I own nothing, 'cept Kalani, Minai, Saira and the moon demons... wow, that's actually quite a lot... anyway, read on.
Chapter 19: Hide and Seek
Night descended on the ningenkai forest and found the small company camped out for the night. It was close to midnight and most of the party lay sleeping. Minai and Kuronue were cuddled together beneath a large tree. Kurama was curled up by the fire. Saira saw by the dying embers, staring into the night. She couldn't sleep; her mind was swimming with thoughts and memories. Her own past, stories of the Moon demons, the beginnings of their whirlwind quest all mixed together in her mind. She glanced over to Minai, remembering when they had first met. She thought of all they had come through together, how much they both had changed. Lightly she touched the ends of her hair. It had gotten so long...when exactly had that happened? When had she fallen in love with Kurama, precisely? When had all this happened? It felt like a dream, all of the last months. Was it really that long ago that they had all met and planned to raid the demon fortress?
A hand touched her tense shoulder gently. The vixen glanced up at Kurama, smiling slightly. Silently, he sat down beside her and she shifted closer to him, cuddling against his chest.
"What's troubling you, Saira?" Kurama asked softly.
"I don't know...it's just...what's going to become of us all?" Saira frowned. "Minai's a queen...or will be soon..."
Kurama held her close, looking off at the night. "Whatever happens...the bonds we've made can never be broken."
"I know that," Saira whispered, "but it feels good to hear you say it."
Kurama smiled and shook his head slightly. Gently he kissed the top of the vixen's head. "You should sleep, we need to start searching for Kalani in the morning."
Saira nodded slightly, cuddling against him. As she closed her eyes, she got the distinct feeling that this whole quest was almost over...
The party pressed on again at sunrise, staying away from the cities and towns that could cause problems. The day wore on, and a restlessness befell the group.
"Do you think she could have already escaped to the spirit world?" Minai whispered to Saira that evening.
"Anything's possible, I guess...but wouldn't there be some kind of sign she was here?"
"Something like this?" Kurama's voice came from ahead.
The girls hurried forward to where the others waited. As they got there, Kuronue pushed back the leaves and branches of a tree. The sight beyond made the girls gasp.
An entire city in ruins.
The buildings were crumbled. Power lines were torn down and crackling with electricity. Discarded human bodies lay scattered among the rubble. The four demons stared at the sight before them.
"Yeah, this looks like Kalani's been here," Saira muttered darkly.
Kurama snorted and raised one hand to point at the one standing building. "Something tells me that's where we'll find her."
Minai wrapped her hand around the hilt of her long dagger. She glanced at her friends, a little surprised to see them preparing their weapons too. Saira smiled grimly at her. The moon demon smiled slightly. "Let's go."
Everything around them lay in pieces as the small group made their way through the destroyed city. Ahead of them loomed the lone building. A strange sense of foreboding settled over Minai as they went further and further forward. How much power could her one-time friend have gained to cause this much destruction?
How much more danger would her friends be put in because of her?
They reached the building and stopped outside the doors. Kuronue's hand found Minai's and squeezed it gently. Kurama and Saira exchanged a knowing, loving glance. No matter what lay head of them in that imposing building, they would all face it together.
That's it, second to the last chapter. Only one more after this. And it's about bloody time! After more than a year, what with writing, school, life, writer's block. I know I've not been what you'd call 'reliable' with updating this, and I would really, really like to thank all of you who are still reading. I hope you'll stick around to the end. In all modesty, I can say this is probably the best story I've ever written, and I'm proud of it. Thanks everyone. The ending chapter should be up soon, so get ready for the final showdown!
