Displacement

Chapter Ten- At War Again

Yanagisawa narrowed her eyes. For some time now she had been watching Shura, who looked like he was spying on somebody. Strange, isn't it? Somebody spying on a spy? Anway, that's beside the point. Yanagisawa tiptoed nearer so that she could see Shura's face. He was looking very mischievous indeed.

She carefully trotted over to Shura and attacked him with a violent hug.

"WHAT are you doing?!" said Yanagisawa loudly.

Shura struggled against her. "HEY! Stop hugging me! It's disgusting!"

"Oh no no no, I am not going to release you." Said Yanagisawa playfully.

"AWW!!! UTARAAAA!!!" said Shura, whining in a high-pitched voice.

"Alright, alright." Said Yanagisawa, with Shura's voice ringing in her ears, "And that's LADY Utara, mister."

"Fine, LADY Utara." Said Shura, crossing his little arms.

"So, little prince, what were you doing?" Yanagisawa put her hands on her hips.

"I know something you don't know." Shura stuck out his tongue.

"What is it?" Yanagisawa raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"I won't tell you."

"Fine, then I'll hug you again!"

"NO! Anything but that!"

"Then tell me."

"Okay, but it's a secret! Mukuro knows something she isn't supposed to know."

"And what does she know?"

Yanagisawa stooped down to let Shura whisper in her ear.

"It's about a journal..."

-=-=-=-

At the highest terrace of Gandara, there stood Yomi as still as a rock and his face as hard as granite. He inhaled deeply. Then he let out a long and lingering sigh.

He paced back and forth, mulling some things over in his mind. He would stop suddenly for a moment as if struck by a brilliant idea and then walk again. He continued to do this for the next few minutes... until he stopped fully and turned around on his heel. He faced the terrace door and said in a clear voice,

"Lady, there is no need for you to hide. You do know that I sense your aura." Said Yomi, with the shadow of a smile on his face.

Yanagisawa embarrassedly peeked out of her hiding place just behind the door. She gave an apologetic smile and scurried towards Yomi.

"Sorry about that..." said Yanagisawa, dusting off some invisible dirt from her clothes.

"Whatever are you sorry about?" said Yomi seriously.

"Nothing it's just that I was watching you... and yeah... I was watching..." said Yanagisawa, turning red. "Sorry."

"There is no need for an apology, lady..."

Yanagisawa puckered her lips, as if annoyed.

"I wish you wouldn't call me lady." She said petulantly.

Yomi did not reply.

"You call Lady Mukuro 'Mukuro'. Why shouldn't you call me Utara or Yanagisawa? Or maybe even Yana?" she continued, sounding more childish by the second.

"Alright." Agreed Yomi, "How is everything coming along, Yanagisawa?"

"Fine, thank you... Y-y-y... May I call you Yomi as well?"

"Of course."

"Let's see err Yomi, hehe, umm have you got anything to tell me?"

"Unfortunately no, Yanagisawa."

"Anything at all? Like for example something about humans?" said Yanagisawa.

Yomi looked perplexed. "You are a noblewoman well-versed in every art, I am sure you know all there is to know about humans."

Yomi turned to the door intending to leave. Yanagisawa took a deep breath.

"I know about the human girl." Said Yanagisawa hastily.

Yomi stopped in his tracks.

"What are you talking about?" he said mockingly.

"The human. Hinata. You still have feelings for her don't you?"

Yomi gave a short laugh. "Who has been telling you these things, pray tell?"

"I am not going to say who. But I also know about the journal."

"Journal? I keep many journals..."

"... Lord Yomi please don't lie to me." Said Yanagisawa.

Yomi's countenance softened somewhat.

"And so you know everything..." he said, taking a seat.

"Yes, pretty much." Said Yanagisawa, sitting down as well.

Both were silent for a while.

Yomi sighed deeply. "Yanagisawa, will you do me a favor?"

"Sure... I mean yes, of course."

"Don't mention this to anybody else."

"Of course." Said Yanagisawa, nodding.

There was a tense silence between the two of them. Yanagisawa regretted having brought up the subject. After all, what was she to gain by stirring up emotions that are being suppressed? She looked at Yomi nervously and was puzzled at what she saw. Yomi was disturbingly silent. His face looked almost rueful. Instantly, an overwhelming emotion enveloped Yanagisawa.

"Lord Yomi?" she said softly.

Yomi looked up immediately.

"I apologize." He said simply.

"What was she like, the human girl?"

"She... she was a plain, innocent girl..."

Yanagisawa's heart was beginning to beat faster and faster. "What was it in her that you found attractive?"

Yomi did not answer. A few minutes went by in silence. Yomi was the one who broke it.

"May I ask you another favor?" he said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Alright." Yanagisawa gulped.

"Would you please say this: Thank you very much."

Yanagisawa knitted her brow at the strange request but she did it anyway.

"Thank you very much." She said, putting as much feeling into it as possible.

"Yes... you do sound a lot like her..." said Yomi with a genuine smile.

"T-thank you..." said Yanagisawa, blushing, "...very much."

Yomi smiled. "No, thank you."

-=-=-=-=-

Mukuro restlessly paced the corridor, pausing now and then just to change direction. She seemed very agitated, as if trying hard to control a strong emotion. She kept stamping her foot once every two seconds. Hiei watched her with a wary eye.

"Mukuro, why don't you just talk to him?"

"I mean to do that." She said irritably, "But I am thinking about the consequences of any action I will be taking."

"Consequences? Never mind consequences..." said Hiei, slumping down on a chair.

"The problem with you Hiei is that you don't think at all." Said Mukuro sharply.

"No, the problem is that YOU think too much." Said Hiei, raising a brow.

Mukuro looked at him straight in the eye and then lowered her gaze.

"Maybe you're right... But I was thinking..."

"Thinking...?"

"What would happen if I confronted Yomi? I mean, why bother? It doesn't make a difference."

Hiei's eyes were half-lidded.

"It makes a difference to you." He said nonchalantly.

Mukuro looked at him blankly.

"I know why you want to confront him... Well if you really want to, then go along and talk to him." Hiei began playing with a pen on the desk.

"Thank you Hiei." Said Mukuro her face lightening up.

"Sure no problem." Said Hiei looking away.

Mukuro took Hiei's hand. "No really. Thank you."

"No problem, Mukuro!" said Hiei, impatiently swiping his hand away from Mukuro's grasp. "Now go."

Mukuro gave Hiei a smile and closed the door. Hiei threw the pen at the door.

"There she goes..." he said to himself.

-=-=-=-=-

Ayeka, Yomi's secretary, jumped up when she heard a knock on the door. She was writing down notes that were being dictated by Yomi. Ayeka looked at him for permission to open the door. Yomi nodded.

"Oh, Lady Mukuro!" exclaimed Ayeka, opening the door.

"Yes, may I speak to Lord Yomi? Please tell him it's important and that it can't wait." Said Mukuro in a business-like manner.

Yomi turned his head towards the sound of Mukuro's voice.

"Let her in, Ayeka." He said simply.

"I'm sorry Ayeka but I must ask you to leave." Said Mukuro.

"Oh oh, no problem." Said Ayeka, stumbling in her hurry to get out the door.

When the two were finally left alone, nobody ventured to speak first. Mukuro spent a whole five minutes simply glaring at Yomi. Yomi looked apprehensive.

"So... Lady Mukuro," said Yomi finally, "I believe you are here on business?"

Mukuro did not speak. She seemed to be inwardly boiling.

"Mukuro I am a very busy man. What you have to say now, say it or I will have to resume business." Said Yomi, standing up.

"Do you know why I am here?" said Mukuro.

Yomi did not reply.

"Does this mean anything to you?" Mukuro threw the journal to Yomi.

Yomi caught it deftly and held it protectively.

"The journal..." said Yomi, more to himself than to Mukuro.

"Yes, the journal."

"What about it? Is there a law against keeping journals?"

. "You know very well that this isn't about the journal."

"What is it all about then?" said Yomi testily.

"It's about the human."

"Human?"

"It's about the human, Hinata, AND her trespassing into the Makai, AND YOU not erasing her memory, AND YOU jeopardizing the demon world!"

"Mukuro you go too far."

"I am not exaggerating, Yomi! By not erasing her memory, you could have exposed our world!" said Mukuro, her temper flaring up.

"Well it hasn't been exposed as of yet, has it?" said Yomi with an edge to his voice.
"Yomi before I agreed to go on this idiotic state visit I thought you were a heel, a louse, a good for nothing megalomaniac! But then you proved me wrong, I viewed you in a different light! I thought you were decent, dignified, intelligent! But now! Now I see that I was right all along!"

"Oh yes, you are always right, aren't you Mukuro? You never stop to try and understand because you think that everything you do is correct! Mukuro you are being selfish!" said Yomi, raising his voice.

"Selfish! On the contrary I am standing up for all the rest of the demon world!"

"Pray tell, if the humans find out about us, what would they do? Would they attack us? Or maybe that's not the proper question! The question is what can they do against us? Against us demons who are superior in power!"

"Yomi you are an imbecile, a complete and utter moron!"

"Yes, of course I am, because you are always right! Why are you bringing this up, anyway? You know that humans are helpless against us! Is it because you are jealous of the human?"

"How dare you insinuate such a thing!" shouted Mukuro.

"Not just insinuating, Mukuro, but I am saying that it is true!"

Mukuro groaned in anger and viciously grabbed the doorknob.

"You idiot!" she said, "I take back everything good that I have said about you! It is you who is being selfish, not I!"

Mukuro took one last fiery glare at Yomi and slammed the door.

-=-=-=-=-=-

That very same day, Mukuro packed up all her luggage and moved them back into her mobile fortress. There was a great deal of commotion that day. All the citizens of Gandara were wondering why she had left in such a hurry. Thankfully, no one knew the real story behind Mukuro's sudden departure. There were only whispers and rumors.

Once again, the two realms were at war. The state visit had once promised peace but yet again everything ended in conflict. Will the two realms ever be able to have peace with each other?

-=-=-=-

OreWaTensai: Sorry if the chapter is a bit bad! I'm having trouble squeezing everything into my schedule! Anyway, there will be one more chapter and the fic will finally be finished!