No One Like You By: OtakuSailorV
Chapter 10:: Girl's Got SpiritSmirking, his eyes lit back to the human that stood before him in sopping wet clothes that had dripped a large puddle around him in the grass.
"You wouldn't mind if I borrowed her for a little while, would you now?"
Yuka felt like she had just been struck for no apparent reason. Dumbly, she stared at the youkai with wide eyes, trying to comprehend what he had just said in such a smooth and perverse tone.
Renkotsu's teeth grated together with sudden anger and he watched the youkai even more intensely than he had before, as if expecting something to happen. The heel of one booted foot ground into the gravel and he felt compelled to run at him in a rage, though he knew the youkai was quicker that he, and so stayed himself.
"Youkai," He commanded the gaze of the creature – whose eyes were currently preoccupied with the human female – in a rough tone. The sensual, odd-colored eyes of the youkai lifted to him and the smug smirk implanted itself on his suave face once again.
"Eh?" He asked, quirking one eyebrow. "Do you think otherwise, human?"
Renkotsu's eyes flashed brilliantly in the moonlight with fiery anger. "Leave her be or you will regret it."
Yuka looked to him suddenly, puzzled and startled by his comment. Why did he care? Not that she was complaining, but why? Awkwardly, she sank deeper into the water, still beating herself up on the inside for this whole thing.
Still, she thought as she watched Renkotsu and the youkai, who knew if this meeting with the youkai was inevitable or not. What if she had been sleeping when he had happened by, and then Renkotsu would be near, but probably wouldn't notice her absence if the youkai had taken her secretly and swiftly? Puzzling over whether this ordeal was entirely her fault or not, the men went on talking, Renkotsu bordering furious anger.
"Regret it?" The youkai cooed, his smug look becoming even more annoying. "Is that a challenge?"
Renkotsu's eyes calculated the situation. He had meant it as a warning, which could be construed as a challenge, and at any rate, he had to have a plan if he was going to fight the youkai. This one could take a human shape, so he wouldn't be as easy to run off as the rat youkai had been, and was more than likely a good deal stronger. Mulling it over quickly, Renkotsu tried to suppress the anger trying to pull him under, to make him lose his mind and act upon the first thing that popped into his mind.
Yuka's eyes locked on his briefly, sending him a puzzled, possibly even frightened message with just a glance. His gaze moved back to the youkai. "It is." He confirmed, narrowing his eyes a touch more, his tone icy.
The youkai sighed, his expression drooping, though not losing that arrogant, self-assured aspect at all. "It's never any fun when I have to fight though." He seemed to be pouting to himself. Leaning against the tree still, he seemed to be pondering it all over, looking skyward out of the corners of his eyes. Suddenly, though, they hardened from their innocent demeanor and he shot Renkotsu a devilish look before, just as suddenly, he was gone.
Renkotsu started, waiting for an impact, but nothing came. Instinctively, his head swung toward Yuka who was watching with just as much childish fascination as she could muster at the moment. But behind it, he could see an inner dread growing. His stomach dropped out as he spied the youkai, his vision just stopping from blurring from the wild swing moments before.
Seeing his sudden change in emotion, and feeling some kind of warning bell go off in her mind, Yuka swung around as well and gasped as her eyes met the youkai's. 'Too close!' Something in her mind cried out even louder than she did as she pulled back, though the reaction seemed slow and useless in the water. Cursing her situation and herself again, Yuka brought up one arm in an act of defense.
The youkai took the chance and snatched the arm, twisting it and raising it above her head so that she couldn't get away or even struggle without sending a shooting, sharp pain up her arm and around her shoulder blade.
Yuka cried out again, this time in pained anger rather than shock, and kicked her feet uselessly under the water as she tried to relieve some of the pain. Renkotsu jerked to a halt, eyes wide and glaring at the offending male.
A dark chuckle echoed around Yuka and she shivered involuntarily. "Humans are so fun to toy with." He mused to himself. The girl that was pressed tightly against him squirmed, gritting her teeth in anger, as she peered upward to try and get a good look at him.
"Let go of me, you bastard." She hissed, noticing that her top was visible out of the water, and that was one of the last things she wanted either of them to see.
"I have no intention to quite yet, pretty one." He replied in that same seductive tone as before. Yuka's face lit up and she tried to push away from him again, ignoring the pain jolting through her arm.
"Youkai," Renkotsu hailed him now, trying to take his attention away from the struggling girl.
"Please, call me Sekushi." He replied in a mock polite tone.
"Youkai," Renkotsu continued forcefully, not allowing himself to address the youkai as if he were honorable to be acknowledged with a name. "Leave the girl be."
"Or what?" Sekushi challenged, smirking brightly, thinking himself to have won. "You humans always think that you can win when your mate is involved."
Something snapped in Yuka's mind. 'What did he just. . . ?' Her fright of the youkai was banished instantly, and an inner flame suddenly flared forth with such force that she was sure it would burst from her if it grew any larger. She had never been as angry as this. How dare the stupid bum think that she and Renkotsu were. . .and it was Renkotsu!! Her eyes widened and before she knew what she was doing, her fist had come up out of the water and was sailing straight at the youkai's face.
Startled by the sudden movement, the youkai tried to dodge, but by the time the thought had registered, it was already too late. Yuka's fist made a skull-splitting connection.
Something cracked loudly as fist-met face, and the youkai toppled backward. Furious, face red from anger and embarrassment, Yuka dove underwater and came up on the shore by Renkotsu. "Turn around." She ordered him sharply, as soon as her head popped from the water.
When he paused, she flung water at his feet. "I said turn around. Hide your eyes, dummy." She repeated tersely.
Renkotsu blinked at the unconscious youkai on the other shore. Where had this shrimp of a girl gotten the strength to. . . ?
"Hello?!" Yuka's anger flared when he continued to gawk. "Move it or lose it, buster! I wanna get dressed someday!!"
Renkotsu took a step back, frowning at her. Sighing to himself, he wondered how he had gotten himself into this mess and walked around the pool, going to the other side by the youkai and turning his back to her.
When she was sure that he wasn't looking, Yuka scuttled from the water to the place where she had hidden her clothes and quickly dried herself as best she could and put them back on. She felt remotely clean, but still she wished for a nice place to get soap and such things from.
When she was fully clothed, she came back out from her hiding space and walked over to Renkotsu who was stooped down to take a look at Sekushi.
She felt a small form of pride rise in her at her ability to knock out the youkai, but still, she wasn't sure if the action would prove for better or for worse in the future. Still, she couldn't very well have let him say and do things like that without retaliation could she? A girl's gotta take care of herself.
Renkotsu glanced over at her as she sat on her heels, looking over her own handiwork with a kind of innocent curiosity. Like she didn't understand what had happened herself. "How were you able to do this?" Renkotsu asked, indicating Sekushi's bloody nose and bruised cheek.
Yuka would have sword she had given him an uppercut, but then again, she hadn't really seen what she had been doing in the first place. "Hell if I know." Yuka shrugged indifferently. "He was bein' an ass, so I hit 'im. I didn't expect that to happen though."
Getting back to her feet, Yuka headed back to the place where Bankotsu and the others were. Renkotsu watched her for a moment before getting to his feet as well and catching her by the elbow. "Where are you going now?" He demanded a little angrily.
"I'm going back to the camp." Yuka replied, pulling her elbow away from him. It just happened to be the same one that Sekushi had almost yanked off before. "Is there a problem with that?"
Renkotsu regarded her for a moment before turning away from her and walking back to investigate the fallen youkai again. Yuka huffed and turned back away, her short hair swishing around her in the sudden movement.
Stomping off through the forest, she hoped that no one was awake to question her when she returned. Most of all Jakotsu.
As the girl disappeared from sight, Renkotsu wondered briefly to himself what in all the worlds was the matter with her. She could be calm and nice when talking to Suikotsu or Bankotsu; she appeared almost human at those times. But whenever she talked to him or Jakotsu, she always seemed angry. Her demeanor changed so rapidly sometimes it was frightening, and Renkotsu found it puzzling that he had been so protective of her around the youkai male.
It had not been simply because she was a hostage, there was something more to it that he couldn't put his finger on. It was so strange, when the youkai had looked at her that way, when Renkotsu had thought about what might happen to her, he had become enraged. For some reason, to see her eyes filled with that strange fear was unsettling.
The rage filled him again as he looked down at the defeated youkai. He wasn't dead, and Renkotsu had half a mind to finish him right here and now. But that would be cowardly, to kill him when he could not defend himself. Sighing, he decided that the best thing to do would be to stick near to Yuka, and that way protect her from any other such incidences.
Still – he wouldn't say that there was anything to it. He was just trying to ease his own discomfort at seeing her hurt, it was nothing else. It was nothing else. . .
Songs::
SugarCult – 'Pretty Girl (The Way)'
Disney's 'Hercules' – 'I Won't Say I'm In Love'
Again the songs kinda revolve around the story in general, but some verses really seemed to fit this chapter very well.
Watch out for something rather surprising in the next chapter, and Jakotsu decides to have another go at Yuka about 'disappearing.' grin
Thanks to my reviewers, as always. I truly appreciate it you guys, and I'm glad there are so many people that like this fiction.
Ah, well, I'll see you in two weeks then, minna-san. Enjoy the Holidays! .
Ja'ne!
Review Please.