A/N: Hello once again, FanFiction Enthusiasts!
The next chapter awaiteth!
Happy Reading!
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/Shikiyoku and Youko/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.
[Anything written in italics inside square brackets is Youko speaking to Shuichi/Kurama inside their mind and is private conversation, unable to be picked up by telepathy.]
{Anything written in italics inside curly brackets is inner dialogue by Shuichi/Kurama to Youko, and is also private conversation, unable to be picked up by telepathy.}
"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).
The above rule also applies to Akari's old friend Isamu when he is in his dog-form.
There was absolutely no mistaking the chaos in the air when Shikiyoku landed just outside the Northern Tribe with her hand still in Kitoushi's.
Blood. Sweat. Smoke.
Tears.
There was still the sound of fire from somewhere in the encampment as Shikiyoku steeled herself and moved forward, hardly having to pull at Kitoushi's hand before he was at her side, his eyes and ears alert, his instincts telling him first of all that there was much healing to be done here, and second of all that he wanted to get himself and Shikiyoku out.
Demons were running in every direction, and Kitoushi and Shikiyoku walked seemingly invisible among them, the sounds of screams and sorrow thick on the air.
There were at least three fires whose smoke she could see curling up into the red sky, but it did not appear like any demons were running in that direction. Or really running in any particular direction at all.
Shikiyoku's core lurched again and she moved to the right, breaking into a new path that lead to the Northeastern corner of the camp and moving as if in a daze.
Kitoushi's eyes caught sight of the bodies, or what was left of them.
They all appeared as if they had been torn into and then left to bleed out. Though he could tell by the number of clawings that the latter had not taken long.
His head never stilled, continuously looking about, ears twisting this way and that as every sense strained to inform him of impending danger.
...there was a lot of that. But he sought out any that might immediately turn on the two of them, letting Shikiyoku lead the way through the tents.
The air smelled sharply of death and dying and-
Kitoushi almost stopped mid-stride, only continuing to move when Shikiyoku's hand pulled him forward.
He did not know what had killed these demons-he could tell all the wounds were very similar, and were claw-marks or scratchings-but he knew without a doubt they were better off dead.
And that the rest of the tribe were better off with them dead.
The air smelled of disease.
Of one specific kind, really.
His heterochromatic eyes flickered down to Shikiyoku's head.
He still had no cure, no way of cleansing or removing the sickness that did not result in the death of whatever demon he attempted to heal.
Kit had learned that much while he had been away, moving through the layers and tracking down new Crusniks. The disease was already intimately entwined with what he had come to think of as the Crusnik Condition any time he found a demon that could siphon energy. And that entwining was extended to the demon him or herself, all three portions-Crusnik, disease, demon-so interlaced together that if you removed one, the other two would seize up and cause death.
Not that Kitoushi had the means to remove the Crusnik portion. It was not something he thought anyone could do. The results of attempting to do so spoke for themselves.
In the midst of his musing, Kitoushi's eyes rose from the back of Shikiyoku's head and his height afforded him a glance at what lay ahead before her, though her eyes were so far away and following the stumbling of her core that she did not strictly notice the direction she and Kit were pathing.
Kitoushi dropped to a crouch and pulled at Shikiyoku's hand, turning her to face him and staring into her eyes, where he saw now that faraway look that he had sensed from her.
She blinked as he stared at her and he saw her rejoining the present world, noted the twitching of her face as she smelled and heard, probably for the first time, the panic and disorder around them.
"Shikiyoku. It is not safe here."
Her head tilted forward in a motion that indicated she heard him at least.
"We should leave."
She isn't going to want to. He had seen what exactly it was that had pulled her down here, the reason her core had jolted so painfully, and the hand she wasn't holding grasping at the outside of her shoulder, preventing her from turning around without fighting him.
This time her head shook slightly to the side, as he expected it to, and he spoke up again.
"There's nothing-"
"Sh-Shiki?"
Kit's eyes slammed shut.
Shit.
The voice that called out her name was ragged, pained, and when Kitoushi opened his eyes to look at her again, he could see everything he heard in that single word reflected in her face.
But she hadn't moved.
It took everything in him not to take her away, to just twist them between the layers and run.
His teeth clenched together, his jaw flexing as she stared blankly at him, but he knew her heart had already passed the edge of the tent line and was standing over the demon who had called her name. 3
~!**!~
Hiei's eyelids came open, and the first thing he was aware of was the silence in the area. At some point during his short nap, he had become aware of movement inside the house, had heard voices and noted the atmosphere around the people inside. But now that he was awake, he wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to go inside. He was feeling particularly lazy.
He shifted, a hand scratching at the back of his head as he stared down at the empty house. He really tried to ignore the sound his stomach made, but seeing as he'd only snacked here and there over the past few days, it probably wasn't a good thing to ignore anymore.
With a small sound to himself, he dropped from the tree onto the windowsill, using the layers to his advantage and slipping into the bedroom and through the house, all the way down the stairs before he let his feet touch the first layer again.
He could smell the place the pair had been before they'd disappeared.
I don't… like it.
He passed by the table, not giving the little envelope and paper a second glance as he grabbed the first thing he saw from the refrigerator. He took a chunk from the apple and moved towards the living room, his curiosity growing until he was stilled a few feet from the kitchen table.
He made a small sound of irritation and turned around, deciding he was curious enough to see what had called her away. His fingers turned the letter over with ease, his eyes reading the words upside down without a problem.
Your presence is requested.
He scowled at the paper even as he took another chunk from the apple, his free hand grabbing the envelope and turning it over to look at the seal. His frown deepened and suddenly, he wasn't hungry anymore.
"Tch." He flicked the letter away from himself, not caring that it slid from the table and to the floor on the opposite side.
Apparently he wasn't enough for her dance anymore.
Too bad.
He slid between the layers and let his feet carry him with his utmost speed until he was sure he'd land somewhere outside the area of the Northern Tribe. And when he landed on the proper layer, he felt that the atmosphere was wrong, even from this distance.
He took to the trees, leaping from one branch to the next without hesitation, all earlier irritation forgotten and replaced with worry. He could see smoke from fires rising in the air in the distance, was beginning to hear the chaos in the distance.
An image flashed in his mind and he growled, forcing his feet to move faster.
He came to a standstill once he was able to see the chaos of the Northern Tribe. Demons running in every direction, screams and cries layered over the sounds of the fires and the pounding of the feet on the ground. He skimmed the moving crowd until his eyes landed on the person he'd been originally looking for, and he took off in that direction, remaining in the trees.
Kitoushi was with her, which… he supposed it was a good thing.
But at least from here, he'd be able to see a threat moving a mile away should she come under fire.
He'd leave ground control to the cat.
~!**!~
"...Sweetheart."
I hurt.
"...Open your eyes, sweetheart. You had a close call."
She knew that voice. But I don't want to.
"It was too close this time. Wake up, kid. You can't lay around forever."
But I hurt.
"That's the reason you need to open your eyes. Look at me. Look at me," the voice urged her on, earning a very small huff from her. "I didn't have someone to go back to. You do. Now open your eyes."
No… just a little longer.
"You don't need to sleep anymore. If you do, you'll end up like her. You won't wake up."
Yeah right.
A growl echoed, and this time Akari tried to shift away from the source of it. Except… she became aware of just how comfortable she was. Despite the ache in her muscles and the jolting pain in her joints, she was comfortable. The pillow she lay against was much better than the lack of one she'd had the night before.
Wait, what?
Wasn't she in the meadow?
I can't remember.
She could smell the meadow. The flowers, the heather. But the surface beneath her was most definitely not the grass of the meadow.
Her eyes came open for the barest of seconds before she cringed against the light in the room and forced them shut again.
I want to go back to sleep now.
"That's not an option, sweetheart."
Akari's fingers curled around the fabric of the pillow, but otherwise she couldn't find the strength to move any further. And why not, Kyu? Why are you here anyway?
She wasn't given a response, so she settled for taking a deep breath an-
Nope, that hurts too. *
Kurama...didn't really care how long it had been.
Days. Weeks.
He knew if he wanted to he could have pinpointed the exact time even without Youko's helpful input, but it...well it didn't really matter.
Deal with it, Yomi.
As for the rest of them, there were few he would not intimidate by reputation alone, and fewer still that would dare challenge him.
Those fewer he filed away as the 'stupider' ones.
He stretched his free arm behind his head before lifting his neck just enough to slip his fist underneath it, affording him an easier angle with which to glance over at the demon that occupied his other arm's attention.
After ordering anyone else in the room out, and threatening those who wanted to get in, there had really been little to interrupt them as he worked diligently, coaxing her back from the dead.
He wouldn't envy her for how sore she was going to feel for the next couple of days.
And if it just so happens that it means staying right here longer, I may or may not have decided it would be better that way.
~!**!~
Her eyes were glassy and large, and while they were looking up into his, Kitoushi knew she wasn't seeing him.
She was seeing the other one. The one behind her. The one whose vest made of hide was ripped and torn just like every other demon Kitoushi had seen so far, skin so bloody there was no way to tell exactly how many attacks there had been, though Kit could even from this distance that tell his legs had been clawed first, likely what brought him down, incapacitated and unable to escape the next attack.
There were only splotches of blood on his face, and there was no mistaking for Kit the dark swirls that extended up the right side of his neck from somewhere underneath the blood below, the markings covering over half of his face.
The markings strikingly similar to the ones going up Kitoushi's arm, the ones that were just starting to glow as Shikiyoku held his hand.
He couldn't...he couldn't see a way of holding her here and going to help the kid-demon. But was getting her closer wise at this point?
Kitoushi searched her face as she started to slowly turn away from him, the sound of this demon's nickname for her proving too much for her to ignore.
"Shiki..."
The last look he saw as she let go of him froze Kitoushi in place, even though he could feel her body start to shake underneath his hands.
First blondey. Then Taka. And now this.
How on earth she hadn't gone insane yet was truly beyond him, because her eyes told him the cracks in her core, in her heart, were growing deeper.
And who knew how much longer she could go without it shattering apart.
His eyes came shut and his face darkened as his eyebrows drew together almost painfully.
This is not something that can be healed by conventional means.
As Kit thought of all these things, Shikiyoku shuffled forward as if in a daze, barely noticing the chatterings of the multitude of lur'mog who sat in the area, only moving if they were in danger of being in her path, but otherwise hunched over, none of them sitting together, instead appearing positioned a few inches apart from one another outwards from where Douji lay. They were all hunched over, their large eyes darting in every direction.
When Shikiyoku reached the demon's side, she collapsed onto the bloodstained ground next to him, not caring that the warm, salty water that leaked out of the corners of her eyes were dropping onto his skin.
His eyes were barely open, though the edges of them lifted as he managed to smile for a second when she came into view.
She found she could think of nothing to say, only managing to sit there and let the tears stream down her face.
She tried not to look at the rest of him, her mind a flood of grey-blankness.
Suddenly, the lur'mog around Douji hissed angrily, the spines down their heads and bodies standing straight up at attention.
Shikiyoku did not react, but Douji's eyes opened further and he looked beyond her, making out a fuzzy shape that had stood and moved to come closer.
Douji could just see a glow about the newcomers hands.
When Kit rose up, there was no hesitation in gathering his energy into his palms.
Against his better judgement, he strode forward past the line of tents, eyes already calculating the injuries of the demon Shikiyoku hunched near.
She had changed, caring for others in some capacity. Why could he not do the same? If perhaps for completely selfish reasons. Maybe he wasn't changing at all.
As soon as he called his demonic energy to his fingers, he froze in place as he felt hundreds of eyes suddenly glaring up at him and heard the hissing threat.
He blinked once or twice, eyes glancing around and seeing nothing until his vision focused in one of the little creatures behind Shikiyoku, and then focused in on the hundreds of others that he stood in the middle of, every single one of them with their hackles raised and teeth bared.
...and every single one of them caked with blood.
Blood between their claws, blood around their multiple rows of teeth.
Kitoushi's eyes flickered over to what he could see of the fallen demon by Shikiyoku, and the images of the others they had passed by in the camp all folded in on top of one another.
Cautiously, Kitoushi drew his energy back into his hands and the lur'mog each slowly turned away from him, but he did not move otherwise, muscles coiled for the moment when Shikiyoku might need to be snatched up and whisked away.
He tried sliding his body between the layers, the ninth one blurring around him, using the method he had learned while stuck all those years as a cat, which was quite different than how Shikiyoku had got them here, and yet would in the end have the same result.
The lur'mog did not look away as if they still saw him, and a few of them grew clearer and he knew they could follow. Would follow, should he choose to step closer again to heal the young demon.
Dropping himself back to the Ninth Layer, Kitoushi restrained a growl, his hands clenching into fists.
If she needed him...he would go. But not a moment sooner.
"...I'm older now."
Shikiyoku sniffed and reached up to try and wipe away at the tears under one of her eyes.
"...what?" She blinked and tried to focus in on him, seeing that his eyes had finally come back to look at her, and he had the strangest expression on his face that she couldn't at first place.
Shikiyoku reached down and put her hand over where she knew the center of the mark lay at the right side of his chest, setting the entire thing aglow.
As if the sudden sight of the long rips in his skin set her mind moving again, Shikiyoku lifted her hand and whipped around to reach towards Kitoushi, whom she saw had stepped closer.
Her expression tore at his heart this time.
Why do you not heal him?
He lifted his hands towards her as if to respond, starting to take a step, but a low growl from the lur'mog kept him in place.
He would not sacrifice his own life to try and save another. Not unless it was to save her.
And Shikiyoku would never ask him to.
"He can't."
Douji's statement drew Shikiyoku back to him and his eyes had closed, staying that way for a while before he managed to open them again.
"They won't let him. They won't let anyone. They-" Blood caught in his throat and he coughed, unable to finish.
He opened his eyes more, leveling an even stare onto Shikiyoku as she reached up and wiped at her face again, wondering if it would ever stop. The pain.
Douji did not say anything for half a minute, only staring at her with that same strange expression as before.
When she finally met his gaze, feeling his eyes on her, her eyes flickered towards his lips, which were turned up into the impish smirk she had come in such a short time to cherish.
She blinked at him, only just able to catch his unspoken meaning.
"Douji..." She trailed off, a little speechless, a lot sad.
"I'm older now." He repeated with more confidence, smile widening just a bit. "You said you would when I was older."
In spite of herself, Shikiyoku let out the closest thing to a laugh that she could rightly come to in the situation.
"A few days, weeks-"
"Is still older." Douji finished matter-of-factly for her, his arm twitching as he meant to reach up towards her face but found it would not respond.
She shook her head, "You're terrible."
"I know."
Another huff of air escaped her nose, even just a little amused.
"You promised." He said after her silence.
"I did, didn't I." She replied wistfully.
Now that she followed his train of thought, there was no mistaking his stare, the desire she could feel stemming from it.
"...please."
"Oh those eyes." Shikiyoku intoned, almost rolling her own as he pouted at her, her expression faltering as felt her core doing the same.
He didn't say anything, only staring at her calmly.
Without a word, she leaned over him, her eyes sliding closed, and gave him a kiss, surprised when she intended it to be short that she felt him shift his head up as she tried to pull away, Douji wanting it to last longer.
...with her eyes closed, she didn't see his darkening irises, had no idea that between their parting lips, her energy had begun snaking out from her throat and into his mouth.
All she could feel before her mind went blank was that he did not want the kiss to end.
Kitoushi turned his face away when she leaned over the young demon, every muscle in his body screaming at him to heal the damn thing and stop just standing there to save his own blasted skin.
Several things happened all at once.
The hissing started again, but when Kitoushi whipped his head back to look at the ground, the lur'mog were glaring in the direction of the other two.
At least until Kit started to move, at which point the ones around him sent their threats in his direction.
As for the rest of the creatures, they swarmed over Douji's body, the demon giving a cry of pain as he released Shikiyoku, who jolted back away from him, sitting up with her eyes wide and staring at the red-scaled bodies, unable to block out the sounds of ripping and tearing happening before her, though unable to see it through the countless lur'mog bodies covering Douji's.
When they streamed off of him again, there was no light in his eyes and everything about the circumstances of the tribe crashed in on Shikiyoku.
She let out a sob as her hand flew up to her mouth, knowing that the demon was gone and yet-
...
Tentatively, with her other hand, she reached out and placed her palm over the place where his mark would have been could she see it through the newly-streaming rivers of blood.
... ...
No glow. Nothing.
As if finally giving up, Shikiyoku collapsed on top of Douji's body in a fit of sobs, taking to planting kisses on his cheeks and putting one over the heart-shaped mark she knew was on his chest, pulling back just for a second after that, just long enough to see that nothing happened and the mark did not disappear.
Kit took a tentative step forward.
The lur'mog did not appear to take any heed of him any longer and he was in an instant behind Shikiyoku, dropping to his knees and staying close, and yet...he let her be. Didn't pull her away, only sitting there almost against her, thinking ruefully of the blood she didn't appear to notice and how getting that off was going to be a trial later.
His ears twitched in every direction, keenly aware of the beasts still around him as well as the panic of the rest of the encampment. 3
Hiei's eyes continuously roved over and over the encampment, not even pausing over the lifeless bodies of the demons on the ground. He had already noted their gashes and such. The fire demon scowled as his eyes scoured, searching for the threat. In the end, however, his eyes turned to watch Shikiyoku and Douji, a sinking feeling vaguely pushing at his senses.
She's losing another.
He couldn't really tell why he was still watching her break, but he felt a bit of anger stirring. At what, he wasn't sure.
He turned away for a moment, and by the time he looked back at the scene he could see from afar, Shikiyoku was laying on Douji and Kitoushi moving closer. He scowled and suddenly turned away, letting the layers fall over him as he made his slow walk back to the house.
~!**!~
She tried to go back to sleep. She really, really tried. But she found that the comfort of this pillow was too great to let herself roam away from. Because if she fell asleep, she would very likely wake up without this pillow that smelled very nice and calming and-
….
I know that smell.
Now her brain was wide awake and her eyelids peeled open again, this time blinking twice before she shifted her gaze up to look at-
She gave a groan.
I can't believe this.
Actually.. yes I can…
It took every ounce of concentration she had to move her arms and place her hands firmly- or maybe not so firmly- against Kurama and give a little push in hopes to roll away. And yet she only managed to simply rest those hands against him
She gave another groan. *
Kurama's eyes gleamed with amusement, already prepared for this moment and finding himself unsurprised by her reaction.
Though her hands felt nice.
"Something wrong, beautiful?"
~!**!~
A scream from somewhere beyond them had Kitoushi's ears briefly flattening against his skull.
There's nothing I can do.
He kept having to repeat it to himself even as he cautiously lifted his ears again.
The smell of death was stronger, but perhaps stronger still was the knowledge that there were other injured demons out there and maybe if he could save one of them she would-
There were no more lur'mog near them.
And Kit didn't know which direction they had disappeared in.
He let out a little breath from his lips that didn't particularly mean much.
Tear-stained and blood-stained and heartbroken.
His eyes moved to look at her, still laying over Douji and crying, and he finally reached out to start stroking at her hair, tentatively at first as he did not know how she would react to the touch, and then with more confidence as he leaned back to put his other hand on the ground and gently moved his hand through the silky locks, watching her calmly.
They didn't seem to be in any immediate danger.
He could wait a while longer. 3
Hiei was in no particular hurry to leave the scene and return to the house. His walk was nothing more than a slow meander, and his eyes looked forward but didn't see ahead. How many had she lost in the past week or so? Three, he was sure.
But, honestly… the only death that mattered to him was Otento's. The other two had been closer to Shikiyoku, and nothing more than another demon to him.
Demons died every second of the day, usually in mass numbers. So to him, it meant nothing.
To her, however…
How much more can she take?
He scowled.
She's forgotten.
That thought wasn't important right now.
Or was it?
He couldn't decide.
His hands found the pockets of his cloak and he stopped walking, finding himself on a random layer. He wasn't even sure which layer he was on.
I don't like it. …..I hate it.
And I'm tired of it.
He continued moving, folding the layers over himself again.
~!**!~
Akari took a breath in as if to reply, only to release it as another groan as she tried pushing away again.
I hurt.
This hurts.
You're a pain.
Yomi is listening.
Another groan and another small attempt ending in vain. "I don't like you." She wasn't even sure the words came from her mouth, and if they did, they were probably pretty quiet. *
"Is that so?" Kurama raised an eyebrow, "Are you really going to give a fox free-reign to attempt to change your mind? Or will you admit to the truth and save yourself the trouble?"
~!**!~
Kitoushi let her grow exhausted, let her cry until there were no more tears.
It was easier to pick her up when she no longer had the strength to resist.
He did notice that she did not curl against him however, once he had her in his arms.
Unfortunately, there was only one place he could think of to take her, and it was the one place he really didn't want to go back to at the moment.
That house...had too many memories in it.
But where else are you going to go?
Kitoushi frowned as he slid them between the layers and started moving.
As he walked, something irked at the corner of his mind, but he dismissed it, filing it away for later when Shikiyoku was...
What exactly are you hoping for her?
It isn't as if you've ever known how to cure a broken heart.
Never had to.
Honestly, the thought seemed ridiculous. And would be ridiculous if not for the demon in his arms.
Can't go back to their old hideout. It had been taken over by others. Didn't want to risk staying anywhere near here.
Kitoushi let out a silent sigh and let his feet land them on the First Layer, though he didn't at first recognize their position, only letting his inner navigation kick in and point him in the direction of the house.
He was in no hurry.
Maybe he would think of somewhere to go before he actually got there. 3
~!**!~
Akari scowled up a Kurama for a moment before her eyes turned down to her hands, silently cursing her lack of mobility. I hurt… Why? She gave up on trying to get away, instead settling for simply laying there. How'd she get in here? Why did she hurt so much?
"Don't think too hard sweetheart. You'll hurt yourself."
Akari's eyes moved away from her hands and up to look at the side of the bed, as if expecting to see someone standing there, watching. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end; she'd been sure someone had been there.
What's wrong with me?
Her eyelids slid closed. "You're a pain," she grumbled to Kurama after a moment.
She thought back to the last thing she was doing.
Yoroi had been in the room, mending the tears in the armor that she'd thrown aside before her nap. He'd worked for a while, probably, before she'd woken up. And then he'd left and she'd met Takeo outside her door.
And then…
And then what?
Pain stung at her hand, causing it to twitch. Right, that. He cornered me.
An image flashed before her mind's eye: her hand through the demon's chest, the feeling of her fingers around what she was completely sure to be his heart. She'd wanted to rip it out, to put him down because he'd crossed the last line. Her eyelids came open to stare at that hand, as if she could see the blood that should have been there.
It was only at that moment that she became aware of her energy pumping through her veins, albeit sluggishly, but it was there. She was able to manipulate it, even if it did take an extra second to respond.
How the hell did I-
Another image and she cringed, the fear returning as she remembered the giant being turning, the panic she'd felt at the mere prospect of those eyes turning to her. She'd ripped away, jerked her hand free of Takeo's chest.
How did I live?
Ice seemed to trickle in her veins, and for a few minutes she forgot who was there with her as she stared at her hand, flexing it as much as her soreness afforded her- which wasn't much. She could hardly even curl her fingers at the moment without cringing.
She swallowed hard. If Takeo had lived, my energy would still be out of my reach.
A pause.
Was that… death?
The image of the creature seemed to burn itself into her mind's eye, remaining there and making the ice in her veins thicken. I hope I don't see it again in the near future.
She was suddenly burying her face in Kurama's shirt, wishing to banish the image from her mind and not being very successful. *
Kurama had learned of Akari's...situation. Of her standing in Yomi's ranks. Of Takeo.
[Bastard.]
Even Youko would have been willing to land the killing blow on that particular demon, had the circumstances of his relationship with Akari not been such that she would have died from the interference.
[She should have died anyway.]
{She was as close as one could possibly get.}
Kurama's eyes flickered down to regard Akari calmly as she moved against him, and as smoothly as possible he shifted around until he faced her, the arm underneath her still curled and resting at her waist to keep her nearby, the other coming up to gently remove the stray bits of hair that had caught at her lips and cheeks and lay them down with the rest of the lighter red strands.
He planted a kiss near her forehead, settling down further on top of the covers.
~!**!~
"But...how do you heal what you cannot see?"
Kitoushi's master did not so much as look up from the body laid out on his table, his hands glowing softly in the dimly lit room, the demon under his care breathing raggedly.
"What you cannot see, you must feel, young one." The Master's deep voice reverberated calmly in the hut.
"But..." The kitten's little face scrunched up in consternation, lips pursing together and one of his ears flicking backwards with irritation at the answer he had been given.
After a moment his master's eyes opened, catching sight of the strange blue and brown gaze of the latter, which was staring unhappily at the body of the demon, with his little pink lips drawn tightly together, glaring at a body which outwardly showed no signs of damage.
Kitoushi closed his eyes for a moment as he shifted on silent feet through the mostly human crowd that did not appear to notice him nor the demon he carried.
He could feel it alright. Reverberated in his skull almost.
She hadn't so much as moved in his arms.
The most disheartening thing about the 'feeling' though was the surety he had that no matter how much energy he tried to pump into her body, he would not be able to 'heal' her in the way he knew most intimately.
This sort of healing would take time.
Time he wasn't sure she would be afforded.
He glanced down at her eyes, devoid of light and staring blandly forward.
Kitoushi didn't know how this whole Consort thing worked, but he wished she would just choose somebody already. Maybe there would be a bond like before and he would be able to sense what he could actually do to help her.
Think it would solve all your problems, huh?
Well it certainly couldn't hurt anything, now could it? 3
~!**!~
Kurama's shifting had Akari holding a breath, the hiss she wanted to issue withheld until he settled again, effectively reminding her of his presence. She found herself staring at his shirt, the image of what she'd seen slowly but surely sliding away from the forefront of her mind.
I was stupid.
And how is it you don't seem to mind my trouble-making tendencies?
"Don't move too much, please." Rather, don't leave. "I hurt." I missed you. *
"Sorry." Kurama murmured into her hair, not sounding particularly sorry about anything as from here he could hold her closer.
The most amusing thing was probably by the time he lay down next to her, after cleaning up the mess tending to her had made, she had wasted little time in scooting as close as possible in the midst of her semi-consciousness, leaving him stretched out on his back not wanting to move for several reasons.
Though to be fair, one of the reasons had in fact been that she needed rest, and uninterrupted rest at that.
I don't plan on leaving anytime soon.
~!**!~
He's...gone.
Shikiyoku blinked, three faces flashing past her mind's eye, somewhere thankful at the three other faces who passed through her thoughts, who had gotten out while they were still alive.
I'm killing them.
The ones who wanted to stay.
Blink. Blink.
They're all going to die.
...
And it'll be my fault.
Did she really not know how to 'choose?' Or was she just kidding herself? Drawing out the process because, really, it felt nice to be so wanted by so many. She hadn't felt like that since her time with Kit.
And this time it was even better, wasn't it?
Her eyes squeezed shut, trying to silence that terrible little voice in her head.
Because this time they actually sort of know you and still want you. They aren't just strangers on the street unable to look away when you pass by.
Isn't it wonderful?
They're all going to die.
Shikiyoku became vaguely aware that she was surrounded by four walls and had a roof over her head. Became aware that her skin smelled clean, her clothes felt new, and that the cat demon had one arm around her, breathing evenly as if asleep.
Her hair was still a little damp.
He was holding her hand.
At the realization, a faint glow started in the room and Shikiyoku found herself staring at the heart-shaped mark, her hand actually resting against Kit's chest and his folded over hers as if keeping it where it sat.
The color bloomed further, bathing her face in a soft, yellow glow as it cascaded up the swirls on his arm and she could feel it had grown over his shoulder, spreading out over his chest just enough that she could see a muted glow coming from under where his yukata gapped open before her.
It's worth a shot.
Hesitating for only a moment, Shikiyoku leaned forward as quietly as she was able and pressed her lips up against the heart the decorated the back of Kitoushi's hand, waiting, almost hoping that something would happen.
It didn't.
She pulled away, eyes glancing up at the cat demon's jaw above her.
She couldn't decide whether to feel happy about it, or whether it should send her further into despair.
Shikiyoku shifted up and put a light kiss on what she could reach of his face, seeing him settle again after a moment, a smile lighting his expression as the glow from her touch faded.
She felt restless.
Needed to move.
Need to do something productive.
Well, escaping would be a start.
Her eyes wandered up and around, seeing that he had put her on the bed in one of the guest rooms.
Probably didn't want to get my bed wet.
The thought had her giving him a soft smile.
...he wouldn't be happy if he woke up and she wasn't there.
I need to move around.
Wander some of this sorrow away.
He had done so much for her lately.
Left to try and discover more information on the sickness that plagued her.
...probably nearly burned himself out in the process.
She knew how he worked.
Gently, Shikiyoku began extracting herself from his embrace, and just as she expected, Kitoushi's eyes opened just enough for her to know she wasn't going to get away from him scotch-free.
He tightened his hold around her, pinning her arms to her side, and buried his face in her chest.
"...dun' wan' you t' go."
That had her expression softening.
He wasn't even really awake if he was speaking to her like that.
She huffed out a breath and it set one of his ears twitching, sending an amused expression flittering over her face
Leaning down as best she could, Shikiyoku nuzzled her nose near his cheek, trying to decide if she should stay or go.
...she doubted she would get back to sleep.
Which meant she would be laying there with only her thoughts as company.
Kitoushi responded to her by raising his face up and managing to find her lips, giving her a sleepy kiss before his head relaxed back down on the pillow.
"...l' down."
It was about as close to whining as he was going to get.
"Kit...I'm gonna...go for a walk." Or something. Anything.
She felt him stir against her, knew he was trying to pull himself out of his slumber.
Shikiyoku sent him a negatory impression.
"And you're going to stay here."
"...dun wanna." He shifted around again, his hold on her loosening as he stretched his legs and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Yes, you do."
"Dun' tell m' what t' do." He opened a single blue eye to look at her for a moment before he rolled over onto his back, one arm still around her waist. His dark hair cascaded over the covers underneath him, his tail raising and lowering once, the tip of it twitching a little.
"I'll come back." She assured him.
The brown eye looked at her this time before slowly closing again.
As she started to sit up, Kitoushi slid her closer to him until she was pulled right up next to his waist, watching him with mild amusement.
"Yes?"
He didn't answer for a moment, though she could feel he meant to once he gathered the thought.
"Kis' me."
The face he made next was probably the most adorable one she had ever seen the cat demon use, pursing his lips together and leaning up off the bed a little.
Shikiyoku actually grinned enough to turn the edges of her lips upwards and she put a hand on his chest and she moved closer as if to oblige him.
"Don't tell me what to do."
His lips went from the adorable face to a frown and he tugged with the hand behind her waist as if to push her farther, his intention for her clear.
"...'Yokuuu." That near-whine came out again as he pressed his hand into her back. His eyes opened briefly to see how far she had come before shutting.
"I'll le' you go." He offered, pushing at her again when she resisted.
"Doubtful."
"...won' know 'nless you do it."
Fine.
Shikiyoku bent farther over across his chest and kissed him, though the first time she tried to pull away she found that Kitoushi's hand had slid further up her back and kept her in place for longer than she meant to allow.
When she was finally able to sit back up, there was no mistaking the sleepy smile he was giving her, eyes open half-mast.
"You tas' good."
"Kiiiit." Shikiyoku shook her head at him, though he did pull a huff of laughter from her mouth. "You said you'd let me go."
He pouted, taking a breath and then let it out in a quick sigh.
"I did. ...I dun' wan' you t' go. You be'r come back." He rolled over and curled himself around her lap, his tail steadily raising and lowering silently against the covers behind him.
"Didn't I say I would?"
"You'r' liar."
"Kit! I am not."
"Mostly."
She could tell at this point he was just being grumpy about it and she slipped away from him, one of his hands reaching up too late to actually get a hold of her, though his blue eye came open to stare mournfully at her once she stood up.
Feeling a little sorry for him, she leaned back over to peck a quick kiss on his cheek, getting away before he could catch hold of her, the slightest giggle escaping her lips when he missed and huffed out an irritated breath of air, his arm plopping down empty-handed onto the bed.
She stuck her tongue out at him.
"You wan' lose tha' tongue?" His eyes finally closing again after opening at the sound of her little laugh.
"Maybe." She told him as she started moving for the door, opening it and heading down the stairs.
"Heh." 3
Hiei meandered in the direction of the house, only just now landing on the first layer. A strong part of him wanted to walk in, snatch her up and take off. Demand answers to his suspicions and perhaps find ways to prove she was wrong. Or that he was wrong. He didn't know what.
The other part of him knew she'd just lost another, and that she very likely would need space.
She's had space for days now.
The thought had him pausing outside the house, staring at the front door. It took another moment before his feet were moving again, carrying him up to the porch and into the house without a single thought about it.
He'd given her space, thinking she needed it.
And look where he'd ended up.
Tch.
~!**!~
If she'd had the ability to command her muscles to move, she would've moved an arm up and over the redhead. But she couldn't move, and was resigned to leaving her hands pinned between them, palms still pressed to him. Her eyelids slid open and she looked up at Kurama, lips twitching upwards in the very slightest motion.
"...I didn't forget, you know." She wasn't sure what pulled the words from her lips, but her mouth moved again. "I… thought you might assume I did." *
"Mm." Kurama didn't bother opening his eyes this time. "All I have to say is that you're exceedingly difficult to track down when there are others that do not want you found."
[I never thought I'd actually come to hate Yomi. ...he's treading a thin line.]
~!**!~
Can't remove the heart unless they want it removed.
Shikiyoku frowned as she moved down the stairs, the darkness of the house accented by night having fallen deeply outside.
...and why do I feeling convincing them of their impending death isn't going to do it either?
Keeping her mind busy with this sort of predicament prevented her thoughts from going down...other...paths.
At this point she was ready to forget the whole thing.
Can I take it back? Is that a thing I can do?
She briefly had the idea of visiting Renai again.
What on earth is he going to know that I don't already know?
Little.
Her head down, thoughts centered-desperately almost-around the last three markings she felt necessary to worry about, Shikiyoku got into the kitchen absently, paying little attention to where she was going.
The mellow light from the moon caught her attention as it streamed through the window over the sink. She moved for it as if drawn there, leaning both her elbows on the counter, one arm hanging off while the other bent upwards so she could put her face in her hand, staring off out the glass at nothing in particular as her mind sifted through answers to any of the questions she found herself pondering. 3
Hiei sauntered into the living room, staying on the inbetween layer simply out of laziness. He moved for the couch, noting keenly that Kitoushi was not inhabiting it, nor was Shikiyoku. He paused, however, when he heard movement in the kitchen, which drew his gaze to said room as he glanced around the corner.
He'd been sure she would be with the cat.
His feet landed on the First Layer and he took to standing there, staring at the back of her head with keen observations. She wasn't crying, he could tell. Simply standing there, it seemed. Though, he couldn't see her face to know what thoughts were churning in her head; he didn't care to use his telepathic abilities against her. Not now, when she likely needed that privacy.
Tch.
His hands found his cloak pockets again, his eyes narrowing a little at her. Still, he didn't say anything.
He was testing something.
~!**!~
Akari gave a small sigh. "Really, I wouldn't know." Her lips twitched and she gave a very weak attempt at a shrug. A thought crossed her mind, and the very slight smile she'd almost made disappeared entirely. She almost asked, except Yomi was bound to be listening, and asking about someone she cared about wasn't smart.
She didn't want anyone else dragged into this storm that she'd ended up thrown into.
She almost said something about losing the seed too, but that was also something she didn't want the king to hear.
Some king he is.
A realization hit her as she again recalled the being she'd almost come face to face with a while ago.
She made a sound before regaining control of her thoughts and her expression. Not now.
"How long have you been in here anyway?" *
"In here?" Kurama echoed. "Does it really matter?"
He was just about at the point where he would throw his proverbial arms in the arm and start drilling Akari with all the questions he was holding back about just because that damn demon who pulled her here was likely listening.
Supposedly he could hear everything being said within his own territory.
That was the rumor going around anyway.
Kurama didn't particularly feel up to testing it.
~!**!~
Well, no, because then it-
Shikiyoku shifted a little bit, raising her head off of her hand and blinking at the window, shifting her head just enough to look to either side before frowning and resting her hand down again.
Strange.
Her momentary break from the reverie last no longer than a second, thoughts delving further into what she could do, if anything, about the current situation.
But if they- 3
Irritation struck Hiei almost like a blow to the gut, almost uncontrollable. It took a moment to bite his tongue and not make some remark he'd likely berate himself for later. At least she noticed a disturbance. His expression slowly shifted to a neutral gaze as he moved forward, taking to standing near the table, eyes never leaving her.
She's forgotten.
"Going to stare at the window all night?"
~!**!~
Akari gave a groan at Kurama's non-answer. Yes, because I wanna know how long I've been out. She didn't press him, however. She did move a little, pulling her head back so that she may look up at him with an even stare, assessing his expression.
I see those wheels turning. Those questions you can't ask.
She was suddenly glad she was laying on the cheek that the scar was on. No use in giving another point for him to think on at the moment.
If he wasn't already.
Akari's lips suddenly twitched as she remembered the last thing she'd said to Takeo, and as she stared up at Kurama she really, really found that it was a good thing her body wasn't exactly responding as it should have. Otherwise, she could only imagine the color her face would have turned.
"Sorry I put us here," she suddenly intoned, "I should've stayed in the meadow." *
Kurama also knew of the dead dog demon. And the rumors circulating that particular matter.
Information gathering indeed, Yomi.
"Oh, I can't say I'm not enjoying myself at the moment." He responded lightly.
I just wish we were back in the meadow instead of stuck here.
"And I somehow think we would have ended up in this position regardless of past choices."
In fact, I'm sure of it. Yomi had things in place long before I knew there were things to place.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku's core jolted, and not in the nice way, the startling bringing her to turn around suddenly shifting her feet back and only then able to make out Hiei's dark shape at the other side of the kitchen.
At least it relieved the pounding of her heart to see it was just him and not whatever danger her body almost assumed she was in.
...so it was you.
She realized now that she could remember hearing his soft footfalls on the tile, the rustling of the cloak around his body, and she could only assume he had been staring at her, which is what pulled her from her thoughts in the first place.
"I guess I could." She replied without so much as glancing in the direction of the glass. "The view isn't all that bad."
...you don't even know what's on the other side.
Shh. 3
I see.
"Hn." His eyes turned to the side, hands still in the pockets of his cloak and tugging just a little at the material, simply to give his hands something to do. When he turned his gaze back to her, his eyes flashed a little and he took a few steps forward, pausing with a couple of feet between them, but not saying anything. Only watching her, observing every reaction she had to his approach.
~!**!~
Akari let out a long sigh, ignoring the throbbing in her chest as she did so. She was slowly becoming able to ignore the aches and sore spots, though she still couldn't really move much. I'll remedy that soon, though. This hurts nothing like those days.
"I met that armorsmith you talked about," she suddenly said, lips twitching. "Kind of a pain for the both of us, considering leather is all I was granted. I don't think he liked me coming in and out two or three times a day." *
Kurama passed over the first few responses that came over his mind, silently sending a few curses in Yomi's direction and wondering if there would come a point where he really would find himself uncaring.
Likely not.
"It sounds like you were hard at work, then." Kurama said cautiously, well aware of the implications of her armor wearing out at such a fast pace.
[I would have liked to kill that demon myself.]
{I know.}
~!**!~
What other plans did you have again?
Seemed harder to think with him looking at her like that, and his expression had her eyebrows just barely twitching downward, though they didn't stay there as he moved closer.
She tried to think of something to say to him, she really did.
But what little there was left of her mind that wasn't centered around why are you staring at me like that consisted of how to get him to let her remove the mark he wore over his core, and she was at just as much of a loss of words in that department as she was in the manner of small talk.
Funny. I always thought myself rather good at making small talk. 3
When she didn't seem to not want him to come closer, Hiei continued moving in her direction, closing the distance after a moment and standing over her, neutral expression staring down at her. He leaned forward a little, his voice low.
"You've forgotten a few things."
He didn't move away, choosing to keep the few inches between their noses stable.
"And that's unacceptable."
~!**!~
"Perhaps not as hard as I make it seem," Akari replied after a moment, eyelids sliding close as she gave a small sigh. I hate that you're listening, Yomi. However, she didn't mind admitting she didn't put her all into the man's cause. Why would she, especially now that she feared the being she would no doubt have to encounter for the king?
Definitely not worth it.
Oh, how bad she wanted to say something about it to Kurama.
Might as well stick to idle chatter and complaints.
"The showers are nice. Great pressure and such." *
You know, this is really quite amusing, really. I certainly hope our conversation is titillating your sensibilities, Yomi.
At the last little drivel of information Akari fed him, Kurama barely managed to restrain the laugh he wanted desperately to release, though his torso tightened around his stomach and he found himself drawing his lips into his mouth for a moment before he spoke.
He pulled a noisy breath through his teeth in disagreement, though if she happened to look at him she would see his lips pulled into a smile.
"I don't know. The one I have must not be very good. It's always so cold."
~!**!~
Forgotten?
Her first instinct was to shift her eyes to the side in thought, but it was the weirdest thing. She tried, but...she didn't seem to be able to pull her gaze away from his.
I'm sure I've forgotten a good many things in my time.
The expression on her face never changed, and she didn't even seem aware of the fact that power had started shimmering over her eyes.
...you're taller than before.
She only blinked at him for a moment.
What the hell am I supposed to have forgotten?
Not that you aren't having trouble remember anything right now anyway.
...shut up. 3
Hiei continued to stare down at Shikiyoku, noting the lack in change of her expression, but the shimmer that began to glitter in her eyes. He also saw the wheels turning, though not very much. Perhaps she was stuck on a singular thought or two.
That would be amusing.
"The fact that you don't even know where to begin to try and remember is just as unacceptable," came his next words, just as low as the others.
And then he reached forward, grabbing her wrist and pausing for only a second before he turned and began moving out of the kitchen.
He almost paused, almost voiced a thought he'd considered for the past few days, but he didn't. His feet kept moving even as he pulled the layers around them, and he glanced back at her briefly with a spark flying in his eyes.*
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off!