The Soul Within

*blushes* Thanks Darkphoenix. I enjoy your work too.

***

It was a typical day in the Vatican. Clergy bustled around the momentous buildings, going about their business as the sun warned the sprawling ground, quiet voices mixing with the occasional snatch of laughter and birds singing pleasantly. In the main audience chamber, His Holiness, Pope Alessandro XVII, sat on his throne-like chair, almost swamped by his white Robes of State as he clutched his staff like it was the only thing keeping him from bolting from the room. Below him, seated in a lesser chair, was his half sister, Cardinal Catarina Sforza, head of the Department of Foreign Affairs, while their mutual half brother, Cardinal Francesco di Medici paced before them both, bellowing again.

Only through long practice and years of similar meetings kept Catarina from showing any emotion as she listened to her equal shout, his voice echoing through the large chamber to ensure everyone could hear him. Her head was starting to ache and part of her had to wonder if Francesco was going to loose his voice this time while a larger part wished he would just stop bellowing for Alessandro’s sake. Her heart ached for the teenaged pope who flinched each and every time Francesco turned towards him, voice still raised. She wished there was something she could do to inspire confidence in the gentle teenager, but each time she tried, Francesco was there with his bellowing demands to undo her gentle lessons.

Today’s subject that had started the bellowing sermon almost a half hour ago was the message they had received from Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Augusta Vradica of the True Human Empire wishing to open channels to discus a peace treaty and trade agreement with various human nations. A representative of the Germanic Kingdoms and one from Albion stood in the room with bored expressions on their faces as they listened to Francesco recite the reasons why the Methuselahs were not to be trusted.

“Oh, shut up already,” drawled a husky female voice, breaking through the tirade, and Catarina’s eyes were drawn to the back of the room where an unfamiliar person stood, illuminated by a beam of sunlight. The soft chiming of tiny bells filled the stunned silence as the person strolled down the red carpet that ran the length of the room, and Catarina was able to start picking out details about the person.

Long black hair tumbled around slender shoulders in thick curls from the high ponytail it was pulled up into, and a lush female figure was encased in a white toga so sheer that Catarina had to wonder why the person even bothered wearing it. But it was the very obviously male organ between the person’s legs that made Catarina slightly curious about the stranger. A large golden sun was hanging from a harness made of thick chains between the voluptuous breasts and golden bangles encased delicate wrists while small gold chains decorated with tiny bells wrapped around slender ankles.

Catarina rose from her chair and placed herself between the stranger and her younger brother who was blushing bright red from embarrassment at the pure sensuality and sexuality the stranger seemed to radiate. She took a breath to ask the person what their business was and how they managed to get past the guards that surely would have stopped them when Francesco found his voice again.

“Heretic! How dare you enter these Sacred Grounds dressed like that!” he bellowed, his eyes popping out of his head as he stared at the stranger. “Guards! Escort this woman out of His Holiness’ presence and find the person responsible for her being here!”

The possible woman ignored Francesco as she sashayed up past Catarina to lean over and pinch Alessandro’s red cheek. “Aren’t you a cutie? You remind me of my nephew before he grew up." She released Alessandro’s cheek and signed as she straightened back up. “Then he got all grumpy until I gave him a monkey.”

“Who are you and what is your business with His Holiness?” Catarina asked, moving to stand behind the stranger. She wanted to stand between her brother and this strange woman again to protect him from any danger, but the woman was too close to him.

“I’m here to keep a balance, Blondie,” drawled the woman, turning to face Catarina who deliberately ran her grey eyes over the stranger.

“Balance,” she mused as if tasting the word on her tongue. “Shall I assume that is your one appropriate trait?”

That got a full throated laugh out of the woman. “Among other things,” she said, her red lips stretching into a smirk. “I could get to like you.”

“I’m flattered,” Catarina replied in a droll tone.

“Hussy! Jezebel! Pontifar’s Wife!” shrieked Francesco, pointing at the stranger. “Painted woman!”

That got a snort and slender arms folded across the generous chest. “I’m not a woman. Now hush child while the adults talk.”

Unable to help herself, Catarina looked down at the male organ quite visible before returning her gaze to slate blue eyes. “I would say that’s obvious.”

Laughter rang out again from the stranger. “Amazing what some people refuse to see, isn’t it? Shall we be about my business then?”

Catarina quietly motioned for the guards to escort the nearly foaming Francesco to his quarters as she turned to the messengers. “We will continue our discussion once Cardinal di Medici has recovered,” she announced with a slight nod of respect to both of them. The messengers bowed back before leaving and Catarina faced the stranger once more to find that she had turned Francesco’s throne-like chair around and was casually sprawling in it, long legs thrown over the arm. “We have not been formally introduced. This is His Holiness, Pope Alessandro XVII, and I am Cardinal Catarina Sforza.”

The other simply smiled and waved for Catarina to resume her seat after she had turned it to face the woman. “Kanzeon Bosatsu, Goddess of Mercy and Compassion.”

***

Se smiled when the child pope squeaked again, his soft gray eyes large as he stared firmly at hir face. “Why are you here?”

Unable to help hirself, se reached out and brushed his brown bangs out of his face. “Someone’s decided to upset the balance in what you call the Desolate Lands, and I need help to put it right.”

“But can’t you just snap your fingers and it’s fixed?” Alessandro asked, his voice so naively innocent that se was once more reminded of Konzen when he had been little and asking questions like that. Se still didn’t know what had happened to turn hir bright nephew into an Ice Princess, and se had a feeling se never would.

“It doesn’t work that way, kiddo,” se apologized with a small smile, shifting to curl hir legs next to hir as se leaned an elbow on the arm of hir borrowed chair. “The gods, even your Jehova, can only do so much to help their followers, but the rest is up to you mortals.” Se winked at Alessandro, getting a deeper blush from the boy. “I’m just bending the rules a bit.”

“How can His Holiness and the Vatican help you?” asked the pretty cardinal, and Kanzeon smirked as se turned hir attention away from the young boy.

“A new player has barged his way into a game that’s been going on for a while,” se stated with a casual wave of a hand. “And frankly, I’m annoyed that this Cain Nightlord and his Rosen Kruenz Order crashed the party.”

Sforza growled, her eyes flashing as she leaned forward in her chair. “What do you need? I can have agents ready in a matter of minutes and the Iron Maiden prepped to go in about half an hour.”

Se held up a hand to stop the flow of offers from the blonde. “I only need Father Abel Nightroad.”

That brought Sforza up short, and she blinked surprised grey eyes at the goddess. “Are you sure you won’t need more agents?”

“More would only get in the way,” Kanzeon assured the pretty cardinal, and Sforza nodded before turning slightly away to touch her ear and hold a quiet conversation.

A few seconds later, Sforza’s hand dropped from her ear and she turned back to kanzeon, a curious expression on her face. “How much do you know about Father Nightroad?”

Another laugh slipped out of hir. This was definitely an amusing visit if nothing else. “Enough that I’m very excited to meet him.”

Sforza rose to her feet with Alessandro scrambling to his, apparently unwilling to be left alone. “We should move this discussion to some place more private. If you would be kind enough to follow us to His Holiness’ office...”

Rising to hir feet in a single graceful movement that had made more than one naga jealous, Kanzeon motioned for them to proceed hir before casually dropping an arm around Alessandro’s shoulders. The boy jumped before calming enough to walk down the hallway to an ornate office, and he quickly slid behind the large desk, looking very much like a child playing at being a grown up, reminding hir of Nataku, who wanted to be so much more than the killing doll his father forced him to be.

Sforza stood at the corner of the large desk just as their was a polite knock on the door before Father Abel Nightroad slipped in, quietly shutting the door behind him. Kanzeon let hir eyes drift over him as se took in his appearance for the first time. Long silver hair was caught up in a ponytail with a black ribbon while tired blue eyes peered out at the world from behind rimless glasses. But the soul se could feel beating with his heart was the same one she had thrown back onto the Wheel of Life, Death, and Rebirth.

War Prince Nataku was looking fine, if a bit tired emotionally, but se thought he had never been more of a sight for sore eyes.

Nataku - no, Father Abel, se corrected hirself, not wanting to slip this early into the game - opened his mouth to greet the others when his gaze fell on Kanzeon, and his eyes grew large behind his glasses as he started at hir in shock. “Sweet Merciful Goddess.”

Laughing, Kanzeon reached out and ruffled his bangs as se had a thousand times in his previous life. “Glad to see you too, kiddo.”

“Father Nightroad, it has been brought to our attention that the Contra Mundi has turned his attention to the Desolate Lands,” began Sforza, evoking a low growl from Abel as his attention switched to her. “Your assistance has been requested to help stop him and any of his followers. Permanently.”

He closed his eyes briefly as if trying to shove his emotional exhaustion away, and he straightened before opening his eyes. “This will be a long term assignment then?” he asked, and he sighed softly when Sforza nodded. “May I borrow Sister Kate’s transmitter for a few minutes?”

“Of course,” agreed Sforza without hesitation, her hand rising to her ear again, and Kanzeon wondered what was going on when a small blonde woman in a white habit appeared in the office, her holographic image shimmering in the air.

Oh, this was going to be interesting.

***