Chapter 12

After that night with Kuronue things changed from how they had been since the Possession. Hiromi put all her effort into finding whatever she could on the demon that had taken over her mind. She used the library to research ways to block her mind from further incursions while Audra told her if she was successful or not. They had not yet found the demon that had entered her mind. Kuronue suggested that he had gone underground now that his underling had been caught.

Hiromi found herself spending more and more time with Kuronue when he was home than she had at any point before. She found silence and acceptance in his presence and many times they were seen sitting next to each other working on separate things in a silence that wasn't uncomfortable. Their nights turned that silence into passion however as Hiromi finally moved from her small twelve by twelve room to sleep in the same room as Kuronue which was easily a palace compared to her own.

Yoko and Hiromi had made a peace and sometimes could even be found working together to improve the garden which had been hit hard during the winter despite the shield that Night had put up to protect everyone. Yoko no longer looked at her like she was a nice piece of meat that he wished he could take advantage of. They bonded in a friendly way and worked hard to make the garden into something that could be smiled upon once again.

There had been one incident when a demon, who had thought since she let Kuronue touch her that Hiromi's rule that she was not to be touched by any demon had been lifted. When Kuronue had found her fighting off the attacker, he had waited until the girl had beaten back the demon and they had both noticed before he did anything. What he did had shocked everyone of the castle. It had also shocked Hiromi who had never thought about even considering herself what he called her. He had calmly called all the demons under Yoko and him to the Great Hall. Then he called Hiromi, who had been standing off to one side where she normally stood when they gave a speech which wasn't too often thankfully, to come stand in front of him. She did, giving him a look that was both questioning and a warning. She had thought she'd done a pretty good job in getting the demon to release her and understand that she still wasn't to be bothered. Maybe even if Audra had been there she would have complemented the girl.

Once the girl was standing in front of Kuronue, he turned her to face the demons, her bewilderment plain on her face. Then he linked his arms around her waist and pulled her back so that she was solidly against him. His voice was icy even to Hiromi's ears.

"I will only say this once, so all of you listen very closely. This woman is my mate. Should anyone dare touch her, or even think about giving her a hard time during her stay here, I will personally see that you get some of the worst torture that has ever been given out." He stated, loudly and clear to even the demons in the back could hear. They could not say if they were caught that they had not heard the warning in his voice that day.

Hiromi had been taken aback by the term mate. It was serious business when one demon declared anyone to be his mate. It was a title as much as a privilege. It was like a man calling a woman his wife or a woman calling a male her husband. It was a binding between two individuals that went deeper than mere marriage. Anyone that tried to mess with Hiromi now could expect swift judgment set down upon them not only from Hiromi herself but from Kuronue.

Without meaning to, the young woman had, she realized, become the mate to one of the most powerful demons in the vicinity. They slept together, they dined together, he gave her gifts and she unabashedly loved the silly bat demon for all his silliness. She had shuddered at that iciness in his voice and shifted closer to the warmth of his body. He had hugged her tighter. Later that evening he admitted that seeing her fight off an attacker had chilled his blood and he had not wanted anyone else to mess with her. He made her being his mate official that night in bed by leaving a small but deep cut on her shoulder that was in the form of a bat in flight. This would mark to anyone that she was mated to someone he said.

By the time that April rolled around, Hiromi had a new worry to fill her mind. She was running out of the information on demons. She had used the demons that she knew the most about in the beginning to prove her worth and was now coming down to the demons she knew the least about. She knew less and less about what their hide outs looked like and said more and more 'I don't know about that's. She knew that Kuronue would not simply kill her when she was of no use. No one that claimed a mate would ever get rid of that mate unless it was for more important reasons (adultery, or worse, attempted murder). But the human liked feeling wanted and needed in a world where humans were normally just slaves, or, worse, food.

She made the mistake of mentioning it to Yoko while she was helping him position a rose bush without getting hurt by the thorns. Since Kuronue had taken her as his mate, Yoko had been far kinder to her, as if by being Kuronue's mate it had opened a door in Yoko's heart for Hiromi. She almost felt a brotherly love come from him when he smiled and joked to her some times. Hiromi felt that she could trust the demon to tell her the truth and not sugar coat anything, as Kuronue liked to do when she worried.

"Yoko, I just don't know what I'll do with myself once I run out of information. I mean, I can always start spying again if Kuronue would let me out of the castle long enough. But until we have that demon that took over my mind, Kuronue's sworn that he's not going to let me out of sight of himself, you, or one of the girls." Hiromi complained, wincing as a thorn stabbed her in the thumb. She pulled her hand away and sucked on the thumb gently, cleaning the wound of blood before wrapping it in a piece of her kimono she was wearing.

"I'm sure that a resourceful human as you will find some way to help." Yoko said with a soft chuckle. He had found the human annoying when he first met her (possibly because she'd stabbed him), but as he saw how she treated the flowers and plants around her, he had lightened a bit. When Kuronue had made her his mate, Yoko had almost felt obliged to feel like an older protective brother to the girl. He was far more aware of the eyes that followed the human girl around the castle than Kuronue had been since he had been one such pair before Kuronue made his intentions known.

Hiromi was about to comment when some instinct that had grown from the time she'd gotten the mate mark told her that Kuronue was about to show up. She couldn't hide the glow as she turned to watch him exit the castle in a leisurely way as he made his way down to them. He greeted Yoko before kissing Hiromi on the forehead.

"Hey Yoko, are you done moving this bush?" Kuronue asked as his left arm snuck around Hiromi's waist and pulled her close to him as he turned his eyes to his best friend.

"Not yet. You can't have Hiromi until I'm done though. She is one of the best helpers I've had since I've started this garden and I'm going to take full advantage of that good help." Yoko demanded, putting fists up in a mock challenge though he laughed and grinned as he said it.

"No, actually I need you my friend." Kuronue said with a laugh. He only took jokes about taking advantage of the girl from Yoko because he knew that Yoko wouldn't ever try anything. "I just heard that there was a juicy little mirror made of gold in a jungle shrine not too far from here. There is apparently going to be fewer guards this weekend because the priestess that normally guards it and prays there is going to be traveling to another shrine." The glee at the idea of a challenge was unmistakable in the demons voice. Up until this point they had been going into places knowing almost everything up to the shoe size of the demon they were facing. This would be unknown, a challenge and one that was long awaited.

Yoko smiled impishly and nodded. "I'll finish moving this plant with Hiromi and then meet you in the planning room my dear friend." He told Kuronue. He too had been itching for a new challenge and this was going to be a killer one.

Hiromi listened quietly before helping Yoko move the plant to where they had intended to place it. All the while she thought about the shrine, trying to think of anything that might be useful. Nothing popped into mind. A pit opened under her stomach however and she found herself wanting to keep Kuronue around for a few more days. She followed them to the planning room and watched their plans.

"When will you leave?" Hiromi asked after a few hours of planning had taken place. The two demons exchanged looks and mumbled a few things before deciding. They would leave the day after tomorrow they told her. Hiromi watched the two with the eyes of an early spring storm left over from winter. She did not believe them. They both had the gleam of young children being let out to play after a long, dull winter in their eyes and they were far chattier about plans than they had since the first time she had ever given them a name and information all those months ago.

The feeling in her stomach grew to become a gaping hole; a hole that threatened to engulf her and the rest of the world. She rose from the chair and moved off, leaving them to plan until she knew just what was happening in her. She changed into some workout clothes and joined Night, who looked better than she had after she'd stopped guarding the castle, in fighting practice. It hit her just as Night struck her stomach. She didn't want either of them to go. She had one of those feelings that demanded her attention and yet she knew that she could never convince them not to go. It was too nice a treat. It was hanging a piece of juicy steak before a tiger and telling it not to eat.

But she would try. She went to change into other clothes, but stopped when she saw that Kuronue was taking a nap on the bed. She paused and watched him. She couldn't help but smile. She had never been one for naps, but watching him take one then was like watching a piece of heaven that had decided to give her its presence. She was surprised that he could relax enough to take a nap.

Instead of waking him, she changed into one of her kimonos and then left to find Yoko. Maybe she would be able to convince him. Hiromi never made it to Yoko's room however. Her hand stopped when she heard the tell-tale noises that Yoko was entertaining one of the nurses again. She smiled, rolled her eyes and walked away without disrupting the strange demon.

She found herself in the stables playing with her horses when that instinct once more reared its head and told her that Kuronue was watching her from the shadows of the barn. At times like these, Hiromi wondered if Kuronue had these feelings as well, or if it was just her and her high spirit energy. She continued to work, pretending to not notice the demon as she cleaned her stallion.

"You know, I could get you more horses and you could create a breeding farm here if you chose. That would give you something to do when you run out of names." Kuronue said from the stall door as he watched her.

Hiromi winced. She had not wanted Kuronue to hear of her worries. She finished with the horse and turned to look at him over the stall door. She put her tools away on the shelves and went to the door to join him. She hoped up to sit on the stall door so that she was eye level with Kuronue. Hitting a switch on the outside of the stall the back wall of the stall opened up allowing the horses to go out into a small pasture that had been created just for them to run and eat to their hearts content, Hiromi turned to look at Kuronue.

"I don't want to just stay in this castle forever you know. I want to be out doing what I was trained to do. Spy, work with you and Yoko, in the field." Hiromi told him, though she saw the look that Kuronue gave her that screamed that he wouldn't put her in that kind of danger. "Oh come now Kuronue, I was in that kind of danger for almost three years before you caught me and that's just because I was being careless."

"But you still got caught. I don't want you to be hurt my rose." Kuronue told her as he picked her up off the door and brought her to stand in front of him like a small child. That was one thing that Hiromi didn't like. Being almost two feet shorter than the demon, she either felt like a doll next to him or a small child.

This was a conversation better saved for a time when they didn't have other matters to settle—like the upcoming mission they were going on. Hiromi shrugged and gave the look as if she were already forgetting about spy work. "I don't think you should go on that little heist you guys were planning." Hiromi said finally, turning to watch the horses once more over the stall door.

It did not work though. Every idea she used Kuronue shot down with logical answers on how he'd get out of this trap or that trap, or what would happen if he was hurt. Eventually she gave up and decided that she was just going to have to live with the worry that was plaguing her—for that was what the pit in her stomach was she realized. Outrageous worry that would not settle down. She kept at him though, just so she could say she hadn't been beaten. She liked to win arguments against Kuronue, even if he purposefully let her win. At least she could say this fight was a challenge. Their debate didn't end until that night when passion overtook worry and they embraced one another in the passion filled embrace only lovers offered one another.

The next morning Hiromi awoke to find a note next to her. It was as she suspected when they'd said they were going away the day after tomorrow.

Dear Human Rose,

We decided that leaving this morning early would return me to your side all the sooner and I would not be delayed by you begging us not to go. I understand you worry and I want to you know that I love that you worry. Too many humans would let the idea of being demons equates to being invincible, but you, you my precious, have always been too clear minded for that. We will return in three weeks. Keep safe,

Kuronue.

Hiromi laughed at the note and got up and went about her day. The next three days became worse when she suddenly found herself visiting the privy almost every morning. She didn't let anyone know until Takji had walked in on her one morning to ask if she could be taught how to ride a horse. Takji had seemed a bit too delighted at seeing Hiromi bent over the toilet. Hiromi did not know why. She had put the vomiting up to having eaten something bad, or the worry that constantly knotted her stomach as she waited for Kuronue to return safely.

It was closing in on the date of Kuronue's return when Audra came to visit her in Kuronue room after a vomiting filled morning. Audra found the woman sitting on her bed, breathing through her mouth to try and calm her stomach. Audra too had a smile on her face that was a bit too much like delight as she watched the poor girl.

"We were you ever spoken to of what happens when one is with child?" Audra asked softly as she leaned against a wall across from Hiromi. She let the words sink into the human before continuing. "One of the signs is called morning sickness. Some people get it in the morning, some at other times. I've noted also that you've been avoiding our beans as well. Another sign that one is pregnant is that some foods make the woman nauseous. With me, I could not abide beans for the first three months."

Hiromi sat on the bed, staring up at the demon that seemed so kind to be explaining why she was sick in such frank of terms. But at the same time her mind spun. Wait until Kuronue found out that he was going to be a father! Her heart gave a sudden lurk as a feeling of despair that seemed to have no place in this news ran over her spin and her shoulder where the scar of a bat seared her skin. She gasped and launched herself to the bathroom just in time to launch another wave of vomit down the toilet. This time she was not alone. Audra came in and rubbed her back and helped her through the pain of expelling all that was in her stomach.

From that moment forward, Hiromi knew something was wrong. Kuronue must have gotten hurt. Her body screamed it whenever she brought herself to think about Kuronue, which was almost every moment. How would she tell him that she was with his child? Would it be a girl or a boy? Would it inherit bat wings like its father or would it look more human with a high spiritual power and hidden demonic traits?

She was researching such things as half-demons in the library when Yoko found her, three days after she'd found out that she was pregnant and not just sick. The door closed behind him before Hiromi knew he was there. She jumped and laughed, looking over at Yoko as her racing heart calmed.

"Oh Yoko, I'm glad you are back! I have wonderful news though you'll have to wait to hear it after I tell Kuronue. He should be the first to know." She said, giddy that they were back. She turned to return the book she held to its place so she could go streaking through the halls looking for her mate, her lover, the father of her child.

"Hiromi," Yoko said softly. That wasn't what got her attention though. What caught her attention was the note of despair in his voice, as if he'd lost someone very close to him recently, which didn't make any sense. She paused in putting the book back and looked at Yoko.

"Hiromi, Kuronue, he… He dropped his pendant when we were escaping. He went back to get it. You know how stupid he is about that thing. Never let it out of his sight. Almost like he did with you when he was around." Yoko said, choking at that. Tears formed in his eyes though he refused to let them fall. He was too manly for tears.

"No." Hiromi said, putting the tears together with what was left unsaid. She tore past him and ran to Kuronue's room. He wasn't there. She refused to believe it. She ran to the stables and searched there and then the castle's infirmary. Nowhere could she find Kuronue. Finally she turned to go to the garden, but found Yoko in her way. He put cold hands on her shoulders and met her eyes which were starting to tear up as his had done in the library. They had a silent understand as Hiromi lost control and began to weep in the arms of Yoko, who cradled her close.

Kuronue was not coming home. He had been killed in the escape.