Kokoro No Kaitou : Chapter 9
~*~
When Youko and I arrived at the kitchen, Hiei and Kuronue were already eating. A nice meal of eggs, rice, miso soup (far better than mine), and even some tofu had been served. Youko and I sat down on the cushions across from the two, and I served him and then myself. We started eating in silence until Kuronue asked the question that we had all been wondering.
"Whatever happened to Akira?"
I stopped eating, and set down my chopsticks. "Didn't you see? He ran away after…after Kurama was killed." I said quietly.
Kuronue looked surprised. "Oh. That's right. I'd forgotten about that."
Youko looked up from his meal. "What are we going to do about him?"
I snorted, in a very unfeminine way. "Nothing. He ran away - he wouldn't dare to fight us again."
"Baka." Hiei said. "He will try to attack again, after he's gathered more followers and more power. We may not be able to defeat him then. We need to take the initiative, and track him down. Then, we kill him."
"We don't need to kill him, do we?" I asked. I certainly wanted him to die, but I didn't want to risk losing Youko again, or maybe even Kuronue or Hiei this time.
"I need to kill somebody soon, to satisfy my bloodlust. Otherwise, I'm going to kill the next person on my hit list." He looked pointedly at me as he said this.
"Um, would that be Kuronue?" I asked, hoping that his look didn't mean what I thought it meant.
"Hey!" The chimera protested.
Hiei smirked at him. "No. He's about fifth on my list. For being so damn annoying."
He glared at Hiei.
"Hiei's right." Youko said.
"What?!" Kuronue exclaimed.
Youko rolled his golden eyes. "Not about the annoying thing, Kuronue! About the fact that Akira will regroup and try to take Amaya again when he's strong enough."
I decided to speak up. "But even if we do want to fight him, how will we find him?"
Hiei smirked again. "Baka onna. I have a way to find him."
I gave him a questioning look, and his hand went to the bandana that was always tied around his forehead. He pulled it off, and I gasped when I saw what it had been hiding.
A third eye.
"Wh-what is that?!" I exclaimed.
"My jagan eye. I can use it to find anything that I want to." Hiei said, putting the bandana back on. "Including Akira."
I nodded, and started to slowly eat my fried eggs.
"So, when do you guys want to go fight him?" Kuronue asked.
"After we're done eating." Youko replied. "I want to kill him as soon as possible."
I was slightly surprised at the anger in his voice, but decided to take it as him wanting revenge.
We all finished our meal, each of us thinking about the upcoming battle.
~*~
After breakfast, I changed into my outfit from the day before. I put my hair into a high ponytail, and adjusted the quiver on my back and the bow across my chest.
When I had finished preparing, I walked outside of the room where Youko was waiting, already changed.
I smiled at him. "This time, I'm not going to let you guys leave me here. Who knows when you might need to be healed."
He rolled his eyes. "Amaya, must you keep pointing that out?"
I kept my smile in place. "I like to think about the fact that you needed me."
He got a puzzled look. "I do need you."
I looked down at my feet. "It doesn't feel that way."
He gently tilted my face up to look at him. "Why not?"
"Because I have no use at all. I'm just…here." I said. "And you've been acting as if nothing happened after you kissed me. Did it even mean anything to you?"
He leaned down and gently placed a kiss on my lips. He pulled away by a mere inch.
"It did. I just didn't know what to think after you pulled away like that. I didn't know if you were suddenly having second doubts, or if you just didn't like kissing me."
Ha! Didn't like kissing him? That would've been a complete and total lie if I had thought that!
"No! That wasn't it! It was just…" I felt awkward about saying this. "It was a little…too passionate. Do you know what I mean?"
He was silent for a second, and it looked like he was thinking about something.
"Kurama?"
He seemed to snap out of his daze. "Sorry."
"For?"
"For spacing out and for making it too passionate for you."
He kissed me again, and suddenly he tensed.
A voice had come from behind us.
"Uh…did I miss something, guys?"
I turned around, while Youko was still frozen in place. Kuronue was standing there, with Hiei next to him. The former looked a little surprised, and the latter bore an amused smirk.
"Looks like we've interrupted them, Kuronue." Hiei said. "Shall we come back in about, oh say, three hours, kitsune?"
I blushed at the implication and I heard Youko growl. He straightened up behind me.
"Hiei, do you want to die?" He asked. I could hear that his words were dripping with anger.
The koorime smirked. "Really, it's no problem. We can go fight Akira ourselves."
I glared this time. "Like you could ever get a girl, Hiei." I smirked and put a hand on my hip.
Kuronue started snickering, and Hiei growled.
"Hold your tongue, onna. Even if you are a tennyo, you can still die."
I wasn't the least bit phased by his threat. "Let's just go, okay?"
Hiei turned on his heel and started walking down the hall, seemingly eager to get away from us. We three followed him, and I fell into stride between Kuronue and Youko.
The raven-haired youkai scratched the back of his head. "So…how long have you guys, uh, been, you know…together?"
"Since he was revived." I said. "So about three days."
"Oh…you were planning on letting me know soon, right?" He asked.
I smiled. "Yes."
At the same time, Youko said, "No."
I looked over at him, and he shrugged.
"And have him tease me till the day I die? Well, really die anyways." He said. "No thanks."
I looked over at my winged friend. "You'd tease him?"
He shrugged. "It's what guys do. It has nothing to do with you though - you're by far the best girl that he's ever been with. And so far, the only girl that hasn't been an obnoxious bitch."
I was slightly surprised by his curse, but said nothing about it. "Um, thank you, I guess."
We walked up the stairs, and into the clearing, where Hiei was waiting impatiently.
"Hurry up. I found him." He said.
I remembered the last time that I tried to make it through those woods. "You…don't expect me to travel at the same speed as you guys, do you?" I asked tentatively.
"What are you talking about?" Kuronue asked.
"When I followed you to battle, I had to go through these woods. I ended up scratching myself pretty badly."
Hiei snorted. "Figures."
"Well, let's just get going before he moves." Kuronue said, starting to dash off into the woods. Hiei followed him.
I opened my mouth to ask Youko how I was to follow them, when he answered my question. He scooped me up into his arms like a bride, and dashed after his comrades.
I instinctively turned my face to his chest to keep the wind off of my face, and I tightened my grip on the front of his shirt. I could feel him chuckle at this display, and I wanted to glare at him.
I'm not quite sure how long it was before the wind finally died down and we came to a halt. I looked back out, and saw that we had stopped in a clearing. I unconsciously tensed at the sight of the bloodied figure that stood in the middle of it.
Akira.
His frame shook slightly, as though he was chuckling. "I'm surprised that you're alive, Kurama." He slowly turned back to look at us, a hideous smirk on his face. I was shocked to see that his eyes had turned to gold, and his pupils were now narrow slits.
Snake eyes.
"I didn't realize how far the little witch's powers had progressed." He continued.
I felt anger rise in my chest, and I wanted to strangle him for daring to call me what he had.
"We're here to fight." Hiei interrupted. "So don't hold back. Show us your true form."
Akira's smirk turned to a grin, his pale lips curving up over two canines, which were steadily growing longer and sharper - like the fangs of a serpent. His body started to glow and his aura pulsed lightly, before the clearing was engulfed in light, and I was forced to cover my eyes.
When I opened my eyes once more, I was startled by the transformation. I had expected something at least remotely human, but found that I was looking into the eyes of a gigantic serpent.
He was a dark, the color of a starless midnight, that same pitch black. He was that solid color, with the exception of his underbelly, which looked more like the color of blood. He had a cobra's hood, I noted, and I found myself wondering if he had the poison of one as well.
Youko smirked. "So, Kuronue, Hiei, are you ready?"
They nodded and started to fight the giant snake.
I felt yet another rush of anger pass through me. I grabbed onto his arm as he started to turn away, and he gave me a quizzical look.
"Kurama! What about me? I can fight too!"
"Amaya, you need to stay back for this fight. When I tell you to, shoot him in the heart with an arrow." He said, as though he were commanding a small child.
I glared. "You're bossing me around! I don't appreciate-"
"Look, you wouldn't be able to keep up with a demon's pace anyways!" He exclaimed. He pointed a finger in the direction of the fight. I followed it and saw that it was nothing but flashes of light. My eyes widened, and Youko sighed.
"You see now? Just do this, and you'll be doing the most important part of the battle. Killing Akira." He said.
I looked back at him, and did my best to close my dropped jaw. "Fine." I let go of his arm, and he turned and dashed off to join the others in battle.
The fight took several minutes. I'm sure that if I had been able to see what was happening, it would've been far more dramatic and exciting. But, I could only see those streaks of light and a few afterimages.
All I know is that about seven or so minutes later, the flashes stopped, revealing a lightly damaged Youko, Kuronue and Hiei. And - to my heart's joy - a heavily bleeding Akira.
"Now!" Youko exclaimed while he and the others tried to keep Akira from either running away or attacking them. In a sense, making sure that he didn't move too much while I shot him with my arrow.
I quickly drew an arrow from my bow, and I noticed that my hands were trembling with anticipation. I took careful aim, and struggled to keep my aim on its mark.
I had never practiced with a moving target before, and found it quite difficult to get a good aim on the serpent. But, when I thought that I had a decent enough chance of hitting him, I let my arrow fly.
The time it took for the arrow to find its mark seemed like an eternity to me, but it did hit precisely where I had intended it to - Akira's black and wicked heart.
The serpent cried out in pain, and it was a horrible sound. It sounded like both a screaming child, a hiss, and a shriek, all at the same time. He twisted about for a minute, trying to get the arrow out of his chest. He wriggled about and fell onto the ground and his golden eyes rolled into the back of his skull. Blood covered most of his body, and dripped freely from his mouth.
He was clearly dead.
I stood frozen for a minute.
He was…dead?
Had I really just murdered someone?
No, not someone. A demon that would've killed me if I hadn't killed him first. I mentally corrected myself. The next thing I knew, Kuronue had pulled me into his arms and gave me a twirl.
"Amaya, you did it!" He exclaimed.
I smiled and he set me down after hearing Youko's none-too-subtle growl.
"You guys did most of the work." I said. "I merely shot him with a puny arrow! I shouldn't get any credit for this at all."
"Damn straight." Hiei snorted, folding his arms across his chest.
Youko glared at him. "Hiei, you knew that the only way to pierce his heart was with a magically charged arrow. And you also knew that piercing his heart was the only way to kill a demon from his class."
I blinked in surprise, and Hiei glared at the kitsune.
"Right. Whatever."
I smiled at the silver-haired youkai. "Is that true, Kurama-kun?"
He nodded, and walked over to me. He pulled me into his arms and smirked at me. "Very true."
He leaned forward to kiss me, but Hiei cleared his throat before the kitsune's lips could claim mine. He glared at him.
"What?"
Hiei got an arrogant smirk on his face. "Suck face when we get home. We don't have time to wait for you two."
I blushed, and Youko growled.
Kuronue sighed. "Hiei…"
"What? It's only true." The koorime said. "If we let them suck face right here and now, we may not get home until nightfall."
He turned away and said over his shoulder. "I'm going now." He started to dash back towards the lair, and Kuronue ran after him, calling for the former to wait for him.
That left only Youko and I by ourselves in the clearing. I took a step away from him and looked back at Akira's body.
I could hardly believe how much had happened over the last two weeks alone. I had been so…normal.
Now I knew that normal wasn't what I wanted to be. I wanted to be the person that I was now - probably as far from normal as one could be. Different from the princess that I was before. I was changed…I was more outgoing, much more outspoken and…just different in general.
I realized that if I had never befriended Youko in the dungeon, and freed him, I wouldn't be standing here now. I'd be wed to Akira, and probably would've long since been his meal.
Without the kitsune, I'd be dead.
No more than a simple memory - most likely not even - in my 'family' which was not my own.
I snapped out of my reminiscing when Youko wrapped his arms around my waist from behind.
"What are you thinking about, Amaya?" He asked.
"Everything." Was my quiet reply.
He didn't say anything for a minute or so, and then let go of me.
"Well, are you ready to go home?" He asked instead.
I turned to face him, and realization dawned on me.
Until now, I had had no real home. I had thought of my former estate as more of a prison, and the lair was more Youko's and Hiei's and Kuronue's home.
But now…
"Yes." I said, smiling at him. "I'm ready to go home."
~*~
Author's Notes: *cries* It's done! Finished! This was the last chapter! T__T I'm so sad! Well, I still have Youko's story to work on, so keep your eyes peeled for that one! Also, read some of my other stories in the meantime! They may not be as good as this one, but they're good enough to hold you over until Youko's story comes out.
By the way, the way that I wrote this chapter, I can make a sequel if I wanted to. If that sounds like something that you'd like, leave me a review (or an e-mail) explaining what I could do for the plot. I can't think of anything.
The one thing that could make me most happy right now, is if this story broke fifty reviews! Make it happen, people!
Thanks to all those who reviewed the last chapter!
kimpfn: Yes! I love Ayashi No Ceres! That's why I decided to make Amaya a tennyo!
TrU AzN cHiK: ^___^ Yup! They kissed! And there are lots of variations of the tennyo story. I've always heard that it was a fisherman…I've never heard about it being a farmer. Hm. Well, you learn something new every day! Nope! I'm not Asian. I'm Irish! That looks really cool though…AZN. Kewl! *cough cough* I'm weird, I know.
Katie E. : Well, thank you! I'm glad that it wasn't bad!
psychopath143: I know! It made me so happy to bring him back. But that sexy beast can never die!!! *cough cough* Uh…ignore me, I'm crazy.
kitsune16: *cowers* Don't hit me! I updated, I updated!
DarkVixenNisha: Damn. I was hoping that it WOULDN'T come out strange. T___T Sorry!
Abby: I love Ceres! I've only read the first graphic novel, but I'm glued anyways! Mmmm…Toya…*drools*
Kaija Katake: Thanks for the review! Trust me, you aren't getting carried away. I would've reacted the same way.
Wai! Youko, you reviewed my other story!! Thanks a whole bunch to you!!
Well, like I said, keep your eyes peeled for the Youko side of the story! Put me on your author alert list to make it easier.
Until then, ja ne!!
The history behind Kokoro No Kaitou (for those who care):
Kokoro no Kaitou was started by me when I was extremely bored in geometry (isn't it strange? My best ideas come to me in my most boring classes). I thought about the basic plot line, in which a princess would befriend Youko and break him out of jail, blah blah blah, they fall in love and live happily ever after. Well, THAT needed some work, so I made it a little more complicated. The princess is supposed to marry an ugly, fat old man. But she really wants to marry the hot and sexy Youko Kurama. Okay, maybe not marry him, but definitely be with him. Who wouldn't?
Then, I decided on a name (my train of thought seems to run backwards at times). I checked through several Japanese name databases, and stumbled upon 'night rain'. It sounded cool, so that's how Amaya's name was born.
Now, when I started writing the story, in the first chapter she explains that she didn't look like anyone else in her family. Originally, that was just to symbolize that she belonged more with the thieves. Then, I realized that I could go somewhere else with it. I decided to make her some kind of demon. "But what kind?" was the question posed to me by my best friend LuckySpirit. So, I thought about that a while too. In the middle of civics, it came to me. Ayashi no Ceres! Amaya could be a tennyo! And completely by coincidence, in the first chapter she says that her face was painted to look like the moon, which comes across as a sort of humor later on. Or irony.
Well, I also wanted to make it dramatic somehow (normally, I write fluffy romance and comedies), so I started thinking about that. The next day, I came to school and exclaimed to LuckySpirit that I was going to kill Youko! Needless to say, she asked me what I was on, and if I needed to see the school nurse. Now, she hates Youko a lot, but she know how much I love the kitsune (who doesn't, other than her?). So, she was for the idea, but was a bit worried as to why I was going to kill him by my own free will. I explained that Amaya could bring him back, and she cursed at that. T___T She wanted him to stay dead!
Either way, because of my dear love for our favorite kitsune, I could not think of a way to kill him. Thus, I dialed Lucky's number into the phone to ask for her help. We talked about it, got a little off subject (what would happen if one were to give Hiei refried Mexican food - don't ask) and we laid down the plan - Youko would die a horrible and bloody death by sword thrust! And you know the rest from there…
~*~
When Youko and I arrived at the kitchen, Hiei and Kuronue were already eating. A nice meal of eggs, rice, miso soup (far better than mine), and even some tofu had been served. Youko and I sat down on the cushions across from the two, and I served him and then myself. We started eating in silence until Kuronue asked the question that we had all been wondering.
"Whatever happened to Akira?"
I stopped eating, and set down my chopsticks. "Didn't you see? He ran away after…after Kurama was killed." I said quietly.
Kuronue looked surprised. "Oh. That's right. I'd forgotten about that."
Youko looked up from his meal. "What are we going to do about him?"
I snorted, in a very unfeminine way. "Nothing. He ran away - he wouldn't dare to fight us again."
"Baka." Hiei said. "He will try to attack again, after he's gathered more followers and more power. We may not be able to defeat him then. We need to take the initiative, and track him down. Then, we kill him."
"We don't need to kill him, do we?" I asked. I certainly wanted him to die, but I didn't want to risk losing Youko again, or maybe even Kuronue or Hiei this time.
"I need to kill somebody soon, to satisfy my bloodlust. Otherwise, I'm going to kill the next person on my hit list." He looked pointedly at me as he said this.
"Um, would that be Kuronue?" I asked, hoping that his look didn't mean what I thought it meant.
"Hey!" The chimera protested.
Hiei smirked at him. "No. He's about fifth on my list. For being so damn annoying."
He glared at Hiei.
"Hiei's right." Youko said.
"What?!" Kuronue exclaimed.
Youko rolled his golden eyes. "Not about the annoying thing, Kuronue! About the fact that Akira will regroup and try to take Amaya again when he's strong enough."
I decided to speak up. "But even if we do want to fight him, how will we find him?"
Hiei smirked again. "Baka onna. I have a way to find him."
I gave him a questioning look, and his hand went to the bandana that was always tied around his forehead. He pulled it off, and I gasped when I saw what it had been hiding.
A third eye.
"Wh-what is that?!" I exclaimed.
"My jagan eye. I can use it to find anything that I want to." Hiei said, putting the bandana back on. "Including Akira."
I nodded, and started to slowly eat my fried eggs.
"So, when do you guys want to go fight him?" Kuronue asked.
"After we're done eating." Youko replied. "I want to kill him as soon as possible."
I was slightly surprised at the anger in his voice, but decided to take it as him wanting revenge.
We all finished our meal, each of us thinking about the upcoming battle.
~*~
After breakfast, I changed into my outfit from the day before. I put my hair into a high ponytail, and adjusted the quiver on my back and the bow across my chest.
When I had finished preparing, I walked outside of the room where Youko was waiting, already changed.
I smiled at him. "This time, I'm not going to let you guys leave me here. Who knows when you might need to be healed."
He rolled his eyes. "Amaya, must you keep pointing that out?"
I kept my smile in place. "I like to think about the fact that you needed me."
He got a puzzled look. "I do need you."
I looked down at my feet. "It doesn't feel that way."
He gently tilted my face up to look at him. "Why not?"
"Because I have no use at all. I'm just…here." I said. "And you've been acting as if nothing happened after you kissed me. Did it even mean anything to you?"
He leaned down and gently placed a kiss on my lips. He pulled away by a mere inch.
"It did. I just didn't know what to think after you pulled away like that. I didn't know if you were suddenly having second doubts, or if you just didn't like kissing me."
Ha! Didn't like kissing him? That would've been a complete and total lie if I had thought that!
"No! That wasn't it! It was just…" I felt awkward about saying this. "It was a little…too passionate. Do you know what I mean?"
He was silent for a second, and it looked like he was thinking about something.
"Kurama?"
He seemed to snap out of his daze. "Sorry."
"For?"
"For spacing out and for making it too passionate for you."
He kissed me again, and suddenly he tensed.
A voice had come from behind us.
"Uh…did I miss something, guys?"
I turned around, while Youko was still frozen in place. Kuronue was standing there, with Hiei next to him. The former looked a little surprised, and the latter bore an amused smirk.
"Looks like we've interrupted them, Kuronue." Hiei said. "Shall we come back in about, oh say, three hours, kitsune?"
I blushed at the implication and I heard Youko growl. He straightened up behind me.
"Hiei, do you want to die?" He asked. I could hear that his words were dripping with anger.
The koorime smirked. "Really, it's no problem. We can go fight Akira ourselves."
I glared this time. "Like you could ever get a girl, Hiei." I smirked and put a hand on my hip.
Kuronue started snickering, and Hiei growled.
"Hold your tongue, onna. Even if you are a tennyo, you can still die."
I wasn't the least bit phased by his threat. "Let's just go, okay?"
Hiei turned on his heel and started walking down the hall, seemingly eager to get away from us. We three followed him, and I fell into stride between Kuronue and Youko.
The raven-haired youkai scratched the back of his head. "So…how long have you guys, uh, been, you know…together?"
"Since he was revived." I said. "So about three days."
"Oh…you were planning on letting me know soon, right?" He asked.
I smiled. "Yes."
At the same time, Youko said, "No."
I looked over at him, and he shrugged.
"And have him tease me till the day I die? Well, really die anyways." He said. "No thanks."
I looked over at my winged friend. "You'd tease him?"
He shrugged. "It's what guys do. It has nothing to do with you though - you're by far the best girl that he's ever been with. And so far, the only girl that hasn't been an obnoxious bitch."
I was slightly surprised by his curse, but said nothing about it. "Um, thank you, I guess."
We walked up the stairs, and into the clearing, where Hiei was waiting impatiently.
"Hurry up. I found him." He said.
I remembered the last time that I tried to make it through those woods. "You…don't expect me to travel at the same speed as you guys, do you?" I asked tentatively.
"What are you talking about?" Kuronue asked.
"When I followed you to battle, I had to go through these woods. I ended up scratching myself pretty badly."
Hiei snorted. "Figures."
"Well, let's just get going before he moves." Kuronue said, starting to dash off into the woods. Hiei followed him.
I opened my mouth to ask Youko how I was to follow them, when he answered my question. He scooped me up into his arms like a bride, and dashed after his comrades.
I instinctively turned my face to his chest to keep the wind off of my face, and I tightened my grip on the front of his shirt. I could feel him chuckle at this display, and I wanted to glare at him.
I'm not quite sure how long it was before the wind finally died down and we came to a halt. I looked back out, and saw that we had stopped in a clearing. I unconsciously tensed at the sight of the bloodied figure that stood in the middle of it.
Akira.
His frame shook slightly, as though he was chuckling. "I'm surprised that you're alive, Kurama." He slowly turned back to look at us, a hideous smirk on his face. I was shocked to see that his eyes had turned to gold, and his pupils were now narrow slits.
Snake eyes.
"I didn't realize how far the little witch's powers had progressed." He continued.
I felt anger rise in my chest, and I wanted to strangle him for daring to call me what he had.
"We're here to fight." Hiei interrupted. "So don't hold back. Show us your true form."
Akira's smirk turned to a grin, his pale lips curving up over two canines, which were steadily growing longer and sharper - like the fangs of a serpent. His body started to glow and his aura pulsed lightly, before the clearing was engulfed in light, and I was forced to cover my eyes.
When I opened my eyes once more, I was startled by the transformation. I had expected something at least remotely human, but found that I was looking into the eyes of a gigantic serpent.
He was a dark, the color of a starless midnight, that same pitch black. He was that solid color, with the exception of his underbelly, which looked more like the color of blood. He had a cobra's hood, I noted, and I found myself wondering if he had the poison of one as well.
Youko smirked. "So, Kuronue, Hiei, are you ready?"
They nodded and started to fight the giant snake.
I felt yet another rush of anger pass through me. I grabbed onto his arm as he started to turn away, and he gave me a quizzical look.
"Kurama! What about me? I can fight too!"
"Amaya, you need to stay back for this fight. When I tell you to, shoot him in the heart with an arrow." He said, as though he were commanding a small child.
I glared. "You're bossing me around! I don't appreciate-"
"Look, you wouldn't be able to keep up with a demon's pace anyways!" He exclaimed. He pointed a finger in the direction of the fight. I followed it and saw that it was nothing but flashes of light. My eyes widened, and Youko sighed.
"You see now? Just do this, and you'll be doing the most important part of the battle. Killing Akira." He said.
I looked back at him, and did my best to close my dropped jaw. "Fine." I let go of his arm, and he turned and dashed off to join the others in battle.
The fight took several minutes. I'm sure that if I had been able to see what was happening, it would've been far more dramatic and exciting. But, I could only see those streaks of light and a few afterimages.
All I know is that about seven or so minutes later, the flashes stopped, revealing a lightly damaged Youko, Kuronue and Hiei. And - to my heart's joy - a heavily bleeding Akira.
"Now!" Youko exclaimed while he and the others tried to keep Akira from either running away or attacking them. In a sense, making sure that he didn't move too much while I shot him with my arrow.
I quickly drew an arrow from my bow, and I noticed that my hands were trembling with anticipation. I took careful aim, and struggled to keep my aim on its mark.
I had never practiced with a moving target before, and found it quite difficult to get a good aim on the serpent. But, when I thought that I had a decent enough chance of hitting him, I let my arrow fly.
The time it took for the arrow to find its mark seemed like an eternity to me, but it did hit precisely where I had intended it to - Akira's black and wicked heart.
The serpent cried out in pain, and it was a horrible sound. It sounded like both a screaming child, a hiss, and a shriek, all at the same time. He twisted about for a minute, trying to get the arrow out of his chest. He wriggled about and fell onto the ground and his golden eyes rolled into the back of his skull. Blood covered most of his body, and dripped freely from his mouth.
He was clearly dead.
I stood frozen for a minute.
He was…dead?
Had I really just murdered someone?
No, not someone. A demon that would've killed me if I hadn't killed him first. I mentally corrected myself. The next thing I knew, Kuronue had pulled me into his arms and gave me a twirl.
"Amaya, you did it!" He exclaimed.
I smiled and he set me down after hearing Youko's none-too-subtle growl.
"You guys did most of the work." I said. "I merely shot him with a puny arrow! I shouldn't get any credit for this at all."
"Damn straight." Hiei snorted, folding his arms across his chest.
Youko glared at him. "Hiei, you knew that the only way to pierce his heart was with a magically charged arrow. And you also knew that piercing his heart was the only way to kill a demon from his class."
I blinked in surprise, and Hiei glared at the kitsune.
"Right. Whatever."
I smiled at the silver-haired youkai. "Is that true, Kurama-kun?"
He nodded, and walked over to me. He pulled me into his arms and smirked at me. "Very true."
He leaned forward to kiss me, but Hiei cleared his throat before the kitsune's lips could claim mine. He glared at him.
"What?"
Hiei got an arrogant smirk on his face. "Suck face when we get home. We don't have time to wait for you two."
I blushed, and Youko growled.
Kuronue sighed. "Hiei…"
"What? It's only true." The koorime said. "If we let them suck face right here and now, we may not get home until nightfall."
He turned away and said over his shoulder. "I'm going now." He started to dash back towards the lair, and Kuronue ran after him, calling for the former to wait for him.
That left only Youko and I by ourselves in the clearing. I took a step away from him and looked back at Akira's body.
I could hardly believe how much had happened over the last two weeks alone. I had been so…normal.
Now I knew that normal wasn't what I wanted to be. I wanted to be the person that I was now - probably as far from normal as one could be. Different from the princess that I was before. I was changed…I was more outgoing, much more outspoken and…just different in general.
I realized that if I had never befriended Youko in the dungeon, and freed him, I wouldn't be standing here now. I'd be wed to Akira, and probably would've long since been his meal.
Without the kitsune, I'd be dead.
No more than a simple memory - most likely not even - in my 'family' which was not my own.
I snapped out of my reminiscing when Youko wrapped his arms around my waist from behind.
"What are you thinking about, Amaya?" He asked.
"Everything." Was my quiet reply.
He didn't say anything for a minute or so, and then let go of me.
"Well, are you ready to go home?" He asked instead.
I turned to face him, and realization dawned on me.
Until now, I had had no real home. I had thought of my former estate as more of a prison, and the lair was more Youko's and Hiei's and Kuronue's home.
But now…
"Yes." I said, smiling at him. "I'm ready to go home."
~*~
Author's Notes: *cries* It's done! Finished! This was the last chapter! T__T I'm so sad! Well, I still have Youko's story to work on, so keep your eyes peeled for that one! Also, read some of my other stories in the meantime! They may not be as good as this one, but they're good enough to hold you over until Youko's story comes out.
By the way, the way that I wrote this chapter, I can make a sequel if I wanted to. If that sounds like something that you'd like, leave me a review (or an e-mail) explaining what I could do for the plot. I can't think of anything.
The one thing that could make me most happy right now, is if this story broke fifty reviews! Make it happen, people!
Thanks to all those who reviewed the last chapter!
kimpfn: Yes! I love Ayashi No Ceres! That's why I decided to make Amaya a tennyo!
TrU AzN cHiK: ^___^ Yup! They kissed! And there are lots of variations of the tennyo story. I've always heard that it was a fisherman…I've never heard about it being a farmer. Hm. Well, you learn something new every day! Nope! I'm not Asian. I'm Irish! That looks really cool though…AZN. Kewl! *cough cough* I'm weird, I know.
Katie E. : Well, thank you! I'm glad that it wasn't bad!
psychopath143: I know! It made me so happy to bring him back. But that sexy beast can never die!!! *cough cough* Uh…ignore me, I'm crazy.
kitsune16: *cowers* Don't hit me! I updated, I updated!
DarkVixenNisha: Damn. I was hoping that it WOULDN'T come out strange. T___T Sorry!
Abby: I love Ceres! I've only read the first graphic novel, but I'm glued anyways! Mmmm…Toya…*drools*
Kaija Katake: Thanks for the review! Trust me, you aren't getting carried away. I would've reacted the same way.
Wai! Youko, you reviewed my other story!! Thanks a whole bunch to you!!
Well, like I said, keep your eyes peeled for the Youko side of the story! Put me on your author alert list to make it easier.
Until then, ja ne!!
The history behind Kokoro No Kaitou (for those who care):
Kokoro no Kaitou was started by me when I was extremely bored in geometry (isn't it strange? My best ideas come to me in my most boring classes). I thought about the basic plot line, in which a princess would befriend Youko and break him out of jail, blah blah blah, they fall in love and live happily ever after. Well, THAT needed some work, so I made it a little more complicated. The princess is supposed to marry an ugly, fat old man. But she really wants to marry the hot and sexy Youko Kurama. Okay, maybe not marry him, but definitely be with him. Who wouldn't?
Then, I decided on a name (my train of thought seems to run backwards at times). I checked through several Japanese name databases, and stumbled upon 'night rain'. It sounded cool, so that's how Amaya's name was born.
Now, when I started writing the story, in the first chapter she explains that she didn't look like anyone else in her family. Originally, that was just to symbolize that she belonged more with the thieves. Then, I realized that I could go somewhere else with it. I decided to make her some kind of demon. "But what kind?" was the question posed to me by my best friend LuckySpirit. So, I thought about that a while too. In the middle of civics, it came to me. Ayashi no Ceres! Amaya could be a tennyo! And completely by coincidence, in the first chapter she says that her face was painted to look like the moon, which comes across as a sort of humor later on. Or irony.
Well, I also wanted to make it dramatic somehow (normally, I write fluffy romance and comedies), so I started thinking about that. The next day, I came to school and exclaimed to LuckySpirit that I was going to kill Youko! Needless to say, she asked me what I was on, and if I needed to see the school nurse. Now, she hates Youko a lot, but she know how much I love the kitsune (who doesn't, other than her?). So, she was for the idea, but was a bit worried as to why I was going to kill him by my own free will. I explained that Amaya could bring him back, and she cursed at that. T___T She wanted him to stay dead!
Either way, because of my dear love for our favorite kitsune, I could not think of a way to kill him. Thus, I dialed Lucky's number into the phone to ask for her help. We talked about it, got a little off subject (what would happen if one were to give Hiei refried Mexican food - don't ask) and we laid down the plan - Youko would die a horrible and bloody death by sword thrust! And you know the rest from there…