The Demon Enchantresses
Chapter Eighteen
He screamed. He screamed because of the fire wall he had been surrounded in. He cried out, hoping someone would hear him. But no one came. He only heard a laugh. A female laugh. 'Yoshiko,' he thought. He knew what was coming. She would be coming, torturing him, laughing at him, hating him. He couldn't stand that. He loved her too much to even think about that. But how could he change this? How could he make her on his side?
He jumped, dodging a dagger that was thrown at him from the other side of the fire wall. More daggers flew at him, and as he tried to dodge them all, a few hit him. One in the leg, one in the arm, one in the back, and one on each of his sides. He fell to the ground with a thud, bleeding to no end. The daggers had hit him hard. Too hard. He didn't know she could throw like that. But then again, he didn't know a whole lot about her fighting strength.
He got to his feet, just barely, and staggered toward where the daggers came from. A small shriek sounded, and he saw her run through the fire. She ran towards him, and almost ran into his arms, but stopped short, her eyes turning a blurred gray, and her body stiffening. She wasn't moving. He didn't know if she was even alive anymore. But then she looked right at him, her eyes still the blurred gray, her body still stiff, and she somehow managed to point at him.
Her lips moved, but there was no sound from her. Only his rapid breathing and the crackle and flare of the fire. Then she fell and hit the ground hard. She wasn't moving. And he fell, right next to her, one of his arms crossing over her back in a protective and sorrowful way. His eyes closed, and he saw eternal darkness...
Yusuke awoke with a start, nearly throwing himself out of bed from the impact his dream gave him. He was sweating, breathing heavily. He repeatedly saw his dream as he blankly stared at the wall before him. He hoped that his dream would never come true.
"Yusuke?" Hannah asked. Yusuke didn't answer. He just kept staring at the wall.
Kurama stepped next to Yusuke and laid a hand on him. "Yusuke, are you all right?" Still no answer.
A small laugh sounded behind them. "He got shocked from his dream, and now he's unconscious from it!" Kentaro laughed. He got a glare from Kurama and Hannah.
"Kurama, you try to wake Yusuke up. I'm going to pound his face in," Hannah said, punching one fist into her open palm of her other hand, and glaring at Kentaro.
"Perhaps you should relax a while, Hannah. We've stayed up most of the night," Kurama said. "It's unwise to enter a fight on such little sleep and not enough nutrition."
"He's just the same as us!" Hannah countered.
"Do you even remember his powers?" Kurama came back.
Hannah thought a moment, and her shoulders relaxed. "I suppose not exactly," she said. She punched her palm one more time, then stood by Yusuke.
A soft groan sounded from the bed, and they all looked over. Yoshiko had moved! Her arms were now above her head, one leg slightly up, almost laying on the other, and her head was buried in her arm, a look of hurt and pain and unwanted something in her expression.
Skittles suddenly jumped as high as she could—which could have gone through the ceiling—and let out a small cry. She floated back to the floor, but never touched her. She glided up to the bed, and rested her head on Yoshiko's stomach, something along the lines of concern in her huge eyes.
"What's up with the beast?" Kentaro asked. Skittles growled at him, lifting her head off of Yoshiko's stomach, but put it back down immediately.
"I guess that's a 'Don't diss me, you fool' kind of answer," Hannah said, and smiled at her own joke.
"She stopped dancing," Kurama mused. "Why? Yoshiko moves, and Skittles stops—"
Just then, the door to the room burst open, and three familiar figures stood in the doorway. Kurama stared in shock as they surrounded Yoshiko. Hannah's mouth hung open a little. Kentaro looked a bit confused, but mostly annoyed. Skittles stayed still and quiet.
"Yoshiko! Blast, I swear I'm gonna kill that dumb bastard once I get muh hands on 'im!" said one of the men in an Irish accent.
"You're tellin' me!" another said. "He stole her from us, and from Hannah!"
"Then lost her and couldn't find her for a long time!" the last one said. Obviously, they had no idea anyone else was in the room. Kurama cleared his throat, having recovered from the shock.
"Why, if it isn't Kurama, you silly fox!" The Irish-accented male said.
"And Hannah!" said the tallest one. He had a Mohawk, and was very, very tall.
"It's quite nice to see you two again," said the aqua-haired male. He looked over passed the other two and saw Kentaro. "I figured you were somewhere nearby," he said as he glared.
"What are you three doing here?" Kurama asked. "After the Dark Tournament, I never thought I would see you again."
"Well, laddie," the Irish said. "I suppose you're gonna tell us that the poor lad there—"he indicated Yusuke, still blankly staring at nothing, in the chair "—is just stunned by some random reason, eh?"
"We're not sure what happened," Hannah answered.
"Perhaps Skittles' dance confused him and affected him so," the aqua-haired suggested.
"Nah, I don't think so," the tall one said. "He's a strong one. It's not likely that he would have passed out from just a dance by Skittles."
"Well," the Irish-accented male said, "I suppose that as long as these three are here, we have nothing to worry about." He turned to Kentaro, and glared at him, then said, "And as for you, naïve lad, we'll be keeping our eye on you."
With that, the three left the room. But just as they reached the end of the hallway, a fire broke out right in front of them, and surrounded the house, but it didn't scorch. A cry of surprise escaped from all three.
In the other room, Yusuke suddenly snapped out of it. His clouded gray eyes turned back to a rich brown, and he looked around.
Yoshiko suddenly bolted upright. Skittles sensed it just before, and so her massive head had lifted and move, being a blocker so she wouldn't go flying through the wall. Yoshiko's eyes were the demonic red, her ears like an elf's. She was still in her demon form, though the sun's rays glistened through the single small window. She was somehow lifted from the bed and floated next to it, looking in the direction of the group. Her gaze locked on Yusuke's.
Yusuke couldn't see anything but the bright red in her eyes. He sensed something else wrong, but he wasn't sure what it was. His gaze was locked with Yoshiko's, and he was oblivious to everything else around him.
Hannah let out a cry of surprise as heated flames burst through the window. Kurama went over and pulled her away from the window. Kentaro stood up. Yusuke kept staring at Yoshiko, and she kept staring at him. Skittles stayed right next to Yoshiko, but didn't touch her. Flames roared through the window.
Suddenly, the flames were in the room! Hannah was by Kurama, so they found each other easily. Yusuke was just out of reach. Kentaro was forgotten. Yoshiko and Skittles weren't in sight, and since they were so queer right now, they probably couldn't be found as easily.
Yusuke remembered this. He remembered this setting. His concentration on Yoshiko was broken when flames encased her. He could only see fire, but it wasn't hot. It didn't burn, but it flared and it was warm.
Then he heard the laughter. 'This is all from that dream,' Yusuke thought. His senses were alert. He knew the daggers would be coming. He wasn't sure if they'd be coming from the same direction, though.
The laughing ceased. The fire grew hotter. A flame reached out to him, beckoned him to go to it. He stayed put. He was kneeling on the floor now. And he jumped. The daggers did come from the same direction. One hit him in the leg, and another on his arm. That was it.
The door to the room flung open, and the fire flamed out. The three men came into view for Yusuke. He watched them, his senses still keenly aware. They stopped and talked, but their words were muffled by the roaring sound the flames made. Suddenly, he saw a female figure, with a blob next to her. He thought it was Yoshiko, but he wasn't exactly sure.
His thought was confirmed when the beady red eyes turned toward him, then went back to looking at the three men. Suddenly, the fire disappeared back out the window, and Yoshiko dropped to the floor. The men came into clear view. They were silent now. Kurama and Hannah were in view, then Kentaro. Skittles was no longer floating.
"Wh-wh-wh-what just happened?" Hannah stammered. She looked at Kurama, and he looked at her. His expression reflected hers.
"I am not sure," Kurama replied.
Everyone looked around, and caught sight of Yoshiko starting to move. She stood up, and immediately turned her attention to the three men.
"Jin! Chuu! Touya! What are you three doing here?" she cried out, surprised. She was still in her demon form.
"Hello, lassie. 'Bout time you came around," the Irish-accented man, Jin, said.
"Why did you attack us like that?" the tall one, Chuu, asked.
"Have you lost control of your powers?" the aqua-haired, Touya, asked.
Confusion dawned on everyone's face. Yoshiko didn't know what just happened. The three men were confused about why she'd attack them. Yusuke, Kurama, and Hannah were confused about what just happened. Kentaro remained silent, though he was confused as well.
"What are you talking about? I never attacked anyone! I was petting Skittles in the front room, and now I'm here. But how did I get here?" That clarified she hadn't had control of her powers when she was out.
"Yoshiko," Hannah's voice sounded, full of confusion and concern. "You're still in your demon form..."
"Huh?" Yoshiko looked down at herself. Her eyes went wide. She looked at the window. Her eyes seemed about ready to pop out of her head. "I don't understand," she muttered.
Yusuke moved toward her, but then stopped. Kentaro was doing the same. They glared at each other. Yoshiko spotted Yusuke first. She looked at him, confused.
"Who are you?" she asked. She then followed his gaze, turned around, and gave the same look to Kentaro. "And who are you?"
Yusuke and Kentaro's attention went immediately to Yoshiko. Their eyes were filled with confusion, as were everyone else's.
"Do you not...remember us?" Kentaro's voice sounded, so confused.
Yoshiko looked at him like a little kid. "Really, who are you?"
"I am Kentaro, your dearest love," he replied.
"Don't listen to him, Yoshiko!" Yusuke yelled. Her attention diverted to him. "He lies, Yoshiko. He used you, kidnapped you from me, and raped you a lot. He brainwashed you to hate me and the others, and only love and trust him. No one else."
His voice was so sweet and Yoshiko could tell he was telling the truth. But if he was, then why would the other man lie? She shook her head. She was completely confused about what was happening.
"Yoshiko, do you remember me?" Kurama asked. Perhaps if she didn't remember him, then it would be as if she never met any one of the people in the room except Jin, Chuu, and Touya.
Yoshiko looked at Kurama. She thought a moment, then nodded. "You're Youko!" she shouted.
Hannah looked at Yoshiko while Kurama had a small bit of shock. "I think her brainwaves are kinda messed up," Hannah said.
"But how? She still remembers the rest of us," Jin said.
"Maybe only certain ones got messed up," Touya suggested.
Chuu moved to stand next to Yoshiko. "Eh, now, what have I told you about drinkin' so much before bed?" he asked. "What have I told ya, sis?"
Kurama, Yusuke, and Hannah looked at Chuu a little weird. "Sis?" they all asked.
"Ay, laddies! Yoshiko is our little sista, ya know," Jin answered.
Yusuke got off the floor and stood. "Okay, so you three are her brothers. Why didn't you say anything? Why wasn't she at the Dark Tournament?"
"She was," Touya informed. "She sat in the crowd, and occasionally would come down to cheer us on. She healed up Chuu's foot after Yusuke's fight with him, and made jokes when each of us lost. She has trained under out supervision, as well as learned many other things."
Yusuke couldn't help but ask, "Other things such as what?"
"Not what you're thinkin', laddie," Jin said. "We taught her how to defend herself. Then our parents passed away, and we taught her how to fight on her own, rather than just defensive moves. We even got her her own guards to protect her, just in case."
"And who were her guards?" Kurama asked. He was curious about the subject.
"You killed them," Chuu said. "Yusuke killed the one she idoled most. He killed his brother, her other protector. When she saw him do that, she was devastated. Why she still got together with you, thought, Yusuke, is a mystery to us."
"So I killed the two people she idoled most?" Yusuke asked.
"Not exactly. She had many idols, but those two were her favorite out of all protectors and when it came to strength," Touya said.
Suddenly, Yoshiko's back straightened, and she had a loathing glint in her eye, but there was also a hint of love in them. "You're the killer," she said. Dead silence followed those words. Yoshiko stared at Yusuke. He stared back, a little confused.
"Now now, li'l lassie! We don't need any trouble here," Jin warned.
Yoshiko didn't listen. "He killed them. You killed my protectors. They were my friends, my family, my trusted guards. And you killed them."
Yusuke took a fleeting step back. Kentaro got off the floor now, finally regaining the little sense he had. Hannah didn't know what to do. She hadn't known the brothers were Yoshiko's guards. She hadn't even known that she'd gone to the Dark Tournament. Kurama was just as confused at Yusuke. He didn't know anything that was going on, though he really tried to understand. However, he had just a smidge better idea.
"How could this be? Who did I kill that could be your protectors?" Yusuke asked, confused. As far as he knew, he only killed demons with evil intentions. He'd be damned if one of them was his love's guards.
"You killed the ones I could completely trust and tell anything to," Yoshiko said. "The Toguro brothers."
A gasp escaped his lips, as did one from Kurama and Kentaro. Kurama hadn't expected them. Kentaro flat-out hadn't known. It was just after the Dark Tournament that he'd asked Yoshiko to move in with him.
But something still wasn't right. Sure, Yoshiko not knowing for sure who Yusuke was, Kentaro still being alive, and a few other things were wrong, but there was something that no one knew yet. And they wouldn't know for a while.
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Kind of a cliff-hanger, I know. I didn't want to continue because I have stuff I gotta say... I know in the spoof that's not really a spoof thingy I said that I've lost interest...That's not true. I still have an interest, I just don't know it as well until I finally work on it. I'm going to try to wrap it up within the next five chapters, but knowing how that will work, it'll be about another ten... JUST KIDDING! By the way, thank you for all of your reviews! I greatly appreciate them.Here's a scary thought: I have Driver's Ed tomorrow, and we start driving!! ;; My worst points are left turns with traffic, and reversing with other cars around... ;; Don't worry; I'll pass with flying colors! I hope... anyways, I'm actually busy this summer, so don't expect too much from me! Though most of my days are free now... goes into thought Anyways, review responses!! (erk, I don't remember where I left off last, so I'll just start somewhere...)
DoomGirl: ; it just fits into the story...one of my friends read it and he was like "all they ever do is hang out, go home, and fuck" his words almost exactly. So I had to add in a twist...and I don't know when it's going to end, lol
Kitsune Kit: Yoshiko will come to her senses....sooner or later. ;; and the sisters will help!
Yami-J Yu-Yu-InuCaptor: He won't lose her for too much longer, I hope... =X I just said something I shouldn't! ;; Oh well...it's pretty much only the obvious...I think..
Brat-Bitch: Thanks, sis!!! well, there won't be make-out scenes for a little bit, I think...Yusuke will get Yoshiko to come around at least, and thank you for yet another A! dances I will help you out; just ask! Give me the plot you wanna write about, and I'll help ya from there.
Kitsune Kit: No, I haven't been eating too much candy! I've told you numerous times I was skittle-high when I wrote that chapter! It's not my fault...but anyway, you can never have too much sugar or candy!!! ;