Wai~! Chapter 11! About time, isn't it? Anyways, here it is! By the way, this fic might be a little focused on Umi/Clef from now on... they're my favorite couple. But there will still be some H/L & F/F romance!
Enjoy!
~*~*~*~*~
Umi awoke to find herself enclosed in a mountain of off-white bed sheets. She sat upright abruptly and noticed she still had on the clothes she had worn the day before. She glanced around the room and recognized it as Clef's bedroom—as she, Hikaru, and Fuu had barged into it upon their arrival at the castle. Umi glanced to the side to see Clef slouched in an armchair, his head tilted to the side, sleeping soundly. His robes were undone near the collar, revealing his collarbone and chest. She followed the movement of his shoulders with her eyes as they rose and fell with his breathing. Umi smiled to herself, slipped from the bed, and noticed a light blue dress draped over a chair in the corner of the room. She held the dress up and observed the simple, powder blue garment carefully before glancing back to where Clef slept peacefully and slipping the dress on. Much to her surprise, it fit perfectly. She hesitantly glanced at Clef, again. He groaned a little and his head turned and rested on the other side of the chair as his shoulder shifted slightly. Umi giggled to herself.
"Clef's dreaming..." he whispered to herself and smiled. She slowly approached him and leaned over his slumped body. She smiled and knocked lightly on the top of his head. Clef's eyebrows furrowed and his eyes closed even tighter. He made an exasperated little noise that clearly showed he wanted Umi to let him sleep as he turned his head away, which caused lavender hair to fall into his face.
"C'mon!" Umi laughed as she tugged on his arm. "Get up!"
Clef tried to pull his arm away as Umi continued to pull. He finally opened one eye and stared at Umi.
Umi grinned. "Good, you're awake."
Clef looked slightly annoyed, but pulled his arm away from Umi's grasp and stood up. He yawned and stretched his arms before putting his hand to the back of his head.
"Boy, do I have a headache," he muttered.
"That's what you get for sleeping with that thing on your head," Umi lifted one finger and brought it to the large gem in the center of Clef's headdress. Clef followed her finger up to his forehead with his eyes and cocked a small smile.
"I guess I forgot to take it off," he shrugged and he reached up to the headdress through his mass of bangs. There was a small shuffling noise and he slid the headdress off. His bangs tumbled down into his face. He pushed his hair away from his eyes and grinned playfully. Umi smiled back and giggled as Clef's hair fell back into his face. She gently tucked the stray hair behind his ears and playfully kissed him on the cheek before dragging his towards the balcony. She stood with her back to him and looked towards the horizon to see the sun rising over the cliffs. Clef approached from behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. The warm colors of the sunset, brilliant oranges and warm pinks, danced across their faces. Umi let out a soft sigh in awe and they watched the sunrise send an array of warm colors onto the shining marble of the walls and floor.
"Clef-chan?" Umi asked after a while.
"Hmm...?" Clef murmured in reply.
"Do you love me?" she asked quietly.
Clef showed no signs of hesitation. "Yes, more than anything," he whispered into her ear. "I would die for you."
At the word "die", Umi froze. She lifted a hand to Clef's cheek. "No... don't say that. Not now."
Clef's expression fell slightly, but he held Umi tighter as the wind began to pick up. Suddenly, they heard a bell ring from the ground floor of the castle. Umi's head shot up and she turned to Clef worriedly.
"What was that?" she asked.
Clef laughed lightly. "That's the bell for breakfast. Are you hungry?"
Umi turned towards Clef and breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm starving."
Clef laughed and Umi turned and headed off the balcony. As she passes Clef, she smirked and flicked the open collar of his robes. Clef immediately did up the front of his shirt and they headed down to breakfast together.
~*~*~*~*~
An uncomfortable silence hung over the occupants of the castle as they ate their breakfast that morning—which mainly consisted of meat, seeing as most of the castle's inhabitants were wolf demons. No one talked, but exchanged hesitant glances at each other and around the room, as if half-expecting an enemy to jump out from behind one of the pillars.
Ferio sat at the front of the table, with Fuu at the left hand side of the table and Clef at the right. Umi sat by Clef, and beside her sat Presea. Across from Ferio, at the other side of the table, sat Eagle. Fuu sat beside Hikaru, who had Lantis at her side.
Umi sat and ate her food heartily, enjoying every bite while carefully observing the people around her. She saw Ferio constantly putting his hand over hers, while Hikaru and Lantis persistently stole glances at each other. Umi smiled to herself and began to finger Clef's hand under the table. She giggled inwardly as she saw a small blush creep across Clef's cheeks. Ferio seemed to notice the suddenly flushed appearance of Clef's face and he grinned slightly.
The maids bustled about, serving tea to anyone who would drink in and constantly informing Ferio and Clef on the condition of the remaining soldiers in their army. Hikaru had to assure a waitress numerous times that she did not need anymore smoked sausage before the waitress finally left her alone. All three demon slayers cleaned their plates, and gladly helped themselves to seconds, while the others picked at the leftover food on their plates, contemplating whether to finish it or not. Clef sipped at his tea and looked over the rim of the cup, watching as Ferio gulped down his own green tea to wash down all the bacon he had consumed. Clef smiled lightly to himself as he set his cup back down on the table.
Suddenly, a particularly flustered-looking servant rushed through the large doors to the dining room and made a direct beeline towards Ferio. She leaned down and whispered urgently into his ear. Ferio's catlike eyes widened and he stood immediately, walking in quick strides towards the castle gates. Everyone in the room exchanged confused glances, and Clef bolted up and strode after Ferio, closely followed by everyone else.
They finally caught up to the demon prince near the castle gates, and Fuu ran towards Ferio worriedly.
"Ferio?" she asked, slightly short of breath. "What's going on?"
Umi and Hikaru rushed forward, towards Fuu, and Ferio swung open the gates, revealing a rather beat-up looking human soldier with dark, auburn hair and deep gray eyes. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu all withdrew their breath sharply and took a few quick steps towards the soldier. The soldier staggered towards them, swaying as he went.
"Please... help..." he gasped, then collapsed into Hikaru's arms. Hikaru sunk towards the ground under the man's weight, and Lantis lifted the man from Hikaru's arms. Lantis glared at the unconscious soldier in his arms.
"What should we do?" Hikaru asked.
"Toss him back out there, the filthy bastard," Ferio spat.
"No," Fuu shook her head. "The next village is miles from here. With those injuries, if we leave him out there, he'll die."
Ferio sighed, and looked to his demon comrades for advice, of which he received none. "Fine. But I'll only allow him to stay until his wounds heal."
Fuu smiled. "You're a good person—er... demon, Ferio."
Ferio laughed, and they carried the soldier to an empty room.
~*~*~*~*~
Slightly over a week later, the soldier awoke. He tried to open his eyes, but shut them again as candlelight poured into his eyes.
"Look!" a voice said. "He's awake!"
The soldier opened his eyes again to see three figures standing over him. He let his eyes adjust to the dim light, and recognized the three Slayers standing over him. He groaned slightly and sat up in the bed. He looked around and could tell in was past nightfall.
"You're... the traitor demon slayers..." he murmured.
Umi began to glare at the man, but Hikaru laid a calming hand on her shoulder. Umi turned to Hikaru with a questioning look and Hikaru shook her head.
Fuu kneeled by the man's bed. "Tell us, what is your name?"
"A-Akudoi," the man replied.
Fuu nodded. "I am Fuu, and these two are Hikaru and Umi."
Hikaru smiled and waved her hand in a sort of greeting. Umi managed to smile slightly. Suddenly, Fuu stood and walked to the door, ushering Ferio and Clef inside. Ferio looked skeptical of the man, and Clef wore a rather indifferent expression. Akudoi's eyes seem to light up when he saw Ferio, but then his expression fell.
"You are...the demon Prince!" Akudoi exclaimed.
Ferio expression remained the same. "I will allow you inside my castle only until your injuries heal. When that time comes, you are to leave immediately, or face the penalty of death."
Fuu thought Ferio's demands came out a little harsh, but Akudoi nodded and Ferio stepped aside to let the women tend to his wounds. Once they were finished, Fuu ordered Akudoi to rest, and she, Umi, Hikaru, Ferio, and Clef, left the room. Ferio shot an icy glare at Akudoi before he left, and after the door had shut, Akudoi responded with a sly smirk, and pulled a dagger from under his tunic. He fingered the blade and grinned venomously before replacing the weapon and enjoying the soft bed.
~*~*~*~*~
As Ferio shut the door to Akudoi's room, he clenched his teeth and a low growl emitted his throat. After the three Demon Slayers left, Clef turned to him curiously.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I don't trust him," Ferio growled.
Clef raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why is that?"
Suddenly, the warning cry of a wolf echoed through the night. Clef, looking rather surprised, bolted his head towards the window and Ferio calmly followed his gaze. The howling slowly stopped, and Clef looked at Ferio with a shocked expression.
"That's why," Ferio muttered as he began to walk down the hallway, towards his room.
~*~*~*~*~
It was the night before that of the full moon, and Clef was becoming rather apprehensive. They had not been attacked by human soldiers for nearly two weeks, and the nights had been unusually quiet. Akudoi was nearly fully recovered from his injuries, and, over the past week, had gained the trust of almost everyone in the castle—almost everyone. He had cooked meals sometimes, for what he called "showing his thanks". He had brought news of Hikaru's brothers to her, and showed Umi sword tricks. He helped the maids with their work, and did all of their work now and then. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu had even convinced him to not fear demons. It seemed all too easy to Clef—far too easy.
That night they were all eating dinner in peace. Once again, dinner was an abundance of meat. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu talked with Akudoi about "human matters", while the other demons watched closely and ate their food at the same time.
"Prince Ferio?" Akudoi asked after a long silence. Ferio looked up from his plate and stared at Akudoi. "May I speak with you for a moment, privately?"
Ferio glanced at Clef, but his brow was furrowed in thought. He was obviously trying to guess why Akudoi would suddenly need to talk to the Prince of Demons in privacy.
Ferio nodded and stood with Akudoi, following the man to an empty room. Clef stood and followed once the door closed, and crouched by it, his ear to the door. Hikaru, Umi, Fuu, and Lantis followed and stood behind the mage.
"Clef?" Umi asked. "What are you doing?"
"I don't trust him," Clef responded.
"Akudoi?" Hikaru asked. "But he's a good person!"
Clef seemed to snarl at that comment, but he stayed silent so he could listen to Ferio's conversation. He heard muffled voices, but could not make out any of the words. Suddenly, he heard a loud cry, and Clef quickly stood. He could hear the Demon Slayers gasp and Lantis advance towards the door. Clef tried to open the door, but it was locked tight. Lantis muttered a random curse under his breath a knocked down the door. Fuu screamed as the door crashed to the ground, revealing the room's occupants, and they were all shocked by what they saw:
Akudoi held Ferio in a tight headlock. Ferio's amber eyes were wide with both panic and shock, and Akudoi held a dagger to the Prince's throat.
"If you traitorous Demon Slayers won't kill the Prince of Demons, I will!"
~*~*~*~*~
Well, there's Chapter 11!! I'm gonna try to wrap up the story soon, so expect about 2 or 3 more chapters. ^_^
To most (if not all) of the reviewers: I'm sorry if I disappointed you by killing Ascot. The prophecy was written quite a while ago, before the story was written, and, wanting to stick with it, I had to kill off Ascot since he was the only one fitting the description of the sacrifice. Gomen nasai!
Thank you to everyone who reviewed Chapter 10! ^_^ Look out for Chapter 12! Review, kudasai!
Authors note (Please READ!): Chapter might be slower than usual getting up now, since school starts up again in about 5 days. Please be patient as I try to juggle any remaining chapters of this fic and school work! Thank you!