~Ch.9 Threats~

When we walked into the village, we were immediately guarded against the villagers with weapons pointing at us. We were all bewildered by their actions, but they took us into a mansion. We were all at the entrance grounds, having all of us waiting for their lord to come out and see us. I looked over at Kei, and he was starting to get pissed off. I tugged lightly on his clothing of fire rat, and kept him calm for the time being.

After what seemed like forever, the lord of this village came out. I looked up at the lord and gasped. The lord had piercing blood red eyes and had short charcoal black hair that went wild. He wore a dark kimono and he was fair skinned. He appeared in his mid-twenties and had something sinister about him. I recognized him from my last dream and the dream of when I first came here. He's got to be Akuma!

"Welcome, travelers. I hope that these villagers have done nothing to taint your welcome," the lord that I think is Akuma greeted us.

"They pointed weapons at us! Why were they doing that?" Kei slightly shouted to the lord.

"You see, this village has been attacked by many demons. Ever since I came, the demons have appeared less, but they'd suggest I stay."

"It makes sense, considering we have two demons with us," Satoshi thought over aloud.

"Yes, it would appear so. Now, you may stay in this village for as long as you'd like. If I could do anything for you, please let me know."

"Actually, have you seen a demon by the name of Akuma?" Ushio asked the lord.

"No, I haven't seen the likes of him. You may stay in my mansion, if you wish."

"We'd be most appreciative, thank you."

The lord nodded and headed inside of his mansion. Satoshi, Ushio, Hoshi, and Kei started to head into the mansion. I didn't want them to know what I'm feeling, so I hesitantly followed them into the lord's mansion. I looked outside and noticed the sky turning bright orange, so the four went into separate rooms of their choosing. I walked to Hoshi's room, and I opened and closed the door.

"Yuki, what is it?" Hoshi asked me.

"Have you detected the scent of Akuma ever since you got here?" I asked her.

"Actually, no, I haven't. That's really odd…but I'll worry about it tomorrow. Good night, Yuki."

I nodded and left her room quietly. I looked around and eventually I found the lord's room. I knocked on it quietly, and he allowed me in. I opened and closed the door behind me and sat down in front of him. I looked at him in the eye, still getting goose bumps from looking into his blood red eyes of his.

"Hello, miss. It seems late for you to visit me. Do you want to ask me something?" the lord asked me.

"Yeah…I might be wrong, but I have to be sure of something," I thought aloud.

"What might that be?"

"Are you the demon Akuma; the one from my horrific nightmares?"

I looked at the lord, hoping that I would be wrong of my accusation. But when I looked into his eyes, they were once kind. Now they showed evil, something that he didn't reveal to the others. The lord got up and grabbed my throat, preventing me to shout for help. I looked down at him and gave me an evil smirk.

"It seems you're the only one that figured this out, Yuki. You are right, I am the one and only Akuma, the last incarnation of Naraku," the 'lord' introduced.

"H-How come…H-Hoshi a-and Kei…c-couldn't s-sense…y-your demonic a-aura?" I struggled to say, hardly having any air to breath.

"I placed an invisible barrier around myself, not giving away my scent or demonic aura. But since you're the only one that knows what I look like now, the others thought I was a simple lord."

"I-I'll t-tell…t-the others…!"

"Not unless I tell you that if you say anything to the others, I'll kill Hiromi, and possibly the one you hold most dear, Kei."

"D-Damn you…!"

"Now, I would suggest heading off to bed, like the good little wench you are. Meet me at noon tomorrow, no distractions."

Akuma threw me on the ground, leaving me almost choking. I gasped for most of my air and exited his room, heading into mine. I sat down and brought my knees to my chest, laying my head upon them. I couldn't believe that neither Hoshi nor Kei has picked up his aura, and above all, pretending to be a lord. Now, he's threated to kill my foster mom and Kei.

I wasn't in the mood to fall asleep, so I left my room. I walked across the hall and knocked on Kei's door. I heard him mumbling on letting me in, and I walked in and closed the door behind me. I looked at Kei and he looked like he was still trying to fall asleep. But that soon changed when I didn't look at him directly in the eye.

"Yuki, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Kei asked me, worry filling his voice.

"I'm fine…just tired…" I said pretending to be tired.

"…what're those red marks around your neck? Don't try to lie to me, Yuki."

"I can't tell you, Kei…"

"Why the hell can't you tell me? I noticed that you took some time getting in here before the sun went down. I smelt your fear and nervousness, and now I smell mostly fear. Now tell me what's going on!"

"…t-the lord…h-he's…he's the one…"

"Huh? What do you mean he's the one?"

"Figure it out…tell me when you do in the morning, okay?"

Before Kei could talk any more, I lay down on his floor and decided to slumber here. I wasn't in the mood to sleep alone, especially since my encounter with Akuma. I would've gone into Ushio's or Hoshi's rooms, but I hadn't gotten to really know them that well. For Satoshi, he's just a pervert, so he's out of the question. I felt right now that Kei is the one I can trust. I do trust Satoshi, Ushio, and Hoshi, but I feel like I've dragged them into my mess.

Also, I wanted to know what kind of grudge that Kei had against Akuma. I also wondered what Satoshi and Ushio had grudges against Akuma for. Until they tell me or I figure it out, I would just have to wait. Still wondering to myself, I drifted off to sleep, this time with no dream of Akuma. But my nightmare will begin at noon tomorrow.