Chapter 14

Lessons in love

  Koronue followed his friend through the woods and into the small village. They were looking for the portal into the human world; it was still there under the building, but it flickered dangerously, as if it would disappear any second. Youko stood before it, looking at Koronue. "Are you sure this still works?"

"No. Ready? On three; one, two, three!" the bat dove in head first, the fox jumped in after him as the portal began to fade for good. They landed neatly on their toes in a dead garden, neglected for months. "is this her house?" Koronue murmured into the night.

"I think so, her scent is very faint here, she must have gone inside." He made his way carefully to the back door, should anyone spot them. The back door hung open, it was chilly outside, but the atmosphere inside made it seem colder. It was dark and dusty, not to mention rank. Dishes sat soaking in the sink of the uncared for kitchen; a true bachelor pad. "I bet Tou-Kou normally cared for the house, seeing as how this place is a dump." The fox wrinkled his nose in disgust. Koronue nodded, heading into the living room. It was empty but it still smelled of more than one demon. Koronue noted how the furniture was arranged in a circle with the wing-backed chair in the center. "There was a meeting here." He said.

"I wonder why?" Youko searched the area for clues. He detected another human scent, a male, probably her father. "Her father sat in this chair in the center. He was leading the meeting, I think." Youko thought aloud. They heard a squeak in the floorboards above them. "Her father is still here." Koronue pointed to the ceiling.

"Lets ask him a few questions." Youko stalked menacingly up the stairs, preparing to raise his reiki if he needed to. He reached the landing; twitching his fuzzy ears back and forth, he listened for any signs of life. A flush was heard from the door to his right. He frowned in disgust as the door opened; this man was too old to be her father; he could be her grand father. He jumped a little when he noticed two demons standing on his stairs. "Good evening gentlemen, if you're here for the auction, you came too late." He said almost too politely, like some one well practiced in sucking up. Youko glared at him, "And just what were you selling?"

"Well the girl of course, didn't you read your invitation? Say, I don't remember inviting you two at all. Who are you?"

"Your executioner if you don't answer my question, old man!" the fox seized him around the throat impatiently.  "Whom are you talking about, who is the girl?"

"Her-her name is G-Gabriel. She is a vixen in a human seal." The old man rasped.

"And you sold her? What kind of a person are you?" Youko hissed dangerously.

"A person who made a lot of money." He gave a dry laugh. Youko planted a death plant seed right between the old man's eyes. He let it grow large enough to fill the entire landing before he was satisfied. He had given the plant so much of his energy he was breathing hard and leaning against a wall for support. "Youko," Koronue signaled to him from the top of the stairs. "I found a check for 2,000,500,000 yen. Its signed by some one named Raden. He waved said paper in the air. Youko slowly came up the stairs and looked at the paper.

"Raden von Wolfblut." He read aloud. The name did not ring a bell. He tucked the paper into his robes in case it came in handy later. The fox walked through the halls in search of any clue she might have left. He came across a door decorated with fox stickers and little fairies. This was Tou-Kou's room. He gingerly pushed open the door as if it might set fire at his touch. He entered the room and looked around.

It was a fair sized room, painted light lavender, like thunderclouds when lightning flashes. Her furniture was all white and navy. Her dresser had a wide mirror on it. Her brush rested across the dresser. He touched it lightly, missing the feel of her hair. Her bed sat under a window, which framed the moon. All around her room, were stuffed toys from her childhood long ago; no people-dolls, just animals. He took a large stuffed tiger off her bed and sat down. She had slept here, night after night. All around, her scent washed over him, which he drank in like a wine. He saw a picture on her night stand in a silver frame. He took it and looked at the faded picture. It was a picture of Tou-Kou and another man; no it had to be her mother and father. No, if that was her father, whom had he just killed? The man in the picture must have been dead before. He replaced the picture and sighed sadly. Koronue did not enter the room; he let his friend have a moment alone before he stuck his head in the doorway. "We have to find this Raden, man. I think he has Tou-Kou."

"No."

"What?"

"Her name is …Gabriel." He sighed her name sadly.

"So that's her real name… it's so beautiful, it reminds me of my wife's." Koronue had a nostalgic look.

"What was her name?"

"Selena."

"I miss Tou- Gabriel." He hugged her tiger and leaned his head on the wall. "We have to leave this place to find her." Koronue entered the room and sat at her desk. He found a little bat doll and a fox doll sitting close together, apart from the rest of the animals. He also saw a corner of paper sticking out from under them. He pulled it out and read it. He stood up, "Youko, look at this." He handed the paper to the moping fox. He seized it and read it. It was written in a hurry, with fractured sentences.

Dear Mr. fox and Mr. bat, going away Packed a bag and shoes Worry, won't be coming back

      Help sugar-lips come home

She had written so no one would suspect the real meaning of her words. He studied the paper for any extra clues; he focused on the sentence about packing a bag and shoes. He looked around the room and saw a single white shoe on the floor. It had a picture of a castle, a globe, and the word demon torn out of a book and stuffed into the shoe. He took out these pictures and held them up. "What do you suppose she is trying to tell us with these clues?" he said to his friend. Koronue studied the pictures. "Perhaps this is where she is going, to a castle, like in this picture here."

"But what about the other pictures?"

"Well, put them in the right order and it says 'demon' and the other one of the globe must mean 'world.' Demon world. She's going to a castle in Makai."

"She could never survive there."

"We have to go there now, then."

"Wait," Youko picked up the silver picture frame and put it in his pocket. "Alright, lets go."

Gabriel sat in a dark dungeon all alone. "This is so cliché. What kind of an idiot puts a dungeon in their house?" she walked around the small room, talking to herself. The door opened, Raden walked in. "Hello, my pet." She turned away from him stubbornly. "Aw, still don't like me? I like you." He cooed, hugging her from behind. She gave a soft growl of warning. He laughed a sexy but evil laugh. "The more you resist, the more I want you. But I wonder, are you toying with me?"

"Dream on." She wrenched out of his grasp. He shoved her against the wall, "Don't make me change this dream to your nightmare, Gabriel." She glared at him calmly. "You're so cute when you're defiant." He began kissing her face, and then he kissed her lips. She did not kiss back, he slid his tongue in her mouth; she bit down, hard, as if to sever the organ. He pulled away and added another bruise to her already abused cheek. The skin on her cheek was now very tender. "Sorry, my pet. You must learn your place." He kissed the bruise; she flinched. Raden laughed softly. "In time you will learn to love me too." Pawing her again, he kissed her again. "You're perfect, and mine, all mine." That was too much; she rammed her knee right where it hurt.

Ten minutes later she found her self decorated with bruises, and bleeding at the lip. Raden confined her to a stone table, with her wrists and ankles shackled with a sort length of chain connected to the table. "Sorry, pet. Perhaps I will have to teach you your place faster than expected. Maybe being on such a hard bed will make mine seem much more welcome." He gave her one last kiss before leaving her in the cold, gloomy room. A small window on one wall let in a little moonlight, she reached for it as much as the chains would let her. 'Help me, Youko, before its too late.'

A few minutes later, the door opened again. A scrawny demon walked in with a bag over his shoulder. He had large black eyes and a cute little horn coming out of his fluffy brown hair. He seemed very tall for his age. "Hello, miss." He approached her shyly; he hopped on to the table and opened his bag. She looked at him frightened, but he noticed and laughed quietly. "Don't be afraid, miss, I won't harm you." Something in his sparkling eyes seemed very familiar, as if she knew him before.

"But…you're a demon."

"Heh heh, not all demons are bad, Miss." He took out a damp cloth and held it to her bleeding lip. "I'm very sorry you took a beating, ladies are not meant to be toys. My name is Toko."

"Heh, so was mine." She laughed, disturbing the cloth.

"I'm sorry, I don't follow you." He looked quizzical.

"I was called Tou-Koushin, or Tou-Kou for short. It doesn't matter any more."

"Why is that, miss?" he tended to her other wounds.

"I will never see my friends again who called me that." Tears welled up in her eyes. Toko shook his head at her, "Don't ever give up hope, Miss. If you have friends who like you enough to rename you, they would come looking for you."

"I only hope they come in time."

"Why, what's going to happen?"

"When the full moon comes, I will be stuck in my human form forever. If I can't get someone to donate enough energy to me, I can't change back into a youko."

Toko's eyes went wide, "You're the girl every one wanted to get their hands on. Oh, dear."

"I can't believe it, I never would have guessed I was not human."

"I don't suppose any one really can." He began to pack up his bag. "I have to leave now, Miss. I'll see you later."

"Thank you Toko. I can't feel any hurt any more."

"Good, I use my reiki to heal people."

"Thanks again."

"Anytime, thanks for talking with me, good-bye."

"Will I ever see you again?"

"If you ever get hurt by the Master again, or if I can get away from work, I will come by and see you."

"I'd like that, good-bye Toko."

"Goodbye, Miss." He went out the door and left her alone again.

Wolfblut means wolf blood in German.