Chapter 5
Trial Run?
Kuroune's sleep was blissfully free of dreams, something he appreciated greatly. As he slowly woke up he stretched, taking note that his wings opened twice as much as they had the last time he moved them. The gash on his side only throbbed slightly and his back only ached in a few places, but otherwise felt fine. The winged demon opened his eyes, expecting to see Kurama next to him. The bed, and room, were suspiciously empty. As Kuroune eased himself into a sitting position, a cold round object knocked into his hand. He picked it up, examining the item more closely. It was a frosted crystal globe that was half the size of his fist. Kuroune stared at the ball for a few minutes, wondering why it would be on Kurama's bed.
"That is what you were talking about earlier, right?"
The winged demon whipped his head around to find Kurama leaning against the entrance. "Earlier? ......Oh!" Kuroune rubbed as his temples, fighting to shove the last remnants of sleep from his groggy mind. "Yeah, it's exactly what I needed." Kuroune paused, keeping his head down to hide his smirk. Not saying thank you right away for what ever Kurama gave him drove the kitsune batty. Strange for a demon who lives by stealing to be so concerned about politeness. "Thanks."
Kurama shrugged, "anything to keep you from using that damned light again." The silver haired youko left the room then returned seconds later with a box. "Here, you should eat before we leave. How are you feeling?"
"What? Where are we going?"
"We're partners, are we not? So lets go out and steal something as a trial run. Unless you're not feeling up to it." Kurama didn't bother looking back at his bed while he walked across the room to fetch a kit filled with various lock picking tools.
"Just like that? Go off and steal something?"
"Feh, it's not the most complicated thing in this world... as long as you're with someone who knows what they're doing. I happen to know a place that isn't too horribly guarded, but still a slight challenge. It'll be a good place to begin." The kitsune tucked the leather kit into a pocket inside his robes, near is chest. The kit was thin and small enough not to be noticed any where he put it.
"Sounds good..." He said around a mouthful of cheesy bread. On instinct he held up his left hand and caught the bundle that Kurama tossed at his head, not even fully paying attention to what was being thrown. After popping another piece of bread into his mouth he examined the bundle. They were robes like Kurama's, colored a grey-ish blue except for the sash, which was a bright shade of sky blue. Kuroune wrinkled his nose. "First thing we're doing after this hit is getting me some new clothes."
"I whole heartedly agree. I'm tired of loaning my clothes out to such an ungrateful mooch." Kurama sighed as he walked back to the bed, standing in front of the winged demon.
"I won't be a mooch for much longer, I'll be earning my keep from now on."
"There are other ways," the kitsune lifted Kuroune's chin so the demon looked up at him while Kurama said sensually, "for you to earn your keep." Kuroune growled and tried to smack away Kurama's hand but the kitsune grabbed his wrist and shoved him onto his back. "What's wrong Kuroune? This a perfect way to warm up before ransacking." The kitsune eased both knees on to the bed, each beside Kuroune's thighs, and bent down to nuzzle the side of the winged demon's neck.
"Get off me!" Kuroune said harshly, but didn't make a move to remove the kitsune from on top his body.
Kurama sighed and complied, raising himself to sit on Kuroune's thighs. "What's wrong?" The silver youko chuckled and gestured to Kuroune's pants. "It seems you were enjoying yourself, so why stop?"
The black haired demon sat up, bringing his face inches from Kurama's. "We're partners, that's all you'll get out of me........ for now." Kuroune fought to keep his hands on the bed instead of pushing the kitsune off of him. No one had bothered to pursue him like this, so it wasn't something he was used to. While he was fully aware of his attraction to the beautiful youko, he wasn't willing to give in to such lustful feelings, not until it felt right to him.
"Hm. We'll see, won't we?"
"Yeah..." Kuroune mumbled as he glared at Kurama. "Wait, I have a question... Did you use that herb water on my back the first time I was hurt?"
"Hm, just now figuring that out?"
"Why?"
Kurama paused then shrugged, giving Kuroune a devilish grin as he leaned forward to kiss the winged demon's lips. "I thought you'd make a wonderful sex toy." The kitsune hopped off of Kuroune's lap and walked towards the door. "When you're dressed, meet me in the main cavern."
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Stealthily they crept through the dense forest, circling around the compound to find a weakness in the barrier. Kuroune sniffed the air appreciatively. It had been over two weeks since he had smelt fresh air.
They had made a full circle around the large buildings but had found no visible flaws in the blue dome that shielded the compound. Kurama tapped his fingers along his crossed arms as he thought. "We could dig... but the shield probably exists for a league or two underground."
"I have an idea... I'll be right back." Kuroune swiftly moved up the tree they had been standing in until he reached the top. It wasn't tall enough for his purpose so he opened his wings and prayed to what ever god that might listen. After a few halting beats his wings finally caught on and started to carry him higher. He had timed his take off well, the guards were changing duties and were too busy to pay attention to the speck in the sky. Just as Kuroune thought, the shield had a flaw at the top, a dimple that more than likely meant a weakness and probably where the shield was generated. At least, that's what he hoped it meant. Carefully winging down to the top of the tree he just left, Kuroune made a less than graceful landing. He didn't fall, and was glad he had a hold of the branch just as his poor wings gave out. They ached fiercely but he chose to ignore that for the moment. Just as he was beginning his descent to where the kitsune stood there was a metallic groan, then a loud boom. One of the walls blew out, causing all the guards to run to that area.
"Looks like someone else had the same idea... Pity." The kitsune said into his ear as he jumped to the same branch as Kuroune. "This could prove informative, if we know how long it takes them to react, then we... Hey! Are you even listening to me?" Kurama smacked his arm.
The thief was running across the wide yard, a small sack clutched in his fist. That wasn't what had caught his attention, it was the thief's appearance that made Kuroune's heart beat loudly. He had short blonde hair, spiked at odd angles and green eyes that sparkled with determination. Two leathery wings flapped behind him as he ran.
"Family of yours?" The youko asked bluntly after he looked up. The shield was being attacked a little to the right of where the two were hidden. The demon attacking from the outside had long black hair, the light of his blasts glinting off his blue eyes. "I can tell... That one has your hair, and the same type of wings."
"Yeah... That would be my little brother, Kisu." Kuroune pointed to the one running towards the shield. "The one blasting the shield is my elder brother Mentou."
"What I can't get is why the little one isn't flying..."
"Heh, Kisu always sucked at flying. He doesn't have enough strength to lift himself up for very long, let alone get any sort of speed. In the air he'd be a slow moving target, but on ground he's quicker than most... But what are they doing here?"
Kurama flicked his ear. "What the hell do THINK they're doing here? Jeeze, you see your brothers for a few seconds and your intelligence drops a few points..." The kitsune frowned as he saw Kuroune's whitening knuckles clutching at the tree. "Go say hi... or is that the problem?" He waited for the winged demon to respond, but got impatient when Kuroune remained quiet. "Look, decide right now. Either we help them, or not. Just knocking into the shield isn't going to do anything... There's a control box for the outer guards just below us. I could drop the shield and let him out."
"Why didn't you say so when we were FIRST looking for a way in?"
Kurama sighed, glancing at the advancing guards. "Idiot, this was supposed to be a test... But there's no time for that now, should we help or not?"
Kuroune lowered his head. "Yes."
The kitsune dove out of the tree, jumping and somersaulting his way to the ground. Luckily the box was close to the tree, so it only took a few quick breathes for Kurama to break into the box and drop the shield. Mentou glanced down at Kurama, but quickly returned to his blasting, this time the guards chasing his brother were his targets. As the small short haired winged demon ran past Kurama, he manipulated the wires into raising the azure shield once more. The kitsune rose, smiling as he waved to the angry guards. "Tough luck." Just as he turned to check on Kisu the youko was knocked off his feat by a blast. Kurama growled, reaching into his hair for a seed.
"Stop it Tou!" Kuroune jumped between his brothers and Kurama. Kisu gasped and nearly dropped the item he had just stolen has he ran toward his big brother. Mentou landed a little behind Kisu and grabbed one of his wings, knocking him onto his rear.
"We don't have time for traitors Kisu. Let's go. Father will angry if we're late." Fear lit Kisu's eyes as he nodded, lowering his head. Mentou kicked at the boy to get up as he walked past him, heading towards Kuroune.
"I am NOT a traitor just because I left home." Kuroune growled, balling his hands into fists.
"No? .... But you left us behind. You could have snuck us out... you could have at the very least taken Kisu with you. Instead, all you thought about was yourself."
Kurama snickered rising to his feet. "Bitch, bitch, bitch... This is the Makai, not the Ningenkai. Get over it."
Mentou glared at Kurama, who smirked back at him, unfazed by the other demon. Choosing to ignore the kitsune, Mentou stalked towards Kurama and Kuroune, his voice barely a whisper as he stopped in front of his younger brother. "Kisu is father's favorite now that he doesn't have you to fuck with anymore. Imagine everything father did to you and Sesui, now happening to Kisu twice as badly. He's weak and the last few times father's paid attention to him, he ended up being within a knife's width of dying. How's it feel to be killing the part of your family that actually likes you?"
"Shut up." Kuroune slapped Mentou with the back of his fist, knocking his brother to his feet.
Mentou rubbed at his face, getting up slowly. "How many does this make Kuro? Four of our YOUNG brothers met horrible deaths just because you wouldn't call father master. Relita died for you too, so I guess Kisu will make six."
The elder brother's head met with the dirt as Kuroune dove at him, pummeling his face. "Don't you ever mention her name again! You didn't do anything to stop him either!" Kuroune suddenly stopped mid-swing, turning to his new partner. These were things he didn't want anyone knowing, especially Kurama. Taking in a deep breath, he got off the bleeding demon and walked towards Kisu. He raised his hand to his little brother's cheek, leaning forward to whisper in his ear. "I wish I could take you with me right now, but I can't... I just need to get a little stronger, then I'll face our father. I swear I'll come back for you later, Kisu. Just give me a little more time." Kuroune took a step back then turned around to look at the kitsune, daring him to say anything derogatory. It was rare to see anyone in the Makai being sweet or caring by nature, but Kisu was just that. He came from a different mother, one that was given to his father as a gift because she cried easily and begged often. Kuroune remembered covering his little brother's ears at night as their father played with Kisu's mother...
"You're so full of shit..." Mentou spat, dragging Kuroune's attention back to his elder brother. "Father was right, you're weak... And you're scared of him. You'll never come back for Kisu, or any of us." He stared coldly at Kisu, "come on!"
Kisu briefly hugged Kuroune's arm, looking up at him as he whispered, "I trust you." Then he ran to where Mentou was standing.
"Oh, and Kuroune?" Mentou raised his hand, pointing it at Kuroune. "A little show of how I really feel about you, just in case you didn't know..." In a movement that couldn't be caught by normal eyes, the demon switched his target to Kurama and shot off a large ball of ki. It was purple and almost twice as tall as the kitsune. He tried to dodge by diving to the left, but the blast caught his legs. It sent him spinning into a tree, his back smacking into the trunk with a sickening thud. "Next time, that'll be you..." Mentou laughed as he ran back into the forest, Kisu chasing his heels.
Kuroune growled and was about to chase after Mentou when he noticed the guards working the controls on the other side, probably about to drop the shield. He cursed to himself then ran over to Kurama, who was unconscious. Being mindful of his still healing injuries, he hefted the oddly light kitsune over his shoulder then took to the trees, heading back towards Kurama's den.
Trial Run?
Kuroune's sleep was blissfully free of dreams, something he appreciated greatly. As he slowly woke up he stretched, taking note that his wings opened twice as much as they had the last time he moved them. The gash on his side only throbbed slightly and his back only ached in a few places, but otherwise felt fine. The winged demon opened his eyes, expecting to see Kurama next to him. The bed, and room, were suspiciously empty. As Kuroune eased himself into a sitting position, a cold round object knocked into his hand. He picked it up, examining the item more closely. It was a frosted crystal globe that was half the size of his fist. Kuroune stared at the ball for a few minutes, wondering why it would be on Kurama's bed.
"That is what you were talking about earlier, right?"
The winged demon whipped his head around to find Kurama leaning against the entrance. "Earlier? ......Oh!" Kuroune rubbed as his temples, fighting to shove the last remnants of sleep from his groggy mind. "Yeah, it's exactly what I needed." Kuroune paused, keeping his head down to hide his smirk. Not saying thank you right away for what ever Kurama gave him drove the kitsune batty. Strange for a demon who lives by stealing to be so concerned about politeness. "Thanks."
Kurama shrugged, "anything to keep you from using that damned light again." The silver haired youko left the room then returned seconds later with a box. "Here, you should eat before we leave. How are you feeling?"
"What? Where are we going?"
"We're partners, are we not? So lets go out and steal something as a trial run. Unless you're not feeling up to it." Kurama didn't bother looking back at his bed while he walked across the room to fetch a kit filled with various lock picking tools.
"Just like that? Go off and steal something?"
"Feh, it's not the most complicated thing in this world... as long as you're with someone who knows what they're doing. I happen to know a place that isn't too horribly guarded, but still a slight challenge. It'll be a good place to begin." The kitsune tucked the leather kit into a pocket inside his robes, near is chest. The kit was thin and small enough not to be noticed any where he put it.
"Sounds good..." He said around a mouthful of cheesy bread. On instinct he held up his left hand and caught the bundle that Kurama tossed at his head, not even fully paying attention to what was being thrown. After popping another piece of bread into his mouth he examined the bundle. They were robes like Kurama's, colored a grey-ish blue except for the sash, which was a bright shade of sky blue. Kuroune wrinkled his nose. "First thing we're doing after this hit is getting me some new clothes."
"I whole heartedly agree. I'm tired of loaning my clothes out to such an ungrateful mooch." Kurama sighed as he walked back to the bed, standing in front of the winged demon.
"I won't be a mooch for much longer, I'll be earning my keep from now on."
"There are other ways," the kitsune lifted Kuroune's chin so the demon looked up at him while Kurama said sensually, "for you to earn your keep." Kuroune growled and tried to smack away Kurama's hand but the kitsune grabbed his wrist and shoved him onto his back. "What's wrong Kuroune? This a perfect way to warm up before ransacking." The kitsune eased both knees on to the bed, each beside Kuroune's thighs, and bent down to nuzzle the side of the winged demon's neck.
"Get off me!" Kuroune said harshly, but didn't make a move to remove the kitsune from on top his body.
Kurama sighed and complied, raising himself to sit on Kuroune's thighs. "What's wrong?" The silver youko chuckled and gestured to Kuroune's pants. "It seems you were enjoying yourself, so why stop?"
The black haired demon sat up, bringing his face inches from Kurama's. "We're partners, that's all you'll get out of me........ for now." Kuroune fought to keep his hands on the bed instead of pushing the kitsune off of him. No one had bothered to pursue him like this, so it wasn't something he was used to. While he was fully aware of his attraction to the beautiful youko, he wasn't willing to give in to such lustful feelings, not until it felt right to him.
"Hm. We'll see, won't we?"
"Yeah..." Kuroune mumbled as he glared at Kurama. "Wait, I have a question... Did you use that herb water on my back the first time I was hurt?"
"Hm, just now figuring that out?"
"Why?"
Kurama paused then shrugged, giving Kuroune a devilish grin as he leaned forward to kiss the winged demon's lips. "I thought you'd make a wonderful sex toy." The kitsune hopped off of Kuroune's lap and walked towards the door. "When you're dressed, meet me in the main cavern."
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Stealthily they crept through the dense forest, circling around the compound to find a weakness in the barrier. Kuroune sniffed the air appreciatively. It had been over two weeks since he had smelt fresh air.
They had made a full circle around the large buildings but had found no visible flaws in the blue dome that shielded the compound. Kurama tapped his fingers along his crossed arms as he thought. "We could dig... but the shield probably exists for a league or two underground."
"I have an idea... I'll be right back." Kuroune swiftly moved up the tree they had been standing in until he reached the top. It wasn't tall enough for his purpose so he opened his wings and prayed to what ever god that might listen. After a few halting beats his wings finally caught on and started to carry him higher. He had timed his take off well, the guards were changing duties and were too busy to pay attention to the speck in the sky. Just as Kuroune thought, the shield had a flaw at the top, a dimple that more than likely meant a weakness and probably where the shield was generated. At least, that's what he hoped it meant. Carefully winging down to the top of the tree he just left, Kuroune made a less than graceful landing. He didn't fall, and was glad he had a hold of the branch just as his poor wings gave out. They ached fiercely but he chose to ignore that for the moment. Just as he was beginning his descent to where the kitsune stood there was a metallic groan, then a loud boom. One of the walls blew out, causing all the guards to run to that area.
"Looks like someone else had the same idea... Pity." The kitsune said into his ear as he jumped to the same branch as Kuroune. "This could prove informative, if we know how long it takes them to react, then we... Hey! Are you even listening to me?" Kurama smacked his arm.
The thief was running across the wide yard, a small sack clutched in his fist. That wasn't what had caught his attention, it was the thief's appearance that made Kuroune's heart beat loudly. He had short blonde hair, spiked at odd angles and green eyes that sparkled with determination. Two leathery wings flapped behind him as he ran.
"Family of yours?" The youko asked bluntly after he looked up. The shield was being attacked a little to the right of where the two were hidden. The demon attacking from the outside had long black hair, the light of his blasts glinting off his blue eyes. "I can tell... That one has your hair, and the same type of wings."
"Yeah... That would be my little brother, Kisu." Kuroune pointed to the one running towards the shield. "The one blasting the shield is my elder brother Mentou."
"What I can't get is why the little one isn't flying..."
"Heh, Kisu always sucked at flying. He doesn't have enough strength to lift himself up for very long, let alone get any sort of speed. In the air he'd be a slow moving target, but on ground he's quicker than most... But what are they doing here?"
Kurama flicked his ear. "What the hell do THINK they're doing here? Jeeze, you see your brothers for a few seconds and your intelligence drops a few points..." The kitsune frowned as he saw Kuroune's whitening knuckles clutching at the tree. "Go say hi... or is that the problem?" He waited for the winged demon to respond, but got impatient when Kuroune remained quiet. "Look, decide right now. Either we help them, or not. Just knocking into the shield isn't going to do anything... There's a control box for the outer guards just below us. I could drop the shield and let him out."
"Why didn't you say so when we were FIRST looking for a way in?"
Kurama sighed, glancing at the advancing guards. "Idiot, this was supposed to be a test... But there's no time for that now, should we help or not?"
Kuroune lowered his head. "Yes."
The kitsune dove out of the tree, jumping and somersaulting his way to the ground. Luckily the box was close to the tree, so it only took a few quick breathes for Kurama to break into the box and drop the shield. Mentou glanced down at Kurama, but quickly returned to his blasting, this time the guards chasing his brother were his targets. As the small short haired winged demon ran past Kurama, he manipulated the wires into raising the azure shield once more. The kitsune rose, smiling as he waved to the angry guards. "Tough luck." Just as he turned to check on Kisu the youko was knocked off his feat by a blast. Kurama growled, reaching into his hair for a seed.
"Stop it Tou!" Kuroune jumped between his brothers and Kurama. Kisu gasped and nearly dropped the item he had just stolen has he ran toward his big brother. Mentou landed a little behind Kisu and grabbed one of his wings, knocking him onto his rear.
"We don't have time for traitors Kisu. Let's go. Father will angry if we're late." Fear lit Kisu's eyes as he nodded, lowering his head. Mentou kicked at the boy to get up as he walked past him, heading towards Kuroune.
"I am NOT a traitor just because I left home." Kuroune growled, balling his hands into fists.
"No? .... But you left us behind. You could have snuck us out... you could have at the very least taken Kisu with you. Instead, all you thought about was yourself."
Kurama snickered rising to his feet. "Bitch, bitch, bitch... This is the Makai, not the Ningenkai. Get over it."
Mentou glared at Kurama, who smirked back at him, unfazed by the other demon. Choosing to ignore the kitsune, Mentou stalked towards Kurama and Kuroune, his voice barely a whisper as he stopped in front of his younger brother. "Kisu is father's favorite now that he doesn't have you to fuck with anymore. Imagine everything father did to you and Sesui, now happening to Kisu twice as badly. He's weak and the last few times father's paid attention to him, he ended up being within a knife's width of dying. How's it feel to be killing the part of your family that actually likes you?"
"Shut up." Kuroune slapped Mentou with the back of his fist, knocking his brother to his feet.
Mentou rubbed at his face, getting up slowly. "How many does this make Kuro? Four of our YOUNG brothers met horrible deaths just because you wouldn't call father master. Relita died for you too, so I guess Kisu will make six."
The elder brother's head met with the dirt as Kuroune dove at him, pummeling his face. "Don't you ever mention her name again! You didn't do anything to stop him either!" Kuroune suddenly stopped mid-swing, turning to his new partner. These were things he didn't want anyone knowing, especially Kurama. Taking in a deep breath, he got off the bleeding demon and walked towards Kisu. He raised his hand to his little brother's cheek, leaning forward to whisper in his ear. "I wish I could take you with me right now, but I can't... I just need to get a little stronger, then I'll face our father. I swear I'll come back for you later, Kisu. Just give me a little more time." Kuroune took a step back then turned around to look at the kitsune, daring him to say anything derogatory. It was rare to see anyone in the Makai being sweet or caring by nature, but Kisu was just that. He came from a different mother, one that was given to his father as a gift because she cried easily and begged often. Kuroune remembered covering his little brother's ears at night as their father played with Kisu's mother...
"You're so full of shit..." Mentou spat, dragging Kuroune's attention back to his elder brother. "Father was right, you're weak... And you're scared of him. You'll never come back for Kisu, or any of us." He stared coldly at Kisu, "come on!"
Kisu briefly hugged Kuroune's arm, looking up at him as he whispered, "I trust you." Then he ran to where Mentou was standing.
"Oh, and Kuroune?" Mentou raised his hand, pointing it at Kuroune. "A little show of how I really feel about you, just in case you didn't know..." In a movement that couldn't be caught by normal eyes, the demon switched his target to Kurama and shot off a large ball of ki. It was purple and almost twice as tall as the kitsune. He tried to dodge by diving to the left, but the blast caught his legs. It sent him spinning into a tree, his back smacking into the trunk with a sickening thud. "Next time, that'll be you..." Mentou laughed as he ran back into the forest, Kisu chasing his heels.
Kuroune growled and was about to chase after Mentou when he noticed the guards working the controls on the other side, probably about to drop the shield. He cursed to himself then ran over to Kurama, who was unconscious. Being mindful of his still healing injuries, he hefted the oddly light kitsune over his shoulder then took to the trees, heading back towards Kurama's den.