The Demon Enchantresses
Chapter Seven
He was running. But he wouldn't make it. He knew he wouldn't. Just a little more, he thought. He couldn't stop running. She was in danger. He had to help her. There was little time, but he would make, he thought. He had to.
He got there. He made it to his destination. But it was too late. He saw him on top of her. He was tearing her clothes off. He ran but fell onto a silky, soft bed of pillows. He kept watching him rape her. He couldn't stand the sounds. But a seductress was sitting across from him. One that looked like Keiko. She moved over to him, and he tried to get up but he couldn't. He was stuck where he was. He could only watch as the man raped his love, and he could do nothing about the seductress doing anything to him.
After a while, when the seductress was done with him, he didn't hear his love's screams of pain anymore. He looked at where she had been. And he gasped. He saw her body not moving. But now he was able to move closer. And he did. And he saw what he was most afraid of seeing. Blood was dripping down the table she lay on. Her eyes were open and looked blankly with horror and pain and sadness, perhaps even confusion. He looked down her body, her nude body since right before he raped her. And he gasped and cried out. He saw huge holes in her chest, blood oozing from her side, marks all over her, and blood was just everywhere. He knew he would have been too late. He knew he wouldn't have been able to save her. But he didn't know that this was going to be the price he'd have to pay...
Yusuke woke up with a start, breathing heavy, perspiration running down his face, back, and chest. He looked to his side and saw Yoshiko there, just the same as when he'd fallen asleep. Tears started running down his cheeks. They were happy tears, because it was just a dream. He had just been dreaming, that's all. But something about that dream seemed real. He didn't know, and he wouldn't until Yoshiko was strong enough to fight again. He wouldn't ask her anything while she was resting. At least, not questions that could give her nightmares like he had just had.
"Yusuke, are you up?" he heard a voice call from the other side of his door.
"Yeah, what do you want?"
"I just heard a scream, and it sounded as if it was yours. Are you two all right in there?" Yusuke realized it was Kurama's voice.
"I'm not sure. The scream was just from a bad dream, I guess." He continued while watching Yoshiko. "But she's in the same state as last night. Nothing better, nothing worse."
"Of course. Would you like some breakfast?"
"I thought Kuwabara ate all the food."
"Well, yes, he did. But I went out early this morning and got some more, after seeing the only thing left was a jar of pickles." Kurama chuckled. "That Kuwabara, he never did like pickles."
Yusuke found himself smiling a little. He got out of bed and put on some comfortable clothes, then unlocked the door. He opened it, looked once more back at Yoshiko, blew her a kiss he knew she would never know he did, sighed, and went to the living room, shutting his door behind him.
"Well, look who's up," Hiei said.
"Yeah, yeah, just shut up. We had a long night last night," Yusuke replied.
"What happened?" Hannah asked.
Yusuke's jaw twitched. "I'd rather not say."
They heard a loud yawn, and saw Kuwabara entering the room.
"So, what's up you guys?" he asked.
"Nothing that concerns you," Hiei said.
"All right shorty, let's go! You still owe me a fight from way back when!" Kuwabara challenged.
"Hm. You're not worth it."
"Gah! I am too! Just you wait and see you little ru-"
"Kuwabara, please," they heard a feminine voice from behind him say.
"Yes, Kusha," Kuwabara obeyed. "So, where did you all go last night? By the time we got home, all of you were gone."
"We went to a carnival, came back, then Yoshiko and I went to get some more food after you ate it all and only left a jar of pickles. I don't know what Kurama did," Yusuke said.
"Okay, then where's Yoshiko?" Kuwabara asked.
"In bed, and don't ask why. I'm not answering any more questions about last night," Yusuke said sternly. He felt his eyes water. Apparently, so did everyone else.
"Yusuke, are you all right?" Hannah asked.
"I'm fine," he replied.
"Breakfast!" Kurama called from the kitchen.
"Oh, boy! Breakfast! Come on, Kusha! Let's eat!" Kuwabara said, and grabbed Kusha's hand and went off for the kitchen.
Hannah looked somewhat confused, and Hiei clarified for her. "He likes food. It's amazing that he isn't fat yet."
"Who was that girl with him?" Hannah asked.
Hiei and Yusuke looked at each other. They didn't know.
"Kuwabara, stop eating so much!" Yusuke said, watching Kuwabara pig out on the breakfast Kurama made that morning.
"Yeah, save some for the rest of us!" Hannah said.
"Careful, Kuwabara. If you eat so much, you might have to go on the Atkins diet," Hiei commented.
Kurama said, "Now Hiei, you know those diets never work."
"Can we stop yacking and start eating?" Hannah asked.
They grabbed a plate and started grabbing food. After they ate, they were back in the living room, just lounging around.
"Hey, Yusuke, would you mind if I were to go see Yoshiko for a bit?" Hannah asked.
"Yeah, sure," he replied. He got up and led her to his room. Everyone else followed them. "She's in her same state," he said quietly.
Hannah moved around the bed toward Yoshiko. She turned Yoshiko on her side to look at her back. "Just as I thought. She's processing the data."
"Huh?" the mob of friends said as they tried to get through the door all at once.
"Oh! Nothing. She'll be fine, don't worry! It just might take a few days..." Hannah trailed off and mumbled the rest to herself.
"Now, what did you say?" Hiei asked. "Don't lie to me, Hannah."
"Damn! I guess I have to tell them. Yoshiko's going to kill me," she mumbled to herself.
Kurama asked, "Why would Yoshiko kill you, Hannah?"
Damn! I forgot they all have good hearing, Hannah thought. So, she explained. "Um, how do I start this?"
Yusuke asked, "Does it have anything to do with absorbing data or something like Yoshiko told me?"
"Well, since I can't read your mind, I guess I'm just going to have to explain this the old fashioned way, with a visual demonstration!" Hannah pulled out a giant pad of paper and began to draw on it. When she was done, she used a pointer and pointed at certain diagrams. "It all starts like this: if you have a special ability like Yoshiko and me-"
"You mean, 'Yoshiko and I'," Kurama corrected.
"Whatever; you sound like my mother, or my little sister. Anyway, if you kill a demon-"she pointed at a picture of a demon, "-you absorb their, um, how do I put this?"
Yusuke asked, "Data?"
"Exactly!" Hannah exclaimed.
"Okay, I'm confused," Kuwabara said.
"You're always confused," Hiei said.
Hannah continued with a glare, "As I was saying, when you absorb data, it takes a little while to process. The more data, the longer it takes. While you're processing data, your body enters in a, how do I put this?"
Kurama asked, "Hibernation? Shutdown? Coma?"
"Something like that," she replied. "Apparently, the data of the demon possessing Kentaro was quite a lot, so Yoshiko will take some time to process it all."
"Okay, I'm really confused. So you're just like a walking, talking computer?" Kuwabara asked.
"I. AM. NOT. A. COMPUTER!" Hannah yelled, then regained her composure.
Yusuke asked, "So the data comes out in a golden aura, right?"
"How'd you know that?" Hannah asked suspiciously.
"Yoshiko said something about it," he replied.
Hannah responded, "Oh, well, in that case, maybe I'll be the one killing her, since we're not suppose to talk about it."
Yusuke quickly leapt to his bed and covered Yoshiko with his body. "You touch her, I'll kill you in a very painful way!"
Hiei then ran to Hannah and responded angrily, "You touch her, and I will be forced to kill you in a very unpleasant, painful way."
Yusuke said, "You just try it!"
"Hiei, as much as I like your support, I don't need your help against him. But fortunately for Yusuke, I don't feel like killing Yoshiko. She is my best friend, after all. As long as she doesn't try killing me for spilling the beans, I won't try to kill her."
Kurama asked somewhat nervously, "Can at least try to keep the peace here? I don't want to have to separate you two like little children." Then they heard a small moan come from the bed.
"Y...Yusuke, why are you on top of me?" said a voice.
"Oooohh, Yusuke!" Hannah said teasingly.
Kuwabara said, "We'll leave you two alone now."
Kurama said, "Yes, I think that would be a brilliant idea."
Hiei and Hannah walked out, but Hannah turned back to say, "Have fun with your nightie!" And Hiei laughed and shut the door.
Yusuke didn't move. He was too angry to move. "All their smart-ass remarks," he said under his breath.
"Yusuke, what's wrong?" It was weak, but audible and still soft and silky.
Yusuke came out of anger when he realized it was Yoshiko's voice. He looked down at her and said, "Yoshiko...are you all right?"
"Yes. Are you?"
Yusuke smiled. "Yeah," he said softly. He lowered his head to be just above hers, when she gasped in pain. "Are you all right?"
"If you could just...get off me for a...moment," she choked out.
"Oh, sorry," he said and got off her and lied next to her. She rolled on her side to face Yusuke and gazed into his eyes while he gazed into hers. Their heads grew closer, but Yusuke made only a quick a peck on her lips and turned to stare at the ceiling.
"Something's bothering you, isn't there?" Yoshiko said.
"Yeah," Yusuke replied. "I had a dream last night, and I don't really want to remember it, but it's been haunting me all day."
"What was it about?"
Now he turned on his side and looked her directly in the eyes again. "It was about you. And that guy in the alley, and a girl that looked a lot like Keiko. The guy was on top of you, ripping your clothes off, and he raped you while Keiko—or whoever it was—tried to seduce me. But after she was done with me, I didn't hear your screams, and I got up and came over to you. But when I got there, you weren't moving. Your eyes were open and filled with horror and pain, and you had holes in your chest and one in your side. Blood was everywhere. And that's when I woke up with a start."
"Yusuke," Yoshiko said quietly. "Oh, Yusuke." She wrapped her arms around him as tears started down both their cheeks.
After a while, she spoke again. "His name is Kentaro."
"Huh?"
"Kentaro. He was my, um, boyfriend, I guess, at home. That's who attacked us in the alley."
"Oh. Why did he want you back, then?"
She shrugged. "I'm not sure. But he just used me."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, when I was home, he would always come over and force me onto the bed. Most especially when I didn't feel like talking to him. He always lied. He thought he was the best warrior there was. But he wasn't. Even the stupidest man—besides him—knew he wasn't. But he would force me on the bed and he would touch me in ways I didn't like." She looked away from Yusuke now. "I always thought that was how it was suppose to be, until I met you." She had tears in her eyes.
"Yoshiko, I...I didn't know. Had I known, I probably wouldn't have treated you the same."
She gave a weak smile. "Just forget about it. I know the truth now, and he's no more. There's no reason to continue these talks. They'll just get us down."
And so, they grew closer to each other, and they kissed, a deep, passionate, loving kiss. One that meant they cared for each other more than anything else. Clothes discarded to the floor on either side of the bed, they shared, once again, the passionate fire that had aroused them.
He got up. He couldn't just let him take her from him. He wouldn't let it happen. He had to think of a way to get her back. But they were gone when he'd awakened, and he wasn't aware of what direction they had gone. But he would find them. He promised that...
Chapter Seven
He was running. But he wouldn't make it. He knew he wouldn't. Just a little more, he thought. He couldn't stop running. She was in danger. He had to help her. There was little time, but he would make, he thought. He had to.
He got there. He made it to his destination. But it was too late. He saw him on top of her. He was tearing her clothes off. He ran but fell onto a silky, soft bed of pillows. He kept watching him rape her. He couldn't stand the sounds. But a seductress was sitting across from him. One that looked like Keiko. She moved over to him, and he tried to get up but he couldn't. He was stuck where he was. He could only watch as the man raped his love, and he could do nothing about the seductress doing anything to him.
After a while, when the seductress was done with him, he didn't hear his love's screams of pain anymore. He looked at where she had been. And he gasped. He saw her body not moving. But now he was able to move closer. And he did. And he saw what he was most afraid of seeing. Blood was dripping down the table she lay on. Her eyes were open and looked blankly with horror and pain and sadness, perhaps even confusion. He looked down her body, her nude body since right before he raped her. And he gasped and cried out. He saw huge holes in her chest, blood oozing from her side, marks all over her, and blood was just everywhere. He knew he would have been too late. He knew he wouldn't have been able to save her. But he didn't know that this was going to be the price he'd have to pay...
Yusuke woke up with a start, breathing heavy, perspiration running down his face, back, and chest. He looked to his side and saw Yoshiko there, just the same as when he'd fallen asleep. Tears started running down his cheeks. They were happy tears, because it was just a dream. He had just been dreaming, that's all. But something about that dream seemed real. He didn't know, and he wouldn't until Yoshiko was strong enough to fight again. He wouldn't ask her anything while she was resting. At least, not questions that could give her nightmares like he had just had.
"Yusuke, are you up?" he heard a voice call from the other side of his door.
"Yeah, what do you want?"
"I just heard a scream, and it sounded as if it was yours. Are you two all right in there?" Yusuke realized it was Kurama's voice.
"I'm not sure. The scream was just from a bad dream, I guess." He continued while watching Yoshiko. "But she's in the same state as last night. Nothing better, nothing worse."
"Of course. Would you like some breakfast?"
"I thought Kuwabara ate all the food."
"Well, yes, he did. But I went out early this morning and got some more, after seeing the only thing left was a jar of pickles." Kurama chuckled. "That Kuwabara, he never did like pickles."
Yusuke found himself smiling a little. He got out of bed and put on some comfortable clothes, then unlocked the door. He opened it, looked once more back at Yoshiko, blew her a kiss he knew she would never know he did, sighed, and went to the living room, shutting his door behind him.
"Well, look who's up," Hiei said.
"Yeah, yeah, just shut up. We had a long night last night," Yusuke replied.
"What happened?" Hannah asked.
Yusuke's jaw twitched. "I'd rather not say."
They heard a loud yawn, and saw Kuwabara entering the room.
"So, what's up you guys?" he asked.
"Nothing that concerns you," Hiei said.
"All right shorty, let's go! You still owe me a fight from way back when!" Kuwabara challenged.
"Hm. You're not worth it."
"Gah! I am too! Just you wait and see you little ru-"
"Kuwabara, please," they heard a feminine voice from behind him say.
"Yes, Kusha," Kuwabara obeyed. "So, where did you all go last night? By the time we got home, all of you were gone."
"We went to a carnival, came back, then Yoshiko and I went to get some more food after you ate it all and only left a jar of pickles. I don't know what Kurama did," Yusuke said.
"Okay, then where's Yoshiko?" Kuwabara asked.
"In bed, and don't ask why. I'm not answering any more questions about last night," Yusuke said sternly. He felt his eyes water. Apparently, so did everyone else.
"Yusuke, are you all right?" Hannah asked.
"I'm fine," he replied.
"Breakfast!" Kurama called from the kitchen.
"Oh, boy! Breakfast! Come on, Kusha! Let's eat!" Kuwabara said, and grabbed Kusha's hand and went off for the kitchen.
Hannah looked somewhat confused, and Hiei clarified for her. "He likes food. It's amazing that he isn't fat yet."
"Who was that girl with him?" Hannah asked.
Hiei and Yusuke looked at each other. They didn't know.
"Kuwabara, stop eating so much!" Yusuke said, watching Kuwabara pig out on the breakfast Kurama made that morning.
"Yeah, save some for the rest of us!" Hannah said.
"Careful, Kuwabara. If you eat so much, you might have to go on the Atkins diet," Hiei commented.
Kurama said, "Now Hiei, you know those diets never work."
"Can we stop yacking and start eating?" Hannah asked.
They grabbed a plate and started grabbing food. After they ate, they were back in the living room, just lounging around.
"Hey, Yusuke, would you mind if I were to go see Yoshiko for a bit?" Hannah asked.
"Yeah, sure," he replied. He got up and led her to his room. Everyone else followed them. "She's in her same state," he said quietly.
Hannah moved around the bed toward Yoshiko. She turned Yoshiko on her side to look at her back. "Just as I thought. She's processing the data."
"Huh?" the mob of friends said as they tried to get through the door all at once.
"Oh! Nothing. She'll be fine, don't worry! It just might take a few days..." Hannah trailed off and mumbled the rest to herself.
"Now, what did you say?" Hiei asked. "Don't lie to me, Hannah."
"Damn! I guess I have to tell them. Yoshiko's going to kill me," she mumbled to herself.
Kurama asked, "Why would Yoshiko kill you, Hannah?"
Damn! I forgot they all have good hearing, Hannah thought. So, she explained. "Um, how do I start this?"
Yusuke asked, "Does it have anything to do with absorbing data or something like Yoshiko told me?"
"Well, since I can't read your mind, I guess I'm just going to have to explain this the old fashioned way, with a visual demonstration!" Hannah pulled out a giant pad of paper and began to draw on it. When she was done, she used a pointer and pointed at certain diagrams. "It all starts like this: if you have a special ability like Yoshiko and me-"
"You mean, 'Yoshiko and I'," Kurama corrected.
"Whatever; you sound like my mother, or my little sister. Anyway, if you kill a demon-"she pointed at a picture of a demon, "-you absorb their, um, how do I put this?"
Yusuke asked, "Data?"
"Exactly!" Hannah exclaimed.
"Okay, I'm confused," Kuwabara said.
"You're always confused," Hiei said.
Hannah continued with a glare, "As I was saying, when you absorb data, it takes a little while to process. The more data, the longer it takes. While you're processing data, your body enters in a, how do I put this?"
Kurama asked, "Hibernation? Shutdown? Coma?"
"Something like that," she replied. "Apparently, the data of the demon possessing Kentaro was quite a lot, so Yoshiko will take some time to process it all."
"Okay, I'm really confused. So you're just like a walking, talking computer?" Kuwabara asked.
"I. AM. NOT. A. COMPUTER!" Hannah yelled, then regained her composure.
Yusuke asked, "So the data comes out in a golden aura, right?"
"How'd you know that?" Hannah asked suspiciously.
"Yoshiko said something about it," he replied.
Hannah responded, "Oh, well, in that case, maybe I'll be the one killing her, since we're not suppose to talk about it."
Yusuke quickly leapt to his bed and covered Yoshiko with his body. "You touch her, I'll kill you in a very painful way!"
Hiei then ran to Hannah and responded angrily, "You touch her, and I will be forced to kill you in a very unpleasant, painful way."
Yusuke said, "You just try it!"
"Hiei, as much as I like your support, I don't need your help against him. But fortunately for Yusuke, I don't feel like killing Yoshiko. She is my best friend, after all. As long as she doesn't try killing me for spilling the beans, I won't try to kill her."
Kurama asked somewhat nervously, "Can at least try to keep the peace here? I don't want to have to separate you two like little children." Then they heard a small moan come from the bed.
"Y...Yusuke, why are you on top of me?" said a voice.
"Oooohh, Yusuke!" Hannah said teasingly.
Kuwabara said, "We'll leave you two alone now."
Kurama said, "Yes, I think that would be a brilliant idea."
Hiei and Hannah walked out, but Hannah turned back to say, "Have fun with your nightie!" And Hiei laughed and shut the door.
Yusuke didn't move. He was too angry to move. "All their smart-ass remarks," he said under his breath.
"Yusuke, what's wrong?" It was weak, but audible and still soft and silky.
Yusuke came out of anger when he realized it was Yoshiko's voice. He looked down at her and said, "Yoshiko...are you all right?"
"Yes. Are you?"
Yusuke smiled. "Yeah," he said softly. He lowered his head to be just above hers, when she gasped in pain. "Are you all right?"
"If you could just...get off me for a...moment," she choked out.
"Oh, sorry," he said and got off her and lied next to her. She rolled on her side to face Yusuke and gazed into his eyes while he gazed into hers. Their heads grew closer, but Yusuke made only a quick a peck on her lips and turned to stare at the ceiling.
"Something's bothering you, isn't there?" Yoshiko said.
"Yeah," Yusuke replied. "I had a dream last night, and I don't really want to remember it, but it's been haunting me all day."
"What was it about?"
Now he turned on his side and looked her directly in the eyes again. "It was about you. And that guy in the alley, and a girl that looked a lot like Keiko. The guy was on top of you, ripping your clothes off, and he raped you while Keiko—or whoever it was—tried to seduce me. But after she was done with me, I didn't hear your screams, and I got up and came over to you. But when I got there, you weren't moving. Your eyes were open and filled with horror and pain, and you had holes in your chest and one in your side. Blood was everywhere. And that's when I woke up with a start."
"Yusuke," Yoshiko said quietly. "Oh, Yusuke." She wrapped her arms around him as tears started down both their cheeks.
After a while, she spoke again. "His name is Kentaro."
"Huh?"
"Kentaro. He was my, um, boyfriend, I guess, at home. That's who attacked us in the alley."
"Oh. Why did he want you back, then?"
She shrugged. "I'm not sure. But he just used me."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, when I was home, he would always come over and force me onto the bed. Most especially when I didn't feel like talking to him. He always lied. He thought he was the best warrior there was. But he wasn't. Even the stupidest man—besides him—knew he wasn't. But he would force me on the bed and he would touch me in ways I didn't like." She looked away from Yusuke now. "I always thought that was how it was suppose to be, until I met you." She had tears in her eyes.
"Yoshiko, I...I didn't know. Had I known, I probably wouldn't have treated you the same."
She gave a weak smile. "Just forget about it. I know the truth now, and he's no more. There's no reason to continue these talks. They'll just get us down."
And so, they grew closer to each other, and they kissed, a deep, passionate, loving kiss. One that meant they cared for each other more than anything else. Clothes discarded to the floor on either side of the bed, they shared, once again, the passionate fire that had aroused them.
He got up. He couldn't just let him take her from him. He wouldn't let it happen. He had to think of a way to get her back. But they were gone when he'd awakened, and he wasn't aware of what direction they had gone. But he would find them. He promised that...