A/N: Heeyyy...guess who's back from the dead! Thanks for your patience people; just one more chapter to go and we can check this thing as complete!

Chapter Four

He had been gone a very, very long time.

Touga, newly released demon of immense power, raised his hands to the dawn and spread them wide. For the first time in nearly eight hundred years he was feeling the warmth of the sun again. The light brought a comfort like no other, a sharp, welcome contrast the all-consuming darkness of the sealing cage.

Before him the ocean surged, pulsing waves eating up the beach sand before being pulled back and under, overcome by yet another wave. The rhythmic crash was soothing his very soul, senses returned to him as every nuance of sound and smell came rushing back. The ocean salt was tingling against his nose, and the cool air was raising every fine hair along his arms and legs to little bumps, reaching for warmth.

His eyes sought out sights he'd been deprived of for centuries, both familiar and alien. The balance of the moon high in the sky even as the sun rose filled his heart with contentment, and the rocking motion of the water brought back memories in sharp relief. The grey-blue of the morning sky was slowly fading, taking with it the fog coating the horizon in mist, and his sharp eyes easily penetrated the disturbance to look out into the endless entity before him.

The ocean had always been something of an old friend. It reminded him of his own insignificance, humbled him in ways only nature could, and the vastness of it struck something deep in his bones. There was life deep beneath those waves, and as a world yet unexplored, it reminded him that he was only powerful in comparison to what he knew. In relation to the staggering vastness of the unknown, that was indeed very little.

But.

He was here now. He could learn anew. He could chase the clouds across the sky and fly up to the stars if he wanted and no one could stop him. The world he had come into was so different than the one he remembered—man had advanced so thoroughly that he almost couldn't believe his eyes. The cities…they were goliath. Buildings made of metal and steel so tall he had to crane his neck indefinitely to see the sights. How did they stay so upright? So straight, when the slightest shaking of the earth could topple them like a child's toy? Or had the earth simply stopped shaking?

So many questions. His mouth stretched into a grin that hadn't quite faded since coming out of the sword. He could find the answers now. He was alive.

As the dawn slowly turned into the troubling twilight before day, he launched himself into the air, hovering just within the mists for coverage, flying over the choppy waves below him. In his right hand was his warden, the sentient cage that had held him fast for so many years. It pulsed with discontentment, fingers instinctively reaching like chains to drag him back into that black abyss, but it was no use. His grin turned into a wicked smirk; it had no power over him, not anymore.

Humans had always been clever little vermin. Their ability to take a twig and turn it into a something sharp and pointy when faced under dire circumstances was impressive. They liked to ignore their environment, but scare them, and suddenly everything was a weapon. And like a spider didn't need to be taught how to weave a web, humans didn't need to be taught how to use what they had to get what they wanted.

Was it any surprise then, that they'd managed to outwit a demon? With the sudden discovery of spiritual powers, humans had become a force of their own. The idea of being trapped in a cage for the rest of their existence scared most demons back into their hideaways, flinching at red and white. And as easy as they were to kill, humans still managed to drag one demon after another into artifacts until very little were left.

By the time they had come for Touga, only the extremely powerful had remained and it took them several tries before they finally got him. He still remembered the rage that had washed through him, the absolute fury as his entire body was forced into the shape of the blade. The pain as his heart stuttered in abject terror of what lay before him. Even deep within his prison, chains keeping his beast slumbering and his aura locked, he'd fought the urge to scream and weep. He'd fought everything, back in the early days. Certain, so certain, that he was strong enough to force his way out.

He wasn't.

And hadn't that been difficult to swallow. He'd always been strong enough, and if he wasn't immediately, then he always had the ability to advance. Not there. Not in that dismal place of shadows where he couldn't move see or smell. Desperation had nearly crushed him. He'd thought that he'd been doomed for eternity, stuck in a vile cocoon with no way back into a world he was aware of but couldn't interact with.

…and that's when it hit him.

Nearly a hundred years after his imprisonment and it was just now occurring to him that yes, yes he could feel the outside world. He could have kicked himself for his idiocy. A hundred years! A full century and he was only now taking stock of his surroundings? He'd spent so much time consumed by grief and loneliness that he hadn't stopped to think logically about it at all. His father would have been ashamed!

He was ashamed, because he really could feel what was happening on the outside. It wasn't something easy to pinpoint, but once he felt it, it was impossible to ignore. He couldn't see or hear what was happening while he waiting inside that blasted sword, but he could…sense life. The different humans that handled him, the way he moved from owner to owner across the centuries. He knew when he had been drawn, knew when his own demonic power was used against his will as a weapon for the unworthy. And he thought…just had the idea pop in his head…that if he could sense what was happening, then surely, somehow, the world outside could sense him too.

And he was very right. If the human was sensitive enough, they could indeed feel the wrath that emanated from his very soul. They'd back away, and keep away, usually never appearing again. And a plan began to form at this point in time, as he slowly honed this new ability to project his emotions through the blade.

Logically, since it was a priest that sealed him, then it would have to be a priest that got him out, or some other human with spiritual abilities. So he needed to get wherever they were, and somehow convince them that it was a good idea to let him out. Even thinking that thought made him scoff. What kind of self-respecting priest or priestess would release an infuriated demon from a well-built cage?

But luck apparently was shining favor upon him, because as years passed humans apparently forgot all about demons and spiritual powers. Touga assumed that most of the demons had either been killed off or similarly sealed as he was, and that the lack of imminent danger left spiritual fighters in low demand. It was only natural that each generation was a little less trained than the last. And with how quickly humans were born, grew, and died, so many generations had passed. Spiritual manipulation was a dead art—he just knew it.

Fortunately, he didn't need a trained human, he just need one that was powerful enough. Simply opening the blade with the intention of setting him free would work, and so many centuries had passed that even the iron bars trapping him were beginning to weaken. Not enough for him to break free, but just enough for him to influence the humans around him a little more.

It was difficult, to project the aura of danger without being utterly terrifying. To be scary enough to warrant protection without scaring the humans off so much they never came closer. There was a lot of trial and error over the years, but in the last fifty or so of his imprisonment he finally managed to influence an old man enough to take him to a shrine.

He'd been to a couple over the centuries, of course. But either they'd move him around to a 'safer' location, or the building would fall into obscurity. The shrines would burn, enemies attacking the religious unity of the country as humans waged their petty wars and he'd been drifting again, handed off from one human to another.

So here he was, in this shrine, somewhere in the world, when it happened. Life on this particular shrine was limited to only a few numbers, he suspected that it was run by a single family unit, but he felt it when a new life burst into existence.

The birth of this child marked the beginning of his hope. The aura was so bright it was blinding, the spiritual capacity almost overwhelming. Freedom, it screamed, and he listened with an earnest ear.

The human, be it boy or girl, was easy to send messages to. They were attentive to the energies swirling around them, and Touga was almost disturbed to find that even though he wasn't sending out anything particularly malicious, the child seemed to instinctively know he was dangerous. There was always a good deal of distance between them, and if that little bright spot of energy came somewhat close, it wouldn't linger, skittering away from him as soon as it could.

It was…incredibly frustrating. That his first real chance at getting out of the damned sword was smart enough to instinctually avoid him; it made him snarl.

So he switched tactics. There was another aura on the shrine that had a trace of spiritual abilities. Not enough to do him any good, but enough to connect with him. He started to toy with it, sending messages telepathically when it relaxed long enough to let him past its usual defenses. It wasn't like talking. It was more like sending pieces of your soul to one another, really. Things that were deeply emotional or significant were easily projected. His capture was the main focus of each of his messages, and the rage and despair that came with it.

And, curiously enough, he was getting messages back. He had no doubt it was subconscious as the images and emotions he was getting back were random, but they were there.

The things he got were…rather heartwarming actually. Mostly smiles, flashes of the people his human interacted with on a daily basis. There was a woman with short hair, almost boyish in its appearance, and she was always smiling. There was a young boy too, usually playing, and an old cat that Touga imagined was only loved grudgingly. He got snippets of the place he was kept, a wooden beam here or a weathered statue there that hinted at a great pride and affection for the shrine itself. But what most interested him were the flashes of dark, curling hair and bright, bright blue eyes that came to him more often than not.

Touga knew that this was his priestess. That the girl with dazzling ocean eyes was the one that was going to free him. He didn't really know her features or her face, but he knew those eyes and that the man he was communicating with loved her dearly. All of his hopes centered on her, and from then on all his messages had a sense of anticipation coloring their hues.

And finally…finally, things were put into action.

He knew the instant she touched him that it was happening. Knew the second that her small hand had connected with the worn case that it was going to be today. Today was the day he's be set free. Her purity was bright and it crashed against his cage, buffering it and testing its limits unknowingly. She was strong. Unbelievably so, and in the confines of his prison Touga began to laugh because there was just no way she wouldn't be able to break the spell.

Unable to move when all he wanted to do was get up and run was a new kind of torture. The anticipation of a well-awaited event was going to kill him, and somewhere in the back of his mind there was a niggling doubt that maybe, just maybe, they'd change their mind. That she'd have a sudden dart of insight, stop the ceremony he could feel mounting around him, and take him back to the place he was kept.

But she didn't. She was relaxed, maybe even bored, and for a moment he wondered if this disinterested state was going to be enough to break him free. She was powerful, of course, but if she didn't pinpoint any of that power then it simply wouldn't work.

And then she straightened, up, took a half a second's interest, and he was nearly blown back by the intensity of her focus.

His world of darkness exploded into brilliant hues of blue and pink, shimmering with power and light. Tendrils of pure white wove themselves through the spells that kept him captive, wrapping around the bars keeping him there, and pulled.

"I release you."

And the cage broke. Torn apart. Utterly decimated. He heard her voice as a booming echo in his ears, the first one he'd heard in eight hundred years. The darkness was chased away, leaving him in a mellow world of shifting blue, twinkling in the aftermath. He floating there, stunned. He was…free. Free.

He savored the moment, letting it wash over him. In that moment he was the sword, and he felt it, closer than ever, when she lifted the blade from the case. When she began to slide it out of its sheath, he finally came to his senses. He leapt out of the prison. And he did it with so much force that he crashed into her, sending them both sprawling over a floor as he dazedly let sensation wash over him. Sight, sound, smell, touch…he could taste the air that lingered with remaining power, sizzling.

And as he stared down into her—beautiful, exotic, wondrous—face, his mind kicked into high gear.

She was untrained yes, but that didn't mean she couldn't seal him back into that damned thing. With the amount of power she had, she could just think of him being tied down again and it would be so. He had to escape such chance, and there were only a few options.

The first was to kill her. She represented the worst threat he'd encountered, and it would be easy to go for her throat. But as soon as the thought occurred he tossed it out of his mind. He couldn't kill her; he was already attached. Had been since she was born because he knew she was going to be the one to free him. She had been his salvation—like hell he was going to spit in her face for it.

The other option was to run. He didn't know what kind of world he'd come into but he was certain that he could disappear into it. He could take the sword, cast if off somewhere where no one could find it and stuff him back into it. Demons were tied to their sealing cages, so either he was going to be sealed back into this one, or none at all. He could hide the thing where no one could find it, and he'd be free for the rest of his life.

This idea appealed to him the most. Hell, once he got his feet under him, learned how to move in this new time and place, he might even come back to thank her. Tell her how amazing it is to be free, give her a gift a gratitude, something—

There was a noise and it was terrifying. Something grinding and loud, and to his ears so unused to sound, it was so alien that his heart skipped a beat.

He yanked her up to his chest, instinctively trying to guard her from whatever monster had made the sound…and then she screamed.

The series of events that happened afterwards were rather entertaining. He was aware of the family behind them both, knew that they were moving to help her, but he was more interested in the panicked expression on her face. The fact that she could barely lift a sword that he could balance on his pinky amused him greatly, but any sort of warm, fuzzy emotion abruptly left when it started to glow pink.

Like he'd thought, the mere perception of a threat and her powers had reacted. She wanted him gone, and her abilities and the sword were conspiring to make it happen. If he didn't move, if he didn't do something then he was going to be sucked right back into that thing, with no way of knowing if he'd ever come out again.

"NO!"

He lunged. The power was building, and he could feel it crackling against his skin as the chains began to reform around him. Soon, they'd yank him back into that darkness, and he couldn't even begin to imagine how crushing that would be. Terror and rage fueled him, and by the time he'd gotten to her, he had a plan.

Knocking the sword out of her hands wasn't going to work. The spell had already been activated, he could feel it tugging at the edges of his senses, and casting it away would only scare her more and ensure he'd be back where he started.

Since killing her was also out, he settled on the only other option.

Touga kissed her.

Humans may have found a way to seal demons, but his kind were not idiots. They'd found a way, just like humans, to ensure their safety. And in this case it meant becoming a familiar. It wasn't a dignified position to be in, tying yourself to a human and allowing yourself to do their bidding. The laws of the spell were unfairly tipped towards the weaker being, and doing so would ensure that he'd have to be close to her.

But there were benefits. Before such an act, any human with a spiritual inclination could seal a demon. But becoming a familiar meant that the only person who could do you harm was the one you were tied to. He'd only have to worry about her, and no one else.

Doing this…it would be a new kind of prison unto itself. But between that and the very real threat humming to live at his side, Touga knew which one he preferred. So he kissed her. He kissed her hard and in earnest and kept his eyes wide and calculated to see if it worked. She could still seal him, technically, but he was hoping the shock of a sudden binding to her system would distract her from doing just that.

I am yours, his mind screamed, his aura surging to make the thought binding. I am yours for eternity.

Her eyes (they were so blue) shot open in surprise, and the world suddenly seemed so much less. Her spiritual presence, which had expanded to encompass the entire room abruptly flickered out of existence, leaving the air raw and crackling. The sword, so ready to eat him whole, stilled and went dead, returning to cold unfeeling steel and nothing more.

There was that noise again, the one that had scared him straight into battle instincts before, but he was far too focused on her to give it more than a passing thought.

As the seconds ticked by with nothing but the squawking of her family to fill the silence, Touga allowed himself to hope. Had he…had he done it? Had he made it in time? She tried to tug away from him, but still high on adrenaline and uncertainty, Touga wouldn't let her. She was going stay right where she was, and he would make sure of it until he knew, for sure, that his plan had worked.

She didn't really like that idea. And he could tell because her energies suddenly rose up in a wall of indignant rage that he nearly cowered under. It was powerful, almost as powerful as his own, and though he could overcome her it was the sword's reaction that scared him the most. It started to stir once again, humming back to life.

He was so focused on the imminent problem and how stop it that he nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden burst of movement and pain.

For almost a millisecond, too fast for the rest of him to process, he'd thought she was going to reciprocate the kiss. Her soft mouth had opened in invitation, sucking his lower lip between blunt teeth, and…and then bit down.

Hard.

Ow.

Now that, that made more sense. He pulled back with a gasp, so startled that he completely forgot about the sword. The fact that she'd called him a dog of all things poked at long suppressed feeling of hysteria. Because he was a dog, and this entire situation was almost too much to take. Bringing up a hand, he prodded the abused flesh, licking up a bead of blood that she'd drawn. Her eyes were crackling with lightning, and even though her rage quickly dissipated under his stare, he could help but smile.

She'd bit him. Like a child! It was hilarious! And not only that, but his plan had worked! He could feel that the binding had been successful, and under a heady rush of emotions victory rose the surface. He rode on that high of emotions for a moment, letting her see the viciousness of his regard on his face, before a thought occurred to him.

She'd bitten him…fair's fair, wasn't it?

Twisting her hand so she dropped that hellish sword, he used both his hands to frame her face and drag her towards him.

This kiss was purely for him. For his victory, for his joy, for his appreciation. He wanted sensation, he wanted to feel someone close to him again. After all that time alone, after all those years sitting in solitary confinement, just being around another living breathing being was going to cut it. An embrace wasn't going to cut it either.

He wanted intimacy, and he was going to take it. For all intents and purposes, he belonged to her, but she didn't need to know that. She didn't need to know the particulars of their new relationship. And as his lips crashed to hers, forcing them open and reveling in the sense of closeness he was getting from her, in the uncertain fluttering of hands on his body, and in the attractive squeak she'd made, he decided that he probably wouldn't ever tell her. As far as he was concerned, she belonged to him.

This one is mine, he thought gleefully. He'd protect her, since she was his. He'd protect her because he needed something to protect. He would treasure this spark of pure luck that fate had seen to drop into his lap, this fire that had torn apart his prison. And may hell have mercy on the soul that would come between him and her, because he wouldn't.

Parting only long enough to see her face, which was flushed in an amusing mix of confusion and excitement, he dipped back down and gently nipped at her lower lip. His teeth were each tapered to points, so he was careful, but not so careful that it wouldn't sting just a little. She deserved it, after drawing blood, and he was feeling playful.

He caught her startled expression before he scooped up the sword and bolted. He wasn't going to give her volatile purity another chance to activate the seal, not before he got rid of the thing.

Rushing outside nearly caused him to trip. The wall of scents he ran into was thick and pungent and not entirely pleasant. They were the smells of a world unknown, and through the cloying smog that churned through the air he turned his nose to the wind and picked up the scent of the ocean. That was the best place to abandon this old relic. He didn't intend to tell her exactly where he was going to hide the sword, but even if he did he doubted that she'd be able to get to it.

And that's what he was doing now. Flying low over the waves and waiting until he felt he was far enough out to drop the sword. It had taken him nearly a week to reach the coast even though he could have done it in a few days. He kept getting distracted by the sights around him, and since he was free, he'd indulged in every whim that came to him. Every single one.

But he was finally here, and with the future stretching out before him, Touga found that he wasn't dreading returned to the priestess with the blue eyes. He had a long life, what was a few years spent with her? Not only that, his mind murmured, but she is beautiful.

Touga would admit that her being the first thing he saw was a pretty sweet occurrence. She was indeed a beautiful creature, and he hadn't had feminine companionship for a long while, even before he'd been sealed. Unlike most of his kind, he didn't find humans repulsive, even taking a few lovers over the years. Licking his lips, Touga grinned. Kissing her had been more than enjoyable, and he had no qualms about seducing her the second he got back. He didn't care that it was abrupt—he'd been cooped up in a sword for a near millennium. He'd do damn well whatever he pleased, and it would please him to have a little fun.

Dog indeed, priestess, he thought smiling.

But first, this errand. Slowing to a stop midair, Touga lifted the blade that had been the bane of his existence and studied it carefully. He'd never gotten a chance to really look at the thing before he was sealed inside of it, and wondered at the craftsmanship. It was rather odd looking, and faintly echoed the styles a demonic culture long past. The crystal was especially strange. A light frown on his lips, he gave a small shrug and began to draw on his youki.

The energy pulsed viciously, and as if sensing its doom, the sword rattled in its sheath. Touga could tell it was angry and he reveled in the turn of tables. Drawing his hand back and looking into the unwelcoming depths of the blue-black sea, the sun just cresting over the far mountains, he felt it was only justice that the sword be eternally left to shadows like he had.

"Your turn, hell sword."

And he thrust it down, using a burst of youki to aid in the power behind the motion. The blade, sheath and all, rocketed downwards with a scream of power. The water erupted around it, creating a mighty splash, but the sword didn't stop. It didn't even slow down. Air bubbles exploded all around as it cut through the water going deeper and deeper.

Down, down, down, deeper and darker into the ocean it went until it smashed itself into the rocky ocean floor below. With his youki still surrounding it, Touga could faintly feel it so far below him that the sensation was dulled. He'd thrown with such force that it was anchored securely into the rocky silt below, and it wouldn't be coming out anytime soon.

Pleased with himself, Touga turned and flew back towards land. For the rest of the priestess's life, he was going to be there. Might as well hunker down, make himself comfortable, and find a friend in the household. It was his home now as much as it was hers.

A/N: To those of you who have seen Kami-sama Kiss, the whole 'kiss to get a familiar' thing should be pretty recognizable. I definitely got the idea from the anime, but I'm not going to be completely sticking with all the rules that they had. If you haven't seen that particular anime, its super cute! As for Touga immediately going for the idea of sex...well i imagine if I was cooped up in a sword for eight hundred years and finally got out, I'd be pretty desperate for human contact too. He's feels the same way-just taking a step or two further than the rest of us. Hope you liked it!