Kagirinai
Chapter Eleven
-Siege-
Kurogané peeked into the treasury, making sure the coast was clear. He quietly shut the door, turning to face the others. "Alright, let's not forget that I am the one in charge, with Viletta in second. And Tadaaki," he said, looking to his younger cousin. "The fact that Ming allowed you to come with us does not mean you can hover over Faia the entire time. Meaning you are not to interfere when she is distracting Kabuto, alright? I will not allow another repeat of last time."
"Well I'm not going to just let something bad happen to her, and if it gets too chancy I will not stand by and not intervene." He huffed.
Viletta sighed and looked to Kurogané. "It will be fine." She assured him, before stepping aside and allowing Faia to lead the way.
Tadaaki followed her, though he glanced at Viletta and smiled. "I like how girls dress here." He chuckled, nudging Kurogané.
The dark haired woman blinked, appearing confused as she looked down at her attire. It was similar to what she was wearing when they'd freed her from her temple. It consisted of a long black skirt with slits up both sides, as well as the front and back. The top was small and made of black cloth, covering her bust, the sleeves hanging off her shoulders. "Do we dress so much differently?" she wondered.
"A lot more skin is revealed here than at home." Kurogané said, ushering her out of the passageway and into the treasury with the other two.
"Well you dress just as weird." She huffed, looking over his form once more. "Leaves nothing to the imagination." She said, gripping her scythe and following the other two.
He smirked. "Neither do your clothes." he replied, heading after her.
"Sh." Faia said sharply, looking back at them. "The guards have good hearing." She whispered.
They shrank down slightly, Tadaaki smiling at the fact his cousin had been belittled. She led them through the halls, taking them lower and into a far corner of the palace. When they reached a large set of double doors, she paused. "This is the servant's quarters." She told them quietly. Then she swallowed, appearing nervous. "I th-think…I should g-go in alone at this p-point." She looked back at them. "W-wait thirty s-seconds b-before coming in. Th-that way I can d-distract him so that his b-back is turned t-to the d-door."
"Are you sure?" Viletta asked. "I heard what he did…we can just go in. I have my scythe, I can take him."
She shook her head. "N-no…if you g-give him the ch-chance to c-cast a sp-pell…w-we will all be d-done for." She said. "This is the b-best w-way."
"If you scream, we will come rushing in." Kurogané told her.
Tadaaki nodded. "Yeah, just be brave. I know you can do it."
Faia looked at him, seeing the strength in his kind teal eyes. Smiling slightly, she stepped forward in a bold move and kissed his cheek. "Thank you Tadaaki." She whispered, blushing lightly before she turned and ran over to the doors. She opened one, glancing back at his surprised face before stepping inside the rooms.
She looked around, hesitantly walking forward. All of the beds were empty, but as she made it to the back of the room, she slowed, seeing a lone figure sitting on the edge of a bed. Immediately she knew who it was, as she recognized the silhouette. Her body began to shake, and she brought her hands in front of her and began to fidget as she tried to calm her nerves. "L…Lord K-Kabuto?" she asked timidly.
The white haired man stiffened and stood. He turned around, a familiar golden staff resting in his grip. "Faia?" he glared, looking around the room. "How did you get in here?" he demanded.
"I…k-know the g-grounds." She stuttered, trying not to shrink under his cold gaze. "I h-have l-lived here m-most of my l-life after a-all."
"Get out." He ordered, walking closer to her. "Or do you wish to become one of my undead as well?"
She quivered, taking an instinctual step back. "B…but I c-came back to you." she said.
"Yet you back away." He gestured. "I saw you disappear with the queen." He held the staff out, forcing her chin up a bit as he examined her.
"Sh-she used her g-gift." Faia stammered. "I h-had no choice. P-please Lord Kabuto…" she began, realizing she didn't have much time left before the others would be making their way inside. She needed to distract him and now. So, with a bravery she didn't really feel, she reached out and touched his cheek. "You're all I know." She said softly, grateful she hadn't stuttered.
He seemed intrigued, though his posture didn't change. "Alright then." His gaze lowered. "Prove it."
She blushed slightly, knowing what it was he wanted, and trying not to show her disgust. "D-do you want my mouth l-like usual?" She asked, placing her fingers against her lips and putting on a slight pout. Then she slowly ran her fingers down her front between her breasts, dipping her hand into her skirt and cupping herself. "Or m-maybe one of my other holes." She suggested, rubbing herself to make the act convincing, her blush darkening.
She saw his smirk and he lowered his free hand to his pants, releasing himself to show his erect penis. "I knew you were a good little girl Faia. Now turn around and stick out your ass so I can take you from behind."
"M-my Lord…at least allow m-me to taste you first. I've missed it." Faia breathed out, removing her hand from herself to reach out and stroke him. "To have My Lord spray me with his seed…" she whimpered, though it wasn't completely fake. She was scared for her life right now. "To get to cover my breasts with it…please." She begged.
Kabuto chuckled, forcing her down to her knees. "As you wish Faia. Take it in your mouth and savor what you've been denied." He said, shoving it in her face. He stiffened when a massive blade came to his throat. His dark, dead depths narrowed as he shoved Faia away, righting himself as he glanced back at Viletta. "How the hell did you get out of those chains?" he grimaced.
"She has a champion now." Faia said, sitting up from the floor, her hair having come undone and flowing around her. "You cannot beat her."
He smirked, quickly jabbing his staff back and hitting Viletta in the stomach, causing her to stumble back, though she quickly recovered. "I hope you're ready to die Kabuto." The dark haired woman said lowly.
The white haired mage smirked, taking his own stance. "We'll see death goddess. Next time I seal you to that chair I'll take away the only thing you protected last time." He went after her, sending out a spell that she narrowly avoided.
Tadaaki and Kurogané burst in then, Kurogané wielding his sword and Tadaaki aiming his laser gun at Kabuto. He glanced back and glared, though it was mostly at Kurogané. He avoided the blade and lasers with a few magic waves, ducking as Viletta swiped for his head.
She cursed, hating how rusty she felt. After all, she'd hardly gotten to move in eighty years. Kabuto only laughed. "This is your counter attack?! It's pointless! You've become weak!" he shouted, aiming an open palm at Viletta. Her eyes widened and she blocked the spell with her scythe, causing it to ricochet and hit one of the walls, creating a massive hole.
"Tadaaki, get Faia out of here!" Kurogané ordered, rushing at the mage and swiping for him. He expected him to dodge, of course, but his attack was only an attempt to give Viletta another opening.
The brunette nodded and grabbed her, pulling her out just in time before a mass of fire erupted where she was standing. Kabuto moved around, though he seemed to slither like a snake, weaving in and out of their attacks, which appeared to be synchronized. "Silly little goddess. You should have stayed in your temple and waited for me to have my way with you." He seethed, leaning back as he narrowly avoided a swing from her scythe that would have severed his head easily. He frowned, his gaze shifting up when Kurogané struck down, though when it grazed his flesh he turned into a grey smoke, before reappearing behind Viletta and making her jump back.
Kabuto chuckled. "Enough interruptions from your champion." He said, charging her with the staff. "This is between you and me!" he hissed, colliding with her scythe, forcing her back until she gasped and tripped backwards, falling back through the hole in the wall. The mage jumped after her, attempting to use this to his advantage.
He grabbed her by the neck and brought her closer as they fell. "I used to want to possess Ming, but I am far more intrigued by you. If you survive, I'll make you my queen."
She glared at him, her green depths full of hate until they bled into black. "Over my dead body." She seethed, holding her hand in his face, before a mass of darkness exploded between them, sending Kabuto through another tower wall and Viletta to crash through a ceiling window and land painfully on the throne room floor.
She struggled to sit up, wiping some blood from her arm and writing a symbol on the ground until a black arrow appeared. "Kurogané." She whispered, the dark line speeding off to lead the man to her.
It took a few minutes, but eventually Kurogané came running through the door. "Viletta!" he said, kneeling by her side. "I told you not to be reckless." He chastised, setting his sword down to cradle her in his arms and help her sit up.
"He shoved me out a hole." She argued, grabbing some of her skirt and tearing it in attempts to wrap her arm that had been cut by the glass. "It's not my fault."
"Here." He took the cloth from her and did it himself, tying it off to keep it in place. "Do you think you can stand?"
She nodded, though used him as he stood to keep her balance. "Yeah. That really hurt though." She frowned, looking up at where she'd crashed through. She frowned then, "Why is he so strong?"
"Do you think Valencia's staff is amplifying his powers somehow?" he asked, picking up his sword and her scythe. He held it out to her. "I don't know much about these kinds of things, but it seems only logical."
Viletta sighed, though she looked unsure as she took her weapon. "It could be…we just have to separate him from it." She said, before looking up at the doors to the throne room to see Kabuto, unscratched, with an angry frown on his face.
"You little wench." He hissed out, stalking towards them. "When I get my hands on you you're going to wish you were dead."
"You're not going to touch her again." Kurogané glared, his grip on his sword tightening before he rushed at the mage, moving in for another attack.
Kabuto watched him and moved the opposite way, entering into combat. The white haired man sneered. "You may be a champion, but I've years of experience on you." He said, coming to a standstill as they attempted to push each other back. Viletta gripped her scythe and ran at Kabuto, swinging at him once more, cutting through the cloth he wore before he could roll out of the way of both attacks. The skin that had been close to the blade blackened, before returning back to normal.
"Fine." He shifted his gaze to Kurogané, knowing he needed to either kill him or get him out of the way so he could get to Viletta. The two men went at it again, moving faster and faster each time. "You will die before your goddess, and I will take her in your blood." He smirked.
Kurogané bristled immediately at the implications of the white haired man's words. "She's not my goddess. And you will not kill her." He said, before running at him once more.
Kabuto shot forward, using the anger he felt off the man against him, since his focus faltered slightly. He shoved Kurogané back with the butt of his staff and hit the sword from his hand as he stumbled back onto the throne. Grabbing it out of the air, Kabuto twisted it in his grip before he impaled his shoulder, sticking him to the throne.
Viletta went wide eyed, actually letting out a shriek neither man knew she could emit. "Kurogané!"
Kurogané coughed, clenching his teeth at the pain shooting through his shoulder. "How can you touch it?" he wondered softly, since the blade was a part of Viletta's scythe, which brought death to anyone who touched it other than the two of them.
Kabuto frowned, before glancing at the blade and then back at the scythe. Viletta's expression was one of horror as she realized what he'd concluded. "You fool!" she yelled at Kurogané. The mage pulled away from him and twisted the golden staff in his hand.
"I can hold your scythe death goddess." He chuckled. "As long as I have the Staff of Life."
He ran at her, swinging to hit her in the face, though she parried and moved back so he couldn't grab her weapon. She swung to attack him, going on the offense and forcing him back, since he didn't want to be cut by it, just in case her wielding it had any special properties. Darkness surrounded her hand and she shot a massive dark orb at him, which he hit off with his staff.
The battle continued, until Viletta swung her scythe and sent a wave of darkness at Kabuto. He brought up the staff and blocked it, though the force smashed him against the wall. She winced, her wound getting irritated with her movement as blood began to drip down her arm. The mage burst into fog and disappeared, only showing when he was behind the dark haired woman. He ripped the scythe from her hand, feeling his strength immediately leaving him. He swung it around and the blade went straight through Viletta's midsection.
Her eyes widened as she coughed up blood and attempted to grab her scythe. Kabuto ripped it back out and threw it off so that he wouldn't faint from the sapping power. He smirked as she slumped forward, but he grabbed her and held her against him. "Hurts doesn't it?" he chuckled. "Death slowly claiming your body and soul." He licked the nape of her neck as her head fell back and she tried to glare at him. "Don't worry, I'll claim your body before death can, and truly make your last hours your worst nightmare."
Kurogané's eyes widened. "Viletta!" he shouted, gritting his teeth and using all of his strength to rip the sword from his shoulder. Letting out a yell of pain, he turned the blade in his grip and stood. "Get away from her you fucking psychopath!" he glared, pulling out his gun and firing at the mage as he ran towards him.
Kabuto wrenched back when the laser hit his eye and he screeched out in pain, covering his eye and releasing Viletta, who crumpled to the floor. Kurogané sped up, taking this opportunity to knock Valencia's staff out of his hand. As it slid across the room, he thrust his sword forward, imbedding it into Kabuto's midsection and making the other man double over. "I told you you were going to die." Kurogané whispered, twisting the blade before removing it and allowing the white haired man to collapse to the floor.
Sheathing his sword into his belt, he kicked Kabuto's body away from Viletta, before turning and kneeling next to her. "Viletta, I'm so sorry you got hurt because of me." he said, his worry showing on his face as he carefully pulled her to him so that she wasn't completely on the floor. "This is all my fault."
She winced, holding her hand over her midsection in attempts to stop the blood flow. "You're…" Viletta wheezed out, sweat forming on her forehead. "A complete imbecile." She glared.
The corner of his mouth tilted up in a small smile. "I know." He said, placing his hand over hers to help. "Now, since we've won here, why don't we go join the others, and give your sister her staff back?"
Viletta shook her head. "I can't move. So sit me in the throne and give me my scythe. Take Valencia her staff, and I'll know when life has returned so I can take down all the undead."
"Alright." he nodded, gently picking her up and taking her over to the throne. He set her down in it, before going and grabbing her scythe, as well as Valencia's staff. Taking it over to her, he made sure she was situated as comfortably as possible. "I'll be right back. I promise." He said, turning and running from the room.
He made his way back to the treasury, using the passageway to get back out so that he could avoid some of the fighting. It took him a while to reach the area that Valencia had been stationed at, and when he did he found Tadaaki and Faia there as well. "It is d-done?" Faia asked, taking in his bloodied form.
"Yes." Kurogané said, raising the staff.
Valencia gasped. "My staff!" she exclaimed, running forward and grabbing it from him. "Thank you Kurogané." she beamed, touching her hand to his injured shoulder before she began to rise from the ground. Her entire body began to glow then, becoming illuminated in a light bright enough to catch everyone's attention, before a shockwave was shot out, hitting everyone simultaneously with her light. And then, one by one, the zombies began to drop to the ground, completely dead.
She lowered back to the ground then, the smile still on her face. "Where is Lettie?" she asked, just as the earth began to shake, rocking the foundation. They stumbled, but the only place that seemed to crack was below all the undead, who were screeching out at a noise only they seemed to be able to hear. One by one they crumbled into the holes in the earth, and once they were all gone, the cracks and holes disappeared, as if nothing had happened.
"In the throne room. She was injured." Kurogané told her, trying not to appear as surprised by Viletta's power as he really was.
"Oh no! I must get to her quickly!" the green haired woman exclaimed, immediately running off. Kurogané followed her, noticing along the way that his shoulder was no longer throbbing. Thinking it was going numb, he glanced at it and blinked, seeing that his wound had closed up and healed. Once more he was surprised, and it was then that he noticed he'd lost sight of Valencia. Rolling his eyes he resumed his run, catching her just as she reached the throne room.
Valencia burst through the doors, immediately rushing to her sister's side. "Lettie!" she cried out, looking over the ebony haired woman's wounds. "I can't believe he touched you." she pouted, reaching out and placing her hand over Viletta's midsection.
The dark haired woman looked up at her, trying to control her labored breathing. "Just heal me already." She ordered, her arms resting on the arms of the throne as her scythe lay on the ground beside her. The rest of the group joined them in the throne room then, having wrapped things up on the battlefield.
Shiori looked at a gooey red puddle and frowned. "Ew. What's that?"
"What's left of Kabuto." Viletta got out as she took in a sharp breath, her wound finally sealing.
"My throne room!" Ming exclaimed, seeming angry as she glared at her broken window and demolished statues. "You couldn't be a little more careful?!" she yelled in an accusing tone.
"It's not like we had much control over the situation." Kurogané said. "Just be grateful you have your city back."
"Look on the bright side sweetheart." Ryousuke said as he took in the damages. "We can remodel and redecorate." He said, giving her a small smile.
The purple haired queen stewed, though now she most mostly upset that Viletta was sitting on her throne. Viletta noticed the glare and rolled her eyes, slowly standing and feeling her stomach and newly healed flesh. "Calm down you royal brat."
Ming's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?!"
"I didn't stutter." The death goddess scoffed, walking towards her.
Valencia followed her sister. "You know, this isn't the time to get crossways." She said, trying to placate the two women. "The mage is defeated, our lands are free…balance has finally been restored. I say we celebrate!" she smiled.
"We can't celebrate until we restore the land." Viletta corrected.
Izumi glanced out the window and then back to the two sisters. "But wasn't it supposed to be restored when Valencia got her staff back?"
Viletta shook her head. "No. Valencia brought life back, so now we are all truly alive and have once again started life. To restore Kagirinai Valencia and I must return to our temples, while Faia, Taizen, and Shusui go to their power's place of origin and we must all release our power in one way which will bring our home back to its former glory."
"Well where are the places of origin?" Shiori asked.
"Basically the four corners of the earth." The dark haired woman explained.
Kurogané sighed. "It can never be easy, can it?" he asked.
Shusui smirked. "My friend, if it were always easy, our planet would have long been taken over before Kabuto even existed." He chuckled.
"So we should hurry up and get the planet restored." Viletta snapped, walking past them and heading towards the door. "You all know where to go." She said, before turning the corner.
Ming huffed. "She acts like she's the queen. Bossing me around like that."
"Well she is a goddess. Kind of trumps queen." Kurogané smirked, walking after her. "Shiori, get the pod ready. It will be fastest if we just drop everyone off at their locations."
The brunette nodded and called for the others to follow her. "Come on! I can't wait to see what this place looks like!"
Izumi smiled and looked over at Taizen. "I want to go with you and see too." She giggled.
He smirked. "It's a pretty cool little temple I've got. You'll love it once everything gets restored." he said, placing his hand on her lower back and leading her off with everyone else.
Shusui looked at Ming. "Your Highness, you'll be alright while I'm gone?" he asked.
"Don't worry, I'll watch over her." Ryousuke said, wrapping his arm around her waist and rubbing her hip with his thumb. "Closely."
She giggled and leaned against him. "Yup. I just need to go get my crown." She told the blonde, before heading off to retrieve it.
Ryousuke watched her walk off, before going and sitting down in the throne, figuring he should try and get used to the seat as he waited for the others to get into their positions.
Kurogané stepped off the pod, releasing the hold he had on Viletta's waist once they reached the ground. They had already dropped off Taizen and Izumi at some remote waterfall shrine, and then Tadaaki and Faia at a shrine located at a volcano. Valencia and Sakimori were at her temple, so all that was left was for Shusui and Shiori to get to his shrine. "Alright, when you've reached your location, alert everyone through the com links." He said, tapping the earpiece he had on. "We'll get this done as soon as possible."
"I know Kurogané." Shiori called, waving before she hit the switch for the door. "We'll see you later." She said, before they sped off. Viletta shivered and watched the pod disappear.
"I hate that thing."
"I know." He said, looking at her. "But riding in my lap makes it easier, doesn't it?" he asked.
Viletta shrugged, heading inside. "It would be better if the rumbling didn't force me upon you and excite you to the point of me feeling it."
"Excuse me for finding you attractive." He said, following her into the temple. "It's not like I grope you or anything while you're in my lap, so I don't see why you're complaining."
She stopped and faced him, giving him a once over. "I wasn't complaining. I simply said it would be better. My people are susceptible to sex. I've never actually felt something like that." she huffed, turning away and entering her own throne room. "I'm just bothered is all." She explained, sitting down and crossing her legs as she watched him. She put her scythe in the holder on her throne so it leaned away, but was still close.
"Bothered by what?" he wondered, sitting down on the steps at an angle so he could look up at her. "Your attraction to me?"
"No." she glared off, crossing her arms. "Not bothered. Bothered." She gestured slightly down.
He looked down at her pelvis, before returning his jade gaze to her face and smirking. "Ah. So you're aroused."
An embarrassed blush spread across her cheeks, but she chose not to reply. "So if your people are susceptible to sex, why is it you have never partaken?" Kurogané asked. "Are you waiting for the right person? That's what a lot of women on my planet do, or at least say they're going to do."
"Life and Death are not allowed to partake in the joys of sexual pleasure until…" she stopped, glancing at him for a moment before staring off once more.
"Until what?"
She sighed. "Nothing."
He frowned, watching her profile. "Are you assigned your partners or something?"
"Kind of…"
"So who are they? Do you know?" he asked.
She nodded, running one of her hands through her hair before she swallowed. "Life and Death…usually only bond with one person…who proves to be…" her voice got softer and almost impossible to hear. "Their champion…" she trailed off in a whisper, her cheeks an unhealthy red.
Kurogané blinked, before he looked forward. "Huh." He said, not really sure how to react to the news. "Well…I guess that explains why I felt so drawn to you in the beginning."
"In the beginning?" she tried not to gasp. "So not anymore?"
He refrained from rolling his eyes at her as he looked back at her. "Why would you even ask that? We just finished talking about how hard my dick was when you were sitting in my lap. Obviously I'm still drawn to you, probably even more so now that I've seen you in action."
Viletta blinked, slowly lowering down from her throne and sitting beside Kurogané. "Seen me in action?" she wondered. "What did you think?"
"Well, at first I could tell you were a little rusty and almost unsure, but after things got going, it was a sight to see. You really know how to handle yourself," He smiled slightly, "other than when you get thrown out of large holes in the wall."
"I survived." She huffed. "And got him away from me."
"I'm surprised that fall didn't kill you." he said. "Though I suppose that's a perk of being a goddess."
Viletta nodded and looked forward, trying to find something to focus on. She smiled slightly, lacing her fingers together. "You're a really good swordsman."
The corner of Kurogané's mouth lifted up. "Thanks. I've practiced a bit, though not enough to be as good as I was." he shrugged. "I pegged that to the magic and voodoo you guys have going on here. There's nothing like this on Earth. Most people believe in one god, and one god only."
"What do you mean?" she wondered.
"Well, for instance, our gods are usually a single male." He held up a finger. "Our politicians are male as well, though that doesn't mean a woman cannot rule or be in charge. We're just of a mindset that if you want something done right, let the men handle it."
"But we let our men handle things." She tried to reason. "In fact…men are usually in charge when it comes to ruling."
"Your planet must be in a bit of a lull right now then." He smirked. "Though I can't imagine how things would be if people like Shusui were in charge." He chuckled.
She shrugged. "It used to be Ming's father, but Kabuto killed him a long time ago, and Ming has been in charge ever since. My grandparents were Life and Death, which is uncommon for the two to be each other's champion." She explained. "Usually Life and Death aren't related."
"But you and Valencia are Life and Death." Kurogané blinked. "So how did it skip a generation with your parents? I thought things like this ran in the family."
"It usually does. But sometimes it shuffles up." She explained. "It doesn't really make any sense." She sighed, hearing something begin to beep.
Kurogané reached up and pressed his com link. "Everyone in place?" he asked, seeming to talk to nobody at all.
Viletta watched him, leaning forward and trying to get a better look at his face. He seemed to be focusing on something in the distance. "Alright, Viletta's about to get into position." He told the voices in his ear, before looking at the ebony haired woman next to him, since he didn't know what was supposed to be done in order for this to work.
She nodded and got up, going with him up a staircase that was in the hall. They made their way up to one of the balconies on the front of the temple, looking over the barren wasteland. "You ready to see something amazing?" she asked, glancing back at him with a small smile.
"Amaze me." he replied, pressing his com link to send out the signal that they were ready.
The dark haired woman went over to the edge, looking down at her diamond as she stared up into the sky. The gem began to glow, and her eyes bled to black, until a dark light shot out of the stone and soared into the sky. In the distance they could see a green light shoot up as well, and when they reached peak height they exploded, almost similar to fireworks. As soon as the light erupted, Viletta fell back, only to have Kurogané catch her.
Lights began to swirl around the sky until it was a mix of colors and assortments, and as the sparks began to rain down, the places they touched exploded with life. The desert quickly erupted with green, trees shooting out from the ground as if they'd been there for years. Everywhere you looked the plants and sounds of life began once more, birds flying from the trees and a crystal blue lake pooling beside the Temple of Death.
It was like springtime everywhere. Most of the trees surrounding the temple had dark bark and beautiful white blossoms that seemed to give the place a life it didn't possess before. Finally, the swirling colors shot back down, slamming back into the diamond before Viletta gasped out like she'd been holding her breath, and her eyes faded back into her deep emerald.
"Are you alright?" Kurogané asked in concern.
She blinked, staring up at him. "I…don't know…did it work?"
"See for yourself." He smirked, holding her up a bit so that she could see everything.
Viletta took in a shocked breath, actually smiling, her happiness undeniable. "It's all back." She whispered.
Kurogané couldn't help but share in her joy, a smile coming to his face. "Congratulations Viletta. You've amazed me beyond words." He told her, looking out at the lush forest along with her.
"What do you think?" she asked, returning her gaze to him, her smile still brilliant.
He glanced down and took in her smile once more. "Beautiful."
