Alrighty then! I am back. For now. I'm sorry it has taken so long. I suppose I wasn't in the right mindset, probably because I miss Bish. But I churned this out in two days, so maybe I can start updating regularly again!

Now, if you want a few good songs to listen to, I wrote this to Evil Angel and Dance with the Devil by Breaking Benjamin, as well as Angel of Darkness, which you can find by looking it up on youtube.

Oh, one thing. Some people have complained about the Devir/Bishquet/Hiei thing. So, do you guys want to see them more? Less? Maybe even a whole chapter with just them? Let me know in your reviews, ok?


Golden eyes blinked back at Demae, no flicker of recognition behind them. To all appearances, Kurama seemed like an average silver fox. How disappointing. It seemed that he had not come back to himself yet. Not that Demae expected him to. No, that would be too convenient, wouldn't it? As the fox went back to eating out of his silver bowl, Demae slumped back in her chair. What was she going to do? She couldn't leave yet, but she was sure the others were worried sick. There really was no way to contact them. She wished she had thought of something earlier.

Listlessly, she glanced around her room, noticing the disarray. She had chased away her attendants a while ago, and so no one had been in to clean her room. Demae felt bad about being so mean, but she needed some space. She wasn't some pampered lady who couldn't go two feet without someone acquiring her every need. Well, at least she'd get company, because she was positive that this would be noticed. Someone would be sent to advise her on letting the servants back, who were simply trying to do their job.

It was exactly what Demae wanted to happen.

As soon as whoever was sent entered her room, she'd demand to see Nikoli. She had to get things settled and see where he stood before she could even begin to think of a plan to leave. Besides, if she pretended to be agreeable with whatever he wanted, Demae was sure the guard would be relaxed, allowing her for an easier time of escaping.

There was a sudden knock on her door, causing her to jump in surprise. She had been expecting someone to show, of course, just not this soon. Curious, she stood and walked to answer the door, her full skirts swishing around her feet. Pulling the door open a few inches, she peered out to see Nikoli himself. Arching one auburn brow in question, she pulled the door open wider.

"So, the great lord Nikoli deigns to show himself to the like of me," she bit out, tone harsh and sarcastic. However, her frown melted away as Nikoli just stood there, gazing at her with the oddest expression she'd ever seen. Crossing her arms, she looked away. "So, what do you want?"

Instead of answering, Nikoli walked into the room, green eyes sweeping around the disheveled space before landing on the silver fox that was now simply resting on the bed, eyes focused upon Nikoli in a wary manner. After a moment, the half-breed looked back to Demae, stepping closer. "Did you like my gift?"

"Well, he is lovely," she murmured, glancing at Kurama. "Very well behaved, too. Is he supposed to remind me of you?" she asked before berating herself mentally. She was not supposed to be teasing Nikoli. She was supposed to dislike him, even though she had determined he was not the spawn of evil…which he couldn't be anyway, since Kurama was his father.

Nikoli chose not to answer her question. Instead, he stared, making Demae slightly uncomfortable. Fidgeting, she finally snapped, "What?!"

Smiling, Nikoli said, "You just look so beautiful in that dress. You never used to wear them when I lived in the city. I'm glad to see you in them now." He stepped closer, bending down over Demae, who looked up at him with confused fascination, as he brushed a loose curl from her face. "Come with me, I wish to show you my city."

Taking a deep breath, she stepped back, out of his reach. His presence was disturbing in the way it could make her forget how things were and should be. "I've seen it already," she protested.

"Ah, but you've never been with me to see it. And you can bring your fox, since I had a harness and leash made for him…What is his name, anyway?"

Demae hesitated, mind searching for a name. "Argent," she finally said. "When I was with the others, I heard the word and wondered what it was. Your father informed me that it meant silver in French."

Nodding at her explanation, he held out the objects he held in his hand. "Well, get them on him and we will be on our way."

Taking the harness and leash, she walked towards her bed where Kurama lay. She already knew he would not like being attached to her wrist. However, appearances must be kept up, so she somehow forced the struggling fox into the confining harness, holding the leash in hand as she led him out of the room, following Nikoli.

As they moved silently through Nikoli's castle, Demae pulling the rebellious fox along, she pondered her situation. She was living with someone who thought the bad things he did was right, but who did wonderful things for the people he had decided to call his own. He was very charismatic and charming, making him very hard to resist. It was difficult for her, so she could only imagine how it must be for others. It didn't help that she had grown up with him. In a way, she supposed, he understood her better than anyone except her family. Add that quality with those she had already named and it made Nikoli very alluring and desirable.

By the time she had a chance to escape, would she even want to? It was a troubling thought, one that had her frowning the whole way.

"What's wrong? Don't you enjoy my castle?" Nikoli asked, seeing her frown and mistaking it as dislike for what they had just walked through.

Faking a smile, she reassured him that of course she loved his castle. He seemed happy enough not to notice her smile, for which relieved Demae slightly. But she felt horrible. She hated lying, even if it was to someone who she considered an enemy. Nikoli was an enemy, right? Even now, she wasn't so sure…

Nikoli led her through his city, showed her the sights, things he had helped build. People lined the streets wherever he went. They adored him. Such loyalty…Demae had never seen such a thing. They were blind to his faults…except, to them, he had shown none of his faults. Ah, but Demae had seen them, how he would kill others for something so simple as jealously, how he could torture his own father, who still loved him despite all of this…

However, by the end of there small trip, Demae was becoming lost in the spell of his gaze and the charm of his smile. The day passed in a pleasant blur. Near the evening, she found herself laughing at his jokes as they drunk an after-dinner glass of wine. It was as if nothing had changed, that they were still the inseparable duo of their childhood. Being slightly tipsy from the wine helped with that as well. Some niggling feeling told her that this was wrong, that something wasn't right. But she simply quashed the errant thought. She was content and happy, what could be so wrong about that?

"Dance with me," Nikoli suddenly requested, standing up and extending his hand to Demae.

Giggling, she accepted, setting down her wine and dropping the leash that connected the silver fox to her wrist. She grasped his hand and stumbled unsteadily to her feet, leaning against him to keep her balance. Music had started somewhere, giving the two a beat to dance to. Demae allowed Nikoli to sweep her across the floor, laughing in delight at his graceful movements.

"Promise me you'll stay and become my queen," he murmured in her ear.

"Why would I ever leave?"

"I know you were planning to escape back to your friends."

"Hmm, I had friends? Oh, wait. I did, didn't I?

She frowned in thought, trying to remember. But her mind was too fuzzy, affected by the alcohol. "If I can't remember, were they ever that important?" she asked.

Nikoli smiled. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Now, I think you have had enough wine. I shall escort you back to your room."

So, with Demae leaning on his arm and Kurama's leash once again in her hand, Nikoli set off for her room. Once she was there, he ordered her maids to put her to bed and to have some pain reliever handy in the morning, since Demae was sure to have a hangover. After one last look at her, he left, pleased. It seemed she wasn't going to leave, after all.

But right before he exited Demae's room, he paused, another thought coming to him. What if he could bind himself to her? Then she could never leave. Grin widening, he turned around, shooing off the maids who were just now getting their mistress ready for bed.

"Demae," he said softly, causing her to turn and look at him, head tilted to the side. He could see that the wine was still affecting her strongly. All the more better to do this.

He stepped closer until Demae was forced to crane her neck upwards to look at him in the eye. Then, without saying another thing, he lowered his head to capture Demae's lips with his own, beginning his spell all the while. A low growl began, but he ignored it, concentrating on how sweet Demae tasted and his binding spell. And suddenly, he felt a sharp pain coming from his rear. He snapped his head back, the spell shattering as he lost concentration. Swinging around, he caught the eyes of Demae's little fox, who Nikoli knew to be Kurama. However, when he met the creature's eyes, all he saw was protectiveness for his mistress, nothing else.

Sighing, he looked back at Demae, who was looking rather dazed and touching her lips as if she couldn't believe what had just happened. "Go to bed. I'll see you on the morrow."

And with that, he left. The servants descended upon Demae at once, ushering to bed and bringing her 'Argent.' As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out, sleeping off her alcohol and the excitement of the evening.

In the morning, Demae wasn't quite so blissfully happy.

"Where is that bastard! I'll kill him if he comes anywhere near me!"

Nursing a pounding head, Demae quit yelling. The pain wasn't worth it, and it seemed that Nikoli had made himself scarce, so he couldn't hear her yelling anyway. Once again she tried to bring up memories of the night before, but everything seemed so fuzzy and out of focus. One thing she did remember, however, was that kiss, which caused a blush to rise to her face for the umpteenth time that morning. Why had he kissed her? Did he really love her, as he so proclaimed all those months ago? It was a disquieting thought.

Suddenly, her peace was disturbed as her doors were floor open and then quickly shut. All Demae could do was blink at the intruder.

Nikoli's chest heaved as he slid to the floor, sprawling as he tried to catch his breath. His green eyes darted around the room before landing on Demae.

"You have to help me!" he cried, a wild look in his eyes as he scrambled towards her.

Now Demae was quite confused. What was going on here?

"It's Alenial!" he gasped out. "He has been controlling me. That's why I haven't been myself. I didn't want to do those awful things!"

Nikoli was almost sobbing now, which alarmed Demae. Nikoli never cried. Ever. Something was seriously wrong. But if it were true, the thing with Alenial, then it meant Nikoli wasn't the dangerous one after all. But, how could she be sure? After a moment, she remembered.

"Where are the markings?"

Those who were being controlled always carried a certain set of marks that sort of branded the person, in a way, allowing another to control their every thought and action.

With even hesitating, Nikoli tugged off his shirt, showing her the numerous marks on his back that formed a certain pattern. With a relieved sigh, Demae sagged back in her seat. Well, at least this meant that she no longer had to be confused about Nikoli.

"So, what do can I do to help?"

"I have to become stronger so that I can fight him. It is the only way I can free myself from this spell."

Nodding, Demae stood. "Ok, tell me what to do."

Nikoli quickly explained the spell. He would do most of the work, but she would have to draw the diagram. When he handed her the special ink, she began to feel uneasy. This 'ink' looked a lot like human blood. However, she ignored it. That couldn't be right.

Drawing out the symbol around Nikoli, Demae shut out everything so she could concentrate. Once she was done, she stepped back. She tilted her head, realizing she had drawn a giant star with three circles around it, varies symbols in between each line. She thought it looked familiar in a way, but she wasn't quite sure how. Still thinking about it, she watched as Nikoli began chanting. The language he spoke made the hairs rise up on the back of her neck. Something was not right, not at all.

As Demae watched, a malevolent figure seemed to form behind Nikoli, transparent black wings spread out behind it. Then, it started to merge with Nikoli, who had thrown his arms wide, as if in acceptance. Stark evil rose from that thing that was merging with him, and Demae had to stop it. Crying out, she ran forward, smudging the symbol with her feet. There was a bright flash, and the two of them were knocked out.

When Demae came to, she gasped, shuddering. She could feel something evil within her, borrowing into her soul. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. Looking over at Nikoli, who was still sprawled out on the floor unconscious, Demae noticed one thing. He had a single, black wing covered in feathers sprouting from his left shoulder. But why only one? Suddenly, Demae knew why. Looking over her shoulder, she groaned as she saw an identical one coming from her right shoulder. This wasn't good at all. She needed to get away.

As quickly as she could, she tiptoed over towards Kurama, who had his hackles raised at her approach.

"It's just me. I'm not evil. Please, we have to go!" she whispered fiercely, trying to grab the fox, who continued to dart out of her reach. "Come on, Kurama! I'm Demae, remember?"

Either Kurama recognized her a little, or her pleading voice got to him, because he eventually let Demae pick him up. Then with one more look at Nikoli, she ran from the room, going as quietly as she could. There would be guards somewhere, she knew, who would wonder why she was out alone so early and in her nightgown. The black wing wouldn't help much either. Well, she'd get to it later, when she was confronted.

That moment came sooner than she thought. Just as she entered the courtyard of the castle, guards moved to block the exit and Alenial himself walked out. Demae took a step back warily as Kurama growled in her arms. But there was no where to go.

"Well, well," he murmured, stepping closer. "It seems that you interrupted Master Nikoli's spell. Well, once he wakes up and comes down, that can be remedied. In fact, here he comes now."

Demae whipped around, training her eyes on Alenial's line of sight. Mouth open in surprise, she watched as Nikoli descended from the window of her room and floated down to the courtyard. His eyes were fixed on Demae with a look that was a mix of disappointment and concern.

"I wish you hadn't done that. You aren't meant to carry that kind of power. I don't want you tainted, as you undoubtedly will become if I don't remove it from you. Come here and let me absorb it, and then you'll be fine and we can go back in. But first…give me that fox."

While Demae had been turned around, the guards had crept closer to her so that when Nikoli spoke, they grabbed her from behind so that she would drop Kurama. Nikoli snatched him up by the silver scruff of his neck and sneered.

"You have been enough trouble, and your purpose has been served," he said, grinning as he removed the dagger from his belt.

Demae struggled, but couldn't get away from the guard which held her, being physically too weak. Her eyes were wide as she watched the dagger come ever closer to the struggling fox. She had to stop it! She had to.

"No. No! NO! STOP!" she suddenly cried out, tears streaming down her face at the thought of Kurama finally meeting his end.

Sobbing, she waited for Nikoli's jubilant cry, but it never came. Sniffing, she opened her eyes to see that everyone had frozen. Eyes now wide, she looked around. No one was moving. Not caring how this had occurred, she managed to wriggle free of the guard's stiff hold and moved towards Nikoli. As soon as she touched Kurama, he sprang into life, struggling once more.

"Calm down!" she whispered fiercely. "I'll get you out, just hold still."

He seemed to understand her, since he held perfectly still as she worked his ruff from Nikoli's grip. Demae was sure that it hurt Kurama, but the fox never uttered a yip. Once she finally had him free, she ran as quickly as she could. She could feel herself tiring, so she was sure this phenomenon had been caused by her. This meant she only had a limited time to escape from this city.

So she ran and ran, ignoring the stitch in her side or how her lungs ached, only stopping when she reached the wall. The gate was up, baring her only way out. Chewing ob her lip, she looked around. She didn't think she could open it, so what could she do? Remembering Nikoli's little stunt, she closed her eyes and imagined herself flying up and moving over the wall. Cracking her eyes open, she was pleased to see that she was moving up, albeit in a wobbly, unfocused way. But it was working. She was able to keep up her concentration until she was about six feet above the ground on the other side, falling to the ground. She landed funny, twisting her ankle, but it didn't matter; she could see the others. She hobbled forward, gasping, until she reached the campsite. Then, she simply collapsed, Kurama held tightly in her arms.