Chapter 12

Lesson 6 part two

Tou-Kou was dragged by the throat down a flight of steps in the shady building. Boss had apparently survived the attack of the Shokuyou butsu. He spoke to her as he walked revealing his 'master' plan.

"You are going to become a slave, ningen, and suffer for what you did to me." He held up a mangled hand; his fingers were twisted backwards and curled at horrible angles. "But first, I might want to have some fun with you, heh." His horrible chuckle sounded more like he was choking. Tou-Kou was losing consciousness, 'Youko, help me.'

Boss entered the basement, breaking the wooden door. A black figure stood near a shining circle floating in the air; a portal between the worlds. Boss approached the figure, "You got the goods?" it asked. He nodded, holding his prisoner. "Mind if I do something first, before I give her to you?"

"Don't damage her, she's valuable property." Boss sneered, "I won't." he brought his huge fist across her face, flinging her across the room. She was already unconscious so she made no move. "Watch it, you rock head!!"

"Whatever, you got my pay?" Boss held out his good hand expectantly. The figure snarled menacingly. 

"Just for that, your pay is this!!" a lance of reiki pierced through Boss's chest, killing him instantly. His heavy body shook the foundation as he fell. The figure picked up Tou-Kou and stepped toward the portal. Suddenly, he fell forward. He tried to stand up again, but realized his leg had been severed from the knee down. Blood gushed from his leg.

Youko Kurama stood in the doorway, his rose whip raised high. "Release her, scum." his voice calmly menacing. The figure laughed manically; he took his severed limb and reattached it to its place. Twisting it around to its proper angle, the cut disappeared. He stood again and formed another reiki lance, "Stand aside, petty whelp. Her life belongs to me now."

"I belong to no one!" Tou-Kou stood up behind him, twisting his arm around, she gored him with his lance and shoved him through the portal. The figure went through the circle and was never seen again. She leaned against the wall for support, but was seized again. Youko hugged her tightly, "In all the three worlds, no one has ever made us worry so much. You will be the death of me some day." He laughed.

She squirmed, holding the side of her face. Youko examined her wound, a dark bruise spreading from her cheek to her chin. He touched it lightly, she jerked away. Holding the unhurt side of her face, he tilted her head back toward him. Gold reflected green, green reflected gold. He kissed her, long and passionately. She was too shocked to move for a moment, but relaxed and kissed back. They parted; she leaned on him heavily. With out another word, he picked her up and carried her out of the building. Koronue waited outside.

He and the fox said no words, but communicated through a special bond friends had; the fox was in a whirlwind of emotion and did not wish to be spoken to. Koronue did not press him, and they went back to the hideout with out further events.

Tou-Kou fell asleep as soon as they entered the forest; Youko put her in a safe place to sleep and left the room. Koronue cornered him and pried at a tender subject with out mercy.

"You're completely obsessed." He said.

"I am not."

"Yes you are; you can never stop doing things for her and treating her like she would break."

"If I am, why are you upset about it? Oh, because you think I'll fall in love again?" The bat nodded curtly. "Well, stop worrying; I will never be swayed, I will never weaken. In fact I thought about selling that ningen as a slave!" the fox was bluffing every word. Koronue made frantic motions to stop, but Youko was ignoring him. "She means nothing to me." He turned and crossed his arms stubbornly. His eyes suddenly went wide; Tou-Kou was leaning in the doorway to the room, having heard every word. 'Oh, no!'

Tou-Kou suddenly looked angry, she turned and ran out the door and out of the hide out. "Tou-Kou, wait!" the fox chased after her. She disappeared into the woods, leaving him standing helplessly in the field between the hideout and the trees. Koronue came up behind him, "We have to follow her."

"Why bother?" Youko turned away stubbornly. Koronue caught his shoulder, "Because we need her back. You need her back."

"What would you know? You never loved before!" Youko scratched his friend's hand. Koronue sent his fist into the fox's face so hard it knocked Youko off his feet. "Listen to me, Kurama, friend, there is something I have never told you before that I think you should know." The fox rubbed his cheek tenderly, reminded of when Tou-Kou first struck him.

"What is it, then?"

"Long ago, before I met you, I too fell in love. I had met my soul mate; she was perfect, beautiful, smart, and so strong. I married her; she was my one and only wife and mate. We loved each other so much, but we were separated forever one day; she caught a horrible disease and died slowly. I was so angry and heartbroken, that I turned to a life of crime to steal everything precious to other people. Just like that disease did to me."

"I-I never would have guessed…I'm sorry."

"Please, don't be," an impossible thing was happening, Koronue was tearing, "I did not choose an honorable path and so my pain still exists. I don't want you to suffer the same pain, that's why I told Tou-Kou about your affairs, and warned her not to fall in love with you."

"What?!"

 "I did it because every time you fall in love and get your heart broken, I see my wife and I being separated again. But Tou-Kou isn't just another female, she is your match; she needs you, like you need her. You have to follow her before something happens and you break your heart completely." Koronue took his friend's arm in a warrior's grasp, his tears fading fast and replaced by stern determination.

"You're right. Thank you. I will go." Youko smiled a genuinely happy smile and followed Tou-Kou's trail.

Tou-Kou was confused; her plan was failing fast. She did not want to fall in love with Youko; she would inevitably hurt him like all the others. This was all Koronue's fault, if he had not forbidden her from letting her heart guide her, she would not have to leave. With all the speed she could muster, she ran through the forest in a jagged pattern to confuse anyone following her. She was going home but how would she get there?

Wait; there was a portal in the building in the village. Was it still there? It was worth a shot. She ran back to the village and into the building's basement. Yes, it was still there! She took a step toward it, suddenly regretting what she was doing. Koronue's words blamed her for this mess. With no remorse, she threw down her cloak; it clunked to the ground, she remembered what she had stolen was still in there. She opened the box and found a necklace with a very large diamond hanging on it, about the size of an avocado seed. She could sell this when she got back home and give the money to her father so he would not be angry with her for being gone so long.

Tou-Kou took off her ringing ball pendant and put the diamond one on. Throwing the bell to the floor on her cloak, she stepped through the portal, never again to enter as a human.

Youko had arrived too late; her cloak had not yet lost its warmth when he arrived. He picked up her necklace, and held it to his broken heart. She was gone. She had left him without a good bye. Filled with sorrow and guilt, he relayed this story to Koronue.

"You have to follow her!" the bat said, shaking his friend.

"No, she does not wish to be with me. She is not my match. She was only another pawn fate taunts me with." The fox hung his head sadly. Koronue slapped him lightly, "don't say that, you were crazy about her from the first day you me her-"

  "DON'T YOU SEE? SHE DOES NOT LOVE ME!!" he screamed, throwing Koronue back. His voice became very quiet, "And I do not…love her." he stopped. He was lying to himself, but his heart hurt so much, the truth might have broken him.