A/N: Hello once again, FanFiction Dot Net Users and Anonymous Readers alike!
So, you may or may not have noticed the fact that Shubou is referred to as an 'it' rather than a 'he' or 'she.' This is intentional as Shubou is in fact a genderless demon. As far as looks and mindset goes, Shubou looks/identifies more as a male, but is not actually male or female. No reproductive organs! Nothing there! In case I was being too vague. Tee hee.
Symbols Guide:
* : Written by CM; She writes for Akari and Hiei
3 : Written by Star (supposed to be the 'heart' symbol, but FF doesn't like the 'less-than' sign, so it's a 3 instead); She writes for Toriko and Kurama
~!**!~ : A universal transition between scenes or characters, sometimes used to indicate a passage of time, but most often used to transition between major scenes that are happening. As the story progresses, this will evolve into mainly separating the (usually two) scenes happening between authors/characters.
As a general rule, anything in italics is thoughts.
Unless it's used in a sentence like this, which merely indicates emphasis.
"Quotations are usually reserved specifically for telepathic dialogue being transmitted from one being to another, but sometimes this can also mean a character isn't being careful about what they're thinking and anyone with telepathy in the nearby vicinity can listen in without taking any effort."
The only exception to that last rule is for the Shiba Inu dog, Nabu. All of his "spoken" dialogue will be in italics and quotations, but is communicated through body language or dog-like noises, so unless a character is able to translate those they are unlikely to pick up on what he is saying any more than the average person might understand his general moods like aggression (bared teeth, ears back) or excitement (wagging tail).
Previously on Yu Yu Hakusho!
Akari and Kurama decide their project is going to involve a sleeping aide,
and once Kurama discovers that he has a bit of a fever,
he excuses himself from the classroom.
Kurama blames himself for Akari's refusal to sleep,
believing that the scar and subsequent kiss he gave her
has brought her nightmares to bear.
Later, Akari meets up with Foko in the park and the two strike up a conversation,
Akari still attempting not to fall asleep for fear of her dreams.
~!**!~
After escaping the fire worms, Shikiyoku and Hiei continue on their way.
Thinking Hiei triggered a pit-trap, Shikiyoku pushes him forward
and into a bear-like trap, falling into the pit herself instead and impaling an arm and a leg.
As Hiei is hanging from a tree with a trap around his ankle,
they are rescued by Shubou, a demon whose life Shikiyoku apparently saved some time in the past,
and who is the leader of the nearest tribe who set the traps.
After Shubou dresses Shikiyoku's wounds, Shikiyoku's internal pact with Hiei activates
and forces her to attempt to 'mirror' the injury from his ankle onto hers,
but given that she only has half of the pact (Toriko has the other half)
it doesn't actually work.
Thinking he deserves the injury for failing to protect her,
Hiei storms off in a brooding hissy-fit to go burn stuff,
threatening the entire encampment something happen to Shikiyoku in the meantime...
Once Hiei was out of sight, Shubou scuttled back in the tent, stumbling to a halt.
"Woman. What are you doing."
Shikiyoku had in that time, gotten up to stand on one leg, holding her useless arm with her good hand and wincing in pain.
She looked up to see Shubou with hands on waist, glaring at her.
"I knew you would try moving around. And your Champion just threatened my entire tribe with death should you be disturbed. You lay back down right this instant or I might as well kill you myself and give that fire demon actual reason to destroy us all."
Shikiyoku and Shubou glared at one another, but the she-demon felt her strength fading and she started to lower herself back down.
As soon as Shubou had seen her start to do so, it moved to help, gently handling her back to the fur bed.
"He would probably thank you for offing me." Shikiyoku noted as she shifted around just a little to get more comfortable.
Shubou paused in the middle of adjusting a portion of the furs under her, staring at her face for a moment as she took to staring at the ceiling.
"What makes you say that?" Shubou wanted to know, going back to adjusting again.
"Does he look like the type who enjoys being stuck with me?" Useless idiot that I am.
Shubou didn't answer.
"He believes he was tricked into the pact. Killing me would free him from it." Shikiyoku shrugged her good shoulder, "Hence the 'thanks.'" 3
Hiei moved as far from the tribal area as he so dared, mind forced blank as he paused in a new clearing, looking around for the creatures that his senses told him were nearby. He immediately shot a stream of fire around the circle of the clearing, stirring up the creatures with ease and causing many, many various forms of threats to emerge, some from overhead, some from the trees, some from the ground, some from seemingly nowhere in particular.
And with that, he was hacking away, beheading creatures here and there, beheading them everywhere.
~!**!~
Akari sighed. "It was either that, or my life. Not much of a fair trade, hm?" she answered, the rabbit now bouncing out of view, leaving her eyes to wander and meet the cool amber of the other. She eyed him for a moment before rolling onto her back again, hands linked together on her stomach, eyes shutting for a few moments.
"For some reason, I was granted a life that should have ended long ago. It's a wonder why I'm still even an entity." *
"Well, there's obviously some reason why you're still walking. Some might call it luck. Perhaps others, 'fate.' If you had been meant to die, you would have already done it. Spirit World is not yet ready for you. I would say, not yet worthy of you."
~!**!~
A moment of silence grew between the two demons before Shikiyoku could shake herself of her darkened thoughts.
"...thank you."
"A life for a life." Shubou replied simply.
"I had no idea where I was when I first woke up."
"Well, you've never been here before."
"True enough."
A sleepy chirp brought both demons' attentions to Shikiyoku's torso, and much to her surprise, the tiny lur'mog came crawling out from the top of the remains of her dress to stand far enough away that Shikiyoku could see it if she bent her head down all the way.
Her expression turned amused, "So that's where you've been nestled this whole time. I won't even ask."
The lur'mog started to clean his face with his paws, tail curling around his feet as he remained oblivious to Shikiyoku's speech.
"Hey," Shikiyoku reached over and poked the lur'mog in the side.
He looked up when she did not remove her finger, gently bracing himself against her touch with one sharply clawed hand, his eyes big and round.
"Go see how he's doing, huh? He's...upset."
The lur'mog chattered once at her, then turned and disappeared.
~!**!~
The speed of the tiny creature brought him to Hiei just as the fire demon set the clearing aflame, and the lur'mog shot through the fires with glee after watching them settle in, dashing up a tree and then across the empty air until he landed safely in Hiei's hair, popping back into sight as he stopped moving and clapping his paws together excitedly as he watched all the things die and all the other things burn. 3
Hiei had felt the change in pressure on his head, but for some reason, he paid it no mind, as if it were not a threat. He merely continued on destroying creature after creature with his sword and fire that he conjured over and over, to keep the animals stirring.
After a while, it was as if there were no other creatures in the clearing. Or if there were, they were smart enough to stay hidden or leave without being detected.
He stood there, darkened eyes searching for any sign of life within his immediate sights.
Instead, his hand reached up to grab whatever it was that hand landed in his hair, hand moving just as fast as it could manage.
~!**!~
Akari slid her eyes open and over at Foko again, blinking slowly at him once with a small frown. "My death wasn't exactly a surprise, not even to me." She paused, blinking at him once more with his last words finally registering. A sarcastic smile formed on her lips and she again turned to the skies above. "How… kind of you to enunciate," she mumbled, though she, for once, meant it. It was almost as if he was trying to make her feel better, without actually directing the conversation away. "Your words are rather flattering, might I say." *
"You might. But let me assure you that when I start to flatter you and not just speak truth, you will know it. But my flattery will never meant to be taken as untruth either." He opened his eyes again to look at her meaningfully, a smile dancing across his features but never quite settling on his lips.
~!**!~
The lur'mog had taken to bobbing his head back and forth as if in a dance as Hiei tore through the helpless creatures, and when the fire demon reached to grab a hold of him he simply let it happen and relaxed into his grasp, wondering if perhaps he should have run and seen if Hiei could catch him.
As it were, when Hiei lowered the creature, the lur'mog's eyes were big and round at the thought that he could have made it into a game, disappointed briefly that he hadn't.
His scaly tail wrapped gently around the wrist nearby, just in case the demon decided to try and chunk him away, and after a second of that disappointing thought of a game that wouldn't be played, the lur'mog perked up again and lifted one tiny paw from where both clutched at Hiei's hand. 3
Hiei lowered the creature he'd grasped until it was held in front of his face, his eyes assessing the lur'mog that he hadn't remembered to be nearby. He raised a brow at it, momentarily considering tossing it to the side and continuing on his tirade.
But the memory of tickling the creature had him pausing, staring. He finally released a large breath, closing his eyes and reopening them in time to catch what almost looked like a wave from the creature.
"Curious little thing," he grumbled, sheathing his sword and lowering his hand level with his chest, opening his hand and leveling it to create a platform, though making sure it was on its back so he could reach forward with his opposite hand and rub at the lur'mog's stomach with his nail. This would now be his greeting to the creature, he decided.
~!**!~
Akari rolled her eyes and smiled a small, tired smile at Foko's words, taking them as a joke despite the smile that flashing in his eyes. Deciding to play along, she responded with, "I'll be looking forward to it."
She hadn't dreamed that he would be serious.
After another pause, she let her eyes slide closed, her mind no longer blank enough to allow sleep. "You're an interesting character, y'know that?" *
"Interesting? I find myself a rather simple demon. Unlike you." He paused, "Now that was meant as flattery." The grin that had been dancing about before finally did land on his lips.
~!**!~
The lur'mog remained wide-eyed as Hiei started to move him, tilting his head to the side with questioning right up until the moment that Hiei touched it with his other hand, immediately earning chortles from his throat as he began to wriggle around on his back, all four limbs pointed to the sky.
His tail unraveled from the one wrist and snaked about the other that was prodding at him, his eyes now squeezed together in his laughter. 3
There was an odd sort of release inside Hiei at the sound of the lur'mog's laughter. Though he didn't chortle, or even smile at the creature, he did feel an odd sense of fondness for the small thing, fondness that made it difficult to be angry at the moment, even at himself.
He was simply disappointed in himself at this point.
He'd already fought the anger away.
He continued scratching at the lighter scales of the creature's soft underbelly, red eyes slowly lightening to their normal ruby color. "How long do you plan on sticking around?"
~!**!~
Akari smiled again. Perhaps he was rather… simple. Straightforward was perhaps a better word for it, but in a sense, his simplicity made it almost too easy to ease into his presence, to relax and simply enjoy the moment.
When he was done speaking, she was taking a deep breath and smiling at him a little wider. "If it means anything to you whatsoever, your simple presence is definitely an enjoyable one. As for your flattery," she paused, thinking for a moment before she simply smiled at him, unable to come up with anything to retort with. She was simply that brain dead, it seemed. *
Foko chuckled, "I will take your silence to assume that if you did not wish to be flattered, you would make it rather clear to those that would flatter you."
Foko heaved a sigh, "I do not wish to fight you, inu." He remarked wistfully, thinking of the coming war.
~!**!~
What was there to say?
Nothing comprehensible for the lur'mog, at least. His tiny body started rocking back and forth, limbs kicking in the air occasionally when Hiei would hit a certain nerve.
His tiny chirrings filled the area surprisingly well, the noises he made ranging from deeper chuckles of breath to rapid-fire near-clicking noises, his body heaving desperately for air as he helplessly wiggled in Hiei's grasp. 3
Hiei watched the writhing of the small animal for a few moments more before his finger paused, withdrawing about a millimeter away from the scales to allow the lur'mog to breathe. He watched the small animal with an almost soft gaze, wondering if it would be wise to return to the campsite or not.
He didn't enjoy trusting others with the safety of Shikiyoku, but at the same time, he didn't think returning would help his own attack on himself.
It didn't help that she'd put him before herself, when it was clearly his job to do that for her.
"Foolish."
And for the first time, he wasn't sure who was the real fool.
~!**!~
Akari shrugged at his first words, again taking them as joking. Until his next words were uttered. She eyed him, expression turning somber now, as she continued on the same thought he'd obviously been on for a while. "Honestly, I don't see a reason to." She heaved a sigh. "There doesn't have to be a fight, y'know. If I've learned anything in my life, it's that you have a choice in almost everything you do." *
"When the time comes, there will be reason enough." Foko sounded wise, "We are on opposing sides, are our ideals not dictated by those who are the head of each of our causes?"
~!**!~
The lur'mog's laughter died down quickly when Hiei pulled away, and he lost no time in righting himself, reaching over and gently patting at Hiei's finger, a solemn expression in his eyes.
Without other ceremony, the lur'mog hopped down to the forest floor, stared up at Hiei and thumped his tail twice against the ground before disappearing, reappearing a few feet away-in the direction of the tribe's camp-and hopping up and down, doing the same disappearing act, going a bit farther, and staring back at Hiei again. 3
Hiei had been fully intending to continue his little game, but he was disappointed to see the lur'mog disappear, feet literally making no trace across his skin as it moved, though he did just make out sound as it scurried across the grass that was, he just noticed, burned and dead. Blackened.
Fitting, he thought, thinking the black went very well with the red.
He turned his eyes onto the lur'mog again, staring at it blankly. "I do not wish to return yet," he responded blandly.
~!**!~
Akari sighed. Of course he was right. When it came down to it, a person was controlled by a higher power. That too was something she'd learned in her life. "For some reason, I don't see your cause being too awful, considering the way you, the leader, are. It just doesn't seem… fitting. But, you aren't going to share, are you?" *
"Of course not, inu. I wouldn't jeopardize my motives any more than you would yours. It's quite frankly terrible enough that I'm...fraternizing with you." The word was said languidly with no malicious intent behind it at all, instead almost teasing.
~!**!~
The lur'mog paused when Hiei spoke, head tilting again and a puff of air escaping his lungs as he considered the other.
She may not have told him as much, but the lur'mog knew what She needed, and it wasn't only physical heal-
The lur'mog perked up, the spines across his back standing at attention as he glanced this way and that, assessing the area he stood in, and then taking off, disappearing completely out of sight without further ado. 3
Hiei raised a brow at the creature that huffed at him, then proceeded to look around, head moving fast enough that were it not for his Jaga, Hiei likely wouldn't have even noticed the change. And then it was gone, leaving Hiei standing there, confused and almost curious as his eyes began looking around slowly, searching for the dark body that had disappeared.
"I'm in no mood for games, small one."
~!**!~
Akari shrugged. "I have no motives, though your statement would be valid if I did. I'm simply doing whatever will grant me another day of life." she paused, not sure if she wanted to ignore his teasing or not. She moved, suddenly sitting up and stretching, an arm over her head and the other behind her head to grasp at her elbow.
"Well, I guess there won't be much of a problem if this.. flirting with the enemy thing doesn't get too far, now hm?" her tone was light, a smirk forming on her lips as she glanced at him briefly.
She wasn't sure if she quite believed her own words. *
Foko lifted an eyebrow and glanced over at Akari as if to say 'Oh?' before he spoke up.
"What makes you say that? Did you have something more in mind already?"
~!**!~
The lur'mog reappeared on Hiei's shoulder with a blackened leaf from the burned forest floor beneath them, clutching at it and chattering excitedly before disappearing again.
He reappeared a few seconds later, this time hopping back and forth from foot to foot, holding a leaf that looked remarkably like the one he just had, except that it was...green again. Alive. 3
Hiei wasn't surprised when the small animal appeared on his shoulder, his red eyes turning to see what the lur'mog held for him.
"Lur'mog," he grumbled, his tone reflecting his earlier statement when the small being disappeared again without explanation.
When the creature appeared again, this time with a leaf not charred by Hiei's fire, he simply stared, retrieving the lea after a moment and turning it over, but seeing nothing particularly significant.
From his inspection of the whole leaf with a keen gaze before turning back to the creature on his shoulder, Hiei felt as though he got the gist of what the lur'mog was trying to tell him.
"She'll heal fine." he replied, turning his eyes towards the direction of the camp again.
After a moment, he huffed indignantly and decided he would go back.
The lur'mog was a very convincing creature, he told himself.
~!**!~
Akari smiled almost coyly at Foko. "Your simplicity is an addicting trait." she paused, then let her arms fall, though holding up a finger as if to keep him from speaking, "Or, rather, it's your straightforwardness and calm demeanor. That, coupled with your slight taunting makes your presence an enjoyable one. I've been there before; it's something I've been sucked into." *
"Flattery will get you everywhere, inu." Foko turned on his side to face her, golden eyes bright and reflecting the smile he had for her.
~!**!~
The lur'mog looked first at one paw, then the other, then dropped them to the front of his body, then appeared thoughtful.
After hearing Hiei talking about 'healing,' the creature shuffled over carefully across his shoulder to his bare neck and cooed as he closed his eyes and rubbed his scaly head right against the lobe of Hiei's ear. 3
The fire demon slowly walked in the opposite direction of the charred clearing. His eyes turned to the lur'mog for a moment, a hand moving so that he tapped the creature's head with his index finger as he walked. He was rather fascinated by this one, the only creature that seemed able to attach to an entity and was completely harmless.
"Curious creature," he repeated for the second time today.
His hand fell to his side again as he walked, reentering the camp grounds silently, eyes wandering around and searching for signs of any demon who'd been waiting his return anxiously, looking for any sign of anyone deciding to test Hiei's earlier threat.
~!**!~
Akari laughed and leaned back, her weight on her hands that were flat on the grass behind her. "I've learned a few things here and there." *
"I have no doubts about that." Foko remarked, gazing across the grass at her. He paused a moment before talking again.
"How did you come to have that delightful feral inu come around? I've never seen a more amiable creature." He made the question seem as if it had been something he'd pondered for a while.
~!**!~
Shubou stepped out of the tent, thankful to spy Hiei just returning and walking directly up to him.
"She is asking for you again, Champion." Shubou made a brief glance around at the tribe, most of whom were readying for the night. "We have guards posted throughout the time of darkness to keep anything at bay that might wish to intrude upon the encampment. And you are welcome to stay in there with her." Shubou gave a slight head-tilt to indicate the medical tent. 3
Hiei roamed up to the tent, pausing only when the shorter demon halted in front of him, having come forth from inside the tent, something he found he didn't mind for the moment. After all, this was this demon's land. He might as well respect the authority.
He nodded once at Shubou, showing he had heard and understood. He had almost continued moving before the demon spoke about staying overnight. He stared unblinkingly at the shorter for a moment before actually opening his mouth for a verbal response. "Thanks," was all he said, though he did nod his head respectively at the other before stepping around him and continuing on, pausing outside the tent. "If you hunt for game, going Southeast will be useless." As soon as he was done informing the demon, he moved the flap of the tent and stepping into the darkened fortress, eyes adjusting easily.
~!**!~
AKari's brows raised and she turned an unblinking gaze at Foko. "You mean Nabu?" she asked, her tired mind wanting to ensure she understood his question fully. "Well, you know pups. They get attached, and then they're loyal for life." She smiled fondly before shrugging again. "I was sitting here one day, taking a nap, and when I woke up, he was sitting in front of me, tail wagging." Okay, so no one knew of this. So what? "When I got up to wander about, he simply followed. No matter how many times I shooed him or growled at him, he didn't leave. Of course, I lost my patience at one point, but you can see what good that did," she finished with a smile. *
"Well, it sounds as if he was looking for someone special. And that he found them." Foko mused. "You know, foxes seem to avoid me whenever possible."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku took the quick reentry to indicate that Shubou had not immediately seen the demon, the camp was small after all, and didn't bother looking up.
"He...isn't back?" She felt like she needed to confirm it, unable to keep the disappointment from her tone. 3
Hiei raised a brow at the voice that floated through the air, filled with heavy disappointment. He stared ahead into the darkness for a moment, blinking slowly, completely forgetting the creature at his shoulders as he considered the atmosphere in the air.
"Who?" he finally asked, though he knew she'd been waiting on him.
~!**!~
Akari's lip twitched even more. "Well, aren't foxes normally lone creatures?" she asked, watching him carefully. "If you ever wanna see a creature turn tail and run as soon as it smells you, I'll let you see a cat of this world when I pass by one day," she mused. "That's likely the funniest thing I've seen in a while." *
"Yes, but you'd think I'd at least get a vixen to come around, right?" He sounded as if the lack of such a thing was a source of consternation. He chuckled when she mentioned cats retreating from her presence.
~!**!~
"Champion?" Shikiyoku shifted her head from where she still lay on the furs, seeing Hiei's form silhouetted against the small bit of light that intruded through the tent flaps. There was no mistaking the relief she felt at hearing his voice, at knowing that he was nearby once more. 3
Hiei's brow resettled at her confirmation, the relief tangible in the air leaving him standing there, despite the step he'd been about to make. He didn't move forward for the moment, only standing by the tent flaps and eyeing the dark shadow where Shikiyoku was laying.
"Go to sleep."
~!**!~
Akari's laugh was probably louder than necessary, her head tossing back for a moment before she recovered with a deep breath. "Why stuck on vixens?" she asked suddenly, amused probably more than rational. "I mean, there are felines, bats, elementals…" She gave another laugh. "Or are you transfixed?" *
Foko seemed mildly surprised at her question.
"Well, I am a kitsune, am I not? Why aren't the foxes flocking to me? I think that's the real issue here." He made a small sniff of derision.
~!**!~
"Not without you." Shikiyoku declared stubbornly, starting to rise up again with her good arm, deciding that if he were close enough, she would simply pull him down to her. 3
Hiei huffed at her impatiently. "I'm here, what more do you want?" he grumbled, moving just a little closer, not much aware of her intentions, though he did hear her shuffling. "Settle yourself and rest. I won't go anywhere."
~!**!~
Akari shrugged. "I'm not a fox demon. I don't know how you guys think. You're all definitely more sly and cunning than dog demons, that's for sure." she replied simply, in a roundabout way saying that she wouldn't have a single clue about the subject. "I'm sure one'll come around sometime." *
Foko sighed, "I suppose I'll just have to content myself with being dreadfully lonely until then. A resident fox would surely lift the mood of the hideout. Everyone's been in such dire straights lately."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku stopped, mid-way between sitting up, and let herself slowly lower back down again.
When she spoke up next, her voice was quiet.
"...promise?" 3
"If you insist, yes." Hiei answered calmly, moving to sit near her despite his reluctance to do so a moment ago. He wasn't yet ready for sleep, so when he sat on the floor, back to the female, he reached up for the lur'mog, intending to entertain himself once more.
~!**!~
Akari rolled her eyes. "You'll deal, I'm sure. As will the others. Everyone deals with it." *
"Yes, but we shouldn't have to." Foko frowned. "No one should have to if they do not wish to."
~!**!~
"I do." Shikiyoku replied a bit stubbornly, feeling him draw near and letting the last bit of tension withdraw from her body, closing her eyes. 3
Hiei grasped the lur'mog, turning it over in his hand again so that he could resume what he had been doing earlier, his index finger lightly brushing its scales on its now exposed belly.
"Then sleep," he grumbled at Shikiyoku finally, not even glancing at her shadowy form this time.
~!**!~
Akari shrugged again. "Not my problem," she taunted, her smile turning sly and mischievous. *
"You are absolutely no help whatsoever, inu. I hope you realize that." Foko replied loftily.
~!**!~
Hiei had toyed with the lur'mog for about ten minutes before he had decided to get some rest as well, since he knew that he couldn't have anything keeping him from thinking straight now that they were too deep into the forestry to turn around and go back. It hadn't been exactly a dreamless sleep, but it had been rest enough that when he awoke, he felt as if he'd slept longer than necessary.
And with that thought, he'd decided to get up and wander about the camp, scoping out the area and simply satisfying his curiosity over the size of the tribe. As he wandered, he realized it was a much larger group than he'd first assumed.
He passed by a few demons who were sitting around a fire, meat held over the flames that were dying out with the fierce wind that was blowing by, whipping at tents, trees, anything it could while throwing dirt around.
He considered giving aid, but when he noted that the stares were anything but welcoming to the newcomer, he decided against it. No use in helping.
He had continued on, wandering, observing as the sky finally lightened with the new day.
~!**!~
Another shrug. A coy smile. "I'm not supposed to be helpful, Foko. Plus, it isn't fun. Why solve the problem when I enjoy the effects of it?" *
Foko gave another sigh, "How endearing. Never thinking much past the next moment, your kind. It makes your lives seem more thrill-by-thrill. I suppose I envy you that."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku woke in a cold sweat to an empty tent and the brightening of the day.
Perhaps...not completely empty, she found as she shifted her head and spied the tiny red-scaled body of the lur'mog curled where she remembered Hiei being the night before.
She watched him for a second, curled up holding his tail as he was, eyes closed and breathing deeply, before shifting her arm around until she could nudge a finger inbetween his paws.
The creature murmured something sleepily, opened his eyes half-mast, and latched onto her finger as a replacement for the tail he let go of, rubbing the side of his head against her skin.
For some reason, the being felt cool to her touch, and Shikiyoku realized she had a fever, suddenly recalling the strange dreams from the night before.
Her limbs felt no better as she lifted the creature to rest him on her chest.
He let go of her when he felt his bottom contact with the dress, sitting on his rump and yawning mightily.
Shikiyoku gently began stroking his scales and the lur'mog started what could only be called 'purring,' his eyes almost closed as he sat and let her do as she wished, bringing her finger around in small circles all over his skin.
The tent flap got pushed back and Shikiyoku tried not to let her disappointment show when it was only Shubou, carrying a plate of what smelled like cooked meat in one hand.
Her stomach grumbled loudly in response to the scent, sending the lur'mog's eyes wide from the vibration he could feel even that far away.
Shubou did not seem surprised to see the lur'mog companion with Shikiyoku, moving across the rugs to set the plate down briefly, gently help Shikiyoku sit up, and then get seated behind her back sideways, holding her up with a shoulder that she promptly leaned against gratefully as Shubou moved the plate within arms reach for both of them. They started removing the long slices of meat from the plate without further ceremony.
When Shubou spied the lur'mog eyeing the tray, there was no hesitation in the demon reaching into a pocket with a free hand, and casting something within it out into the tent.
The lur'mog's eyes widened briefly as tiny flashes of things started blinking in and out of existence about the tent floor, and he promptly started to chase the prey around the room, when catching one sitting down onto the floor to tear noisily into it. 3
Hiei continued to wander the campgrounds, eyeing each demon he passed, the looks given to him ranging from smiling, greeting faces of children and a few females to stares of ire from a few others. He wasn't surprised.
Though when he was suddenly standing in what seemed to be the center of the camp, where a group of demons were communing, he paused to look curiously after them, wondering of the gathering.
Before he even had a chance to listen in, one of the demons looked up and shot over to meet Hiei's watchful gaze. He considered Hiei for a moment before holding up his weapon- a bow- and waved him over.
Hiei hesitated, but the demon called to him anyway. "We're leaving for a hunt. You're welcome to join. Kubou is staying behind."
The fire demon considered the offer as several other demons in the group turned to him, expressions blank. It was obvious that this group welcomed whoever their leader welcomed. Loyalty. That was his lone impression of the group.
And after a moment's thought, he realized he wouldn't mind killing a few creatures. He'd learn a few things about this level as well. So, without further ado, he closed the distance between himself and the group, who each smirked as if accomplishing an impossible task.
"Good! We'll split up into our normal groups, except the Champion will be with my group," the bow wielder informed. "We'll reconvene in two hours. If you catch game, just head back and prepare it. We have lots to do today."
With that, the group dispersed, and Hiei was moving with two other demons, not even looking back the way he'd come.
~!**!~
Akari turned to Foko, shifting the way she sat so that her legs were crossed beneath her, now leaning towards him as she turned to face him with her body as well. "Is that so? Envying the fact that my kind is almost entirely incapable of thinking ahead? It's a trait most hate about us, since it gets us killed quicker than most. What has you so interested with it?" *
Foko let out a good-natured scoff.
"Most demons hate it because they realize that they themselves are the same way, if not on quite the same level. It's what I find wonderful about you, though. Even as we're sitting here, I can just imagine that you're taking in every detail as if it might be your last. Living for this very moment you've been given at the time you've been given it." As he spoke, Foko reached up to move a portion of her strawberry-blonde hair behind one ear where it had come loose, following the strand down the side of her neck easily as he tangled his fingers in it, resting his elbow gently on her knee and continuing to play with it.
"I, on the other hand," He sighed again as if the admission were almost embarrassing, watching his fingers weaving slowly in her hair, "Have too many things moving through my mind, and can't just content myself to think solely about being here. With you."
~!**!~
"How are things in the city?" Shikiyoku asked wistfully, leaning even more heavily into Shubou's smaller frame as if the question weighed her down.
Shuou glanced over at her, never quite taking full attention away from the cooked meat at hand.
"Some things have changed completely since you left." Full cheeks made the words sound a little muffled, "Others have remained exactly the same. It is our way."
Shikiyoku nodded, tearing into more meat.
"Why are you going back to The Palace?" Shubou asked suddenly, staring at the piece of meat just taken from the tray.
She did not answer at first.
"I thought you were banished. Compelled to never return to those lands. Can't you not get back there?"
"We'll see." Shikiyoku replied dryly.
"It's for your own safety, you know." Shubou started again, mouth full of meat this time. "The royalty that took over have grown quite strong over the years."
"We are our own weakness." Shikiyoku said as if reciting the line, staring down at the bit of meat she held, "We are our own strength."
"Fair enough. I wouldn't know." Shubou swallowed. 3
Hiei followed the demon who had gestured for him to come along, eyes on the bow he carried. "The name's Hideki." The fire demon eyed the taller, lankier male who had spoken, who had turned his grey eyes back to him with an expression that said he expected Hiei to introduce himself as well. "How'd you come across the seductress, Champion?"
Hiei blinked once as they walked through the camp, towards the area Hiei had come from the day before, when Shikiyoku had been carried back after-
"Accidents happen," he replied casually.
"Indeed they do."
The demon on Hiei's right chuckled, "It doesn't seem like you consider it much of an accident anymore. She's got you wrapped up nicely around her finger, I'd say."
Hiei didn't retort.
"Okahito," the first warned, turning his cool gaze onto the other. Nothing else was said, and Hiei scoffed once, as if he'd known what had been traversed between the two. Don't stir the fire demon's ire.
"It's my job to appear as such," Hiei finally responded, overtaking the others' steps and passing them casually.
A moment of silence passed as they left the last vestiges of the camp, all casual conversation now unnecessary as the two other demons slipped into hunting and tracking mode, Hiei merely looking about, hands in his pockets as his Jagan locked on different types of creatures nearby.
~!**!~
Akari didn't move when Foko reached towards her, though her eyes did follow the motion his hand made as it neared her face. Her shoulders stiffened, her spine straightening as if preparing for something she'd need to halt, but as Foko continued talking, her eyes moved from his extended arm and to his face again, finding that though he was toying with her hair, it was gentle and held no sense of danger.
Her expression became a curious one, a small smile forming on her face as she tilted her head to show her curiosity. Of course, she didn't ask of his thoughts, figuring it was a conversation that was forbidden for the both of them. Her eyes moved to his ears, watching one twitch as a sound somewhere in the distance caught its attention, and then dismissed it, his expression never changing, as if he hadn't even noticed his own movements.
She found herself reaching up and rubbing at her head, where she wished, not for the first and definitely not the last time, that her own ears were present.
"I can't deny your words," she began, hand falling to her lap again as she closed her eyes in a small sigh meant to stifle a yawn. "I'm taking in about as much as my mind will allow, some of it without even meaning to do so." She gave way to another pause. Her eyes slid open slowly again, taking in the shine that the sun threw through his hair and across his face. "However, I won't say that I enjoy it all the time. For instance, if an attacker were to approach, you'd learn of their presence much before I would, because of my one track mind. You've witnessed it first-hand, if you recall our last rendezvous." She took another deep breath in.
"I guess we'll simply be stuck, envying the other." *
Foko shrugged slightly, lowering his hand back across his stomach.
"Alpha blood is rare indeed among the inu. And trust me when I say you would not want to be as aware of your surroundings as they. They spend much of their life haunted by thoughts of things that are likely to never happen, unless they are lucky enough to be born into a pack or form one of their own."
~!**!~
"Is there anything you can tell me about the inhabitants there? I was sent after a demon in particular-"
"They keep to themselves." Shubou interrupted, "But are very much in absolute control of the Ninth Level, which they exert upon the rest of us when they feel as if their powers have been ignored or forgotten for too long."
"Then this is the very same group who-"
"Killed your entire...clan? Yes. No one has been able to overthrow them in all this time."
Shikiyoku fell to eating again, remembering how desperate her mother had been that she escape. But why? A demon with powers over pleasure and desires had absolutely nothing to fear-save for the usual 'get near another demon and use up your power' shtick-except for another of their own kind, or their counterpart, pain. And there weren't any of the latter left as far as anyone knew, and none of the former were discontented with the ruling class at the time.
Not that any of them were left alive to complain now. 3
Hiei came to a standstill after a few more steps, his Jagan catching the movement of a creature towards himself and the others underneath him. A creature he had already encountered, and decided he loathed. His eyes pointed down as a small stream of fire suddenly sprouted from the ground.
The other pair of demons turned to face Hiei, eyes seeing the fire, their expressions unchanging.
"It's useless, aside from its skin." one of the demons mumbled just loud enough for Hiei to hear. "No use in stirring the creatures just yet."
Hiei stared ahead at Hideki, considering him for a moment before deciding he might as well play along. He continue walking, ignoring the moving creature beneath him as he walked, and eventually, it did leave him be. He walked on for a while, considering each creature in the area curiously, until he decided he was bored with it and letting his Jagan close, return to slumber as it were.
They walked around, Hideki's nose testing the air here and there while the other simply branched away, breaking away from the group of three and creating a group of two. Soon after, a loud screech echoed on the howling wind and Hideki released a scoff.
"Always the first."
Hiei raised a brow and chose to ignore the musing from the demon, his nose picking up on the unique smell of the creature that had been killed several yards away. And with that, he knew what to search for.
Sword in hand now, Hiei's nose lead him too away from Hideki, who turned to watch the fire demon's disappearing frame with a smirk. He'd been wondering when the demon would branch away.
~!**!~
Akari blinked at Foko's words, then proceeded to rifle through memories of her childhood, searching for anything that he'd spoken of. She remembered her mother, bustling about when Akari had gotten herself dirty with her friends, scurrying for clean clothes and scolding her for leaving their hut. She hadn't had a father nearby, he'd simply left when she was born, something she never cared about.
But she didn't remember an alpha, per se. If there had been one over her small family, she hadn't seen one.
"I suppose it makes sense," Akari said finally, eyes returning to the present. "It's not an unbelieveable trait, as us dog demons don't forget easily." She turned her eyes away, looking up and over the demon who was laying in the grass. Again, she found a rabbit, likely the same rabbit from before, munching on grass and weeds. It turned its head to look at her, aware of her watchful eyes. "I know I'm not cut out to be a leader of any kind. I can hardly lead myself," she finished, a half smile creating a light air about her words. *
"If everyone in the three worlds was a leader, nothing would ever get done." Foko replied wisely, his tone just as lofty as Akari's, just his eyes serious as he watched the clouds overhead pass by.
~!**!~
The lur'mog had since managed to capture each and every bit of prey released by Shubou, and now sat on his rump, belly slightly distended, and giving a small burp that made his entire body jolt in place.
While the other two talked, he wandered over to watch as Shubou finished eating and helped Shikiyoku lay back down again.
The two reminisced about their first encounter, a brief one just after Shikiyoku had been banished in which she rescued the other from some such danger or another, and Shubou went on to talk about how it had eventually formed its own tribe that they were among now.
During this conversation, Shubou moved down to tend to Shikiyoku's wounds, delicately unwrapping the bandages that had become soaked with blood and reapplying salve to the gaping wound.
Shubou did not allow the thoughts that ran over its mind to pass over and become expressed outwardly, but the edges of the wound were rotting slightly, and the jar that floated from somewhere else in the room to be used was of a different kind for a different problem that appeared to be arising here.
The wound got rewrapped carefully, this time in bandages that had been soaked in a poultice at an earlier point, and then Shubou moved to do the same with Shikiyoku's other arm. 3
Hiei had wandered, following his sense of smell for a while until the trail seemed to simply end. In the middle of a clearing. It didn't point to the ground, nor the air. It didn't branch left or right. It simply ended. A dead trail. A frown touched his lips as he looked about, wondering how the trail could have only ended, abruptly leaving him just standing there, slightly confused and more than a little wary.
He turned to look to the branches overhead, considering the fact that perhaps something could have swooped down and simply taken the creature in its mouth, which could actually give this same effect, but… not quite as absolute.
Plus, there wasn't another scent fresh enough to have possibly done such a thing.
Hiei moved away from the area, turning and hopping into the nearest tree to look on from above, should the creature come back.
It was also possibly that it had turned around and followed its own trail before breaking away, and he simply hadn't noticed or cared.
"Hiei," a voice whispered, and the fire demon's spine straightened.
That voice…
"Hiei?"
The fire demon immediately moved, slipping from his current branch and down to the next, looking up at the place where Shikiyoku should have been, but was not. He had known it wasn't actually her, because there was simply no possibility of her reaching him in her current state.
Still, no source was spotted.
"Hiei, it's your fault, you know."
The fire demon's teeth gnashed together briefly, flexing the muscles in his jaw before releasing them, his teeth apart again and expression blank. Neutral.
"If you had just listened to me! I nearly died!"
Mind reader?
"You nearly had me killed!"
No. Memory mimic. Emotion taster possibly.
"You should have fallen, not me!"
Hiei's grip on the hilt of his sword tightened, shifting to ready for a strike. He didn't even have to call out to the creature to keep it speaking.
"I mean, you are the cursed child! It should have been you, because you weren't supposed to live anyway! The cursed children are-"
Hiei moved, sword glittering in the early morning sun's rays as it flew through the air, slicing at the creature that screamed.
In her voice.
He held his sword through the large, meaty, odd looking creature that stared at him, maw open as it continued to screech in Shikiyoku's voice, until it was cut off by gurgling, and then silenced entirely.
~!**!~
Akari shrugged, leaning forward so that her hands rested on her ankles of her crossed legs. "If everyone were a leader, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't exist," she mused nonchalantly. "Simple as that. Now, you, on the other hand, would likely just be another demon. One of the same faces in the same crowd." She paused, considering the thought. "How odd that would be." *
"How absolutely boring life would be were everyone like me." Foko breathed. "Though much more aesthetically pleasing, I should say."
~!**!~
The lur'mog smacked his lips together as he continued watching Shubou work on the other injury, cleaning his face with his paws.
Their conversation eventually died down into companionable silence, Shikiyoku unable to respond to any pain in either limb while Shubou worked as she could not feel anything happening with the appendages.
Waddling over to the new bandage on her knee, the red-scaled creature gave a sniff and recoiled a bit with the new, rotten smell that his extremely sensitive nose could pick up.
He chattered at the knee, then looked up at Shubou, who paused in wrapping the arm to lock gazes with the lur'mog briefly, not saying anything and returning to work.
The lur'mog clicked and chirred again, brightening as if remembering something and disappearing from his place.
"Can you understand him?" Shikiyoku wanted to know, not missing the moment that passed inbetween Shubou and the beast.
"No." Shubou replied simply, having merely inferred what the being tried to speak about.
The lur'mog reappeared, next to Shubou's thigh, and the demon paused, holding Shikiyoku's arm in one hand, to take a blackened leaf from the creature with the other.
"Seems your Champion had a bit of a temper-tantrum." Shubou commented, turning the leaf over and back.
The lur'mog chittered and hopped up and down from one foot to the other, holding out his paws.
Shubou lifted his eyebrows, but passed the leaf back.
Holding it close to his tiny body, the creature turned and disappeared again, leaving Shubou to go back to his work.
Shubou got interrupted only a few seconds later when the lur'mog reappeared, doing the same jig as before and holding a green leaf of the same species as the first over his head, chattering again.
Obliging the small being, Shubou plucked the leaf again, turned it over and over.
"Is it always this strange?" Shubou asked as he handed the leaf back.
"Yes?" Shikiyoku replied, giving a little bit of a laugh.
The lur'mog sat into himself for a second, staring at the leaf and then up at Shubou, then back to the leaf and huffing a bit. 3
Hiei stared passively at the creature that now fell away from his katana and down to the soil below, breaking many twigs as it fell. How a creature as large as a boar had gotten up the tree, he'd never understand.
However, he did understand that it had been able to veil itself, hence the disappearance of its scent. He stared down at the fallen creature, the shouts it had voiced still ringing in his head. His ears rang and his head hurt, but he ignored it easily as he dropped to the ground, approaching the creature and moving to grab it before it was grabbed by another hand at its hoofed foot. Hiei's red eyes turned up to spy Hideki, who was staring at him with a withdrawn expression.
"Good work, Champion. Not many are prepared for its type of warfare."
"Mimicking a voice is not warfare. It's cowardice." The fire demon continued moving, this time back towards the camp.
Hideki stared after the fire demon, frowning for another moment before sighing and hefting the hundred-pound furball from the ground and tossing it over his shoulder with practiced ease. That's not a normal mimic, fool.
~!**!~
Akari stayed quiet, choosing not to reply to Foko's words now as her attention became stuck on the small creature that was staring at her, huffing, beginning to panic. It was something she enjoyed creating in the small animals of this earth, where they knew danger and ran instead of fought.
Of course, she never gave chase. That was Nabu's game.
It disappeared and Akari watched the area it had moved from for another moment before shifting her weight and moving to lay down once more, moving her hair so that it fanned out above her head rather than stayed pinned under her skull. She took a deep breath of the fresh air and let her eyes watch the leaves overhead that were filtering sunlight, making them appear much greener than they had been a few days ago.
It was so peaceful.. She could almost…
No. No sleep. Not anymore. *
Foko felt the shift in the demon next to him, both physically and mentally.
"I do not think you would ask for it, and it is not my place to know, but I would help in whatever way I could." He said calmly, eyes never leaving the sky, "Regardless of the problem."
~!**!~
When Shikiyoku reached across her body to take a hold on the leaf that was wrapped against the lur'mog's belly, the lur'mog made rapid noises of protest, refusing to let go and getting lifted through the air to Shikiyoku's chest, where she put him down via the leaf he still clutched.
"What's with you, hm?" She ran a finger along the spines of his back, which relaxed down from where they had stood up at her attempt to steal the leaf, his body hunching over slightly and his eyes glazing over at her attentions.
Shubou let Shikiyoku's arm drop and took a sniff of the air.
"There is only an hour more of light today." Shubou commented, "And the night will be at its longest. If the hunt goes well, we will celebrate." Glancing down at her injuries, Shubou let out a small puff of air that resembled a sigh, "If you wished to join, we could arrange for it."
"I appreciate the invitation, but I would just as soon stay right where I am."
Shubou nodded, unsurprised by her answer.
"The tent will muffle the noise, and it is in the farthest corner from where the bonfire will be, so you should remain relatively undisturbed." Shubou stood up, gathering the remains of the bloody bandages and turning to go. 3
Hiei meandered from the forestry, sword hidden away in its sheath and hands now in his pockets casually, aware that Hideki was following after with his kill over the other's shoulder. The fire demon didn't mind nor care. It saved him the trouble of carrying such useless weight around.
"You know, Champion," Hideki spoke up again, tone even, "if you cared half as much as you pretended you didn't, you'd return to the tent and stay there." The fire demon didn't respond, didn't even make that he heard the words from the demon. "The seductress is nothing without her Champion."
Still, he didn't respond as he walked, and silence ensued again as they neared the campgrounds, met by two other demons carrying two different creatures each on their backs or by a rope that dragged the creatures along. "Hideki! They're moving more than normal!"
"That's because of a disturbance, I'm sure."
Hiei almost considered telling them that he'd scorched a part of their forest. However, he decided it would be more amusing for them to find out themselves.
"It makes for a good feast! Great timing, too!"
"Shubou will be glad."
Hiei broke away from the group as they continued chattering, not seeming to take notice of his change in direction, towards the tent again.
All of which Hideki took note of with a small, knowing smirk.
~!**!~
Akari's eyes remained closed, feeling the sun on her face even as Foko spoke up. It seemed his presence was enough to keep her mind awake and aware enough to ward off the unwanted sleep, and some part of her appreciated that, while another was wary of the fact. It was either a good sign, or a bad sign that his presence was enough to keep her aware.
"It's just sleep and the lack thereof." she answered after a moment, telling the partial truth. "Nothing I can't handle on my own." *
"I figured as much." Foko admitted, "I've been haunted by nightmares too many times not to recognize the signs. My condolences for your predicament. I hope you can find your own cure soon enough."
~!**!~
Shubou climbed back out of the tent to see some of the returning demons from the hunt, Hiei at the lead.
Eyes alighting on the creature Hideki had thrown over his shoulders, Shubou's eyebrows lifted slightly, even more so once the demon gestured with a grin at the fire demon whose path was about to cross with the leader.
Shubou lifted his gaze to Hiei as they walked past one another, headed in opposite directions.
"Good work." Shubou praised simply, no sense of sarcasm or hyperbole there, just a sincere compliment a leader would give to a job well done, and kept going to join the others who returned. 3
Hiei paused only briefly when passing Shubou, red eyes turning to the smaller demon to eye him for a moment in search of anything contradicting his praise. And he found none, so he nodded his head once and turned to continue on, moving the rest of the way through the camp and to the tent he knew Shikiyoku to be in.
He paused outside the tent flaps, hand poised to grasp the fabric but paused in the air, Hideki's words echoing in his mind completely counteracted with the creature's mimicking of Shikiyoku's voice, the words it had yelled at him.
"It's your fault!"
He stared at the tent flap for a moment, hesitating.
"If you care half as much as you pretend not you don't, you go back."
The demon moved the flap and entered the tent silently, moving across the small room without pause and simply sitting himself on the floor near Shikiyoku's bed of pelt, not saying a word but simply staring.
~!**!~
It was the middle of the day, and she was unable to sit still. Akari was afraid that if she did, she'd go to sleep, all of which she'd managed to avoid since the night before last. She'd laid around in silence with Foko for a few hours yesterday, and quite frankly, she almost wished she could do the same again today. Except, sitting still was no option.
Hence the reason she was not in school at the moment. She would have gone to her normal spot, but today it seemed was the perfect day for picnic goers, and her spot had been taken over with families of humans. Loud, laughing humans.
So she'd been scoping out the other parks today, seeing if any other ones struck her fancy.
The first one she'd visited had been specifically for children, with jungle gyms and swings and such. It was quiet, as kids were in school, or most of them were, though there wasn't any place she had seen as appealing.
The second had reeked. Of what, she wasn't sure, but she'd left as soon as she'd entered the park gates.
This one seemed… peaceful. Calm. It smelled of canines and humans, but none were in sight. Obviously a dog park. She almost smiled at the irony of the fact that she found this park worth looking into. A dog park, of all things.
She wandered inside the gates, realizing it was much larger than she had initially assumed. It was pleasantly quiet, even of birdsong and other creatures and-
Wait.
Her eyes moved around the area as her slow, tired mind processed… something. But what, she wasn't sure yet. She heaved a sigh and a yawn before continuing on from the pause she hadn't realized she'd made in her trek, and it didn't take her long to find a secluded area much like the area in the other park she enjoyed.
Maybe it wouldn't hurt to lay down for a while…
No sleep, though. None.
She slowly moved forward until she was at the base of a tree that was of a decent size, turning so that her back was placed against it, readying to slide down the bark.
Something didn't feel right.
Akari again paused, eyes surveying the area, until a form came out of the shadows on her right and moved across the clearing, heading to her left as if he didn't even see her. Had it not been for the horns atop his head, she wouldn't have thought twice about his presence.
"Hey!" She called, pushing away from the bark of the tree. He paused, turning to look at her with catlike eyes and sharp, pointed teeth shown in a smile. "Where are you going now, hm?"
"Nowhere in particular."
His voice was low, gravely.
"Then come here, have a chat," she demanded, moving across the clearing.
"Ah, but I do have to jet, and you're in no shape to stop me."
She stared at him evenly as she closed the space between them, and when he turned to continue on, she moved to block his way. "You don't belong here."
"Neither do you."
She sighed impatiently.
"Ah, low on patience already? You've gone at least 24 without it, hm?" *
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off! -Star