The next morning, Nanashi woke up, seeing the demoness, Sayuri, who had been sent to stay with her still asleep on her cot by the door. Sayuri had been put in the room with her as an extra layer of protection. The demoness would not talk to her though, close lipped and unwilling to answer back when Nanashi asked her questions.
Nanashi rose up, going to door to retrieve the breakfast and clean clothing for the day, surprised to find a weak version of coffee in one of the four cylinders. She drank from it gladly, having been craving for at least two, possibly longer. Two, possibly three days she had been imprisoned in the Demon World by this demon king, wondering at why he would have taken her if Hiei had been planning to come to serve this king. Perhaps to hasten him along?
Nanashi ate the breakfast given for her and then got dressed. She noticed the scratches from the winged demon that attacked her were still a little pink, which the healer who healed her up told it would take a few days for the marks to fade away because the healing was delayed for a few hours. She then picked up one of the novels from the mantel, but found them less stimulating the second day around. She would have preferred to do something a bit more stimulating, but when she exercised in the room, Sayuri would watch her in a way that was uncomfortable. Nevertheless, she sat down on the bed to read the book, and kept reading even as Sayuri woke up and got ready herself. Nanashi tried talking to her again, but Sayuri would not even look up at her. She read while Sayuri just sat on the cot, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor, the sound sounding louder than it should have in the quiet, echo-y room.
The sound of the door being unlocking roused the both. Nanashi stayed sitting on the bed and put the novel down, while Sayuri jumped upright nervously. She looked over at the door frightful. Nanashi wondered what made her so. In walked the Demon King Yomi so calmly it was unnerving. Nanashi stayed on the bed, but she noticed Sayuri was quick to get down on the ground and bow low to him.
"Rise," he said down to Sayuri softly. Sayuri rose up quickly, head trained down to the ground, hands clasped in front of her. He turned and faced Nanashi, who stayed sitting on the bed, watching the scene. She wondered if he was expecting a bow from her as well. She did not move. "How has she been?" he asked, nodding his head back in her direction.
Nanashi shrugged, "quiet," she answered simply. Nanashi looked over at her. "A peaceable companion. Fine."
Yomi did not look back at Sayuri when he said, "leave us."
Sayuri froze up. "How long, your grace?" she asked shakily.
Yomi looked back at her. "Do not leave the castle quite yet," he answered. "Might need one more night."
"Yes, your grace," Sayuri answered. She inclined her head over to Nanashi. "My... lady," she stumbled out.
Nanashi blinked over at her, surprised by the title. She nodded her head over at her. Then she was quick to leave the room. Nanashi turned her gaze over to Yomi.
"Are you enjoying the novels?" he asked, nodding down at the one beside her hand.
"How much longer am I here for?" she cut. "Your grace," she added, partially in an effort to be appeasing.
He inclined his head over to her. "When your friend comes, you will be returned to him," he explained again.
"How much longer is that going to take? Hiei accepted your invitation, you should at least give him time to get here without rushing him," she responded. She thought, but did not mention her essay and application to the advanced science class were due by Wednesday and today was Monday or possible Tuesday. She was cutting it too close.
He looked calm, but ever so slightly amused. "He has been spotted in my territory. He should be here by the afternoon, if he is not held up by a demon looking to pick a fight," he answered.
Nanashi looked over at him, relieved. "He'd enjoy that," she grumbled proudly. If that happened, he would rise to it, delaying her leaving even longer.
"For now, you are going to need to accompany me," he told her. "The death of the demon beast that attacked you did not go unnoticed in the castle, and an unfortunate rumor has abounded that it killed you. You need to be seen in the castle alive and whole."
She stared at him, loosing a short laugh. "Let me guess, I don't have a choice," she replied.
He then laughed softly, amused. "You have a choice of course," he responded. "But what you decide might affect what happens to someone else." He nodded over to Sayuri's cot.
She stood up quickly, huffing in annoyance. She slipped on the shoes she was given. "Lead the way, your grace," she replied stiffly.
"Take the book, you might be bored later," he advised. She snatched it up, staring up at him ruefully. He lead her out of the room, shutting and locking the door behind them. "When we walk, stay one step behind me, on my left."
"Why?" she asked.
"A show of respect," he answered, leaning down over her. He was intimidating, but intriguing in spite of herself up close. He reached his hand down toward her face, making her draw back. "What do you have in your hair, woman?" he asked.
"A hair clip, a gift from my friend," she answered protectively. His fingers traced it delicately. He was far too close to her. She could feel the warmth rolling off his skin.
He hummed down at her, smirking. He leaned his head down, whispering in her ear, "keep it then." She felt her face flush as he stood up and stepped away from her.
She followed him through the castle, seeing other demons milling about. She noticed some of them staring at her, but not for very long. She felt like they had walked the whole length of the castle by the time they arrived at a stately looking door. He opened the door, stepping into the room first, with her trailing after him. She froze in the doorway, seeing a large table with several prominent looking demons around it. They rose up as he came into the room. He nodded to the lot of them before walking towards the head of the table. There was another empty chair next to his left. Not sure what else to do, she followed him in a rush, keeping her head down. She sat down next to him, placing her hands in her lap over the book she had, not looking at anyone in the room. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears.
"Thank you for waiting," Yomi told the other demons around the table. "I thought it might be important for you to see the young human woman is still alive and well since it was brought up earlier in the meeting. So let us continue the meeting as planned."
She casted a furtive glance over at him. "My lord," one demon who looked a bit cat-like spoke up. "Is it wise to have her hear in the meeting?"
Yomi looked amused at that. "Nanashi," he addressed her, making her look up at him. "Are you planning to share anything you might hear in this meeting? Like to one of the other demon king claimants?"
She hummed, trying to think of what to say. "No, your grace..." she mumbled out.
"Your cousin is a descendant of Raizen," Yomi pointed out, possibly not for her benefit. "Anyway," he said, addressing the other demons in the room before restarting the meeting with them with her in the room.
She tried to listen in, not really following much of what was being said, but she did pick up on the name of the third demon king, Mukuro. That must have been the one Kurama turned down. Everything else was just boring to her, even as she tried to sit in the meeting she did not belong in at all and look like she understand everything being said and committed every word to memory.
After the meeting, Yomi lead her to his office, with the two of them being brought separate lunches there. He gave a letter he had penned at the desk to the demon who delivered their lunches, telling them to pass that along to their visitor when he arrived. Then he was just as quiet as Sayuri had been earlier, sitting at his desk while she sat at the couch next to the fire place in the room, finding the room a bit chilly, but did not say anything. When a demon came to fetch their dishes, Yomi instructed her to light a fire in the fire place to keep Nanashi warm. The room then ended up a bit too warm for her taste, making her push up the sleeves of her tunic, noticing the scratches there were still a little pink. She read from the book, feeling her head lull in the boredom.
"Why did you invite Hiei to your side?" she asked, mix of bored and curious.
"Hmm?" he hummed raising his head up in her direction. "I invited who I invited because I was impressed with his return to strength with the lot of you fought that rogue spirit detective, Sensui, here in the Demon World. Besides, why should Raizen only get a powerful new ally drawn to his side, tipping the balance towards his favor?"
She stared over at him patiently, but gave up when he did not say anything else. She grunted, turning away from him, shifting impatiently. She laid her head down on the head of the couch, looking over at the fire, finding that more stimulating than the book in hand now.
A knock came to the door, making her look up over it. "Enter," Yomi called out.
"Your grace, the demon you were expecting from the Human World has arrived," the demon who knocked and opened the door called out.
"Excellent, sned him in," Yomi instructed. The demon bowed and left the room, leaving the door open behind him. He stood up, coming around the desk and over to the couch where Nanashi sat.
Nanashi sat up straighter with him so close to her. His hand reached down to her hair, stroking the hair clip again. She jumped at that, pulling away from him a little bit. She looked over at the door when it open and gasped. In walked Kurama in the same clothes he had been wearing from his mother's wedding, but they were a bit dirty now. He looked tired and impatient.
"Kurama?" she breathed out, blinking over at him. She got up and rushed over to him, hugging him in a rush. He stood stiff as she hugged him though, hardly hugging her back. She pulled away. "What? What are you doing? I thought Hiei was coming..." she rambled out. She brought her hands up to his forearms, looking him over, even though he was not looking at her. He kept his eyes trained over at the demon king standing by the couch still. "Are you alright? Kurama?"
He looked down at her suddenly twisting his arms, so he held her by the forearms, holding them up so he could see the inner part of them. He studied them, frowning. "Why has she been healed, and why was that delayed? Did you not put her under her protection?" He tone was flat, but in made her draw her ears back. He looked over at Yomi.
"He did," she answered, explaining in a rush. "A demon got into the room and attacked me in the middle of the night, but I killed it. I had left the window unlatched. I was healed the next morning."
"And not left alone since for her own protection," Yomi explained stepping over from the couch with the abandoned book in his hand. "Don't worry, this woman's scars will heal." He kept his hand down at his sides, a move that reminded her of Youko. "When my men came and took her, she attacked them, but was struck by a car in the midst of it. When they brought her back her, she was healed up a lot sooner." He was close to them now, closer to her than Kurama. "Have you read my second invitation?" he asked curiously.
"Yes," Kurama answered.
"Are you interested in accepting it now?" Yomi pressed.
"Yes," Kurama answered.
"Do you accept?" Yomi asked.
Kurama slipped his hands away from her forearms, bringing his own down to his side. "It seems that would be in everyone's best interest," he answered. "Allow me some time to get back to the Human World and set my affairs in order, then I will return."
She looked between them. "But you didn't want to come back?" she blurted out.
"He has changed his mind, woman," Yomi answered for him. "So Raizen will get Yusuke, Mukuro will get Hiei, and I will get Kurama," he sounded amused.
"And Nanashi gets to stay out of this," Kurama added.
"If that is what she wishes. I will send for the SDF members sent to me by their captain to come send the two of you back to the Human World," Yomi replied. He held out the book in his hand. "You can keep it, woman, as a parting gift."
She looked down at the book, not really sure if she wanted it. She accepted it anyway. His fingers brushed against hers as it changed hands. She felt a bit of a trill go through her at his touch.