nOte from Author: I am so sorry it has taken me a while to put somethin' up. Some things have happened that kept me from updating. But here, alas, is the next installment of Human Rose. -ROSEY

Chapter 10

"You are an idiot!"

The words echoed through the partially closed door of Kuronue's room. Hiromi froze, her hand an inch away from the door where she'd been about to knock. She had just come from riding her horses in the newly built stables. Since the evening before Hiromi had hardly left the horses alone. She was finding a thrill in the new distraction that would fill her days while she was alone. It wasn't boring or the exact same thing every day. Now she was at Kuronue's door in hopes of thanking him again. What was Yoko doing there yelling at Kuronue for?

"What are you yelling about Yoko?" Kuronue asked, leisurely. He knew Yoko better than to get angry at being called an idiot by him.

"You know, I can understand you finding that human interesting and all. I really can. Hell I even did to begin with until she stabbed me. But when you take three days out of a week that we have to kill this demon she gave to us on a silver platter to grab a pair of horses from human world for her entertainment, I am sorry but that is excessive!" Yoko growled at his friend.

There was silence for a few moments before Kuronue answered his friend's accusations. During this silence, Hiromi held her breath to keep from being heard. Who knew how sensitive Yoko's ears may be? They might stop talking about this. She had wanted to ask Kuronue why he'd gone to get her the horses. It couldn't possibly be because he wanted her to be happy. There had to be an alternative motive, her spy side kept saying. And what did Yoko mean 'to kill this demon'? She had been giving them the information under the impression that they were simply going to steal from the demons and return.

"We can still keep up our schedule Yoko. That demon will die by the end of the week so we can get more information from the human. But in order to get her to give us more information, we must make sure that she is happy here. In order to get her to change sides completely, we must get her to love being here," Kuronue said, pausing a moment before continuing his explanation. "Bringing the horses here was just a step in that direction. It was like being a piece of her home to her so that she might think this place was home."

"And it had nothing to do with you kissing her before we left?" Yoko snapped, still a little peeved but obviously the explanation given to him had patted down some of the angry feathers that stood up.

"That was just… To see if she was comfortable here." Kuronue said with a laugh as he tried to phrase it right.

Hiromi's heart beat against her chest in anger, but she bit her tongue and temper and backed as quietly away from the door as she possibly could. She would make the demon's pay for speaking like she was some toy to be won over. She would not go in there now and disrupt their important discussion. She would wait. She would wait and plan and make the payback far worse than any of them could think of. Before Hiromi could move away completely, the door was yanked open and Yoko stopped, looking down at her.

"Kuronue, your pet is here." He called over his shoulder before bowing the girl inside as if he hadn't just been badmouthing her a moment before. Hiromi passed him, stiff shoulders as she entered the room and stood just a foot inside the room before the door was closed behind her. She turned blue ice eyes to gaze around the room and found Kuronue standing next to a desk where some papers were sprawled across.

"Come in Hiromi, please." Kuronue said, happiness flooding from his person. "Did you like your horses being brought to you? I thought maybe if you had something from home you could be a little more relaxed. And it gives you something else to do during these winter months which will be rather boring for you I thought."

Hiromi forced a smile onto her lips as she moved over to dance her fingers across the edge of the desk, her eyes looking at the papers instead of him until he swept them off the table and stuffed them into a drawer. The spy frowned and looked up at the demon who was smiling almost too innocently at her. When she didn't return the smile, Kuronue sighed away his happiness and folded his arms across his chest.

"How much did you hear?" he asked. When she gave him a wide eyed look that mirrored the innocence he had put on just a moment ago, he pointed at the door which she had just entered. "It was partially opened and I saw a bit of your kimono. That grey and blue together could only mean it was you Hiromi. How much of that conversation did you hear, my little spy?"

Hiromi considered not telling him. She debated between letting him think she only heard the last few things or giving her revenge then and there. The part of her that finally won out was her survivalist instincts. She looked away as she mumbled her reply.

"What?" Kuronue asked, walking around the desk to stand in front of her. He kept a good arm's length between them though so that he couldn't crowd her. After all, she had only just given him a hug the day before and only said she'd see if feelings cropped up. He hoped that the hug from yesterday and his present would help persuade her that his feelings were genuine.

"I heard everything Kuronue," the young woman stated as she stepped back from him, putting more space between the two of them. Why did he want to get closer to her? Why did an inner part of her want him to get closer? Her mind throbbed as her body gave her mixed signals from there to Timbuktu. Hiromi rose blue-grey eyes to look into his eyes which were calm for all that she had just told him that she had heard him say that she was just a tool and that he wanted her to change sides all together.

"I'm not some silly flower that can be destroyed in a moment. I don't need presents and kisses to know that I won't be allowed to leave when my information runs dry. You don't think it was obvious from the beginning? Kuronue, demons never give concessions to humans who demand them. Ever. I was hoping, pleading that I would be allowed to go in my mind, but I knew I wouldn't—" Hiromi said, voicing the fears that had plagued her when she had been lying in bed a night, waiting for something to happen. She wasn't able to finish them however for Kuronue stepped forward, titled her head back and planted a gentle kiss on her lips, hushing her words.

The body of the girl went first stiff in his hands as she her eyes widened to stare up at him as he held her in place, his lips pressed against hers. It wasn't so bad, a part of her said. It was the same part of her that was causing her heart to slam against her chest and making her lose her breathe; that was making her want to kiss back; that made her want to lose herself into that kiss. It laughed at her logical side, saying that it had always been there as it shoved and pushed its way out. Her body slowly relaxed and she shared her first voluntary kiss with the demon.

But he'll just kill you in the end. He'll never really love a human like you. He'll toss you away when you are out of information.

The thoughts slammed to the front of her mind and she yanked herself away from the kiss. She was out of breath and panting a little. Her eyes that had closed had slammed their way open again. She looked up at Kuronue who stood, a small smile on his face, as if he knew why she'd pulled away. She swallowed and took a few steps back to give her space to herself. They were far too close. She wasn't even sure that it was true feelings that had caused her to kiss back.

"I would never deceive a business partner. Yes, I'm trying to get you to want to stay here. How could I not? You are beautiful and would be a human rose among demons. A human rose that I would protect with all my being. But I do not want to force you to stay if you do not find this place pleasing." Kuronue told her, unaware of the tangle of things going on within the human. After all, the last human he had fallen for had been the one to instigate the relationship, so it had been obvious where her feelings had lain.

He lies. The same voice that had whispered the other words a moment before told her. It sounded like her own thoughts but at the same time it was as if someone else was putting them in her mind. She winced away from them. Hiromi looked up at him and caught herself staring at him. She looked away, trying to stiffen herself to the charm he was trying to put on her.

Kuronue's kind face fell into worry as he saw the girl shrink inside herself. He took a step forward before pausing as she winced away from him. He froze and watched her for a moment. Hiromi looked up at him once again and he could see terror taking over her mind. He blinked and frowned and stepped forward to stand in front of her blocking the way to 'escape'. He reached a hand out and touched her cheek with the tips of his finger. He made sure that only worry played across his face as he sensed what was creating the panic in her. Inside he growled angrily. This was a demon's work. Someone had made it into her mind and was playing with her.

Almost as if the demon doing it heard him, the look of terror and pain that had filtered slowly onto Hiromi's face vanished. Instead a look of pure triumph slid into place and a voice that was not Hiromi's echoed in the room from the girls' mouth.

"We shall see who will win old boy; this little human or me?"

The voice was feminine and one that he knew all too well. He spun away from Hiromi and stalked from the room, laughter following him as he locked the girl into his room. He couldn't have a controlled human walking around without a guard. He stalked through the halls, his wings flicking and twitching as the anger in him bubbled to the surface. She would never trust any of the now if the demon controlled her for much longer. Even if he could break the spell that she was under, the damage was already done. She would never allow any of them to get near her if she knew how the connection had been made.

Finally he threw open the door to the room that Audra occupied and stalked in. Audra had been sitting at a desk, writing something when he'd barged in. Now she stood with her sword drawn, ready to attack whatever demon thought it was a good idea to try and attack her. Next to her Takji stood, ready to peel away one of her tattoos in order to protect them herself. When she saw who it was, Audra lowered the sword and looked questioningly at him.

"My lord, what can I do for you? Is Hiromi all right?" Audra asked; her voice a perfect match to the one that had come from Hiromi's mouth just minutes before.

Kuronue hesitated though. He knew that mind controlling others required a lot of concentration and in most cases being alone. He looked at the two demons, thinking out the possibilities. Audra had spoken so highly of the human that had joined their ranks and had even asked if she could incorporate her into their demon guard system if she decided to stay once they had all the information they needed from her. Audra had become almost older sister like to Hiromi. Taking over her mind and scaring her would do Audra no good. She would want the girl whole and in perfect working condition in order to join the rest of the team.

"I want you to collect all the demons in the castle that could mind control an individual." Kuronue finally told her, checking her off the list of possibilities. No. Audra would not harm Hiromi. "Gather them in the great hall. Takji, I'm going to need your help." With no further explanation, he raced back to his room. Fear leapt through him as he slammed the door to his own room open to find the room empty. Oh, he was going to kill whoever was playing with him.

Soon he had the entire castle searching for the human, his anger an almost tangible thing. He searched every dungeon, every attic, ever room. She was nowhere to be found. He was about to give up when he heard shouts coming from the stables. He turned and flew there, finding the place a mess. The two horses it had housed there were acting as if someone had just branded them. They were rearing and striking out with hooves. They bucked, kicked, and shook their heads.

Kuronue looked around carefully. He jerked his head up and flew up to the second level of the stables. He landed quietly on the wood, his eyes searching the dark, confined space. There it was again. He had heard a whimper that hadn't been a part of the horses or demons that had been hurt. He walked carefully forward, searching the darkness for the girl he knew had to be up there. He finally found her hidden behind a couple of barrels that were full of demon fruit like apples.

The demon slowly knelt in front of her, his hands clenching into fists as he took in her features. She was terrified, that part was obvious from the way she shrank into the corner she hid in. But besides that she was covered in blood that was not her own. She had a bruise on her face and her grey eyes were showing that her mind was only barely holding onto sanity.

Kuronue's heart crumpled. The demon, whoever it was, had forced the girl to watch as he controlled her body and made it do things that no human would have done—or at least that's what Kuronue decided the demon had done. The look of fear on the human's face tore at his heart, recusing him to rubble.

"My love," He whispered, his voice ragged from pain. Finally Hiromi looked away from the space she had been staring at since he had joined her. The battle over her body still raged on inside her. Slowly, Kuronue took out a pendant that he had always kept around his neck or in his hand. Grabbing her chin to keep her from looking away, he started to swing the pendant, moving it fast and faster until it was but a blur. The human struggled at first, but soon lost the struggle as her mind was caught by the hypnotic abilities of the pendant. Her eyes closed and she slumped where she sat. Kuronue picked her up and slowly took her back to her room. He would get the report of what had happened in time.

She walked through the halls of the demon castle. She had a knife in hand and didn't care what anyone thought of it. She moved slowly into a room off the hallway silently. No matter what she did she couldn't stop herself from moving over to one of the cribs that sat there. Whatever was happening, she couldn't keep herself from raising the knife and striking out at the baby demon that lay there, little dog tail flicking as it slept peacefully on. She screamed but no words came from her mouth. She tried to turn away—to call for help. Instead her body just moved on to the next of the five cribs where a small girl with white dove like wings that curled around her slept.

"You have no choice now," came a cool, male voice inside her mind. "You were so easy to control. No one will ever believe that you didn't do this on purpose. They'll kill you and you'll never go home."

The words echoed as she tried over and over to keep it from happening. The girl died and then another girl with a fish like tail, then a boy with no visible demonic traces except for two long tattoo like markings on his cheek, and last of all a wolf boy. Each time she screamed louder and louder, trying to get someone else's attention. They had to stop her! She finally was done with the babies and she felt her body return to her control. Blood was splattered over her clothes and face and hands.

Hiromi tried to save them. She tried until all that was left was the vague sense that she had done a horrible thing and that she had to get out of there before anyone found out.

She ran. She ran all the way to the stables where she tried to seek comfort from the horses, but they balked from the smell of demon blood and began to act insane at the smell. They drove her up to the stable lofts where she cried and tried to understand what she did. Then she looked up into the dark purple-blue eyes that belonged to the man she was starting to love…

Blue-grey eyes opened slowly to stare up at the ceiling of her room. Tears fell down her face as she remembered the lives she had snuffed out. She never would have done that. She couldn't have could she? And yet when she looked around she saw that there was indeed blood on her kimono and hands that were gently being washed off by Takji. Numb from shame and shock at the reality of her dream, she turned away and let the woman finish her job.