Chapter 84

Big Mistake

One week has passed since the gang's escape from the tournament. Rogato, Maya, Lila, Damien, and Sakura returned to the pack three days ago. Kage has remained with the gang for backup. Since they knew Demonus would attack sooner or later, they kept a constant watch over the area around Genkai's Temple. Genkai had gone to help strengthen the defenses in front of the portal the rebels held.  

Right now Kurama and Hiei are scouting through the forest. "This is a waste of time" Hiei said as he crossed his arms. "It's necessary and you know it Hiei. We can not afford to be caught by surprise, Demonus is to dangerous" Kurama replied. "Hn" Hiei said.

He was hiding his nervousness. As the leader of the Apocalypse Ten, Demonus was the most powerful of Satanos's warriors. He remembered at the mall when Yusuke and Demonus were about to go at it. Demonus looked as though he could wipe the floor with Yusuke. He'd shown a small portion of his powerful but Hiei's Jagan showed him the depths of the Demon Prince's power and it literally made Hiei shake in his boots.

"I think we've done enough for today. Let's head back" Kurama said. Hiei nodded and they headed back to the temple.

They arrived to find Riku and Kage sparing while the others watched. "Anything?" Yusuke asked as he walked up to them. Kurama shook his head. "Is there really a point to keeping our guard up like this?" Keiko asked. "Demonus is very calculating. He's buying his time to lure us into a false sense of security and then he will strike. It's vital that we continue to keep our defenses up" Kurama replied. Everyone nodded.

Riku and Kage stopped there sparing and turned to the others. "I think we should get something to eat, then me and Riku will take watch" Kage said. They all headed into the temple where Yukina and Crystal were making lunch.

A few miles away

Demonus stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking the forest around Genkai's Temple. He now wore a sleek black trench coat that was buckled shut, a pair of black pants, and black combat boots. This terrain makes travel rather difficult. Of coarse I could just fly over it. But doing so would allow them to sense me so I'll have to go on foot. Oh well he thought.

"Meow" Luna said from her perch on Amai's shoulder. "So what are we going to do?" Amai asked. "We'll continue with our plan" Demonus replied. "You distract the fighters while I get the koorime" Amai said. Demonus nodded. "If we can capture her the Devil Wolf will be helpless against us" Demonus replied.

He looked at her and noticed the sad look on her face. He walked to her and made her look at him. "What's wrong?" he asked. "I won't have to hurt anyone right?" she asked. "I'm sure Luna will handle any resistance" Demonus replied. This didn't seem to help. "Listen, if you pull this off then the Devil Wolf won't be able to stop my dad's invasion. Just fight this one more battle. Then we can live together in peace" Demonus said. "Promise?" she asked. "I would never lie to you" he replied.

Amai smiled at him. "Be careful" she said. "I will" Demonus said before kissing her. Luna started cleaning herself as she waited for her master to finish her little lip lock with Demonus. They finally broke and looked into each other's eyes. "I love you" Demonus said. "I love you to" Amai replied. "Wish me luck" Demonus said before turning and jumping off the cliff. He landed on his feet and took off toward the temple. God I love that devil Amai thought.

Luna walked to her and rubbed against her leg. "Let's go" Amai said. Luna roared and flames surrounded her body. When they cleared the cat had transformed. She was now as big as a panther with saber tooth fangs and a cream-colored crescent moon on her forehead. Her wing's had disappeared.

Amai hopped onto her back and with a roar Luna ran into the air. I won't let you down Demonus Amai thought as Luna flew toward the temple.

Not far from the temple

Riku smiled as he watch Yukina, Kairi, and the twins feed the birds. He looked to his side at Black Fang lying next to him. "You're all of Muraku we have left. The good one at least" Riku said. Black Fang looked up at him. "I know you feel a great need to protect them. You got that from Muraku" Riku replied. The wolf grunted. "Yeah, I'm sure Muraku would be proud of you" Riku said.

"Riku" Yukina said as she walked up to him. Riku looked at her. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Just having a little conversation" Riku replied. "About Muraku?" Yukina asked. "Yeah" Riku replied. "I can feel Kairi's pain. She really loves him" Yukina said. "Muraku felt the same way, even if he didn't sow it much" Riku replied. "Do you think he'll ever be good again?" Yukina asked. "I honestly don't know" Riku said looking at Kairi. He failed to notice a shadow run passed them.

Elsewhere Nami and Hiei were… you know. They were interrupted by a cough. They quickly got off each other and looked at the intruder. "Demonus?!" Nami said. Demonus didn't reply but Nami noticed his eyes travel up and down her body. "Pervert" she said covering herself with Hiei's cloak. "At least Amai's look real" he replied smirking.

"Why you" Nami said taking a step foreword. Hiei stopped her. "We'll need the others" he said. Nami nodded. "Oh no need for that" Demonus said extending his hand toward the temple. With a smirk he sent a blast at the temple creating an explosion. "I bet they can get here in under thirty seconds" Demonus said coolly. "Nami, get dressed, I'll hold him off" Hiei said as he pulled his pants on. Nami nodded and ran back into the temple.

"I must admit that's some catch you've got there Hiei" Demonus said. Hiei glared back.

"Hiei" Riku said as the others arrived on the scene. "Look's like the gang's all here" Demonus said. Nami came running out her scimitars ready for action. "You're so dead" she growled. "If you're anxious to die just follow me" Demonus said before taking to the air. "After him" Yusuke said.  Him, Riku, Kurama, Kuwabara, Hiei, Nami, and Kage ran after the prince.

After a few minutes, Demonus landed in a wide field. The gang stopped in front of him. Kurama prepared his Rose Whip, Kuwabara had his Spirit Sword ready, Kage pulled out his Ingrams, and Riku and Hiei unsheathed their swords.

Demonus chuckled and grabbed the red orb hanging from the thin chain around his neck. He pulled and the chain disappeared. Black flames surrounded the orb and Demonus tossed it into the air. The flames intensified and they took the shape of a sword. The sword was completely black including the blade. It was like Riku's except the hilt was in the shape of bat wings. The only part not black was the red orb in the center of the hilt.

"Let's begin" Demonus said. Everyone except Yusuke and Kage charged. Riku was the first to swing at him but Demonus easily stopped it with his sword. He pushed Riku back and jumped into the air to avoid Hiei's swing from the side. He spread his wings and hovered in the air. Nami leaped after him but he flitted out of the way and appeared behind her. He narrowed his eyes and Nami was sent crashing to the ground.

Demonus smirked and flitted in front of Hiei. Hiei started swinging at Demonus but the devil dodged them with little effort. He slammed his fist into the ground and caused an explosion that blew Hiei back. Demonus spun around and blocked a swing from Kuwabara. He kicked him in the stomach with his left foot then did a back flip kick, causing Kuwabara to go flying back

Demonus stepped to the side and avoided a bullet from Kage. He turned to them his smirk not wavering. Kage opened fire with both guns but Demonus continued to dodge or block each one with his sword. "You know what, I don't even need my sword to take you guys on" Demonus said as his sword turned into flames and went back into the orb. Demonus placed the orb on his chest and another chain appeared around his neck.

He took off toward Kage dodging each bullet as he approached. He first punched Kage in the stomach with his left hand. As Kage doubled over Demonus used the same hand to grab the wolf's face. "Have a nice sleep" Demonus said. He pushed forward and slammed the back of Kage's head into the ground. He sent a surge of lighting through Kage's body. Kage was soon out cold. "Simple enough" Demonus said as he stood up straight.

"SPIRIT GUN" the attack hit Demonus's back and caused an explosion. When the dust settled Demonus stood unharmed. "Nice try" he said turning to Yusuke. Before Yusuke knew what was happening, a fist slammed into his face. Demonus followed it up with a series of punches and kick. He finished it off with one final kick to the face.

Kuwabara was next to attack but Demonus sidestepped and avoided his swing. Kuwabara continued to swing as Demonus dodged with a bored look on his face. He caught Kuwabara's sword and kicked it out of his hand. Kuwabara was blown back by a lighting bolt fired from Demonus's hand.

Riku, Hiei, and Nami surrounded Demonus with their weapon's ready. "Bring it on" Demonus said. The three charged at the same time. Demonus backhanded Riku then flitted out of the way of Hiei and Nami's swings. He appeared behind Hiei and kneed his back then elbowed him in to face. Hiei slammed into the ground. Nami charged but he powered up and kept her at bay. He raised his hand and sent a black energy beam at her. She soon lay next to Hiei.

Demonus caught a whip that was swung at him. He looked at Kurama's stunned face. He sent a surge of electricity through the whip and into Kurama's body. Kurama screamed in pain and tried to let go of the whip. But he found he couldn't let go. Demonus appeared in front of him and thrust one of his horns into Kurama's stomach. Kurama winced but threw some seeds at the ground under Demonus.

Demonus raised his head with Kurama still on the horn and started bobbing side to side until Kurama slid off. The plants sprouted and one of Kurama's man-eating plants swallowed Demonus. Kurama had to cover his eyes as the plant was incinerated in a flash of energy. He felt the wind knocked out of him as Demonus's foot slammed into his chest. "Nice try but Amai taught me how to deal with your plant tricks" he said. He then kicked the side of Kurama's head giving him a severe concussion.

"You basterd!!!" Yusuke yelled as he threw a punch at Demonus. His fist hit the devil squarely on the cheek. Yusuke smirked but grunted as Demonus slammed his fist into his stomach. "I'm out of your league" Demonus said before blasting Yusuke with a huge energy beam.

"GRAND INFERNO" Demonus was blasted off Kurama and slammed into a boulder. "Good work Nami" Riku said as he helped Hiei up. He looked at Kurama and Kage who were out cold and Kuwabara who was barely standing. He couldn't find Yusuke.

The area Demonus had landed in was now covered in flames. "Is he dead?" Nami said. Their question was answered when they saw Demonus stand up in the flames. Demonus smirked and walked casually out of the flames.

"I'll deal with the missing link over there first" Demonus said tilting his head toward Kuwabara. A black lighting bolt shot out of his body and into the sky. The clouds darkened and a lighting bolt struck Kuwabara. Kuwabara yelled in pain but was silenced when a second hit him and blew him to the ground.

"Your turn" Demonus said looking at the remaining three. He was soon on Riku and slammed his fist into his stomach. Less then a second later, Hiei was punch in the face and Nami soon followed with a knee to the head. Demonus disappeared and was a blur as he zipped between the three hitting them numerous times.

"SHOTGUN" Demonus was caught by surprise as the attack hit him. "SHOTGUN" the second wave caused a huge explosion to shake the ground. "CRESCENT CLAWS" Riku attacked for good measure. Another explosion ripped through the area. "Is it over?" Yusuke said. "DEVIL STORM" a dozen black lighting bolts shot out of the dust and hit Yusuke. He was lifted into the air and thrown into a tree. More bolts soon followed and the trees around him buried him.

Riku, Hiei, and Nami turned their attention back to Demonus as he walked out of the dust. "He actually left a few marks behind" Demonus said as he dusted himself off. "I think I'll play with you all for a while longer" Demonus said before charging.

At the temple

"We made it Luna" Amai said as she patted the cat's back. Luna came to a stop. "What is it?" Amai asked. A black blur shot out of the forest and knocked Amai off Luna's back. She opened her eyes to find Black Fang loaming over her. Luna roared and knocked the wolf off her master. Black Fang landed on his feet and growled at them. Luna charged and the two started fighting. Black Fang was more powerful than Luna but the cat made up for it with her speed and agility.

Flames surrounded Luna's paws and she swatted at Black Fang. Black Fang jumped back and used a mighty howl to send shockwaves at her. Luna opened her mouth and a fireball shot out at Black Fang. Black Fang dodged the attack and countered by slamming his muzzle into Luna's side. Luna landed on her feet and the two continued.

Amai took that moment to continue on but stopped when she saw Crystal standing in front of her, sword in hand. "What do you want?" Crystal asked. "Just get out of the way, no one has to get hurt" Amai said. "You're with Demonus aren't you?" Crystal said. Amai got into a defensive stance. "I don't want to fight" she said. "Then you should have stayed home" Crystal said before charging.

Their swords clashed a few times before Amai took a step back. "I don't want to do this but you leave me no choice" Amai said as she swung at Crystal. Crystal stepped to the side and avoided it. She swung back but Amai ducked her swing. Their swords clashed again and they pushed against each other.

"Not bad" Crystal said. She was surprised when she saw tears pouring out of Amai's eyes. Is she crying? Crystal thought.

Amai pushed her back and raised her sword. "THORN SWORDS" Her sword turned into thousands of small swords made out of wood. The swords flew at Crystal and she was forced on the defensive as she dodged sword after sword. She winced when a few grazed her. "SPIRIT BOOMERANG" a large boomerang made of green spirit energy slammed into her causing her to go crashing into the wall. She struggled to her feet but Amai had thrown some seeds under her. They sprouted and tied the half wolf up. "Let me go" Crystal said as she struggled with the vines. The small swords flew to Amai's hand and turned back into her sword. "Sorry" she said before continuing on.

She ran into the others in the halls. Botan had her bat, Keiko had a frying pan, Kairi had her talismans, Shizuru was cracking her knuckles, and the twins were behind Kairi's legs. Amai quickly planted more seeds under them and tied them up as well. "Stupid weeds" Botan said as she hit the vines with her bat. Kairi was burning a few with her talismans but she was running out fast. Mimiru was in tears as a vine tied around her waist lifted her in the air and Yugi was trying to chew his way from the grip of another. Amai looked around for Yukina but realized the koorime had run into the forest. With a sigh she chased after her.

Yukina was running as fast as she could through the forest. She knew Amai was after her and wanted to lead her away from the others. Amai was in hot pursuit her blond hair swaying in the wind as she ran. She caught sight of Yukina and picked up her speed.

Yukina skidded to a halt as Amai appeared in front of her. They were both panting as sweat ran down their foreheads. "Just come with me and no one will get hurt" Amai said. Yukina created an ice barrier around herself, which kept Amai from coming any closer. "Why are you doing this?" she asked. "Because Demonus ordered me to" Amai replied. "How can you work for him?" Yukina asked. "Because I love him" Amai replied. This surprised Yukina. She had no idea of the relationship between the girl in front of her and the Demon Prince.

"Now come on" Amai said. "Why are you crying?" Yukina asked. She wanted a peaceful solution without getting captured. "That's none of your business" Amai replied. Yukina didn't move. "Come on" Amai said as she reached for Yukina. She pulled her hand back when she touched the ice barrier. "You don't like fighting don't you" Yukina said. Amai tried to hold back her tears. "Your not really that evil you know. Someone like you shouldn't have to fight" Yukina said. "I have to. Demonus ordered me to" Amai replied as tears rolled down her check. "Just tell him you don't want to fight, if he loves you he'll understand" Yukina said.

Amai fell to her knees crying. "I fight because I want there to be peace" she said. "What's peace if it means destroying the human world?" Yukina said as she kneeled next to her. "I don't care about the invasion, what the king wants, or what happens. I just want to live out my days with Demonus in a world without war" Amai said. Yukina sighed and gently rubbed her back. "I know how you feel" she said.

Back with the battle

Demonus held Yusuke up by the collar. "I don't know how you managed to get back up but I admire your persistence" he said. His coat now had some rips in it from when Kurama somehow got back up and attacked. But the prince soon took him down. Riku and Hiei were the only two standing and both were covered in bruises. Riku growled as he watch Demonus toss Yusuke to the side.

He then heard a growl in his head. Black Fang was talking to him telepathically. Riku's eyes widened. "Hiei, this whole battle's just a diversion. They're after Yukina" he said. "What?" Hiei said. "While we've been fighting Demonus's backup attacked the temple. Black Fang has his hands full and the girls are tied up at the moment" Riku replied. "So what are we going to do?" Hiei asked. "I'll keep fighting Demonus, you go save Yukina" Riku said. Hiei nodded and took off toward the forest while Riku charged Demonus.

With Yukina and Amai

"So Demonus saved you from a group of bandits" Yukina said. "Yes, and in return I worked for him but I eventually fell in love with him" Amai replied. They were both standing and talking since neither wanted the fighting to continue. "So what are you going to do?" Yukina asked. "I'm not sure. If I don't complete my mission then I would have broken my promise to Demonus" Amai replied. "But I can't allow Riku to suffer because I'm being held hostage" Yukina replied. "I never really wanted to capture you. I'm sure we can work something out" Amai said glad she didn't have to spill any blood this day.

"Yukina!!!" Hiei yelled as he arrived. Before Amai knew it, Hiei had slashed her across the right shoulder. Her eyes widened and she fell to the ground as Hiei took a defensive stance in front of his sister. "Stay away from her" Hiei growled.

Amai clutched her wound. The gash Hiei left had cut through an artery and she was losing blood fast. "Hiei, how could you?" Yukina said. "Huh?" Hiei said. "She wasn't going to hurt me" Yukina replied as she pushed past him and started to tend to Amai's wounds. It took a while for Hiei to realize what she meant. What was he supposed to think? All he saw was the enemy standing in front of Yukina with a sword in her hand.

Yukina was working frantically to save Amai but the half kitsune was slipping away with each second. "Thank you Yukina" Amai said as she started to close her eyes. "Demonus" she mumbled.

At the battle

Demonus smirked as Riku stumbled back to his feet. Nami, Yusuke, and Kuwabara were right behind him and Kage had struggled to one knee. "Time to finish this" Demonus said as energy gathered in his hand. He was about to attack when he felt a sharp pain on his neck. He realized it was coming from Amai's bite mark. Amai he thought. He completely forgot about his opponents as he took the air and flew at top speed toward his mate.

Please be alright he thought. But his fears were confirmed when he saw Amai lying in a pool of her own blood. "AMAI!!!" he yelled. Hiei pulled Yukina back as Demonus approached.

He landed and gently lifted Amai's head. "Amai, open your eyes. Don't die on me" Demonus said. Amai opened her eyes slightly and looked at him. "Demonus" she said. "I'm here Amai, everything's going to be okay" he said. "I'm sorry Demonus, I just couldn't bring myself to capture her" she said. "Screw the mission all I care about is you" he said. She smiled at him. "Amai, don't leave me. You the only thing that's brought me true happiness. I need you" Demonus said. He wasn't crying. Devils don't have tear glands so they can't cry. "I'm just thankful to have a mate like you. I love you Demonus" she said. She then closed her eyes and went limp. "Amai, Amai, AMAI!!!" Demonus yelled.

She was gone. Just like that. Demonus couldn't breath, couldn't even think straight. His first and only love was dead and he had to watch her die in his arms. He held her broken body close to him wanting to feel the warmth of her body as she became cooler and cooler.

He looked at the wound that had taken her from him. He could tell it was made from a katana. He looked at Hiei and saw the blood dripping from his sword. The Demon Prince's sadness was soon replaced by hatred. An overwhelming need for revenge overcame him and he let out a yell. Yukina was blown back as a barrier made of black energy closed off the area. "Hiei!!!" Yukina said as she tried in vain to get through.

Hiei looked at the barrier to try to find a way out but he could find none. Demonus stood up, his back to Hiei. He slowly turned around and Hiei froze. Demonus's eyes were completely red, glowing with the anger he felt.

"Hiei, I will make you pay."

Oh boy, Demonus is beyond pissed right now. I'm going to get so flamed next chapter. Big warning the next chapter will not be so good for Hiei and Nami. And it will be up Sunday.

Next chapter, Demonus unleashes his rage on Hiei and things get worse when Nami tries to help her mate. Review please.