Autumn groaned softly, her hand lifting to her face, massaging her not yet open eyes. Pain seared through her face, causing her to let out a scream. She felt the warmth of blood on her face and the sting of various cuts. She had fought with every ounce of fight in her; which was a great deal. Shi had finally knocked her unconscious, having grown tired of her and her incessant biting. That was all she could do, really, owing to the fact he had bound her with ropes of the same that bound Jessica hundreds of miles away at that very moment. Apparently Shi had untied her. "Where am I?" She choked out, her voice raspy.
"You're in your worst nightmare, kid." A figure suddenly towered over her, making her feel small and fragile. He was huge: a good seven feet, at least. His skin was a dark shade of purple, with various tattoos on both his arms and legs. His hair added to his wild look; yellow that reached his mid-back, and he had a thick, white horn protruding from the center of his forehead. All he wore was a loincloth, though, in Autumn's silent opinion, he ought to wear a great deal more. A club hung in his loose grip, a nasty red substance staining its spikes. Autumn shrunk away from this formidable Gargoyle, her face frozen in fear. The Ogre poked at her with his club, not quite touching her, but coming close enough to force her to cringe against the wall so as to avoid the spikes. "Scared girl? You should be, but not of my club. No, you need to fear for your future, once Shi gets that friend of yours to give her consent to the war of the souls, humanity is doomed." He let out a fierce laph, his booming causing the floor to tremble.
"What are you talking about?" Autumn's pupils slid to the corner of her eyes as she peered around the demon to get a better look at her surroundings. She was in a cavernous room, with no windows, and no visible door, the walls, floor, and ceiling all the same shade of dreary gray. Several other demons lay on the other side of the room, apparently sleeping, for she heard their snores and sleepy grunts. Dismayed, Autumn turned her attention to the brute infront of her. "I said, what are you talking about?"
"That is not for you to know, at least not yet. Don't worry, you'll have a front row seat to see your little friend give up her soul to our cause. You might even take part in it." The gargoyle took joy in the perplexity and fear on the small teen's face. Autumn felt concern for her timid friend well up within her, turning her fear of the beast into anger.
"Tell me what the heck you mean, before I kill you!" She screamed, her cry out of her lips before she could stop herself. She crumbled under the death glare of the ogre, a soft sob escaping from her mouth. Where was she? And why?
* * *
"I can see your future, Shi… and your future is death." Yoko snarled, lifting his whip to his face, evenly spacing his feet in a stance. His mouth twitched upward in a cocky smile, his fox ears perking up in a defiant way. His sudden carefree spirit seemed to dare Shi to touch him, to attack, to attempt to shatter the Yoko's fun.
Shi did not comply, instead, he seemed to wait for something. Had the Yoko know a rather sleepy, curious Shanta was on her way to that very room, looking for her friend with a worried look, he would have stopped her. The last thing he needed was another nigen to care for. But his focus was upon Shi, every ounce of his soul, mind, and strength. So when the girl stumbled into the room, her brown eyes wide, it through Kurama off.
Shi's eyes fell upon her person, a demonic grin spreading acrossed his depraved face. Yoko's face lit up with understanding, his eyes also trailing to Shanta. With a light step, Shi was in the air, his body aimed in her direction. Yoko took flight also, his feet barely skimming the tile floor, his hands reaching out to the unknowing nigen girl. But he found himself skidding into the wall, his palms saving him the pain of a face-plant. He jerked his head to the side, his long, silver hair blowing acrossed his face. Shi was already in his former position, Shanta laying at his feet, obviously unconscious. Her cheek rested on her arm, a slight trail of blood at the corner of her lips. Her hair had fallen from her ponytail, and now covered her face. Yoko let out an angry growl of defeat.
Jessica let out a terrified scream, her hazel eyes wider than Shanta's had been. "LET HER GO!" She screamed, her tone going from horrified to enraged. "I SWEAR TO GOD I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" She strained her wrists against the spirit ropes, and to her eternal surprise, felt them weaken under her stress. "KILL HIM, YOKO!"
"Can do." Yoko smiled at her, a slight encouraging note to his words. Jessica returned the smile gratefully, her's a bit warmer. The angelic fox turned back to Shi, who, in order to infuriate the demon further, kicked Shanta's side, a soft demonic chuckle at his lips. The Yoko bristled, snarling threateningly under his breath. His hand curled up into a fist, his nails biting into his own flesh as his rage colored his eyes scarlet.
Shanta let out a moan, turning over in her sleep, naturally shying away from Shi's foot. Her face was soaked with sweat, evidence of her dreams. Shi stooped, his hand grasping the collar of her shirt, lifting her to eye level. She choked, her face trembling. She was unaware that she suffocating as she slept. Shi gave her a slight shake, longing to hear her scream. Jessica continued to battle with the spirit ropes, her silent war going unnoticed by the A class demon. "… Hold on, Shanta…" She begged, her hazel eyes sparkling with tears. Her rage caused her body to tremble. Her face was inclined, her brown hair blocking her round face from view. Dots of water appeared on the fabric of her shirt, and a sob broke her lips as Shanta cried out in pain. She felt her wrists slip as the bonds were weakened further.
Yoko did not hesitate before diving at Shi, his own rage pushing him into a power level he had used in his fight with Karasu. His feet blurred against the floor, his white shoes touching the ground without sound. He pulled his arm back, his whip flying up in an arc above his head, his body prepared to strike. Shi stood still, undaunted by the fox's sudden attack. His mouth played up in a mocking smile, and with a sweep of his arm, he tossed Shanta. She fell to the floor just to his right, skidding into a bookshelf. She lay still, unconscious, books falling around her as though raining. Just as Yoko swung his arm with vigor only a demon could muster, Shi dodged it, hopping lightly to the side, high over the whip's range of attack. He laphed as Yoko pursued him, pushing off from the floor, his eyes glinting with a thirst of blood. Shi landed beside Jessica, his hands folding behind his back and he whistled mockingly. The fox demon dove at him, again whipping his rose weapon at the mocking laphter, he fell just short of his goal, who had, again, leapt away. Jessica jerked her face up as the whip cut into the wall just above her head, and she stifled the urge to scream. "Sorry about that," Kurama told her, ducking after Shi.
Jessica blinked, chunks of the wall in her hair sliding off her head, "N-No problem?" She muttered and sneezed as a cloud of dust swirled around her face.
"Stop screwing around!" Yoko Kurama bellowed as Shi once more hopped away from the rose whip. Shi did not answer, his eyes closing in innocence, a solemn look coming over his face. Shi lifted his face up and to the side, his grin getting wider. Yoko blinked in perplexity, his brow furrowed in a frown. What the heck was Shi doing? Yoko was unable to fathom the ex-demonslayer's game. Jessica mumbled something softly, getting his attention.
"He's playing with you, Yoko." She murmured, her eyes glowing with a desperate light. "He wants to brake your stance…" She trailed off and resumed her own fight. She lifted her feet, placing the soles of her shoes on the wall behind her, folding her legs. She pushed off with every ounce of strength she could muster, which wasn't even close to enough to brake the blackened ropes of energy. She lifted her eyes to the battle, or game of tag, more like it, watching as Yoko Kurama grew more and more frustrated, and Shi more childish. As the fox demon staged another attack, Shi stuck his tongue out at him, further infuriating him.
Shi's plan seemed to be working. He was getting into the fox's head, plaguing him with such child like antics. He fell to the tile floor, one knee cracking on the tiles, his left palm skimming the floor infront of him, kicking up ancient dust that swirled around him in a billowing cloud. Yoko landed at his side, jerking his arm in his direction, the whip swinging at Shi's head. Shi gritted his teeth, pushing off from the floor with a snarl of surprise. The whip caught his arm, the thorns tearing into his flesh. He spun away, falling to the ground with blood spewing from his wound in a spiral of red. He hit with a soft cuss word, Yoko on him in a moment. Shi grinned, up in an instant, behind Kurama in half another. He grabbed the fighter's arms, pulling them behind his back. Yoko let out a string of angry words, pure hate in each one. Shi chuckled, jerking the demon back into him, placing his face just beside his, and whispered in his ear, "Poor Kurama, you can't seem to understand. You cannot beat me."
His fox ears gave a little twitch as Yoko shuddered at the whisper in his ear. It sent Goosebumps up and down the skin on his arms. It felt as though some one was running an ice cube up and down his spine, the sharp cold burning his back. The evil that dripped from those words… "I'm really can't win," He said, to soft for anyone to hear. Fear colored his eyes dull, his mouth closing in a tight line. He felt his mind slip into a freezer of sorts, the thought of death paralyzing his thoughts. Shi's long, sharply edged nails cut into his arms. Blood flowed in streams from the wounds, the warmth of the liquid on his skin caused Yoko Kurama to shudder again, the immense contrast between his feelings frightening him. He felt helpless, his mind slipping from demon… To human… "NO!" He fought it, he fought the transformation hard, knowing that if he returned to his human form, he would die, along with Suichii. But it was to late! Strands of silver were replaced with scarlet, his eyes, a glowing yellow, lighting up with green. His power ebbed away, as though he held in it his palm, trying desperately to hold on, only to surrender it willingly. Suichii's mind awoke into his body, the Yoko's last thought pounding in his ears: "If I don't get free, I am going to die…"
Kurama felt the pain well up within him from the wounds Yoko had gotten. The blood flow increased. His nerves seized up, causing him to twitch. He had to get away from Shi's grasp! He struggled against the powerful arms that held him, only to fall to the floor as he released him. His knees cracked painfully on the hard tile. Shi bent over him, lifting his foot to the human's side, delivering a sharp kick to his ribs. Kurama inhaled sharply, his eyes closing in pain. "Die!" Shi thundered fiercely, his face pulled up into the look of a killer, thirsting for a bloodbath. He lifted his arm, high above the human's head, the edge of his hand glowing with a black radiance. His hand descended upon the redhead's neck, the force of his fast movement blowing his clothes around his body, as though they may rip off.
"NNNNOOOO!!!" Jessica screamed, her eyes wide with horror, "KURAMA!!!"
Ohmigosh! Another point for me, I made another cliffhanger!!! Wait until you see the conclusion of the fight… It's a real shocker! *Laphs evilly* I ain't tellin' you nothing until I post it!
"You're in your worst nightmare, kid." A figure suddenly towered over her, making her feel small and fragile. He was huge: a good seven feet, at least. His skin was a dark shade of purple, with various tattoos on both his arms and legs. His hair added to his wild look; yellow that reached his mid-back, and he had a thick, white horn protruding from the center of his forehead. All he wore was a loincloth, though, in Autumn's silent opinion, he ought to wear a great deal more. A club hung in his loose grip, a nasty red substance staining its spikes. Autumn shrunk away from this formidable Gargoyle, her face frozen in fear. The Ogre poked at her with his club, not quite touching her, but coming close enough to force her to cringe against the wall so as to avoid the spikes. "Scared girl? You should be, but not of my club. No, you need to fear for your future, once Shi gets that friend of yours to give her consent to the war of the souls, humanity is doomed." He let out a fierce laph, his booming causing the floor to tremble.
"What are you talking about?" Autumn's pupils slid to the corner of her eyes as she peered around the demon to get a better look at her surroundings. She was in a cavernous room, with no windows, and no visible door, the walls, floor, and ceiling all the same shade of dreary gray. Several other demons lay on the other side of the room, apparently sleeping, for she heard their snores and sleepy grunts. Dismayed, Autumn turned her attention to the brute infront of her. "I said, what are you talking about?"
"That is not for you to know, at least not yet. Don't worry, you'll have a front row seat to see your little friend give up her soul to our cause. You might even take part in it." The gargoyle took joy in the perplexity and fear on the small teen's face. Autumn felt concern for her timid friend well up within her, turning her fear of the beast into anger.
"Tell me what the heck you mean, before I kill you!" She screamed, her cry out of her lips before she could stop herself. She crumbled under the death glare of the ogre, a soft sob escaping from her mouth. Where was she? And why?
* * *
"I can see your future, Shi… and your future is death." Yoko snarled, lifting his whip to his face, evenly spacing his feet in a stance. His mouth twitched upward in a cocky smile, his fox ears perking up in a defiant way. His sudden carefree spirit seemed to dare Shi to touch him, to attack, to attempt to shatter the Yoko's fun.
Shi did not comply, instead, he seemed to wait for something. Had the Yoko know a rather sleepy, curious Shanta was on her way to that very room, looking for her friend with a worried look, he would have stopped her. The last thing he needed was another nigen to care for. But his focus was upon Shi, every ounce of his soul, mind, and strength. So when the girl stumbled into the room, her brown eyes wide, it through Kurama off.
Shi's eyes fell upon her person, a demonic grin spreading acrossed his depraved face. Yoko's face lit up with understanding, his eyes also trailing to Shanta. With a light step, Shi was in the air, his body aimed in her direction. Yoko took flight also, his feet barely skimming the tile floor, his hands reaching out to the unknowing nigen girl. But he found himself skidding into the wall, his palms saving him the pain of a face-plant. He jerked his head to the side, his long, silver hair blowing acrossed his face. Shi was already in his former position, Shanta laying at his feet, obviously unconscious. Her cheek rested on her arm, a slight trail of blood at the corner of her lips. Her hair had fallen from her ponytail, and now covered her face. Yoko let out an angry growl of defeat.
Jessica let out a terrified scream, her hazel eyes wider than Shanta's had been. "LET HER GO!" She screamed, her tone going from horrified to enraged. "I SWEAR TO GOD I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" She strained her wrists against the spirit ropes, and to her eternal surprise, felt them weaken under her stress. "KILL HIM, YOKO!"
"Can do." Yoko smiled at her, a slight encouraging note to his words. Jessica returned the smile gratefully, her's a bit warmer. The angelic fox turned back to Shi, who, in order to infuriate the demon further, kicked Shanta's side, a soft demonic chuckle at his lips. The Yoko bristled, snarling threateningly under his breath. His hand curled up into a fist, his nails biting into his own flesh as his rage colored his eyes scarlet.
Shanta let out a moan, turning over in her sleep, naturally shying away from Shi's foot. Her face was soaked with sweat, evidence of her dreams. Shi stooped, his hand grasping the collar of her shirt, lifting her to eye level. She choked, her face trembling. She was unaware that she suffocating as she slept. Shi gave her a slight shake, longing to hear her scream. Jessica continued to battle with the spirit ropes, her silent war going unnoticed by the A class demon. "… Hold on, Shanta…" She begged, her hazel eyes sparkling with tears. Her rage caused her body to tremble. Her face was inclined, her brown hair blocking her round face from view. Dots of water appeared on the fabric of her shirt, and a sob broke her lips as Shanta cried out in pain. She felt her wrists slip as the bonds were weakened further.
Yoko did not hesitate before diving at Shi, his own rage pushing him into a power level he had used in his fight with Karasu. His feet blurred against the floor, his white shoes touching the ground without sound. He pulled his arm back, his whip flying up in an arc above his head, his body prepared to strike. Shi stood still, undaunted by the fox's sudden attack. His mouth played up in a mocking smile, and with a sweep of his arm, he tossed Shanta. She fell to the floor just to his right, skidding into a bookshelf. She lay still, unconscious, books falling around her as though raining. Just as Yoko swung his arm with vigor only a demon could muster, Shi dodged it, hopping lightly to the side, high over the whip's range of attack. He laphed as Yoko pursued him, pushing off from the floor, his eyes glinting with a thirst of blood. Shi landed beside Jessica, his hands folding behind his back and he whistled mockingly. The fox demon dove at him, again whipping his rose weapon at the mocking laphter, he fell just short of his goal, who had, again, leapt away. Jessica jerked her face up as the whip cut into the wall just above her head, and she stifled the urge to scream. "Sorry about that," Kurama told her, ducking after Shi.
Jessica blinked, chunks of the wall in her hair sliding off her head, "N-No problem?" She muttered and sneezed as a cloud of dust swirled around her face.
"Stop screwing around!" Yoko Kurama bellowed as Shi once more hopped away from the rose whip. Shi did not answer, his eyes closing in innocence, a solemn look coming over his face. Shi lifted his face up and to the side, his grin getting wider. Yoko blinked in perplexity, his brow furrowed in a frown. What the heck was Shi doing? Yoko was unable to fathom the ex-demonslayer's game. Jessica mumbled something softly, getting his attention.
"He's playing with you, Yoko." She murmured, her eyes glowing with a desperate light. "He wants to brake your stance…" She trailed off and resumed her own fight. She lifted her feet, placing the soles of her shoes on the wall behind her, folding her legs. She pushed off with every ounce of strength she could muster, which wasn't even close to enough to brake the blackened ropes of energy. She lifted her eyes to the battle, or game of tag, more like it, watching as Yoko Kurama grew more and more frustrated, and Shi more childish. As the fox demon staged another attack, Shi stuck his tongue out at him, further infuriating him.
Shi's plan seemed to be working. He was getting into the fox's head, plaguing him with such child like antics. He fell to the tile floor, one knee cracking on the tiles, his left palm skimming the floor infront of him, kicking up ancient dust that swirled around him in a billowing cloud. Yoko landed at his side, jerking his arm in his direction, the whip swinging at Shi's head. Shi gritted his teeth, pushing off from the floor with a snarl of surprise. The whip caught his arm, the thorns tearing into his flesh. He spun away, falling to the ground with blood spewing from his wound in a spiral of red. He hit with a soft cuss word, Yoko on him in a moment. Shi grinned, up in an instant, behind Kurama in half another. He grabbed the fighter's arms, pulling them behind his back. Yoko let out a string of angry words, pure hate in each one. Shi chuckled, jerking the demon back into him, placing his face just beside his, and whispered in his ear, "Poor Kurama, you can't seem to understand. You cannot beat me."
His fox ears gave a little twitch as Yoko shuddered at the whisper in his ear. It sent Goosebumps up and down the skin on his arms. It felt as though some one was running an ice cube up and down his spine, the sharp cold burning his back. The evil that dripped from those words… "I'm really can't win," He said, to soft for anyone to hear. Fear colored his eyes dull, his mouth closing in a tight line. He felt his mind slip into a freezer of sorts, the thought of death paralyzing his thoughts. Shi's long, sharply edged nails cut into his arms. Blood flowed in streams from the wounds, the warmth of the liquid on his skin caused Yoko Kurama to shudder again, the immense contrast between his feelings frightening him. He felt helpless, his mind slipping from demon… To human… "NO!" He fought it, he fought the transformation hard, knowing that if he returned to his human form, he would die, along with Suichii. But it was to late! Strands of silver were replaced with scarlet, his eyes, a glowing yellow, lighting up with green. His power ebbed away, as though he held in it his palm, trying desperately to hold on, only to surrender it willingly. Suichii's mind awoke into his body, the Yoko's last thought pounding in his ears: "If I don't get free, I am going to die…"
Kurama felt the pain well up within him from the wounds Yoko had gotten. The blood flow increased. His nerves seized up, causing him to twitch. He had to get away from Shi's grasp! He struggled against the powerful arms that held him, only to fall to the floor as he released him. His knees cracked painfully on the hard tile. Shi bent over him, lifting his foot to the human's side, delivering a sharp kick to his ribs. Kurama inhaled sharply, his eyes closing in pain. "Die!" Shi thundered fiercely, his face pulled up into the look of a killer, thirsting for a bloodbath. He lifted his arm, high above the human's head, the edge of his hand glowing with a black radiance. His hand descended upon the redhead's neck, the force of his fast movement blowing his clothes around his body, as though they may rip off.
"NNNNOOOO!!!" Jessica screamed, her eyes wide with horror, "KURAMA!!!"
Ohmigosh! Another point for me, I made another cliffhanger!!! Wait until you see the conclusion of the fight… It's a real shocker! *Laphs evilly* I ain't tellin' you nothing until I post it!