Sorry it's a bit late, but it was a holiday weekend, so I've been unable to concentrate on writing. I'm only a day late, so no harm done. How many of you are dreading the return of school tomorrow? I sure am.
I have to write an essay for school tomorrow, so I don't have much time to go over this and make it longer. I'll look over it later this week if I'm not drowning in homework.
Well, enjoy the chapter. There is an attempt at a battle scene at the beginning, I'm not sure how good it is.
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Words Once Spoken: Chapter 8
It was unlike anything Yusuke had ever witnessed, and suddenly, everything made sense. As the demons rushed on towards them, he had been prepared to stand his ground, and assumed the same of the other two. But instead, they had been upon the enemy instantly. It was odd, his style was normally to charge wildly at the enemy, and Kurama's was to play with his prey and study his its movements. But in some strange twist of events, they had changed places.
Kuronue it seemed, had endless effects on Kurama's personality. Upon further observation, Yusuke realized that Kurama's style wasn't as different from usual as it had first appeared. The fox did indeed go out of his way to kill or maim the enemy, but his movements weren't pure violence. The way he moved spoke of strategy, as if he was fighting his way through a maze of demons. It seemed as if his sudden desire to kill hadn't made him any less strategic after all. As he took down one creature, he positioned himself in a safe position to take down the next.
And yes, he noticed all of this while fighting himself. A mere punch was enough for him to take out a large number of the attackers, he had definitely improved. After all of that intense training and self improvement that he had been through before he felt safe to return to Keiko these guys were like flies. So much for a challenge. So of course he had time to observe his allies, both of them. He was very curious about the abilities of the mysterious chimera that Youko had fallen in love with.
So he watched and he observed. And as he did so, he came to realize just how well matched the two thieves were. Kuronue appeared to be a skilled acrobat, every bit as nimble as any demon he had ever met. And his fighting technique was very unique as well. The bat fought with twin curved blades, but no matter how many times he lost them, they just kept reappearing in his hands. He and Kurama coordinated perfectly, each working efficiently through the demons, never leaving an enemy behind them, and always keeping the other in sight.
It was a miraculous sight to witness two experienced demons like them fight. There was one other thing that Yusuke began to realize after his observations as well. As the two demons fought, they required constant awareness of the other fighter and the enemies that surrounded them. Kuronue accomplished this easily. Kurama appeared to as well, but Yusuke eventually realized that as he fought, Kurama slowly became more aware and more confident in his movements. It seemed as if the kitsune was waking up as the battle went on, one sided though it was.
That's what drove Yusuke to stop fighting and stand back to watch. He knew that the other two had everything under control, and if this was helping Kurama to become more aware, then it was best to just get out of the way.
"Here Youko!" Kurama heard his master call. He leapt up above the demons and turned towards him. What he saw was a familiar piece of wood whizzing through the air. He reached out a hand and caught it easily, his fingers closing around the cylindrical wand. It was no longer than a spray can, and he could easily wrap his fingers around it. The grooves and perfectly shaped cuts in the wood each contained a seed that he had manipulated the wood to hold tightly in place. He felt a strange pulse go through him in time with his heartbeat.
He swung the wand down towards the nearest demon and as he did so, it grew into a staff. The creature's eyes rolled up and she hit the ground with a thud. Kurama smiled. This would help increase his power quite a bit. He frowned when the familiar scent of Kuronue's blood reached his nose. He cast a quick glance at his lover, seeing that it was only a minor flesh wound, and nothing to be concerned about. Nonetheless, he came to the decision that it was time to end this battle. It had gone on long enough.
Let's see if our lovely Kuronue can keep up. That surprised him, it was Youko's thought, right? Or was it his? Both, he decided. He and Youko had re-fused their minds during the battle, since their complete attention was on the creatures fighting in it. Both of them had united with a common goal, to protect Kuronue. When Shuuichi's mind had been so greviously affected by the loss of his mother, their souls had been thrown apart. Since then, Youko had remained mostly dormant while Shuuichi controlled their body.
Their gaze hardened as together they decided that it was time for this battle to end. There was no sudden noise, no visible change, but each demon could sense the change as soon as it occurred. Kurama's energy radiated out in waves, the combination of power was stronger and more intense than it had ever been. Clouds of dirt rose up at the force, enveloping the battlefield. When it faded, Kurama was standing back to back with Kuronue, his staff sharpened into a spear.
"It's time to finish this." he said in his normal soft voice. Kuronue nodded, a delightful smirk touching his lips. Well Kurama thought it was delightful. The mark on his neck pulsed and filled him with Kuro's energy as he felt it wash over him. The one sided bond was empowering his desire to serve Kuronue. At the moment, helping him defeat the enemies they were facing was the best way for him to do that.
The nearest pack of demons came at them, claws outstretched. Kurama leapt forward and speared two of them through the heart. Then he whirled in the opposite direction and with the other side, stabbed another. The edges turned sharp and sliced out of the bodies before he went after the next one. Beside him, Kuro was flashing his knives, taking out twenty or so before the first one hit the ground.
When he heard the sound of cutting air, he shuddered with excitement. It had been so long since he had heard his bat's pendulum attack. The thrill he got when fighting by his lover's side was something he had almost forgotten. But they were still just humoring the enemy. Kurama had the wood shift under his hand so the seed that he wanted would drop off into his hand. In a sudden surge of growth, his mimosa plant (I think that's the name, it was the one with teeth that went after Karasu) made it's appearance.
Kuronue stiffened instantly, casting a glare in his partner's direction. "Youko." he groaned. "You know I hate that thing." Yep. Kurama just grinned mischievously and fed it more energy, causing it to grow an extra head/flower.
The plant went after the oncoming demons savagely. The sound of screaming demons was quickly cut short as his plants consumed mouthful after mouthful of those insect-like creatures. Kuronue shifted slightly and grimaced when one of the flowers snapped at him. He hated this plant. Youko always insisted it had feelings, and they had gone after him when he insulted them. But in his opinion, Youko had full control over them and just enjoyed keeping him on his toes.
The battle had ended, but Youko hadn't made any effort to subdue his plant. One of the flowers moved down beside him, and he was slowly stroking it while waiting for Kuronue to move. Kuronue glared at him. "Why did you have to pick that one?" Kuronue whined, still standing where he was, refusing to get any closer.
"Revenge." was all Kurama said, his voice dripping with amusement. He walked over to Kuronue, leaving the plant threateningly where it was. "Also because they missed you." he stopped right in front of the bat, looking up at the figure that was over a head taller than him.
"You're back." Kuronue whispered softly, a relieved and joyful tone that only one who gets a loved one back could produce. Before Kurama knew what had happened, he had been struck across the face so hard that he barely managed to keep his footing. He put a hand to the stinging cheek, casting his gaze at the ground.
Yusuke had seen this whole exchange, and by this time was very confused. He was glad Kurama was back at least, but that nut job of a demon had just hit him! Yusuke grew angry at this, that bat was so bad to Kurama, and yet he and Youko had been in love? The chimera's behavior just didn't add up. He had witnessed that Youko cared for him, for some strange reason, and Kuronue had acted like he really cared as well. But the way he had been taking advantage of Kurama's pain over his mother's death was horrible. Maybe the bat had some kind of contempt for humans. Was it possible that Kurama's human side wasn't loved by Kuronue, just Youko?
When Kurama had felt the slap he had been surprised for sure. Kuronue had struck him before, it was just a method of punishment then though. Now they had finally been reunited, and the bat's first reaction was to hit him? What possible reason could he have to do that? Kurama had looked away and hidden his reaction while he tried to think of any reason at all. Could his love be angry at him? It didn't seem likely, and it hurt him to think of,
"Don't you ever do that to me again." His bat ordered in a shaky voice. So that was it. He'd been scared. How dare he act like he's the one who's been wronged! He wasn't upset anymore, he understood now. But it was anger that replaced his pain. He raised his head and was about to give a reply when something else caught his attention.
As Yusuke walked over towards the two lovers, he noticed Kurama's features become angry. Just as he was about to speak however, he saw Kurama close his mouth and turn his head in the direction he was approaching from. Kurama's gaze fell on him. Yusuke froze and watched his friend. "Hello Yusuke." he said with a mild amount of surprise in his voice.
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I finally figured out why I've been unsatisfied with this fic. I have been writing from a general point of view, trying to include the feelings and emotions of everyone present. But in It's a Secret, It was all done from one characters point of view. I am much more comfortable with writing like that, I just never realized it until now. So I think from now on my fic will be better and more interesting than it has been.
When I think about it, I realize how many demons it seems like their fighting. And in human world no less. So I'm going to explain that these creatures are smaller and spawn quickly, like the insects that Suzaku released, humans can't see them.
Well, this is RKF, signing off.