A/N: Hello once again, Audience!
Insert general cursing here.
I am apparently super unobservant and have messed up a few things in previous chapters. I'm currently tired because I had work early this morning, and was busy earlier in the day and I'd rather not mess things up again, but I found that my "previously" slash summary section was messed up for like the last two chapters and I even forgot to remove a note from myself to CM in one of them and UGH. Needless to say, I will check things more thoroughly tomorrow, though I have done some quick spot-check edits, but I wanted to get this chapter out tonight and didn't have time to update my summaries for the last few chapters, hence why this one only partially has aforementioned summary. You'll just have to deal.
The following is a note from the previous chapter that still applies to this chapter:
"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!
Akari awakens to Manami and Rowena
bustling around, and asks after Mother.
She is told Mother and the rest of the pack
are safely behind a protective barrier.
Akari asks of those gathered around her
if they would be willing to thin the numbers
of Yomi's army when the time comes,
tossing the rank and file to other layers
instead of the Ninth as will be expected.
The group agrees.
Akari is visited by Jin,
who was sent to get her,
though she tells him she had no intention of returning.
Jin says it's just as well,
as there isn't anything left for her to return to.
Eventually Jin can't hold it in,
and admits that Kurama isn't actually dead per se,
and Akari reacts in rage at his "joke,"
flying at him to attack.
Once she stops and stalks away,
Jin admits to Kurama being very different since she left,
Yomi having concentrated on the red-head
and it having had ill effects.
Akari does not indicate she will return,
and as she leaves him Jin speaks of how
Kurama's own mother wouldn't recognize him anymore
if not for the red hair.
At that, Akari does not respond,
but informs the others of her intention to return to Yomi.
Meanwhile, Kurama has been promoted to
High General of Yomi's army,
and when he leaves a meeting with the would-be King,
he spies Jin nearby, who seems to indicate
that Akari would not be returning,
though she still lived.
Unbenownst to Jin,
Akari has returned,
and in fact passes by Kurama in the hall,
though she hardly recognizes him,
and even goes so far as to not consider him
actually Kurama any longer.
~!**!~
Hiei continues to try and comfort Shikiyoku,
but decides to take a different route
than simply stroking her hair,
and resorts to tickling her.
Eventually, she manages to slip away from him,
resorting to using the layers to do so,
and Hiei sets off after her,
chasing her up and down and around
through the Mobile Fortress.
While Shikiyoku finds that
unlike the last time
she can't quite seem to pick up speed
and outdistance Hiei,
Hiei continues the chase,
eventually grabbing for her again
and starting to tickle her once more.
Their antics have, however,
caught the attention of the Fortress itself,
and subsequently Mukuro,
the two of whom take to analyzing the
strange blips flitting around at impossible speeds.
Shikiyoku squirmed away from Hiei's arms just as quickly as she was able once she felt his grip loosen, certain that if he continued for much longer she would no longer be able to prevent herself from laughing outright. And that felt like letting him win.
His abrupt release of her did nothing for her distrust towards him and she rapidly moved out of his direct reach, glancing over her shoulder as she panted, breathless but ready to flee at a moment's notice. If he should so much as twitch at her.
"Why are you-" She didn't even have enough oxygen to complete the question. 3
Hiei stood in that spot for a moment, eyeing the female who turned to look at him with gleaming irises. He heard her partial question, and understood what she was asking. His lips gave a slight twitch, as if tempted to create a smirk. that twitch died however with another chime in from the Jagan, which continuously- irritatingly- fed him information left and right. In the most absurd ways, might I add.
He allowed her a moment to catch her breath before that smirk did spread wide across his features and he shot after her again, every intention being to catch her all over again.
~!**!~
Akari had a bit of a difficult time forcing her eyes forward again, and could sense very well that the demons flanking her had noticed very keenly her reluctance to keep moving. But she had to force her mind on the right path, onto the words she would have to say to Yomi that would allow her out again later. Words that wouldn't get someone killed.
Because in the world of decision making, she didn't much have a choice on how to handle it anymore. She had to treat it as if she had a pack to run.
She had to act like an Alpha, in some ways, and a Beta in others.
It wasn't easy.
She traversed the hall with care, as if traversing a highwire or a tightrope. And when she entered the room she hated most, it was not with dignity or confidence, but with an expression that was neutral, guarded.
Because one screw up here could lead to several deaths.
So, she bowed at the waist. "I apologize for my absence," she began, listening for the others to bow behind her- which, thankfully, they followed suit. "The group you sent me after: this is all who survived the Crusnik attacks."
She stood upright, eyes landing on the demon that had her blood boiling and rushing all at once, the demon who she wanted dead, and yet found herself almost afraid of in this moment. "These three are the only ones who made it out of the fifth layer intact; the rest died or became infected."
Silence ensued, the blind demon assessing the others in the room with a tilted head and thoughtful expression. And she could almost hear the thought of this will have to do pass across his mind. It was evident in the breath he released and the shift of his hands from his mouth.
And before she knew it, the other three were directed away from her, and Akari was sent to her room, to "rest up" before being sent out again.
And she didn't like how easy it had been. *
~!**!~
Kurama let none of the irritation at his class being interrupted show on his features as he made his way down familiar hallways to a particular door no one had graced in a very long time.
He knew precisely why he had been fetched for this job, especially since there were plenty of other demons just as capable of leg work as he-like for example the one who had gone to the trouble of getting him-and underneath the stony façade his temper simmered like the first few bubbles of a pot heating with water.
I am not some low-life lackey to be order around-
It didn't matter. It was all a part of the game. And like all parts of the game, he would not allow this...inconvenience to truly slow him down.
He had immediately considered passing off the summons, but if Yomi wished to make the first move, what else was Kurama to do but respond in kind. Surely the demon wished for Kurama to pass it off, to give Yomi the tiniest of reasons to-
Kurama knocked sharply on the door to Akari's room, relaxing his ribcage where tension had begun to build and taking a measured, deliberate breath to restore order to his thoughts.
Get to the door. Tell her. Leave.
Back to the room. Back to the training.
Away from here.
~!**!~
This time, Shikiyoku couldn't help it.
(What the hell?!)
The sentence darted across the connection between them before she could stop it as she swirled the layers of the Fortress around her and dropped before Hiei could catch up to her.
She could feel her earlier emotions laced into fiery question she shot at him: the blame for destroying the Northern Tribe, the guilt, the sorrow, all wrapped up in those three words.
Just as quickly as the question filtered between them, she pulled back again from that place in her mind where they were connected as she turned and faltered for a step before regaining her former 'fight or flight' desperation as Hiei tore after her. 3
The words I'mma get you rang very loudly through Hiei's mind from the Jagan, followed quickly by the insistence that Hiei actually say it to Shikiyoku's retreating form. And had he not been a man on a mission, he would have cringed and turned inwards to deal with the nuisance that was the Jagan.
Instead, he focused solely on the chase, getting on Shiki's heels and letting his feeling of adrenaline filter through their bond as it pleased. And he let his own amusement at the chase override the feelings she'd send to him, hoping it would be a distraction enough to keep her giggling as she had been.
And he purposely reached out, just missing her arm as if she were providing a challenge when that was not the case by any means.
~!**!~
Sure, Akari had been sent to her room to rest, but she hadn't been able to do that in any case. She lay across the bed, eyes pointed to the ceiling and mind focused on the demon she'd passed earlier that day- a demon who was not whom she'd left behind.
And yes, it had struck her that it had been her fault for the change. She knew that anything that had happened while she'd been gone was her fault, as it always was. But, really, how was she to explain any of it to him should he ask?
Simple. I won't.
No, it wasn't fair. But really, she couldn't bring herself to-
She blinked blearily up at the ceiling. Had someone knocked?
She turned her head to the door, and a few moments later, her senses caught up with her, telling her that yes someone had knocked, and yes they were still there. And yes it was the person she didn't want to see.
Sad how that happened, right?
She rolled over and off of the bed and crossed the room in enough time that she hoped it took away from the delay in response- not that anyone would care that she wasn't actually sleeping.
And after a deep breath, she pulled the door open and turned calm eyes up to meet the sharp green of Kurama's Youko-like glare. She didn't even think he meant to be glaring.
"Yes?" *
Hands clasped together behind his back, Kurama took little notice of how militaristic his stance happened to be when she opened the door, only tilting his head downwards so that he might look into her face when she did so.
"Yomi has reports of a small enclave of demons whom his spies inform him are layer-walkers. You're to go after them, post-haste. Any questions should be directed to Hikaru before you leave. He'll be in Meeting Room A should you have need of him."
Kurama gave her a slight nod to indicate his portion of the information ended there and he pivoted away to leave.
~!**!~
These numbers surpass our own speeds, self-
Mukuro had to begrudgingly agree with the A.I. She didn't think she had experienced speed anywhere near what her and the Fortress were attempting to witness, much less known of anyone else who could boast them.
There were rumors of one who had been flitting about the layers as of late, some dark-haired demon swordsman who was more likely to be found drunk than not, and nigh impossible to catch, but given that she only had the words of others upon which to rely in that particular case, her previous statements still stood.
While the A.I. was analyzing the speeds in the hope that they could pass along the technique to their other layer-walkers, Mukuro found herself drawn deeper into the flowing patterns of movement, trying to discover for herself how exactly one might achieve such fluidity and knowing how useful such dexterity would be in a fight.
If you didn't slip into a rage every time you found yourself in one.
The thought was a wry one and she let it slide away before it distracted her further.
Rage was power, she had no need of this dexterity. But perhaps the A.I. was right and it could be passed to their other soldiers.
As for Shikiyoku, unaware that she and Hiei's antics were under surveillance, she actually turned her ankle after making a misstep and she had a mere half-second of pause for the stab of pain, eyes squeezed shut tightly as she resisted letting out a noise of discomfort, and completely unaware of the fact that the chamber in which her moment of pause occurred was the exact chamber whose occupant had been observing her all this time. 3
Hiei saw the moment Shiki misstepped, and his eyes quickly flickered down to the ankle she paused upon oh so briefly. He didn't miss the change in her stride either- whether she noticed it or not- and he did not let it go much further before he closed the distance.
Hiei gave a last burst of speed to ensure his arms wrapped firmly about Shikiyoku's middle, pulling her feet from the floor just enough to not allow pressure on her ankles while his hands quickly moved to her sides, her stomach, even her neck here and there.
He hated it when she was in pain- of any form. And dammit, he was going to dispel it one way or another.
~!**!~
Akari's eyes stayed focused on Kurama's face the whole time he spoke, but her brain still registered the differences in his stance, the width between his feet as he stood stock still, the sharpness of his features and his growth in height. She noticed how she had to look up at him more now than ever before, and she noticed that his hair was still pulled away from his face, making the sharp edges of his jawline seem that much sharper.
And were it not for the severity in his eyes, tone, and the fact that she'd had a hand in the transformation, she likely would have found it all rather attractive.
Except it was all wrong. Every single bit of it.
Yes, she did hear what he said. No, she didn't care to see the demon he mentioned. And no, she found she was not happy to be sent out so soon again. And yes, she knew it was a game Yomi had stirred up.
No, she did not say anything to the redhead that turned away. She couldn't make the words come out of her mouth; the words that had been circulating in her head since she'd had a chance to think just wouldn't leave her lips.
Because she had no excuse for it.
So she turned and shut the door behind him, changed into cleaner clothes, and then took her leave once more, saving what little energy she'd recovered and using the layers instead.
She'd have to deal with it another time, when she was more capable of words. For now, she had a job to do, and a few people to see first. *
~!**!~
The burst of laughter Hiei finally tore from Shikiyoku's lips was borne of surprise more than anything as she felt the weight leaving her ankle, though that laughter just as quickly turned into the furious giggles of unrestrained struggle when he began tickling her, and she didn't even have the breath to demand that he stop, much less the brain capacity to think to ask him.
As the sudden noise echoed into the nearly empty chamber, Mukuro blinked and the numbers scrolling over her robotic eye disappeared as she centered her senses back into the room she had mentally left a very long time ago, blinking her eye and shifting her body slightly as she became aware she had not moved for nearly as long as she had been sitting there cross-legged.
Grounded into the A.I. as she was, and suddenly finding that the A.I. told her these were the blips in the system they had been following, Mukuro found for likely the first time in her life that her initial reaction to the situation was not one of anger as she sat there and blinked further at the scene unfolding not twenty feet in front of her, rendered initially speechless and only able to process the information the A.I. continued to feed her.
It appears that Gouka is tickling the Kuraku.-
Yes, I know what they're doing.
It seems as if they are both happy.-
Yes, thank you, I do know what 'happiness' is.
Your brain waves have never matched the ones these two are emitting at this moment, self.-
Mukuro blinked again, still staring openly at the pair and finding that her head had tilted to the side as if that would help her better understand what exactly was going on.
Their relationship is not at all what we first assessed it to be.-
She couldn't find any argument for that observation.
What the hell is going on?
It seems as if they are having fun.-
Mukuro felt her teeth clench together as a wave of anger passed across the back of her mind, somewhere behind the wiring that bound her to the A.I. of the Fortress.
Why don't we have any fun, self?-3
With the sound of Shikiyoku's joyous laughter came the sound of Hiei's own little sounds of merriment, though he hardly noticed he made any sound at all. His fingers danced along Shiki in various places, and his own lips were stretched to a slight… smile.
And he didn't exactly notice that he just touched the tip of his nose to the base of her neck for a moment, eyes closing to savor the sound of her laughter.
(I'm glad you're here.)
Just as quickly as the thought traversed without his direct knowledge, Hiei pulled his head back again and let his fingers poke and prod for a few moments longer before slowing down, eventually stilling so that he merely held her an inch from the ground, her back to his chest.
He took a deep breath of the air around him to calm his own beating core, his ribcage expanding steadily before releasing that air back into the room that was suddenly very, very odd feeling.
As if he were being watched, but-
No presence.
A curse or two fled across Hiei's mind as his eyes looked up and around the room very quickly, eyeing the demon he'd become very aware of in that moment.
And before he could even consider what might happen if they stayed, Hiei wrapped both himself and the woman he held into the layers, dropping them way down into the furthest floors of the palace before he let them unfurl around them again.
And really, he hoped the king didn't decide to pursue them for disturbing her anyway.
~!**!~
If Akari had had any form of animalistic ears in this moment, they would have been swiveling this way and that, listening to every movement in the area and even further than that, listening for unwanted intruders such as Crusnik-ridden demons or even someone of Yomi's caliber. But alas, her observations instead were hinted at by the movements of her eyes, occasionally glancing one way and then another, and then back again to the front.
And even though she ran, she didn't miss a single beat of what was being said to her. She didn't miss a single question, a single moment of input, a single comment from Manami that might have occurred as they moved from one layer to the next. She simply didn't reply.
"Mother's little incantation is still holding; very strong for her age. Three still with her, seven surrounding. Aka, are you sure you want to delve into that territory?"
Still, she didn't reply. She'd tried to tell the girl to stay home, to remain on the first layer after she'd stop by to say a few words. But it simply didn't happen that way. Which somehow ended up with all of them with her, as if their numbers might help traverse the Crusnik-ridden layers faster.
They all knew better, really.
But she didn't complain. The company kept her on track. After all, she didn't have a choice; one of those demons with the pack mother was a layer runner, and she'd been informed of that rather recently.
And if she knew, then Yomi knew.
And while no other demon could get past the barrier Mother had put up, that did not mean that the oldest demon was not in danger for harboring the few members of the pack left.
And it tore Akari up inside to have to feed them to the wolves- so to speak.
It had been why she'd wanted Manami to stay on the first damn layer.
Dammit.
"Crusnik gaining on our six," came a call from several feet behind, and Akari was quick to spin through the layers once more, the others following suit and hoping that the pursuer was not of the same capabilities.
And they only emerged from within the layers when they reached the old, torn down, destroyed encampment of the pack Manami had been Alpha of for months. And only when they were inside Mother's forcefield, as it were, did they all relax.
"Ah, you're back dears." The voice was weak and weathered, rather wavering and very strained. It went well with the wrinkled demon sitting in the center of the tent, who didn't move a single inch when the newcomers arrived. "First thing's first: The human is still under close watch, Akari, but in no danger as of yet."
Akari nodded, but brushed away the information. "I'm sorry, but this isn't exactly a pleasure visit, Mother."
"You think I didn't know that by the look on your faces?" The milky eyes of the withered dog demon shifted just barely, but seemed locked on her nevertheless. "He's already been informed of your duties today."
Akari released a breath. I hate this. All of it.
"Manami, dear, why don't you have a seat? Take a rest."
Akari glanced at her friend, who, between little huffs and puffs here, gave a smile to the woman who had practically raised her. "Mother, I would-"
"She cannot stay here, little one. You know that."
Akari made a frustrated sound, but did not protest. She was right, after all.
"Aka, I'm an Alpha. I can take care of myself."
"Or we can have her back, you know," Allys spoke from a little ways away, arms crossed indignantly over her chest. "We aren't your typical weaklings."
Akari took a deep breath to calm herself. She had too many thoughts going on at once. "We still have two stops to make, three demons to catch. They've split up, remember?"
A few sounds echoed through the tent, and Akari almost didn't hear them over the sound of her own thoughts cycling over and over again, all centered on getting back. Creating less damage.
Two days, tops. No longer.
"Time to go," she announced, and before anyone could protest Akari was wrapped in the layers. *
~!**!~
The pause Hiei gave her wasn't even hardly a pause as his sentence floated across their connection and warmed her mind passed even the confines of the area in which she felt it.
There wasn't any other word for it outside of 'contentment' for the feelings that she felt traversing back in response to his admission. But within that contentment were so many other things. Thankfulness. Relief.
All of which may have crossed that bond, but were slightly less pressing than the incessant tickling which he seemed unwilling to stop.
That meant when he did finally stop, it came as a bit of a surprise to her as she felt him relax his grip on her so that she had more of her feet resting on the ground.
Blinking back the tears at her eyes, Shikiyoku's vision finally cleared and her awareness rushed back to her just as soon as she could see.
Mukuro. The Demon of Rage sitting with the strangest expression on her face and likely witness to every single twitch and cry Shikiyoku had made within the last five minutes.
Shikiyoku's entire body immediately flushed with embarrassment at having been caught in such a vulnerable state, that emotion overriding the unsettling fear that accompanied the realization that it still felt to her as if Mukuro was not there, as if there was absolutely nothingness where she could clearly see the seated female and not a black hole of emptiness which was what Shikiyoku's senses felt.
In the seconds before she felt Hiei pull her inbetween, Shikiyoku found that she and Mukuro were staring at once another, and as the image blurred and she felt the layers embrace her, her eyebrows frowned over the top of her eyes. Because it had not been rage or anger that Shikiyoku found within that demon's gaze, only curiosity. And she had not felt from the other a desire to destroy them for disrupting her silence, only a sincere wish to understand what had been going on before her. 3
Hiei landed on the floor below the one where their bedroom was, his arms still around Shikiyoku and his eyes glancing around the halls before he did let their bodies become known to the Eighth layer. And for a moment, he merely stood there, contemplating how much Mukuro had to have seen and heard.
And he realized she'd likely been tracking their every move. It would have been simple for her, he assumed- not that he knew how she did such a thing.
All at once, the fire demon relaxed, his eyes turning to Shikiyoku and his lips giving the slightest of twitches.
(Would now be a good time to tell you I'm Mukuro's second in command?)
~!**!~
Akari had been running for upwards of ten hours now, only Manami staying with her for this trip since the other two had spent all of their energy and would have been next to useless in a fight. And the only reason Manami stayed was because she was able to track the demon who'd gotten ahead of them with ease.
Despite her huffs and puffs and struggle to keep up.
Which had Akari slowing down. She let the lead of their target grow, instead deciding that Manami's endurance was more valuable to her at the moment than the idea of a fight. If Manami had no energy to run with, then she wouldn't be able to avoid any dangerous situations.
"Oh, thank the gods." the female commented as she slowed to a walk, and then came to a stop altogether, hunched over. "I haven't run that much in decades."
Akari let out a breath that could either have been amused or annoyed. If one didn't look at her expression, it would have been the first.
"I'm sorry I'm slowing you down, Aka."
"No, that's not it," she quickly replied, eyes turning to her friend who wasn't even looking at anything in particular. "How do you stand it, Manami? The condition of the pack, I mean. I know Alphas come with their own sixth sense of sorts."
Finally, the other looked up, her expression weary and withdrawn. "Have you seen me? I run with you. I have no time to think about it." silence followed, the two staring at one another for a while before the dark haired female spoke up again. "I don't. i can feel each and every one of them suffering out there, the ones who are infected giving off the strongest signals. It's not something I can ignore, it's just something I can't fix. And I have to live with it." Manami moved to a nearby boulder, sitting on its sloped top and resting her elbows on her knees. "Sometimes I wish you'd taken it instead."
Akari gave a slight smile. "You're kidding, right? I can hardly handle my own mistakes, much less those that I have no control over." She lowered herself to the ground and stretched out on her back, eyes up at the moon. "I've always had someone looking out for me; I wouldn't survive a day as an Alpha."
The coughing laugh that Manami barked out was almost cynical. "You're such a brat."
"I know."
"You better fix it, whatever you've messed up. Or I'll kick your butt myself."
"I know."
Manami moved suddenly, standing and turning away, ears swivelling towards the North. "There's a stream nearby, I'm going to go for water."
Akari's eyes followed her friend for a few moments before her body followed suit. And now she was wishing she could take a nap. *
~!**!~
Still momentarily distracted by the expression Shikiyoku had just witnessed resting on Mukuro's face, it took her a moment longer than usual to pull her awareness back to the present and realize Hiei had spoken to her.
Blinking and noticing he had stopped moving them, Shikiyoku tilted her head to the side to try and look up over her shoulder at him.
(You told me earlier. When you were...buzzed.) 3
Hiei paused to think, his mind going back to the last time he'd talked to her. (I had to fight Shigure.) He wasn't sure what adding that would accomplish, or even why it mattered, but it had just simply crossed his mind and the bond all at once.
(It was… simple.) Perhaps that was what bothered him. Perhaps it bothered him that he'd only been challenged by the fact that the other had a round sword, and not by how easily it had come to him to defeat what was supposed to have been a mighty foe.
He hadn't thought he'd grown so much over the past few weeks. Months? He wasn't sure anymore.
(Your ankle?)
~!**!~
Akari meandered along the stream, eyes glued to the calm surface that reflected the moon and galaxies above. It helped her think, helped her organize her thoughts and priorities. And at the same time, it proved a beautiful distraction.
She hadn't been able to sleep like Manami had. The other was fast asleep a little ways down the river, and here Akari was, unable to sit still. Wide awake but wishing for a dream.
It was almost infuriating.
The sound of the stream, however, quelled that as well.
I should go back.
Not before you have the other demons.
Damn.
She crouched near the water, a stick in hand to draw into the dirt with, making lines over lines that were meant to serve as the paths of the other demons she and Manami had been tracking. She looked for patterns, for similar trajectories or common stops. She thought of their next moves based on previous ones, and mapped them out too.
And found two possibilities.
Either they'd meet up, or go parallel to one another.
Buddies through and through, I suppose.
She ran her shoe over the dirt to rid of the map and stood, her head turning towards the stream but her ears picking up something in the distance. a crunching of leaves, perhaps.
Movement.
She turned and began heading back to Manami, deciding they needed to get moving in that very instant. Alarms rang in her head that always warned her of approaching Crusnik, and she was running, unsure of which direction it was coming from and completely sure that she wanted Manami on the first layer.
And yet she was calm.
I hate this job.
That calm didn't remain in place very long though when she came to the little campfire where Manami was standing, back to Akari and body rigid. And when Akari circled the girl, she saw the tell-tale black tendril of energy looping about Manami's throat, the Crusnik infected demon only just flying into sight.
Akari reacted the only way she knew how in that instant.
Her energy seemed to roar to life in a rather large, dark mass that moved around the clearing similar to a blanket, covering the forest floor and sinking any demon who stepped on it into its depths, excluding herself and the Crusnik. She was aware that three demons were pulled into the mass, but other than that, she didn't care.
Because her next move was to retract that energy and run. Her energy continued to taper off in the only way she knew it would in these moments, the Crusnik having caught enough of her energy to hold onto during the chase.
And with Akari keeping her energy so low in the first place, it wasn't long before she was depleted and having to attempt spin after spin through the layers, only to stumble and miss whatever opportunity she'd had.
Her luck came in a low-hanging tree branch that caught the predator off guard and let her get away through the layers.
And the first thing she did was find a refuge spot and hope Manami hadn't suffered too much before the shadows had swallowed her whole. *
~!**!~
(That's because you're my Consort.) Shikiyoku replied impetuously to what she felt to be almost disappointment from Hiei at how easy his fight had been.
Testing her weight more thoroughly on the injured foot, Shikiyoku found that it had already begun to heal and would not take much longer before completely being free of pain.
(It'll heal.)
She gave a little sigh as she remembered the reason why she twisted it in the first place.
(...I couldn't get it to work.)
And it was damnably frustrating if nothing else. 3
Hiei did not let his grip on Shiki even so much as loosen from where it was now, his eyes rolling down to look at the top of her head as if it might give him better insight to the expression she was making.
Except the Jagan began rambling.
Over, and over, and over again it repeated the same thing.
"Kiss her! Kss her! KissHerKissHerKissHerKissHer!"
"It'll make her feel better!"
"Trust me!"
It made it very hard for him to concentrate on what she was saying, and even harder to replay what he'd missed.
"She wants it, you liked it, she likes it, and…" On, and on, and on it talked.
Shut up.
(It's stubborn today.)
"I am! NOW KISS HER!"
Shut. Up.
He hefted her from where she'd been standing and turned to move towards their rooms, a headache beginning to set in.
~!**!~
Akari sat in the little alcove she'd taken residence in, eyes closed and legs crossed beneath herself. Her mind was concentrated on her energy and her core, waiting, listening to the silence around her that was only interrupted by the rain outside.
She wasn't sure what layer she was on, and she didn't care at the moment. Because her energy was almost replenished enough to pull Manami from within the shadows.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew her friend was not dead, simply because she felt nothing of what was said to come with the Alpha status of a pack. Then again, she'd given it to Manami, and she wasn't sure if it would return to her should the Alpha die.
She didn't want to find out the answer.
So the moment her energy was sufficient enough, a shadow appeared and simply dumped the dark-haired dog demon onto the mossy ground, where she made a sound of discomfort and rolled over.
Thank god.
"Manami, can you hear me?"
A grumble sounded into the silence, which helped Akari relax further. She let out a puff of air through her teeth and sat back, leaning against a sharp-edged rock that cut into her skin. She didn't mind it- it was nothing compared to the feeling of being completely drained of energy.
"Aka," the girl sputtered, "Never- and I mean never- throw me into another one of those again." Manami rolled onto her side to glare at Akari, who only had enough energy to spare a small smile of thankfulness.
"Only if you don't end up in that situation again."
"Deal. Now where's the other demons?"
"Still running."
"You didn't catch them first?" Manami's voice went an octave higher than usual. "You chose me over Yomi? Are you stupid?"
"I've been made aware of that, yes."
"And Kurama?"
Akari didn't even so much as bat an eyelash. "He'd understand, I think." *
~!**!~
Shikiyoku blinked again as Hiei picked her up.
It?
…
(...are you okay?)
She peered into his face, sensing some sort of tension she couldn't rightly place. 3
Hiei heard the Jagan go silent for a brief instance, which allowed him to glance down at Shikiyoku when he actually heard her question in the silence. Which, of course, was broken by a whispered Kiss her from the Jagan before it went quiet again.
Blissful. Silence.
(The Jagan has been aware since the fight.) He didn't say much more than that, thinking it would be enough explanation without him actually telling her what was really going on. (Also, I meant the layers were being stubborn today. Not the Jagan.)
Well, that too I suppose.
~!**!~
Two days passed and Akari was marching through Yomi's palace with four demons on her heels, one of which was unconscious and being carried by another. Each demon had their eyes forward and their shoulders straight, their gaits all very similar in that they were military-style.
Obviously all hunters of some kind or another. Including Kichou from her very own pack, who glanced at her every so often as if waiting for instruction.
I'm not your alpha. Stop that.
And she lead each and every one of them to Kurama's training room, as requested by Yomi.
Because why waste another demon's time when she knew where to find the fox?
Damn blind demon.
Stupid Akari.
Why does he enjoy this so much? We aren't stars in a soap opera.
She pulled the doors open to the training room that had been mapped out to her, and with a single gesture of her hand, each demon entered the spacious room. She looked around for the redhead, finding him doing whatever it was that he did in here, and gave him a nod that indicated the new arrivals before spinning on her toes and taking off again.
Your problem now. Apologies for the damaged one. *
At this point, Kurama found himself capable of reading each and every energy signature in the base and a few miles beyond.
Not as proficiently as Yomi's hearing, but a testament to what Kurama knew to be his continuing increase in power.
Akari's return did not come as a surprise.
Nor did her leaving Yomi's presence and journeying down the halls to his training room with four other demons whom he had not yet known.
Just as she reached to open the doors, Kurama gave a nod to the High Guard on either side of him and they started moving in the direction of the entrance without question, the one that had been on his left only following Akari out of the room far enough for him to turn in the opposite direction, heading to retrieve a demon from the medical facilities as Kurama had instructed him to do in the moments before Akari and the others arrived.
The High Guard who had remained in the room took up a station next to the injured demon, gesturing that the remaining three join the others just as Kurama spoke up.
"You. The ones that can stand." Kurama jerked his head to indicate the other demons already spread in formation across the room. "Join the others."
~!**!~
Aware?
…
Hadn't it always been aware?
Shikiyoku blinked at Hiei for the hundredth time in as many seconds before she let her gaze drop and let out a little sigh.
(It isn't the layers that are the problem, I'm afraid.) 3
Hiei kept moving, deciding not to use the layers, which was the easiest way to reach the floor above and their rooms. He rather liked the silence of the empty hallways and the emptiness of the rooms they passed. It was rather relaxing in its own way.
(I know.) Hiei didn't say this harshly, but in a calm tone that said he understood her emotions had been getting in the way, her unrest keeping her from utilizing the layers in the way she'd wanted to. But he did not ask.
If she wished for him to know, she would tell him.
And if the issue persisted for a while, he'd find out by his own means.
~!**!~
Akari hadn't had much more time to shower and change before she was sent out again, and this time she went alone. She didn't go find Manami in the first layer, nor did she ask for the help of the other demons on that layer either. She simply went, deciding that she'd keep others out of the danger zone for as long as possible.
And hopefully get the job done quicker, if she were honest.
Crusnik were everywhere, growing in numbers and strength, some moving together, most moving alone and/or fighting one another over prey. Several times she found herself in sticky situations, but each time she came out on top- a couple by the hair of her chinny-chin-chin, as the humans sometimes put it.
And for that entire week, Akari was back and forth between the fortress and the other layers, waiting until the overhaul was too much before asking help from anyone. And even then, she waited a few more days before recruiting help. *
~!**!~
Letting out a sigh, Shikiyoku rested her head at the crook of Hiei's neck.
She felt tired of everything in that moment, of the Fortress, of the disease.
Without her direct notice, her next thought slid across the connection to Hiei.
(I want to go home.) 3
Hiei nodded almost to himself when Shikiyoku spoke, thinking that the couch back on the first layer would be a blissful place to be in that moment. Or, hell, even the floor of that house would make him feel better than even the comfiest of beds here.
Because then Shiki wouldn't have to be trapped, nor would he. They'd have free reign of every layer if they so sufficed.
But really, he figured they'd just eat sweet snow.
Right. There's some left.
Or maybe he'd gone to get a new one at some point? He couldn't rightly recall.
So when they reached their rooms, Hiei made no move for the couch inside the first door. He instead moved for the second room, and when he went to the little cold box in the corner of the room, it looked easy for him to open the door and retrieve a little tub, even as he still carried Shiki.
(I remembered to get more.)
With a gentle nudge, the door to the little box closed firmly and Hiei moved towards the bed, where he expertly maneuvered until he sat on its blanketed surface, Shiki on his crossed legs and the tub of sweet snow in her lap, two spoons held in an offering to her. (Might as well.)
~!**!~
Akari slowed at the request of the demoness behind her, who huffed and puffed from overexertion. and the rest of the small group came to a standstill as well, a couple breathing heavily, but none as heavy as Akari and Manami, who had both been running nonstop for over fifty hours now. Both girls wiped at their faces, Manami bent over at the waist and her hands on her knees. Akari linked her hands together on top of her head, taking deep breaths in and out, her ribcage expanding almost painfully against the strain.
"Don't you think… we could take… more breaks?" Manami asked between huffs, earning a cough from Akari that had meant to be an affirmative. "I mean… as fun as it is… we need sleep Aka…"
Akari took in one last, long breath before letting her arms fall to her sides. "That's why I came here," she said after a moment of refusing a yawn. "It's the safest area I've seen in weeks. Very little Crusnik activity. It's the sole reason we ran so long."
"Oh, joy."
"We'll be going to Yomi in the morning," Akari addressed the two males who stood to the side, staring with impatient eyes at the girls who had needed to stop. "It will be close to twenty hours of running, if we take no breaks. That will give us enough time here to rest and eat before you're put through training there. Trust me, you'll want it."
"What about the non-fighter?"
Manami looked up at Akari, who only gave a shrug at the other male. "She's not needed at the palace. She's a tracker; she stays out here. Now, we need firewood and stones."
And with those few words, the demons split up, going into several different directions, Manami heading towards the nearest body of water, Akari towards the nearest source of food, and the two men splitting off for the wood and stones. *
~!**!~
Shikiyoku gave a small smile as she shifted around until she could hold the tub of ice cream in one hand and take the offered spoon with the other, pulling the lid from the ice cream so that both she and Hiei might easily eat from it.
I suppose this is as close to home as I'm going to get, She thought as she made no further ceremony of digging her spoon into the frozen treat, watching Hiei out of the corner of her eye as she did so. 3
Hiei adjusted his hold on the spoon she'd left in his hand and delved it into the pinkish-red sweet snow, making sure to gouge out a rather large chunk from the tub before depositing the strawberry flavored sweetness on his tongue. And he let it sit there, melting on its own as he listened- for the first time- to what the Jagan actually had to say.
"I mean, you- dude she's watching you. That's another one of those hints, you know! If she stares at your lips, you just gotta go for it! It isn't like you didn't like it the last few times it happened! Especially that last one."
And it went on.
And on.
And on.
Never ending drabble.
Irritating.
"No, what's irritating is you refusing to kiss her even though all three of us know you liked it!"
If he knew how to shut it up, he would.
He delved his spoon into the tub of sweet snow again, eyes following the little metal utensil as if he thought he might miss his target.
~!**!~
Akari plucked berry after berry, fruit after fruit, and gave each and every one of them a careful sniff as she did so. One after another, and pretty soon she had a nice little collection of fruits and nuts to nibble on. It made her think of trail mix, if she were honest.
Heh. Freshly made.
"I understand that there are few Crusnik around here, but we still should not take any chances by splitting off into singulars."
Akari stood upright to meet the smoky eyes that stared down at her, the face those eyes belonged to sharp and angular, dark toned and high cheekboned. Thin lips were set into a calm, pensive line that somehow seemed to hint at displeasure- though with what, it was hard to tell. She looked the tall demon up and down before meeting his gaze again, still trying to figure out what his clothing style reminded her of. "I appreciate the thought."
The demon gave a very slight nod and waved a hand for her to continue on, and continue on she did. She dumped her handfuls of berries and nuts into a small bag she'd procured from the first layer and moved for a nearby tree, whose branches hung low and fruits looked ripe. She wasted no time in plucking a few and surveying them. She even took an experimental bite out of one, finding its bitter taste to be a little off putting, but otherwise harmless. She bagged several of those as well.
"Are you always so thoughtless?"
Akari paused, hand around one of the fruit as she glanced over her shoulder at the demon who watched her keenly.
"Tasting possibly poisonous fruit before giving them to your comrades is rather risky."
"It's come to mind, yes." She tossed the fruit she'd bitten from over her shoulder, not even pausing before pulling another from the branches and stuffing it into the little bag at her hip. "None of us, however, are hunters or gatherers. I'd rather it be myself than you."
"That's foolish. You're a runner for Yomi, and yet you'd rather put yourself in danger than get the king the soldiers he needs?"
Well, to be honest, I knew it wasn't poisonous. Duh. I just didn't know what it tasted like.
"But I assume you rely on that bracelet around your wrist, should you be in any real danger of toxins or poisons."
Akari went still, eyes widening at the little fruit just above her head that she'd been eyeing.
"I am familiar with herbs and flowers; where I come from, they are used for many medicines and teas and brews. I'm rather curious of the rarity you have veiled around your wrist."
Akari lowered herself to flat feet and turned to meet calm, curious eyes, her own reflecting that calm, but in a wary manner. "It was a gift."
"A beautifully crafted one. He knew what he was doing."
Akari nodded. "Indeed."
A moment of silence passed, Akari feeling tense and readying to leave should this demon's interest become channeled as a need for the little bracelet she'd worn for who knows how long. And she'd been fully expecting any demon knowing what it was to attack for it.
So she was surprised when this one pushed away from the tree he'd been leaning on and waved towards the direction of the others. "We should be getting back, before the moon is risen. Crusnik travel more at that time, it seems."
With watchful eyes on the other, Akari nodded and took to walking at the other's side, her eyes very seldom leaving the other even when they were sitting on opposite sides of the fire. *
~!**!~
There was this strange, underlying tension that Shikiyoku found emanating from Hiei, and she supposed it was related to the Jagan since that had been Hiei's answer the last time she mentioned it.
She turned her eyes back down to the ice cream, able to more objectively analyze her thoughts and the memory of Douji, or not-Douji she supposed, flinging accusations at her earlier in the day.
Day? Has it really only been hours since that encounter.
After her next bite, Shikiyoku leaned her shoulder back towards Hiei and rested against him as she put more ice cream in her mouth. 3
"You missed your chance, flame-boy."
Hiei took another attempt at tuning out the Jagan, who still continued rambling- borderline yelling- at him about one thing or another, usually all pertaining to Shikiyoku in some way or form.
and it worked for the most part. He was able to think for a few minutes as he ate, almost able to tell himself that his head was actually silent.
But Shikiyoku leaning into him seemed to shoot that right out of the waters. His head was very quickly filled with chaotic nonsense garbled all together, no word distinguishable from the other.
It felt quite like being in a crowded room and being unable to turn off telepathy.
Or, perhaps, a crowded bar.
Yes, that seemed more like his situation.
And it made his temper momentarily flare, many words flying across his mind towards the Jagan, and none of them nice by any means.
And he may or may not have threatened to cut it out himself once or twice.
Blessedly, after those threats, all was silent again. And Hiei was able to let his head come down to rest atop Shikiyoku's, suddenly feeling very drained from the day.
(Don't move.)
~!**!~
Akari shifted, eyes rolling back and forth behind her lids as a dream plagued her sleep. A dream that she didn't remember even when she was jolted awake by whatever had happened within that realm, and a dream that was even further away from her consciousness when she jumped again at the sight of a demon crouched in front of her.
His head was tilted, long hair falling from his messed up ponytail as his eyes studied her in the silence. His arm rested on one of his knees, hand just missing the dirt below, body relaxed.
Only when the male sat back did Akari herself relax. "Don't you know not to do that?" The words came out in a low growl, her eyes sharp on his.
"You were making sound. It woke me."
"And you took to standing over me?"
He quirked a brow. "You're rather overdramatic. I was simply going to wake you from your restless state." He stretched a leg out to her, his other remaining bent at the knee so that his arm may rest upon it. "Or is it that you're paranoid?"
Yes. Very. That tends to happen sometimes.
"Perhaps you should go for a stroll before attempting sleep again. Relax the part of your brain that worries."
You mean all of my brain? Thanks.
"I will stay here and keep watch over the others, if you'd like time alone. You do not seem to spend much time on caring for yourself."
Akari took a deep breath and shifted so she reclined against the tree again, hands linking over her stomach and ankles crossing one over the other in a show of stubbornness. "I'm fine. Go back to sleep."
Grey eyes sparkled for a moment in the dim moonlight. "Just do not wake me again," he whispered as he rolled over where he'd been sitting, turning to lay on his side with his back to her.
Tch.
She closed her eyes again and simply listened to the sounds of the night. *
~!**!~
Before he spoke to her, Shikiyoku felt the back of her neck flush as he rested against her, remaining unmoving, but glancing up as if she might see him before she found herself with a ridiculous smile on her face as she huffed a little at herself and closed her eyes.
(Heaven and Earth couldn't move me at the moment.)
At least he isn't drunk anymore.
Their silent conversations were no longer hampered by the buzz of her own energy inside their bond.
Wait…
Shikiyoku's eyes popped open and she tried to look up at him again. 3
Hiei let out a long, calming breath into Shikiyoku's hair, sending strands fluttering this way and that as he relaxed. The hand that still held the spoon rested on Shiki's thighs, the fire demon unsure if he wanted more or if he simply wanted to stay the way he was for an eternity.
And her reassurance had him relaxing further. His eyes closed slowly and he very briefly considered a nap, but decided he'd get one later in the day.
It was nice to just sit here like this.
Even when he could feel her straining to look up.
(You're staring.)
~!**!~
There were owls that hooted overhead. There were mice that scurried back and forth in the distance. There were demonic creatures that lurked in the darkened bushes and watched the mice and owls, preying upon unsuspecting creatures of the night. There were howls in the very far off distance that Akari knew to be pain-filled and likely from demons that were nowhere near here.
But there was also a stream some miles away, and a waterfall just a little ways from where she still lay, unable to sleep. At some point, Akari had noticed Manami waking to go to said waterfall and the little lake that it fell into, and then the girl returned with wet hair and skin to lay in the dirt again, sniffling and giving a little cough into the dust.
Neither of the males moved, not even a twitch in their sleep. They either weren't dreaming, weren't sleeping, or were sleeping so hard they were dead to the world around them. It was hard to tell really.
But Akari couldn't sleep, and it was really beginning to get to her. Every shadow made her skeptical, and every sound made her want to get up and wake the group and move to another location.
Which had her thinking to how much sleep she'd had recently, and tallying it up to be not enough. Which explained why she felt restless and paranoid to some degree.
She watched the moon move from one side of the sky to the other, until the first changing of the skies indicated dawn. And she still didn't move, her eyes closed in last minute hopes of sleep, but not being granted any before Manami was the first to awaken and shift around, rubbing at her face and making sounds of discomfort.
At this point, Akari had given up.
Her eyes came open and she watched Manami shift around in the dirt, obviously trying to get comfortable again but just as obviously failing. To be honest, it brought a slight smile to her face, watching her friend wriggle around like a child under heavy blankets.
And the girl stilled, her breathing evening out again, leaving Akari to the early morning sounds as if no one had awoken at all.
Which annoyed her to the point where she shifted until she was on her feet, and with careful, quiet steps, she left the little area where the others still slept and moved for the waterfall.
It would be a great way to freshen up and startle her brain into functionality. *
~!**!~
(Are you not enjoying it?)
Shikiyoku felt her lips shift into a lopsided grin, feeling a tingle starting to spread over her cheeks in spite of herself.
Somewhere in the back of her mind she maintained that her reactions to him were still an anomaly, but perhaps that had more to do with him than her. 3
Hiei's lips twitched into a slight smirk before they relaxed again into their calm expression. It made ignoring the Jagan easier when he was occupied with Shiki and her little comments here and there.
(Perhaps. I suppose you do as well, since you're still staring.)*
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off!