The winding labyrinth stretched more than ten floors. Cho sighed, frustrated at the complexity of the building. She'd never be able to find her way around this insane compound. Her frustration was moot- she couldn't wander this place if she wanted to. Even if she did find a way to rid herself of the ever-present angry fire demon, she'd likely be eaten by any of the other countless demons that roamed the place. She was a human prisoner in this demon's paradise.
Torches along the walls threw dim light to the floor. They provided just enough light for her to see where she was going. She'd awoken in the middle of the night, and while she expected the demon lord who had her brought to this place to be asleep, she was proven wrong. Hiei summoned the demon who acted as her personal servant and she was able to eat and bathe and change into clean clothes.
Cho's train of thought was interrupted when Mukuro and Hiei stopped at a large door. It was steel and had several locks along the jamb. Two demons armed to the teeth guarded the door. Without a word, one turned and unlocked the door for the demon lord. He pushed it open and stepped aside. Mukuro entered first. Hiei grunted at Cho, indicating that she should enter next. She stepped forward.
The sight that greeted Cho wasn't one she'd been expecting. She thought of uniform cells, dimly lit- maybe cold, dank air. Instead, it was bright. The light hurt her eyes and she stumbled along behind Mukuro for a blind minute. When she did regain her vision, she noticed how white and clean everything was. The rest of the compound wasn't dirty, but it also didn't reek of disinfectant. The odd body-part littered halls and various rooms did not exist in this room- it was vast and open.
The only prisoner Cho could see was propped against a wall not too far away. The room seemed endless, but that could have been a trick of the light on her eyes. Why wasn't this demon restrained? Cho bit down on her lip, forbidding herself to speak. She had to make it seem like she wasn't stupid.
In reality, she knew nothing of this place or the demons at her front and back. For all she knew, they might get their answers and leave her in this room with the other demon to rot or be eaten. Her only other option was certain death. She had made her choice to live earlier, but now she wondered if death was the better alternative in this situation.
The demon on the wall did not look up at their approach. Even with his odd purple-tinted skin and difficult features, Cho understood that he'd been starved. Perhaps it was the sunken eyes and sharp cheekbones, or the ribs that protruded from his contorted chest. She wasn't sure what gave her the impression.
Mukuro stopped only a few short paces away from him. Hiei moved to the unknown demon's side. He snatched the greasy, matted clump of orange hair that rested on the top of his head and jerked it back. The demon had flat red eyes that peered up at Cho. She could read confusion in his expression. And then hunger. Deep, feral hunger that made her own full stomach tighten. She felt the vomit rise up in the back of her throat, but she swallowed hard, forcing it back down. Showing weakness here would only get her killed. She crouched and stared into his eyes. Those over-large dull red orbs glossed over, threatening to roll back into his skull.
"Ask him his name," Mukuro bit. Choko took a deep breath.
"What is your name?" she asked. She stared into the black pupils that dilated at her words. She'd never been given the chance to watch what happened to the eyes themselves when she spoke to a person. This demon provided her the opportunity. His eyes were almost as big as her fist.
"Kotaru," the demon growled after a moment of stiff silence. Cho glanced up to see Mukuro's smirk of satisfaction.
"Who sent you?" Mukuro asked. Her tone was harsh, unforgiving.
"Who sent you here?" Cho demanded. There was resistance, now, like when someone tried to lie to her. She frowned, her brow furrowing in confusion. She could see his lips moving, like he was trying to answer her, but no sound came out. "Tell me!" She'd shouted this time, startling the demon in front of her. He could not answer, and as she studied his eyes, she felt she knew why.
"Well?" Mukuro demanded. Choko sighed.
"He doesn't know," she breathed. She stood up slowly. "He might have known, once, but the information isn't there anymore." She could not explain how she knew this. It was instinctual. She'd stared into those nearly lifeless windows to the demon's soul. There was nothing there- no twinkle of information to be gleaned from him.
Mukuro cursed. She turned on her heel and stomped from the room. Cho turned to see Hiei pull his blade from the sheath at his side. The cut across the demon's throat was so fast and clean, it took several seconds for the blood to begin to seep out of the slit in the skin. Cho looked on with no sympathy. This demon was useless. There was no point in allowing him to live a moment longer.
No mercy. Not here, in this demon world. Mercy was a luxury that no powerful demon lord could afford. Cho understood her place, her role. She was a tool- only so valuable for what little she could provide for the demons around her. She turned and stalked out of the room much as the demon before her had, but without the anger and cold rage that threatened to fill the room. Cho was hollow, without feeling if not without thought.
The walk out of the white room seemed to take longer than walking in. A part of her was petrified that the big door would slam shut and lock her inside. So far, she hadn't proven her worth. How could she show these demons that she was useful? Her mind wandered.
She needed a drink... something strong. Alcohol always managed to relax her and bring out what she'd always referred to as her other side. She knew that this other side to her personality was stronger than she herself was. She needed this other side. She herself was weak. With a heavy sigh, Cho meandered through the halls, back up countless flights of stairs. She knew Hiei was following behind her, watching her with those brutal crimson eyes that she hated.
The woman roamed for a while, going back they way she'd been led. She was curious, poking her head around corners, listening for tidbits of open conversation. He had no desire to return to the room that served as her prison- it was his too, in a way. Mukuro's orders were to not let the girl from his sight. Bound as he was to the former demon lord, he did not disobey.
The air grew less stagnant as they climbed more flights of stairs. He watched the human decide to go away from her previous course- venturing to be bold. There was something to be said about the woman's courage, he supposed. His rhetoric was lacking, though, and he felt no need to voice his opinion of her in any account.
For all that had not been learned in this most recent interaction with the now deceased prisoner, one key fact had been obtained: whoever was sending these demons was powerful. Psychics were uncommon enough on this plane. To learn of a far more powerful psychic from below was disheartening to say the least.
The sole question Hiei needed answering was: what now? If this demon was so powerful, why not just rise up and squash the present demons? Then he supposed that it was a question of when, not why. He placed himself in the position of his enemy (for any enemy of Mukuro's was his own). He thought about it in terms of he himself attempting to take over the human world. The gain wasn't as significant, but the similarities were close enough. Dominating most of the humans would prove no challenge at all. However, there were anomalies, such as the detective, who could rise to oppose him. His time in the human world had given him the impression that more freak beings similar to Yusuke must exist somewhere else in the world. Given that assumption, his rise to power over the humans could be challenged and he could be defeated. Waiting and learning about those more talented (if not necessarily more powerful) humans would prove beneficial. In time, he could dispatch agents to take down those threats before he stepped forward to seize control.
Certain that Mukuro had already come to this conclusion, he kept his thoughts to himself. Another thought occurred to him. This demon must regard him as he regarded the female before him- weak, useless without proper motivation. The thought enraged him.
No matter the strength of his unknown enemy, he detested any thought of weakness within himself. He'd gained so much power in the last several years- mastering the Dragon of the Darkness Flame being his most famous move. By degrees, and under the strict training Mukuro had provided for him, he'd grown even stronger. He silently dared this unknown enemy to challenge him.
The human woman before him seemed ignorant of her true situation and purpose. She was only so valuable as to inform on the demon that challenged Mukuro and to keep her out of anyone else's grasp. The problem Mukuro now faced was the lack of information to be taken. Where her attempts at penetrating the demon's mind had failed, the human had succeeded. That, in and of itself, was a talent he had to recognize. But was there a way to make those talents stronger?
"Dansei!" Choko shouted. The lanky orange tom had pounced on a jaki no bigger than a rat from human world. The tiny demon screeched from under the cat's bloodstained claws. A chuckle built up in Hiei's chest, but it came out as a grunt. He was above giving any of these demons (or the single human) his laughter.
The cat began to snack on the tiny demon. Hiei did not blame the cat- he hadn't seen the creature eat more than a few bites of the food Choko gave him from her own plate. He made a mental note to have the servants bring the cat his own fish from now on. The cat could eat as many jaki as he liked, as far as Hiei was concerned, but at some point Mukuro would speak out against it. They had good memories, and she often sent them out as spies.
"Where can a girl get a decent drink around here?" the woman asked, turning to face Hiei. He scowled. He considered the options. This woman was to be given anything she desired- within reason. Leaving the safety of the compound was not an option. Hiei felt no desire to tote this woman around the demon plane- protecting her from various demons of all sorts. Not to mention those demons that had followed them from the human world… Had those demons been sent by the same unnamed enemy who was trying to kill Mukuro? No other attempts at the human woman's life had been made... yet.
"Ask your servant," Hiei snapped. His chilly attitude seemed to have no effect on her. It irked him that what many demons would cringe at had no effect on this weak human.
The demon must have been close by, for he came jogging over to them. His head was down, refusing to look the woman in the eyes. For that, Hiei could not blame him. He'd felt that woman's power, and he detested it.
"Yes, my lady?" the demon asked. Hiei cringed. The human did not deserve to be referred to as a lady.
"Can you bring me some alcohol?" she asked. He nodded and scampered away. She turned to look at Hiei. "Will you take me to my room?" He didn't answer her, just turned to leave. She called out one last time before the demon could get very far. "Make sure it's strong!" Dansei shot out in front of him (jaki still in his jaws), leading the way while the woman followed behind.
A/N: Chapter four! Can you believe it?! I sure as hell can't...
So yeah... this does get better... at least, I think it does...
The next two chapters were super fun to write (yes, they're already done).
(Doubt anyone really reads this crap, but...)
THANK YOU to Just 2 Dream of You! Her awesome Hiei-radar is a true gift. I would grovel at her feet if I possibly could.
So, um... Yeah, I guess that's all.
Wait.
No it's not.
If you see any grammatical errors, please, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS YU YU HAKUSHO, tell me!
*disclaimer goes here* - I always forget this part. It's in my profile.
Thanks for reading, and remember, reviews make for happy authors! (And they make chapters post faster too!)
