Ever since Kagetora opened up the bar, he had little time to do the training himself so he had assigned Riko, the better coach, to train them in his place. Sora wasn't particularly interested in training others so she stayed back to help at the bar.

"Kuroko-kun? Yeah, what about him?"

"He's a strange boy. How have his abilities come along? Are they working well together with the others? Did he take the advice I gave the last time?"

Riko was confused. Sora never took interest into anyone this much. From the first time she met him, she had been acting strange. And so had he. Kuroko looked extremely shocked when he saw her; he even shed some tears as if he knew her. But after, he had explained that she reminded him of his sister who passed away at a young age. Even so, whenever Kuroko saw Sora, he always had a faint saddened expression on his face.

"Yeah, he's doing fine. The advice really worked though. I was surprised that something like that actually worked. You seemed so sure that pairing Kuroko up with Kagami would work out well."

Sora was unsure as to why she had been so sure. It was indeed, strange. She couldn't brush off the feeling that she had seen that boy somewhere. He did have a similar hair colour to hers although that could have just meant that she came from the same region as Kuroko did.

"Anyway, I'll help you tomorrow. I'm sure father will let me take a break."

Riko nodded as the mess was finally cleared up and the two girls headed upstairs together. It was the end of Sora's shift as the late night shift girls arrived and took her place. Besides, Kagetora didn't like his girls being down there beyond 11, it was when all the real trouble makers arrived.

"Let's go through the training regime at the moment."

So Riko explained the current plan for each member and what she needed help with to Sora who listened attentively and absorbed all the information like a sponge. It was interesting, to say the least, that Riko had come up with all this planning and ideas to improve and train the guys. it wasn't an easy task. Much harder than waitressing. They continued to discuss well into the night before fatigue claimed its victims and the two sisters fell asleep on the shared bed.

A flash of red as screams filled the air. Another flash of silver as the shrill of metal scrapping against each other echoed into the night.

Crimson.

All she saw was crimson. It stained the ground in splatters and puddles, it covered the sky like a suffocating blanket and ahead of her was a figure with glowing crimson hair and eyes. The figure reached out a hand to her. She reached out to take it before hesitating and pulling away.

"Is that your choice? No matter, I won't let you get away. I will find you soon enough. You cannot hide from me. I am absolute."

Somewhere distant, a pair of glowing red and gold eyes stared beyond the horizon to the east. They shimmered in the night as flames licked the air and the sweet smelling breeze rushed past the figure. His lips curled into a satisfied grin as he read the message send by the messenger falcon.

I've confirmed that she is indeed at Seirin.

What will you do now?

Flames engulfed and devoured the scrap of paper as he turned to the sky with a cruel smile; the remnants of the message lost in the wind as ash,

"I take back what is mine."

End of Chapter

So? Did you like this story? I hope you enjoyed it and I will be updating soon. THANKS FOR READING!