22

Siera walked on in the woods in a daze; she wasn't sure what to do or where to go. She didn't want to find Yusuke again to just sit in guilt ridden silence and she wasn't up to facing anyone back at the hotel. She felt so lost and alone and soon that foreboding darkness began to envelop her heart. How could you possibly think that you helped in any way? You should have stopped her, you ruin everything! You wanted her to die didn't you; you didn't care about her at all and walked away! It's in your nature to be heartless you know; demons have no time for friendship or love only destruction. This is why your own parents would rather die than to be with you!

"NO, STOP IT!" She fell to her knees trying to drown out the voice that spoke words she weren't even sure were lies.

She saw herself years ago as just a little girl as her father styled her hair after trying on a new dress he had bought for her.

"Piti fi cheri mwen; ou bel Ezili" Often when her father would speak of her he would speak in creole, she couldn't understand every word he spoke but her mind reading filled in whatever gaps her knowledge had and also assisted in her learning the language itself.

"Papa; why do you call me that name Ezili? What does it mean?" he turned her to face him and she remembered how handsome he was; he had skin of deep bistre and eyes that were nearly black but held such kindness and warmth. His dark brown dreadlocks that he normally kept pinned back were loose and fell in his face. He was strong but so gentle and wise…she hasn't so much as thought of her father in years.

"I have told you of the Loa in my culture?"

"Yes; I remember you told me the tale of Papa Legba and a few of the others.

"Well Ezili is the other half of Papa Legba; she represents love and fortune, she is a strong as she is beautiful she is gracious but also wrathful. I have seen these in you from the moment you were born; I know you have a power within you that meets the level of a goddess. That is why I call you by her name and I am sure you will do her proud."

"But Papa we do not worship the Loa here and Mama doesn't speak of such things at all."

"Child the Loa are not merely angels or deities; they are spirits that stand between us and the other world. We do not simply worship them rather than we serve them in exchange for protection."

"So…even Mama, who is Youkai could be considered a Loa?"

"In fact cheri; when I looked into your Mama's eyes for the first time I was stricken by her so much so that I thought she was Erzulie herself. The Loa can take many a form and be good or evil; it all depends on their own needs at the time."

"Papa…are demons evil?"

"Cheri…you are only as evil as your heart desires you to be and that goes for all living things." Looking back she remembered how much he had love her and her mother whole heartedly and if love like that could happen then demons weren't as evil as she was made to believe.

"I am the daughter of Maku Mitisiku, and he loved me and all of my heritage so you go to hell!"

And when you killed him, did he love you then? She fell to her knees in frustration and her struggle was interrupted by noise nearby. Her curiosity drove her to check it out and that was when she spotted her best friend and she felt the relief of no longer being alone with these thoughts.

"Shuichi, I am so happy to see you! I have to talk to you it's-" he turned startled and even alarmed to see her. like he didn't want her there and she fell back into her insecurities.

"Siera…I am glad to see you too; but you have to leave."

"Why what is wrong? I thought…" He held a bottle in his hand with some liquid inside of it. Kurama saw that she noticed and realized that it was much too late to hide now.

"I got this from Suzuki."

"The ass hat of a clown, what do you need that for?"

"This was the key ingredient that was used for the Idun Box." She remembered back to seeing that silver fox and the immense power he had. As much as she knew she should be frightened by Zoie's warning, she was infatuated by this demon part of him.

"I will be frank, my next opponent…I cannot defeat him, not in this form so I will use this and become Youko again and then I will have the power necessary to achieve my win."

"How powerful is he? Like you won't get the win without Youko?"

"I…won't survive without him." She stood stunned; her fear has finally come to reality and the thought of losing him made her head spin.

"But...why do I have to leave?"

"Because I took some of it and I don't know how you will fair with this side of myself."

"Shuichi we all have sides of ourselves we rather not face, doesn't mean we have to do it alone. If we are to have a future together I have to know all of you; so that…I can love all of you." He looked at her with what she could describe as pity before a flash of light blinded her and that familiar power surge enveloped her. She looked up to find the silver haired Adonis staring at her with contempt and fear flooded her as she tried to get a feel of what was on her mind to no avail.

"Nosey, nosey; my aren't you just the little trouble maker? I have wanted to put my hands on you for years." vine wound around her waist and flung her into a nearby tree. Before she could get her bearings she was stabbed repeatedly by what appeared to be long thorns shot from the unseen plant. Damn, he must have grown a plant behind her while he was talking! She pulled one of the dagger like thorns from her shoulder and lunged forward, but then she hesitated. He smirked and closed the gab giving her a strong backhand sending her away. Suddenly he was over her with a beautiful arrogant smirk on his face. A vine wrapped around her throat and he stood and watched as it lifted it up to hang her. She clawed at it; looking up to see that the plant was in the trees, no-it was a tree! The thorns grew long just behind her like a bed of deadly spikes.

"This is the Gleditsia, also known as the Honey Locust it has large dagger like thorns that are quite painful to say the least, and that's only when pricked, I mean to be impaled...ha. What's the matter, have nothing to say? Nothing left in that smart mouth of yours? No; I see it in your eyes you want to attack but you are afraid to hurt little Shuichi Minamino. News flash girl, I am not Shuichi." He grabbed her by the face and sneered at her.

"You have your mother's eyes…the ungrateful bitch." He then shoved her backward to swing toward her death. But she stopped herself and hung midair her eyes gone charcoal. Youko turned and was slashed by a few of the thorns she sent flying his way dodging the rest as she cut herself.

"Don't you ever speak of my mother that way!" Youko licked the blood from his arm as he circled her menacingly.

"Well that's good, I thought you would put up more of a fight if I lit a fire in you. If killing you were that easy I would have thought Shuichi to be weaker than I thought. What did you think would happen, that I would love you as much as he thinks he does and welcome you into open arms, become your little pet or something? You are nothing but a hindrance to him; you make him weak and therefore you have to be disposed of. Or maybe…you should do the deed yourself, after all who would ever love a half-breed like you? You don't belong with demons or humans; your very birth was an abomination. Yes, I think you want to believe me but you are putting on a brave face. But tell me; do you really thing Shuichi could truly love you, mark my words he will be done and bored within a week and that's if you show him all of your skills." She flung him into a tree this time.
"You're right about one thing, you are not Shuichi and so our pact has no effect on you. And rule one of battle; never underestimate your opponent, and if you want to break them mentally say something they give a damn about. I was getting bored."

"You impudent little bitch!"

"Aww….that's so sweet thank you! Normally I get smart ass or something but that…I will cherish forever." He sent the vine at her again and she sent more thorns to retaliate. If he materialized weapons she can manipulate them with her telekinesis; but as for a real plan she didn't have one. There was a soft rumbling and more vines came from underground at her feet. Wrapping her ankles and wrists binding her tight making her fall to the ground; she cursed as he kneeled over her just a breath away from her face.

"Your tenacity is intriguing; you held so much back and yet you are still able to put up a fight with me?" he stroked her face and worked his way down to her chest. Exposing her skin as the vines wound tighter.

"What are you going to do kill me?"

"Unfortunately Shuichi won't allow it; but that will not stop me from teaching you a lesson."

"And what lesson is that?"

"To know your place; this is urtica Dioica or the stinging nettle. You wont die but the hairs in this plant burns like ant bite. Under demon energy it will be like tike getting bitten by thousands of ants the size of dogs. Do yourself a favor and stay away from him for now on." The vines sprouted their fine hairs that injected their poison into Siera causing her to scream in pain as he walked away without a care. It was like being lit on fire and she couldn't move. She thought back to the full day she tortured Bakken and wondered if this was her justice? She blacked out quickly and awoke in her hotel room being cared for by Zoie. He licked her inflamed limbs trying furiously to remove the hairs and poison from her skin.

"He is dangerous….i should have listened and stayed away. I suppose you should say you told me so."

"What I should say is that I am glad you're safe and I will not be leaving you alone with him if this ever happens again." She realized very quickly that she was no match for this fox by a longshot; he was more skilled in his abilities than she was her and had many more years to prefect it. and she remembered how her best friend needed him to survive this match and in her heart she knew this was a win for him if this were the case. But even so this encounter chilled her and the words that fell from his beautiful lips ripped her apart. She felt he was correct in everything he said, if she were more human she would have stopped Genkai; if she were more demon she could understand their ways and adapt it was like trying to fit a triangle block into either a square or round hole. She didn't fit anywhere and because of that she was worthless. How could she ever face any of them knowing this now?

"It's not going to happen again…" Zoie looked up with sadness in his eyes as she cried; at the end of the day her own thoughts were right all along.