Chapter 49

Found

Husk had given up the chase rather early on. While he informed the skulk that Alastor was not particularly easy make to chase someone, especially given that he prefers not to do so as a general rule, he was beyond surprised to watch his boss give in so quickly. His only guess was that there was another reason for it; otherwise there was no way the pup's simple insults would have worked. That, and while he could admit that the foxes were clever and quick on their feet, it was almost too easy for Genki to nab the overlord's monocle. Whatever was going on, his boss had no inclination to share before going off on a rampage behind the fox pup, and the cat didn't care to speculate.

As such, as soon as Husk was tired, he didn't make it far before being left behind, and he decided to just let his boss sort this out himself. Alastor seemed to be recovering nicely, and he was likely to get himself into trouble whether the cat was with him or not. Therefore, 'not' sounded amazing, and the veteran wandered around on his own. Hopefully his boss wouldn't forget to pick up his tab, because he was following his nose to the nearest source of saké. The wendigo's damn shadow could drive them home; Husk was done with sobriety.


Hari was already in a bad mood. A black dragon got dropped in his lap with a mysterious illness and severe injuries, there were still lots of patients in the main room, he no longer had his little fox slave to boss around, and apparently Ayuka was his only assistant because the other was nowhere to be seen. By the end of all this, he was definitely going to have an extra bandage rack, and he was spoiled for choice. So far, his absentee assistant was ahead in the running, but that violent oni from before, who was swearing up a storm and threatening everything that moved, was right behind him.

Once the healer looked over Kichi and Ayuka made her comfortable, Eichi became his temporary assistant to try and help them through everything. They did everything they could for Eliza; now it was just a matter of waiting for Genki to arrive.

Every patient in the room jumped when they heard a demonic howl. Ayuka looked downright shocked, pulling out some spider silk to deal with a troublesome demon, but Eichi and Hari just sighed. In unison, they groaned, /Genki's here./ Turning to the Jorōgumo, Hari ordered, /Go see to Kichi and the dragon; we'll take care of this./ The woman nodded, knowing full well that she was only there to protect the pup if things got out of hand.

The two Wild pups ran into the building, Genki carrying an unusual, round glass piece in his mouth. Then a strange, unnatural darkness started to billow into the temple, making everyone near the entrance run to the best of their ability further inside. However, for a moment, nothing seemed to happen. When the pups got close enough to the healer, Chikao hid behind Eichi but paused when Genki didn't join him. Turning around to look back, he saw his friend was on his side, his legs sticking out, his fur on end and his eyes wide. It was as if he was frozen mid-run.

Hari stood up, walked down a couple steps and picked up the one-eyed fox by the tail, lifting him up until their eyes were level. The wide, frightened eye of the pup met the narrowed eyes of the healer, who plucked the glass piece out of his mouth. /What did you bring to my temple, boy?/

Clak, clak, clak…

Slowly walking up the stairs to the temple doors, a tall sinner in a red suit calmly made his way inside, clearly angry but surprisingly composed in spite of it. His hands were behind his back, his eyes narrowed and his smile sharp and tense. Seeing the man approach, Hari sighed and held out the hand holding Genki in Eichi's general direction. /I believe this is yours./

Standing up to join the sinner, Eichi took Genki and held him the same way Hari had, glaring down at him in disappointment. When the pup made some incoherent sounds that were clearly supposed to be words, the chef looked up. /If you could remove the needle…/

/Nope, let him suffer a bit,/ Hari told him with a smirk. /I'll take it out later when we see to the dragon. For now, I have to get this guy out of here before he wrecks the place./

More incoherent sounds and whimpers came from the paralyzed pup, but Eichi just hissed, /Silence!/ and the noise ceased.

The man in red walked up to them, that wicked smile never wavering. "If I could have my monocle back, I would be most appreciative."

"Sure, here," Hari said, holding out the piece. The intruder took it gently, his lip curling slightly at how dirty it was. "Now that that's settled, I must ask you to leave. This is the Kitsune clan's healing temple."

"Excellent!" Alastor cheered, pulling out a cloth from his chest pocket and wiping off the glass. "Then you are exactly who I'm looking for!" Then, putting the monocle back in place and looking the man up and down, he noticed some key differences between him and the other foxes in the room. He gestured to Eichi and the paralyzed pup. "Or, at least, I'm looking for them. I have it on good authority that your little clan has taken something else of mine."

When Genki started making noise again, Hari just grumbled, "Base of the neck."

The father pulled out the needle, and for a moment the pup just went limp, breathing heavily. Then he told them all, "He's… looking for… the tofu dragon."

"And you made him angry because..?" Hari asked, suspiciously. When he saw the one-eyed pup glance over at Chikao, he just huffed in annoyance. "Nevermind, I think I can guess." Switching to Japanese, he shouted, /Chikao! Come here now./

/I didn't know!/ the pup defended, cowering. /Honest, I-/

/You're free to go./

The pup paused. /Really?/

/You did as you were told,/ Hari confirmed. /Besides…/ When he turned his head to Genki, he shot the skulk leader a malevolent smirk. /…I have a new servant, now./

/Agreed,/ Eichi growled, drawing an invisible symbol in the air and causing his son's fur to glow slightly. /Although your needles are slightly ineffective with him, so allow me to help you./

/Oh, come on!/ Genki complained, turning to Eichi as soon as the chef put him down. /That's not fair!/

As the squabbling continued with the father telling his son everything he did wrong, Hari turned back to the waiting sinner, who was watching the whole scenario with an expression caught between annoyed and amused, though mostly confused. "It's a family matter; best to leave that alone."

"Ah, I see," the overlord acknowledged with a nod. "My name is Alastor, my good man! And what is yours?"

"Hari," he answered, flatly. "Why are you looking for the dragon?"

"I was invited here by a Yokai leader called Jo…" he paused as the name escaped him. "Joru… no, that's not it. Hm, I can't recall…"

"Jorōgumo?"

"Yes, that's the one!" Alastor confirmed. "I'm afraid negotiations turned sour when she tried to eat me."

"And the dragon…" Hari prompted, impatiently.

"She came to my aid. She also works for the hotel I came to represent. As such, I simply can not leave without her!"

"Well, outsiders aren't allowed in the back," Hari told him. It was a lie, but one he told often enough to be convincing. "And the dragon is in no condition to be moved right now."

Alastor's head tilted to the side. "Oh? And yet Eliza is there despite being an outsider."

"She has someone to vouch for her; you don't." Hari heard a clicking noise, and he took note of the overlord's claws flexing impatiently. "That, and we haven't had a chance to figure out what's wrong with her."

"She was stabbed," Alastor explained, casually. "The woman who invited me attacked her. Not hard to explain, really."

Things got tense as both individuals were trying to lie their way out of dealing with each other. Hari couldn't help but feel slightly protective, especially if the dragon turned out to be someone he knew in life, but Alastor was most unwilling to be brushed off. After a moment, Eichi walked up to intervene, his bright smile firmly in place. "You must be starving! Perhaps a bite to eat while you wait?"

"Hm…" Alastor hummed, turning to look over the patients. When the fox realized what he was doing, Eichi faltered slightly as that wasn't exactly what he meant. Still, it did present an opportunity.

Hari picked up on it as well. "So… is the Oni's debt settled yet?" he asked, turning to the chef curiously.

"I think it's about to be," he replied with a smirk. "You see the temperamental red one?"

The Oni stopped struggling against his silk bindings when he realized they were talking about him, his wide eyes falling on the smiling wendigo. Alastor chuckled. "Very well, I suppose he'll do."

"I'm afraid violence isn't allowed in the temple," Hari mused out loud. "You'll have to take him outside."

"We apologize for the inconvenience," Eichi added with a slight bow.

"No trouble at all!" Alastor said, twirling his microphone as he stepped forward. He at least didn't lose any power on the way here, as he consumed those in his path to fuel his chase, but a little extra power would be all he needed. Still, storming the temple would be difficult, even with the venom partially flushed out of his system.

For now, he made a show of dragging out the offered meal, humming to himself until the doors started to close behind him. Turning to stare at them, his smile widened as his shadow disappeared under the door.

As soon as the overlord was gone, Hari sighed and turned on his heel. /Genki, come!/ he barked.

/Alright, alright!/ the pup complained, running to catch up as his father joined them.

/He's hiding something,/ Eichi stated.

/No shit,/ the healer drawled. /Genki, how hard was it to piss him off enough to chase you?/

The pup chuckled. /Easy!/

/You idiot,/ Hari sighed, opening the sliding door and walking over to the dragon. Ayuka was kneeling on the floor with the beast's head in her lap. /There's no way a man like that is easy to goad./

/Who?/ Ayuka asked, watching Hari closely as he squatted down next to her.

/The sinner Genki stupidly brought to our temple,/ Hari grumbled, glaring over at the one-eyed pup. Genki just gave a huff and held his head up defiantly.

/He said he knew we took her,/ Eichi mentioned. /He probably used Genki to find us./

/Ack!/ Everyone turned to Genki, who was rubbing his snout with his leg. /She reeks! She smells like that red guy!/

Hari growled. /Great; you led the guy who hurt the tofu dragon to the tofu dragon. Brilliant work, Genki./

/How was I supposed to know?!/ the pup barked, indignantly. /She was working with the Magic Cat, and the Magic Cat works for the stinky red guy! She paid me and my friends fried tofu to help them out!/

/Well, at least we know where the red box went,/ Eichi chuckled.

/Ayuka,/ Hari muttered, putting a hand on her shoulder, /it would be best if he didn't know you were here./

She recoiled, slightly offended. /Why?/

Meanwhile, outside, Alastor was gorging himself. It took no time at all to consume the wretch, but there is one thing he left behind to inspect when he was done. Wiping the blood from his lips, he lifted the strands that had held the demon captive. After a moment, he snarled as he recognized them. Spider silk. The same kind of spider silk that had nearly caused his demise.

Those bastards!

When the sliding door slammed to the side, everyone turned to see the shadow standing there before it burst into color. That golden smile was sharp, and glowing red eyes narrowed as they fell on Ayuka, who was still cradling the dragon's head in her lap. "What is that wretched spider doing here?"

Eichi and Genki blocked the sleeping Kichi from view, and Hari put himself directly between Alastor and the young Jorōgumo. "She is a member of the Kitsune Clan, and my assistant."

After a moment, Alastor's head tilted to the side. "She's… part of your clan?"

"Being born into a clan doesn't bind you to it," Hari explained carefully. "Now, your turn; why are you here for the dragon?"

"I already told you that she-"

"But failed to mention that you did this to her?" he snarled, gesturing to her motionless form. "Are the wounds yours, too?"

"How dare you!" Alastor snarled.

As much as Eichi respected Eliza, his priority was his daughter and, to some extent, his Wild son. As such, he took hold of both of them and vanished, blowing past the wendigo in a puff of smoke. Perhaps he would return once his children were secure, but until then, he would no longer interfere.

Despite the chef's fears, he and the pups were the least of Alastor's concerns. No, his focus was on the healer, who was still between him and Eliza, as well as the spider who had her filthy hands on her. "Step away from the dragon. Now." Ayuka's eyes narrowed, but she made no move to distance herself from the patient.

At first, Alastor figured she didn't understand. After all, the spider demon who guided him didn't speak English, either. But then she said, "I will not leave a patient like this."

"It was not a request." Symbols swirled around his head, but in that brief moment of distraction, he suddenly found himself unable to move. His muscles stiffened as he felt a strange sensation in his back, similar to several bee stings.

"How does that feel?" Hari snarked, putting his leftover needles away. Three needles strategically placed along his spine should keep him nice and-

"Surprisingly relaxing." Hari's head snapped around in surprise, watching the wendigo's smile glow with each syllable. Then a shadow appeared behind the deer, carefully removing the three needles before cheekily dropping them onto the floor. "Although I must admit, being paralyzed twice in one day is rather irritating."

"Did mother do this with her spider legs?"

Returning his attention to the spider demon, he watched carefully as she stood and moved over to Eliza's back, her hands ghosting over the wounds. "Yes," he answered, tensely.

Sighing in relief, Ayuka removed her hands. "Then she will heal. Mother is prone to… outbursts, but the legs do not leave permanent damage."

Somehow, despite already confirming that Eliza would survive with his own magic, a second opinion from a demon of the same species helped more than he thought. "That… is good to know. Thank you."

While Hari's defensive stance relaxed, he still didn't move. "Alright, so you didn't stab the girl. Care to explain the rest of… this?"

The overlord sighed, realizing there was no way out of this. "I'm afraid this is an unfortunate case of mishandled raw power. I feared this trip might be a trap, and so I brought extra in my staff. Eliza… absorbed some by accident."

Ayuka looked between the dragon and the intruder suspiciously. "And how do you get your power, exactly?"

Hari expected the man to get hostile, but instead he just chuckled. "From my tortured and devoured victims… as well as the enthralled listeners that tune in when I do."

Ayuka made a face and tsked, turning away in disgust, but Hari blinked at him. "So, Jorōgumo is..?"

"Unfortunately alive," the wendigo spat. "Taken by a group of Yokai. They call themselves the 'Sisters of Pleasure.'"

Pulling out her fan, Ayuka hid her cruel smile while Hari barked a laugh, causing Alastor to look thoroughly confused. "Don't sound so mad; if that bitch is with them, she'll be miserable for decades! Ha!"

"Oh?" Alastor asked, suddenly very amused. "And why is that?"

"She has snubbed them for years," Ayuka giggled. "Now she is weak and desperate."

"And she messed with their bondage houses on a truce day," Hari added with a snicker. "Oh, she is fucked!"

For a brief moment, Alastor joined in the mirth with a dark chuckle. But then his eyes returned to his injured friend, and the good humor was lost. As much as it irked him to admit it, the healers were right; Eliza was in no condition to leave just yet. Not until he removed the power keeping her unconscious. "Well, now that introductions are out of the way, I must ask you both to leave."

Closing her fan, Ayuka turned back to him, barring her fangs. "I told you before that I-"

"You have an hour," Hari told him, flatly. When his assistant hissed at him, he turned to her and asked, "Does that sound like enough time?"

Staring at him incredulously, she just threw up her hands and walked out of the room, hissing at the wendigo as she passed. Before she disappeared, she answered, "It is enough."

Alastor's head swiveled one-hundred-and-eighty degrees to watch her leave, and when she vanished he chuckled as his head turned back around. "A rather feisty breed, aren't they?"

"You don't know the half of it," the healer sighed. But now that they were alone, Hari decided to make something very clear. "Whatever this creature is to you, there is a chance that she is someone who was once important to me."

A sickening crack echoed throughout the room as Alastor's head tilted too far to one side. "Is that so? And just who do you think she is, exactly?"

Hari's eyes glowed a deep blue, and a pale, purple-blue mist seemed to fill the room. "Until I know for sure, that's none of your business. And even after I figure it out, it's still not your business." As he walked up to the overlord, neither man flinched or backed off in any way. "But if something happens to her before that time, you will not leave this temple alive."

"Oh?" Alastor sneered. "And here I thought violence wasn't allowed in this temple!"

"Who said anything about violence?"

As the fox walked past him, the deer didn't bother turning his head to watch him leave. His shadow, however, pulled away to stand directly behind him, glancing back at the door as it slid shut before turning to his master. Alastor ordered, "Watch the door and make sure that man doesn't return. Keep an eye out for his assistant as well."

Finally alone, he reluctantly turned his gaze back to Eliza. She looked so… lifeless. Despite what the healers said, he checked again with his magic to be sure, and when he verified that she wasn't gone, he released the breath he had been holding. Carefully looking her over, he moved to where the spider woman had been before, touching the wounds that were sewn together with silk and bandaged over. Well, at least there's a good use for that blasted webbing, though the temptation to remove it itched in his mind. If it was hurting her in any way…

He paused, containing the anger threatening to burst out. Now was not the time for that. No, he had other matters to take care of first, and as such he laid his microphone on the floor as he knelt down next to her head. Putting his hand in front of her nostrils, he felt the slightest bit of warmth as she breathed out in shallow breaths. When she finally awoke from this nightmare, she would be terribly weak, but at least she would be free. Symbols swirled as he moved in close, intending to place his forehead to hers to absorb his magic.

Then he smelled smoke.

Startled, he jolted back up in a panic and backed away. Was her pheromone active, even now? That… that can't be. Swallowing his nerves, he moved back into position and leaned down once more. The scent was there, but there was nothing else. No sensations, no strange thoughts, and his hunger didn't spike to dangerous levels despite the appetizing aroma. Was the smell a separate entity; nothing more than her natural odor? Actually, hadn't he felt a tingle in his nose when he toyed with her before? Nothing happened then, either.

He shook his head; now was not the time to dwell on this. Focusing on the task at hand, he placed his forehead against hers with a groan. At least it was his own powers he was trying to absorb, so he didn't have to eat her or anything, but it was still an uncomfortable process. A process… that didn't seem to be working.

After another minute or so of nothing, he sat up with narrowed eyes. Why wasn't the power returning? Has it been attached to her for too long? No, Husk's first experience with this had lasted far longer before Alastor had a chance to remove it, and it gave him no trouble at all. Something was wrong. Was it the silk binding her wounds? Jorōgumo's web had special properties; who was to say that her daughters couldn't use it in strange ways as well?

Irritated and fighting the urge to forcefully remove his disobedient power, which would hurt Eliza greatly, he pricked his palm and drew a symbol above her head. The hovering mark moved like a flowing river as the magic took hold, and finally the power reacted. Darkness slithered along her scales, forming hands that seemed to melt into her dark mane, and half of a shadowy face formed between her horns, a single white eye staring up at him.

Mine…

It was like a whistling wind, but Alastor understood the shade perfectly. "She is not your master," he reminded the creature, firmly. "You belong to me!"

Mine!

Its incomplete hands seemed to pet the sleeping sinner, and red sparks appeared everywhere it touched. Alastor snarled. "That is enough! Return immediately, you wretched thing!"

The shadowy being looked confused.

All mine…

Alastor thought quickly. His magic was clinging to the woman with everything it had. Why? Why would it act this way? Nothing was different between now and all previous cases of someone absorbing his power by accident, except…

Except his connection to her.

It clicked. The power he took from his tower for the trip was a collection of his most recent broadcasts, which of course included his latest one. It had been brutal, unforgiving, personal… Because of his frustration over Eliza.

That power, which was locked away inside of Olly, attached to the therapist the moment she touched the staff. It had what it wanted; what he had wanted. As far as the shade was concerned, Eliza was his, and it was desperate to hold on to her, even if it meant her suffering. And part of that frustration had involved the idea of killing her if she refused to sign the contract, which means…

Would it kill her if he removed it by force?

Taking a deep breath, he needed to think clearly without panicking. What did he know about the situation? The shade was a part of his will; raw power deeply connected to the darkest parts of his mind. It was connected to a soul he was desperate to own for reasons that were more personal than logical. And finally, he could talk to it, and that fact alone left the door open for success.

He grinned down at the shade, teasingly. "Is this really the best you can do?"

Mine!

The shadows rippled slowly as the shade started to move, causing more sparks that had to be painful, and Alastor smirked. "How brutish of you! Forcing your will upon a helpless woman? Well done; you've proven so much!"

Mine…

"Oh, yes, of course," Alastor purred, darkly. "She's all yours. And I'm sure she's thrilled about being trapped in some shadowy place in pain. All because you have nothing else to offer." Then, to rub salt in the wound, he offered a slow clap. "Truly marvelous work." He watched closely as the shadows started to pull back slowly.

Mine…

The shade was at a loss as Alastor's conflicted thoughts came into play, and the wendigo knew it. "I'm sure if we asked her, she'd be happy to say she's yours! After all, what woman wouldn't be happy to belong to a beast that brings her only pain and suffering? Why, I'm sure the solitude is just the cherry on top, isn't it? After all, how else could you win a soul like hers?"

Mine?

During the entire talk-down, Alastor had to fight against his ears trying to droop to the sides. Despite having a target to insult, it was not lost on him that, in the end, the shade was nothing more than a shallow reflection of himself. A spiteful, hateful, possessive part of his mind that had attached to Eliza in a way that it never should have, leaving him to mock himself so that she could be freed. It was a cruelty that he couldn't help but admire, in a way. "Oh, how proud mother would be to see you now; forcing yourself on a woman like your father." The shadow started to slump, looking slowly between Alastor and Eliza. "She always warned us that we were like him, didn't she? How validated she must feel now."

Not… Mine…

Finally, the shadow collapsed, and when Alastor bent down to finish the ritual, he felt no resistance. The power returned, carefully separating from the dragon, thus releasing her from the nightmarish prison the shade created for her. As Alastor felt himself thrum with power, he gasped in surprise when he realized that she had absorbed far more than he thought. How much of his power had decided to cling to her?

Holding himself up on his hands and knees, he fought to compose himself as he heard the dragon begin to stir. Deciding that attempting to rise to his feet was a futile effort, he sat cross-legged on the floor, straight-backed with his smile firmly in place as her eyes opened, blinking sleepily. Then she noticed not only that she was in an unknown location, but also who was in the room with her. Sitting on the floor.

Alone.

Jumping to her feet in surprise, she tried to back away from Alastor and fell back to the floor as her entire body was sent reeling in pain, enough to bring tears to her eyes. When she looked up to see Alastor kneeling next to her, she froze. The man was grinning down at her as usual, but there was a softness to his smile that was unfamiliar to her. "I recommend not doing that again, my dear," he teased. "You're injured, after all! You simply must be more careful." When he reached out to pat her head, she moved away from him, eyeing him warily. He chuckled as he pulled his hand back. "I… suppose I deserve that."

After a silent span in which Alastor simply watched her fidget, he asked, "Why are you still a dragon? While I can't speak for the other demons in this place, I assure you that you're in no danger from me!" Once again she gave no response, and he began to feel anxious. Then he snapped his fingers as an idea came to him. "Perhaps you're simply parched! I'm sure this whole ordeal has been nothing short of exhausting, and one must keep hydrated! What would you like? Water is the best, of course, but I'm sure they have-." Then he heard a sound; a telltale noise that everyone knew, and his grin widened. "You're hungry! Of course, how silly of me, not realizing it sooner. Surely they must have some form of food here; it is supposed to be a temple of some kind!"

When Alastor slowly stood up, Eliza felt confused and somewhat nervous. He didn't say a word to her after the contract, going out of his way to make it clear that he wanted nothing to do with her, and now he was fussing over her? Why? Surely the whole thing with the Yokai wasn't enough to make him change his mind so completely. Unless…

"Alastor, stop."

Having made it halfway to the sliding door, he stopped mid-step and turned his head slightly. "Stop what, my dear? We must make sure you're fed! I assure you that I will-"

"I said stop!" Eliza interrupted, forcefully. Her voice may be weak, but the anger seemed to echo in the room, causing Alastor to falter. "You turn your back on me whenever I try to talk to you and expect me to believe everything's suddenly OK? I'm not stupid, Alastor. You… you don't owe me this, OK? And if you actually do because of some weird voodoo or demon law I don't know about, then just drive me back to the hotel and we're even. But please, stop pretending, because if you're playing nice for a debt just to ignore me after it's settled… Please stop."

Her voice shook, and she hated it. Hated how weak she sounded, how sad- no, hurt- she was, both physically and emotionally, and she hated how he just stood there, watching her every move. Would he try to verbally cut her down like the last time they spoke? Would he mock her? Threaten her? It's been years since she felt this vulnerable, and she despised that all she could do was wait for the pain.

Alastor hesitated to respond as that strange feeling reemerged. It was a painful twinge in his chest; a foreign emotion that made him feel confused and, by extension, angry. Last time he rejected it, mocking her as he walked away to let her stew in her misery. It was supposed to be a small victory to make up for his failure, and yet just thinking about it felt nothing like victory. Because in that moment, he possibly lost what he wanted to keep.

If he did it again, there was no doubt that it would all end right here and now.

"I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding here," he told her, stiffly.

She glared tiredly at him. "What's to misunderstand? You didn't get what you wanted and left."

Alastor scoffed. "A rather drastic oversimplification, don't you think?"

"Is it?" she asked, almost spitefully. "Alright then, explain to me which part is wrong. You spend months getting close to me, get angry about me seeing Vox, make an offer for my soul, and then when I tell you I'd be willing to be your friend or your possession but not both, you walk away after hurling subtle threats and taking a stab at my friendship with Angel."

Taking a step forward, he shouted, "And just what do you mean by 'getting close to you'?!"

"Exactly how it sounds," she growled.

Drawing back for a moment, he just stared down at her, unwilling to believe the realization he just had. Shaking his head, he held up a finger. "Wait a minute. You think our friendship was insincere?"

"I don't want to," she admitted, "but when you brought up the contract, telling me everything you wanted from me… not once did you mention any interest in being friends."

"It was meant to be separate!" he cried. "Why would I include that in the contract? I added the freedom to keep your secrets to yourself only so you wouldn't feel obligated to share more than necessary. I wanted our friendship to continue on its own, just as I wanted you to tell me things because you wish to, not because you belong to me!"

"I DID tell you something!"

"Oh?" he sneered, his lip pulled back as he resisted the urge to growl. "And what, pray tell, was that?"

"I told you that the reason I couldn't spend eternity as your friend and property is because everyone leaves, and I always thought that you would be the same. I didn't want to spend eternity resenting you because I was stuck with you no matter how your opinion might change, and you just… walked away. Do you…" She cleared her throat to clear out the knot blocking her words. "Do you know how many people I've told that to?"

He gulped as his nerves flared. He didn't want to admit it, but deep down he knew the answer. "How many?"

"One. Present company is included in that total by the way."

His hand flexed as he reflexively tried to grasp his staff, only then realizing that it was still laying on the floor near Eliza. He didn't dare clench his fist, lest he bleed, summon shadows by mistake and draw unwanted attention. Even as he struggled to reply, words seemed to escape him as he came to terms with what he did. What he really did, at least in her eyes.

"You never really told me much about yourself when we were together, aside from your stories about your victims," she continued, sadly. "But you share those with everyone, so I figured you didn't mean anything by it. I always felt like you were holding back, so I felt like I should do the same. Whenever I observed something about you, you always got angry with me, and at first I convinced myself that it was because we didn't know each other for long.

"Then Vox came into the picture. Before that, you were always… nice, I guess. You were patient with me, playful, even sweet sometimes. I enjoyed it a lot, but then your rival was brought up and suddenly… it stopped. Even before things went horribly wrong with the pheromone, you were becoming hostile. I know what you said when I asked before, but honestly, I don't believe you would have let me go. That's not the direction that morning was going, and I think you know it too. Coming to terms with that wasn't easy, but you tried so hard to make up for it and I wanted to believe you meant it. So… I decided to try again. Give it another chance."

"Then I offered the contract," he finished for her.

Eliza felt like an idiot, saying all of this now. It stung in ways she hadn't felt in years, and she certainly didn't miss that feeling. All she could do was give a silent nod, worried that if she kept talking she was going to tell him something he really didn't need or, more importantly, want to know.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the moment he knelt in front of her face until he put a single claw on her snout, making her pull back in surprise, wiggling her nose. He couldn't help but chuckle at the cute display. "My dear, I assure you that nothing about our friendship was meant to lure you into a contract."

He could see in her eyes that she didn't believe a word he just said. "Then when did you decide that you wanted to own me, if it wasn't from the start?"

At first, he looked like he was about to answer, but then his lips closed over his teeth as he remembered where they were. "Not here, my dear. I-"

"Your hour is up," called a grumpy female voice. "If that dragon is still suffering, I'll-"

The door slid open as Ayuka reached it, and she was met with a condescending smirk and narrowed eyes. "Excellent! I was just about to find you. I need an order of…" he paused for a moment as he drew a blank and turned his head completely around. "What would you like to eat, my dear?"

"Um…" Eliza mused, quietly. "You never actually told me where we are, you know."

"Oh, yes! This is a temple belonging to the… the um…" He turned his head back around. "What's your clan's name again?"

Ayuka looked about ready to slap his impudent, smug face. "I am not some waitress! And we are the Kitsune clan, you forgetful oaf!"

"Ha! Yes, that's the one!"

"A Kitsune temple?!" she blurted out, briefly forgetting her injuries to scramble to her feet before her body made sure to quickly remind her. She dropped back down to the floor as a sharp pain ran through her chest and down her back, causing her to cry out.

Alastor's lip curled as he glared down at the healer. "Very well, then. If you're so unwilling to feed your hungry charge, I'll make something myself. Tell me, are there any patients left with enough meat to make a decent meal?"

Turning an angry red as her fangs flashed, Ayuka prepared to take a stab at him when Hari huffed out a laugh behind her. "There's a guy near the front with a bit of pudge, but for the most part, Kitsune tend to be stringy." Walking up next to her, he gestured to his assistant with his thumb. "At least that's what she tells me."

"H-Hari!" she yelled, turning bright red for an entirely new reason.

"I'm joking!" he snickered. Then he leaned in to the side towards Alastor and whispered, "Seriously though, the man is a pain. If he disappears, no one will cry over it." Ayuka punched him in the shoulder, and he chuckled. "Why don't you call Eichi back now that it's safe? Tell him to bring some oden; his cooking can fix up anyone."

"Oh, fine," she growled, "but only for the patient. He doesn't need it!" Turning to the pompous wendigo, she added, "And if you even think of taking some of hers-!"

Alastor put a hand on his chest in mock offense. "Thinking I would take a woman's food; even I'm not that heartless!"

Making a noise that told him everything he needed to know about her opinion of that statement, the Jorōgumo stormed off and disappeared around the corner, a constant stream of disgruntled Japanese following her every step of the way. Hari just watched her with a smile until she vanished, eventually turning back towards the overlord blocking the door. "Alright, move it. Time for an examination." When Alastor growled, he smirked. "Get your mind out of the gutter, boy."

"You still haven't told me who you think Eliza is," he reminded the healer. "Why should I assume any less of your intentions?"

When the fox laughed, Alastor's ear twitched irritably. "Trust me, if she's who I think she is, there's nothing to worry about." Turning his snout down, Hari looked up at Alastor with narrowed eyes that went from tired and bored to cold and angry in an instant. "Now move."

The wendigo moved out of the way, but never took his eyes off him for an instant. In the end, he hoped the man was wrong about knowing Eliza, because if he was, Alastor was going to butcher him to make a point.


Author's Notes:

I swear the only part that wasn't rewritten at least five times was Husk's couple of paragraphs. Alastor can be really hard to write for sometimes, especially during emotional moments.