A/N: Hello once again, Denizens of the FanFiction World!
I hope you enjoy the chapter!
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!
Shikiyoku and Hiei end up at the Feast of Darkness Shubou's tribe is celebrating.
The demon leader manages to coerce Shikiyoku into telling stories and dancing for them.
Shikiyoku seems disappointed about something once she finishes dancing,
and leaves the encampment to think on a few things.
Hiei follows after her and questions the physical contact she makes with him.
After she attempts to explain it, he asks if she has solved whatever is bothering her.
~!**!~
Nabu joins Akari and Foko, and after a brief bit of confusion about Foko not being Kurama,
the three start playing tag, beginning with Foko tagging Nabu, who immediately tags him back.
This leads to Foko chasing after Nabu on all fours, scaring the dog as the demon scoops him up in his arms.
Foko apologizes for scaring the animal...
Nabu's feet curled up and into his body as soon as they left the ground, paws tucked against his belly as if he were laying down as he prepared for… whatever was going on. As soon as their rolling stopped, Nabu was wriggling about in Foko's hands in an attempt to get free of his hold, his rough housing that at the moment didn't strike him as such.
And then he was in the air, held up only by the man's hands who slowly lowered him. Nabu had considered a growl of a warning, had considered snapping, but his instincts had his body relaxing, his legs hanging in the air and head dipped as his nose just touched Foko's.
After a moment, Nabu's ears twitched and slowly returned to their natural position atop his head, nose sniffing at Foko's slowly as the odd feeling made him recall one other who had made such gesture. He knew it was a gesture of peace, of affection, so his body went entirely slack, his ears twitching when Foko spoke up.
Instead of giving a verbal response, his little heart beating too hard and his poor lungs moving too quickly to warrant such a reaction, he moved a paw and placed it gently on Foko's forehead, tapping twice as if saying "it's okay". His tongue tested the air, licking at his chops to catch any slobber that had threatened to fall as a result of his panting before he craned his neck to lick at the demon's face wherever he could reach.
"You're scary. Don't do that again." he whined out.
As silence filled the park suddenly, Akari was heaving large breaths of air and chancing a look up. She eyed the scene with another small giggle before she stood up straight again, right hand gently patting her stomach as if to thank it for not exploding from her day's laughing sprees.
She would have approached, but from here, the scene was simply too adorable, too cute for words, and she didn't want to interrupt the bonding going on.
She glanced around the area again, eyes moving to the trees overhead, and then the clouds that floated by in the sky as she began thinking over a few things. Namely, how the heck she was going to tag Foko once he came after her, as she had a feeling he would.
It was obvious she'd never keep up with him. It didn't take a genius to know that his speed was greater than hers. Simply by looking between the two, their difference in body stature, in build, in muscle mass and where those muscles were located, one could easily define the older, stronger, faster demon.
She'd have to get crafty then. *
Foko lowered the tiny body to his chest until Nabu's paws rested there, and put one arm behind his head to prop it up, stroking Nabu with the other loosely enough to indicate the the dog was free to leave if he wished.
"Do you and Akari usually play tag together?" Foko asked absently, "I was wondering how you planned on tagging her."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku had intended to keep moving while she spoke, but even when Hiei basically stopped her in her tracks, she acted as if to keep moving when she finished, weight shifting forward until he asked her his question.
She shook her head slightly, but did not look up at him.
"There's...nothing to figure out-" Shikiyoku cut her words off, the first part of the statement true enough. And given his reaction to being a source of 'comfort,' she felt almost scared to explain what had her spirits low, to tell him the truth about what the dance and result had meant. He'd likely turn tail and run. Or just laugh at her like her first Champion. She wasn't sure which one would be worse.
Besides, it seemed almost ridiculous to measure her self-worth by whether or not she could find a companion, right? Wasn't that on the character of those among whom she searched? Then how come she still felt so scummy?
"-I'm just...useless. That's all." Had she been a demon with ears atop her head or a tail, either would have quite obviously drooped at the admission, her gaze still lowered. 3
Hiei had raised a brow at Shikiyoku's first words, as if saying I know better than that. And he'd waited as patiently as his confused mind would allow, since he still wasn't sure how to respond to much of anything that had been said within the previous moments. In the silence that had followed after her own cut-off words, the fire demon merely stared down at her, waiting for her to continue.
And when she did he continued to do that very same thing.
Again, he found himself realizing that he couldn't quite get into the mind of someone of her stature, someone like her who needed someone a little less…
Hiei.
His expression shifted to one that would have likely been deemed as soft from the fire demon, who looked at Shikiyoku calmly, but with no real thoughts readable on his expression. His stare wasn't harsh, nor was it a demanding one. It was simply, as he had been earlier, a stare that could see, not draw conclusions or make harsh judgements.
"The only useless are those who don't have anything to live for."
Where that had come from, he'd likely never know.
~!**!~
When set down, Nabu simply stood on the male's chest, nose still extended to the other's face though he'd ceased licking at him. After a moment, he decided to sit, his tail moving slightly in response to Foko's question. However, instead of speaking, he shook his head back and forth in a manner that he'd seen humans do when saying "no" to a question.
Normally Akari merely played games where one would hide until found, or games that involved toys. Nothing like tag, because she'd never really wanted to run around like this one. She'd always said she was 'too big' to chase him, and had once even said she feared she would step on him. Thus, they never played this particular game.
But he still had a pretty good idea of how he was going to go about this, and after a second he turned his head to look at Akari, who still stood a good ways away, eyes not even on him or Foko.
He turned back to Foko, lips moving with the tiniest sound he could muster before he was moving away from Foko, hopping to the grass and turning to Foko again with a happy wag of his tail, tongue lolling and body angled as if to say watch and learn. *
Foko rolled over onto his side, the one that would allow him to face Nabu, and propped his head up with a hand, elbow planted firmly in the grass.
Eyes bright, he said nothing, merely watching the dog and waiting to see what would happen.
~!**!~
For the first time in a long while, Shikiyoku's eyes finally lifted to peer into Hiei's face, but her countenance held no particular emotion, despite the war that had started inside her mind.
But she didn't have anything to live for, did she? After all, the only desire Hiei had ever expressed to her about her was to be free of this disgusting pact, right? And the only way that could happen, to her current knowledge, was for her to...well, die.
When she spoke up, in the midst of her inner turmoil about living and dying, her voice was small, her lips barely moving to form the words.
"What do I have to live for, do you think?" Her words strangely echoed the moment between them earlier, when she had sought his advice as to whether they should stay the night or travel onwards. 3
Hiei's lips tilted further downward, creating a frown that seemed set in stone. Her question was something he could not answer for her. Rather, it was something he would not answer for her, because who was he to tell her how to live? It wasn't his decision, now was it?
He could give suggestions. He could also tell her of all the things he himself would have found of value, but honestly, what good would such words do?
So he settled with his first thoughts on the matter.
"You expect me to know the answer? You have to figure that out on your own."
With that, he made to walk away, but paused, glancing down at his arm.
Maybe it was in his job description. Maybe it wasn't. But for the moment, he supposed he could deal with it.
He slowly moved his arm so that his elbow was sticking out into the open just a little, enough to create a small space between his elbow and his side in a silent offer to her.
He may not enjoy contact, per se, but he supposed he would come to not mind it, if it were completely necessary.
~!**!~
Nabu moved away from Foko with silent steps, ears at attention as he watched Akari's eyes move around carefully, as if in thought about something or another. He crept forward a few steps, appearing as if he were approaching something he saw as prey, not as a friend, and when she didn't seem to notice, he continued forward.
Until she finally blinked back to the present and was looking down at him, to which he lowered his ears and head to the ground, tail drooping as if he were afraid she'd be mad.
"Nabu, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Because…" He paused, head drooping lower as he tried coming up with another idea. He'd figured she would look, but he hadn't exactly known what to say. It simply played it by ear.
"You look as if I've swatted you."
"No, it's just…" He gave another pause as his rear sat on the ground, quickly followed by the rest of his body until his chin was laying on his front paws, eyes looking up at her and ears as flat against his head as they could go. "You're acting funny and I don't know why you won't sleep. It's scaring me,... And this new person you call friend isn't right. He's playing a trick, pretending to be someone else and I don't want you to replace Flowers, because I like Flowers."
Akari's brows furrowed in concern and she crouched down, a hand reaching out as if to pet the dog who moved away from her, tail tucking closer against his body. "Nabu, I'm not-"
"But he's fake Akari…"
"Nabu, come on, he isn't that bad. I mean, sure, he's got a few pointed teeth and all, but he's not going to bite you."
"Are you sure he isn't playing another trick?"
"I'm sure. You trust me, don't you?"
Nabu sat up again, ears still drooped and tail still dragging against the ground as he slinked his way to Akari's outstretched hand. He sniffed at her fingers, as if testing her emotions about the conversation, and then he leaned forward, gently tapping her palm with his nose.
His tongue lolled from his mouth and his jaw dropped to show a toothy, doggy grin as his ears and tail perked again, the small dog quickly dancing out of her reach with a wriggle of his body and a cheerful bark of "You're it!"
All of which Akari didn't react to other than staring after the dog. She'd been so convinced that she wasn't even sure how to react anymore. *
Foko began laughing, his voice carrying across the park.
"Look at that! I would have thought the dog were a fox what with that performance!" Foko kept laughing, his mouth opened wide with amusement, "What say you to that, inu?" His eyes gleamed at her from where he still lay on the ground.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku flinched at Hiei's words, as if he'd struck her, and looked away again.
While she blinked in confusion at the ground, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and glanced up to see Hiei had paused, waiting.
Cautiously, as if he might retract the offer, Shikiyoku took the single step forward she needed to get to his side and lightly slipped just her hand to the crook of his elbow in silent thanks as she got to him, only letting her fingers brush against his skin enough that the hand wouldn't fall or come loose too easily, taking to walking by his side once he started moving again. 3
Hiei had caught her reaction, but hadn't commented on it. Actually, he acted as if he hadn't seen it at all, because he wanted her to figure it out on her own. As he himself had. For the longest time, he'd lived for nothing but the fight, the kill. For a while thereafter, he'd lived to find his tribe and his twin sister, which, oddly enough, had ended almost as well as he'd hoped.
Aside from the fact that Yukina was still searching for him, the long lost brother she so dearly wished to meet.
Now, though….
What was it that kept him driving onward? What was it that he had began living for?
At this particular moment, he didn't really have an answer aside from the task he'd been given: protect the girl now beside him and kill the ones who dared touch her.
It wasn't so bad, right?
In the beginning, he'd thought the opposite but…
When had that changed?
"Your life is yours. If I were to tell you how to live it, you'd come to resent me once you found what you truly wished to do with yourself."
He hadn't meant to speak aloud, but he supposed there was no going back now.
"Hence, it's something you'll have to figure out yourself."
~!**!~
Akari's eyes lifted from the bouncing, yipping ball of furry joy in front of her to glare at the fox demon look-alike across the way, irises darkened with irritation. So you're the mastermind behind this? She slowly pushed herself to stand, eyes never leaving the demon that she now approached, frown twitching to show her pointed canine for a moment, threatening a snarl.
"You taught him trickery? What possessed you to do such a thing, hm?" Her advance was slow, threatening.
"Akari! It was my idea! I was playing a trick, a joke!"
"Very funny." *
"It was none of my doing." Foko replied loftily, seemingly unimpressed by her advance. "And you ought to be praising him for such a convincing performance. It might save your life some day."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku knew how untrue Hiei's words were. All of her other Champions had set a task before her that she had been more than happy to accept in exchange for their protection. It was how this sort of arrangement usually worked. Or, that is, how it had worked up until this particular Champion.
But now...she only had one thing to work with, and it was only an inkling of direction besides. An impression of how she thought he felt about their arrangement.
Find a way to break the pact.
Shikiyoku stood a little taller.
All they had to do was finish this job for Koenma, and hopefully by that time the young prince would have an answer for her in relation to that sheet of paper she had given to him.
Freedom for Hiei. His return to Demon World, and a return without her. Free of her as well as his so-called job for Spirit World.
For now...that was her purpose. 3
Hiei continued walking through the shadows of the encampment, ignoring the sounds of the bonfire a little ways away and the sounds of the happy cheers of the tribesmen and women were lost onto him as Shikiyoku stood taller, the grip on his arm changing ever so slightly at the motion that he cut his eyes at her to see.
Her expression gave way nothing, but he wondered what she'd come to the conclusion of. Maybe he'd helped her in some way about her purpose. The thought would have made him feel a little more confident himself if it weren't for… something.
It didn't feel right. He felt as if he was completely missing something, as if he was forgetting something important. Missing a major point here.
His thoughts turned inward, searching himself for whatever bothered him. While she had stood taller, with more purpose, there was something that simply didn't seem right about it. As if…
As if he'd made it worse.
When he returned to the world around him, his expression was devoid of any and all emotions and he was waving away the flap of the tent, stepping inside without so much as even a pause for her to either follow or go first.
And for the first time in a long time, he couldn't bring himself to look at someone in the face.
~!**!~
Akari stalked forward still, even as Foko's nose rose a little higher into the breeze that swept by lazily. Her mouth made no move to respond, her lips staying pursed together as the vein in her temple pulsed, her jaw flexing slightly as she moved slowly across the park until she was standing over the demon, looking down at him with accusing eyes.
"Just because you killed a business partner for me does not make me weak enough to need help." Her lip lifted, revealing her canine again in a silent snarl. "I am not a helpless creature." *
Foko's grin did not fade, but his eyes did grow a little colder when she stopped, looking up at her from the ground as if she were not worthy enough an advocate to leave his place to stand.
"You misunderstand, inu. I would have killed Kaido regardless." His eyebrows lifted, "Happening to save you from your imminent death by his hands was simply a...perk."
He lazily broke eye contact with her and rolled over onto his back, putting both hands behind his head with a sigh, gaze softening as he looked up at the sky overhead.
"It is much too pleasant a day," He murmured as if to himself, "To bother with becoming upset over nothing."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku followed Hiei inside, her vision adjusting to the near darkness just enough that she was able to see and quickly traverse the room to where the furs she laid on earlier were.
She had no idea if Hiei would join her on the only comfortable spot in the entire tent, but she did not ask, simply spreading out the hides so that there would be room for both of them to lay down if he wished, and then claiming one side of the makeshift bedding for her own.
After getting acceptably settled, she spoke up quietly, "We should make it to our destination tomorrow. We do not have much further to travel." 3
Hiei had paused after his eyes had adjusted, looking about the area momentarily as Shikiyoku made herself comfortable in the same place she'd slept on the night before, though he noticed she left a bit of room to the side.
Likely an offer, but for the moment, he couldn't see any reason to take on the offer. He didn't feel right, and he wanted to think it over a bit. In peace, and without disturbing Shikiyoku. So as she got comfortable, he himself decided to sit nearby, but not lay as if to sleep. He'd heard her words and glanced at her to show he had heard her before he stretched out beside the furs, as he'd done earlier that night.
~!**!~
Akari continued to stand over Foko, tempted to cross her arms at the male who seemed to have no inkling, nor did he seem to care, that she really was just playing the game that seemed to have formed. Her jaw flexed again as he rolled over, his eyes turning to the sky as he spoke.
And after a moment, she was falling to the ground, adjusting so that when she fell, she was within inches of him and her fingers were poking at him, prodding, her scowl turning to a smirk as she wondered if he too was ticklish. *
Foko's eyes drew closed the longer Akari simply stood next to him, as if he didn't have a single care in the world.
He felt the air next to him shift as she moved towards him, the scent of rosemary coming heavier into his nose, and while he didn't initially consider the movement as anything specific, his body twitched, muscles at his ribs tightening, and he found himself attempting to stifle laughter, biting at his lower lip and trying to ignore the tickling actions of the inu next to him.
As Foko clenched his jaw together, he knew it was a losing battle.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku let her eyes close, a bit of a cloud darkening her brow as she thought of the day tomorrow.
They would indeed not be long in reaching The Palace, the resting place of those who ruled over the Ninth Level of Demon World. The ones who had overthrown, and killed, her entire family.
It wasn't as if her thoughts were murderous or vengeful. Frankly, she didn't really find herself caring all that much. Being so young when it happened...she couldn't say she particularly remembered much of being 'raised' on those lands.
Her only source of ire, her only hesitation on the subject was the mesmer of her mother.
Do not set foot upon these lands again.
One of Shikiyoku's ears twitched in annoyance. Even countless eons later and the demand rang within her.
She would find out soon enough if she had grown strong enough to break whatever spell it was she felt resting within her still.3
~!**!~
Daybreak had already come, as told by the colors that were attempting to filter through the tent now. Hiei had awoken some time in the early morning hours, but hadn't moved in the past few hours. When he'd first awoken, he'd stretched his legs, lengthened his torso, and then realized that he shouldn't be, as the woman beside him had stirred.
Or, maybe not exactly beside him.
His eyelids slid open to let his ruby irises turn down and peer at the sleeping face of Shikiyoku, whose head rested on his shoulder and arm draped over his torso. He oddly found himself rather… comfortable, unlike the night before when she'd first grabbed onto him and held his arm. That he hadn't understood.
Of course, he didn't much understand this one either, as he liked to tell himself he did. But, quite frankly, he was sure she hadn't gotten closer to simply stay warm.
Or maybe she had, he didn't know.
Nor did he care as he took in a long breath of air through his nostrils and settled in, preparing to stay for as long as was necessary.
~!**!~
Akari's grin turned triumphant at the feeling of his muscles twitching, at the feeling in the air of restraint that radiated from the demon laying in the grass. She scooted closer on her knees, taking to prodding each spot that reacted with her fingers, a small laugh of her own filling the air.
"What have you say to that, hm?" she giggled out, moving a knee so that it pinned down the fabric of his pants to the ground where it was loose near his thigh, preventing an escape. *
"I-..." Foko opened his mouth as if to respond, but then found that he couldn't contain himself any longer, bursting into tortured laughter, attempting vainly to scoot away and at the same time starting to grab for Akari's wrists as his upper body jolted more harshly at her poking.
His golden eyes kept opening, his chest heaving as if to say something, but his eyes would squeeze back shut after a pause, his voice falling only to laughter as he kept reaching for her arms.
~!**!~
The tent flap whipped back as a small arm brushed it out of the way and the red markings that distinguished Shubou's round face followed the arm, unannounced, into the tent.
Briefly brushing a portion of brown hair out of orange eyes, glowing spear in one hand, Shubou at first said nothing, moving to a bag on the other side of the tent.
Truth be told, Shubou felt relief at the sight of the two demons together, next to one another.
After watching Shikiyoku wander away, there hadn't been much time to discover whether she and her Champion had met up, Shubou becoming quickly distracted by other portions of the Feast.
While somewhere on the inside, Shubou felt a little disappointed that Shikiyoku had not found a sound companion within the tribe here, in the same space, knowing that the fire demon was to fill that void for her-that she in truth had no need for the secret portion of the ritual any longer-helped a great deal in satisfying the cloud that settled over Shubou's heart at the first thought.
"I am glad you followed her after the ritual." Shubou said, voice low so as not to disturb the sleeper, back turned to continue rustling through bags in a search. "I am not so disappointed with the results of last night, knowing what I do now from them." 3
Hiei had considered closing his eyes again, considering going back to sleep. But, the small sound of the tent flap being moved caused him to slowly turn his gaze to the side, not sure what to expect from the demon who had entered unannounced. Of course, he had every right to do so, since Hiei and Shikiyoku were in his territory. He turned his eyes back down to Shikiyoku, ensuring she was not disturbed before his eyes turned up to Shubou's back again as he spoke.
His expression didn't change from the peacefulness that had actually taken hold of him despite the confusion that bubbled. There was an actual meaning behind the ritual he'd seen the night before? He raised a brow at the demon's back, mouth opening as he spoke very, very quietly.
"What are you going on about?"
~!**!~
Akari's laughter was much quieter than Foko's was, her laugh more of a small giggle at the struggle the demon was having. She continued to poke and prod, avoiding his hands that made attempts to grab at her wrists with jerky movements.
Finally, she gave a final prod and sat back, her hands going to her knees and her head bowing with her laughter that was only known now by her shaking shoulders. And she continued to lean forward as she continued to struggle with her own laughter, practically leaning over Foko as she bit her lip.
All the while Nabu stood on the side, watching with a curious turn of his head at the interaction. Flowers never does that with her. *
When Akari stopped, Foko's laughter started to fade, becoming more and more like chuckles in remembrance of the touch until he finally opened his eyes and narrowed them playfully at her.
He lifted a portion of his lips, revealing demonic canines, and growled in that same playful vein, his eyes reflecting his amusement.
"I deserved that." He said through the growl.
~!**!~
Shubou sent Hiei a brief glance, moving over to another bag upon not finding what was needed at the first, beginning to search again.
"Her dance?" Shubou clarified, "The Odori Iro? Has she not told you of it?" 3
Hiei raised a brow now at Shubou's back. The what? The name of the dance wasn't something he was familiar with, so he hesitated, thinking. Was he supposed to know? If so, wouldn't she have told him? Had he been supposed to participate?
Surely she would have said something, right?
A frown pulled the corners of his lips down briefly before his expression became even again, eyes focusing on the male in the tent now, choosing not to answer. Either the demon would tell him, or he'd simply…
Not know.
If he were supposed to know, Shikiyoku would have said something.
Right?
~!**!~
Akari sucked in a deep breath once she'd gained control over herself this time, her head moving, her nose lifting to the sky as if the fresher air moved above her head. Once her lungs were entirely full with that air, she released it through her lips in a steady stream, her eyes turning to Foko again when a sound left his lips, followed by his admittance.
"Yes, you did." she agreed, nose lifting higher in the air. "You deserve more, but I've learned of mercy to those who are…" she paused, head tilting to the side to mirror her sudden puzzlement. She blinked at him slowly, her eyes having found his golden ones.
What had she been saying again?
Oh, right.
"I could have done worse, too." *
Foko's gaze did not leave Akari, catching her slight pause with not-so-veiled interest.
He lazily turned onto his side, facing her, one leg bent at the knee behind the other as he propped his head up with a hand and continuing staring at her.
"How exactly...worse?" He murmured.
~!**!~
"Now that I think of it, it is unlikely she has done the Dance of The Lover for a very long time. There are few true tribes of demons left in the Ninth Level any longer." Shubou mused, going on absently as if the thought just occurred, "She was called Iro, The Lover, a long time ago by the tribes of the Ninth Level."
A corner of Shubou's lips lifted in a silent snarl, "I have heard rumors that she is called 'seductress' now."
As if the teeth shown did not adequately express the distaste for the word, Shubou spat next to the bag. "I assume that was the work of her second Champion." The statement was lower than the others, darker in timbre. 3
Hiei stayed silent as Shubou talked, his hands moving through bags in search of something that must have been rather relevant to something at least a minor priority. At the name of the dance, he felt his brows move up even further, disappearing into his bangs almost entirely. It was an odd name, but he wondered if its name held the only meaning of it he needed to know:
Shikiyoku wished to have a lover.
He glanced down at her again, this time finding her contact much, much more uncomfortable. Hiei held no capacity for such things, no interest in them. And he felt he never would. Why would this one demon change something such as that?
She wouldn't.
He refrained from moving away as his instincts wished him to do, instead forcing his muscles lax as he turned his eyes to Shubou again, just in time to catch the last of his speech about her nickname.
She hadn't always been referred to as that?
His own expression shifted to one of disdain at the thought of the 'nickname'. He felt it wasn't worthy in any way, shape, or form of being deemed her nickname. It was too…
Harsh, almost.
Or perhaps it was the way people spoke the term that made it seem harsh.
"Enchantress." Hiei suddenly uttered, more to himself than to Shubou. It seemed a little better, but… not quite.
He moved on, back to the original topic. "This dance…" he began, tone cautious, "is of the norm for tribes now?"
~!**!~
Akari thought for a moment, considering whether or not she should answer Foko's question. If she did, that could completely render it useless should she desire to use them as tactics later. If there is a point where this would happen again, her mind spoke. She frowned at the thought, but quickly turned the frown into a wicked, rather crooked and toothy grin as she met Foko's gaze.
"Are you sure you wish to know?" *
"If I didn't wish to know, inu," Foko leaned closer to her, "Then I simply would not have asked." His eyes gleamed. "Of course, you could just as easily not tell me. But I make no promise that I won't attempt to laugh it out of you." He did not specify on the kind of 'laugh' he meant, but he did begin to reach over towards Akari's ribs.
~!**!~
Shubou glanced over at Hiei again and nodded, "Aye. Enchantress is much closer to what she really is, as I understand it, than either 'seductress,'" the word sounded venomous, "Or 'lover.' I think her first Champion circulated that as her stage name as his own private joke. He-" The demon sighed, head shaking the momentary ire that had built up, tossing it away as useless. "He was the cruel, jealous sort, hardly worthy of the occupation, and she was allowed no such thing as a lover, not even him. Nor even so much as to be loved by any, outside of that which would let him bask in her glory and reap the benefits. She was on a tight leash."
As if hearing Hiei's second question for the first time, Shubou continued, "Sadly, no. While it was once a norm, it is no longer such. I believe it is why there are so few tribes left, but that is only my personal speculation." Shubou took a breath to go on, thinking about how to approach the original question which had been skirted by ramblings, "The dance was only done by her, as no other demon could duplicate it. But she is also the one who created it, or so the stories say, so it's not surprising. And she would travel between tribes in the old days to perform it. The ritual...you yourself saw how it wrapped each and every member, binding them together in loops of energy. This binding by her power, it brings closer together the members of the tribe, sometimes resolving minor inner conflicts entirely.
"The name is inadequate, inaccurate. It is simply a 'dance' done by her, when she was known as 'the lover,' and became known as 'The Dance of The Lover,' or Odori Iro, as I said." Shubou's teeth clenched together briefly, "Likely another private 'joke' of the Champion." 3
As Shubou talked on, the first thing that popped into his mind was what the other said about being a Champion as being an occupational matter. While he himself did view it as such, something within him stirred, calling forth the sudden urge to speak, saying one word: "Lifestyle." Hiei himself was not aware of the word that rolled from his tongue in a serpentine-like fashion, so for the moment, he was lost in his own thoughts, thinking over what had just been told to him.
For some reason, the fire demon hadn't realized Shikiyoku would have had more than, say, two Champions. Why he hadn't thought of it, he didn't know. That thought, along with a bit of information that had been passed to him via Shubou, made Hiei realize just how different he was from the others.
To some degree, anyway. Maybe he could be cold and distant, when things didn't go as he'd planned. That was something he noticed wasn't much different but…
Did he give her the freedom she needed? As he thought it over, he realized that he'd done a lot of ordering about, a lot of expecting her to do as he pleased when he made up his mind. It had been the sole reason they were here now, in this little encampment.
Finally, he found himself seeing Shikiyoku in a new light, filled with more respect than before, if possible. He had no way of knowing that the individual he now was laying under was someone who had created a ritual that brought together entire tribes and clans. He hadn't realized she would have been capable of so much, especially since she continued to refer to herself as useless.
He suddenly felt irritation welling up at the single thought. Not any other individual could do what she had done, and still did from time to time it seemed, and she deemed herself useless? His expression shifted from the calm mask he'd been wearing to an expression that actually allowed one to see his sudden ire, if they actually turned to look at him.
He almost considered waking her at that precise moment to tell her of his thoughts, but…
He didn't.
He simply looked back to Shubou. "A binding ritual, per se." he intoned, his thoughts straying away again, though only briefly, from Shikiyoku's self image. "I'd never seen one. Would have been useful years ago."
At least, for me.
~!**!~
AKari's expression swiftly changed from amusement to begrudging caution as she scooted out of Foko's reach, eyes on his moving hands now. She thought for a moment, contemplating even further her next words, her next actions.
She could, but..
She also could wait.
Her lips twitched.
"You should know that torture does no good on me anymore. I won't speak if I don't wish to tell you." she proceeded to stick her tongue out at Foko before her tongue retreated into her mouth again and she was grinning at him almost mischievously. "I suppose if you truly wanted to know, I wouldn't mind a demonstration." *
"Is that so." Foko's teeth glittered in the grin he suddenly found himself sporting.
Foko tackled Akari to the ground and started poking at her again, batting her hands out of the way lazily with one of his own and attacking her ribs.
~!**!~
Shubou blinked when hearing the fire demon's comment correcting 'occupation' to 'lifestyle,' and while the other knew this was likely true, there was no helping how the whole of Demon World viewed the one who held the position of 'Champion.' It was nothing more than a job to those outside the relationship, albeit something many viewed as the highest ranking job one could have in Demon World.
The brown-haired demon appeared to size up the one laying with Shikiyoku at the statement Hiei made before scooting along to another bag, rubbing a hand into the mop of messy hair that was mostly loose from the ponytail that would usually have been tightly pulled to the base of the neck.
"It would have been useful long before that." Shubou sighed, "When her second Champion took her to the cities, which at the time were little more than small towns, the tribes suffered a good deal. Not only was there more in-fighting, but more land wars cropped up until we nearly wiped one another out, and those that were left started forming pockets of bandits. And then she left the level entirely and...well...I don't think the cities have ever been the same either. There have been at least three wars since her leaving, between-" Shubou stopped, "It doesn't matter. I do not wish to bore you with such history. The level would have shifted with time anyway since we mirror Human World and that's what they did, regardless of her influence. But once she earned her keep from the guilds and households of the towns and no longer visited the tribes...I believe our decline came much faster because of it.
"Demon World is such the living thing, ever evolving and changing. But when things were right within the Ninth Level, things were right on all the others, since influence always travels up in our world, but not down. The farther she moved up, with her third Champion, the worse things got for all the levels lower than her. Then she left Demon World, and there has been much unrest, even a civil war or two between levels within the last fifteen years. And now I am hearing rumors of beings on the Eighth Level who seem primed to invade and claim the Ninth for themselves. And that Demon World will soon go to war with Human World-" Shubou stopped again, giving an impatient sigh aimed solely at the rambling, "I do not wish to bore you with my personal thoughts either. I'm much too old to go blabbering on like this." Shubou grumbled.
"Suffice it to say that last night was probably the first time she has danced since being parted with her first Champion." Shubou speculated. 3
Hiei's mind had taken to imagining the things Shuhou enlightened him of, mental images of Shikiyoku moving from place to place and dancing for faceless demons, until another faceless demon or two simply dragged her away to other places, until she was in Human World, alone. He frowned at the thought, and then realized if it were true and she had been alone her entire time in Human World, then that would make him her fourth Champion. And the fact that he'd ended up dragging her back to the places she'd been dragged from made him wonder how she thought of everything she saw, how she felt about being back after so long.
She'd been gone much longer than Hiei himself had been. How had she not gone crazy, sitting around doing nothing but petty human th-
Right, Toriko. She'd somehow formed her counterpart, who had taken to simply doing all of the boring tasks Human Worth threw at her without much complaint. At least, about as much complaint as he'd witness from her- which all seemed centered around herself.
Fifteen years. Isn't that how long she's said she had been in Human World? And he'd only been there for… maybe a year? He wasn't sure, as he hadn't really been keeping up with the time. Why would he bore himself even more with the place?
Hiei's mind returned to the present, his eyes focusing on Shubou again. For the moment, he said nothing, as he felt there was nothing to say to the demon who'd just opened up Shikiyoku's world for him.
~!**!~
Akari's eyes widened at the grin that formed on Foko's face, but hadn't had time to get away before he moved. Not that she'd expected this.
Akari wriggled underneath the male now sitting on her, lips firmly pressed together in a very weak attempt at stifling the laughter that was going on anyway. And when she couldn't get away, her body simply took to reacting to the sensation, her feet kicking on the grass and her head moving from side to side as she bat at his hands and made more attempts at scooting out from under the male, sucking in her stomach as if it would help make her smaller.
And as Foko had done before, she opened her mouth to speak, only to let laughter ring in the air instead, eyes closing and head moving to the left again with her giggles. *
After continuing to attack her for a moment, Foko finally sat back and folded his arms over his chest, golden eyes glittering down at Akari.
"Do you concede? Going to tell me all your plans now? Or do I need to continue?" He didn't move from his pose, but the threat hung in the air between them.
~!**!~
"In fact," Shubou grumbled, remembering the tale of how she parted ways with her first Champion, "I highly doubt she's done that dance since leaving her first Champion. I'm honored she graced us with such a boone."
Shubou made an impatient noise, rubbing at the mop of brown hair again with a slight grimace before giving Hiei another sidelong glance, remembering suddenly the beginning of the entire conversation.
"I believe I have you to thank for that, Champion." 3
Hiei watched Shubou as he reached a hand to scratch at his head, eyeing the motion that made the hair become even more disheveled, even if just a little. He wasn't sure what to say at first, as there was nothing he thought appropriate to say, but after a moment, he turned his eyes to the side and shifted his body just a little, turning so that Shikiyoku's weight ended up almost entirely on his shoulder, moving her with him in hopes of not waking her in his slight shifting.
"I did nothing more than alter our course." He paused, eyes sliding closed. "And lead to a pitfall."
~!**!~
AKari's laughter died down just a bit once Foko retreated, her arms simply falling from where they'd been extended in her pathetic attempts at batting him away to rest in the grass beside her, extended as if she'd simply fallen back.
She took a deep breath to respond, but something inside her moved at his words. She blinked up at the sky, at first confused by the knot that formed in her stomach.
And then she was painfully aware of being unable to get away. Her eyelids slid closed and she took another deep breath, this time to steady herself and push away the emotions that welled up. It's just Foko.
"P-please," she began, taking another deep breath but not opening her eyes to look at him, but not finishing what she'd been about to say. *
Foko stared down at Akari with a humored expression for a moment longer, blowing a huff of air out of the corner of his mouth in an attempt to clear away a stray strand of hair that had fallen over his face.
He gave another huff, a quick in-and-out breath, and then got off of her, lifting one leg to pull away and ending up laying on the ground next to her, within arms reach, his hair fanned out behind his head and one ear flicking madly as it tried to get free of a loop of hair that currently strangled it.
~!**!~
Shubou let out a low chuckle, knowing the two of them were talking about two separate things entirely.
At Hiei moving he and Shikiyoku together, this time the she-demon actually shuffled herself around a little, her brows turning down for a moment and mumbling the Champion's name in a whispered breath, but waking up no further, instead relaxing once more and returning to heavier sleep.
"I believe I'll have to mention something to Okahito about those traps as well." Shubou mumbled as if meaning for no one else to hear the mental note, "They were not supposed to be triggerable by demons. It happening to be the Champion and his Ward could not have worked out better for us, but still…" 3
Hiei scowled at the sound Shubou released, wondering why he thought the fire demon's words were funny, or otherwise. But his attention was pulled to the female beside him, eyelids sliding open to look at her still-sleeping features before he made his own sound of amusement. Even in sleep she seemed to disagree with him.
He watched her even as Shubou spoke, finding himself actually drawn to the expression of peace she wore. It was something he had realized he wouldn't see unless she were in this exact state. Hair a mess and mind away in another world.
Perhaps the trap hadn't created as much trouble as he'd believed.
"Perhaps…" his voice trailed off, his sentence dying on his lips before he changed his own statement. "This world works in mysterious ways."
~!**!~
The pressure lifting from Akari's stomach brought great relief to her scrambled mind, making it easier for her to breathe for the moment as she pushed away what she hadn't at first realized to be the vestiges of a memory she'd almost actually forgotten. Until now.
Had the male beside her not mirrored the words she'd heard once before, she-
"...or should I continue?"
Akari's eyelids slid open to view the male who leaned over her now, face extremely close to hers and his breath washing over her forehead. Light grey irises sparkled with amusement, Kyu shifting on his knees in the grass above her head until he was sitting crosslegged instead, his cartoony, colorless figure hard to miss.
She frowned and rolled over until she lay on her side, eyes closing again as she stilled again, one arm under her head and the other tucked to her stomach. "The silent treatment? Really?" *
With his hands behind his head, Foko did not at first take notice of the demon who had curled up next to him, enjoying the breeze that swayed through the grass and ruffled his clothing.
When he realized Akari had come closer, he absently moved his arm behind her head and took to running his fingers through her hair again, fiddling a little with the braid he'd earlier created.
"If you could be anywhere in the three worlds right now, inu, where would you wish to be?"
~!**!~
"Aye." Shubou agreed, "And sometimes not so mysterious, Champion."
The demon with the spear thought to the night before, watching again the tendrils of Shikiyoku's energy wrap twice around the fire demon's leg without his direct notice.
So this Champion had no ulterior motives? No direct plan that he began to enact as soon as he'd captured this rare prize? How strange to see a demon that would not use Shikiyoku to further himself, but how comforting to know that she had at last found a true companion.
Even if neither of them really knew it yet.
"What will you do next, I wonder, when you finish whatever brought the two of you to the deepest level of Demon World?" 3
Hiei didn't respond to Shubou's first words, as he didn't really know if the demon was referring to something specific or not. He assumed the other had reason for his words, but he didn't ask. He didn't find any reason to. If Shubou wished to elaborate, he would.
But it seemed it was simply a matter of personal amusement for the shorter.
He did, however, find himself silently thinking on Shubou's last words. He himself had been considering simply… not going back. However… in doing so, it would be much more dangerous for Shikiyoku. Koenma, while merciful, wasn't one to forgive after being slighted twice.
So he didn't answer, taking to simply wondering on the subject himself. He supposed he would simply continue what he was doing.
Preparing for the fight to come.
~!**!~123
The closeness of Foko's voice had Akari's eyes peeling open, only to find herself staring into the fabric of Foko's outfit. She raised her eyes to peer into his face, only just realizing he'd begun playing with her hair. She took a deep breath in before releasing it through her nostrils, her eyelids sliding closed again.
Anywhere?
"In Demon World, there's a place on the Fourth Level that I visited once as a child," she began, lips turning up in a small smile. "It's nothing more than a large garden, meant normally for elemental demons to visit, but… It's so beautiful." She imagined the different plants that had colored the grounds for miles and miles, as far as the eye could see. And the creatures- the small animals had been so peaceful despite the rest of the level.
"But," she said suddenly, eyes peeling open again as she stared at the fabric of Fokos shirt, "This isn't so bad either."
Nabu had crept forward cautiously, nose twitching as he searched for any sign that the two laying in the grass would move again. When he was sure they were simply laying there with no immediate plans to do anything but that, he approached their heads and paused, watching the delicate fingers that ran through Akari's hair. Again, he found himself thinking that Flowers had never done anything of the sort, and he wondered if perhaps this demon was actually trying to replace the other.
Despite that thought, he took the last few steps and took to laying between the two in a tight ball, chin resting on the grass as he watched their interaction curiously, silently. *
"Fourth level," Foko intoned thoughtfully, "I think I've heard of the place you mean.
The psuedo-fox reached over and gave Nabu's head a scratch.
"Peaceful. Lots of flowers." He nodded once with approval, "A fine choice."
~!**!~
Shubou finally found the small glass vial that had caused all the digging, removing the lid and downing the contents after sitting back, pocketing the empty container and starting to rub a hand at an eyebrow.
Sighing at the immediate relief, Shubou turned to Hiei, "You both are welcome for as long as you wish to remain, Champion. And our encampment is open to you should you find a reason to return. I can at least extend our hospitality to you for the happy 'accident' that brought us together." 3
Hiei nodded once at Shubou's offer in a silent 'thanks', but for the moment, said nothing. Instead, his eyes again traveled down to Shikiyoku's face, and instead of moving again as he had initially intended, he simply stayed where he was, watching her. He considered making an attempt for sleep again, but as he had before, decided against it.
If he went to sleep now, and she awoke, he'd merely accomplish nothing other than waking again to continue on their path towards their destination. And a fire demon being awoken from a nap was not something many dared to do, as it often made their tempers much shorter.
So he'd simply avoid the issue and wait for Shikiyoku to wake.
~!**!~
Nabu's eyes closed with the contact of Foko's hand, ear twitching slightly and head turning into the gesture to aid in guiding Foko's hand to the perfect scratching spot. And once he achieved successfully guiding the scratching fingers to the right spot, his foot gave a shake, making as if to scratch at the spot as well but doing nothing more than thumping on the ground.
Akari caught the sound, eyes opening and turning to Nabu to watch the pup's expression shift to what she could only describe as sheer joy. "I visited that level only once, and had been planning on returning, then I ended up stuck here, in Human World." Her smile widened just a touch. "Of course, at the moment, it isn't too bad. I've found this place rather enjoyable, after a while." She gave a short pause for a yawn. "Though, I think that's because of the people I've found myself surrounded by. The company is quite welcomed…. Most of the time."
"What is this, a date?" Kyu huffed, almost startling Akari. She'd almost forgotten he was present. "You're too sappy. It's boring." *
Foko frowned, not at anything Akari had been saying, but at her mentioning the Fourth Level.
It had been a long time since he'd thought of anything directly in relation to locations within Demon World. And while he had a recollection of the garden Akari talked about, he suddenly discovered that he couldn't remember where he was from.
Instead, he had visions of a hideout and a gang somewhere within the first few levels, memories that he knew for a fact weren't his, but ones for which he could find no replacements.
The frown faded, almost mirroring Foko's mood as he gave up.
He'd known this was going to happen, but taking direct notice of it as he did in that exact moment was...disconcerting.
~!**!~
Nothing further to say, Shubou got up with the help of the glowing spear and left the tent as silently as the entrance had been.
It was about this time that Shikiyoku became conscious of the fact that she had slowly been wandering towards the waking world, vague awareness of her surroundings starting to filter into her senses.
A deep breath gave her both the earthy scent of the furs of the bed and the tent around her as well as the fiery cinnamon-and-cloves smell that she had come to associate with Hiei.
As if to resist coming out of sleep, Shikiyoku's body tightened once and her brow furrowed together before she relaxed again and her eyes blinked once, twice, squinting as they came open in the muted morning light.
Her first real impression of the world was that she felt very...comfortable. 3
Hiei had taken idle note of Shubou's leaving without even looking up, but when he felt Shikiyoku's stirring, his eyelids slid closed and his head shifted, turning his face away from hers as if he'd never been watching her. As if he'd never even stirred from sleep.
He took a slow, deep breath in and his body seemed to relax even further, if such a thing were possible.
~!**!~
Akari let out a long breath of a sigh, a sound that Nabu mimicked as he rested his chin in the grass again and settled in for a small nap. "Foko," Akari piped, her voice small and tone curious, "Where would you be right now, if you weren't here?"
It was only fair, since she'd answered him. *
"This is no other place I would be." Foko replied with a measured air.
He couldn't remember any place else. At least, he had no memories of anywhere else to be. None that were his own memories, at least.
Otherwise he might find himself wishing for home…
Such thoughts would be entertained after the war.
Assuming he survived.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku's eyes came open and she found herself staring at Hiei's side, a pose she did not remember actively taking and supposed it had happened accidentally during the night.
She hadn't meant to, but her body tensed at the realization, eyes flickering up to what she could make out of Hiei's face and seeing that he hadn't appeared to have stirred.
To top it all off, not only was she laying on a portion of his shoulder, but she had her arm flung over him-an action she most definitely did not remember doing.
She very quickly lifted the arm up and pulled it back towards her, hoping that she would not wake him in doing so.
As soon as the arm was clear, she did the same with her head, lifting it from his shoulder and then shifting around until she sat up, taking to stretching her arms above her head and stifling a yawn. 3
Hiei didn't move when Shikiyoku did, aside from a small twitch of his lips that threatened a slight smirk at her quick retreat. His expression stayed neutral following the twitch of his lips, and after a few more moments, he allowed his muscles to stretch, his body lengthening out across the ground.
His eyelids slid open again and he took to glancing at Shikiyoku again, keeping his expression clear of all thoughts about the conversation he'd had with Shubou. He moved to sit up as well, rubbing a hand against his cheek for a moment, feeling a bit of dirt there from when he'd rolled over sometime in the night.
And for the first time, he realized he could smell something in the air being cooked nearby, over an open flame by the smell of smoke that accompanied it.
~!**!~
Akari raised a brow at Foko, but otherwise did not respond to him. She couldn't decide if he meant the words as simple truth or if this was one of his attempts to appear slightly charming and yet uninterested. Then again, if it were him being charming, she wouldn't have to question it, as he'd pointed out as well the day before.
She sighed. "At least you're enjoying yourself and not simply.. wrapped up in everything else. A break is necessary from time t-"
"Geez, sweetheart. Do you hear yourself?"
"-to time." Her eyes moved up, sending a glare to the male who was again leaning over her, expression mildly annoyed. She rolled onto her back again and sat up, rubbing at her eyes as she realized staying still any longer could very easily result in sleep. "Everyone deserves a break."
"Pft. Fool." *
Foko didn't disagree with her, still gently massaging Nabu's head, but-
"Unfortunately I cannot take a break from my own mind." He stretched a little, but made no move to rise. "Even laying here I cannot fully enjoy the rest, as I keep thinking about the next steps that have to be taken."
~!**!~
While the rest had been most excellent, Shikiyoku felt her stomach begin tying into knots like it had last night while she fell asleep as she lowered her hands, brushing one briefly against her abdomen.
Just the thought of actively stepping foot on Palace land had her mind racing back to Spirit World and telling Koenma to go shove it and find someone else.
She had a vague recollection now of how others must feel once ensnared by her power, that unbending desire to do whatever is told of them. When she had first been given the order, there had been no such thoughts in her mind of returning, nor had there ever really been such thoughts at all. Let the strong lead, she had no interest in it. Being royalty was too much trouble and she had shucked the title with little to no second thoughts.
Shikiyoku felt that it would not be the last time she desperately hoped she would be able to break the compulsion that had been placed upon her. If not for her sake, then for Hiei's and for their return to Koenma. It would truly be a test as to whether or not she had become stronger than her own mother in all these years, a feat Shikiyoku still retained doubts of, regardless of those who had likely run the other woman through and thus were stronger than even her mother.3
Hiei glanced about the tent, surveying the bags that Shubou had meddled with in his search for whatever it was he'd needed. Had he not known the demon had been within the tent's walls, he wouldn't have noticed the slight changes in the bags. After a moment, he turned to Shikiyoku.
"We should eat," he suggested as he moved to lean forward, pushing himself up to stand and patting himself free of dirt.
~!**!~
Akari's eyes turned down to Foko as she waved her hand in the air, batting away both the fly that had taken to buzzing around in front of her nose and the hand that Kyu reached towards her. She didn't think she could sit still much longer, but she didn't make a move to leave either. She didn't want to. Being in Foko's presence was something she enjoyed and something she didn't want to relinquish so soon.
"I guess that comes with being a leader." she finally said, hands moving to her lap as she crossed her legs beneath herself. "Sadly, I don't know how to help in that respect."
"As if your narrow thinking could do any good."
Akari let out a low sound to herself, somewhere between a grumble of annoyance and a growl of irritation. When had his manifestation turned to a harsh one? Leave.
Oddly, unlike before, her thought of irritation made a small chuckle echo into the air before he was gone. *
"Indeed." Foko replied, "Though your distraction has done a great deal. I..." He hesitated on what he had meant to reveal, but did so anyway, "I am not allowed a chance to be myself around any others."3
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off! -Star