Chapter 70

Black Fang

Somewhere in Japan the peace is shattered by the sound of an angry wolf demon. "Get back here you little twerp" Muraku said as he chased Yugi. Kairi was sleeping but what Muraku said just woke her up. Mimiru was still sound asleep snuggled against her side. Kairi looked to where Muraku had cornered the little cat. "Now you pay" Muraku said taking a step forward. "Muraku, calm down *crash*" Muraku kissed the dirt.

Yugi ran on all fours to Kairi and scurried to her shoulder. "Did he try to hurt you again?" Kairi asked Yugi. Yugi nodded. Muraku pushed off the ground and stood up glaring a Kairi. "Why must you chase him like that?" Kairi asked. "Well your little kitty there lit my tail on fire" Muraku replied and showed her his singed tail. "It was an accident" Yugi said.

Mimiru stirred and sleepily opened her eyes. "Good morning" she said before yawning. "Good morning to you to" Kairi replied. "I'm hungry" Yugi said. "Muraku, could you get a fire going?" Kairi asked. Muraku growled and proceeded to cut a few branches from a nearby tree. He placed them in the fire ring and with one spirit blast started a fire. Kairi sighed. She didn't like how Muraku would slice apart trees like that but she learned a long time ago there's no stopping him.

"Mimiru" Kairi said. "Yes mama?" Mimiru asked. "Could you go get the ramen from the bag while I boil the water?" Kairi asked. "Sure" Mimiru said before hurrying to a bag at the base of a tree. After rummaging through for a minute she came back carrying four bags of ramen. Kairi thanked her and started cooking.

As usual Muraku was leaning against a tree with his eyes closed listening for danger. 'Oh Muraku' Koenma's voice said. 'What do you want?' Muraku asked. 'I have something for you. Find a place you can be alone' Koenma replied. Muraku sighed and looked at Kairi. "I have something to take care of, I'll be back" he said before taking off. Wonder where he's off to Kairi thought.

After a few minutes of running Muraku stopped. "All right toddler what do you want?" he asked. A transparent Koenma appeared in front of him. "So how ya been Muraku?" Koenma asked. "Cut the small talk and get to the point, now" Muraku said threateningly. Even thought Koenma wasn't actually there, Muraku still scared him.

"I have something to give you" Koenma said. The nearby bushes started to rustle. Muraku turned to them and saw something walk out. It was a massive wolf about five feet tall with black fur that had blue highlights when the light hit it a certain way and golden eyes. "What's that?" Muraku asked. "Muraku this is your spirit beast" Koenma said. "Spirit beast?" Muraku said. "Yes, when you were revived you were connected with an egg just like Yusuke. Your actions determined what would hatch out of it though I was expecting something a little smaller" Koenma said. (Just to let you know, Puu has been at Yusuke's house throughout the story. I'll bring him in later.)

"So what's he called?" Muraku asked. "That is for you to decide. His original name doesn't suit him at all" Koenma said. The wolf walked to Muraku's side and sat down. "Remember, he is a part of you. Any pain you feel he'll feel as well" Koenma said. Muraku looked at the wolf at his side. He could sense some of himself in the wolf. Then he noticed something in its mouth.

He grabbed them and gently tugged. The wolf obediently opened its mouth. Muraku looked at the four slips of paper. "What are these?" Muraku asked. "Those are tickets to the Demon King's Tournament" Koenma replied. "Why should I care about some worthless tournament?" Muraku asked. "Because Riku will be competing in it" Koenma replied. "Riku's competing?" Muraku said. Koenma nodded. "The tournament will take place in two years" the prince said before disappearing.

Muraku looked at the tickets in his hand. "These could be useful" he said before tucking them in a pocket of his coat. He looked at the spirit beast. "Well come on, might as well introduce you to the rest of the group" he said before running. After ten seconds he noticed the wolf was at his side. He's fast Muraku thought as they continued running.

They arrived at the camp to find the food was nearly done cooking. "Welcome back Muraku, where were you" Kairi asked. "I met him" Muraku replied as the wolf stepped out of the bushes. "Puppy!!!" Yugi and Mimiru said at the same time. They ran to the wolf and started petting it. The wolf sniffed Yugi before licking his face. "That tickles" Yugi laughed.

Kairi walked to Muraku's side. "What is that?" she asked. "That would be my spirit beast" Muraku replied. "I thought the good ones were supposed to be cute little creatures" Kairi said. "Well I guess I'm unique" Muraku replied.

"Pet him Kairi, his fur is soft" Mimiru said. Kairi smiled and walked to the wolf. She slowly placed her hand on its back and gentle ran her hand through the fur. The wolf looked at her. Because of its connection to Muraku's emotions it could tell the girl petting it meant a lot to Muraku. 

"Well I think the food's ready" Kairi said as she walked back to the fire. Yugi and Mimiru followed her along with the wolf. Muraku leaned against a tree. Kairi poured the food into food bowls and gave two to the twins. "Thank you" they both said. The wolf lay down next to the fire. The twins walked to the wolf and sat down against its belly. The wolf didn't seem to mind.

Kairi walked to Muraku and handed him a bowl. "They seem to get along nicely" Kairi said. Muraku only ate his food. Kairi shrugged and continued eating her food.

After it was done they washed up using a nearby stream and got ready to leave. Yugi and Mimiru walked to the wolf. "Can we ride on you?" Yugi asked. The wolf lay down so the twins could climb in its back. "You're riding with them" Muraku said to Kairi. She looked at him before walking to the wolf and climbing on its back. Yugi perched himself on her shoulder while Mimiru sat on Kairi's lap.

Muraku and the wolf took off into the forest. Maybe this spirit beast will prove useful. Now that it can carry those three I'm allowed more freedom of movement he thought. He looked over to the wolf. The twins seemed to be enjoying themselves and Kairi was hanging on for dear life. Muraku smirked but picked up a strange scent. The wolf smelled it to.

They both skidded to a halt. "What is it Muraku?" Kairi asked. "Something's out there" he replied. The twins and Kairi got of the wolf.

Suddenly the bushes rustled and dozens of shadows jumped out of the surrounding forest. They circled at high speed before coming to a stop. The four were now surrounded by around 24 snake demons just like the one that was after the twins. "More scary snakes" Mimiru said as she hid her face in Kairi's kimono. Kairi held the twins close and prepared to grab a few of her talismans.

"What do you want?" Muraku asked as he gripped the Luna Edge's handle. "One of our brethren went hunting and never returned. When we found the body your scents were all over the place" one of them replied. He had a hood similar to a cobra's. "You must be the leader" Muraku said. "Yes and you'll pay for killing him" the leader replied. "Well if you wanted to join him so badly why didn't you show up sooner?" Muraku said with a smirk. "Get them!!!" the leader ordered.

The snakes charged Muraku. When they were close enough he unsheathed his sword and with one horizontal slice to the right cut through the necks of the first two. He spun around and sliced another right down the middle with an upward slash. He spun in the air and as he landed a he ducked a swing and spun around while doing another horizontal slash. It sliced through the one that slashed at him and killed another that was coming from behind.

He heard Kairi and the twins scream and looked over. Four of the snakes were charging at them and one was almost to them. Before he could to anything the spirit beast lunged at the snake's side and caught its head in its jaws. When they landed the wolf twisted its head and broke the snake's neck. It turned to the other three and let out a mighty roar that sent a shockwave out. The sheer force and speed the sound traveled at was enough to incinerate the other three snakes. The wolf jumped back to Kairi and the twins and took a defensive position in front of them.

Muraku smirked and leapt into the air. Naturally the snakes followed him. He readied his sword and it turned into the orb of energy around his fist. "SOUL BREAKER" the blade extended and he started swinging it through the ranks of the snakes. As he landed the snakes' bodies followed.

The only one left was the leader. "So how shall I kill you?" Muraku said. "Bring it on" the snake replied. Muraku smirked and charged. He raised his sword over his head and brought it down. The snake smirked and spun around. The Luna Edge hit the snake's hood and cracked. Muraku's eyes widened. The snake's tail wrapped around his waist and threw him to the ground. "No sword is strong enough to penetrate my hood. I was hoping you'd give me some good practice. Oh well" the snake said as it walked toward Muraku.

The snake heard a growl behind it and turned around. It was knocked to the ground by the wolf. As it struggled to get free the wolf raised one of its front paws and slammed it on the snake's chest. Its claws sunk deep into the snake's flesh and killed it.

Kairi rushed to Muraku's side. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly. "I'm fine" Muraku replied as he stood up. He then inspected his sword. The five-foot long katana's tip was chipped and a crack ran from the tip to about half way down the blade. "Your sword's been badly damaged" Kairi said. Muraku nodded and sheathed it. "It needs to be repaired" Kairi said. "And you know where I can get it repaired?" Muraku asked. "There's a shrine to the west of here. One of my priestess friends lives there with her family and a sword smith. His specialty is mystical swords" Kairi said. "Take me to him" Muraku said. "Let me cheek the twins for any cuts first" Kairi said. They had been crawling on the ground so they could have gotten a few small cuts.

Muraku looked at the leader. He then noticed it had a bag strapped to its body with a strap across its chest. He kneeled down and reached into the bag. He felt something and pulled it out. After looking at the object he smirked. Just what I needed he thought before slipping it into his coat.

He then realized the wolf was standing behind him. He turned to it. "I must thank you for protecting them" he said. The wolf grunted in reply. Muraku thought of what to name his spirit beast. "I've thought of a good name for a wolf but you're the wrong color for it so I'll have to change it somewhat. Your name will be Black Fang (Modified from White Fang)" he said. The wolf licked his hand to say it accepted the name.

"That's a good name Muraku" Kairi said. "Are you three ready to go?" Muraku asked. The three nodded and climbed on Black Fang's back. "Okay Black Fang, we need to head west" Kairi said. Black Fang grunted and took off toward the west. Muraku soon followed.

A few hours later

"This is the place" Kairi said as they approached a shrine near the top of a forest covered mountain. Muraku and Black Fang came to a halt. "Are you sure?" Muraku asked. "Yes I'm sure" Kairi replied. "Last time you said that we were nearly attacked by those bull demons. This had better be the right place wench" Muraku said. "Muraku, DOWN *crash*" Kairi got off Black Fang's back and walked to the shrine entrance with the twins close behind.

Muraku growled and got off the ground. Kairi knocked on the front gate. After waiting for a minute or two the door slowly opened. They were greeted by a girl with long black hair tied in a ponytail, deep blue eyes, and wearing a kimono just like Kairi's. "Kairi!!!" she said happily when she saw who was at the door. "Mika!!!" Kairi said as they hugged. "I was so worried about you. When I heard Seiga was after you I thought I'd never see you again" she said. "We don't have to worry about him anymore" Kairi said.

"And who are they?" Mika asked looking at the twins. "I'm Yugi" he said. "And I'm Mimiru" she said as they both bowed. There so cute Mika thought as she bowed back.

She then saw the huge wolf. "What is that thing?" she said as she hid behind Kairi. "That's Black Fang, don't worry he's harmless" Kairi said petting the wolf.

Mika then noticed Muraku leaning against a tree. "And who's the hunk?" she said staring dreamily at Muraku. "That's Muraku and trust me, you don't want to get on his bad side" Kairi said. Muraku glared at them. "Is he single?" Mika asked. Kairi's eyes widened. "No he's not so stay away!!!" she said. "Okay I'm sorry. I didn't know he was your boyfriend" Mika said rubbing her ear. That's when Kairi realized what she just said. Her face turned completely read with embarrassment.

 "Like I'd ever be with a bitch like her" Muraku said. When will he learn?  "Down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, DOWN!!!" Kairi said. A deep hole in the shape of Muraku's body was now in the ground. "You are such a basterd sometimes!!!" Kairi yelled angrily to the hole. Yugi and Mimiru were hiding behind Mika's legs. "Same old Kairi" Mika said as Kairi yelled down over and over again.

"Okay Kairi I think that's enough" Mika said as she placed a hand on a now panting Kairi. "Come on, I'm sure he can take care of himself" Kairi said as she walked into the shrine. "BITCH!!!" Muraku yelled from the hole. Everyone, including Black Fang, sweatdropped.

After a few minutes Muraku climbed out of the hole and followed them inside mumbling profanities under his breath. "Kairi" Mimiru said. "Yes Mimiru?" Kairi asked. "What's shit mean?" the kitten asked. One could see a vein in Kairi's head. "DOWN!!!" she yelled. "What was that for?" Muraku said as he got to one knee. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop cussing around the twins?!" she said. Muraku glared at her.

"What's all the commotion?" a man said as he walked out. He was had white hair done up in a bun, a mustache and thin beard, and was wearing a white robe. He stood six feet tall and seemed to be pretty muscular with the large hammer in his right hand. "Master Bogatomu" Mika said as she bowed. "What's all the noise about" Bogatomu asked. "Are you the sword smith?" Muraku asked. Bogatomu nodded. "Then can you fix this?" he asked as he unsheathed his sword.

Bogatomu's eyes widened. "Where did you get that?" he asked. "From a shrine in Northern Japan" Muraku replied. "How long have you had it?" the sword smith asked. "A few months" Muraku replied. "I thought no one could wield that blade without having their soul sucked out" Bogatomu said. "Well obviously I can, now can you fix it or not? And how do you know so much about my sword?" Muraku asked. "Follow me inside please" Bogatomu said.

They walked inside the living room of the shrine and sat down. "Would anyone like tea?" Mika asked. Everyone except Muraku raised their hand.

"So are you going to answer my question?" Muraku asked . "I'm the one who forged the Luna Edge, and its brother sword the Crescent Edge" Bogatomu said. "But that would mean your thousands of years old?" Kairi said. "Gods live forever" Bogatomu said. "You're a god?" Muraku said. "Yes, I am a god of fire and forging" he replied. "Just get one with what you were saying" Muraku said impatiently.

"Very well. I forged both before the Great Demon War" Bogatomu replied. "Why?" Kairi asked. "An old man by the name or Gurumin asked me to forge a sword that uses the power of the moon and to give it the power to kill an entire army in one swing. To do this I had to make a sword unlike any before. The blade is made of five fangs from a gold dragon for sharpness, it was bathed in phoenix blood for two years to give it strength, and it was placed in a shrine where it basked in the full moon's rays for ten nights. The Luna Edge was meant to be a back up sword. But on the tenth night the moon was eclipsed and turned it into a sword of darkness. The sword sucked the soul from the wielder. It was so dangerous that it had to be placed in a special shrine for all eternity. Obviously you managed to get your hands on it" Bogatomu said looking at Muraku. "Will you fix it or not?" Muraku asked. "If you promise to use it only for good I will fix it" he replied. "Very well" Muraku said.

"Hand over the sword and sheath" Bogatomu said holding out his hand. Muraku took the sheath off and handed the two items to him. "The damage isn't all that bad. I can have it fixed for you in a few hours" he said as he stood up. He walked out of the room and down a nearby hall. Muraku and Kairi followed.

They ended up in a room with a tub filled with a golden liquid. Kairi could fell intense heat coming from it. "What is that stuff?" she asked. "This is phoenix blood" Bogatomu said as he gentle placed the sword on the liquid's surface. It slowly sank into it. "The blood will repair it in a few hours. Why don't you make yourselves at home?" he said. They all headed out.

"Hey Kairi?" Mika said as she ran up to them with the twins. "What?" Kairi said. "Would you like to take a bath in the hot springs?" Mika asked. "Would I ever!!!' Kairi said happily. She followed Mika toward the springs. Muraku frowned and went to find a place to be alone.

As Kairi eased herself into the warm water she let out a relaxed sigh. "You sound happy" Mika said as she sat down next to her. The twins were playing in the deeper end. "Well it's been a while since I last had a real bath. Muraku doesn't like waiting on me" Kairi replied. "Is he really your boyfriend?" Mika asked. "No, just a friend who's a guy" Kairi replied. "You like him don't you?" Mika said. "What?!" Kairi said as a blush appeared on her face. "Oh come on Kairi, I saw the disappointed look on your face when you said he was just a friend. You want him to be more than that" Mika said. "I only like him as a friend" Kairi said.

"So how'd you two meet?" Mika asked. "Well I was still on the run from Seiga. A few of his goons were attacking me when Muraku appeared and saved me" Kairi said. "How romantic" Mika said. "It would be if he wasn't only helping cause he wanted to kill. He was so bloodthirsty. The only reason he agreed to protect me is so he could kill" Kairi said. "So has he changed?" Mika asked. "Yes he has. When Seiga finally captured me Muraku could have forgotten about me and gone off on his own but instead he came to rescue me" Kairi said. "So does he have a brother?" Mika asked.

"Muraku's not like most demons. You see before he arrived to help me a group of spirit detectives came first. After the battle I found out about Muraku's past. One of them was a wolf demon named Riku. It turns out Muraku was originally his dark side. He was pure evil and wanted nothing more than to kill his good side and his friends. Riku defeated him but he was revived, only with a heart and soul. And now he's traveling with me and the twins" Kairi said. "So is that Riku guy cute?" Mika asked. "Yes but he's in love with a koorime" Kairi replied. "Oh well" Mika said.

After a half hour of talk and fifteen minutes of trying to catch the twins and get them dressed they were ready to go. But during the chase Kairi's kimono got soaked. Mika offered to dry it but Kairi would have to wear another. She walked through the halls wearing a towel to cover herself as she made her way to where Mika kept her kimonos. She was in such a hurry she ran into someone.

Muraku had been walking through the halls to find the hot springs. He needed bath as well. He was deep in thought wondering what Riku was up to and trying to figure out why his good half would want to compete in a tournament. He was so deep in thought he ran into someone as he rounded the corner.

The force caused him to fall on his back. He grunted when the person he ran into landed on top of him. He opened his eyes and found himself face-to-face with Kairi. Her hair was wet from the bath and she was wearing nothing but a towel. They lay their staring at each other until a voice brought them out of their trance.

"What are they doing?" Mimiru asked. "I saw mom and dad like this once. They said they were making a new sibling for us" Yugi said. "Are you two making a brother or a sister for us?" Mimiru asked. Kairi got of Muraku and they backed away from each other. Kairi had a deep blush on her face and Muraku was glaring at the twins. Mika was standing behind the twins laughing at the twin's naivety.

"Come on you two I think we should let them be alone" Mika said as she and the twins walked off. "Sorry Muraku" Kairi said as she stood up. "Where are the hot springs?" Muraku asked. "Down that hall" Kairi said. Muraku nodded and proceeded to the hot springs.

A few hours later

"Those two are as much a handful as Muraku" Kairi said as she walked toward the springs. She was wearing a pink kimono with a blue sash that was covered in flour. "I better wash up, I'm sure Muraku's done by now" she said as she made her way the hot springs entrance. She peaked into the room and saw no one was in the spring. She sighed in relief and went in. She hadn't gotten far when she froze with very wide eyes.

Muraku was standing near the hangars, which were out of view from the entrance. The problem was he was completely naked. He was drying his hair with a towel so he hadn't noticed her yet. She quickly and quietly ran to the hot springs and jumped in. Muraku wonder what the sound was and looked around. He saw no one and shrugged it off. After getting dressed he walked out.

Kairi surfaced with a huge gasp for air. I can't believe I walked in on him like that. And I stared at him she thought with a blush on her face.

Muraku was sitting in the living room ignoring the crashes from the kitchen. "Ah, there you are Muraku" Bogatomu said as he walked in. "Is the sword fixed?" Muraku asked. "See for yourself" the smith said as he held out a sheathed Luna Edge. Muraku took it and unsheathed it. What was once a katana with a five-foot long blade was now a katana with a five-foot long double-edged blade. It was still curved like any katana but the broad end of it was now as sharp as the front. "What happened to it?" Muraku asked. "This is the Luna Edge's true form. If you let the moonlight hit it your can see the inscriptions on the blade" Bogatomu replied. "Good work" Muraku said as he sheathed it and placed it at his side. "Dinner's ready" Mika said from the kitchen.

After Dinner

"I'm sleepy" Yugi said. "Me to" Mimiru added. "You two can sleep with me" Mika said. "Can we Kairi?" Mimiru asked. "Go ahead" Kairi said smiling. "Goodnight" Bogatomu said as he walked out of the room. "Where do I sleep?" Kairi asked. "Follow me" Mika said as the she walked out. The others followed.

Mika stopped in front of a door. "This is the guest room" she said. "Thanks" Kairi said as she reached for the doorknob. "Where do I sleep?" Muraku asked. "Well there's only one extra bed so you and Kairi have to share" Mika said. Kairi paled and Muraku growled. "Just remember you two, no hanky panky" Mika said as she walked off. "Mika!!!" Kairi said as she chased after her. Muraku was resisting the urge to blow up the entire house. He felt a tug on his coat and looked down. Yugi was looking back up at him. "What?" Muraku asked. "Muraku, what's hanky panky?" Yugi asked. Muraku looked at him not saying a word. "Ask Kairi" he said as he turned and walked into the guest room.

A few minutes later

Kairi nervously walked into the room she shared with Muraku. He was already stripped down to his pants. Kairi blushed and walked in. "I get the right side" Muraku said. Kairi changed into a nightgown and got into the bed with him. They lay back to back until a clap of thunder made Kairi scream. "What's with you?" Muraku asked sitting up. "I'm afraid of storms" Kairi said. Muraku lay back down. "Kairi come here" he said. She slowly scooted closer to him and laid her head on his chest. "Thank you" she said. Muraku grunted in reply. The warmth of his body calmed her down and she fell asleep.

Face it Kairi, you're falling for him. And the twins are as mischievous as ever. And Muraku has a spirit beast. Since school's tomorrow the next chapter won't be up till Sunday morning.

Next chapter, you'll just have to wait and find out.