Hi guys. Or gal, maybe I should say, since only one person reviewed the last chapter. Well, you know who you are and I thank you for your review.
Please enjoy the 4th chapter and review please. It makes me feel appreciated.
Demae shuffled nervously from foot to foot. Today was the day Bishquet was to take them to Makai to meet Demae's new teacher. She and the rest of the group were bundled up for cold weather. Their group consisted of herself, Bishquet, Kurama, Nikoli, and Yusuke. Hiei and Kuwabara would be staying behind to watch over Ningenkai so nothing untoward would happen while the others were gone. Bishquet had seemed a little disappointed, but soon cheered up as their portal was opened. She was going home, so why shouldn't she be happy?
Demae pressed her lips together as she eyed the portal with suspicion. The last time she had gone through one, she had lost all sense of direction and her stomach. Catching her look, Yusuke threw a companionable arm around her shoulders. "Don't you worry, Dem. It won't be so bad as before." He assured her before letting go and following Bish through the portal. Kurama motioned her to go next, so she held her breath and stepped in. This time, it seemed like she was somewhat floating, though she still felt the sensation of falling. Suddenly the swirling darkness was replaced with blinding light as she landed deeply in the snow. Floundering out of the drift she had landed in, she looked around with interest.
It looked like they were on a large ice plain. There was no distinguishing feature as far as she could see. As Nikoli and Kurama landed nearby, Demae quelled a small surge of jealousy. Neither of them landed in the snow. Demons had all the luck. Shaking her head, she looked over at Bishquet. The woman seemed calm and happy. This was home to her, though how anyone could stand to live here was beyond Demae.
"Ok! Everyone seems to be accounted for. Stick close together. Blizzards can come up suddenly. I'll block as much of it as I can, but I'm not a weather witch, so I can't promise much." Bish announced past the scarf that was wrapped around her head, covering her nose and mouth. "Find a buddy and follow closely behind me." With that, she turned and began walking north.
Demae found herself beside Nikoli with Yusuke and Kurama paired behind them. She smiled lightly at the half-demon, but much of it was lost behind a scarf of her own. However, Nikoli seemed to read the smile in her eyes, because he smiled back. No one spoke much, since they were conserving their energy. They needed it all to keep walking.
The wind had begun to howl, stinging what exposed skin there was. All of them had to lean forward to make any progress at all. Every step they gained was fought for. Demae could barely make out Bish's outline in front of them. The wind had picked up the snow, creating flurries that sought to separate the small group. Suddenly, Demae stumbled, falling to the side. In the few precious moments it took for her to struggle up against the wind, she had lost sight of the others. Looking left and right, the girl tried to make sense of which direction they could have gone. Her heart felt like it was constricting as panic set in. She was alone, in a white-out. Bishquet had lectured them all on how dangerous it was getting stuck out in a blizzard, so Demae knew how much trouble she was in now.
She needed to stay calm. She had to figure out what she was going to do. She would never get anything accomplished if she just panicked. Taking a few calming breaths, Demae made herself relax as she searched for guidance.
I need help.
The plea was sent off, riding on the wind, past the barriers of time and space. In only moments, Demae felt herself securely wrapped in wings of black.
"Crow." She murmured as she leaned into the comfortingly familiar feathery form. He had come. She hadn't been sure if any of the spirits from her world could still hear her.
As long as there is belief, we will come. Never doubt that, Little One.
Demae nodded, reassured. "I have lost my group, Crow, and I am lost. If I don't make it to shelter soon, I will freeze. I need help" she pleaded.
Crow was silent for a moment before he spoke. Look within yourself, Demae, and you shall find the way. I may give you no more help in this. This is a test you must overcome yourself.
And with that, Demae found herself alone in the blizzard once more. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around herself as she tried to think. Look within. What did that mean? Stomping her feet to keep her circulation going, she pondered that clue. Taking another deep breath, she sought her center, the place she went to when she meditated.
She floated in a space of infinite black. Small stars seemed to dot the area, though it was otherwise bare. There was no up or down, no left or right. It was just…there. However, as Demae floated there, she felt a small ping. It was insistent, pulling at her attention until she once again opened her eyes and turned to the direction the small ping had come from. "Well, it's the only clue I have." She muttered to herself as she started forward, following the ping she felt. Well, at least she'd stay warm if she walked.
Fighting against both the cold and the wind, Demae knew she was becoming exhausted. But she had to keep going. Otherwise, no one would find her. She could no longer feel her fingers and her nose was a distant memory. She vaguely realized she was stumbling to and fro; yet still she let herself be guided. Her destination had to be there.
Suddenly she noticed she was no longer walking. She was lying out in the snow, face turned to the side as the snow melted and froze again in her scarf. When had that happened? She wasn't sure. It was hard to think, with sleep teasing her at the corners of her mind. But she couldn't sleep, no matter how tempting it seemed. Groaning, she struggled to get up on hands and knees, to crawl if need be. However, she didn't even have the strength for that. As she lay there, she suddenly realized a pair of boots was in front of her face. Turning over, she looked up to see a suspicious pair of blue eyes before blackness finally stole over her vision.
The whole group was out of their minds with worry. They had arrived in Bishquet's village only half an hour ago. They had tried to get a search party out for Demae when an old, scratchy voice had delayed them. "The girl will be fine."
The woman who had spoken was bent with age, a glossy raven perched upon her shoulder. Her silky white hair was bound tightly in a bun and covering her eyes were milky cataracts. She was dressed in a stout wool dress, covered in a thick cloak. She leaned upon a twisted cane and gave them all a blind glare. Once she was sure they all had gotten the message, she had gone back to her hut, leaving the group to find lodging. Bish had decided to take them all to her place. It was rather cramped with them all together, but at least it was warm. Despite the worry for Demae, everyone seemed to be relaxing, especially after Bishquet informed them that the old woman from before would be Demae's teacher.
"Kurama?"
The man looked up from a book he had found, focusing his green-eyed gaze on Bishquet. The woman stood in front of him, idly twirling one of her curls around a small finger. Some where she had found a shirt that proclaimed, "Insane? I prefer special." Kurama kept a chuckle to himself, since it seemed to describe the demon perfectly.
"Yes, Bishquet?" he asked as he closed his book.
"You know what?" she asked, tilting her head.
"What?"
"You're a tramp!" she exclaimed, giggling before skipping through the house to bother someone else, but not before performing her impression of a tyrannosaurus rex and leaving Kurama totally confused. Poor man.
"Insane, definitely." Kurama said to himself as he opened his book once more. However, he was soon interrupted again. Nikoli walked in, looking very down. He knew his son blamed himself for losing Demae. The young half-demon sat down on the floor beside his father's chair, not saying a word. He could tell that Nikoli did care for Demae in a way, even if his son didn't seem quite sure what exactly it was yet. Kurama said not a word, and neither did Nikoli, leaving the two of them to sit in a companionable, yet worried, silence.
Meanwhile, Bishquet was bothering Yusuke. It seemed that the man had found Bishquet's extensive game system and was currently destroying ghosts in old school Pacman. Snickering lightly to herself, the silent arctic kitsune youkai crept forward before springing to the man's back. And suddenly Bishquet found herself sailing through the air, since Yusuke reacted by grabbing her and tossing her off of his shoulder. The kitsune landed with a very unladylike thump on the floor, leaving her to rub her bum and glare at Yusuke.
"You should be more careful. I'm a delicate ice flower, so you should be gentle." She admonished as she stood up, wrapping her tattered dignity around her. However, her haughty expression soon disappeared as a direct result of Yusuke's laughing. And so with a triumphant smirk, she unplugged the game system. "Mine." She said in victory as Yusuke gave her a disbelieving look.
"I can't believe you did that, you midget!" he shouted, springing for the woman and grabbing a hunk of her frizzy hair.
"Ah! Rape! Save my hair! He's trying to make love to my hair! Save meeeee!" Bish cried out as she tried to pull her hair out of Yusuke's grasp.
Yusuke only rolled his eyes. "And this, ladies and gents, is the great ice fox of the north." He muttered in a sarcastic manner, tugging at her hair.
Stopping in her struggles, Bishquet gave the man a hard look. "You asked for it." She said in warning before Yusuke was in a ball on the ground. Retracting her knee with a satisfied look, she patted the pained man's head before leaving the room to let Yusuke wallow in his misery, trying to smooth her frizzy curls back into place. From there, she walked to her own room and locked the door behind her. Once there, she curled up in her bed. "Vincent." She murmured in a low, lonely voice to herself as a single tear trickled down her cheek.
Shivering, Demae pulled the blanket that was over her tighter, blinking open her bleary blue eyes. She was so cold still, but at least she could feel her extremities. Cautiously looking out of her blanket burrow, she studied the place she was in. It was cave-like, but the rugs on the floor and tapestries on the wall gave it a homey look and kept the chill away, as did the fire that was burning in a hearth that had been carved from the rock wall.
Hearing footsteps, Demae shrank back into her burrow, only her eyes peering out so she could see exactly who her savior was. The man was shorter than her. He had odd, pupiless blue eyes and matching blue hair, which was smoothed back. Bangs of a pastel green color almost hid his left eye. He was carrying a steaming drink in his hand, which he held out wordlessly to Demae. The young woman took it after emerging from her blankets, eyeing him as she sipped at the cup's contents. It was a warm, chamomile tea, one which warmed her up in a hurry. Seeing the rosy color returning to Demae's cheeks, the unnamed man nodded before taking a seat on the floor in front of her.
"My name is Touya." He said, answering Demae's unasked question. "But now I need your name and why you were out in the snow if I'm going to help at all."
Demae eyed him from behind her cup, blue eyes somewhat suspicious. He was probably a demon, she decided, since his hair was so odd. But he did save her, so he deserved the truth. "My name is Demae. I was traveling to a northern village with an arctic kitsune named Bishquet."
Touya nodded, leaning back on his hands. "I know of the village you speak, as well as the kitsune. We met a while back when I came here for solitary training. I can take you to her, if that is what you wish."
Demae nodded. "Yes, I have to go there. I'm supposed to seek training under a woman who lives there. Bishquet never did tell me her name, though."
"Well, finish your tea. We should get there as soon as possible so we aren't caught outside when dark falls."
Demae immediately stood up, grabbing her jacket and slipping into it. Seeing her enthusiasm, Touya hid a small smile as he stood as well. He walked to the exit of his home, pushing open the wooden door. Immediately cold wind gusted in, making Demae step back. Touya looked over his shoulder. "Demae, give me your hand. We don't need to lose each other as you did your first group." Nodding, the girl obeyed and the two ventured out into the raging storm.