Ly-ean Mafia Background

The story of Ly-ean Mafia starts with the Fourth Commander, Reca Maxwell. After she left her hometown, she traveled with not but the stars, and three companions. One dark night when she looked to the horizon, over the ocean waves a small wooden fixture stood, just barely enough to see. Curious, since she had never noticed it before, she swam out to sea for a closer look. When Reca reached the fixture, it could barely stand; wooden floorboards were torn, causing floods, crumbling walls of stone stood only enough to cover the area's perimeter, and seaweed coated it's entirety. Since in reality, she had no place else to go, she decided to remain there, turning it into a peaceful spot where she could relax.
After awhile, she started to fix it up; tearing down the stone walls and placing wooden ones, fixing the floor boards, planting bamboo and sakura trees, taking away the seaweed and adding furniture. Walls of thin rice-paper were constructed, for a desirable cool breeze, but she only placed them in the northeast and northwest, since the sun was the hottest from those directions. The place was beautiful and was the embodiment of perfection. The gardens she created added to the feeling of serenity, but friendship was missed, since the people she traveled with never seemed to fill the empty void in her heart. Using the great power of her mind, she created three robots, as sisters and brothers, but never ended up giving them names. More and more were added to the collection, but the first three were always her favorite. The one with a snotty attitude was never without her trusty shotgun. The second was always willing to talk and listen and the third was flirty and gross, but kind.
   Problems soon emerged, and she never seemed to be able to keep the giant building in perfect condition. The ocean never stopped flooding the rooms and the work soon became unbearable. So Reca fled with her companions, leaving everything behind; her building and robots.
   And so she once again took the path of a vagabond, but the sadness of leaving the building on the ocean grew strong, so she stayed far from the sea. One day she happened to stumble into a village, years after leaving the wooden fixture. The citizens were friendly and everything she could ever want was close at hand. She built herself a house in the branches of a jungle nearby, enjoying the quiet and the climate.
   Favoring the pub in the village, she visited it often. Reca enjoyed speaking with the drunken people that lounged around, and dancing on the tables and counter, kicking alcohol into the buyer's faces, but the bartender was her main attraction. His name was Insuwaru. He had great stories to tell her; of his family, past and friends, but something in the story was never quite touched. He told her he came from the Ly-ean Family and the Japanese Island, which was never heard of til then. They grew to be close friends, but Reca could never get over the feeling that she'd met him somewhere before.
   One night, when the tempest winds had begun to blow, and a storm of unbelievable proportions was raging, Reca chatted with Insuwaru one last time, before she took her leave. The evening gossip consisted of a rumor about a mysterious woman that had entered the village that night. Just at that moment, the same woman walked through the door. She chose a seat far from the crowd, but Reca couldn't stop staring at her, for she looked quite familiar and she just happened to be wearing clothes similar to her own. The pub's uncanny ability to draw people back worked it's magic on the strange woman, and one night Reca noticed that her an Insuwaru had struck up a conversation.
   As she ventured closer, Reca caught random bits and pieces of the conversation.
   "�Yah, I left�"
   "I�see�"
   Curious, more than anything, of how taken the gruff Insuwaru seemed, Reca felt herself being drawn to them. "Hey there,"
   The woman gave her a brief once over. "�Hi,"
   The strange woman, who as Reca found out, had left her hometown as well, was known as Setaro Sadamoto.     They babbled on about what they could remember of their pasts and together in friendship raided everything in sight, stealing from almost everyone, save their fellow friend, Insuwaru.
   "And that's it," Setaro shrugged idly.
   "Hmm," Reca mused thoughtfully.
   Over time, the two became bored with the town, and the strange urge to pack up and move on, which some call the 'heart of a wanderer', overtook them, and so they took their leave. Eventually, Setaro introduced Reca to her sister, Suzuki Sadamoto, and her sister's friend, Sarsi Sarnou. They all became friends, and the two girls stayed with Suzuki and Sarsi for a bit before leaving once more. Setaro soon met Reca's sister, Makoto Maxwell and her friend Taki, in exchange for Reca haven met her relatives.
   After awhile, Reca and Setaro decided to part company, and go their separate ways.
   "To each their own," Reca murmured, eyes locked on Setaro's retreating figure, still waving. They had made a pact of some sort, to meet again one day, and pick up their friendship from where it had left off.

****

   Not long after being abandoned by Reca, the little house at sea was discovered by yet another curious woman, named Shiara Kazikal. Shiara had always led a torrid little tryst, and in fact, up til this point, had been a ragbag orphan. She grew up on the Island of Allegria, a placed reputed for its night scene. She had no memory prior to this, and was believed to have been injured and kidnapped, before finally being tossed out into the cruel world, completely and utterly alone.
   But fate was on this young girl's side, and by a bizarre chance meeting, when she was attempting to pickpocket them, she was re-united with her sister, Rena, and her brother, Glase'. It wasn't til quite some time later that Shiara realized that they were all siblings. When she suffered a minor concussion, however, everything slowly started to come back to her.
   Their ranks of rebellion grew to include two more, two men, named Reive Havenwood, and Kazoku Neverwinter. A bout of infatuation hit both Reive and Rena, but over time, their childish feelings blossomed into a tender love. Kazoku had always admired Shiara from afar, but it wasn't til a freak accident that his feelings were made known, and even if at first a little begrudgingly, returned.
   One hot summer day, while Shiara was taking a dip in the ocean to relieve herself of the onslaught of heat, a far off glimmer caught her eye. In hopes of cashing in on something worthwhile, she immediately set out in search of whatever it was that had attracted her attention. She discovered the ramshackle little Island, and at first, was determined to keep it a secret. She soon caved into pressure, however, when everyone began to inquire as to where she disappeared off to during the day, and the group soon began to backbreaking process of restoring the place.
   It wasn't til some time later that Shiara discovered several robots, frozen in place, and rust-coated. Using her superb mechanical genius, Shiara began to work on their lifeless forms, manipulating and modifying their infrastructure. She was impressed, to say the least, at the magnitude of their creation. Through a welcomed accident, the bots became as they are today, utterly indestructible.
As if her salvaged creations were her children, she named them. The one she dubbed Insuwaru, however, took a great dislike to her, and defiantly ran off, becoming lost in the process. The remaining bots, 'Ly-ean Mafia' and 'Teekii' adopted the 'Ly-ean Family Name' and in time, they named the island, and created a group, to be forever etched into time, Ly-ean Mafia.

    Reca Maxwell was now age eighteen. Long forgotten by its original creator, Reca no longer had any memory of the building she found and fixed. One hot afternoon, as Reca sat, lounging on the beach, she noticed a little wooden fixture off in the distance, with the buzz of far off voices. It seemed like a private place, which must mean it had lots of cash. She quickly decided to investigate, and swam off towards the little wood island. That fixture happened to be the same place Reca had found those many years ago, but since it was so far in the past, she didn't realize it. When she reached it, big signs saying, "Ly-ean Mafia!", "Sacred Japanese Island", and "Ly-ean Family" were pasted all over the front in Japanese.
   Reca walked down the little wood path, and arrived in front of a woman sitting behind a table with a shotgun already pointed towards her. She screamed out angrily, "HALT! BITCH, I'LL SHOOT!"
   Reca dashed off and jumped behind a nearby table, just missing the bullets meant for her. Lucky as she was, the money was hid right under that very table. As she was filling her loot bags, and as the crazy woman continued to scream and fire chunks out of random places, she was thoroughly startled to notice Setaro kneeling next to her.
   "Hey! It's you!" Reca exclaimed, almost gleefully.
   Setaro glanced over at her. "Oh�Hey,"
   "What?!" Ly-ean now screeched. "Two of you hooligans?! Why I oughta'!" She began to shake her shotgun more menacingly than before, and her finger clenched on the trigger.
   Reca peeked over the table, and saw a tall and lanky man chatting with the angry bitch with the gun. The man shouted out, "WAIT, STOP!"
   Not choosing to heed his warning, they leapt out from under the table, and darted off down the little path they arrived by. Reca and Setaro 'crackled' and looked back, and Reca nearly let out a gasp. Her memories flooded back to her, and she realized this was the place that she had fixed up so long ago. Just then, however, they crashed into a tall, grumpy looking woman and fell over. The standing woman loomed over them, sneering before asking with a cruel smile and a half-insane laugh, "Where do you two think you're going?"
   Before they could flee, the man from earlier and the woman they had just crashed into dragged them both off to the jail.

***

   In the midst of a large, commando-style room, a furious debate was ensuing.
   "Absolutely not!" Shiara, the woman from earlier, roared, in answer to the question that had just been asked. Her eyes became little swirls, and she shook her fists crazily, "I won't allow those little heathens in my mafia!"
   "Why not?" Glase', the man from earlier, challenged. "We really need the members...I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding anyway,"
   Shiara whirled around to point a spindly index finger. "No, no, no and no!" she growled, jabbing the air with her finger after each 'no'.
   "Aww, sis," Rena, who hadn't been caught up in the earlier going on's, sighed. "Just give them a chance?"
   Kazoku, who also hadn't been present earlier, readily agreed. "Don't you think you're making a little too much out of this?"
   "I'm with Kazoku," Reive, who wasn't there earlier as well, nodded.
   Silence fell over the group at that, and one could almost see the little wheels turning in everyone else's heads. All hell soon broke loose, however, and there was pointing, screaming, wrestling, and food being thrown, though no one was sure where they got it.
   Panting heavily, ashamed of their immaturity, the group was collapsed in the middle of the floor. "Oh, fine," Shiara groaned, and rolled over, exhausted. "They can join,"

***

   Shiara and Glase' noisily busted through the door of the jail. Reca was sitting sprawled out on the hay, and Setaro was sitting across from her, legs stretched out.
   "Your fate has been decided," Shiara sniffed, with an air of disdain.
   "Your fate has been decided," Setaro repeated, mocking the girl under her breath in a snooty tone, while Reca convulsed into a fit of giggles.
   "You can�t decide our fate," Reca finally said, once she recovered from her laughter.
   Shiara's eyes narrowed. "I can, and I will. Don't forget who's got the upper hand here,"
   A noise resembling a snort came from Reca.
   "You will join the mafia," Shiara spoke coldly, ignoring the rude noise. Glase' only smirked.
   "Hell no!" Setaro growled, and Reca nodded immediately, crossing her arms in unspoken but firm agreement.
   Shiara shrugged, a coy smirk dancing upon her lips. "Fine. Then stay here as my hostages til the day you die,"
   Reca's eyes widened ever so slightly, before returning to their normal state. A minuscule bead of sweat had by now formed on Glase's forehead, and he bit his lip, wondering what the two would decide after this rather startling reminder was given to them.
   "If you do join," Shiara added, casually, "You can come and go as you please,"
   "�" Setaro chose not to comment.
   Clenching her fists almost spasmodically, a frown pursed Reca's lips. She had long since realized that this was the place she had created many a year ago. It wouldn't be that bad, she reasoned. After all, the choice to come and go as they pleased was almost the best that they could have hoped for. "Fine," she finally consented. "I'll join your stupid mafia,"
   Shiara's eyes flashed dangerously at the last comment, but instead of making it an issue, she turned to the undecided girl. "And you?" she asked dryly.
   "No�"
   Reca stood at Shiara's beckon. Her back to the two of them at first, Shiara finally turned around, shaking in rage. "I give you mercy, and you refuse to acknowledge it?! Stupid little bitch! Fine, stay here and rot, til you're freaking fish food, you little�!"
   Following Shiara out the door, Reca turned, to cast her friend a sad, despondent look, before disappearing from Setaro's sight.

***

   That night, Reca snuck to the jail, cloaked in the shadows. Setaro was slumped down against the bars, in a light slumber. Prodding the sleeping girl, Reca finally succeeded in awakening her.
   Setaro's eyes slowly fluttered open. "Huh? Wah?"
   "Ssh," Reca hissed, in a whisper. "It's just me. So, what's the deal? Are you gonna' join, or not?"
   "Feh. No way! Why would I ever wanna' join a shit-hole like this?"
   Reca smirked, and shifted her position, so that she was sitting comfortably against the bars. "Well, would you rather die in this shit-hole, or would you like to be able to come and go as you please?"
   "�"
   Reca's smirk widened. She had her now. "Well?"
   "Fine," Setaro muttered darkly, casting her gaze elsewhere. "I'll join this dump, but I'm not coming back!"
   Reca sighed. She had figured something like this would happen. "Ok�But�Promise me you'll come back someday, alright?"
   "Fine�"
   Reca grinned suddenly. "Great. I'll tell Shiara in the morning,"
   "�Shiara�?"
   "Yah, the bit-I mean, leader,"
   "Oh�"

***

   The morning found Shiara in her office, and so did Reca. "She said she'd join," Reca spoke quietly, leaning in the doorway.
   "Really now?" Shiara quirked a brow, but fell silent.
   Reca spotted a large folder on Shiara's lap, but when the other girl noticed her gaze, she quickly hid the object in question. Noticing this, Reca decided not to comment, but instead just nodded and said slowly, "Yes,"
   "Fine, go get her," Shiara closed her eyes, her mouth in a thin, firm line.
   Reca nodded, and made post-haste. Shiara opened a single eye, and uttered a single command. In an instant, Glase' was at her side. "Good morning, sister,"
   "The little fool decided to join after all. Come. We're going to the jail,"
   The two siblings hurried over to the jail to find Reca already there, gazing into the cell. Setaro was awake, and momentarily moved her eyes to rest on the two behind Reca. She said nothing.
   "So, you're gonna join, eh?" Shiara sneered.
   Setaro merely nodded.
   "Oh fine," Shiara begrudgingly relented, fishing in her large cloak pockets for an enormous key ring.
    While the brother and sister were distracted searching for the right one, Reca leaned down and whispered,   "Remember the promise�I'll make sure to fix this place up real good, too,"
    Setaro just stared blankly at her, nodding numbly.
    Finally haven retrieved the key, Shiara unlocked the cell. Setaro stood, and without another word, or even a glance backward, walked out of the mafia.

***

Over time, Shiara, Reca and everyone else became surprisingly good friends.

***

   One fine summer day, a far-away figure was trudging along the shoreline. Her mind wandered, out of boredom, and she remembered a promise she had made awhile ago, to her very best friend. With a sigh, she swept her eyes ocean-wards, and spotted a distant but strangely familiar island.
   It was the one. She knew it. It just had to be. Another sigh escaped her lips, and without a moment more of time passing, she spread her large wings, flying off towards the island. A surprise, that was not completely unpleasant, was the remodeling of the mafia. It looked nothing like she remembered, but this in itself, was not all-together a bad thing, as those memories were things she wished to cleanse herself of.
   Making her way down the little dirt path, which as she observed, was one of the only things that hadn't changed much, she finally arrived in front of the fabled front desk. Ly-ean was sitting there, as she usually was, and she was shaken from her mumbling and reveries.
   The bot, programmed for excellency, never forgot a face. "So you finally came back. Good to see you again, I guess. Come on in�"
   Shifting ever-so-slightly in her seat, snagging her shotgun meanwhile, Ly-ean opened the front gate.
   Expressionless, Setaro started to walk in. Before she could take more than a few steps, however, Ly-ean stopped her by saying, "Welcome back, Setaro,"
   Setaro turned, to give the bot a strange gaze, and then proceeded to wander aimlessly around the mafia grounds. Eventually, she stumbled into the group of people she had fled from so long ago.
   They had been playing cards in what she could only guess to be the lounge. Reca stood immediately, neatly setting her hand down. "You came back!" she exclaimed.
   If one happened to examine Shiara at the moment, one would have noticed the redness of her face, and swear they saw steam emanating from her ears. She stood up, and flipped the card table over as she did so, ignoring the little paper pieces of entertainment as they scattered about the room. "Where have you been?" she snapped, clearly enraged, as her nostrils flared, and her eyes seemed to glow.
   Saving Setaro from her friend's wrath, Reca dragged the girl behind her, showing her around the mafia. Shiara was left to vent and fume by herself, as everyone curiously trailed behind.
   Later that day, Setaro admitted it might be ok to stay for just a little while longer. Smiling ecstatically, Reca threw her arms around Setaro's shoulders, and motioned to the eloquent room laid out before them. "Alright, this is your dorm. I made yah' a life-sized stuffed animal. You can name it whatcha' want,"
   "Toaster," Setaro said somberly, after glancing at the huge plushie near her bed.

***

     A few more weeks for Setaro and Reca were spent in the sanctuary of the island. Surprisingly, Shiara quickly got over her grudges. One day, Reca approached Shiara, who was in her office, working.
"Um...Shia?"
    Shiara glanced up. "Oh, hey, Reca. What's up?"
    "Well, I was wondering if Setaro and I could go get our other friends and bring them here?"
    Shiara considered this a moment. Setaro and Reca were technically still 'hostages', but she trusted them. "Alright,"
    Reca grinned. "Thanks!" she exclaimed and dashed out, running to tell her friend of their good fortune.

***

    A few more weeks later, Reca and Setaro arrived, travel-worn and weary, at Suzuki's house.
A couple crisp raps were landed on the door, and moments later, it was swung open by Suzuki and her smiling face. "Heyas!"
    Their situation was soon explained, and they were led inside. They all gathered around the living room after a hearty supper, and more was revealed. After a bit of consulting with one another in private, Suzuki, Makoto, Sarsi and Taki excitedly agreed, quite eager to go see the island and it's diverse occupants.
    While walking along the shore, preparing to make the journey to the island, Makoto stumbled upon a cavern, or rather, by the looks of it, a large cave. Figuring that since it was almost night-time, and that it would be worth their time to further investigate, she quickly called the others over. One by one, starting with Taki, everyone peered around the corner of the cave. Catching their attention immediately was a rather strange sight indeed.
     "Hoo-hah! Oh yah, who is the man?!" crowed an odd little furre, running back and forth like a fruit.
     "What the�?" Mako blinked several times, wide-eyed.
      Upon hearing her, the furre turned around frantically. "Who's there?!" he screeched. "Who is there?!"
      Setaro and Reca cast each other knowing little smirks, and they dropped to all fours, sliding out of the shadows in their feral forms. "Why just us, little fool," Reca chuckled, flashing her razor-sharp teeth and powerful jaws, Setaro doing likewise.
      "These aren't just for decorations, Seta," Makoto grinned, pointing to her teeth.
      "Woot! Go Seta, go Reca!" their little 'fanclub' cheered, little 'finger' pendants suddenly appearing as they rioted in the background.
      The furre stared at them, as if in disbelief. Then, he let loose a whiny little shriek before dashing off into the fort within the cave, "You'll pay dearly for this! No one mocks the great Core Thunderwolf!"
      Snickering devilishly, the thrill of the hunt at hand, the two pawed the ground a few times and thundered off after their quarry. Before they could get much further, however, someone strongly resembling a little kid darted in front of them. "S-stop!"
      The two instantly reverted to their furre forms. Reca glared at him, while Setaro remained silent. Leaning down, so she was face-to-face with him, her keen eyes leveled their gaze on his. Prodding him a few times on the chest, she growled, "Move, now,"
      Shaking his head, his adam's apple visible, he nearly whispered, "N-no. By order of�the 'great, wonderful, and invincible Core Thunderwolf'�I can't let you pass,"
      "Listen you," Reca frowned, ignoring his previous little speech. "Move,"
      "No!"
      "�Alright," she closed her eyes, drawling in a sing-songy voice. "I guess we'll just have to wait right here then,"
      With a motion of her deft and skillful hand, the group moved a bit away, and settled down, just near the entrance of the cave. A fire was built, and they all sat around. "Look, I know it's shabby," Reca began.
       "Shabby?!" Taki exclaimed. "If we re-do it, maybe we can upgrade to shabby!"
        Setaro silenced her with a glare, and Reca continued, unfazed. "We're just gonna sit tight til they loosen their security. We'll pretend to doze off, if we have to,"
        "Stealth," Suzuki grinned, somewhat mischeviously. "My specialty,"
         They didn't have to wait much longer, however. Night quickly descended upon the group, and it wasn't long before they spotted a despondent looking figure trudging towards them. Once it got closer, they realized it was the boy from before. "It's cold," he said quietly. "Can I sit with you guys?"
          Looking around at the others a moment, Reca turned back to him and shrugged. "Sure. You didn't do anything wrong, I guess,"
          He smiled, almost sadly. "Thank you,"
          They were to discover that the boy's name was Ene, and that Core, the nut-case from earlier, was the self-proclaimed leader of a group known as the Thunderwolf's. In return, Reca related many tales of Ly-ean, and Ene's eyes widened with every story, til he was almost wistfully staring into the crackling embers.

***

          Shiara paced back and forth, in extreme frustration. "Where are those doofs?" she muttered, glaring dark daggers at every little thing that crossed her path. "They better not have been lying,"
          "Chill out. I'm sure Reca will keep her word," Glase' rolled his eyes, from his lounging position in her chair.
          "I guess you're right�" Shiara conceded, before trailing off suspiciously. Whirling around, she found Glase' stretched out on the floor, twiddling his thumbs. "Hmm," she spoke to herself under her breath, "I could have sworn he was�"

***

          The rising sun soon roused the sleeping group. "Now what?" Sarsi asked, prodding at the newly re-kindled fire with a stick.
          Reca paused in thought a moment, before turning to Ene. "Would you like to come with us? To Ly-ean, I mean?"
         The boy's eyes widened. "What, really? No fooling?"
         Reca chuckled, and turned to face the others. "No, no fooling, right guys?"
         Mutual consent was given, and they departed shortly thereafter, everyone's thoughts in a jumble. With a sneer of satisfaction, Reca gave the cave one long, last look, confident that one day she would return to put that bozo in his place.

***

        Once they finally arrived back on the island, the newcomers were opened with welcome arms.
Reca approached Shiara, who was trying to disguise her happiness with anger, with Ene in tow. "This is Enerz. We all thought it'd be kind of nice if he could join too,"
        Shiara nodded sharply, turning away, hiding the grin on her face. "Fine," Once she regained her composure, she glanced over her shoulder at Setaro. "So glad you could join us," she snorted, but with a pleased scowl on her face.
        "Heh, yah, I guess�" Setaro shrugged loftily.
        Shiara turned, and walked away, shaking her head. "Welcome back, Setaro, welcome back," she whispered, a rogue smirk crossing her lips and a little added extra spring to her step.

       Eventually, life returned to the only sense of normality it could claim to have ever possessed. Time passed, and Ly-ean grew and expanded, becoming great and powerful. The original members greatly treasure their past, however, when everything was so much simpler. They cling to their heritage with every fiber of their being, but that succeeds in only making Ly-ean more diverse.
        Many stories have ended, but Ly-ean's still continues. The past mingles with the future, and at times, reality seems to fade. The circulating aura of serenity and nostalgia has enshrouded the island, and created a rift in time, unknown to the inhabitants, preserving their time's together forever.

The End.

Written by Shiara Kazikal and Reca Maxwell.