Clear As A Bell

Chapter 2: Gather Thy Allies

Gash sighed as he sat on his throne. The throne room was laboriously maintained, each single stone scrubbed daily, each tapestry combed through for hairs, each ledge, sill, or pot meticulously cleaned. As Gash watched the creatures under his rule scurry about, cleaning this, combing that, he began to wonder how fun being the king could get. The next day, he would go to school. There at least, he would have friends, and help. He could count on quite a few of them to help in his search for White. Until then, though, he would have to rely on Zeon and his knights to find clues. He had to find White. He had to...

"Sir!" Gash's melancholy mood soon disappeared as a friendly voice came into hearing. He turned, eying his counselor and advisor. "Gash-kun, you seem troubled. What is it?"

Gash smiled, resting his head on his arm and sighing into the throne. "I don't know, Earth. I'm worried about White. He's missing. I wish that Zeon would get here and tell me some good news."

Earth smiled, his calm face emitting a sort of radiance that Gash always knew to be kindness and sincerity. Leaning down, he knelt upon the royal carpet, red and plush as always. "Sire, you must trust your subjects. Your brother is strong, and smart. He will find something of your friend."

Gash sighed again, forcing a smile. "Thanks, Earth-san. You're helpful, and wise..."

"And stringent," Earth concluded, standing and handing Gash a book. "Here, 200,000 demon laws that you must know off-hand, back and forwards. They are important. Please study them diligently." The boy's sigh was audible to those in the back of the room.

"Nuuuuu!"

In the land of dragons, where the Dragon-Tribe was busy farming, working, and doing the tasks that were called for in every day life, Zeon led a group of five demons, hand-picked as his loyal guard. Sighing as he scratched a spot behind his ear, Zeon glanced about at the large mark in the earth that carved a spot where White's previous house used to be. His hand dipped down, grasping a handful of dirt and squelching it between his fingers. Sighing again, he glanced about, noting the terrain and the lack of other buildings in the area. "Hn. Gash-kun said that he thought something may have happened. I wonder why no other Dragon-Tribe people built here. This doesn't add up..."

"Sir!" One of his loyal minions. Turning, Zeon nodded. Marching a smallish Dragon-Tribe male forward, they left him in front of Zeon, who, compared to the Dragon, was far smaller, though he looked far bigger. "We found this one lurking about. We thought he may have information."

Zeon nodded, glancing up into the sky. "Alright, out with it then. I don't have all day to do this."

The Dragon-Tribesman looked at the guards, and then down at the ground. "This was Torango-sama's lot. He was such a good man."

"Do you know why he would move suddenly in the middle of the night?" Zeon asked.

The Dragon slowly shook his head. "He didn't move. Torango-sama wouldn't just move without someone knowing."

"Look," Zeon said, walking forward and grasping the Dragon's forearm. "You people are nomadic. Look it up in the dictionary. It means..."

"You don't understand!" The Dragon yelled, ripping his arm away and backing up. "There...there was something wrong with that kid! That...that White! He...he wasn't...wasn't right, you know! He had something about him, and..."

Zeon's eyes narrowed, and he pointed an accusing finger. "Hey, I'd be careful what you say. He was the King's friend, and if I know Gash-sama, he wouldn't like it if someone was telling lies about his friends."

"No! No, it's not like that! That White! He...he was evil, I tell you!" The Dragon yelled. He continued to back-up slowly, until he turned, running as though his life depended upon it.

Zeon sighed again, raising a hand up. "I don't want to hurt you...well, actually...Teo-Zakure!" A flash of lightning zipped out, blasting into the back of the running Dragon-tribe member and causing him to fall heavily to the ground. In a moment, Zeon was in front of him, grasping him by the cloak and hauling him up roughly. "Now...what is it you were saying?"

"Leave me alone! I'm already dead! Just telling you...you...arg!" The Dragon-Tribe male's mouth suddenly opened, and a stream of fire burst directly into Zeon's face. The flames turned a dull whitish-orange, the heat increasing. Suddenly, it stopped, and the Dragon-Tribesman began to hyperventilate in horror as he realized that not only was Zeon not harmed, but only slightly singed, but also in terrible mood.

Zeon's face slowly got closer to the male, who attempted to back his own away, but was constrained from doing so. He shook his head as he glared. "That...was really, really stupid, you idiot." His hands lit up, and the male dragon began to whimper. In barely a whisper, Zeon smiled, his mouth near the male's pointed, scaly ear. "Listen well. Unless you have a death wish, right now, and want to die...you'll tell me what I want to know. Do you understand me?"

The dragon-tribe male nodded furiously, scaly head and pointed ears flapping. Zeon smiled. "Alright. Now...what are you talking about, and where...is...White?"

The male's eyes glanced left, and then right. Suddenly, he sighed, as if giving up. "Alright...I'll tell you. He...ARG!" His body arched, and suddenly, he jerked from Zeon's hands, laying on the ground and beginning to writhe.

Another heavy sigh from Zeon told his men that they should stand well back. Glancing around tiredly, he quickly waved a hand at two of his followers. "You two, grab that...thing, and bring him back to the castle. We'll torture him, or beat him, or...something, until he tells us what we want to know." He took another look at the dragon male on the ground, shaking his head. "It's not working, you know. You should stop doing that. It's...not becoming of a dragon-tribe member. You..."

A sudden look into the male's eyes told Zeon something...something horrible. Quickly, he twisted. "Get out of here! NOW!" His guards glanced at one another, not moving. Zeon wasn't about to wait for them to get it. Taking off at a run, he grabbed the nearest guard by the arm, throwing him onto his back. The others quickly followed suit, running after the small Lightning Lord as the dragon-tribe male continued to writhe and grovel on the ground. A light shot from between his lips, and in an instant, the land began to shift and move. Zeon felt the power change behind him, and taking an initiative, he turned, holding his hands up and pointing a finger into the white light. It spread towards the five fleeing figures, and Zeon stood his ground. "I'm not running from...whatever this is! Zakeruga!" A flash of lightning, straight as an arrow, shot into the white void, swirling with it until the two powers ebbed and flowed. The power exploded, ripping through the air into the sky and bursting into a brilliant flash of light. The resulting explosion of air blasted the land. Houses flattened, hillsides trembled, and Zeon and his troops were thrown asunder, two of his guards actually flying off into the hills with cries of horror. Zeon himself grasped a tall weed, holding on with all his might.

As the air swelled and ebbed, Zeon landed heavily on the ground, grasping his chest as the power from a Teozakure and Zakurega took its toll on him. Damn it. Without a human partner and their heart energy, I can't do anything big. This sucks. He began to miss his partner and the human world...only slightly, of course.

The power flowed once more before, with an ear-splitting howl, the light shot into the sky, forcing a hole through the clouds. The columns of condensed water swirled about the powerful beam, creating a halo of puffy whiteness. Zeon caught his breath as he watched the beam dissipate, the sky going from an opaque reddish hue back to it's familiar whitish blue. Smiling, more with the success of actually having stopped the blast than any actual happiness, Zeon turned to his three remaining men, giving them a nod. "You guys, go find the other two. Tell them to quit crying and get back here pronto." The three saluted, turning and running off. One swayed slightly, a feline tail zipping about excitedly behind him as he caught his stance. Shaking his head at the retreating trio, Zeon turned his attention to the blast radius, which had only missed him by about four feet. Whistling under his breath, the Lightning Lord walked to the edge, kneeling and taking a handful of dirt. Far above worry, he sighed. "White...where the hell are you?"

Miles from the blast, a cloaked figure's hood ruffled slightly in the wind. A peak of yellow hair peeked from underneath the hood as it was removed from the boy's face, revealing White, who, up until now, had been running on auto-pilot. His body wasn't his own any more, and he couldn't care less. He felt less worried now. The pain and resentment were gone. Now, he felt...powerful! Alive! Living day to day, not worrying about the consequences. He didn't have a mom. He had no father who would scold him when he was home. He had no worries or cares. He was his own demon!

His feet stopped moving, and he gave the cave in front of him a look. Inside, he could see opalescent eyes, staring at him from within. The eyes were joined by others, which in turn were joined by more. The cave was suddenly alive with motion, and in a moment, three demons stepped out. Two were from the Robotic-tribe, metallic bodies clanking as they walked. The third was a Dragon-tribe member, busty body rippling, brown hair pouring from his head, muscles in evidence from tip of nose to end of tail. The three watched White with disdain. The one on the left, a Robotic-tribe male of large build, two twin rocket launchers on each shoulder, a repeating laser built into the front of his metal chest.

Eyes made of glassine orbs, the Robot smiled, metal teeth gleaming in the dull sunlight. "So...what have we here...eep."

The other, a smallish male robotic, nodded, hopping onto the larger ones shoulder. "I dunno, Dekma. It looks like we have a small, itty-bitty problem, yes?"

"It looks that way to me, Fargo...eep."

White smiled, waving a hand at them. "Hi! I'm White. You are Fargo, and Dekma! Pleased to...to meet you!" He smiled wider as the dragon-tribe male slowly walked his way to where White stood.

Kneeling down, the dragon male placed a hand on White's head, smiling his own feral grin. "So, little man. What do you want, huh?"

White blinked at the enormous size of the dragon, and then at the robots. "Um...I don't really know. I came here...for...something..."

"He is a spy!...eep." The large robots weapons suddenly moved, facing White's direction. "I say we blow him up right now!...eep."

"No no no. Don't blow him up...yet." The smaller robot clinked and clacked as it jumped from the shoulders of the larger one, landing on the ground and facing White. "I want to see what this kid can do. Something tells me...that he's really powerful."

"What! This little pipsqueak!?...eep."

Slowly, White's eyes glinted, narrowing. "Don't call me that. It's not nice..."

The robot male blinked, and then guffawed, and then outright burst into raucous laughter. Could it believe it's ears? The small White, challenging it, the mighty and robust robot-lord, Dekma? "You couldn't possibly want to tangle with me, little man...eep!" The laser twirled, sending glaring-white blasts at the small boy. Immediately, a hand came up, deflecting each shot ably and sending them flying in all directions. Undeterred, the robot sighted in with his missle-guidance system, disconnecting two of his rockets and sending them blasting forward. White shot forward, kicking one up into the sky, and at the same instant, kicking the other into the ground. The first erupted into a chasm of fire, the second detonated five feet under the dirt, putting up a small wave of energy, but hardly anything else. White landed lightly, standing up straight and staring at the robot, who, for other-words, was non-plussed at the moment.

White smiled. His hand came from beneath his robe, and he bent over, picking up a stick. Slowly, with meaning, he brushed aside the hand of the dragon-male, walking the few short spaces to where the two robot males stood. Arms outstretched, he pushed and prodded the smaller male away. When he was a fair distance off, White returned, taking the stick and creating a line between the two of them. There they stood, the insignificant White, facing the towering robot Dekma, who stood at least three heights over him. Smiling again, White indicated the line. "If you feel more powerful than I, step over the line...demon."

The robot again laughed, the eerie robotic monotone drifting through the still afternoon air. "Ha...ha...ha. You dare challenge the might of Dekma, little man?...eep. I will show you the power of Dekma!...eep." The demon robot's arms suddenly loosened, dropping to his sides. Suddenly, they came up at a ninety-degree angle, coming forward and going down at a forty-five, as tripod like projections. At the middle, the robot bent, the tripod forming. The head lifted, revealing a large, round hole in the middle of his chest, the opening pointed directly at White. The robot again began to laugh as a bluish light began to emit from the inside of the crevice. "Ha...ha...ha. You cannot escape the might of my Gazer Gun!" Bars on the side of the robot's body began to glow, slowly, creeping up to the tip of the gun. Suddenly, it blared, the siren emitted from the robot's own mouth. "Prepare to die, little man! Ha...ha...ha! Fire! GAZER GUN!"

With a loud whir, the gun exploded, covering White's body with a powerful, white light. The dragon and other robot began to laugh as the all-encompassing light swathed the land, sweeping dirt, trees, rocks, and vegetation from the landscape.

The robot Fargo held it's metallic sides, quivering in mirth. "Ha...ha...ha. This is too much! I haven't had this much fun in years!"

Just as suddenly as it began, the beam stopped, ending with a pooft of energy. In it's wake, a large rift was formed, at least forty feet in length, nothing in its midst, stripped bear of anything but scorched earth. As his beam subsided, the robot Dekma also began to laugh, noticing that White was nowhere to be seen. "That was far too powerful! I should have used a weaker beam! Ha...ha...ha!...eep."

"I would disagree..." said an all too-familiar voice. The robot male didn't even have time to glance to his left as a foot connected with his head, sending him sprawling head over leg over arm. In a disgraced heap, he was left to watch as White walked the short distance to where he lay, arm held over him. "You should have used a bigger beam...that was pathetic." White's own arm began to glow, emitting a strange light that, even knocked as senseless as a robot can be knocked, Dekma could tell was far stronger than the strongest beam he could produce with his Gazer Gun.

An arm reached in, grasping Whites. "That's enough, young man. You have made your point. Please...don't kill him. He was only protecting the clan."

White sneered at him, but relinquished his attack. Lowering his arm, he motioned at the cave. "Robot-clan, dragon-clan...who and what else is in there?"

The dragon-tribe member sighed, scratching its head. "Some beast-clan members, some from the vegetation family. A few of this and that. We all depose the rule of such an inferior leader. This...Gash. He may be from the Lightning Royal Family, but he is still just an infant. We know of his past. His own father and mother despise him. He is worthless, a nobody. He was raised by farmers, by a maid. He went to school as a simple demon child. He is stupid, and has no power. He is not a fit ruler, and we will bring him from the throne of power into the blackness of eternity."

White watched as the dragon male continued to work himself into a frenzy. Slowly, he smiled, nodding. "I understand. Tell me, what would you do if...say...a powerful leader led you to glory and victory against this...Gash?"

The dragon male smiled, gnashing wicked, yellow teeth together. "We would follow a worthy leader to the death. As long as this Gash of the Royal Family was deposed, and our choice sat upon the throne, then it would be worth one-thousand deaths."

The boy in the cloak smiled up at the dragon in tatters. A white hand reached for a green one, and together, they made a pact. "Very well...dragon. I will be your leader. I will lead you to glorious victory against this Gash of the Royal Family. We will bathe in his blood. After, you will be my trusted advisor. Tell me, what is your name? What do you wish for me to call you?"

The dragon-male smiled once more. "Uguru. My name...is Uguru."

"My name is White. Uguru. It is a strong name. A name that will strike fear into the hearts of those who oppose us."

Uguru sniffed, standing straight and tall. Reaching down, he plucked White from the ground, setting him on his shoulder as the dragon-tribesman began striding towards the cave mouth. White smiled into the sun. "This is a good day. Very peaceful. I like you, Uguru. You're now my chief advisor."

"There are others who would follow us. From the dragon-tribe, the robot-tribe, canine and feline tribes. Many of them. Many who have resentment in their hearts," Uguru said, still walking towards the cave.

White nodded. "There always is, Uguru. I will unite them all. After a time, when our power is consolidated and my reign is unopposed, I will take this world. Demon-city will fall, by fire and by destruction. Those who fight me will die. The Royal Family...will spray the city with its blood." And the golden child, the one who's book turned golden, the one who destroyed me...he will die!

On the throne of the Royal Family, Gash could feel a cold seep into him. His heart pounded in his chest, and he gripped it with a tinge of pain. It...it can't be. This...this feeling I'm having. This...this isn't the first time. The first time...

He gulped, glancing at the window. I wish...I wish you were here, Kiyomaro-kun. I miss you...so much. You, Suzuki...I even miss Wife. Oh...how I miss you.

Turning to Earth, who was sitting silently in a chair near the throne watching his progress, Gash sighed. "Unu. Earth-san. Please find Umagon, Tio, Kyanchome, and Brago. I need them. Please."

Earth's eyebrow rose, but he stood, bowing. "Yes, my lord. I will go at once." Quickly, the knight departed, leaving Gash forlorn in the throne room.

Gash sighed again. "This won't end well. Zeon, I hope you have good news."

Walking back from the Dragon-Clan's border, Zeon sighed. "I hope you have good news for me, brother. I have none for you."

It was going to be a very long, one-thousand year rule.

Next Chapter: Speaking of Kiyomaro, how is life back in the human world? It has been nearly three years now, and although Gash is still new at being a ruler, Kiyomaro is getting fed up with life in school. He has been bumped to last year, but his friends are all one year behind him. How is he coping? Is he thinking of Gash to? Or just wondering how his life could be any worse? Next chapter: Friends From Afar! See you there!