ZENKIRELLA by Taisa http://dungeon.taisa-labs.com/ Original story: Sunday, December 10, 2000 Zenkirella spends his days being ordered around by his Stepmasters of Evil. Secretly, though, he dreams of going to the Shikigami Ball and becoming the servant of Princess Chiaki. With the help of his old friend Goki, a small army of rodents, his fairy godfather Inugami, and a princess who believes in his potential, it may just be possible! ********** "Zenkireeeeeeeellaaaaaaa~" called Stepmistress Karma in a sing- songy tone. Zenkirella stirred from his sleep by the fireplace. "Zenkirella!" came the more impatient voice of Stepmaster Guren. Zenkirella rolled and picked his nose, half-conscious. "Zenkirella?!" echoed from Stepmistress Anju's chamber. Zenkirella flicked his findings into the fireplace. "Zenkirella???" yelled Stepmaster Gohra, shocked that he had not yet been brought his morning 'paper' -- "The Jubblies Journal." A *burst* of light and heat sprayed from the fireplace. Whatever Zenkirella had found in his nose was apparently highly flammable. "ZENKIRELLA!!!!" they barked in unison. Zenkirella hopped to his feet and scrambled to put out the fire in his hair. He ran out into the barnyard and dunked his head into the horses' water trough. Dripping and smoking, he trudged back into the kitchen, greeted by the resounding reverberations of his step family -- the Masters of Evil. "ZEN-KI-REL-LA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" "Coming, Masters!!!" Zenkirella hollered out to them in his most pleasant tone. Then he proceeded to mumble under his breath, "Stupid Stepmasters... Just you wait and see... One day, I'll be a big demon lord... I'll have a new master... And then I'll eat ALL your freshly butchered livers... I AM ZENKIRELLA-*SAMA*!!!!" "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Guren bellowed from afar. Whoopsies. That last part came out a little louder than expected. "Uh... Uh.... Nothing, dear Stepmaster Guren!" "NO, I HEARD YOU SAY SOMETHING! WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" "I... uh... I said... I LOVE MENSTRUATING LLAMAS!--- Uh... No, wait!" "ARE YOU HIDING A LLAMA FROM ME???" yelled Guren, shocked that Zenkirella would conceal such bestial devices of pleasure from him. "BAD SAVE, ZENKIRELLA!!" Gohra chastized. "IF YOU STEAL INCENSE, YOU WILL SMELL OF IT, ZENKIRELLA! MISTRESS KARMA WILL MAKE SURE THAT THE NAIL WHICH STICKS OUT WILL BE KNOCKED IN!!!" Anju added. Zenkirella made his way up the stairs, balancing four break- fast trays on various body parts. First stop was Stepmaster Gohra's room. Stepmaster Gohra was in bed, discontentedly reading *yesterday's* edition of "The Jubblies Journal." There was only one article, "How to Tell the Difference Between Foam and Silicon in Just One Grope," and Gohra was getting tired of pretending to be reading it when it had 20 full-color pages of photos and illustrations, of which Mistress Karma disapproved. Zenkirella tried keep the tray balanced as he lowered it into Gohra's lap, but he still spilled a slight amount of Gohra's special morning juice blend -- Mandrake and Viagra -- on the leopard-print blankets. "Watch it, Zenkirella! I have my vibrator under there, and I hate when it short-circuits when it turns me on-- I mean when I turn IT on!" Next was Anju's room. If there was one thing Zenkirella hated in the morning, it was the incessant metaphors and proverbs of Stepmistress Anju. "Careful with my tray, Zenkirella!" Anju cautioned him as she bounced up and down in front of her 'Buns of Steel' video, her breasts held barely by her spandex bodysuit. "Sorry, Stepmistress Anju." "Hmph. There's no point in scrunching up the buttocks after passing wind! Don't forget that a monkey in haste will grab sour fruit." Zenkirella wondered, as he set the tray down on Anju's table, if Stepmistress Anju knew about Gohra's peep-hole through the eyes of the Fairytale Prince Sohma painting on her wall. On his way out, Zenkirella muttered, "Speaking of grabbing fruit, I wonder if you know about Gohra's interest in your melons..." "WHAT WAS THAT, ZENKIRELLA??" Anju barked back quickly, freezing Zenkirella in the doorway. "Uh... Um... I, uh, said, that, uh... You know what's a real hoot? I wonder if little girls know that I'm an escaped felon!" "... You can go now, Zenkirella." He continued to Guren's room. Zenkirella entered without knocking, and though Guren yelled and screamed a great deal, Zenkirella was not surprised to find his Stepmaster 'training' one of his Possession Beasts 'differently' under the satin bed covers. Last, to Mistress Karma's room he went. He set down the tray and was about to leave, when her voice halted him. "Zenkirella, talk to the Dark Goddess for a moment." Zenkirella grit his teeth, and turned around once more to face her, smiling big and wide. "Yes, Stepmistress?" When Karma had first moved in, Zenkirella was actually confused when she repeatedly referred to 'the Dark Goddess' -- because as far as he knew, Karma was the only one. He soon realized that Karma had never been taught the proper use of personal pronouns, and when she spoke of 'the Dark Goddess,' it was her pointlessly long way of saying 'I' or 'me.' "Zenkirella, when Enno Ozuno died 1200 years ago, was it not the Dark Goddess who took you in?" "Um..." "Yes, it was. Don't pause to think about it again," she warned and then coughed discreetly. "Was it not also the Dark Goddess who has kept you fed and clothed all these years?" Zenkirella looked down at his old, tattered armor and listened to his stomach growl. "Um..." "Why must you always disobey the Dark Goddess, Zenkirella?!" "Um..." "Enough! The Dark Goddess is sending the Buddhist Priests home early today, and you shall complete their chores, as well as your own, as punishment for your contempts of the the Dark Goddess this morning. So mote it be!" "...." Jukai and Kuribayashi perfected their point-and-laugh technique as they passed Zenkirella at the Tree of Karma on their way into town for their day off. Zenkirella muttered something about his sealed form and continued picking weeds that were growing around the Tree. And weeds that grew around the Tree of Karma were no simple matter -- there was a good reason Stepmistress Karma needed Buddhist Priests skilled in the art of charms and exorcism to do her gardening. "Do you dare challenge me, Puny Demon?" one weed imputed. "I shall eat your freshly butchered spleen!" another declared. "You are nowhere near capable of striking me!" a third claimed. "Yah, yah, yah..." *pluck*pluck*pluck* "Ow! Shit! Damn! Stop biting me, you little bastards!!" Zenki spun and thumped back against the Tree, causing it to shake and loosening a Seed from its branch. The Seed fell into the ready jaws of a sadistic weed. "OH, CRAP!!" The weed munched happily and then announced, "I desire to destroy the gardener!!!!" before growing 10 times in size, beefing up, and uprooting itself. It lunged at Zenkirella -- could this be the end? "I CAST THE SPELL TO CALL FORTH THE DEMON LORD! Go forth, Goki, and vanquish the Beast!" "Hai, Master!" Zenkirella was saved by a shining blue demon lord... or maybe it was a demon lady, he couldn't really tell. This demon looked familiar to him, though... could it possibly be...? "Goki...?" Zenkirella uttered with a hush. "Hm? Why, if it isn't!--Zenki-san?! Look at you!! You're so... so... unimpressive... not to mention unbathed... but that was always pretty typical. 1200 years sure hasn't changed you much!" "'Zenki-*sama*' to you, dork." "Who are you working for now, Zenki-san?" "Karma and the Masters of Evil." "Ooh, yuck, that's too bad. My master is Princess Enno Chiaki!" "*gasp!* You mean... Enno Ozuno's descendant who was so powerful that the town of Shikigami-cho adopted a system of royal hierarchy just so they could make her their princess?!??!?!" "Yup. The same one!" "Hot damn!" "You know, Zenki-san. I've really missed you. And it pains me to see you reduced to such... well... actually your surroundings suit you pretty well, but that doesn't mean I can't be pained." "......" "Anyway," Goki continued, "I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. Don't tell anyone yet, because it hasn't been officially announced, but there's going to be a Shikigami Ball soon, where it is said that Princess Chiaki will select a creature from her kingdom to be her new whipping boy and total slave! If you show up, I'll put in a good word for you, but you'll have to prove your worth in battle!" "My worth in battle? In my SEALED form!??!?" "Yah-huh. Why not give it a try?" "Dunno if my Stepmasters will allow me to go..." "Ooh, bummer. Well, see you there or not, it's no wedgie in my ass. Spectacular Tree of Utter Evil, by the way -- you've groomed it nicely. Very bonsai." "Goki!" Princess Chiaki called out to him, "Come! There is much evil to vanquish before supper! Stop humoring the hired help!" Zenkirella looked past Goki to Princess Chiaki, and he beheld the most beautiful Mistress in the entire world... Then again, his only basis for comparison really was Stepmistress Karma and Stepmistress Anju, and while at least Anju had some charm, it was not so prevalent without a wet shirt. "Hai, Master!" Goki replied, leaping to her side and joining her on her way. "You must be joking..." a weed taunted Zenkirella once Goki and Chiaki had vanished from sight. It had noted the look of hope and wonderment on his face. "A worthless little dirt-covered demon like you... serving under Princess Chiaki?!" "How positively silly, Gertrude!" the weed next to it chuckled. "Just think about it, Mildred! Isn't that the wildest?" "You're making me laugh! Oh, stop!" *pluck*pluck* Zenkirella didn't complete his garden duties until late, and when dinner was late he was given a few extra chores before being allowed some time to himself. He scaled the steps to the chilly attic and began digging through old chests. "I gotta find something suitable to battle in... These old rags won't do... Not before her highness, Princess Chiaki..." Zenkirella sighed at the glorious thought of serving under Princess Chiaki, sat down a moment, and yawned. Zenkirella didn't know exactly when he'd fallen asleep. But he knew exactly when he woke up. "ZENKIRELLA!!!!!" they called, breaking the beautiful silence of the morning. "Damnit," he cursed under his breath. "I need to make my armor! Goki said the Shikigami Ball would be soon!" Zenkirella trudged down the stairs towards the kitchen to begin his daily duties anew. As he left, a small armada of singing rodents and birds and other vermin came out of the walls and in through the windows. "Poor Zenkirelli," one rodent began. "Everytime he gets a minute, that's the time when they begin it. 'Zenkirelli,' 'Zenkirelli,'--" "ZENKIRELLA!!!!!!" Cue the song. "Zenkirelli, Zenkirelli, Nice-a day-a, Zenkirelli! 'Fix the fire,' 'Do the moppin',' They always always keep him hoppin'! He go around in circles 'til he very, very dizzy, Still they holler, 'Keep-a busy, Zenkirelli!'" "You know," another vermin interjected, "Zenkirelli ain't goin' to that ball. "What?" "What did you say?" "You heard me," the vermin continued. "He'll never have time to finish his armor." Communal sigh. Pause. "Hey!" a rodent realized, "*WE* can do it!" Cue the next song. "We can do it, We can do it! We can help our Zenkirelli! We'll make armor so pretty, There's nothing to it, really!" *********************************************************************** (At this point, DISNEY barges in and sues me. Completion of this fanfic is postponed, pending the court's ruling...) WHILE YOU WAIT... Zenki walked at her forcefully, and she instinctively took quick steps back, foolishly thinking he would simply run her over and keep going. Her back hit a wall. He thrust his arms forward, and his powerful palms slammed against the wall on either side of her, boxing her in, the way he had been boxed in stone all those years. Trapped. Unable to move until someone released him. He was so close that Chiaki could feel his breath beating down on her. "Do I frighten you?" There was no mockery in his tone, no joke. He wanted to know. He wanted to know how far he should take this. She felt herself becoming red and warm, and though she was afraid of the feeling... "No, Zenki. You don't frighten me." His arms slid down the walls as his muscles relaxed and he lurched toward her. In a quick and graceful movement, he undid the hooks on his armor and allowed it to drop the floor in a careless heap. His cotton shirt hung loosely outside his tattered pants. His bruised hands found her waist, his cut lips found her neck, and she tried to breathe, but couldn't. A horrible creature had been defeated... by Zenki... for her. He was in pain, but the pain only made him more aware. It kept him sane and it reminded him that he COULD feel. He was a demon, but he was not made of stone. He realized tonight that he would do anything for her. She was more dear to him than his own life, and more important to him than pain. They were inside each others' minds when they had formed the Demon Lord of Light. He learned what she wanted; she learned not to be afraid. And now, given a body of Light, he could undo his seals at any time. When Chiaki finally breathed, it was a moan. She pushed her hips away from the wall and into his. Her leg hooked around his back and held her closer to him. Her arms curled around him and grasped his firm, undulating shoulder blades. "Zenki..." Chiaki breathed. Zenki's eyes flashed white with pure power at the soft sound of her voice. His lips locked onto hers, and he finally kissed her. Chiaki's hands flustered and fidgeted with the knot holding Zenki's pants up. His hands ran down the length of her hips, and he slouched to grip the backs of her bare thighs. With one rough tug, he pulled her legs around his waist and brought her up to level with him. It took one hand and very little effort to tear off her panties. There were so many things about his past which he had forgotten. But he would make sure he would never forget this night. THIS JUST IN! (No pun intended...) (In consideration of the adult-related content of this fanfic, DISNEY has decided not to sue. They do not want to be in any way related to it anymore and have agreed to allow me to continue so long as the vermin stop singing.) *********************************************************************** The vermin, who all spontaneously became mute, worked dilligently (yet silently) on Zenki's armor for the Shikigami Ball. After breakfast, Stepmistress Karma ordered Zenkirella to clean the entire mansion, upstairs and down, while she schooled Gohra, Anju, and Guren in the ways of Evil. Zenkirella was finally almost done, with only the main hall's floor to scrub. But Lulupapa, Karma's detestable pet demon, came bounding along, sat its furry pink rear in the dustpan, and bounced all over the main hall, leaving trails of dirt in its wake. "AAAHHH!! YOU LITTLE PINK BASTARD!!!" Zenkirella cried when he finally observed the damage. His eyes flashed red, and he flung his wash rag with startling accuracy. The rag hit Lulupapa with enough force to knock the fuzzy pink aberration unconscious. Zenkirella was about to begin hopping up and down on its limp, pink body, when the doorbell rang. Zenkirella, smelly and covered in dirt and dust, opened the door to a royal messenger. The plump, stout fellow held his head high and thrust his arm forward, holding a pristine envelope with the royal seal. "This is an official message from the royal palace. Please see to it immediately." "Uh... whatever." Zenki took the envelope and slammed the door in the messenger's face. Zenkirella turned the envelope in his hands and gave it a sniff. Ah, there were traces of Princess Chiaki on it! It had definitely come from her home! He decided, against his better judgement, to interrupt the Evil lessons upstairs and give the letter to Stepmistress Karma 'immediately,' as the messenger had requested. Karma spun and yelled "WHAT IS IT?!" when Zenkirella knocked on the door. Guren had just showed Karma his newly-'trained' Beast, and she was far from impressed with it. Zenkirella entered. "Pardon me, Stepmistress, but this just arrived from the royal palace." He held out the envelope to her. "OOH, GIVE IT HERE! GIVE IT TO ME!" Gohra, Anju, and Guren all yelped and jumped for it. Karma zapped them with a lightning spell. "NO! The Dark Goddess shall read it." She took the envelope and opened it up. "It says... 'To the Evil Beings of the household: There shall a be a ball tomorrow night in honor of Princess Chiaki, where she shall select a creature from her kingdom to become her newest shikigami. By royal demand, all eligible demons must attend.'" Zenkirella's eyes glazed over with love-love hopes. "Princess Chiaki wants a new shikigami?! Ooh, I've always wanted to live in the palace!" declared Gohra. "I'm so eligible!" Anju announced. "And can you imagine how many more Beasts she'll encounter than we get here?!?!??!" Guren seethed. "How exciting!" Karma commented. "One of you three must definitely become Princess Chiaki's new shikigami." "Uh... what about me?" Zenkirella asked. "What ABOUT you?" Guren replied. "Well, it says by 'royal demand, ALL eligible demons must attend'," Zenkirella reminded them. "Ew, but you're all dirty," Gohra gagged. "I could take a bath!" "Like you know how," Guren doubted. "Ha!" Anju laughed. "Even when the samurai has not eaten, he holds his toothpick high!" "ENOUGH!" Karma zapped them again. "Zenkirella is right. And the Dark Goddess will allow you to attend the Shikigami Ball, Zenkirella, if you behave yourself and finish all your chores on time." "WHAT!??!" the Masters of Evil responded. "Oh, thank you, Stepmistress Karma! I will!" Zenkirella assured her as he skipped out the door and closed it behind himself. "Mistress Karma! Too many skippers will bring the boat to the mountain!" Anju insisted. "... What the hell does that mean?" Guren asked. "Take it easy, Children of Karma. The Dark Goddess said 'if'..." "Oh... 'if'..." they all smirked. Karma and the Masters of Evil kept Zenkirella busy with washing and mending and helping them get ready for the Shikigami Ball. Poor Zenkirella had no time at all to work on his armor, and before he knew it... "The carriage has arrived, Stepmistress Karma," Zenkirella informed sadly. "Why, Zenkirella. You're not ready for the ball!" Karma feigned surprise. "I'm... not going." "Ah, that's too bad. Sniffle. Come along, Gohra, Guren, Anju!" And with that, Zenkirella's Stepmasters left. Zenkirella crawled up the stairs to the attic weakly. He went to the window and watched the carriage go riding away towards the royal palace and towards Princess Chiaki. He sighed. Then Zenkirella felt something crawling on his feet. He looked down and saw the dilligent little rodents which had completed his armor for the ball! Of course, Zenkirella didn't know this, and the rodents were all mute, so they couldn't tell him. "EW! GROSS! VERMIN!!" Zenkirella screamed as he grabbed a broom and killed them all. Zenkirella sighed again and looked back out the window. A soft glow from behind caught his attention, though. He turned in time to see a beautiful, blond boy and a purple dog transmigrate into view! "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Zenkirella screeched. "I'm you're fairy godfather!" Inugami announced. "... You got the 'fairy' part right! Damn, you're almost as girly as Goki!" "Silence, Demon!" Inugami warned as Kokutei ran up and bit his knee. "Ow! Hairy little bastard! What do you want?" "Only to help you. Now if you'll just shut up and listen for a moment, I'll sing the magic words which will make all your wishes come true!" "... But I don't wanna hear you sing, you freak." "Fine. You know what? That's just fine. I didn't wanna be the fairy godfather anyway. Come, Kokutei, we're leaving!" The house shook as the light faded, and Inugami and Kokutei disppeared. But the shaking had caused the doors of the closet where the rodents had hidden Zenkirella's armor to creak open! Zenkirella gasped upon seeing the wonderful new armor. "Oh, wow! He really WAS my fairy godfather!" Zenkirella got dressed quickly and threatened a neighborhood carriage-driver with a Seed of Karma he'd stolen from the Tree. The carriage-driver was, under the circumstances, more than happy to take Zenkirella to the royal palace. Princess Chiaki was getting really bored. She hadn't seen any creatures which would make suitable shikigami yet. None had passed the test of worth. "Next," Goki announced, "Guren, youngest of the house of Karma!" Guren stepped forward and into the battle arena set up in the center of the room. "Release the Beast!" Chiaki yawned. A watery Beast with no solid body came rolling out of its cage once released. Guren tried to molest it, but was overcome. The Beast was driven back into its cage, and Guren was carried out of the arena. "That was pathetic..." Chiaki muttered. "Next," Goki announced, "Anju, daughter of the house of Karma!" Anju entered the arena. "Release the Beast!" Chiaki repeated hoarsely. She was starting to lose her voice. The watery Beast flowed at her, and Anju tried to freeze it with a snow spell, which was stopped... by a force outside the arena! The water continued, undaunted, and assaulted her. "Heh heh heh..." Gohra laughed under his breath. "Her shirt's all wet..." His spell had been the one which countered hers. Anju was borne from the arena, and the Beast caged once more. Chiaki shook her head as all the males in the palace cried for the wet-shirted one to be brought back out. "Next," Goki announced, "Gohra, eldest of the house of Karma!" Gohra hopped into the arena, ready to kick ass. "Eeeeew!" Chiaki squealed. "He's old! I don't want HIM to be my shikigami! Get him out of here!" Karma hung her head in shame as Gohra was physically removed from the arena. All hope was gone for her family. Goki turned apologetically to Chiaki. "Master, it appears that they were the last. You must choose one." "... Kami-sama save me..." Chiaki pleaded. "WAIT!" Zenkirella came barging in, wearing his shining new armor, a look of determination all over his face. "I WISH TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TEST OF WORTH FOR THE RIGHT TO SERVE UNDER PRINCESS CHIAKI!!!" Karma gasped in disbelief. "Wow... that one looks intense!" Chiaki said. "Who is he, Goki??" Goki grinned. Zenki made it afterall. "Next!" Goki announced proudly, "Zenki, formerly of the house of Enno Ozuno!" "He's one of Ozuno-sama's old demons?!" Chiaki asked excitedly. "Zenki! Please enter the arena, and prepare yourself!" Zenkirella ran through the crowd and leaped into the arena, landing on one knee and the opposite hand. He looked up sharply and dramatically to Princess Chiaki, whose eyes were sparkling with admiration. _She_wants_me..._ he thought. _She_definitely_wants_me..._ _Damn,_I'm_cool!!_ Karma's eyes went wide. Princess Chiaki looked much more interested in Zenkirella than she had in any of the others. Would Zenkirella earn her family a place in the palace? Karma was ecstatic. "Release the Beast!" Chiaki commanded. The watery Beast ebbed forward one last time. Zenkirella was suddenly struck with the realization that he had no idea how he was going to do this in his sealed form. Chiaki noted the "oh, shit" look on Zenkirella's face, and she made a decision. _I_will_help_this_one._I_believe_in_him._ From seemingly nowhere, the Spell of Flames formed in Zenkirella's hand. The little fireball danced in his palm, and Zenkirella was hit with inspiration. He turned to the watery Beast fiercely, held up his palm as the thing charged towards him, and he waited until just the right moment. When the Beast was close enough, Zenkirella blew his nose, and flammable snot flew through the flame, striking the Beast like a gigantic inferno! The Beast sizzled, fizzled, steamed, and was no more. Zenkirella had won!!! But he wondered where the fire had come from. He looked up to Princess Chiaki, victorious, and realized as she smiled knowingly that it had been her. They would make a wonderful team. Princess Chiaki descended from her throne, removed the seal on Zenkirella's body, and he became a true demon lord. He took her small hand in his, his other found the curve of her waist, and they danced the night away, while the teapot, Mrs. Potts, sang a sweet song about-- *********************************************************************** (DISNEY returns and decides that deciding not to sue me was a bad decision. I get taken for all I'm worth, and this fanfic will now have to be ended on a very small budget. Originally, there was going to be a three-season series following the adventures of Chiaki and Zenki after she became his master, and this story was going to end with a beautiful duet between them written by Jewel, and we were going to pay Chiaki and Zenki extra to get naked and have a steamy love scene, but all that is going to have to be cut now.) *********************************************************************** Karma fights her way through the crowd towards the dancing couple. "Zenkirella! The Dark Goddess is so very proud of you! Your Stepmasters and mistresses very much look forward to moving into the palace with you!" "Um..." "Zenkirella! Has the Dark Goddess not clothed and fed you for past 1200 years??" "Um..." "Zenkirella...?" "Heh heh heh..." Chiaki fumed. "How dare you interrupt us with your pathetic lies and sad attempts to become part of the royal family?! You want to move into the palace so badly? Fine, then! Goki!" Goki appeared at her side. "Hai, Master?" "Take this Dark Goddess and her horrible little Masters of Evil and banish them to the laundry rooms!" "Right away, Master!" "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo~" Karma screamed as she was dragged away to an eternity of dirty demon skid-marks. Zenkirella smiled to Chiaki and knew that this was just the beginning of a highly satisfying Master-Shikigami relationship. END.