~*~Hi everyone! This is my Holiday gift to you all. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!!~*~
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Helpless. That's what he felt as he held her close to him. If only he hadn't been so stupid, Naomi wouldn't have gotten hurt. He should have known there was another demon in the bushes. Because of his carelessness, she was hurt and in pain. Naomi is strong though. It would take a great amount of pain for her to cry out.
The rain began to lighten a bit as morning came. He had stayed up all night, holding onto her to keep her warm. The moisture on her forehead had increased. Placing a hand on her head, his suspicion was confirmed. 'A fever. A very high one at that. I have to bring it down quickly or else she will die.'
Without hesitation, he slowly picked her up in his arms and ran as fast as he could back towards the shrine. 'It shouldn't be too far. Naomi, just hang on.'
He could feel her moving in his arms, her still whimpering in pain as a single tear began to fall. 'Those bastards. How dare they do this to you? I will make them pay.'
The trees flew by as he continued to run, never slowing down for even a second. 'The longer I take, the closer she is to death. Please, hang on Naomi. I can't loose you now.' Her breathing was very harsh, as if it was difficult to breathe at all. Whatever kind of poison that demon hit her with was defiantly very strong. 'I don't have much time.'
Soon the area became familiar, telling him he was right outside the shrine. Still running, he called out to them. "Sóra-san! Mizuki-san! Quick!"
The door swung open as little Sóra gazed upon them. Her eyes widened with shock and fear. "Naomi-sama!!"
"There is no time to waste. Quickly go get a bowl of cool water and a washcloth. She has a bad fever we must get down. Move quickly!"
"Hai." Sóra then ran to do as commanded as he brought her to her room. Mizuki rushed over and prepared the futon for the fallen miko. "Kami, what happened?"
As he placed her on the futon, he explained. "We were surrounded by demons and one of them hit her with some poison, a kind I have never seen before."
Sóra then rushed in with the water and cloth. "What can we do, Kurama-san?"
"Keep her warm and try to bring down the fever." He grabbed the cloth from Sóra and dipped it into the cold water. After ringing it out, he placed on top of Naomi's forehead. Her breathing was labored as sweat continued to pour down her face. Mizuki came over and placed a large blanket over her, trying her best to keep the miko as warm as possible. Naomi's body began to shake as her back arched up. A painful scream escaped her mouth as her face contorted with pain. He reached over and grabbed her hand, obviously troubled by what was happening. Never did he want to see Naomi like that. His heart was breaking just watching her. Soon, her body collapsed onto the futon again as her breathing continued to be labored. The sweat continued to pour down as he took the cloth to dip into the cold water again. After placing it back on her forehead, he looked directly at the two women. "Look after her." With that, he stood up and went towards the door.
"Kurama-san? Where…?"
He turned to look at the frightened little girl. "I'm going to hunt down that demon who did this. He must have an antidote. I will be back, Sóra."
A soft noise was heard. "Kurama?" It was a soft whisper, so soft only he had heard it. Quickly he went to Naomi's side and took her hand again. Her eyes open if only a crack to look at him. "Shh. Don't worry, Naomi. I'm going to find the cure."
"Don't… leave…"
He smiled down at her. "I promise you I'll be back. Just hold on until I return." With that, he reached over with his other hand to trace over her cheek. Her eyes quickly shut as she clenched her teeth to bite back the pain. He held on to her hand as she squeezed it tight. Soon, the wave of pain went away and she relaxed a bit more. "I'll… try…"
He smiled once again as he let her go and headed to the door. He turned to Mizuki. "Take very good care of her."
"Of course. Good luck, Kurama-san." He nodded to her as he took off through the back door. Pushing himself to the max, he raced back to the spot where the small battle had taken place. 'Shit. The rain washed away almost everything, including their scent.' He looked over by the bushes that the demon had run from before. Apparently the rain didn't wash everything away. 'A foot print.' With that, he looked and saw the remains of the trail the demon took. Without another thought, he raced through the forest, following the tracks. The trees were just a blur as he ran by, constantly looking to see where the footprints led him.
Suddenly, a familiar scent caught his attention. 'It has to be him. It's the same scent from the fight.' Walking cautiously, he looked through the bushes and in fact saw the demon that had poisoned Naomi. It seemed to be smiling and having a great time. "To think I just took out probably the world's most powerful miko. And with a simple dart. Ha! Master will be pleased, yes indeed."
With a small growl, he stepped out from where he was and faced this man. "What did you do to her?"
The demon turned around and held this evil smile on his face. "Well, this is a surprise. Didn't think you'd actually come and find me so quickly."
"I'll ask again, what did you do to her?" His patience was very low at the moment with the thought of her in pain.
The demon continued to smile. "Oh, the miko. Just carrying out orders. A very good poison if I do say so myself. Only I have the antidote." At that moment, the demon took out a small vile filled with this clear liquid. He looked at it, then stared at the demon.
"Who's orders?"
"Tsk tsk. You'll find out soon enough. He's coming for you too."
His anger was slowly rising as he glared at the demon. "Give me the antidote."
"Why should I?"
"Because if you don't I'll tear you limb from limb."
The demon just smiled. "Ooooh I'm so scared. The spirit world's most dangerous thief is threatening me. Oh wait, I'm sorry. You used to be that. Living here has made you soft."
A reddish tint took over his eyes as he called for his rose whip. "Do not push me. Just hand it over. If not, I will prove to you I haven't gone soft."
That same smile spread even more on his face as he reached for his own weapon, a katana. "Prove it to me then."
With that, he let loose his whip as the demon blocked the attack with the katana. With one very swift movement he could barely see, the demon had slashed his arm as he hit its leg with the whip just as it was retreating.
"Nice hit, Youko. But not good enough."
He glared at the demon yet again, preparing another attack. The demon rushed forward, him dodging the easily, now that he could see its speed.
"Why do you bother fighting? There was a time you wouldn't give a damn whether someone lived or died."
That question took him off guard. "What?" The fight continued as the demon thrusted at him, which was blocked and retaliated against.
In between attempts and hits during the fight, the demon commented, "Why trying to get the antidote? The old Youko wouldn't have cared."
Another attack was sent his way which he easily dodged. By now, they were both pretty beaten up and winded. The question had taken him by surprise, which the demon smiled at. The demon had thrusted its sword through his stomach, a nice deep wound. Clutching the wound, he looked over at it. "She is under my protection. It is none of your concern."
The demon smiled. "Ah, so it is true. You really have fallen for the bitch. How cute. How much fun it will be watching her die. I wonder if she's in pain. I do hope so. That would make it all the more fun."
That did it. With all the strength he had left, he charged at the demon, who quickly moved out of the way. One shift motion with his wrist sent the whip right at him. Not expecting this, the demon was hit badly and fell back, clutching his stomach. He walked over to the demon and glared at him with red eyes. "Never, ever called Naomi that again or I will rip out your throat. You got a problem with me then go to me." Reaching over, he went into the demon's pocket and grabbed the vile with the antidote. With another glare, he said, "go and tell your master to face me himself next time."
The wounded demon gave a small laugh. "It's too convenient that his two greatest enemies are together. What a cute couple. He'll have a lot of pleasure torturing you and killing her. One less miko to deal with."
His hand shot out and grabbed the demon's throat, cutting off any air flow. "Do what you will to me, but as soon as you involve her, I will not spare your life." He threw the demon to the ground and made his way to go back to the shrine.
The demon let loose a laugh, causing his anger to rise. "You really think you can protect her all the time? We all know now. A world famous demon let his heart be taken by a miko. Now we know your weakness. She'll never be safe. As long as you love her, the bitch will be a constant target."
With just one snap of his whip, the demon was down, not dead, but unconscious. He didn't have time to think more on whether he should kill the demon or not. Going as fast as he could, he sprinted back to the shrine, the vile in hand. It was very difficult with his injuries, but he pushed his body to its limits. 'Please let it not be too late.'
The shrine soon came into view. He had little strength left, but he slid open the door and walked towards Naomi's room. The room itself started to go blurry as he entered. He saw Sóra's bright blue eyes open wide at him, confirming he was badly injured. Behind her was Naomi lying on the futon, the sweat continuing to fall as her face contorted with pain. She was trying so hard to hold back a scream of anguish. He held out his hand to Sóra that held the vile. "The… antidote… hurry…"
Right after she took it from him, he felt his body crumble as he fell. The last thing he heard was Sóra's voice cry out to him. "Kurama-san!?!" Then there was nothing but black.
~*~Ja ne!~*~