By a small river just outside the boundaries of Lady Kaede's village sat the half-demon pup, Kiatsu. His eyes refused to wander away from the surface of the water as he watched the flow of the tide. He was missing Kura more and more each day and he could not stop thinking about her. He thought about her each day and night, pondering to himself just when she would return to the village. He had met up with Inuyasha earlier that day and asked him where his daughter was. Seeing as how the hanyou was in a hurry when the two met up, his reply was simply, "She went to challenge an old enemy of mine. I'm on my way to find her and bring her back so just stay where you are. I don't need two pups gone missing…" Kiatsu couldn't believe that Inuyasha acted so caring towards him. Normally he wouldn't say much of anything to the young hanyou except when he and Kura were alone together. The girl's father was always protective of his daughter and would try and make sure that she was under constant supervision. This, however, was not always possible, for the half-demon child didn't like the idea of someone watching her every move. Sometimes she would sneak off into certain parts of the forest with Kiatsu just to get away from all the village folk. Her father wasn't too impressed with this behaviour but finally figured out that he should give his child more responsibility and to stop supervising every move she made. Kiatsu sighed. He missed all of the good times he and Kura had together when they were just young pups. He wished that she would hurry back so that they could be together again…
Meanwhile, Isamu was still on his way to find the one that Kura loved so dear. He didn't know where to start looking, or even whom to look for, but when he did find the right person (Or possibly demon) he would be sure to eliminate the competition.
As he leapt from tree branch to tree branch, he finally came across someone…although he wasn't too sure who that someone really was. It could be the one he was searching for…but what if it wasn't? He didn't want to make a scene when it wasn't necessary. He thought about his possible options over and over again in his mind until he came up with a reasonable, seemingly foolproof solution. He would simply go down and talk to the stranger and ask them if they know anyone by the name of Kura. If they say yes and start talking about her like they knew the girl for a relatively long time, then it would be obvious that they like her in more than just a friendly way. It wasn't much of plan but it was the best he had.
Jumping down from the tree and landing gracefully on the ground below, it appeared that the wolf had startled the stranger. When the apparent male brought his gaze to that of Isamu's, he asked the age-old question of, "Who are you?"
The half wolf gave a rather simple reply. "My name is Isamu. Who are you?" he asked in return.
The other male, who looked to be half-demon as well, kept his gaze locked onto that of Isamu's and gave his response. "I'm Kiatsu. I just live in a village not too far from here," he explained curtly. "By the look in your eyes, I can see that you came looking for me. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Isamu wondered whether or not he should be upfront with Kiatsu or if he should beat around the bush for a while. He finally came to a conclusion and answered the hanyou's question. "Yes, as a matter of fact, there is something that you can assist me with. I was wondering if you know of a demon girl by the name of Kura…"
Kiatsu's eyes immediately shot wide open the second he heard his friend's name mentioned. "Kura? Yes, I know her. We're best friends; well actually we've been best friends ever since we first met when we were just young pups. We had so much fun together, just the two of us…" As he began to slowly drift away from reality, Isamu smirked.
That didn't take long at all. I now know the one that Kura is so in love with. Now all I have to do is eliminate him from the game and she will be mine forever… he thought inwardly, grinning from ear to ear. Luckily for him, Kiatsu didn't notice his evil grimace for he was too entranced in his thoughts to care just what was going on around him. It was then that Isamu decided to break the half-demon out of the trance-like state he was currently in. "So you know Kura, huh?" His voice now sounded even slyer than it had before.
"Yes, what of it?" Kiatsu seemed a little uneasy around the wolf. For some reason, he just didn't trust the demon all too well. It was as if he knew more than the wolf expected him to and was trying to find a way out of the current situation. If there was one thing that he didn't want to do, it was to place Kura in danger. He had known her for so long and they had grown so close that it was almost impossible to separate the two. They had each made a promise to always look out for one another and to also keep themselves from harm as well. As he continued to mentally ponder ways to get away from the wolf, his thoughts were once again interrupted.
Isamu smirked. "Do you know where she is?"
"Her father told me that she went to challenge one of his old rivals…"
The wolf was taken slightly aback in shock; he was surprised that the hanyou knew that much. "Correct you are. She did go out to fight a rival demon...of which she will not return…"
"W-what?" Kiatsu stuttered. "What do you mean, '…of which she will not return…'?"
"Exactly what it sounds like…" With those words, Kiatsu then hung his head, looking depressed and almost about ready to cry. He couldn't believe it. Would Kura really…? No, he couldn't think that way. She would pull through, he just knew it. She had pulled through on many other occasions, so why would this time be any different? He had faith in his friend and knew that she would soon return to him so that they could be happy once more.
"No…" were the words Kiatsu finally managed to utter.
"What?" Isamu was confused and frustrated all at the same time. Why is this boy's spirit not broken? I sense that he believes there is still a ray of hope left; he still believes that she will return to him, unharmed. Could this be love? The wolf shook his head, refusing to believe such nonsense. No, it can't be love. But…what if it is? What if Kura and this boy really do love each other? That would mean that I wouldn't be able to have her all to myself…I'd be alone…forever… I don't want to be alone. I want to have someone by my side, someone who will love me from now until I die. That's it; I now know what I have to do. If I can't have her, no one can. I must get rid of this boy, once and for all… "You…"
Kiatsu looked up. "What?"
"You are the one…that's ruining my destiny!" he shouted, leaping forward to pounce on the young demon. However, Kiatsu was too quick for the wolf and managed to dodge his attempted attack by jumping into a nearby tree. He sighed with relief and looked down to his foe.
"Just what are you doing?" he demanded fiercely, which was a tone that you didn't often hear coming from the usually passive pup. "What's all this talk about me ruining your destiny?"
Isamu's eyes than narrowed into tiny slits. "You know exactly what I'm talking about…" he hissed. "I love Kura and I want to be with her…but I can't do that with you around…"
Kiatsu scratched his head, still vaguely unaware of what the wolf was trying to get at. He loves Kura? Is that what this whole thing is about? Does he really think that I'm an obstacle in his way of achieving true love? Maybe he thinks that I love Kura… No, it's not like that. Kura and I are just friends and that's it. There's nothing going on between us. But…she is kind of pretty and very friendly… Stop! I can't start thinking this way about my friend. He shook his head, trying to rid the idea of love between Kura and himself from his mind, of which he failed. Why won't these feelings just go away? I don't need this right now. Right now, the only thing I'm concerned about is finding Kura and bringing her back to the village. After that, we can get back to our lives…once he's gone of course… The last few words were, of course, directed to the half wolf that was standing before him.
Isamu mimicked a fake cough in order to get Kiatsu's attention. "Ahem…" The black-haired hanyou looked up at the wolf-demon, wondering just what he was going to say next. "I'm ready when you are…" This unexpected statement confused Kiatsu as he raised an eyebrow in question.
"What are you talking about?" he inquired.
Isamu scoffed. "Honestly, have you been sleeping this whole time?" Kiatsu sneered at the half-demon's obvious sarcasm. "Well I guess that's what I get for talking to an inexperienced and unintelligent little puppy…"
Kiatsu gritted his teeth, trying to hold back his anger. "Watch what you say…" he growled lowly.
"Down puppy. You better listen to me unless you want me to get a leash," he mocked. It took all Kiatsu had to not blow up at the half wolf demon. "Now if your ready, I say we get this fight started."
"Fight?"
"For the girl…"
Kiatsu's eyes widened until they were as large as saucers. "For…for Kura? But…"
"Are you scared?" Isamu rose at eyebrow at this.
"No!" Yet as much as he tried to hide his feelings, they would always end up slipping out at the most unexpected times…like when he was angry, for example. "I just…" He couldn't say it. He wanted so badly to admit his true feelings about Kura, but he just couldn't say what was on his mind in front of Isamu. What would happen if he did? Would he be killed…or worse? He didn't want to think of the consequences; all he wanted to do was get through this fight alive and find his friend. Once he did, he would be the happiest half-demon in the entire Feudal Era. Of course, this was an exaggeration but it just proves his love and loyalty towards Kura…
"Well if you're not scared then let's get this show on the road!" Isamu exclaimed, preparing himself in his own personal battle stance. Kiatsu did the same, hoping that this fight would lead him to victory. He wanted to get through this as quickly as possible; he didn't know what kind of trouble Kura was in so he had to hurry.
Isamu started off the fight as he leapt forward, ready to pounce on top of Kiatsu. However, the hanyou now knew this tactic all too knew and jumped out of the way just in time, causing the wolf to collide face-first into the forest floor.
Isamu growled as he pushed himself up off of the ground. "You'll pay for that…" He quickly dusted himself off and withdrew his claws, ready to strike at any given time.
"Oh will I now? Well I hate to break it to you pal but I was trained by Inuyasha himself so you may have a difficult time defeating me," Kiatsu explained with a smirk plastering his features.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Inuyasha could never defeat me, let alone his father so what chance do you have? Hm?" Isamu waited for the hanyou pup to answer, hoping that he had asked a question that Kiatsu could not answer. Unfortunately for him, Kiatsu did have an answer for him, which he would not like even the slightest bit.
"So what if Inuyasha or his father couldn't defeat you? There's always a first time for everything and as you're probably aware, even the youngest demons and humans have a chance for success. Besides, I know of many young demons, half-demons in fact, that have taken down a full-grown demon on their own. What do you say to that?" Kiatsu cocked an eyebrow, waiting for a response from the wolf.
Isamu was literally speechless. He didn't know how to respond to what Kiatsu had just said. However, it was then that a thought struck his mind and he knew just what to say as a comeback. "Young demons are pathetic. I've faced many of them in my time and they have never been a challenge for me. You may be an exception to all those youngsters but I will defeat you, even if it takes me longer than I expect. I will rid the world of you and Kura will become my mate for life. But unfortunately, if she loves you, that can't happen…"
Kiatsu was speechless. She…loved him? Was that true? He didn't know for sure, seeing as how the girl had never told him whether or not she had feelings for him. If she did, would they fit together? What if there was something wrong with him and it affected their relationship? He shook his head for like the tenth time that day, trying so hard to reason with himself. He didn't know what to do, nor did he understand everything that was currently running through his head. It was Isamu's cold, disheartened voice that broke the pup out of his current trance.
"There's only one way to settle this matter…DIE!" he shouted loudly and leapt forward as he had done twice before. With his claws withdrawn, he aimed directly for Kiatsu's neck, knowing that that was the usual weak spot for most humans and demons alike. Kiatsu jumped back, just narrowly missing the blow.
"Why you…" Isamu huffed, preparing to launch another attack. This time, he aimed for the young one's left arm, hoping to strike dead center. Unfortunately for Kiatsu, the wolf was successful. Upon piercing the skin, Isamu jumped up, did a single back flip in mid-air and landed gracefully on the ground, only five to ten feet away from where Kiatsu was currently standing. The hanyou clutched his wounded arm and swaggered a little before falling to his knees, blood soaking through his black kimono. When he looked at his hand, he noticed that it was covered in nothing but black demon blood; it was sickening. He struggled to stand up and, when he finally managed his task, he sent one of his most evil glares in the wolf's direction. Isamu only smirked, knowing full well that Kiatsu was too injured to fight. Unfortunately for him, that wasn't the case. Kiatsu kneeled down into a position that looked as though he was ready to fight and did not take his eyes off his foe for a minute. He smirked slyly and then broke off into a fast run. It looked almost impossible, what in his condition and all, but he somehow managed to keep up the pace. He didn't slow down for a moment and when he got close enough to the wolf, he withdrew his claws and slashed at his neck, hoping that that was his weak point. The demon yelped loudly as he placed his hand on his neck to try and stop the bleeding. The gesture was a failure, seeing as how the blood began dripping down his neck and onto his shoulder.
The wolf growled angrily. "You'll regret ever laying a finger on me, half-breed…"
Kiatsu smirked at this comment. "Is that so? Well don't you try and stop me?"
"That's just what I plan to do…" and with that, Isamu leapt up into the air and withdrew his claws, prepared to strike the hanyou head on. He was nearly successful when Kiatsu, seeing right through his plan of attack, jumped up into mid-air and struck him across the chest, piercing but a mere hand width from his heart. The wolf landed back on the ground and stumbled backwards a few steps, clutching his new wound. Blood was indeed dripping from the lesion as it spilled out onto the forest floor. He then fell to his knees in pain.
Kiatsu cocked an eyebrow. "Had enough yet?"
The wolf panted heavily, refusing to give in. "Not by a long shot…" When he tried to stand, the half-demon found the maneuver nearly impossible; he was too badly wounded and needed medical assistance as soon as humanly possible. Kiatsu turned his back and prepared to walk away when something inside him made him stop. At first he tried to ignore the feeling that was pulsating inside of him, but after awhile he just couldn't avoid it anymore. It was telling him to help the wolf, even though he knew that his generosity would more than likely backfire on him. What was he to do? Should he help his fallen foe or walk away and pretend that nothing happened? If he stayed, he would be helping someone in need, but if he left, he would have more time to look for Kura. He was in a predicament and didn't know how to get out of it…
Kiatsu sighed inwardly. "Just a minute…" He walked over towards the demon and knelt down beside him, pulling out a roll of bandages. "Here, this will help," he said while wrapping up the wolf's wounded areas.
Isamu looked at the hanyou pup with curious eyes. "Why are you being so nice to me? I tried to kill you and you're helping me…"
"Blame it on karma," Kiatsu replied while wrapping up the last of the demon wolf's wounds. "There, you should be good to go now."
Isamu stood up and looked down upon the young male. "Uh…" he stuttered, searching for the right words to say. "I…uh…see ya around," he said before running off into the distance. Kiatsu just watched the demon's figure disappear from sight before heading off in a different direction to continue his quest to find Kura. He didn't know how long it would take, but one thing he did know was that he would search forever just to find her…
Mysterious Mistress Kura: There you have it folks! The ending to chapter twelve! It shouldn't be much of a wait until the next one so you don't have to worry about that. Anyway, I shall stop here and let you all review. I look forward to hearing what you have to say! Luv ya all! Ja ne!