Hikari - ara ara...

In the depths of a darkened building, in a room hidden at the very back, a woman sat peacefully on a chair, staring at the dried-up flakes of blood under her nails. Her hair was almost white, her eyes were crystal blue and her clothes looked expensive and beautiful. This woman is Hikari, she runs the biggest underground mafia in the world, the “H order”. She sighs as a man enters her room, intruding on her space. He walks towards her, but she whispers something, almost completely silent, and the man drops to his knees before her.

“Speak.” She says, a commanding look dominating her face. “The meeting is arranged, ma’am.” Hikari smiled and laughed a little. She had been waiting a long time for this news. Way too long.

“Perfect,” She replied. “Now you may go.” She whispers gently as the man gets up robotically and marches out of the door as if it is not his own brain that is forcing him to do so.

The king, the queen, all the people with influence, Hikari stood right next to them whispering sweetly in their ear. She smiled at this thought. There was no one she couldn’t persuade, given a little alone time. No one could stand against her when she wanted something. After conquering all of the humans from the underground, it was finally time to pursue the demon world. She was so powerful that she cackled a little in her room, before slowly standing and walking towards the door. On the way out she snatched up a small brown book that was rested on a table near the exit. She held the book in one hand as she opened the door with the other. Today was the day.

The book was the centre of her whispering hypnotic power, the “book of whispers”, so powerful one word etched in it could hold entire armies of humans under its command. The book user can enslave any human with just whispers. Something so dangerous yet great was held so important to Hikari, she would never let it out of her sight, not even for a second. If she did, she would go into a state of panic that just didn’t suit her calm and collected appearance.

She marched down the hallway with authority in every step, anyone who passed looked down to the floor to avoid her piercing gaze. She walked until she reached a door at the end of a corridor, where she could hear shouts and screams emitting from inside. Something was going on, so she didn’t want to disturb her. Hikari waited until the screams silenced, and then knocked gently on the door. “Sehen?” She called through the wood. There was no reply, but the door creaked open, swinging inwards. In its place stood a girl with eyes covering her body. Blood splattered on her mouth and her hands, dripping onto the floor beneath her in a little puddle. This was Hikari’s most favourite member. A new addition to the H order. “Mother’s going out,” Hikari said sweetly. Sehen nodded and smiled at her leader, before retreating back into the room, where Hikari was sure she could see the body of a man resting not so peacefully on the carpet. She smiled at Sehen one last time, then shut the door.

The car was waiting for her, outside past the extensive gardens. Tall bushes and trees towered over her as she walked past them. Nature and demons were the only thing she couldn’t command. “You know where to take me,” She said to the man who sat in the driver’s seat. He nodded as Hikari entered the car. She placed her book next to her and crossed one leg over the other as the car rolled out of the parking space. After a couple of hours of driving, they pulled into a long-cobbled drive lined with pine trees. It was one of those long roads that would lead to a great manor house or hotel. “We’re here, Ma’am,” Said the driver as he pulled up next to the gate and opened the door for Hikari.

She walked to the gate, holding her book in her hand, and as if she was being watched, the gate opened for her. She walked over the path that weaved through the lawn until she came face to face with a giant red front door. She held a hand up to knock but the door swung open before she touched it. “Miss Hikari,” A strangely tall man said. “We’ve been expecting you.” Hikari smiled widely, she loved this part. “I must ask you to leave all your belongings by the door –“ Hikari leaned in close, whispering directly into the man’s ear, having to stand on her tiptoes. “I’ll take my stuff with me.” The man shivered, stared at her, and then nodded.

She followed the tall man into the manor house, and they stopped outside a room. The man pushed the door open to reveal a purple shimmering mist that called out to the woman. “The princess waits for you in there. Miss Hikari, welcome to the demon realm.” She beamed and charged straight into the mist, watching it gather around her until she blinked and was in a new room entirely.

The walls burnt around her, and she stared into the eyes of a beautiful lady. Her hair was pink, her long scaly fingers were pointed, and two twisting horns protruded from her head. “You must be Hikari.” Said the demon princess, Oni-Hime. “And you must be the beautiful lady I’ve come to speak with,” Hikari replied. She pulled out the book and began to move in close to the princess. “And what have we got here?” Oni-Hime said sweetly, her blood-colored eyes staring into Hikari’s. “Didn’t Jasper tell you? No personal items in the fire palace.”, she smiled, “I know who you are, I also know what you do” The princess said sweetly, but with a threatening tone underneath. “I’ve seen the people you whisper to. They all go nuts, doing whatever you say right? –“ Hikari opened her book and turned to a page she knew well, placed a finger on a sentence in the black ink, and started whispering. “You are now under my command” She whispered so sweetly and softly to the demon princess, who just gave a knowing smile back to her. “That won’t work,” She said holding her smile. “You knew that wouldn’t work coming in here. We demons are more powerful that that pathetic book.” “I am aware of this,” Hikari replied, closing the book and smiling back at Oni-Hime. “I’ve come here to propose a deal.”

“I’m listening,” The demon replied.

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