Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho
Takoki led the way, having memorized the location of the entrance into the tunnels. It was dark out, the cover of night helping them in their stealthy break in. Kuronue had a rope tied around Mira's wrists as he continued to tug her harshly forward. She stumbled multiple times, unable to keep up with the three demons' superior speed. The three however, didn't stop for her to catch up. There was no time for that. And Kuronue sure as hell wasn't going to carry her again. Not after she had scratched his back with a sharp claw. The bat would have killed her had Youko not intervened.
"Y-you g-guys need to g-give me a break." She said, taking deep breaths in an attempt to get oxygen back in her lungs.
"Hurry up," Youko ordered, eyeing Mira as she panted. "We don't have time for you to catch your breath."
"Why don't you carry her then?" Kuronue suggested, giving Youko a blank stare.
"No." Came the immediate reply. "Foxes don't do grunt work like that."
"Fucking bastard." Kuronue muttered darkly, tugging on the rope to get Mira moving again.
Once they reached a small clearing in the back of a large manor, Takoki took out a small bottle from his robes. Youko and Kuronue's eyes widened at what he had in his hands. A piece of Ayama's precious collection. A dark purple soul sitting in a jar in all its glory. Takoki took out two more. One a dark orange, the other a pale blue. They shone brightly, more beautiful than any gem. The two bandits watched in silence as Takoki took the small vials of blood attached to the jars lids and emptied each vial inside their respective cases.
The usual scent of blood however wasn't what caught Youko's attention.
It was the lingering fragrance of vanilla.
That scent was familiar.
Youko's eyes widened as he realized that the blood belonged to none other than the vixen. He had tasted that sweet blood for himself, there was no way he'd mistake it for anyone else's. That blood was definitely hers. No. His nostrils flared. It wasn't just the vixens. He could smell the faint scent of Hyoukoki and… Eriya? Or was that Emiya? Their scents were too alike for him to properly differentiate. Why were they pouring their blood on souls? Did their blood have special properties? Or was the act of pouring blood on a soul itself special?
The droplets of cerise slowly dripped down onto the souls that absorbed them like thirsty roots in sore need of water. The souls were parched, he realized. Were they feeding? Could souls feed? The three souls dimmed for a moment, before brightening and turning a dark crimson.
"What are you doing with those souls?" Kuronue asked, getting closer to Takoki's little setup.
Takoki smirked. "Just as Youko spent his long years thieving and perfecting his project of demon and plant combination, my Master has for the past two millennia dabbled into the hidden secrets of a demon's soul."
Youko's eyes narrowed. Dozens of questions coming up. How did she harvest these souls? Did they each have a different purpose? Why did she need them? Just what was this vixen's aim? She cared for riches, but didn't go out of her way to collect them. He couldn't read her. That fact alone had a growl erupting deep in his throat. He had never been so utterly mystified by a vixen –no, a demon's- character and motives before. He couldn't even begin to figure out just what it was she wanted to accomplish in this life or perhaps the next. There were still so many unanswered questions. Youko had hoped that with their mind bond, he would have been able to take some information from her many memories and thoughts, but Ayama was a lot more guarded than he thought. Disciplined in both mind and body. He would have commended her had he not been so utterly displeased about his unsatisfied curiosity.
A fox's inquisitive nature, if left unchecked, was a force to be reckoned with.
"Don't glare at me," Takoki said to Youko. That smirk not leaving the wolf's face. "She said it was alright to tell you."
Youko's eyes widened, before he raised an eyebrow. "That greedy vixen said you could tell me about her work?"
Takoki narrowed his eyes at the way he referred to Ayama, but otherwise ignored the comment. "She did."
Youko grinned in amusement. He really didn't understand her. One moment she held her secrets as close to her as her own heart and the next she was telling her children that they could blabber them all to him. Though he wasn't going to complain about having some of his curiosity relieved. Free answers were a great thing indeed. Free. He loved that word. There was a pleasant ring in his ears whenever he heard it.
"Care to elaborate then?" Youko asked, crossing his arms.
They were in a rush, but this was far more important than some feline's hidden treasure. These were actual souls that he was dealing with. The lives of demons being toyed with by a vixen. Not letting them move onto the next world. Just what was her aim? Why would she deny these demons their peace – or their hell? She was flirting with death himself. If Spirit World were ever to find out then they'd kill her for sure.
Takoki nonchalantly grabbed the souls as if he weren't dealing with a precious object that could break at the slightest mishandle. Takoki powered his demon energy into them, before throwing them with all his might at the large house. The souls shattered soundlessly, small sparks igniting like the embers of a flickering flame before they completely vanished into thin air. Out of sight. Half a second later, the entire area was suddenly covered in a dense fog. A mist so thick that Youko had trouble seeing even his feet. Another moment later and the air around them cleared somewhat, only enough so that he could make out the faces and forms of Kuronue and Takoki.
"The girl," Youko was quick to say.
"I got her," Kuronue said, tugging the rope as Mira came stumbling forward. She fell on her face, eating dirt.
Mira spat. "STOP DOING THAT!"
Her cries landed on deaf ears.
"You like it?" Takoki suddenly asked with a grin, ignoring the complaining feline as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "The Forest of Tears' mist?"
Youko smirked. The rumors were true then. The mist surrounding the Forest of Tears really was made from the souls of demons. It explained the unnatural feeling of both life and death that lingered whenever he entered. The feeling of someone always watching him. It also explained why he could never sense anyone inside and why the mist blocked the senses. He could only assume that the souls of the dead were trapping them in, trying to get them to take part in their suffering. Their fitful unrest. Youko guessed that the reason no one ever left was because Ayama and her little band of guards killed them all and harvested their souls, before they could.
He wondered if this special ability also allowed them to travel freely in this mist or if they were just so used to it that they knew all of the dead's tricks. There were just too many questions. He wanted answers. Now.
Kuronue looked around him. The mist was everywhere and he couldn't sense anything. It was amazing. "This is the real thing, Youko. This is the same feeling I get in that cursed Forest."
Takoki turned to them, his usual mask of mock kindness on his face. "Okaa-sama has told me to allow you three questions."
"How does one harvest souls exactly?" Youko asked immediately. He could ask the vixen why she was suddenly being so generous with information at a later time. That wasn't important right now.
"A special talent," Takoki answered, "Unique to those born inside the Forest of Tears. The souls of the dead have cursed… No." He shook his head. "Gifted us all with this white hair and these breathtaking gifts."
Youko smirked. Things were finally coming together in his mind. He met Kuronue's eye, the bat nodding to him in an indication that he was listening intently to every word.
"That's why she took the time to train four abandoned pups." It wasn't a question.
Takoki made no move to respond.
Youko chose his next words carefully, needing to figure out her goals. "Why is she researching these things?"
"Her original research is complete. She has continued it because it was an order given to her by Lord Raizen a millennia ago," Takoki answered, vaguely. The wolf knew all of Ayama's tricks. Answer with the barest minimum then drop an interesting name or two and anyone would be eating out of her hand. It was the best way to somewhat satisfy and at the same time encourage a customer's curiosity. Leaving them coming back for more.
Youko and Kuronue's eyes widened. They were right to not rashly take her to their hideout and force her to work for them. If she was working for Makai's oldest King then she was not someone they should be taking lightly. The fact that she might have the power to get Raizen, himself to order their deaths was not a pleasant thought. There was some good in this particular piece of information though. At least now, Youko knew exactly what kind of vixen he was dealing with.
"This is your final question." Takoki said, eyeing Kuronue to see if he was going to perhaps ask it. The bat shook his head, he knew that these kinds of things were better left to Youko. Kuronue just wasn't as interested as the fox when it came to Ayama's personal business.
The fox pondered over his final question. He was tempted to ask about the nature of this order or why Takoki had decided to release the Forest of Tears' mist here of all places, just what was the wolf's aim? Because surely, he wasn't helping them. He ultimately decided against these things, for one reason and one reason only. Youko had a question that would have a far more interesting answer.
"You say that the vixen experimented with these souls and that the outcome was this mist," Youko circled the wolf demon as if he were about to attack his prey, though in Youko's case, prey was just another word for toy. Takoki slowly followed the fox with his eyes, but otherwise didn't move from his position. "This mist that granted extraordinary traits to those born within…"
Youko stopped, standing in front of Takoki and letting some of his demon energy seep out. Just enough to be intimidating. It wasn't like anyone else could sense him, not with this mist.
"Tell me then, wolf," Youko's voice was a cold drawl. "If this mist was created by the vixen, how is it then that Ayama first harvested a demon's soul?"
"I see now," Takoki grinned and closed his eyes. The action reminded Youko of Ayama in a way. "Why okaa-sa—Master loves speaking to you. You ask… interesting questions."
"And you have promised me an answer," Youko said, coolly.
"I have, but I am afraid I cannot deliver the answer you so seek." Takoki opened his eyes once more to fix Youko with a harsh stare. "I'm afraid speaking of my Master's past while she isn't present would go against everything she has taught me. Besides, would you not rather ask her this yourself?"
"If the answer is free."
"It will be." Takoki grinned again, his posture visibly relaxing as he went back to a more casual way of speaking. "Let's roll, while the mist is busy haunting this new place. The tunnels await!"
The bandits smirked.
The tunnels were –to Youko's utter disappointment- exactly what he expected. Long, seemingly endless stretches of hall. The walls lined with oil lamps creating a dim glow in the darkness of the underground. Whoever had to turn off these lights or change the oil on them must've had one of the shittiest jobs in the world. The tunnels air was musty and damp, making the four demons' noses crinkle in disgust. Kuronue tugged on Mira and she stumbled forward, desperately grabbing at the papers she held tightly in her shaking hands.
"This is where I leave you," Takoki said with a grin. "Master has a job for me." Both Youko and Kuronue raised an eyebrow, but otherwise didn't question the wolf's words. They wouldn't get an answer. "See ya topside."
With that, Takoki disappeared through the small hole they had entered from. Kuronue clicked his tongue. "Here I thought the kid was spying on us."
"Perhaps he was…" Youko crossed his arms. "Perhaps he still is."
Kuronue grimaced, looking out the small entrance for another second, before focusing on Mira. "Where to, girlie?"
Mira glared at him. The bat not even a little intimidated as he coolly stared her down with cold eyes. "That way," she pointed to the right.
The two bandits turned, slowly heading toward their destination.
Ignorant of the dangers that awaited them.
"I heard he found you drinking without a care." Ayama mocked, leaning back into the cushions of her couch. She was currently in a private booth in a small restaurant in the cat dominated village of Southern Makai. "How fun it must be, living life without a single worry."
Hyoukoki stood behind where she was perched. The perfect bodyguard. He wordlessly stared down the cat demon who was seated on his knees before the information broker. The feline was sweating profusely, his hands trembling in their presence. Ayama held her pipe in between her fingers, taking a long drag as she let the silence in the room prevail. Only further increasing the tension. She crossed her legs, waiting for him to speak.
She didn't have to wait long.
"I-I'm sorry," he said with a bow. "T-The money, I can pay it n-now."
Ayama shrugged. "I'm not interested in the money anymore."
"B-But—"
"We had an agreement," Ayama interrupted his petty excuses. "The only thing you cats are good for is running. That speed is the only asset in your vile race. Isn't that right, Hyoukoki?"
Hyoukoki nodded slightly. He could tell the feline before them was getting even more nervous. The fact that Ayama had started asking him rhetorical questions meant that she was angry. "Yes, Master."
"The main family didn't want to leave their village where they'd be so vulnerable to death. That was why we agreed that a messenger would be sent." Ayama was frowning now, her usually swishing tail perfectly still.
She made a gesture for Hyoukoki to continue and he did, speaking in a low, intimidating tone. "Takoki would deliver information and be given payment. But, both Takoki and I were busy last week and the cats urgently needed the information regarding their enemies in the village over. So, the messenger for the week, as per your request Master, would be the heir to the clan. It would ensure that payments weren't squandered or stolen by some no name demon."
Ayama nodded along. "I even bothered to tell the main family about my five rules when dealing with me. Remind me, Hyoukoki, what was my fifth rule?"
The cat swallowed the dry lump in his throat.
"Never be late with payments." Hyoukoki answered.
Ayama turned back to the cat, kneeling before her. She narrowed her eyes at him. "And what did you do?"
"I-It was j-just a moment of w-weak—"
"Oh, he's not answering." Ayama said, mock disappointment flashing across her face. "Hyoukoki, what did he do?"
"He took last week's payment and squandered it on women and drink."
She frowned. "What am I to do now? The cats have already put the information to use, yet my pockets are empty. The money is gone. How do you expect me to feed all these growing boys I have at home?"
"I-I can get it back!" The heir yelled, desperately. "An hour! I just need an hour!"
Her frown deepened. "But I don't want that. I want the money you spent."
His eyebrows shot up in an attempt to reach his hairline. That was an unreasonable request! How was he supposed to know the difference between one piece of gold and another?! Was this vixen nuts? Money was still money. The same anywhere one went.
Ayama sighed. "It's more of the principle. If I let you off what would my other associates think of me?"
"I-I can pay you d-double! N-No. Triple!"
She ignored him and turned her head to Hyoukoki. "Where is Takoki, dear?"
"He should be at the mansion by now."
The cat demon immediately stood. "M-Mansion?! Wait! What are you going to—"
"Good," Ayama interrupted. "I do hope that they don't get him in a bad mood." She shot a purposeful look at their guest. "He's a wild one."
"What are you going to do with my clan?!" He demanded. "They had nothing to do with this! It was my fault for not delivering the money!"
"Me?" She let out a bitter laugh. "Why, I won't be doing a thing. Takoki, however…"
"Call him off!" He took a step closer, only to immediately take three back as Hyoukoki stepped in front of the couch that the vixen occupied.
"My, do you believe him to be working under a specific order?" Ayama grinned. "I've never ordered or forced my sons to do a thing. I may strongly suggest or tell them a hint of the things I want now and then, but what they do next is completely up to them. Should they choose to carry it out, then they create their own plans." She shrugged. "Spoiled, aren't they?"
She gestured with a hand toward Hyoukoki, "He stepped in front of me of his own accord. If he decides to kill you for breaking my rules, then that is also his decision. Though if he does not, I'm afraid I'll have to do it myself. Which would be a shame," she frowned, sighing loudly. "For I do hate getting my hands dirty."
Hyoukoki took a step forward.
The feline's eyes widened, panic crossing his face as he backed up even more "N-No! Please! It was just a minor slip up, it won't happen again!"
"You're right," Ayama said, taking a drag from her pipe as Hyoukoki lunged. A shrill cry piercing the air and the scent of blood tainting the room. "It won't."
"Hello, everyone!" Takoki yelled cheerfully.
He slammed the doors to the meeting room -where he usually picked up money- wide open. They hit the adjacent wall with a resounding bang. There was a deep red stain on his clothes and a few droplets on his cheek. He had just finished performing amateur amputation. The demon standing guard at the door was currently on the floor in a pool of his own blood. His arm a few feet away from the rest of his body and his leg twisted at a sick angle. His eyes closed in sleep… or as well as. There was a grand total of three cats inside. The female head, and her son and daughter.
"What do you think you're doing?!" The head, Rumi asked with disdain. Her daughter that Takoki had never met cowering in fright behind her. Roku, her son, stood protectively between the two women and Takoki.
"Get back, wolf!" Roku yelled. A sword held tightly in his hand as he raised it threateningly at him. "Why have you come?"
Takoki didn't move from his spot, opting instead to smile pleasantly. "Master is rather upset."
"Why in Enma's name would she be upset?!" Rumi growled, hiding her bawling daughter behind her frame.
"Why I wonder…?" Takoki wiped the blood from his cheek with the sleeve of his robe. "She was talking about empty pockets last time I saw her." He shrugged nonchalantly. "She must be frowning like hell right about now."
Takoki took a step forward. That happy smile still on his face, unnerving the three cats in the room. "Don't you agree?"
"The directions end here." Mira said as the three stopped in front of a dead end. There was a way to their left, but the directions had said to go right, so now they were staring at a wall. A blank, stone wall.
"Gee, and here I was just thinking that we needed some rocks for the hideout," Kuronue's sass was endless. He had been being his usual sarcastic self all throughout their mini adventure.
"It really does end here though!" Mira insisted. She pointed at the last page. "Why would I lie?"
Kuronue raised a challenging brow. "Why would you tell the truth in the first place? If I were you I'd lead us in circles until someone found us in these tunnels."
Her eyes widened. "I didn't do that!"
The bat shrugged. "This just proves that cats are simple."
"Stop insulting cat demons!" Mira's face erupted in red. If it was from embarrassment or fury, he didn't know. Perhaps both?
"Quiet," Youko interrupted their pointless argument. Kuronue was just looking for someone to aggravate. "Stop making a nuisance of yourself, bat."
Said bat grinned.
Youko ignored the happy look as he knocked on the wall. It was hollow. He checked one of the stones, there was a small hole that looked just big enough for some sort of pendant or rock. Fortunately, he didn't need something like that to open such a poorly reinforced wall. With a smug smirk, he brought out his rose whip and lashed out at the stone. The thing crumbled easily as the entire tunnel shook from the force of the hit. Small pieces of rock fell from above them, but the two bandits paid it no mind. If anything happened, they had no doubt that they were fast enough to escape. The woman with them, however…
Mira screamed and covered her head with her hands.
She was ignored as the two bandits moved some of the remnants of the broken wall to reveal a vault. A large thing. Kuronue was first, going up to it and examining the lock. He stretched his neck side to side, before smiling and taking a few tools from his pocket.
"I got this," he said.
Youko took Mira's rope from him, rolling the thing around in his fingers as he waited patiently for Kuronue. The underground was still shaking and he couldn't help but feel a rush of adrenaline shoot through him. The excitement of another theft in a crumbling building that could cave in on them at any moment had his blood pumping.
Click.
Youko turned his attention back to the bat who was grinning triumphantly as he threw the lock to the side and opened the vault. Instead of riches however, all that was inside was a small black safe.
A tiny thing.
The size of a small animal.
It was a part of the vault. Attached to the vault's bottom, it was strange. Why would someone do such a thing? Youko continued to eye it, then looked up at the slowly crumbling ceiling. His mind figuring it out. They had stuck it to the vault, so that whoever opened the wall by force would either die before they could open it or be forced to leave behind the gem. This meant only one thing, they were confident in the powers of whoever had the key to this wall. Confident in that demons' powers, so much so that they thought no one would ever be able to steal it from them and open the wall the normal way. He was curious about the bearer of this key.
Though, he doubted that the ones who had built this vault accounted for the King of Thieves, himself, going in to steal from it.
"This shit better be packed with priceless jewels." Kuronue said, irately as he bent down to begin picking the tiny, complex lock. "If that stupid gem those papers were talking about isn't as big as my damn head or doesn't occupy the entire mass of this tinyass safe then I'm gonna blow a fucking fuse."
Youko smirked. "Blow a fuse? Haven't you already lost what little patience you had?"
"Shut up, fox boy." Came the immediate retort. "Fucking safe inside a vault. What's next? A goddamned padlocked box inside?"
"AAAHHHHH!" Mira yelled, narrowly dodging a large piece of rock.
"Hurry now, Kuronue." Youko said, setting the joking aside as he easily sidestepped a large piece of ceiling that had almost crushed him. "Death by gravity stoning doesn't seem like a pleasant way to die."
"Oh, yea?" Kuronue bit out as he tried to open the thing faster. "Tell me a more pleasant way then. Don't tell me you want to die of something as ridiculous as old age or in a woman's loving arms?"
"While this talk of death is rather interesting, seeing as how I can hear all your ridiculous notions of what you think is a pleasant way to die," Youko said, mockingly. "I'd much rather you concentrate on that lock. You've been at it for an entire minute, bat. Shall I help you?"
Click.
Kuronue turned and grinned smugly. "You were saying?"
A/N: Why Ayama's sudden generosity? You'll find out in the upcoming chapters! :D Check out my LIVEJOURNAL for previews. Special thanks to Juliedoo, and KhAel for reviewing, I appreciate all of your support!
Shameless Plug-in Time: Does anyone read/watch Tokyo Ghoul here? Cause I released a new UTAXOC fic. Check it out if you're interested!
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