Chapter 21.
I plowed into some of the monkeys as they ran towards me. My free hand felt for and found the cross about my neck, pulling it out and holding it between my fingers as I finally got through the mass.
Goku was nothing but a zipping flash of yellow as he leapt around the demon, distracting it into grabbing for him so his people could escape. He struck at it with the stick and it hissed, the sound making the inside of my skull ache. Some of Goku's braver folks had lingered and shifted into large monkeys. They danced around the demon, screaming, backing up their alpha.
I saw Goku finally get swatted, sending him flying through the air to strike a wall of the cul de sac, and some of the monkeys converged on the demon. The demon swiped at a few, scattering them like bowling pins. It followed and pounced, grabbing one up in its mouth. I watched the monkey separate at the waist, the two parts falling in two different directions.
I dropped to my knees on the ground and ripped the cross from my neck. I lost way too many chains, though usually it's not my own fault. Holding it out before me, I tried to recall the Lord's Prayer.
"And there in the same country shepherds abiding the field, keeping watch over the sheep by night!" SHIT! Why can I never remember the Lord's Prayer?! Why do I only remember Christmas?! "And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid!"
The demon shied back suddenly, its glowing eyes turning around to focus on me. Something inside me shrunk and twisted as if in death throes. I was immediately chilled to the bone. Some people think they know what that's like. Not until they've stared a demon in the face.
It made a movement towards me and immediately backed off, flinging its 'head' about like a dog that just had its nose whapped with a rolled up newspaper.
I realized I heard chanting. It was more than one voice. Monkeys all around had taken up chanting. No one seemed to be saying the same thing, but at least some had heard Iga and they had gotten the drift.
Goku reappeared from the crowd to rapidly limp back before the writhing demon, the stick held between his hands horizontal as if he were preparing for an attack. He was also yelling at the demon, standing proud and defiant. Someone stepped up beside me, and I turned to see Iga had pushed his way forward. The string of beads from his neck hung in his hands as he chanted, his voice loud and clear. The monkeys nearby were starting to copy his chant, repeating after him.
"And the angel said unto them. Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people! For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savoir, which is Christ the Lord!" Go me, the only representative of Christianity.
The demon was definitely uncomfortable now, thrashing about and backing up as Goku advanced on it carefully, body tense with knees bent, ready for an attack. Iga was slowly advancing as well, his chanting almost sounding like a lightly wavering song. In any other situation, I think it would have been relaxing. The demon made a chattering sound and shrieked, which set off the Monkey King. He screamed and leapt at it, stick coming around for a blow.
He never struck. He landed on the ground and fell to one knee as the demon seemed to shrink and fade out as his stick passed through it, completely vanishing by the time Goku's feet hit the ground. He pushed back to both feet, searching for where the demon might have gone, and looking very intimidating. With his clothing tattered and his long hair in wild disarray, the face paint only further pushed him into something otherworldly and dangerous.
Everyone kept praying but for me, though I kept holding the cross out. The only one facing it now was Goku. I knew we hadn't defeated the demon. It had only retreated. We needed some major holy people to bind it. It was only the strength in numbers and the power of faith that had saved us this time.
Silence fell and I looked to Iga, who stayed where he was, pushing beads through his fingers, looking at the Monkey King, who kept avidly searching for the demon to reappear.
I got to my feet, dusting off the dress that was undoubtedly ruined now. I don't think the power of dry cleaning would save it.
"Blake-san!" Goku yelled at me and I looked to him. "It's gone?"
"For now." I nodded, examining the clasp on my necklace. It was dead. The clasp had been torn off the chain.
Goku placed the end of the stick on the ground and ever so slightly leaned on it. "Why did you stay?"
"I couldn't leave you to fight that alone."
"Why?" Goku demanded, lifting the stick to point it at me. "We are not allies."
My eyes fell on the bodies and pieces that littered the ground amidst the fading fog, men and women alike. Even if some had shifted to monkey shape, upon death they'd shifted back. There were dozens of them. The demon had started killing quickly.
"You rather I'd left?!" I snapped back. Goku stared at me for a long time, and slowly lifted the stick to wave it towards his dead people.
"Are we even?"
I blinked at that, staring at the indicated bodies. "What?"
"My people for yours."
My eyes fell on the face of one woman who had nearly been severed in half. The lower half of her body was connected to the upper half only by her spine and some muscle, twisted the opposite direction of her upper body. Unidentified tissue and internal organs spilled out from both halves. Her hair had been cut short to curl around her face. Her eyes were still open; the expression on her face was one of shock. She'd been dead before she hit the ground.
"We're even," I agreed. Goku stepped towards me, and I waited for him to approach. It wasn't just paint that marked his face, one half was bathed in blood. His clothes were stained dark in the firelight, and he had a marked limp. Blood dripped off the fingers of the hand he extended. I had to hand the Monkey King one thing. He was the only person I've even known of to escape a demon's attack in one piece. And after I'd been kicking his ass. He was one tough son of a bitch. I lifted my hand and he clasped it, coating my hand in his blood.
"Even," he repeated, his breath heavy and strained, staring at me with his strange eyes. I nodded, and he released me.
"Take your people." He motioned with his chin. "I accept your gift."
I nodded and turned to find the others, Iga following. I started to push through the people gathered behind me, but they parted like the Red Sea, hurrying to get out of my way. I found the others gathered by the throne.
"Can we leave?" Kannon asked raspily as I neared.
"Yes. Let's go."
~~~~~~~~~
Kaji sat between Cherry and Nathaniel in the back seat. Nathaniel and Zane stayed in leopard form so as to not disturb Cherry with their naked human forms. As it was, Cherry leaned against Kaji, who held her close, stroking her hair and crooning to her. Nathaniel curled up against Kaji's side and purred. Zane sat on the floorboard on Nathaniel's side, adding his own rusty purr. Ken drove as I rode shotgun. Jason, Youji, Kannon, Kuroda, and Iga rode in the other car. I'd taken as few males as possible in my car, leopards excluded, for Cherry and Youji's sake. I knew neither would want to be in the company of the opposite sex for a while.
Ken kept glancing at me as we followed the other car this time. I could tell he wanted to ask me something, but I'm not sure if it was his own nervousness or the language barrier that stopped him. After the eight time his mouth had opened and then closed, I reached out and placed my hand on his left arm. He looked back to me, I gave his arm a squeeze, not sure exactly what I was trying to tell him with my eyes. I was glad he was safe. I was sorry his friend was hurt. I was sorry they had to see what they did. And a million other smaller things.
He seemed to understand, nodding at me. The rest of the drive was uneventful.
It was dawn when we got back to Kannon's home. Asher was busy throwing apologies to Kannon and Mother as he was rushed into a backroom and a blanket rapidly draped over the window. While a weak-voiced Kannon and I explained the situation to Mother, wounds were dressed, and everyone put to bed. Cherry, Nathaniel, and Zane were put in a room with me. Jason was banished to another room with Youji and Ken. The two males stayed in leopard form, curling up around Cherry like kittens seeking warmth. I put space between myself and the occasionally furry. Lycanthropes took comfort in touch, could lie naked together and find nothing sexual about it, but I wasn't a lycanthrope. I was a human and a prude, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
