Sorry for the long wait!
While this chapter turned out to be less disturbing and less explicit than I first thought, it still contains one paragraph of a MxMxF threesome. If you don't like that stuff, skip the first paragraph after the second line break.
Thank you once again to the lovely TheNotSoNiceLiberian and the lovely KyoHana, for your encouragement. We're at the climax now! I've been thinking a lot about how I should execute this chapter and did something quite different than I had originally planned. I hope it answers most questions. While there should still be 1-2 more chapters to wrap things up, I really want to stress how important your constant reviews have been for me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, truly.
Yomi could hear his heart thumping. Though he'd always been able to hear it, he had learned to disregard it over time. Today, however, his heart was hammering in his sensitive ears, as if struggling to escape the confines of his ribcage, that he could not ignore it. To anyone else, it would simply sound like a racing heart beat, but to Yomi, the sound was deafening, like drums playing right next to one's ears. Yomi had only been this excited a handful of times in his life. He was so very close uniting Makai. Once the bothersome chore of mating with Mukuro is over, he would be poised with the army he needs to usurp the simpleton Yusuke's place as King of Tourin. He would rule all Makai with the breathtaking Kurama by his side, centuries worth of effort finally bearing fruit. Together, they would rival Emma or any ningen king in both power, influence, intelligence, and grace. They would be loved and feared at the same time.
That was a vision Kurama had shared with him one night when they were still the leaders of an infamous band of bandits. It was a late spring night after a particularly fruitful heist, and they had celebrated by sharing a jug of fine vintage, lying side by side in a meadow blanketed by nothing but the moonlight. Yomi would never forget how mesmerizing Kurama looked that night, pale skin lit by blazing stars that burned just for him, long silver hair a vast carpet of incandescence on the green grass, golden eyes seeing beyond the heavens, envisioning a future Yomi didn't even have the audacity to dream.
Kurama had described a united Makai where there were no boundaries between territories, where scientific advances would ease all hunger and suffering, a place where any demon, no matter how lowly born, could rise above and make a place for themselves. It would be a paradise so free, so extraordinary, and so magnificent that even the gods would be jealous. Moved by the Utopian vision, Yomi had sworn he would do anything he could to help make it come true.
But alas, things didn't work out that way and there was none to blame but himself. He was never quite worthy of the legendary youko, lacking the cunning, the patience, the intelligence, the discretion, and the discipline of the king of thieves. It was only right that the youko sent an assassin after him, considering he was inadvertently tarnishing their band's reputation and putting Kurama's grand schemes at risk with his recklessness. While recovering from the assassination attempt that took away his sight, he vowed to better himself so he could be a better aid to the fox. He started applying Kurama's lessons, becoming more strategic, building a disciplined force, amassing the wealth he would need to arm them, and ultimately carving out a territory of Makai all to himself.
He had went in search of his beloved fox then, but he was no where to be found. Of course, rumors about the legendary Kurama abound, and Yomi spent many centuries chasing after false leads. When he finally found him again, it was the human Kurama he met, a creature so different both physically and psychologically that he thought he'd been mistaken at first. But one whiff of this creature's sweet aroma had taken him back to that night under the starlight — strands of Kurama's silver hair fluttering in the warm breeze and his heart racing when his hand had accidentally brushed against the youko's — and he knew that this unfamiliar creature was indeed his one and only Kurama.
To his great shock, Kurama had not wanted to return to Makai, had not wanted the power and territory he'd once craved, and worse of all, had not wanted him. He had found the paradise he was searching for, Kurama had explained, and his place was in ningenkai with his human mother. Angry and dejected, Yomi could not fathom how a debt to his ningen mother of seventeen short years could take precedence over the centuries long camaraderie between them. Having taken aeons to find his fox, Yomi was willing to do anything to bring them back together, even something as lowly as poisoning the fox and his family. And it worked. Kurama came back to him and acquiesced by becoming his advisor. While the roles were a little different than he had imagined, it was like the old times again. They would play out various scenarios as if the ambitious goal of a united Makai was a game of chess. They would spend countless hours in his study discussing strategies and political maneuvers while sharing bottles of vintage from the same year as the one they had shared once long ago. They would create and debate elaborate plans for manipulating Raizen and his half-ningen son, for winning the favor of the Tourinese people, for waging a psychological battle against Mukuro, for weakening her standing among her army. In the end, Mukuro proved a big hurdle to overcome, and Yomi reluctantly agreed to his fox's scheme of travelling to Alaric to earn her trust.
In retrospect, sending Kurama to Mukuro had been a wise choice, no matter how averse he initially was to the idea. The very thought of his fox seducing an enemy irked him, and he had taken out his frustration on the poor thing when he returned. It had hurt the Gandaran king too much to smell Mukuro's lingering scent on Kurama. Yomi imagined the fox must have sang phrases of Gandaran culture in between whispering sweet nothings in Mukuro's ears and pleasing her physically with his limber body. No matter how well-intentioned, it was not a pleasing image. Well, at the very least, he received this favorable outcome for his sacrifice.
He led Mukuro into the ritual yurt, leaving the sounds and smells of the jovial celebration behind them. Although he was unable to enjoy its splendor, he had made certain that the circular room would be decorated lavishly. Lush hand-made rugs of intricate patterns covered the floor, imported Moroccan candle lanterns casting haunting shadows of dancing candlelight placed strategically throughout the room, plush fabrics of warm red, purple and brown tones hung from the wooden ribs of the roof, and the oversized bed with bedposts of twisted oak branches reaching towards the pointed ceiling placed right in the center of it all. But of course, the icing on the proverbial cake was the devastatingly stunning creature laying atop of the bed. To be sure, Yomi had never had the great fortune to lay eyes on this creature, but thousands of gentle traces of soft skin and hundreds of tender caresses have painted a vivid picture in his head.
Mukuro interrupted his thoughts, "Who is that?" She was clearly gesturing to the lovely creature who was now stirring on the bed. Such a tactless and disgraceful woman.
"Pardon my oversight, I'd forgotten that you've not met before. Youko Kurama, in his ningen form." Yomi climbed onto the bed to help his fox up. He could hear him panting and softly moaning, the poor thing was in pain. Unnatural heat rolled off his skin like an untamed fire. He gently dabbed the beads of sweat from Kurama's brow.
"Hmph, that fox sure is full of surprises," Mukuro huffed, focus trained on the fox. "What's wrong with him?"
"He is in need of his monthly nourishment." It had been just over a month since Kurama had received his last dosage. Unsurprisingly, the fox had concocted an antidote of his own, and sneaked back into the human realm to cure his ningen family. Yomi had never doubted his fox's ability to overcome the odds, his vast intelligence was what transcended the fox from being merely beautiful to absolutely captivating. But while his antidote stopped his own virus from spreading within his body, he didn't realize that Yomi had added an extra complication. To truly deactivate the disease, Kurama needed the nourishment of his blood regularly for three weeks. It was Yomi's way of guaranteeing a monthly visit from his clever fox.
Lifting Kurama so that he rested against his chest, Yomi bit lightly at his wrist to allow a trickle of blood to flow and encouraged the fox to lap at it. With his free hand, Yomi stroked the ravishing redhead's face, "There, there, love, you'll feel better soon."
Yomi knew Mukuro was watching, he could feel her eyes on them but he didn't care. Right now, his priority was his fox. Kurama have been suffering for too long. Yomi had him brought back from ningenka especially for this night and have kept him in custody by purposely withholding his blood.
Slowly, Kurama's breathing became deeper and more even. Green eyes must have fluttered open and a pair of delicate hands grabbed onto his wrist, sucking and biting at the wound. Yomi drew his hand away, wanting to keep the fox weak enough to control. Kurama gave a small whimper at the loss, sighed deeply, possibly taking a moment to adjust his emotions, then resolutely pushed himself up. Seeing Mukuro and Yomi together in such an elaborate tent, Kurama must have deduced their purpose. "I apologize, King Mukuro, for my pitiful state. I shall leave you to continue with your ritual."
"No need to be so formal, my dear," Mukuro responded. Yomi flinched inwardly at the term of endearment but did not allow the feeling to register on his face. It is a small price to pay on his road to a united Makai. Besides, it was through Kurama's encouragement that made this union possible and he had promised Mukuro he would share, after all. It would only be once, he reminded himself, steeling himself for what he was about to do.
Kurama started to lift himself from the bed but Yomi grabbed his slender arm, "Stay, fox. This is your night as much as it is ours." They would soon rule over two thirds of Makai and this was a cause for celebration. He slid a hand under the thin robe that the fox was wearing and caressed the soft skin beneath. Regrettably, in order for the mating ritual to succeed, both partners must first find their release, but Yomi wanted no part in pleasuring Mukuro. The fox would have to do that for him. "Stay, fox. Let Mukuro enjoy your exquisite human form."
Turning to face Mukuro, who was still standing near the entrance of the Yurt, Yomi asked, "or would you prefer the handsome youko form?"
"I'll have a taste of both, thank you," Mukuro replied, finally stepping towards them and sitting onto the bed.
Gathering the fox into his arm, Yomi placed tender kisses on to his beautiful neck before whispering into Kurama's ear, "dear, won't you use your talented mouth to please my new wife?"
Some things in life could never be adequately described with words. Being buried deep within his beloved silver fox was one such thing. Every passionate thrust forward pushed the love of his life deeper into Mukuro, eliciting moans of pleasure from all three of them. Nothing else mattered. All Yomi cared about was entering and reentering his fox, their bodies throbbing and entwined. Nothing else existed; only pleasure. Yomi was driven into a state of hypnosis by the melody of their lovemaking and the aroma of Kurama's intimacy. His thrusts took on a frantic rhythm. He reached and cupped one hand over the fox mouth, bending that lithe body backwards into an arch. In the heat of passion, Kurama bared his teeth and then bit into his hand, drawing a trickle of blood. Possibly realizing his mistake, the fox started lapping at the small wound, licking it clean. That sensation drove Yomi to the point of no return. A primal feeling began building within him and was soon radiating throughout his entire body. He grabbed Kurama by his fluffy tail and held him tight to spew his essence deep into his fox. No matter how many times he spilt his seed into his fox, it always felt like the first time.
For a short ten seconds, his mind was completely blank, and then a moment of clarity arose. It was time for the ritual. His fox was still interlaced with Mukuro even though she'd already found her release.
He angled his head to sink his teeth into Mukuro's neck, ready to taste her blood and injecting his youki while she did the same to him. All the while, he kept his senses trained on the beautiful youko, and in his mind's eye he could see the fox's fine silver hair cascading over his shoulders and swaying to his graceful thrusting, sweaty body glistening from the flicker of lights casted by the Moroccan lanterns. His soft moaning music to his ears. Of course, Yomi would much rather mark him than the woman, but this sacrifice would be small in the grand scheme of things. Besides, once he had her territory, Yomi could easily gain control of her by infecting her with his viruses. That will come later. For now, his guests were waiting for their return to confirm their union with newly marked bodies. Loud boisterous singing could be heard from the celebration pavilion, a common Alarican folk song. Not wanting to delay the act any further, he sank his teeth into Mukuro, tasting the coppery liquid that weeped out of the wound, while she did the same. Before he started injecting his youki, however, Mukuro bit harder, deeper than was necessary. With a gush of blood and excessive force she pulled from him, ripping muscles and tendons. Quickly, he withdrew from her, hand on the bleeding wound, letting a surprised expression form on his face.
Before he could utter a word, Yomi heard and felt an eruption of ki so strong that his skin tingled. Underfoot, he felt a slight rumble. Yusuke. Judging by the time it took for the initial blast of ki to reverberate to the Crystal Dessert, the pesky half-ningen king was quite a distance away and was not a threat, but his powers were alarming. Yomi could feel Mukuro tense up and straighten at the vibrations while Kurama relaxed and redressed. Something was not right, there was a heavy feeling of tension in the air, the fox was too calm, Mukuro too alarmed.
The next thing he knew, Mukuro leapt from the bed and was flaring her youki, the smell of her bloodlust permeated the small yurt. "It's time to end this charade," she remarked, her energy causing the ceiling hangings to whip wildly about.
Instinctively, Yomi flared his ki, frowning at Mukuro's sudden change in demeanor. Still standing near the bed, the silly fox silently flared his energy as well, Yomi didn't know what for, his aura was too feeble to be of help due to his weakened state. Inwardly, Yomi chided himself for sharing his fox with Mukuro and celebrating prematurely, he should have known that this union would not come so easily. No matter, he had a back up plan. This was merely one more obstacle to overcome before he could achieve their dreams. "If you truly have the best interests of your citizens in mind, you will submit to me. Otherwise, they would pay dearly for your mistake."
"By pay dearly I assume you mean infected with contagions?" This was clearly a rhetorical question, suggesting to Yomi that Mukuro knew of his plans all along. Bitterly, he realized that this whole affair had been simply a ruse to distract and entrap him. If it wasn't for Mukuro's proposal, he would have set his plan in action weeks ago. Before Yomi had a chance to ponder how she knew, Mukuro attacked with a succession of quick explosive punches.
Yomi laughed heartily. Though he gave her credit for uncovering his plans, this woman clearly did not do any reconnaissance on his abilities! He didn't even need to dodge. Instead, he simply erected his demon energy absorption barrier which deflected the attacks and absorbed its energies to grow larger and stronger. In response, Yomi blasted his youki through the ritual yurt, ripping apart the ceiling and shooting it straight up into the night sky, the signal his troops have been waiting for to spring into action.
"That was quite brash of you. I've always known you to be ruthless, but never expected you to completely disregard the well-being of your people." Yomi clasped his hands behind himself elegantly and sighed exaggeratedly. "I suppose it is too late for regrets now. The contagions are being spread as we speak."
"Are you so naive to think that I haven't taken any precautions of my own?" Mukuro retorted, ki plodding uselessly at his barrier. "By now, my own troops would have confined your pathetic little camps and rendered them useless."
"Actually," Kurama spoke for the first time since this confrontation began, voice even and confident. "They've just been ensnared by my plant barriers. And the burst of Yusuke's youki just now? Well, that was your lab being destroyed. But don't worry about the contagions spreading into Gandara. A dimension controlling demon have sent them to an unknown realm."
"What do you mean?" Yomi's confidence was fading to be rapidly replaced by disbelief. His beloved fox had a hand in this?
"Now this is more like the Yomi I remember. Your calculated persona is simply that, a persona." A swoosh of air signified that the fox swept his hair aside in a melodramatic fashion. Yomi could feel cold golden eyes appraising him. "You've made a grave miscalculation in trusting me."
"How could you?" Yomi whispered under clenched teeth, too numb to react. Just like that, he had been transported back to the day he captured his would be assassin only to learn it was his beloved Kurama who ordered the attempt. He was reliving the anguish he felt then, his heart shattering into a thousand unmendable pieces. All hopes and dreams falling through the pulverized fragments into a deep abyss. "Is this how you repay me after all I've done for you?"
It was Kurama's turn to laugh. His ki fluctuated and a pleasant scent of rose and fresh dew permeated the yurt, in complete contrast with the accusatory tone the fox then spoke in, "How else did you think you would be repaid after experimenting your biochemical weapons on me, holding my mother's well being hostage, and enslaving me? Ah Yomi, are you so deluded to think that I would be thankful?"
Yomi had always known Kurama to be cruel, but this was too much. Yes, he did all that, there was no denying it, but he was doing it to help his fox fulfill his desires. "You wanted a kingdom, and I forged you one. You imagined a united Makai, and I worked to make it a reality. I waited for you all these years, building your dreams while hoping for your return. If I had truly wanted to enslave you, I wouldn't have allowed you to come and go as you pleased. Everything I did, I did it for your sake."
He could feel Kurama narrowing his golden eyes, one hand cupping his chin and glaring at him, judging him, thinking over his words. Couldn't the fox see that everything he has done was done out of his love for him? Time stopped while Yomi waited for the fox to respond, willing him to accept and affirm his love.
Finally, Kurama spoke, "None of that was for me. You did those things for yourself — A simple case of classic introjection, you see. You took your interpretation of my goals and made them your own without truly understanding my intentions. Never once did you ask me what I really wanted. And you expect me to love you for it?"
"My, my, Yomi. I would have never pegged you as a lovesick and delusional fool." Mukuro remarked, taunting him. For a few brief moments, Yomi had completely forgotten her presence. Hell, he'd forgotten that she even existed in the first place. Was it Mukuro who turned his beloved fox against him? Rage rushed through his body, pumping adrenalin into his bloodstream. Yomi could not suffer to be humiliated, least of all in front of Mukuro. He focused his ki on her, and with the force of a thousand heartbreaks, he charged at her firing a barrage of energy blasts.
Mukuro blocked the blows with her own ki but the force of the attacks ripped apart the remainder of the yurt, propelling them out into the open dessert. Behind them, he could feel Kurama giving chase, following close behind. The fox was still weak, he knew, and didn't pose much of a threat. And as long as he had his ki barrier in place, Mukuro's energy based attacks would be utterly useless against him. He'd take out Mukuro first before dealing with the rest of her entourage and Kurama.
Yomi redoubled his efforts and again charged at Mukuro, successfully making contact after he increased the tempo of the energy barrage. It had hit Mukuro on the shoulder, enough to stun her for a moment, but not enough to slow her down.
Kurama have caught up to them now, and by the strong scent of roses and plant material, he was wielding his signature rose whip. The fox then began slashing at his energy kekkai with the whip, causing slight tears. If the fox was stronger, his plant based attacks would have been a concern, but Yomi had plenty of energy, and could quickly repair the small tears. Besides, the stupid woman was still attacking him with her energy based attacks, hence feeding and sustaining the barrier.
Kurama shouted for Mukuro to cease her attacks, imploring her to change tactics since they were only strengthening Yomi's defense. She went on the defensive, dodging this way and that like a cockroach that refused to die, leading him back towards the main camp site. As soon as she got there, she raised her ki to destroy parts of the camp, and sent the resulting pieces of sharp debris hurtling towards him using telekinesis while staying beyond Yomi's striking range. Yomi cursed himself for falling right into her trap. Immediately, he shrank his kekkai to reduce its surface area, at once ducking and swerving to avoid as much of the debris as possible.
Out of no where, a youkai flashed next to him slashing a wide gap in his barrier. Yomi turned to confront his new assailant while focusing his ki on the damage. It was a katana welding demon whose energy conjures images of smoke and fire. Hiei. Yomi hissed under his breath. Somehow Mukuro had found herself a blade and joined Hiei in attempting to break apart his barrier at close range. Their attacks were coming at lightning speed, and although Yomi continued to counterattack with his own energy blasts, he knew he could not keep up his attacks while maintaining his kekkai. Meanwhile, Kurama had drawn back, clearly conserving his ki for a larger attack. Years of experience fighting alongside him tells Yomi that the fox was up to no good.
He needed to immobilize one of them now. Yomi took a gamble and allowed Mukuro, the stronger foe, to get within striking distance then delivered a concentrated blast of whirling energy to her chest. The attack sent her flying backwards and crashing into one of many sand dunes. Even though that strike only took a quarter of a second to deploy, Hiei took advantage of his distraction to cut crisscross patterns into his barrier, causing parts of it to shatter.
At that very moment, two things happened: Kurama raised his ki and he felt a sharp pang in his hand, the one Kurama had bitten during their lovemaking. The pain immediately spread to the rest of his body, so great that it felt like he was being burned alive from the inside out. His blood turn sluggish, no longer fueling his body. His muscles became rubbery and inflexible. Branches and leaves began to grow out of the wounds at the base of his neck and his hand. He lost control of his ki and could no longer sustain his kekkai.
With a start, Yomi realized that Kurama had planted a seed within him earlier in the evening while he was preoccupied with carnal pleasures. He had lost in the ultimate game of chess. Yomi would never be the Queen to Kurama's King, he was not even a Bishop nor a Knight. He had always been simply a pawn, taking the steps that Kurama had planned for him five moves in advance, his destiny beyond his own control. That was his rightful place. He never should have overstepped his bounds. Blinking the tears from his sightless eyes, he trained his senses on the fox, who was now standing right next to him, motioning Hiei to cease his offensive moves. Yomi knew this was the end. But even this betrayal would not lessen his feelings for Kurama. Summoning the remainder of his strength, Yomi whispered to his beloved, "My love, please forgive my foolishness."
Kurama leaned forward to gently kiss his forehead, the overwhelming scent of roses and morning dew once again stirring up the memories of that one unforgettable night centuries ago. The fox softly whispered back, "Apology not accepted."
That was the last thing Yomi heard before his body was engulfed by plants.
Whew! My longest chapter yet.
I changed things up this chapter and portrayed the climax of this story using Yomi's point of view instead of Kurama's point of view as I had originally planned. (If it was Kurama's point of view, the sex scene would probably be a lot more disturbing). I wanted to show Yomi's side of the story and highlight his motivations. In my mind, I envisioned someone who was absolutely obsessed with the fox, whose feelings for the fox centered around a very insignificant event (from Kurama's point of view...most likely Kurama doesn't even remember that night), while it was a magical evening for Yomi. I'd imagine he would forgive the Kurama no matter how many times he betrayed him because Yomi could rationalize all the hurt away. This chapter was one of the most difficult to write because I had to put myself in the shoes of the villain and then create enough empathy for him so that the last two short paragraphs would deliver a shocking blow. I hope it worked...
Review and feedback would be much appreciated.