A/N: Hello once again x5, Audience!
Another chapter in my week of apologetic posting for my neglect :D After this, you'll get two more chapters within the next two days and then I'll go back to my weekly chapter updates as before.
Ciao for now!~
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 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.
(Words in italics and within parenthesis is dialogue between Hiei and Shikiyoku via the bond between them after Hiei becomes Shikiyoku's Consort. As soon as the 'thought' occurs, it can pass between them, and does not actually have to be formed into exact words-feelings and sensations can pass through as well-in order to be picked up and the meaning translated immediately by the other. For the sake of the coherence by the reader, words and sentences are used as normal. It cannot 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 Nabu Exception also applies to anyone when they are in an animal form, if the dialogue is in italics and quotations, unless stated otherwise.
Previously on Yu Yu Hakusho!
Akari has started her own king-mandated task
of bringing back layer-walkers to supplement the army,
spending the time threatening those she chased
with death should they not come back with her.
Kurama remains Akari's main source of incentive,
the female worried what might happen to him
should she fail to do her job.
Yomi continues to send her out into the field,
though after two missions of one demon only,
this time informing her there were five
and a sixth she was to kill,
stating she should not return until finished.
The first, named Aiko, reminds her of herself,
and she's stuck with the talkative lad
while going after the rest.
She sends Aiko back to Yomi when the two
of them end up running into a Crusnik,
trying to distract the Crusnik into chasing her
and ending up running for her own life.
Back at Yomi's compound,
Aiko is found to be within Kurama's care,
distracting the other demons that are
supposed to be training by telling them
the story of the strange demon
that had been chasing him and Akari.
Kurama interrupts the conversation
by informing Aiko that what he saw was a Crusnik,
a demon that feeds upon other demons.
When Aiko demands to know how to fight one,
Kurama insists the only thing to do is run,
and failing that, run faster.
Aiko seems disheartened when Kurama
informs him you can't fight back with energy
for it only makes them stronger,
and asks Kurama what can he do if not fight.
Kurama tells him to come out of the corner,
join the others,
and find out.
Elsewhere, Akari uses the realm of shadows
as a last resort to try and escape,
finding herself spit out on a mountainside.
Bereft of energy, she collapses unconscious.
~!**!~
Having found out that the Crusnik
is controlling her even outside of her pain form,
Shikiyoku attempts to thwart them
by writing down the formulas minus
the portions the Crusnik is making her insert,
only to find that she is incapable of doing so.
Irritated with herself,
Shikiyoku grabs for Hiei and silently leaves the labs,
her Consort taking her hand instead
in an attempt to comfort her with his touch.
As they pause elsewhere in the Mobile Fortress,
Shikiyoku tells Hiei the scientists think the Crusnik
are more like nanites than a virus,
with a more specific directive within them
than simple replication like a virus might have.
While the lab monkeys don't know that directive,
Shikiyoku claims that the Crusnik are meant
to keep the demonic race in check,
that almost all demons have them within their energy,
and when demonic numbers grow too great,
it is the Crusnik's purpose to activate
and cull those necessary to restore balance.
Unhappy with her distress,
and the darkness in her eyes,
Hiei kisses her and desires her change,
triggering Shikiyoku's return to her true form,
and then picking her up to take her back
to their rooms, knowing her energy is still depleted
from her earlier dance.
He sits on the couch with Shikiyoku's head in his lap,
telling her that she still hasn't kissed him correctly,
a sure sign her energy still resides within his body.
In the conversation following,
where Shikiyoku warns him he shouldn't tell
her things like that,
she ends up tickling him when talk turns
to him not laughing enough.
Shikiyoku makes a side-note to herself
that the items she had placed on the table-
Douji's bracelet and Taka's feathers-
are no longer there.
Enjoying their companionship,
the two eat 'sweet snow' together,
with strawberries provide by Shikiyoku,
and eventually Shikiyoku feels the labs calling to her.
Hiei asks if a kiss will make it better,
and Shikiyoku leaves him before answering...
Shikiyoku dropped down a few floors before pushing off and hurtling herself through the fortress, landing in the labs seconds later.
"Took you long enough, wo-"
"I am coming here to specifically tell you that if you bother me again today, I will personally see to it that you are the next thing I feed upon."
Rikei and Iketeru blinked at her, not answering her for a second.
"Do I make myself clear?"
The other two exchanged a quick glance before Rikei turned away.
"I suppose-" Iketeru began, "That allowing you to have a day to yourself wouldn't be the end of the world."
"Wonderful. That's settled then." Shikiyoku turned to storm her way out of the room, "Don't call me again. It is a threat on your life if you do."
She flung open the door and without looking back slammed it shut behind her, crossing her arms over her chest for a moment before taking a deep breath and giving a little smile to the relatively empty hallway as she turned to begin walking back.
After a few steps, she snorted at herself and started to fold between the layers, but just as her vision started to blur, she stopped short, pausing, and then slowly undoing herself from their embrace.
Blinking in the direction of the other end of the hall, which lead to a much busier byway that bustled with demons moving back and forth with their business, Shikiyoku slowed took a single step and then another before breaking out into a quick run, sticking her head out into the larger passage and looking to the right.
It...it can't be.
She searched for the pair of brown wings she had thought she saw calmly walking by, her eyebrows drawn together over her eyes.
When she spotted them, she wasn't sure if her heart dropped into her stomach or if her stomach was trying to leap out of her throat.
Quickly starting to move into the crowded hallway, Shikiyoku ducked and moved around the other demons, trying to keep sight of the back with the smooth feathers reached down almost to the floor.
Just as she thought she had reached a distance where the demon might be able to hear her call his name, going so far as to even take the breath to do so, the demon turned as another stopped him to talk and Shikiyoku stopped dead in her tracks, blinking again.
It wasn't the right profile.
Actually, from this angle, she wasn't really sure how she could have confused it for him in the first place.
The head was smaller, the body sleeker. And his nose wasn't right. Too sharp.
And those wings are much too dark anyway.
The longer she stood in place and stared, other demons barely paying much attention to the petite figure they were forced to brush passed, the easier it was to reprimand herself for ever thinking this demon could be anything other than who he wasn't.
"Kuraku!"
As Shikiyoku blinked again to clear her thoughts, she turned back to look behind her, seeing Nikolai smiling at her and coming up to join her.
"Wandering the halls by yourself again?" It wasn't entirely reprimanding, but he did cluck his tongue at her and shake his head a little once he stood over her, arms crossed and a crooked smile on his face. "You shouldn't do that you know. Not someone in your position."
"And what position would that be, exactly?" Shikiyoku wanted to know, covering up the discomfort of her previous thoughts with a knowing smile.
"Ah-huh." Nikolai gave a small laugh and glanced to the side with the beginnings of a blush coming to his cheeks.
"Nothing specific coming to mind?" She couldn't help the slightly more amused expression from forming on her face.
"You are entirely too witty for your own good, madam." He finally looked back down at her, grinning through his red cheeks.
He didn't have to answer the question; she could sense it without him saying.
"Unfortunately, I am otherwise engaged at the moment, dear one." She reached over and gently placed a hand on his arm, smiling up at him. "And I didn't exactly mean to walk around the place, so if you'll excuse me."
She removed her hand from him and stepped between the layers of the fortress, moving among them until she stood just inside the door of her and Hiei's rooms. 3
Hiei, with one leg crossed over the other and both arms on the back of the couch, had been watching the door right up to the moment that he felt an odd disturbance in the bond between himself and Shikiyoku. It had his eyes glassing over as he turned inward to reflect, analyzing the emotion as if to decode it and fix it.
But it wasn't a huge deal. As in, she didn't seem to be in any danger. Only… distressed.
Which is why he stayed where he was.
And why his eyes remained glued to the door the very moment she blurred into the room.
He stared for a moment, sizing her up.
"I assume they took it well."
If she wanted him to know, she'd tell him about it- whatever the distress was about. *
Shikiyoku sighed as she came further into the room.
(About as well as could be expected, I suppose. They shouldn't bother me again in any case.)
Moving back in the direction of the couch, Shikiyoku reached up and put a hand to her forehead for a moment before using that hand to clear the hair out of her eyes.
I don't think I particularly want to leave the room at this point anyway.
She sat back down next to Hiei without saying anything else. 3
Hiei's unblinking gaze followed Shikiyoku as she moved to sit beside him, noting the hand to the forehead and the hesitation there before moving her hair from her eyes. His brows raised just a fraction, but he didn't actually inquire of her thoughts.
"You're still behind." *
Shikiyoku's next breath came out loudly through her nose in a fashion that expressed amusement.
Turning to look at him, her eyes narrowed playfully.
(Would a kiss do for your reward as well? The fact that the Crusnik are actually sentient and controlling is a rather game-changing find.) 3
Hiei took a moment to mull that over, weighing his options. His eyes never left Shikiyoku's face, as if her expression might lead him to a better option that would ensure more than one kiss.
Though he also figured that if he asked enough, she'd give in.
Occasionally.
He made a face.
"Just this once." *
Shikiyoku had the hardest time not rolling her eyes at his response, resorting to giving the slightest little shake of her head at his supposedly begrudging acceptance of her offer.
(You're ridiculous.)
She leaned forward and obliged him with what amounted to a short kiss on his lips, pulling away to shake her head again.
Regardless of the fact that she had no energy available to shimmer over her skin, Shikiyoku could just sense where it would be prickling at her neck and eyes and over the tips of her ears.
Ridiculous. 3
Hiei took this as a victory.
"But you like me anyway."
He pointed that fact out with a smirk, turning forward after a moment and resisting his usual remark for the first time.
...Mainly because he hoped if he were nice about it, he'd get another. *
(Never said I didn't like you.)
She grumbled it at him as she sat back into the couch and crossed her arms over one another.
That was never the problem.
(I said that you're ridiculous.) 3
The grumbled response was not the response Hiei had been hoping for, but then again, she was right. He turned his head to her just a little, enough that when he looked out the corner of his eyes, he could see her profile.
"That is true."
He paused.
"I can be even more ridiculous."
Another pause.
"Wanna see?" *
(Wanna see what? You being more ridiculous?)
Shikiyoku puffed a short breath of air from her lips in an attempt to remove part of her hair from her face where it had fallen with the abrupt settling she had done into the back of the couch.
I deserve combat-pay for this. This is really hard.
(I find the notion nigh impossible.)
Why did you have to go and inject my energy into your body? And why did it have to do this to you? Hng. 3
Hiei's eyes sparked to life, brightening and sparkling as his lips pulled into a crooked smirk She was challenging him, in her own way. "Is that so?"
With speed only he could accomplish, the fire demon had turned, leaned forward, and grabbed Shiki from the couch, hugging her tight and falling back so they'd be laying.
"You're pouting."
His hand ruffled her hair.
"I don't like it."
...I don't think so anyway. *
"Hmph." Shikiyoku didn't protest as he dragged her down, only scooting closer to him as if it were possible.
(That wasn't me pouting. But I could pout for you if you want me to.)
While it didn't have quite the same effect as when there was energy cascading over her eyes, she could still look at him up through her eyelashes with an actual pout, her lower lip protruding.
(Why are you making this so hard?) There was a twinge of whininess to the question as she huffed in a displeased fashion. 3
"To be fair, it's my job. Partially. I also rather enjoy it."
Hiei settled with his head on the armrest of the couch, hand taking to smoothing down Shikiyoku's hair without his direct notice.
"Also might I add, that wasn't very effective." *
The pout immediately disappeared and Shikiyoku turned her face down to grumble at him again.
(You're not very effective.) 3
"How witty." *
(Shut up.)
Shikiyoku closed her eyes, momentarily fighting back a grin until she let out another sigh of restraint.
This is...not fair. What did I do to deserve this? 3
As requested, Hiei went silent, only staring at the ceiling overhead- as bland as it was- and let his hand continue to smooth down the back of her head. Over, and over again. It was rather calming, actually. It even had all of his thoughts melting away, so he could better assess whatever had disturbed her before.
Which he wasn't sure if that was still lying beneath.. whatever this was that she was feeling now.
…
"Did you know you're my favorite?" *
Shikiyoku's eyes came open from where she had come to rest against Hiei's chest, her hand inches away from the heart-shaped tattoo that swirled over his core.
(Oh? And why would that be?) 3
"Because on occasion, you sparkle."
He hadn't even missed a beat.
"Also, you're rather intriguing." *
Laughing silently at his first proclamation, his second made her curious.
(Am I? I had no idea.) 3
"Hn."
Hiei settled, hand stilling against the back of her head and his eyes closing. He thought for a few moments before something crossed his mind, and he decided now was better than any other moment to talk about it.
"I'm Mukuro's General." *
Shikiyoku glanced up at what she could see of Hiei's face before letting her gaze fall back down.
With his side of the bond not functioning properly-she really was only getting a pleasant buzz from him that reminded her keenly of how her own energy felt when it skittered along her skin-she couldn't tell how he felt about it, so for the moment her own reaction consisted of nothing drastic.
(That's quite an accomplishment.)
Not that anyone could doubt your capabilities.
(You should be proud.) 3
"I loath them all."
It was quite the bland tone he used, though whether that highlighted his distaste or took away from his point, he didn't know. He just knew he didn't like it here, didn't want to be here, or anything of the sort.
Just as quick, another thought passed.
"Do you have the materials here to mend my cloak? I'm rather fond of it…" *
Funny how most demons would have associated the raise in rank with the increase of their power and thus taken the promotion in kind.
Funnier still to her that Hiei seemed to want nothing to do with it.
She supposed he wanted to do something like that on his own terms, and not at the wish and whim of the would-be King Mukuro.
(Uh-)
She blinked, his question catching her off-guard.
Thinking back to the state in which the cloak had looked, she sent him a negative.
(I could see about acquiring what would be necessary, if you like.) 3
"If it comes to it, I could fetch the material, given the location."
Hiei didn't care what Mukuro wanted him to do. If he wanted his own cloak mended, it would be mended, one way or another.
"Yukina usually sews it together."
'Usually' being when Shikiyoku wasn't around.
He scratched a little at his arm. "She's usually knowledgeable on materials. I'm not." *
(I can't see there not being someone around here that I could get the materials I required.)
The problem would be what they would want in exchange for said materials.
Ugh.
(Have you seen her recently?) 3
"...No." It was a begrudging admittance, though he realized he could just as easily find her and ask of the material himself. It would likely be better than Shiki "exchanging" whatever she needed to in order to get said materials here.
…
I loath them all.
"I don't trust the trading system." Again, a begrudging admittance. "Ill find some, if you'll mend it." Hiei concluded, eyes opening to look down at Shikiyoku. *
(Don't trust it?) Shikiyoku shifted to look up at him, raising an eyebrow. (It isn't as if the demons around here aren't reliable. And I'm sure none of them could ask something of me in return that I am incapable of handling.) 3
The problem isn't your incapabilities. Rather, it's that you are capable.
And I don't like it.
Hiei huffed out a breath. "What's the fun in that?" *
(That's business.) Shikiyoku shrugged. (They have something I want, I can provide something in return.)
(You wouldn't know about the fun anyway. You're no fun, remember?) 3
"Right, forgot."
Hiei pulled Shikiyoku a little more, so her head would be at the crook of his neck and his arm around her waist to keep her from falling. "I don't like it." *
(I know you don't like fun. Wasn't that what we were just talking about? That's no news to me.)
Shikiyoku's expression remained completely devoid of emotion as if she were blandly stating something she was rather aware of and pointing out for the umpteenth time. 3
Witty.
Hiei looked down at her for a moment before resting his head back again, eyes closing completely. He blew out a breath from his nostrils, but otherwise gave no reply. *
Once he wasn't looking at her, she grinned.
(See that? No fun. No fun, whatsoever. Honestly, I feel as if I've failed in my duties. I'm supposed to be teaching you fun after all.) 3
"You know what other things you've failed in recently?" Hiei goaded, resisting the slightest of twitches at the corner of his lips. "Kissing me. Youre so far behind." He paused as a thought crossed the forefront of his mind, causing a slight scowl to form. "You'll kiss labrats and lab monkeys, but not me. Pity,: *
Finding the teasing having been turned on its head and instead aimed at her, Shikiyoku barely managed to resist a small groan, having hoped to distract Hiei from his new-found obsession with kissing her.
Or rather, with her kissing him.
(That's...not fair, flame-boy.) Shikiyoku almost let out a growl of protest. (They didn't inject themselves with my energy like it was a good idea.) 3
"First of all, Prince. Fire Prince. Second, Never did I say I thought it was a good idea. Third-" Hiei paused, eyes coming open as he tried to remember his third point. He stared at the ceiling as if it might help.
"Third," he continued after a few good seconds, "that should be even more of a reason to kiss me. You hate that needle and were tired and ready to leave. I made a solution." *
His insistence upon being referred to as 'prince' had Shikiyoku fighting off a grin and scooting closer to him as she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Her grip went a little slack as he went on and she buried her face further into his neck.
(A solution that has led me here, saying this, 'Ask me to kiss you any other time and you know I would oblige.' You're not...you're not exactly in your right mind at the moment. Taking advantage of that would be unfair.) 3
Hn. "I would likely stop asking if you did it right just once." *
(Uh huh. I somehow doubt that.)
Struck for a moment by just exactly how unfair all of this felt, Shikiyoku did let out a breath laced with all of her pent-up feelings on the matter. 3
"You're being unfair."
Hiei let a small pout form on his features for a short moment before it disappeared, replaced with his usual expression of nonchalance. And with the huff he heard from Shikiyoku, he suddenly took to petting her head, his hand following the length of her hand before returning to the top of her head to start all over again. *
(I'm being unfair?) Shikiyoku immediately protested, trying to ignore his attentions so that she could be rightly indignant. (Do you have any idea how difficult this is for me?) 3
"It wouldn't be difficult if you'd just admit you like it." *
If she had been speaking to him aloud, it would have been through teeth tightly clenched together.
(When have I ever said I didn't like it, flame-boy? That's not the point.) 3
"Then I don't see the problem." A pause. "Prince." *
(The problem will be later.) Shikiyoku grumbled. (When you hate me.) 3
Hiei let out a rather loud scoff. "Are you sure it isn't you who hates me?" A thought occurred and his mood went south, "Or is it that you like vermin more than your own Consort?" *
(What?) Shikiyoku interjected, pulling away from him to look into his face. (What does that- Why-) She actually made a face, (No. Of course not! What makes you say that?) 3
Shiki's denial didn't seem to phase Hiei very much, his pout remaining in place. "Maybe one of them should be your consort." He gave a small puff of air at her. "Since you're happier kissing them." *
Shikiyoku could feel her eyes twitching, all sorts of protests and arguments fighting across the plane of her mind.
That's not true.
Mostly.
No, it's not true!
They're not...drunk.
I'd rather you were in your right mind and-
Why are you making this so hard?
She stared at him a moment longer.
Fuck it.
She pulled at the back of Hiei's neck to bring his face forward and gave up, planting a brief kiss on his lips before leaning away again, her face immediately flushing as her eyes shifted to the side. 3
The sudden shift had Hiei's eyes opening wide, not actually having thought she'd give in. And, of course, his eyes closed right back- not that it mattered since she had pulled away before his eyes had been completely shut. Pity.
There was a moment where he allowed silence to fill the atmosphere, a breath being let out through his nostrils.
And then he broke the silence.
"Still didn't do it right." *
While normally there would have been an accompanying shimmer flitting across her skin and cascading over her eyes, without any energy Shikiyoku was stuck feeling more foolish than usual, unable to hide behind or embrace that energy as she usually would have.
In contrast, she could feel that buzz constantly being fed to her through Hiei, but instead of comforting her, the sensation just had her on edge, a reminder that he wasn't acting as he might otherwise.
And yet that didn't stop her eyes from cutting back to Hiei's face and narrowing slightly.
I've had just about enough of that.
(Say that again, flame-boy.)
And the intonation of the phrase held every nuance of 'I dare you' within it.3
Hiei raised his brows at the feeling of the stare aimed at him, which had his eyelids coming open and his eyes falling to meet the fiery glare aimed at him. He stared at the bright green that shone at him in irritation and defiance, which had him readying for whatever she was about to say.
Which, might he add, was not what he'd been expecting.
Well, you asked.
"You. Didn't. Do it. Right." *
Oh hell no.
To be fair, Shikiyoku felt as if she had given the fire demon fair warning about saying such things. Being told the very thing she innately had a knack for wasn't done correctly made some portion of her mind snap.
(You don't even know what that means.) Shikiyoku informed him with sweet venom dripping from her words as she pulled him towards her once more, (But you're about to.)
This time when Shikiyoku reached Hiei's lips, she didn't move back as she had done before, and instead subjected him to what the humans were known to call a 'French kiss,' though demonkind tended to have other, slightly more interesting names for it.
What little energy she had actually rustled through her hair briefly, though she honestly did not have much going through her mind except to make for certain this impetuous boy got put in his place.
The fact that he had no earthly idea what to do made the immediate moment slightly more delicious for her, causing a sort of smugness to settle over her.
That's what I thought.
She purposefully made sure that their kiss lasted longer than the one Hiei kept referring to, the one with Iketeru that the hybrid had walked in on.
As if I'd want one of them to be my Consort.
As if I'm happier kissing anyone else.
...
I only want you, fire-prince.
And you may know it, you may have just said those things to get to this point...but do you really understand it yet? How very thoroughly you've captured me?
When Shikiyoku finally released him, she found herself surprisingly calm, her expression gentle, if completely devoid of apology as for the moment she regretted nothing.
He'd pushed her far enough and she finally pushed back.
Her comment was laced with her own sort of coy impetuousness as she gave him the tiniest coquettish smile, lips barely curling at the edges, (Was that satisfactory, my Consort? I do so hate disappointing you.) 3
To be honest, Hiei had had a retort ready to fire back at her. He had had something witty to say. But the thing is… She took him completely by surprise. He had gone stock still, his mind shutting down and all processes that required any train of thought also came to a stand still.
He didn't even blink. Not even when she pushed away.
He merely stared, completely and utterly shocked. Shell shocked? Yeah. That.
Her expression is what kept him from recovering, what kept him from taking a deep breath and restoring all mental faculties. Though, what had just happened also had a huge part in it too.
So, even when she spoke, he didn't give her more than a simple blink- which took a good amount of effort, might he add. *
An eyebrow arched at his silence, the prospect of having thrown the infamous Forbidden Child off his guard somehow completely satisfying in a way Shikiyoku had not felt in a long time.
Her lips twitched vaguely as she felt the reverberation of her own energy within him return to its usual buzz against their bond, though she had not noticed the surge directly while she had been kissing him.
Despite the desire to tease him further, Shikiyoku wasn't really certain he would be able to respond in a manner that would be worth the effort of any other comment she might make.
She simply let her smile be tease enough, eyes glittering as she knew, for the moment, she had won. 3
~!**!~
"Kuraku?"
"Hm?" Shikiyoku looked up from where she had been staring down at the clipboard in her hands and realized that it was not the first time her name had been called.
Instead of saying whatever he meant to say, Rikei stepped closer, stopping whatever he had been working on to slip the clipboard out from Shikiyoku's grasp.
She made a noise of protest and reached for it, but it was a simple matter to get it away and keep it away.
Rikei flipped a few pages back and forth before handing it back without saying anything, only giving Shikiyoku's face a searching stare before she cast her gaze down onto the clipboard again.
He didn't have to say a word. They both knew.
She hadn't done a single thing since coming into the labs.
All three of them had agreed it was likely in their best interest to keep Shikiyoku in her true form for now, until they had a better plan of attack for the Crusnik within her.
"If you aren't going to do anything productive, you might as well leave." Iketeru piped up from the other side of the room.
Shikiyoku kept her face down as Rikei briefly moved away before coming back and standing next to the stool she sat in. She leaned back into the table a little, glancing over at him out of the corner of her eye to see that he had relocated...whatever it was on which he worked and took to adjusting and fiddling with it again within her arm's reach.
"What troubles you, Kuraku?" Rikei asked quietly after a half a minute of busy silence crept by.
Shikiyoku blinked, realizing she had been staring blankly at the clipboard again, her mind out in the hallway she walked through yesterday where she had thought she saw Taka.
"And if you say 'nothing,' I'll make you eat the word." He added mildly.
Shikiyoku decided it was likely in her best interest not to ask him how exactly that would be accomplished.
"I thought I saw someone I used to know yesterday. Turned out it wasn't him." The words were said dismissively. Simply. She even shrugged a bit at the admittance. As if it didn't matter.
Rikei did not respond immediately, moving a hand up to press his glasses further up on his nose and brush part of his purple hair out of his eyes.
"And you're still thinking of the encounter."
It wasn't a question, and Shikiyoku knew she wouldn't have needed to answer it anyway.
"Perceptive little lab rat, aren't you?" She grumbled, toying with the writing utensil in her hand, setting the tip of it onto the edge of the paper and beginning to absently draw swirls up the sides and around the formulas.
Rikei cast a quick look in her direction, a single eyebrow raised at her, before turning his face back down.
"Perception is but one of my many gifts."
He hadn't said it any way other than as if he were stating the most bland of facts, but it still momentarily sent Shikiyoku's mind wandering back to the moment he had kissed her-his technique one such 'gift' of that she had no doubt-and she tensed briefly, keenly aware as always that she could not feel his desires, his intentions.
And you know very well that if he so much as hinted at something you would jump on it.
Shikiyoku cringed down at her clipboard.
Resisting Hiei was hard. Even if he didn't particularly do or say anything, being faced with the constant pleasant buzz of her own energy through him drove her to the brink of insanity. And the scientist would be providing an outlet that would make such resistance easier for her.
The fact that Shikiyoku did not instantaneously have a sharp witticism to hand Rikei in return had the scientist looking at her again, noting the whiteness of her knuckles as the clutched the pen harder and made the swirls darker.
If she sat there in one place any longer, she was likely to do something she would regret later.
Shikiyoku abruptly rose from her stool, sliding off the front of it to the floor and half-tossing, half-placing the clipboard on the table behind her.
"I'm...going for a walk." She managed to say without clenched teeth, though she stalked for the door as if the words seethed out of her mouth.
"We likely won't call you back." Iketeru called as she passed through the door frame.
She paused when he spoke, gave him a curt nod, and left before she turned around and jumped one of them.
Taking a deep breath of the hallway air, Shikiyoku decided that in the end it was likely worse for her to constantly be around two demons from whom she received nothing. It was as if simply not knowing what they wanted made her wish to know, drag it out of them by any means necessary.
And perhaps her awareness of Hiei's, of her, energy bubbling pleasantly inside her yesterday as well as that very morning made it all the worse.
Even my thoughts don't seem straight.
Rubbing her hand to her forehead, Shikiyoku actually stepped out into the hallway and began walking for the main corridor.
It wasn't as if she didn't like having Hiei goading her at every pause for a kiss, but she wanted him to do so without having to be under the influence of her energy. When he was in his right mind, and not in a state that she could not imagine lasting forever.
Stepping out into the other hallway, Shikiyoku hardly noticed the demons walking or rushing past her, though on some level she became aware that their desires were washing over a portion of her mind, ones that saw her as she moved by them featuring prominently even if she didn't acknowledge them.
At first Shikiyoku only let her feet continue moving, head down and her thoughts almost methodically, if absently, shifting through the desires around her.
By the time she glanced up, she wasn't in a portion of the Fortress she recognized, which amused her, and the faces she knew were fewer and farther between.
Unphased by this development, Shikiyoku took to looking at the demons that went by, glancing at them when they weren't directly looking at her.
The newer ones especially interested her, though she found that most of them knew her even if she had never seen them. That much was clear by how their desires shifted if they caught a glimpse of her.
Well, I guess it could be worse. I could be bored out of my mind.
While she had not particularly bothered to take notice of the smells, which ranged from atrocious to barely tolerable, she caught a whiff of one that almost made her stop in her tracks, feeling slightly irksome as she glanced behind her, certain she would see the purple hair and dark glasses of Rikei following after her.
I swear, if you-
It was not Rikei's face that actually drew her feet to a stop, for he had not in fact followed her from the labs, but instead, turning into a different hallway several feet behind her, Shikiyoku would have sworn she had seen Douji.
Shikiyoku murmured apologies as a couple of demons behind her brushed into her when she stopped, but for another handful of seconds she did not move.
When she picked up her feet again, she was only half surprised to find that she was weaving through the demons around her so that she could go back in the other direction.
It's just a lookalike. Like the Taka.
No matter what she told herself, she still found that she kept going until she reached the hall she had seen him disappear into, stepping out of the flow and into the much emptier corridor.
This one had doors on either side of it, much like the hall where the lab was, but instead of paying any attention to those doors, Shikiyoku's eyes extended upwards down the passageway until her breath caught in her throat.
It can't be him, though.
You watched him die.
Standing at one of the doors further down, far enough away that it still could have been a trick of the eyes, the demon she followed stopped just as she had once she stepped into the hall with him, and while she stared at him, for a moment he stared back, making time for Shikiyoku seem to stop.
Breaking the stare, he reached forward to put his hand on the door knob, turning it to open the door and step inside the room just as Shikiyoku started down the hall after him.
Beginning to move faster, certain that this was no ghost, Shikiyoku watched as his foot disappeared and the door shut behind him before she finally broke into a run, making it down the hall to fling the door inwards and step inside without another hesitation.
"You'd follow me into a library, but not into the grave, huh Shiki?"
The difference in lighting had Shikiyoku blinking to try and settle her vision faster, the door shutting behind her as she stepped further into the gloom, starting to tell that the walls in front of her were filled with books, a large table in the middle of the room with scrolls and tomes open across it.
A darker figure standing at the other end of the table stepped out from a row of the books, but as Shikiyoku started to move around one end of it, the demon moved in the same direction, and the both of them stopped to stare at one another from across the shorter sides of the table.
There wasn't any particularly clear thoughts going through Shikiyoku's mind while she stared with mouth slightly agape at what she logically felt for certain could not be Douji, but what evidence dictated had to be him.
He looked as he did the first time she had seen him, all awkward and lanky and not quite grown into his own body with his hair messily arranged on top of his head and around his face.
"I-" She blinked as if her eyes needed to clear further, but she could see him now as plain as the books around her.
His eyebrows raised as if he expected her to say more.
"I didn't mean for you to die." She managed to say lamely, having trouble managing all the emotions that started coursing through her mind.
"Of course you didn't." He scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Just like you didn't mean to bring the Crusnik to the tribe. Or to get us killed. Me killed."
Unable to make sense of what was going on, tears started falling unbidden from Shikiyoku's eyes and she couldn't rightly explain why, only starting to shake her head and opening her mouth to speak but finding that she couldn't form any words.
Douji's chin rose a little higher, "Just like you didn't mean to get Taka killed."
Images were shooting past Shikiyoku's mind now, memories, first of Douji's bloody body torn apart by lur'mog. Then Taka pulling her into his embrace for the last time before she saw him in pieces on the ground.
Shikiyoku could only shake her head and continue trying to speak, instinctively taking a step back once Douji started to step around the other end of the table towards her.
"Or Otento."
He kept moving for her and she found she couldn't move any longer, unable to feel anything but all the grief and sorrow she had experienced the first time those demons had died.
Douji stuck his face in hers.
"Or what about Kit? I suppose you didn't mean to kill him either, did you?" 3
~!**!~
Rikei paid absolutely no attention to the passing demons as he walked the hallways, his head occasionally buzzing as if he were going to forget the reason he left the labs in the first place.
He gave out a little sigh and pushed his thinly framed glasses further up his nose, looking down one corridor and then another as he moved down the main passageway, barely noticing the low roar of the air around him as the crowded hall flowed with traffic.
While Iketeru may have told Shikiyoku they would not need her the rest of the day, they had actually stumbled upon what they thought might be a breakthrough for her condition, but of course they required the Second Kuraku herself in order to test it.
That had been several hours ago.
Another buzz rang in Rikei's head.
I know, I know. I'm looking.
No one claimed to understand the inner workings of the Mobile Fortress, or why it could call to demons like this when they were needed. Some said it was the fact that Mukuro himself was chained to the thing, some said that it had originally been sentient itself, and with Mukuro's constant rage powering it-
It didn't particularly matter how, only that one should not be able to ignore such callings.
Which included Kuraku.
Which is what led the scientists to becoming concerned.
'Concerned' was perhaps a strong word. They needed her in order to get work done, and that's what had Rikei walking the halls trying to find her after going directly to her room and finding that neither her nor Gouka resided within.
Gouka not being there was easily explainable as everyone knew the Cursed Child was to be tested today to solidify his ranking as Head General of Mukuro's army.
But where else would Kuraku be?
The fact that Rikei was out looking for her did not appear to placate the buzzing inside his mind and his jaw flex momentarily in irritation.
As he turned another corner, he sent another unseen and unfelt extension of his energy through the walls from his feet, that energy feeling its way along wires and connections and asking the systems of the fortress if there were any hiccups, or rather anything out of the ordinary, something that was somewhere it shouldn't be.
Not a single one of the demons that walked by appeared to notice Rikei's energy moving outwards from his body, but given that it was almost as if his energy was a part of the walls and ceiling and floor, it wasn't unexpected.
Rikei knew better than anyone just how sentient the fortress actually was, and just how much it was powered by the chains the Demon of Rage wore that attached her to it.
Yes, her.
Not that it mattered either way to him, but her energy was so intertwined into the system that Rikei knew, as did Iketeru for his energy could work similarly, even if no one else did.
While the previous handful of times Rikei had stretched his energy into the system had come up blank-his energy could only go so far, which meant walking further and trying again-this time the patterns informed him of a demon that was rather of out place, and not being particularly productive.
Turning sharply in the direction of the readings, he let his energy lead him down a side hall, right up to a door he knew would open into one of the smaller libraries.
First glance did not turn up anything out of the ordinary, and by the second pass his eyes had adjusted and he caught sight of a portion of the floor that was darker than the rest.
He let out an impatient sigh of sorts and moved towards it.
"Woman, this is ridiculous. Get yourself off the floor."
There was no response.
"What are you doing? Sleeping? We need you. Get up." Rikei squatted down next to her, and as blinked and his eyes took in her curled up shape, her eyes staring forward seemingly at nothing, but water-no, tears-streaming down her face.
"Woman?" Rikei started to reach forward, his previously irritated expression starting to melt. "Kuraku?"
He expected her to flinch, maybe even just shift around when he placed his hand on her shoulder, but she did no such thing.
She didn't appear to even know he was there.
"Kuraku?" His pitch was lower this time, but more mellow as he shifted his hand on her shoulder, seeing if he might get her attention.
Rikei didn't think she had so much as blinked since he knelt down.
Glancing over his shoulder as if he might find someone else in the room that he missed, Rikei let out a patient breath and reached down to gather Shikiyoku in his arms, surprised to find that she immediately latched onto him as he started to rise, her arms tightening almost uncomfortably around his neck and her face burying itself at his collarbone.
He could feel his lab coat already becoming damp with her tears.
Drawing his energy more thoroughly out of the machinery around him, Rikei stepped inbetween the layers of the fortress and within a few more paces had himself within the walls of what he knew to be the Kuraku's rooms, knowing that such a state would be of no use to them within the lab.
Not wishing to intrude further, Rikei turned and moved for the couch nearby with every intention of putting her down for Gouka to more easily find later.
It seemed like a simple task, but unwinding her arms from around himself proved too much as her grip could not be shifted in any manner Rikei could see short of tearing them out of their sockets.
His eyebrow twitched as he stared down at the couch, standing over it with Shikiyoku still in his grasp.
Closing his eyes and letting out a restrained sigh, he made to sit down and wait, resigning himself to the inevitable.
Not exactly how I pictured spending the rest of my day. 3
Earlier this morning, Hiei had been pulled away from his slumber by the most annoying sense of 'come here' he'd ever felt. And to be honest, he'd known exactly what was going to happen, exactly what was planned for the day. he'd known that, eventually, he would be pitted against the current right hand man of Mukuro. She'd said as much herself when he'd returned after a night out.
That did not mean, however, that he was prepared to fight the other- or even prepared to find out exactly who he would be fighting. And in his current state of never-ending thoughts (usually of something not pertaining to the matter at hand), it made it that much more difficult to understand that somehow, his life had taken a path right back to Shigure, who the fire demon had left behind so long ago after receiving the eye that put him ahead in any other fight.
Well, any other than this one, he assumed.
Even as Mukuro took her leave of the fighting space, Hiei wasn't sure how to go about this fight against the master of not only sword, but of the very advantage Hiei had been planning to utilize.
I don't like it.
There had been words from the other, most of which went unheard by the fire demon, before the fight had begun.
A fight that went on for hours, with Hiei somehow knowing what Shigure was going to do seconds before Shigure acted, and the fire demon avoiding any substantial loss to himself.
Hours of back and forth blocks.
Hours of getting absolutely nowhere.
Hours of teeth-grinding, irritating equality.
Hours before Hiei decided to utilize his third eye.
And as one blade passed over another, the third eye taking its time in opening to the world, Hiei suddenly felt…
Clarity.
He could think properly, could see the room as it was, the situation as it could be.
And it took mere moments to end it after that. To dismember Mukuro's right hand man, to sheath his sword and turn to the door with an expression that read a complete lack of interest.
And that expression was very difficult to maintain in the next few seconds where Mukuro entered the room.
Because the strangest voice seemed to speak to him. Almost telepathic, but… closer to home.
And the eye wouldn't shut.
"Dude, she thought you'd die."
The voice was very similar to onehe'dheardfromthe Dragon, likely even a replica.
But that wasn't what had the fire demon stunned and deaf to what the king was telling him. It was the realization that the third eye was sentient, and for once, not angry.
What?
"She said she's proud to announce you her right hand." A brief silence as Hiei tuned into the dismissal granted him. "You should go find Shikiyoku."
Don't tell me what to do.
"Grumpy."
Hiei stepped around Mukuro, who turned to watch him go.
And the fire demon made a silent trek up several flights of stairs, the Jagan continuously saying random things here and there, making random observations, or even asking him when Hiei's next kiss was going to be- which completely derailed Hiei for a moment before he pushed the door open to his and Shikiyoku's room.
He paused while the door swung shut behind him, and it took a whole minute before Hiei was certain he was seeing a scientist holding Shiki on the couch, and that the bond in his mind was in a disarray.
How had he not noticed?
Three long steps was all it took for Hiei to come to standing over the demon in the lab coat, his eyes on Shikiyoku. A beat later and he was reaching for her, not seeming to care that the other demon was the one holding her or that she had been clinging to him.
It didn't matter, really.
Because he could feel that she needed someone. He could feel the heaviness, the darkness.
Nothing else mattered. Just her.
"She's in pain…. You should kiss the boo boo."
~!**!~
Darkness had fallen several hours ago, but it was only now that Akari lowered herself to sit in front of a crackling fire, her hands extended towards the warmth and light that her eyes had focused on a while ago. In fact, she'd been rather out of it for a while now. Missing conversations, having to stop and turn back to the turn she'd been meaning to take.
The others either didn't notice, or didn't care. Or maybe they just didn't want to comment on it.
One long, slow blink against her burning eyelids told Akari that she needed sleep. One long, breathy sigh told her she was too stressed to stay awake another night. But the pit in her stomach told her that sleeping wouldn't be achievable. It told her that she was driving herself a little too hard, which was probably something he would get mad at her for anyway.
The thought made her lips twitch a little.
Didn't help much, though.
Another blink.
Maybe he won't kill me for being stupid. I deserve it, but at least I'll be showing up to the fight with reinforcements.
That was a comforting thought, that the little group she'd gathered would help toss troops away from the main fight. It almost made her feel amused at the mental image.
Yomi likely wouldn't notice.
"Akari?"
The dog demon blinked again, the glassy haze over her eyes disappearing as she tuned into the nearest demon. It made her realize she'd been addressed several times.
"You know, going without sleep will interfere with your ability to think ahead, right? You'll need your wits about you, incase another one of those Crusnik show up." The words were no louder than a whisper, not loud enough to gain unwanted attention of the rest of the crew. A familiar voice that Akari wished wasn't here.
I can't protect you anyway.
"I'll sleep, just not right now, Manami."
"This is actually a good area, Aka. We're the only ones around for miles."
"Hey, so when are we jumping into battle?" Chiho called from several yards away, sprawled on his back in the dirt.
"Whenever Yusuke and Raizen make their move." Akari replied, finally turning to look at the group of seven. Her hands fell to her lap, her eyes roving over the small demon who had asked of the fight. "I don't think it is as far away as you think."
"But it isn't closeenough for my liking, either."
Manami snorted. "At least you weren't the one grabbed by the Crusnik. You could be just as well off as my pack."
Akari heaved a sigh, knowing the inevitable retort from the other. "One night, can there be silence? Any more snide remarks Chiho and I'll toss you to a Crusnik myself."
"Tch." The demon rolled to his side.
Akari turned back to the yellow-orange flames that waved in front of her.
"How long have you guys known each other again, exactly?" Rowena suddenly piped, her small voice contradictory to her large build and stature as the female returned from the usual scope of the area.
"A long while," Manami replied with a calm smile. "Same pack. Practically sisters."
"And you were the Alpha?"
The conversation seemed to fade out, Akari becoming deaf to her surroundings again as she wished not for the first time that she'd stayed in that stupid palace. It would be so much more desirable than constantly running from Crusnik. *
~!**!~
"It would be in your best interest that she returns, Kurama. But I don't think I really had to tell you that."
No, no you didn't.
Kurama's teeth clenched together slightly as he fought to maintain his outer appearance of calm as he practically stalked down the hallway.
It was not the first time Yomi's words had echoed in his head ever since the would-be King had called the former fox-thief into his meeting room all that time ago.
The 'King' had graciously allowed Kurama to requisition a few of the demon on the grounds to search for Akari, who had long before now gone missing.
Graciously my ass.
It was meant as sarcasm.
It wasn't sarcastic enough.
Your attempts haven't been good enough.
The thought resonated across Kurama's head.
Which is why you're 'requisitioning' this next one.
Indeed.
Kurama walked into the training room unannounced, barely taking note of the sounds of grunting or the smell of sweat as he made his way over to one demon in particular.
Akari being gone this long did nothing to ease Kurama's mind, of course, but as he now felt nothing drastic had happened to her, perhaps it meant she was attempting to plan something.
His irritation at not being a part of the plan flared briefly before he settled down again.
Upset because it's out of your control, are we?
"Jin, I've got a job for you."
~!**!~
As soon as the door to the room opened, Rikei made as if to stand up, momentarily forgetting the dead weight in his lap, but being reminded immediately upon shifting around, moving his legs underneath himself so that he might rise.
A small breath of neither irritation nor impatience left his nose as the purple eyes behind his glasses shifted to the top of the dark head that was curled up against the underside of his jaw, and while the grip around his neck was not a firm one, he refrained from so much as beginning to extract himself from the still immobile female who had held him in place so completely these past several hours.
The reaction from her was minimal, even as Rikei more than gladly allowed Gouka to remove her from his person, noting that had he tried to hand her off that she probably would have protested without the presence of her Consort first being announced.
Rikei stood as soon as he was able, brushing himself off and casting only a brief glance at the pair as he made for the door, pausing only when his hand was ready to turn the knob, unsure if Gouka cared to know the state he had found her in, or if it particularly mattered to the hybrid demon.
The shift of his shoulder as he reached forward for the knob facilitated his pause, feeling the wetness of the fabric that stuck slightly to the skin underneath as his arm moved.
Her tears had long ago swept down in rivulets over his lab coat and shirt.
"I found her like that." He said simply. "Alone in one of the libraries. On the floor."
Rikei turned the knob and started to open the door, saying one more word as he left.
"Crying." 3
Hiei had hefted Shikiyoku from Rikei with relative ease, sending his own presence through the bond by way of saying he was no intruder she need worry about. He turned his eyes to her face, which she promptly hid against his collarbone when she tightly wrapped her arms around his neck. He turned towards the bedroom, his own thoughts accompanied by the little voice from the Jagan almost blocking out his ability to catch what the scientist said over his shoulder.
Which had Hiei pausing only briefly before continuing about his way, nudging the bedroom door shut in tandem with the closing of the front door.
He wasted no time in positioning himself cross-legged on the bed, Shikiyoku on his lap and his arms supporting her weight.
(What's happened?)
His question was mild, only meant to be answered if she could do so, which he almost expected her not to do.
And if she didn't answer, that was okay too.
~!**!~
Several more hours had passed, and only two of the eight were awake, one of them being Akari, the other being Makko, the demon best fit for fighting almost any threat that came about, and the only demon who preferred the night over the day. Perhaps that had something to do with his overly-round eyes and his striped tail.
She heard him sniff a little at the air.
And for the first time in days, he spoke.
"This.. priority that your friend keeps mentioning… is it really worth risking your life for?"
Akari blinked once at the pile of ash she was trying to bring back to life, the fire having died sometime when she'd fallen into an uneasy sleep. She looked up at the pointed nosed demon whose whiskers twitched in mild curiosity.
And for a while,they only stared at one another.
"Are your beliefs worth dying for?" She countered, turning back down to the rocks in her hands that she struck together again. "For Yomi?"
"I don't quite see the appeal in presiding over every layer, every demon alive."
"And you're still going along with this… why?"
"Your pack was slaughtered. My family was taken from me. It's the same story for many others."
"To be fair, the pack was taken by a disease." Akari countered, suppressing a yawn as she struck the rocks together one last time, causing a spark to catch against the wood and leaves.
A few minutes went by.
"You never answered my question."
Akari sat back, hands close to the flames that danced on the wind. "Indeed."
The other demon huffed, seemingly unsure if that was an answer to his question or simply an acknowledgement of her dismissal.
"Aka, shhhh. Your voice carries."
Akari glanced down at the hand that pat at her leg, then at Manami, who had rolled over in her sleep.
"You don't think the king wouldn't be aware of your leave, do you?" The other probed again, in a quieter voice.
AKari met the gaze on her, and for the first time in a long while, smiled. "I wouldn't bet against it, honestly." That smile disappeared quickly. I'm betting on his reliance on Kurama. The king wouldn't do away with such an asset because of one renegade demon.
And I'll bet on that til I die. *
~!**!~
There had not been a single coherent thought, at least not one with any semblance of sentence structure, pass over Shikiyoku's mind since her encounter with whatever Douji had been in that library on the other side of the fortress.
A mild awareness of Rikei picking her up before she fell back beneath the sorrow, and a second time of the demon leaving her, but being pulled away by another set of hands.
The fact that it was Hiei, her Consort, did little to brush away the heavily clouded state of her mind.
She did little in the way of movement as Hiei left the couch towards their bedroom, save burying her face in his neck when she sensed him wanting to look her in the face.
But there was no stopping the tears.
Any other time and she might have thought she would have run out of tears, heaving dry sobs instead.
Not so.
Somewhere off in a distant place in her mind, Shikiyoku did in fact hear Hiei's question from where it floated across their deeply embedded connection.
The only sense she could make from it though was that it hurt too much to consider the answer, and something inside of her pulled away from their bond, where her shaken mind might accidentally overflow between them.
Because while she could do little else from within her darkened thoughts, she still remembered somewhere how he hadn't known what to do with her, and she still did not wish that upon him no matter what her circumstances. 3
Hiei sat on the bed for a good while, acutely aware of the withdrawal from her end and the lack of answer. And at the same time, how the heaviness seemed to get worse, the darkness growing darker, creating a storm just beyond the bond that he knew she was trying to keep from him.
Why, he didn't understand.
But the Jagan did pipe up again, and it took a lot of restraint to not let his irritation with that odd turn of events seep into the calm he was trying to keep within the bond. The reassurance meant for her.
So he let one hand move of its own accord, moving up to the back of her head and slowly stroking down to the ends of her hair as he felt the fabric of his cloak become wet in places where he knew her tears were falling.
I don't like it.*
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off!