It was nothing to sneak through the hole in the floor, once Zoie distracted Botan of course, granted she didn't always use her dog to suit her purposes but they agreed that this was necessary. She only had one true friend, on two legs that is and she had only found out recently that he was not who he said he was. He got his share of chewing out but she was far from done; now she would see just what it was he was up to when he would disappear for days.
The whole place looked like a barren wasteland, she saw flashes of lights and the little demons scatter and it was like a sixth sense she had, whenever he was around, she always felt at ease like a child comforted by the touch of their favorite teddy. She instantly shook the thought out of her head and hid behind some rocks watching from a distance as they spoke to each other. She has seen the short one before, he never spoke a word to her when she tried to introduce herself which is why she couldn't use the word met. The one in green…yes that was the one on the roof at the hospital when she heard the news that rocked her world, she has heard his name was Yusuke…he was a nice guy. The one in blue she seen only once before from a distance, from where she stood he seemed immature and aggressive not really the type she would casually hang out with…if of course she hung out with anyone but Shuichi.
The sharp pang of betrayal struck her again and anger flooded her senses, she then wondered if she should just find a way out now.
"Are you really going to sit here all day and stare or are you going to go over there?"
"And what do I say?" Zoie padded over, shaking the dust from his fur before sitting beside her. He stood three feet at the shoulders and had thick black fur the only thing that kept him from being solid being the small white diamond on his forehead. His dark blue collar jingled with the attached tags as he scratched behind his head. This was the friend she had literally all her life, the best friend on four legs she would call him and he accepted it but not without her hearing his mouth which she accepted.
"What do you mean what do you say?! You didn't come all this way to be a creeper, so he lives a different life without you, get over it. What are you more upset about, that he is a demon and hid it from you, or that you didn't figure it out?" He had her there, but her forbidding glare silenced him.
"I'll tell you what I'll go break the ice, most of them know me anyway, but I need your permission to speak to the other three." She looked back at the group a mixture of fear and excitement crept in.
"Look at it like this; you get to be your true self." With that he pranced over and the excitement flooded her. In the public eye she had to be the good little school girl, quiet and meek. She was just as smart as Shuichi but couldn't excel too much but had to keep her grades very well so to stay off of the radar. She didn't have any friends; it wasn't that she didn't want them but she could only be so bland and watered down during school hours and she didn't dare take anyone home with her.
"Holy crap, that dog is talking! Does anyone else hear that dog talking?! I swear if someone's punking us I'm bashing faces in!"
"Kuwabara calm down, I know this dog, I've seen him around in our city, hell he even cuts class with me to get lunch." Yusuke ruffles Zoies' head and her nerves settle.
"But that doesn't answer the question; what are you doing here and why are you talking ?"
"Maybe he fell through the hole we went through and this place spikes intelligence and gave him talking powers!"
"If that were remotely true you wouldn't have sounded so idiotic when you suggested it."
"You know what small fry, don't make me come down there and break your head."
"Fellas please, I assure you I could always speak, it is just that I only speak to whom my mistress allows."
"Mistress, who's that?"
"What would be me." It was like she had melted away from the rocks, she looked like a normal schoolgirl but something underneath was more…exotic. She was about 5'6' maybe 125lb at most and skin like milk chocolate. Her brown eyes deep and inquisitive and her smile mischievous; it was so much how she looked that caught the boys off guard but the way she moved, slow…fluid almost seductively without even trying. They couldn't help but sense something else about her…something dangerous. Was she a friend, an enemy? They weren't sure and were quickly on their guard.
"What's the matter Shuichi? You look like you've seen a ghost." They looked stunned for a moment but her eyes remained on him who she knew wouldn't admit that he was surprised she actually followed him.
"Kurama, is she talking to you?" Yusuke nudged him quietly
"Oh yes that's right! I can't very well call you Shuichi, not with your other friends here now can I? You know what; I think I will just call you K when we are doing jobs like this it will be much easier for us both. Well go ahead K, tell your new buddies who I am so that we may get properly acquainted."
"She's my best friend." He sighed with a half-smile, was he amused at her?
"Best friend? Hmm pretty specific choice of words; I mean sure we've been hanging together since we were in diapers, in fact I can tell you who was out of them first. You guys have to excuse me, you see he never told me he had a whole second life and as his best friend you can see why I am a little surprised."
"Siera please, we do not have time for this."
"Yeah, we have a bunch of demon asses to go kick so if you're done we got to get going!"
"Wait a minute! I came all this way to help!"
"The only thing you will be is a meal for those creatures when they come back we don't have time to babysit a third person." She watched in fury as they walked away without so much as looking back. Find someplace safe to hide, I will come back for you. It wasn't often he let her read his thoughts of course he would have to pick them out before sending them to her. You know me better than that K.
Yes…I was afraid of that… In her own mind it was confirmation that she could tag along, but something felt wrong. Instead of the front entrance the boys had gone through she went around the side. She found a window about twenty feet up and took a minute to think.
"Looks like a decent climb, nothing we don't do in gym."
"But you don't even know what's up there what could be waiting for you up there."
"True, but remember Zoie, if everyone is focused on the party at the front door…"
"Crash it through the back window." They chuckled as she tied her dark hair into a ponytail and began to climb the rugged wall slowly looking for handholds as she went. It wasn't long before she got to the window, she was in shape, and every muscle fine-tuned the way she wanted. She easily swung her legs around and hopped to the floor. She let out a high pitched whistle and Zoie bounded in through the window effortlessly. It was dark but more troubling, it was quiet.
"You smell that?"
"Yup." A figure came at them with lightning speed nearly slicing her throat with its claws. As she dodged she grabbed the hair on the back of its head and with a pull swung onto its shoulders, Zoie had an arm, mercilessly shaking as she strangled the being. It flung him aside and she jumped away before he could strike again. She stood in the shadows this time as the demon leered at her with dripping fangs. She had no fear, in fact it was just what she wanted.
"It's been a long time since I had a human to taste, the thought of your blood on my tongue makes my mouth water."
"You're really hungry aren't you?" It was her voice, but it echoed within the beasts head making him think she was simply speaking.
"Yes…come over here and let me rip you apart human girl."
"Hmm, no, I don't think so. But you will come over here closer to me." The beast couldn't help but laugh at the audacity that a simple human would try to command him but yet found his feet moving none the less.
"What is this?!"
"Shhhh….quiet now, no more screaming, no more pain, no more eating, not again…" she sang it in a soft tune a low hypnotic sound that entranced the demon. In the dark shadows two piecing blue eyes glowed and the beast knew then just what was going on. He moved towards her without his consent, unable to strike or turn away, nothing but the eerie tune of the girls song as those menacing eyes read every inch of his soul.
"Must you play with him, they could be in trouble."
"But I never get to play…" She said it in a seductively whining tone, the beast was entranced but could still think, wonder about where it had gone wrong.
"Get on your knees." The demon complied whimpering its disbelief and fear.
"This can't be… you're only a human!" She closed the gap between them to bend over and look into his eyes one final time, a sadistically satisfying grin on her face.
"Sorry darling, but your only half right. Now kill yourself." She turned her back and hurried along with Zoie at her heels the sound of a neck snapping in the background hoping that her playtime didn't cost her new friends their lives.