Twisted Lives

Do not own.

Chapter 6 - Family Reunion

000

Kuronue sat on the roof of the temple, staring up at the sky. He was becoming less childish and he hated it. This place made him want to grow up.

Stupid Ningenkai. I should just go back to Makai and hide away for the rest of my life. Actually...I would rather be in Reikai's prisons. The only reason I'm not is because of Akina and Botan.

He sighed and pulled his legs up to his chest.

"It's awfully quiet without you mouthing off. What are you up here for?" Hiei crouched down next to him. He had just noticed where his demon friend was and decided to question his recent behavior.

"I don't feel like mouthing off. I want to go home." Kuronue rested his chin on his folded arms. "I miss it already."

"You'll miss it less when Youko gets back." The koorime stood up and sighed. "This place just makes me want to slit my own throat." His crimson eyes went to the bat demon next to him. He could sense the depression. "You've never left Makai, have you?"

"No, never." The reply was soft. "This is the first time in my life I've been away from it. The familiar scent of demons, the familiar aura, and...home." He was homesick.

"I've been here before. It wasn't as developed last time around but it was just as irritating. It was by choice that I was here. My old partner and I didn't see eye-to-eye. That...and I was searching for Yukina."

"You found her here, didn't you? I remember something about that." Silence followed. Both of them were trapped within memories of their pasts. Each was thinking something similar.

How will I ever survive these two months?

000

The two kitsunes were forced to follow the lord's guard to the castle. It was easier than killing him and getting everyone against them. They were silent and the tension was still rising. The guard felt it. He hated it. It was beginning to make him nervous. After all, he had no idea how powerful those two were. Not to mention that his memory screamed at him that the one kitsune was the famous Youko Kurama. That was really giving him a reason to be afraid. As soon as they cleared the forest, the castle loomed before them, challenging them to enter. Youko nearly snorted.

All that's missing is some creepy music and lightning...

Botan was looking around, trying to sense whether or not they had a reason to be alert. The demons in the army didn't seem convincing. It looked more like Halloween. Even demons knew about that ningen holiday. They knew enough from the ningens that lived in Makai. As soon as they got inside the main gates, everything changed. Beautiful flowers spanned across the entire courtyard and many different water fountains rested here and there. Even the servants were beautiful; dressed in flowing kimono and robes of silk. Her amethyst eyes went wide.

Wow... I never imagined that he would be this crazy over beautiful things.

She looked up at the castle and felt her heart nearly stop. It looked different than it had outside of the gates. The guard felt more at ease since he was back in his normal surroundings. He looked back at them every so often to soak up their reactions. The kitsunes seemed to fit in with everything around them...

"There is a barrier constructed at the gate. Outside, it looks like a warlord's castle. The only way you can come through the barrier is if you mean the lord no harm." He stated softly. "The more I come back from the outside, the more beautiful it always seems." Botan looked at him with a small frown.

"What is the lord like?" Their escort smirked with pride.

"He isn't a warlord. In fact, I am surprised that you can't tell by all of this. He loves beautiful things more than he loves anything else. It isn't just women but other things too. He surrounds himself with things that are pretty so that he can never experience anything impure." He sighed. "He believes that all of these things will protect him somehow. I've never gotten used to it but I'm not complaining..." Youko looked at his mate and felt a little twinge of nervousness.

If he makes one move on her...

Then he remembered that he could not harm the lord. It would be too risky. All he had to do was stand beside her and hope that nothing went wrong.

"Ah, here we are. Please, use manners and do not insult the lord." The guard stated dryly. "I will lead you to the throne room. Follow quickly." Botan felt a knot form in her stomach and knew that, without a doubt, she was afraid of what could happen. She was representing Reikai so it wasn't like she could fight back, even though she had the ability. Two large mahogany doors rested in front of them and the guard gave them both a stern look before swinging them open.

"My lord, I have brought the intruders. They are messengers from Reikai." He bowed and waited until he was dismissed. Botan and Youko both had their eyes on the red velvet carpet that rested on the tile floor. This guy was rich.

"Come forward, trespassers." The two looked up at the lord and stared in rapture until they got to the stairs that led to the throne. "What does Koenma need of me now?" It was Botan who had the job so she withdrew the folder and held it out to him. He stared at her for a long moment before taking it. When he finished reading the document inside, he requested a pen from his servant. Botan didn't really mean to stare at him but he was striking. Yet...he was also somewhat familiar. He had long brown hair that was tied back below where the crown rested on his head. It was a small golden crown that she would describe as not very showy. He had dark onyx eyes that seemed to penetrate her very body and examine her soul. His skin was fair and light with only a small trace of a tan from being in the sun. He wasn't dressed too elaborately; seemingly wanting to be comfortable. He wore a long blue robe over a simple kimono that was decorated with flowers and had jewels sewn onto it. When he handed the folder back to her, he made sure to look her over closely. "Is that all?"

"Yes, Lord." She averted her eyes; feeling guilty for even looking at him like she had. Youko seemed just as surprised as she was. "May we leave, Lord?" She asked quietly. The lord found himself staring at the bite mark on her neck. It was obvious that she was mated. Those trivial things did not really matter to him but if it was against her will, he would do nothing.

"Call me Lord Okano." His name sounded very familiar to her. She looked up at him once more before smiling slightly.

"Eizan-san?" She asked softly. He narrowed his onyx eyes at her before blinking. The color of her eyes... He had met her before. She used to have amber eyes but he remembered the vividness of those eyes in her ningen form.

"Botan?" He leaned forward to get a better look at her. "Is that really you? I have not seen you since you were a little girl..." She ran up the steps and embraced him. "You have grown up so much! Not to mention that you have found yourself a mate!" He grinned. "My little niece... I never thought I would see you again. Your parents..." He trailed off. She pulled away from him and grinned.

"Eizan-san, would you like to meet my mate?" She gestured back to Youko; who was watching them with wide eyes. "That's my Youko." She looked back at her uncle. "We have a baby girl named Akina. But she is with my friend Rumiko in Reikai."

"Why are you with Reikai?" He asked; raising a brow in curiosity. She frowned slightly before explaining everything. "I see... I guess I cannot blame you or be angry with you. You have given it up, correct?" She nodded. "Then all will be made well. I suppose you could stay here for the night. We can have a chance to catch up before you rush off back to Reikai."

"What do you think, Youko?" Botan looked back at her mate and waited until he nodded to grin. "We'll stay the night!"

000

Kuronue sat by himself in his room, staring down at a book that he found. It wasn't interesting at all but it took his mind off of things. He hated sitting around but he didn't feel like getting hurt. His indigo eyes went to the door when he heard someone calling out inside the temple. Getting up out of curiosity, he walked along the hallway until he came to the door that led into the large living room. He slid open the door only slightly and sniffed the scent in the room. It appeared that it was the one girl that he had taken to find her friend, Keiko.

Her name was Shizuru, wasn't it?

He pushed the door completely open and walked out to see her.

"Oh... Kuronue, wasn't it?" She asked softly. He hadn't startled her. Raising a brow at her, he leaned against the doorway before crossing his arms.

"Looking for Keiko again?" He queried with a light teasing tone to his voice. She flushed briefly and looked away from him. "What is it, then?" Silence invaded the room for a few moments before Shizuru looked up.

"Actually, I was looking for you. Do you want to come with me? I was going to go to the park and figured that maybe you'd like to walk with me." He blinked. That was one thing that he never imagined.

"Well...I'm not really supposed to leave the temple." She bit her lip and gave him a hopeful glance. "But...I surely cannot deny the request of such a lovely girl." He looked quite the same in his ningen form, except that all of his demonic features were made normal. She smiled when he went toward the door.They left and she took the lead, knowing the exact way that she wanted to go. Though, he didn't seem quite the same as when she had seen him before with Hiei. She thought he was charming, knowing that he tried to act intelligent and serious, when he was goofy and playful. He dropped the seriousness when he grew bored. However, when he was quiet and reflective, as he was then, Shizuru figured that it was a good idea to get to know him better.

"What do you guys do in Makai? What did you do that made you get arrested?" She asked softly, gazing at him with her inquiring light brown eyes. He smirked as an odd sense of pleasure clouded his mind. It nearly made her shiver. The look in his indigo eyes was distant as he thought about the answer to her questions.

"Youko, Hiei, and I always used to hang out by the river and plan our crimes carefully. We used to talk about who was ready to be robbed blind. We used to split up and find the perfect contenders. That is how Makai is. You live by stealing and building yourself a great yet terrible reputation. You live day to day with death, killing, spilling blood." He looked over at her. "You'd be surprised at how normal even that life can feel. Every demon is born with bloodlust, the thrill of killing, and the love of battle. Despite all of that, we all have personalities like you ningens." She wrapped her arms around herself and stared at the ground beneath her feet.

"You're pretty down to earth, yourself. How can you still have a personality like this when you've robbed, murdered, plundered..." She trailed off. He grinned, revealing his sharp fangs. His dark raven hair brushed his pale cheek.

"Ever hear of split personalities? Every demon has 'em. In fights, we can choose to be callous and cruel without flinching. It's all up here, love." He tapped his head. "Sometimes, I feel it begin to surface when I get angry but we can control it. Ningens have it, too; 'cept you don't tend to tap into it. Sometimes the effect is irreversible and that's how you get serial killers and twisted psychopaths that don't seem to have a soul." She blinked. Common knowledge for demons was upper level psychology for ningens. No wonder most demons were so good at evading death. Well, the smart ones, anyway...

"I never thought about that." She felt sort of dumb compared to him. Then again, if demons didn't know all there was to know about the body and mind then they could just kiss life good-bye. "Well, I like this side of you. I never thought that demons could even have nice sides...or senses of humor." He smirked.

"Well, if I were normal, I'd go insane living with Hiei and Youko. Talk about boring... Not to mention that picking on Hiei is my favorite hobby. I couldn't live without mocking him at least...three hundred times a day. And he can't live without mortally wounding me at least a hundred times a day. It depends on how long we spend together."

"I feel bad for Youko. And...doesn't he have a family?" Kuronue nodded in response to her question with a gentle smile resting on his lips.

"Botan and their daughter Akina. When we first met the little fox, she and Youko had some problems with each other. I tried suggesting trust games but those two..." He grinned. Shizuru felt a certain sadness eminating from him with her empathy. It was hidden under all of his good-natured happiness...but it was there. "Hell, they nearly wanted to fight each other until one of them was dead and bleeding but that was long ago...or so it seemed." She felt an awkwardness seize her for what she was about to ask.

"Kuronue, did you...lose someone special? I sense...a deep sadness inside of you." She bit her lip. "And I only sense it when you talk about Botan and Youko." He frowned briefly before stopping. She halted her walk when she noticed that he wasn't beside her. She was almost afraid to look back but did it anyway. His expression was hidden by the rim of his hat as well as his raven-colored locks of hair.

"You're just a ningen woman, not even in your thirtieth year. What can you know of such sadness?" He looked up with haunted eyes and a sad smile. He had such deep pain hidden inside of him that nearly made her want to cry. "Don't worry your pretty little head about such things. You've a good head on your shoulders. If you're as smart as I think you are, you have nothing to fear." He walked up and patted her head with a surprisingly cheerful grin before continuing on in the direction they were heading.

000

Youko walked around the castle with his mate and her uncle as Eizan gave them the tour.

"When you get released, you should come and visit me again. It is great to have you." The lord put his arm around Botan's waist and grinned. "And who would have ever known that your eyes would change? My, this reminds me of the story of your ancestors."

"My ancestors had eyes like these, as well?" He nodded.

"Yes, they did. As a matter of fact, the color changed when they were pregnant with their first child." He frowned. "The babies all had amethyst eyes until they were a year old. Then it would change to gold until they grew and were pregnant. I suppose it has to do with a myth from long ago." Youko gasped and stopped walking.

"I've heard that myth before. It was one that told the story of the beautiful maiden who was turned into a fox when she said no to a lord who had asked for her hand in marriage." Botan looked at her mate, feeling a little left out that she didn't know the story. He caught her gaze and smiled. "She was in love with another man. He was a demon and a rogue. He found out soon that she was pregnant with the demon's child. The lord threatened to have her hanged for her boldness. She pleaded to him that she could not be a good wife if she did not love him. He ignored everything she said until she told him that she would rather cut her own throat than marry someone she didn't love. He took her threat seriously only after he found her in the room he locked her in with a knife to her throat. She began to cut herself but he put a spell on her that turned her into a fox and the knife dropped to the floor. She found that she could no longer hold it. He released her, telling her that she could be with the one that she truly loved." Eizan smiled. "When he turned her into the fox, her amethyst eyes went gold and so, when the baby was born it had her amethyst eyes. However, when the girl turned one year old and the demonic presence began radiating inside her body, it changed her eyes to the gold, like her mother's. Also, after the child was born, the woman found that her eyes went back to normal, demon form or not."

"I remember that well. It was such a wonderful tale that children would sit and listen to from beginning to end." He looked at Youko with a smile. "You two have a little girl, then." Botan grinned and nodded.

"Little Akina." Her eyes sparkled with pride. "We'll bring her when we come again." They arrived at the guest room and he told them to rest a while until dinner was prepared. Youko watched as she spun around and fell onto the bed. "This is so awesome! I haven't seen Eizan-san since I was a little girl. Those memories are starting to fade..." He walked over and stared down at her with a soft look in his beautiful deep amber eyes. They were a darker shade of amber than usual. "What is it? Is something wrong?" She asked quietly. He only moved away, shaking his head.

"Let's follow his suggestion. I'm tired." His blunt words seemed to sting her as she moved over to make room for him. It made her angry and upset at the same time to have him withdraw himself like that. But what could she do besides sleep? Her mind felt heavy, as did her body. The soft bed allowed her to fall quickly into a dreamless sleep.

000

"Why are you being so moody today?" They returned to their guest room after dinner. Youko didn't seem as withdrawn but still harbored some unease in his eyes. He sighed as she followed him over to the bed.

"I'm just tense. This is Eizan's territory and it makes me uncomfortable." He looked over at her. "I'm sorry." She put her arms around him and rested her head against his chest.

"It's all right... I just...thought you were being distant. That look you gave me before-" Youko leaned over, brushing his lips against hers, feeling her shiver as his hands roamed slowly down her body. He backed her over so that they were sitting on the bed before she wrapped her arms around him again, burying her hands in his silvery locks. Then she let her hands drop to his chest, where she worked to remove his shirt. He assisted her in her mission, smirking against her lips.

"I want you..." He said quietly, trying to remove her shirt, just as she had with his. Since he had helped her, she gave him the same assistance. She laughed and moved closer to him, sitting in his lap. Botan could feel the heat from his body against her cool skin. He ducked his head, nipping at her tender flesh with his sharp fangs. She felt chills, despite his warmth against her.

"Nothing is holding you back." Her voice trembled as she whispered the words in his ear. He felt a sudden chill ripple across his body. A tingling feeling ran down his spine. He closed his eyes, trying to calm his pounding heart. She still knew how to make him shiver. "Youko..." He smirked and kissed his mark on her neck before licking her skin up to her chin. She laughed, trying to gently push him away. "Cut that out!" He smiled.

"Why should I?" He chuckled, the sound resonating from his chest. "After all, nothing is stopping me." His voice was husky; his eyes the same deep amber as they were earlier. Suddenly, she understood what was going on in his mind, not that she really needed a hint anymore. He growled as he pushed her down onto the bed. She felt his lips against hers, felt his body pressed against hers, and felt herself being consumed by her love for her lover.

000

I think I'm gonna leave this chapter here. It is pretty long...I guess. Sorry I haven't been that great at updating this. I feel bad...really, I do. Time to get back in the swing of things though, now that I have a keyboard under my fingertips. Even if it isn't my own keyboard...