A/N: Hello once again for the last time in this short amount of time, Audience!
So, I was planning on posting one more time this 'week' to make up for the fact that I missed a day because life, but more life is about to happen this week. That is, I'm going to be especially busy the rest of this week and will not have time to get another chapter out to you.
My schedule will become exceptionally more clear after this upcoming Saturday, and I will at least make my best effort to post another chapter next Monday, and hopefully the second chapter that I still owe you the next day. After that, I will be planning on going to the once-per-week schedule as intended.
In other news, I don't have a note on it in the symbols guide below since I don't think it's come up so far, and if it has the occasions are few and far between, but there is a portion in this chapter where Mukuro is conversing with the Artificial Intelligence of the Mobile Fortress itself, to put it simply. The AI's dialogue is unique in that it is in italics, but has a hyphen at the end of it. Similar to how we have used a tilde in the past after italics to indicate the All-Fire "speaking," the AI doesn't so much speak in words exactly, and it's only because of Mukuro's close ties to it that she is able to translate the resulting code of information the AI feeds her into a sort of sentience that no one else would likely be able to understand.
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!
Shikiyoku returns to the labs
only long enough to threaten to feed upon them
if they do not let her have the day to herself.
As she starts to return to Hiei and their room,
she believes she sees Taka walking the halls
amidst the other demons,
and attempts to follow him,
eventually realizing that,
while this demon is some kind of bird demon
with brown wings,
he is not in fact Taka.
She returns herself to Hiei,
sitting next to him upon the couch he had not left.
Hiei immediately bothers her for a kiss,
which Shiki for once obliges
if he will accept it as a reward
for his help in the discovery that the Crusnik
within her are sentient.
Stretching out on the couch with her,
Hiei informs Shikiyoku that he's practically
Mukuro's High General,
and requests that Shiki mend his cloak
when she has the chance.
Not long distracted from his self-imposed mission,
Hiei once more tries to goad a kiss from Shikiyoku,
eventually referencing the scientists
and his unhappiness that she would kiss them,
but not him.
It works, and he gets a kiss,
but only a peck as all the times before.
However, he insists she still didn't do it right,
and when she all but dares him to say that again,
he does,
and in retaliation Shikiyoku finally gives him
what he deserves,
leaving him shell-shocked after a nice long French Kiss.
The next day, back in the labs,
Rikei questions, surprisingly kindly, Shikiyoku's churning thoughts.
She tells him in a general sort of way about
thinking that she saw someone she used to know the day before.
When Iketeru tells her to leave if she isn't going to be productive,
she does,
walking distractedly through the halls of the Mobile Fortress.
Eventually she looks up and
does not recognize the portion of the Fortress
in which she finds herself.
She suddenly catches Rikei's scent,
incensed at the prospect that he might have
followed her, but instead upon looking around,
catches a brief sight of what she thinks is Douji.
Trying to convince herself it was just a lookalike,
just like the demon she had thought was Taka,
Shiki nevertheless pursues the form,
until entering a room
and suddenly being mentally assault
by what she can only register as Douji himself.
Caught in a tide of emotions as this Douji
throws accusations at her,
and reminds her of her responsibility
for some of those closest to her heart,
she can do little else but lose herself under those crashing waves.
When hours later Shikiyoku has not responded
to the labs' need for her,
Rikei is sent looking for her,
eventually finding her collapsed in a library
in an obscure portion of the Mobile Fortress.
Initially irritated with her,
Rikei's irritation melts away
when he realizes her unresponsiveness
is related to her shaken mental state.
He makes it back to her and Hiei's rooms,
Shikiyoku in his arms,
and sits down, for all intents and purposes trapped
in Shikiyoku's embrace,
until Hiei's return.
Hiei meanwhile defeats Shigure,
securing himself as High General,
after Shikiyoku's energy drains out of him
and subsequently into the Jagan,
clearing Hiei's mind, which quickly draws the
fight to a close.
Unfortunately for Hiei,
the Jagan Eye refuses to close,
and suddenly begins speaking to him,
almost as if it were high.
Hiei returns to their rooms,
finding Shikiyoku in Rikei's arms,
and takes her from the scientist,
overcome by the darkness within their bond
that he had not noticed during the fight.
Rikei leaves, saying only where and
in what state he had found Shikiyoku,
and Hiei attempts to speak with her,
getting no response,
and starting to draw his hand through her hair
in an attempt to comfort her.
~!**!~
Akari has been running herself ragged for days,
but refuses to sleep even as she stares at the fire in front of her.
A voice speaks to her, advising the sleep
that she keeps avoiding.
The voice belongs to Manami,
a dog-demon from Akari's former pack,
and an old friend at that.
Among their number are other demons
which Akari has been asked to return to Yomi with
including Rowena and Chiho,
but Akari has yet to return to Yomi.
As Akari dallies out in the field,
Kurama feels the brunt of Yomi's "wrath,"
for Yomi uses the excuse of any delay on Akari's part
to further test the limits of Kurama's mental state.
Yomi graciously tells Kurama that perhaps
he should send some demons out after her,
and after several failed attempts,
Kurama this time asks Jin to seek Akari out.
Akari seems to be formulating a plan,
which includes gathering demons that might be targeted by Yomi,
and giving them an alternate choice:
join her and not the would-be king.
Makko, one of the eight she has gathered,
questions her motives,
but Akari gives no direct answer,
instead finally falling asleep near their campfire...
This time, when Akari woke, there was light and sound all around. She shifted in the dirt and rolled to her opposite side, eyes staying closed as she registered the sound of the others moving around a little, preparing to keep moving as always.
She didn't want to get up. She could feel the lack of sleep down to her bones.
The thought that got her up and moving, however, was that of the Crusnik that they'd outrun the day before. Demons who were capable of tracking, just as well as Manami was.
She was sitting up in the next instant, heaving a sigh and glancing at the pile of ashes nearby, then up to the bustling group as they gathered their various weapons and belongings.
Manami chattering as always, Rowena chattering right along with her, and the others piping in whenever they wanted and generally acting like… well, like a functional pack.
"Manami," Akari piped suddenly, earning a slight jump from the female that whipped around, obviously not having known Akari had woken. "How's Mother?"
Manami blinked, then seemed to take on a faraway look. Her eyes glazed over and looked upwards as if recalling a memory. A nose twitch, an ear flick. After a moment, she blinked back to awareness with a smile. "Still behind her protective barrier, as she assured she would be. Her and the last ones from the pack are still strong."
"Good."
Akari pushed herself to stand and began to kick around the ashes, mixing the evidence of her fire with the dark soil beneath, erasing the mark of her presence easily. Just in case.
She turned and began her routine glance around the group, circling the seven others discreetly as they hefted their bags over their shoulders and chattered good-naturedly.
At least, until one of them turned to her with a curious brow. Hito's dark eyes stared at her, as if waiting for something or another.
"What?" Akari finally grumbled. "Can't a demon get reassurance of her surroundings?"
"What's she talking about?" Hito demanded, jerking a thumb at Manami, who stood nearby with a very small, sheepish smile. "About you not actually fighting with Yomi?"
Akari's brows rose and she glanced at Manami with a look that read 'seriously?'
"I told you when you joined the group that I was not an advocate for the king." She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight. "What do you not understand?"
"Why we are recruited?"
Akari released a small breath that was almost enough to be a laugh. And she spoke before Manami had a chance to say anything. "I never had the intention of asking you all to die for a king who only uses his subjects as pawns. If that is the impression you received, I apologize. I just hadn't completely figured out how to tell you what I wanted to do yet. Also, I was making sure you all are able to keep up, especially with the Crusnik."
"I think we've proved our worth," Rowena spoke, earning nods from the others.
Manami opened her mouth, but akari's finger paused her. "I've been meaning to ask of you all to utilize your skills with the layers to help thin out the crowd when the fight brews. I and a few others have been chalking out a plan of tossing out troops from the Ninth layer and into the other layers, preferably as far from the fight as possible, to ensure that this war come to a conclusive end with as minimal casualties as possible."
"Wouldn't that be putting our lives on the line, when the kings find out our treason?"
"Not if they're too preoccupied with each other."
Manami held her hand up, and Akari was about to nod at her when Allys spoke up.
"And how did you get Yomi's approval to be out here in the first place?"
Akari gave a small sigh and turned to the dark-skinned female. "I was tossed out here with the intentions of recruiting for Yomi's cause, and ended up chased by a layer-running Crusnik demon. After landing myself in a cave with a narrow escape, I decided to do this myself. It isn't likely I'd be much of a threat to the king anyway, aside from the loyalty of one other, who isn't allowed to leave anyway."
"Your Priority that the dog keeps talking about?"
Akari smiled. "Perhaps. But that's beside the point."
"So you're asking us to join you in thinning the fighting crowd?"
Akari nodded.
And not a single one of them seemed phased by the request. *
~!**!~
The Wind Master's ears twitched as he smiled a toothy grin down at nothing in particular.
The air swirled pleasantly around him like a long lost friend as he soared over the land, high enough that little below him had keen enough sight to spot him, much less make out who it was that flew above them.
Not to mention the fact that he was hiding himself within the jet stream itself.
He had the wind below him breezing along the surface as such a pocket of air might do, but unlike a normal wind, this one was searching for one little demon in particular.
Of course, when it found that demon, it also found several others, which Jin couldn't decide if he had been expecting or not.
More notable than the group around the lass, Jin took special note of one not around her. Specifically one the wind seemed to associate with a staleness that Jin knew meant the fellow was up to no good.
Landing as stealthy as the wind allowed one such as Jin, and taking care to remain unnoticed, Jin waved his hands and wiggled his fingers in a particular pattern that after which one second had the lurking demon peering at the other group, obviously trying to hear as much as he possibly could, and the next second had him flung mightly by the wind in an upwards direction, somewhere far behind Jin which had the Master immediately dismissing him as he knew the wind would have whatever fun it wanted with its newest acquisition before dropping him from a height no such demon would survive.
Composing himself, and knowing the surge of energy likely already altered the group in front of him of his presence, Jin allowed his face to turn grim as his own ears heard the topic of conversation while he began to approach openly.
And his somber expression did not change.
~!**!~
The intermittent sobs that punctured Shikiyoku's otherwise quiet crying did actually cease after a short time, her arms finally moving up from where they had been hanging limply down her sides to encircle Hiei's neck.
The flow of her tears lessened as she closed her eyes and let her senses take in her surroundings: Hiei's hand stroking through her hair, his other arm holding her firmly in his lap, the feeling of her forehead pressed up against his neck. His scent, the fiery cinnamon mixing with the cool cloves as she managed to take a breath without her lungs filling shakily.
But Douji's voice continued to echo in her mind, throwing accusations at her that reminded her of the carnage of the Northern Tribe, and of her closest friends dying by her own hands. 3
Hiei noted the very slight change in Shikiyoku, but knew it wasn't enough. The turmoil was still there. And quite honestly, a part of Hiei didn't know what to do. The Jagan, however, had plenty of ideas. And it was very distracting.
In fact, it kept insisting of one thing here and there, more so than the rest.
And actually, it had him thinking of the time he'd woken up to rambunctious laughter in the house on the first layer. Youko had been involved, and though Hiei didn't understand what had been going on, he distinctly remembered there being tension from her the hours before.
Which had been dissolved.
Perhaps the Jagan didn't have such a bad idea after all.
So, he tested it with a simple prod to Shiki's side.
~!**!~
There was silence for a moment while Akari glanced around the group, realizing after a minute that the hairs on the back of her neck were on end and that Manami's ears kept twitching back.
And said female's lips twitched as if to open, but did not do so.
Which is what had Akari's eyes turning to the forestry behind the girl, keenly aware of the sudden silence in the area. Silence that hadn't been disturbed before. Silence only disturbed by a breeze.
"I find it odd that you trust a group of strangers with your life. Telling us this plan with confidence that we won't tell the king the moment we step on his premises." Hito commented, breaking the silence, but not Akari's gaze from the trees.
"Well, to be honest, I was prepared to drop you into a shadow if I thought you'd so much as threaten what I have to protect." Akari said in a low voice. "And I assure you that you wouldn't return."
Manami made a sound.
And then an energy filled the area, a wind blowing leaves and grass wildly about very briefly. Her eyes widened only a little before she relaxed.
The others, however, were quick to take a stance meant for fighting.
Akari took three long steps forward, towards the demon she could now hear coming her way, the redhead stepping into her view with an odd expression on his face. Akari took to standing in front of the wind master, staring at him.
"I was wondering how long it would be before you were sent after me." *
Jin nodded slightly at Akari's statement before tilting his head in the direction he came.
"Took care ah him for yah." He wouldn't quite meet Akari's eyes, moving his tongue around in his mouth as if he couldn't get the words he wanted to say to come together like he wanted. "He heard your little story there."
~!**!~
While a squeak didn't exactly sound as her side twitched away from Hiei's poking finger, an almost silent breath of air left her nose and Shikiyoku made a light, low noise of protest that grumbled somewhere in her chest causing her eyes to come open for a second as she blinked, unsure of what had just happened, before her lids came closed again. 3
Hiei's brows raised very slightly at the reaction he received, but cringed very slightly in the next moment at the amount of noise from the Jagan in his head that erupted in the next instant. And it was a few good long minutes before his mind was in silence.
And once Hiei had recovered from the onslaught of suggestions from the third eye, Hiei did indeed prod her again.
Several times.
And didn't stop.
~!**!~
Akari's eyes followed the direction Jin had nodded, before turning back to the others when she heard movement behind her. Manami stepped to her side, eyes filled with confusion and curiosity. Allys and Rowena eyed the redhead with wary eyes, and Hito, Makko, Haku, and Hana were all in defensive stances, weapons in hand. Akari gestured with a hand to lower their weapons before turning back to Jin.
"Thank you." She did not smile, though she thought it would have gotten her appreciation across better. She simply couldn't find it within herself to do so. "What's the word with Yomi?" She wasn't sure if he was avoiding saying something, or simply unsure of how to say it. So she carried conversation with questions that had been circling her mind for weeks. *
At her mention of the blind demon, Jin appeared to resist a flinch, unable this time to hide how he refused to look at Akari directly.
"You...probably shouldn't worry about goin' back, lass." Where Jin normally spoke in an upbeat manner that few could follow, his words seemed more measured, almost cautious. "...there's nothing there for you now."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku didn't even realize that the moments following Hiei's original poke were the proverbial calm before the storm.
So as it was, she simply sat there in the silence, unable to do or feel much of anything except for the overpowering grey of depression.
At Hiei prodding her again, Shikiyoku's body jerked as before and finally her eyebrows frowned over her face.
Stop it.
As he continued to poke at her, Shikiyoku could feel her teeth clenching together, though whether in irritation or amusement she had yet to decide, but she finally let out a quiet little growl as she dropped one of her hands from around his neck to bat at his own hand, trying to get him to stop or at least dissuade him from continuing.
When that did nothing, she finally pulled away from his neck just enough to see his arm as it moved around and sought out her twitching side.
With the hand that had been trying to wave him away, Shikiyoku attempted to grab for his wrist instead, frowning deeply and managing to make the one word she grumbled into two full syllables.
"Staah-aahp." 3
The twitching of the body on his lap was rather… amusing, despite the reason that called for such action. His expression, however, remained as passive as usual, his eyes looking down at her in a calm manner even as she pulled away and batted at his hand, even trying to grab at it.
Which he eluded, by the way. All it took was a flick of his wrist and it was free again, what with his lifetime of swordsmanship on his side.
And he prodded some more.
All the while looking at her with an expression that read 'I didn't catch that'.
~!**!~
Akari's brows raised. "I never intended to actually go back," she informed calmly, eyeing Jin with scrutiny that searched for meaning behind his words. Words that he continued with that sounded almost like…
She wasn't sure yet.
She scrunched her nose at him and was about to speak when Manami took a step closer, ears going backwards on her head and tail tucking closer to her backside, eyes on the windmaster.
And she just didn't get what was going on. *
Jin initially opened his mouth as if to reply to Akari's admission, but appeared to be unable to decide how to respond and let his lips shut again.
His eyes briefly flicked over to the other dog demon who moved forward, but quickly returned to that spot on the ground a little beyond Akari at which he had found himself staring.
"I...be supposing that's good, then."
~!**!~
Her next word actually had the two syllables in it.
"Hi-ei." She protested again, frowning further as he manage to cause a quick huff of air to leave her lips.
She rested the side of her head on his shoulder so she could keep trying of his movements, still trying to find some sort of solace in his closeness but being unsuccessful as he continued tickling her and she continued half-heartedly trying to stop him. 3
Hiei raised a brow higher at the pronunciation of his name, but his fingers never even paused. He knew she was trying to hide, but quite frankly, he didn't think she needed to lay around for several days- even weeks depending on what had happened.
Because whatever had happened, she didn't deserve it.
And he wasn't going to let her mope.
So his fingers prodded some more, faster and skittering in different directions now.
(Yes?)
~!**!~
The dead silence in the area was almost deafening to Akari as she tried to comprehend what it was Jin was not saying. Or saying. Whatever. She didn't seem able to fathom whatever it was, what with his lips pursing together and his eyes moving away from her like that.
And the silence grew on, not a single creature in the area even so much as shifting its weight.
She didn't know what made it click, really, but Akari blinked once.
And then again.
And her expression shifted. A pit hit her stomach and she felt as if her heart sunk to her gut.
"But he was an asset." The words came out barely more than a whisper, a breath that somehow became words. Words that seemed to echo in her mind, resonate within her core and accompanied with the mental image of the redheaded fox strung up in a tree, hardly breathing and covered only in his own blood.
She wasn't sure when Manami had pulled her into a hug, but she couldn't find the mental capacity to tell her limbs to move, to accept the gesture.
Not when the only words she could hear were in her head, accusatory, and aimed at herself. *
Jin swallowed uncomfortably, turning his face away his time and feeling the bottom-most tips of his bangs shadowing his eyes a little.
"I...I asked Yomi to send me out. I think he knows that I was comin' tah look for yah." Jin murmured, "I just...I didn't want you to hear it from anyone else, yah know?"
~!**!~
There was an internal battle going on away from the bond: at one side of it Shikiyoku's amusement headed by the feeling of the tickling and at the other her irritation at him for doing so.
For a moment, the irritation flared outwards when she felt his inquiry float across the bond. She avoided responding in kind, afraid that if she did more would cross the bond to him than she was willing to allow.
"Stop it, flame-boy." Shikiyoku finally growled through clenched teeth as she batted Hiei's hand away for another time, starting to shift around to get free of his lap and away from his hands. 3
Hiei paused when she growled at him, his hand falling to the side briefly as he stared at her. After a few seconds, he blinked once and then began to lean forward, eyes closing and head moving for her shoulder.
And were it not for the loud remarks ringing in his mind, he wouldn't have missed and stuck his nose against her neck. Oh well.
(I apologize.) He released a breath. (We can nap…)
His hands, however, both took to suddenly prodding at her again, his lips twitching in amusement.
(If you survive another round.)
~!**!~
Akari stared straight ahead, not really seeing Jin or hearing his words. The pit in her stomach only grew, and with that pit came a sense of horror, and… loss. Confusion. He was Yomi's largest asset.
I'm not worth the fox's life.
Akari blinked one more time, and this time she actually registered the sting of her eyes as that which indicated tears- how long had she been crying? Wait, how long had she been standing there?
Manami's hug got tighter, and all Akari could do was turn her face down into Manami's shoulder.
Because for the first time in a long time, she hadn't a clue of what to do with herself. All her motivation was simply… gone. Replaced by tears, disbelief, and the simple thought of doing absolutely nothing.
Actually, if Manami hadn't been holding her, Akari wouldn't have stayed standing. *
Jin's stomach tightened again, but it had nothing to do with the supposed remorse of the foxy fellow losing his life.
He was trying not to laugh.
To be honest, he was proud of himself for having not smiled for the amount of time he had been standing there, though he had specifically needed to stop his ears just as they had been about to twitch.
Being miserable is hard.
A puff of air escaped his lips when Akari turned towards the other doggie, a snicker that he couldn't quite dispel.
He figured the glare from that other doggie meant she thought he was laughing at the high-pitched whining noise that had started intermittently voicing out of Akari's throat.
It was in fact unrelated. The sound was rather pitiful really, nothing to make fun of.
It was just that...her face...when he-
Another puff of air and Jin's shoulders shook once until the image of Akari's initial reaction danced through his mind again.
"...an asset."
At her pronouncement of Kurama's so-called standing with Yomi, Jin finally threw his head back and laughed, first putting his hands on his hips, but then actually floating a few inches off of the ground as he wrapped his arms around his stomach when it began to hurt.
"Oh-ho! You shoulda seen yah face, doggie! An asset. Ah-ha!" He mimicked Akari's tone, but lost it again quickly thereafter, "Is that all Kurama is to Yomi? Oo-hoo, wait until he hears about how he's only an asset! That outta whip the poor ole foxy into shape! He's been such a sour-puss since you left! Hee-that is, sour-fox."
Jin's typical pattern of speech had returned, and while his words were broken up by hoots and hollers of mirth, they spilled out faster from his lips than any he had been using up to that point.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku almost felt surprised that Hiei let her go as easily as he did, and she scooted once away from him, just far enough that she would see and hopefully block his next attempt at tickling her.
Her hands, which were behind her and holding her up, flexed onto the blanket in preparation for another assault when Hiei leaned towards her.
Instead of more tickling, Shikiyoku's eyes widened when she found herself with his face suddenly stuck in the crook of her neck, his touch causing a body-wide flush that she could feel reddening her cheeks as she froze in place as if stunned.
In a knee-jerk sort of reaction, Shikiyoku actively examined the bond, half-wondering if he was still drunk, but just as she found that he no longer buzzed back at her when she check, his words permeated her mind and her muscles felt as if they tensed further.
She didn't quite expect him to continue, and so he managed to get a small squeak of surprise when he began tickling her once more, her arms giving out underneath her as she tried to reach for his wrists and only ending up landing on her back on top of the bed with a small poof of sound.
"S-" Her abdomen tightened, irritation starting to melt away into laughter as she struggled to get him to quit, "S-Stop it!"
As best she could, she began trying to scoot further away from him and his offending prodding. 3
Hiei almost fell with her, almost lost his own balance when Shikiyoku fell back onto the comforter of the bed. He did, however, catch himself just in time to continue his little assault on her rib cage and hips, searching for the most sensitive of spots and aiming for those.
(I see no valid reason to stop.)
~!**!~
The sound that suddenly filled the air was foreign, something Akari couldn't really understand. Really, she didn't even seem to register it.
Manami, on the other hand, had turned a dark glare onto the redheaded, one-horned demon who had huffed. Not once, but twice.
And then he had the gall to laugh. Obviously, Manami put two and two together, and while Akari did seem to quiet, the shorter female didn't think her friend had actually registered the situation at hand.
And the tension in the air was thick, the whole group seeming to find disgust in the little trick played here. Perhaps it was for their own reasons, since none of them really knew Akari like Manami did, but it didn't really matter since literal sparks flung here and there in the air.
And it was likely a good thing Manami was no fighter, and had no special prowess that could even hint at such a thing.
Because she'd kill this one if she had the ability to do so.
"You think you're funny?" the girl growled, though she never stepped away from her friend. "Those who think death is a joke deserves to be sent there themselves."
It was at that moment Manami realized Akari had gone silent, that the shaking of her friend's shoulders had stopped.
And she hoped like hell the girl had enough energy to send the wind demon into a pit. *
Jin may have heard the other doggie, but the status of the most infamous kitsune thief being reduced to a mere asset kept drawing more giggles out of him even as he crossed his legs and floated about waist-height off the ground.
"Ah, hee hee, your kind be separatin' themselves, ha, from death so?" Jin said it as if he had heard of such a thing before, "The farther one stays away, the harder it is." He lost himself in another fit of snickers as he managed to get out, "'An asset,'" laughing heartily at the word and unaware that to someone who did not know the way of he and the other Masters and their pupils, he likely sounded rather heartless given the circumstances.
~!**!~
"Other than me-" Shikiyoku's words got cut off as she finally released a bark of laughter before scurrying backwards away from him, only barely managing to stop before she scuttled herself right off the edge of the bed.
She sat propped up like she had been a moment ago, breath just starting to become faster than normal as she eyed him, fighting against glaring at him for the moment. 3
Hiei continued to poke and prod, his speed ever increasing when he became sure of some of the more sensitive prodding areas.
(I didn't catch that.)
~!**!~
Akari had gone silent sometime in the middle of Jin's laughter, her brain telling her to shut up and pay attention. And, as time wore on, she realized she'd been played. As if this was a game.
And while Manami did speak up on her behalf, Akari didn't find it.. adequate for how she felt on the matter. Actually, she felt a lot of things, most of which she didn't understand.
Though anger was the top contender.
And it very quickly grew to white-hot rage. Rage that produced a few more tears and a low, reverberating sound in her chest. A sound that had Manami's arms releasing her just as Akaris head lifted to glare at the wind master, who repeated a word that she'd said.
Which caused another emotion to rise, another on the list she didn't understand.
Which seemed to fuel that rage.
"The last two letters of that word being removed would be what I'd call you." A snarl accompanied every single word, every single syllable. And if there'd ever been any indication of the darkness she'd been struggling with over the past few months, it could very easily be seen in her eyes- though somehow, she didn't black out from it this time.
No, she'd rather remember this one.
"You-" She couldn't think. "You-"
Nothing came to mind.
So she launched at him instead, fists flying and a very loud snarl filling the silence of the area quite nicely.
None of the others seemed to want to step in. *
Akari's reaction sent Jin into further gales of laughter as she barreled for him without any sense of finesse or subtlety.
He let her attacks force him backwards in the air as he blocked them.
"Add an 'l' to the front of it and that's what I'd call you!" He crowed happily as her punches connected solidly with his arms as he refrained from deflecting them and simply let them hit.
~!**!~
"I-"
"You-"
Every time she tried to speak aloud, Hiei would earn himself another twitch until finally Shikiyoku phased between the layers and stepped away from the bed, ending up with her back against the closed door of their bedroom and breathing more heavily than before.
"Stop it." 3
Hiei paused to let his eyes follow the blur of the female that disappeared between the layers. He blinked once at her, as if asking 'what are you doing over there?'
And for a moment, he righted himself on the bed, rocking from his knees to his rear until he sat, watching her.
He'd heard laughter.
She appeared serious.
But she'd laughed.
It was… working?
His lips twitched upwards at one corner, creating a lopsided little sneer. And instead of verbally responding, he decided to do as the Jagan suggested.
Which was to follow her, with every intention of getting hold of her sides again.
~!**!~
AKari growled and snarled as she continued to hit Jin over and over again, knowing that while he was blocking them, he was indeed taking the hits, and letting her push him just as far as she wanted him to go.
If he hadn't been on air, she would have lead him to the nearest pond of acid.
Probably.
Highly likely.
"That wasn't funny!" She spat out, each word punctuated with a strike. And while she did go on with reasons as to why it wasn't funny in the least, she didn't seem to realize all of those reasons pertained to her. Reasons why she didn't want him dead.
Which included, but was not limited to, the simple statement of: "I need that stupid fox!" *
While he may have been letting her push him around, the wind was completely aware of Jin's positioning and he shifted his trajectory so that he wouldn't end up pinned against the nearest tree, or any other tree for that matter.
The fact that Akari seemed to think it was so not funny just appeared to make Jin laugh harder as she continued delivering punches that he kept blocking.
~!**!~
Something in his face, his expression, made Shikiyoku nearly flinch, but instead it lead to her phasing inbetween the layers of the fortress again, stepping backwards to that she would end up in the other room and taking a few more steps as she landed back on the floor so that she could watch and see if he actually intended to come after her.
She didn't think she could take anymore tickling without turning into a puddle of uselessness, subjected to laughing until it hurt and then probably laughing more. 3
Hiei knew the exact moment that Shikiyoku wanted to phase through the layers, to test the waters. How? Simple: The Jagan. The loud, chattering, encouraging third eye that had been rambling non-stop since he'd accessed it earlier that day was somehow giving him insight to what Shiki wanted.
And it made it that much easier for him to follow after her without a beat's hesitation, remaining between the layers and moving through the door, towards Shikiyoku when she was in his line of sight again.
Because dammit, she was going to be happy.
~!**!~
There was no telling how long Akari went at the useless task of punching at the wind master, who only continued to laugh with each new reason she gave and avoid the strikes she wanted to land the most.
But after an uncertain amount of time, she felt worn out, her muscles beginning to hurt and her motivation dimming enough that she came to a standstill, her arms falling to her sides and her head falling forward, eyes on the ground.
That wasn't funny.
I hate you.
"Go tell him I'm fine, and that nothing's changed with the plan aside from how I'll get there." Her tone was vastly different from before, changing from snarling anger to simple exhaustion. I need a nap. "Tell him if something happens, I'll find him. Otherwise, don't worry. I've got good help."
She lifted her head after a moment and gave a sigh.
"Don't expect any kind of payment for killing Yomi's guy after this. Your laugh should be enough."
With that, she turned and began her trek back to the group. *
Jin made no hesitation in following after Akari as she stalked away, the wind flowing through his hair as he flew next to her and did try to catch her eye, starting to speak in his usual fast lilt.
"Actually lass, it might'n be so bad an idea that you check in with that Yomi fellow. I mean, not to say that we weren't all a tad worried aboutcha, but-" Here he reached up and scratched awkwardly at the back of his neck, giving her a bit of a grin, "And I know he would never tell yah, he hasn' tol' anyone, but things'a been hard for the fox since you left. Yomi's done everythin' to 'im but physically tortured and killed him. And I'm sorry for the bad joke, but mebbe it was my way of coping abou' it, after all Kurama mi' be better off dead wi' the way things'a been. He's the one who's had the worst of it ever since yah didn' come back. I know the mind games a' be somethin' the fox is good at, mebbe likes 'em even, but there's only so much a fella can take before it starts to wear on 'im says I. A' this poin', even Chu has noticed. Been tryna get Kurama to drink somethin' whenever he sees him, bu' tha's the thing too, we don' even see him a' tha' much anymore." Jin took a quick breath to finish, "I ain' never seen him with circles under his eyes, always looks so put-together, yeah? Bu' he's nearly got 'em now. An' the longer it is, the worse it gets, thata much I knows for sure."
Jin gave a little sigh and actually looked a trifle upset at remembering.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku's eyes widened substantially as soon as she caught sight of Hiei's blurred figure coming at her from the other room.
Part of her had thought perhaps he would give in to her demands.
With the speed at which he shot for her, that part dried up and disappeared.
An 'ack' sort of noise escaped Shikiyoku's throat as she took a couple of backpedaling steps, saw that he wasn't going to stop, and then swirled inbetween the layers again, dashing off into the hallway and picking a direction in which to run, wondering if she might be able to seek refuge in the labs. 3
Hiei felt a sense of accomplishment from the reaction he'd received when Shikiyoku had seen him phase through the door and run toward her. It reassured him that perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea after all. That maybe he was doing this right.
So when she did turn and begin to run in a specific direction, his speed became quicker, getting a little closer to her, but not quite getting close enough to catch her.
Yet.
Though, when he realized where she was going, he did disappear from behind her, utilizing his great speed, and reappeared ahead of her with an expression that said she was making it too easy for him to predict where she was going.
Though there was a certain gleam to his ruby eyes.
~!**!~
Akari ran a hand over her face the second she became aware of Jin following her, even so much as catching up to her and trying to get her attention. Which she ignored by keeping her eyes pointed forward.
You wear me out.
A sigh ghosted past her lips as her hand fell to her side again, her ears hearing Jin's voice, but not really deciphering the words he spoke. Though she did make an effort to actually hear what he was saying.
She was pretty sure she had only begun to understand halfway through his tirade, because mind games was the first thing she understood, which had her almost bristling. Faking death isn't mind games. It's cruelty.
Though, after the wind master went silent, Akari did replay what he'd said back to herself in her head, deciding that understanding what he had been saying was likely better than assuming what he'd been meaning.
Which lead to another sigh. And a little bit of a pit in her stomach again.
It hasn't been easy on me either, Jin.
"You realize if I go back, Yomi won't let me out of his sights, right?" She said after a moment, finally turning her eyes to look at Jin. "Meaning the plan would be really hard to keep from him at that point." She turned on the windmaster, stopping in front of him and crossing her arms over her chest. "I think Kurama could deal with the separation like this better than if I were under Yomi's thumb every second of the day."
Another pause that was given to a sigh.
"If you want, tell Yomi I was in an area surrounded by Crusnik, in an area too risky to maneuver and with very little ability to move. I can tell Kurama I'm fine."
She turned to walk away from him again, her hand finding her pocket and her fingers finding the seed she'd kept on her person. She'd been afraid she'd lose it, afraid that she'd drop it during an escape from a Crusnik or during a fight of some kind.
And she'd also been unsure if activating it was a good idea.
But she did so now, turning the seed into a rose that she carried at her side. And finally, she had an idea of what she'd do with it.
Her pace picked up a little, now filled with a sense of direction. *
Jin blinked after Akari for a second, unsure why the female felt so strongly about this 'plan' that wasn't really much of anything. The only actual plan he knew of was making sure to find Yusuke once the fighting started. That's all that mattered.
What would throwing a few troops around be if Yusuke fired off one of his Spirit Gun attacks in their direction simply because they hadn't been quick enough to seek him out and get on his side?
Jin didn't exactly want to be on the receiving end of one of those.
He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head.
"I don't think the girl understands, yeah?"
The wind rustled around his floating form comfortingly.
"Kurama's in trouble because'a her and all for some plan that won't be all that important if you get right down to it, says I."
He pursed his lips.
"I didn't come here because of Yomi, yah know." Jin shouted after her, moving forward enough that she could hear him. "He'd just a' soon you don' come back so he can validate his torture 'ah Kurama."
Jin sighed, but made no more move to follow her.
"Kurama's changed, lass." He murmured to himself. "If you don' come back soon, there won't be anythin' left of him that you knew to return to, says I."
Another sigh and Jin lifted into the air, loathe to return to Kurama without Akari as it meant more trouble for the fox, but if she didn't want to come back that was on her hands, not his.
"I waddn't kiddin' when I said he'd be better off dead." Jin wasn't exactly talking to the winds that rushed past him as he shot off in the direction of Yomi's lands, beginning to phase between the layers in the meantime, but he was speaking out loud anyway. "Between Yomi and Youko, that boy is barely human now. Talks like Youko. Acts like 'im too. I bet his own mother wouldn't recognize 'im if not for that red hair."
~!**!~
It wasn't as if she sincerely thought either Rikei or Iketeru would help her. It's just that the labs were the first place that came to her mind after her and Hiei's rooms as a location in the fortress.
In the end, it didn't matter much anyway as Hiei thoroughly surprised her by zipping past and forcing her to veer off in another direction.
While she could feel his intent to cut her off just before he did so, the fact that he knew which direction she planned on heading seemed rather suspicious for the moment in which it took her to cut a quick right and dash off in the new path, though the thought left her moments after it occurred.
He also appeared rather self-satisfied about something, though she couldn't quite put a finger on what exactly.
The speed at which he passed her did well enough to remind her of how much slower she was than Hiei, and the thought made her heart skip a beat in either terror or anticipation as she knew just exactly what he planned on doing when he caught her.
That much he was broadcasting clearly.
Cheeky little beast.
Even as she set her teeth and sped up to her fastest, the thought was said with quite a bit more affection than the nomenclature might imply.
Just as she made another turn, the fortress blurrier than even just being between the layers at the speed with which she traveled, Shikiyoku closed her eyes and dropped several layers, sensing the approach of a room in which she knew she could step off an incline and hit a greater speed.
She grinned a little in spite of herself as she unfurled from inbetween and dashed forward at a faster pace, moving back into the layers seconds later and trying to get a feel for the rhythm of the fortress, for it was foreign to her and almost seemed to have a life of its own.
The first couple of layer-steps she took after that initial one were as successful as expected, getting Shikiyoku the acceleration she expected.
Her breathing slowed into a steady rhythm, her feet feeling as though they merely flew along the ground instead of actually coming in contact with it, but as she closed her eyes the face of Douji appeared and she faltered the next step, her ankle twisting uncomfortably as she missed the window she knew she sensed from the layers much too late.
Eyelids opening again, Shikiyoku could hear the blood rushing in her ears, her mouth twitching involuntarily, and she so completely tripped up on the following step that her speed suffered, causing her to clench her jaw and try again. 3
Hiei wasn't sure how or why, but the Jagan had continued to feed him random tidbits of information about the female's intentions moments before he would notice the indications of such decisions within her steps, such as her turning away from him and cycling through the layers again.
And it made it that much easier to keep up, to stay on her heels and even follow what he somehow knew she was going to do next.
Like running with the layers.
He missed no step as he too took to running within the layers, though he did struggle with it.
Which, he realized she struggled too, missing one step.
And then another.
Which told him that she wasn't exactly in the mindframe he desired her to be in yet.
So he sped up and cut her off again, standing in her path with gleaming, bright eyes that he hoped would distract her from her own inner turmoil.
~!**!~
Had Akari had ears atop her head, they would have twitched in Jin's direction in acknowledgement of his voice, though her mind was a little slow on the uptake. She paused mid-stride and glanced over her shoulder at the floating demon, expression blank to veil the feeling of the pit getting deeper in her stomach.
While she'd thought of Kurama's mother- which she needed to check on soon- she hadn't exactly thought of how Yomi would be wearing the redhead down.
And yes, that admission was one she was ashamed of as it crossed her mind's eye.
And it's what had her steps slower as she continued moving towards the group she'd abandoned in her little fit of anger.
By the time she found the seven others, they were all standing shoulder to shoulder, arms crossed and eyes focused on her before she'd even made her presence known. And she'd changed gears.
"You," Akari's finger jabbed in the direction of one demon, "You, and you," she pointed at two others, "Change of plans. We're going to Yomi's."
Manami was the first to speak up. "And what about the rest of us?"
"I have a place for you to go, bunker down until I can find you."
"Is this because-"
"Manami, I'll explain later, okay? But for now, we're going to the first layer."
"The first?" Hana repeated. "To hunker down?"
"It'll keep you from Mukuro, yes?" Silence ensued, and Akari took that as cooperation. "Okay, then let's get moving."
Before too long, the group was in her little home on the first layer, and Akari was trying to keep her thoughts from making her tense. *
~!**!~
Refusing to close her eyes again, they did appear to glaze over a bit as Shikiyoku tried to get a feel for how the layers were directing her again, still spinning herself up and down between them, if hesitating from trying to take another step to speed herself up.
There.
Dropping once more, Shikiyoku's eyes widened a fraction of a second too late as she realized she had nearly run headlong into Hiei, who had passed her again to cut her off, but he disappeared from her sight as she fell back down through the layers only to once more misstep and not regain her previous speed.
Giving out a little resigned sort of sigh, she lamented the fact that she wouldn't be allowed to go fast today, much to her chagrin, and concentrated on trying to come up with something that would prevent Hiei from catching her.
...she wasn't getting any bright ideas, however. 3
Hiei was a little surprised when Shikiyoku almost ran herself right into his body, unawares of his passing before it seemed. And she adjusted accordingly, as he figured she would, though he was a step behind her just as quickly.
And he wondered what would happen if he caught her.
"And then let her go!"
Well, the Jagan hadn't lead him astray yet, despite its oddly sentient presence within his mind.
So this time, Hiei got ahead of her, just enough to catch her around the waist as she sped by, his fingers quickly finding the sensitive areas he'd scoped out earlier that night.
~!**!~
"Akari, I should go with you, so when you go out again, you could find the group if they had to split up."
The dog demon set the little seed on the countertop before turning to the shorter dog, their eyes locking for a moment before Akari's eyelids slid shut and she shook her head. "Not happening. No use in you being under Yomi's thumb."
Manami made a sound of protest, but didn't actually say anything.
"Just keep tabs on Mother, because when I get back, I'm going straight to her."
"Do you think Mother is able to keep up with a human's energy?"
Akari's gaze this time was fierce and filled with confidence. "You're asking that about the oldest demon around?"
The other huffed through her nostrils, her ears going back. "If it wasn't important, I wouldn't have asked it of her."
"Aka, you're going back for the fox, aren't you?"
Akari's eyes turned to the side for a moment before returning to Manami's face. "If the only important thing I can do is show up, then I'll do it. I'm hoping Yomi will send me out here and there, though."
"You're betting on hope?"
Akari's smile was wry. "Isn't that what you did when you hunkered down with Mother?"
Before the other could reply, Akari was moving through the layers, three other demons noticing her leave and following after in silence.
And within the hour, they were on the Eighth layer, standing just inside the palace. *
~!**!~
"And our troops for the Southern front?"
"Are coming along just as we expected them to."
"That's wonderful, Kurama. I-"
Kurama blinked at the many eared demon who appeared to tilt his head just slightly to the side instead of completing whatever he had been meaning to say.
"Pity." Yomi murmured.
"Sorry?"
"It's only that I had hoped the other two units would be as far ahead as the Southern one," Yomi continued as if whatever he had just heard contributed to his observation.
"I believe that the methods I employed will work on whatever unit you decide to have me work with. There's be a drastic increase in productivity and we are seeing enhanced strength and speed, which I can only see continuing to rise in the future."
"Very good. I'm rather proud of you, High General."
Though Yomi could not see it, one of Kurama's eyebrows quirked upwards slightly.
"Did you really expect any less of me?"
"You know, when you first got here, I have to admit I was rather disappointed." He went on quickly as if to cut Kurama off from interrupting, leaning his elbows onto the table of the conference room, interlacing his fingers together and resting his chin on top of them. "But I will say each day you seem to be more like the demon I once knew."
"It's an improvement, certainly." Kurama replied with a straight face.
"Indeed." Yomi paused for a moment and Kurama knew the other demon had something else to say as he had not been officially dismissed as of yet. "Your mother is doing well."
Kurama's eyes flashed briefly, the muscles in his hand twitching as he fought to clench his fingers.
"Of course she is." He allowed his blithe reply to belie his momentary tension.
Yomi chuckled, fully aware of Kurama's attempts to hide the heartbeat that had been skipped.
"You're slipping, Kurama. Too much stress lately, is that it?"
"I haven't had a day off in months, Yomi. Forgive me my lack of restraint."
"Of course."
They danced this proverbial, conversational battle on a regular basis, and both knew the steps intimately by now.
"I have many other things that need doing, my king." Kurama rose up out of his seat, "As I'm sure you know."
"Quite." Yomi leaned back into his chair again, waving Kurama away.
Out of habit, Kurama gave the other demon a slight bow from the waist before turning away and exiting the room.
The two High Guard on either side of the door fell in step with Kurama as soon as he cleared the threshold with the door closed behind him, following Kurama down the hall.
Several strides down the hallway, Jin was leaning up against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.
While initially his gaze had been pointed downwards, the Wind Master looked up as soon as he heard the first steps of the three demons near Yomi's conference room.
Having been away from the compound for a few days, it struck Jin anew how much different Kurama looked now then he had when the Wind Master first remembered encountering him here all that time ago. Older, yes, of course. After all, being a human of sorts, and one advancing through teenage years at that, that much was to be expected. He was taller, though he cut just as slender a figure as before.
His movements though, that was part of what left Jin blinking at him for a moment. Much too smooth, even for Kurama, and where once his face had carried a sort of softness, his eyes had hardened long ago, echoing the sharpness of an emerald gem to which they could be compared. Where once his resting expression had been kind at its neutral, everything appeared more sharp and severe than before, and Jin did not think it could all be attributed to the adolescent changes the teen was going through.
The two met gazes while Kurama was still far off, and the cold calculating stare under which Jin found himself would have set the Wind Master at a stumble to see such a look from his friend.
Aye, we're still friends.
Jin let the smallest of smiles pass over his face, though he shook his head regretfully when he sensed Kurama's questioning expression.
Somehow the fact that the fox's avatar had taken to wearing his hair up out of the way only lended further to the narrowness of his face. Jin didn't think he'd ever get used to it.
The news did not seem to alter the avatar's mood in the slightest, only giving Jin a quick returning nod of thanks before turning into the next hallway and heading back for the training facilities.
As Kurama was left to his thoughts without the watchful eye of Jin following him, he knew exactly what the other demon conveyed silently: she was alive, she was not returning.
Kurama let the thought slide away as he continued down the hall, instead turning his mind onto more important matters.
After all, there was an entire world to enslave.
~!**!~
While once again Shikiyoku sensed Hiei's motives, she found that without the speed of stepping through the layers, she had no way of out-maneuvering him, and her first few curses at him as she struggled to free herself, fighting against his grip and his well-placed prods, quickly began melting away to becoming interspersed with barely contained laughter that she kept trying to stifle behind clenched teeth, even biting her lips to hold it back.
"Let. Me. Go." She managed to say between bouts of snickers and chuckles that she was having an increasingly difficult time keeping inside her throat, wriggling almost wildly against him in the hopes that she might get enough leverage to flee once more. 3
Hiei poked and prodded and tickled at Shikiyoku, who writhed in his grasp like an animal trying to get free of an unwanted embrace. And it made amusement form a fire in his irises.
Which fueled more poking and prodding.
However, the instant she demanded to be let go through heavy breaths, he paused, blinking at her as if he hadn't been doing anything wrong.
(If you say so.)
And his grip loosened, letting her get free if she so desired.
...not that he wouldn't pursue her again in an instant.
~!**!~
It wasn't hard to figure out where to go once Akari was moving up the stairs, flanked by two male demons who each held a weapon in their hands, and a female trailing the others, all four silent and staring ahead.
She knew Yomi would likely be in the conference room, as he always was.
I want you dead.
She let out a small breath as she climbed the steps up several more flights, her eyes ahead to the demons who moved out of the way of the small group taking up the majority of the staircase.
And when she reached the appropriate floor, she was instantly aware of the energies around her- both familiar and not. She quickly took tabs on where demons were, what they were doing, and where they were headed as she turned a corner, knowing whose path she'd cross.
Or, rather, two of them she knew, really, if the wind master decided to go the same way as Kurama.
It was only a few more hallways before the redhead was in her line of sight, and while her expression remained nothing more than that of purpose, she took in the person she almost didn't recognize- were it not for the red bangs falling over green eyes.
Actually, she'd almost thought it to be Youko she'd seen.
But that wasn't quite right either.
And it made a little funny thing happen in her stomach as she passed, her eyes turning forward again.
That isn't Kurama. *
While the momentary pause Yomi had given had not exactly made sense at the time, as soon as Kurama sensed Akari's energy nearby the other demon's reaction fell into place in Kurama's mind.
"Pity."
Ha.
As if she were just another lackey-demon of Yomi, Kurama paid her just as much mind as he would have any other such demon walking the hallways, which is to say he appeared to take no direct notice of her at all, instead continuing in the same direction as before, flanked by the High Guard and keenly aware as always of their presence.
Instead of making his way to the normal training chamber he occupied, as per Yomi's orders Kurama made sure he went into the one next to it, running the new procedures he would be implementing upon the demons within through his mind as if there were nothing else to think upon.
~!**!~
Sitting cross-legged on the ground of the large, dark Shackle Room of the Mobile Fortress and in full meditative state, Mukuro felt the closest thing to peace the Demon of Rage would likely ever achieve, being grounded by the Mobile Fortress as she was.
Her mind was almost completely free of thought, all her concentration and rage being channeled into the semi-sentient fortress itself, as if feeding off her nigh-unattainable power, and in such a state Mukuro was almost 'one' with the structure, able to feel each pulse of energy, each skitter of electricity, even the currently slow, lumbering movements of the legs as it cut a methodical path around her territory.
Such a deep connection also allowed her the receive other information that the living building fed her, such as the location of each and every troop within its walls.
While such an overload of information might have at one time in the distant past caused Mukuro to lose her mind with its intensity, her strength of body and spirit allowed her to analyze and file away the needlessly unimportant and only take direct note of anything out of the ordinary, such as the need for repairs on the second sector of the third floor.
As per her instructions, the fortress sent out a call to a handful of demons adequately prepared for the task, and just as she was mentally leaving said portion of the building, the fortress alerted her to some strange movements inside the walls.
Mukuro's good eye blinked open absently, though she saw nothing of the empty room around her or the restraints at her arms and legs that kept her rage in check by fueling the fortress with it. Instead, she saw blips of energy-demonic by the signature and most certainly one of her own-flitting about the fortress at almost impossible speeds, appearing on one floor and then disappearing only to reappear in almost the exact same moment on an entirely different floor, sometimes ten or twelve levels above or below the previous.
Further investigation and survey told her there were two such blips occurring, though their relation to one another, or even the fortress itself, completely eluded and baffled the would-be King.
Shifting a little, Mukuro pulled her robotic arm over to her stomach, disconnecting a portion of the manacle around her wrist and attaching it further up her arm underneath a panel she opened without missing a moment of the anomaly that even the fortress could not explain. It had never happened before.
With this new connection, Mukuro accessed more intimately the fortress' surveillance program, and just behind her cybernetic eye a few images, what little the fortress could provide her with, flashed directly into the circuits of her brain, but they did nothing to assist her in discovering the source of the disturbances.
It is not an aggressive entity, self.-
Mukuro responded in such a manner that expressed she heard the comment, even if she may or may not directly agree with it.
She could feel herself being pulled into the near-curiosity of the fortress, wanting to know as it did what was going on.
Further readings of the speed started being submitted, numbers beginning to run through their combined consciousness as fast as they were being calculated.
And even still, Mukuro and the partial A.I. could not quite keep up.
Fascinating.-3
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off!