Did ya'll think I forgot about you this week?
Had some trouble with this chapter – I hope it's all right. I think I might finally be happy with it, but when it comes to chapters as important as this one, I know that there will be some who love it and some who hate it, no matter what I do.
I hate writing fight scenes. I don't feel confident in my ability to write them. If you like them, rain praises upon me. If you don't, don't complain. It'll crush my widdle heart.
Parts of this chapter are very quick and chaotic. It's supposed to be that way.
It was still early enough in the morning that the camp was quiet and tranquil – all but the sentries asleep. The sun was just barely peaking over the horizon.
There was no need for the men and women of the camp to rise early now that they had at last reached Sha'kinn. His army was tired and needing – deserving – of rest. Whatever else could be said of demon lord Arcillian, there were none who would ever claim he was a bad leader.
He had placed smaller camps around every known entrance into the city, and set above them his most trusted generals. The very precautions that kept Sha'kinn safe from outright attack were now the very weaknesses that would make his plan successful. An army the size of his had never before attempted to attack this hubbub of demonic activity, and none had ever had adequate means to supply them through any attempt at a longstanding blockade.
Arcillian had been planning this assault for centuries; nothing could stop him now. His army at last was ready – that much had been proven by the success of the practice attacks they had set upon smaller demon towns. It was only a matter of time before Sha'kinn began to starve and then…
All will be mine.
A slow smile spread across Arcillian's wide, cruel mouth as he gazed down at the bloodied, whimpering form on the ground before him. Numbers alone would not have brought about his success – it was the presence of his special weapons which would ensure his victory. They were the ones who would fight to keep the camp supplied and they were the ones, once the city fell, who would enforce his rule. They were and always would be his greatest triumph.
It had begun as a stray thought hundreds of years ago as he had watched a group of demons so low in power that they were little more than animals fight over scraps in a dingy alley of some city. The more power a demon obtained, the more sentience he gained. In a way, the cunning and intelligence that grew over the years of a demon's lifespan was more of a weapon than any power he would obtain.
However, it was also his greatest weakness. With sentience, emotions eventually followed. How many demons had gained near-omnipotence only to waste it? With that kind of power, surely they could rule all. Unfortunately, they squandered their power, weakened too much by their emotions to try for true greatness.
Their stupidity was their own fault – a fault Arcillian would never accept. If they were too weak to fulfill their potential, then Arcillian would fill it for them.
Finding the spell had been the difficult part, but eventually he had discovered the correct combination of cursed items and ancient scrolls to do what he needed. The first demon he took was a millennia-old S-class whose deeds were still told of in legends. Sometime after attaining his new power level, the demon had declared himself a pacifist and begun using his strength to influence others to become more "civilized."
It had been the ultimate test of his new spell, and it had worked. All of the demon's self-awareness and intelligence had been stripped away, leaving nothing more than an animal of immense power.
An animal loyal to Arcillian alone.
The only downside to his success had been the retreat of other S-class demons. Seeing what had happened to their brother, they had removed themselves to the deepest pits of Makai, making themselves impossible to find. They did not try to stop him, but they did defend themselves when he tried to go after them. He had lost his prize in battle.
Nevertheless, the importance was that he had succeeded in his first attempt. If an S-class could be changed, then weaker demons would be no problem.
For the next several centuries Arcillian had begun to slowly but steadily collect the strongest demons he could find. He liked those who had earned themselves reputations – whose faces and names were sure to strike fear into the hearts of his targets.
It had been an incredible boon to come across the legendary spirit fox Youko Kurama all alone in the city of Dai'shaal. He was one of the most feared demons in centuries and had been thought to be dead. There had been rumors, of course, of his participation in the recent dark tournament, however Arcillian had not believed until he had seen it with his own eyes.
Youko was his favorite prize yet. His capture had been such a challenge – he continued to be a challenge, in fact. When out from Arcillian's wards for any long span of time, he began to fight the compulsion on his mind, throwing off the animalistic tendencies in favor of his hard-earned logic. Arcillian had successfully locked the fox's humanity away (and how he had gained himself a human side in the first place, Arcillian had yet to discern) yet still Youko continued to fight him. Even under the wards he had once or twice managed to throw off his chains for a short span of time – even though doing so caused him great pain when the compulsion came back.
Something was giving the fox the urge and the strength to fight. Some unfathomable cause was keeping his mind from being completely overtaken by Arcillian's spell – even without the aide of his humanity.
It had been amusing and fascinating at first.
Now, however, it was just annoying.
Sending the youko off on missions was a risk nearly too large to take – and the only reason he even bothered was that, even away from his influence, the spell always overtook the fox's mind eventually.
Still, last night he had managed to escape. Again.
The spell was working efficiently again and the lovely demon was once more possessing of nothing more than the basest of animal instincts. Nevertheless, he was still deserving of punishment. When he fought free again, he would find himself in a world of pain.
"My lord?"
He accepted the handkerchief from his cringing servant and cleaned the blood from his hands, dispassionately observing the cringing canine on the ground. When the spell was working as it should, it was impossible for the fox to fight against him. Somehow, that had made the beating less…satisfactory.
Frowning, Arcillian reached into his robe and drew out a small glass sphere that pulsated with warmth and color. The fox on the ground shuddered as he stroked his fingers against the glass, golden eyes rolling up to stare at him through the curtains of his silvery hair. Something moved under the surface of those eyes – proving that his intelligence had not yet been killed.
"Take him to the stable," Arcillian said at last. "Make sure the wards are properly in place."
A commotion came from outside – noise growing louder and louder. A foot soldier burst into the tent, flattening himself on the ground at Arcillian's feet.
"My lord; someone is attacking the camp!" he panted.
"Another army?"
"We…haven't seen them yet."
Both men were staring at him, waiting for his orders.
"Release the weapons from the stables," he told the soldier, "and order the men to fall into rank."
"My lord." He bowed and made his exit quickly.
The servant motioned toward the youko. "Do you still want him taken to the stables? He can't fight like this."
He rolled the sphere in his fingers, staring as the colors within swirled and changed. "Take him to the med tent and have him healed," he ordered at last, "Then bring him back here."
They began the attack just as the new day was dawning. Yusuke had been insistent that this be when they stormed the enemies' camp – he seemed to have found something amusing about it that gave him enough strength to ignore the seriousness of the situation.
After Kurama had left them last night, Yusuke had been unable to find rest. Without either of them saying a word Hiei had known that his former human lover was terrified that something would go wrong when they went up against whoever was responsible for the theft of their fox. Hiei wasn't sure if the normally brash detective had gotten any sleep at all, though Hiei himself had forced himself to doze off, knowing how crucial it was to be well-rested before battle.
Yusuke had awoken him a mere two hours later, eyes bright and confidence fully restored.
"We attack at dawn." He'd announced.
"Why?" Hiei had yawned. It would be better to plan their attack for the dead of night, when they would be harder to see.
"The attack always comes at dawn."
Even more of a reason not to attack then, Hiei thought, but he hadn't said anything. It was important that Yusuke have something else to focus on. Anyway, he doubted the demons were familiar with the human television shows and comic books the kitten had no doubt based his decision on.
Hiei wasn't entirely sure how stable Yusuke was. He would not talk about his conversation with Kurama, or the fact that the fox had nearly killed him. Whenever their lover was mentioned, however, a fire would come into his eyes. This attack was just as important to him as to Hiei.
"They did something to him, Hiei." He'd said at last, rage turning his eyes a molten golden color. "Whatever it was, it's scared him. They have to suffer now."
Yusuke was certainly a formidable opponent in battle; however, Hiei had thought his experience leaned more toward duels of honor – battles between two combatants alone. The smaller demon resigned himself to stay near to his lover until he was certain the boy would be all right, however; that precaution soon proved itself to be useless. Whether Yusuke was being fueled by his anger or if he really did have more experience fighting groups than Hiei had supposed, it soon became clear that he needed no babysitter.
"The center tent – the largest one – do you see it?" Hiei demanded as he slashed into an anonymous soldier. Yusuke's only reply had been a quiet grunt; he was preoccupied with his fist buried in the viscera of an opponent. Apparently, he had misjudged his new strength and had become stuck.
"I see it," he said at last, giving up getting free and swinging his arm to crash his victim into another charging soldier. "What about it?"
"It's most likely to belong to whoever is in charge here."
Yusuke managed to disengage himself at last and turned to Hiei, splatters of blood across his face, and his right arm completely painted red.
"Then that's where we're going, isn't it?"
"I want to take out as many as these fools as I can first." He grunted. "You should do the same. Spend some of that rage, kitten – only then will your mind be clear enough to appropriately question the asshole responsible for our pain."
The dark haired boy hesitated a moment.
"Swear you won't kill him without me."
"Of course I won't."
"Swear it."
"I swear it."
A tight nod. For a moment there was something in his eyes that Hiei could have called fondness, had he been so inclined. He turned away, ready to spend his own fury.
Yusuke, forgetting the gore on his hands, grabbed him.
For a moment he found himself crushed against the taller demon's body, lips heavy against his own.
Then Yusuke peeled away and disappeared into another group of attacking soldiers.
Yusuke was well aware that he was currently somewhat less than stable.
He was also, however, aware that this condition was not permanent. He couldn't remember ever being so furious in all his life, and that fury made things a bit blurry. He was acting on impulse alone, relying on battle instincts and the strange new senses given to him by his new form to survive the battles. He was sure he would have nightmares of this day whatever the outcome. The memories of the things he was doing – the carnage, the mercilessness – they would not leave him for a long time, if indeed they ever did.
But it was a small price to pay.
Never before had Yusuke been so angry – and never before had he so thirsted for vengeance.
When they got Kurama back and restored him to his proper mind, the fox would be horrified by the things he had done. He would torture himself with his guilt – and Yusuke would have to see pain in his eyes.
Whoever was responsible had to be made to suffer.
Yusuke threw himself into his battle, barely taking the time to register the impact of his new strength, or the fact he had lost count of how many shots he had sent from his spirit gun and he still didn't feel depleted. There would be time later to test this new strength – training was for the times of peace between battles. As for now, there was nothing but battle and anger and blood.
Hiei felt his blade slide easily into the body of an attacking soldier before he rose from his crouch, surveying his surroundings. Bodies littered the ground around him, motionless.
More soldiers were storming from the makeshift barracks; how many had the asshole gathered for his army? It was…unprecedented.
Snarling, Hiei adjusted his grip on his sword and surged forward.
It was a simple process, really. When something got in his way, he took it down. If it took a little longer – tried to fight back – then taking it down was just that much more satisfying.
Duck, slice, dodge and run – there was only one thing that mattered and that thing was inside the large tent in the center of the camp. Nothing else was of any consequence.
Vaguely he remembered words of caution – a warning to clear his mind by working through his rage.
But a vague memory was all that those words were.
A sound came from his throat, and it was nothing human.
Yusuke pushed onward.
Hiei burst into the tent like a drowning man breaking the surface of the water, flinging himself into sudden silence and calm.
A man sat in a rickety tent chair, and made it seem a throne. He possessed a familiarity with his surroundings that made it clear that, whatever he thought himself now, he had most likely begun his life of conquest in the position of a lowly soldier, rather than lord.
His features were sharp and pinched, and his mouth would have been called generous if not for the cruel edge to it. Just by looking, Hiei couldn't tell what kind of demon he was.
At his feet, resplendent in robes of pristine white, sat the youko. A thick silver collar lay heavily around his neck, and the chain that was attached to it rested in the hands of the man.
Hiei barely had time to take all this in before Yusuke burst into the tent behind him.
"Were there only two of you?" The man asked in a bored drawl, reaching down to idly scratch behind one of the youko's ears. The fox leaned into the stroke like a loyal hound, and Hiei let forth a silent snarl.
Kurama had always been peculiar about his ears when he had been in fox form. They were too sensitive for him to be willing to allow others near them. If his hearing were to be compromised, he would loose one of his greatest senses and, besides, having them touched was far too pleasurable. He'd always found it distracting. Back then, Hiei had purposefully limited himself to touching them only when he most needed the fox's attention diverted.
The impudence of this strange man to dare…!
"How ever did you get here so soon?" The man asked, annoyed.
"Your little army didn't even slow me down." Yusuke informed him, stepping up next to Hiei.
The man frowned in disbelief, but when backup failed to enter the tent in pursuit of the two intruders, he began to look a little worried.
"What do you want?" he demanded at last. "If you're trying to force an alliance, then I must warn you that you're going about it the wrong way. If you're trying to stop me…well, don't make me laugh."
So much commotion over two tiny, insignificant nothings? Where was his personal guard? Why had no one come after them?
Why was he feeling so much power that it made his teeth ache?
"We came for the fox." The smaller of the two spat out with a glower. He was so small and dark, his power a sharp, cold thing clinging close to his body like a poison mist. "You will not survive our confrontation for what you have dared to do; however, how much you suffer depends solely on whether or not you attempt to fight us."
Arcillian's hand had tightened convulsively in his prize's hair, and the fox gave a pained little yip.
Nevertheless, the battle lord managed to give the intruders a calm smile.
"You must be fools to think I would give up my prize so easily."
The taller one's eyes were golden steel, his face a terrifying and bloody mask. He had not once taken his gaze off the youko since entering the tent.
"What the hell did you do to him?" He demanded.
"A stunning feat, truly a beautiful bit of spellwork, I assure you."
"Release him. Now."
"What a scary voice. Unfortunately, I remain unimpressed."
"Release him!"
"The only way to free him is to kill me."
"Then die!"
The tall one charged, but Arcillian had been expecting that. The fox rose in one smooth motion, interspersing himself between him and his attacker.
The cat demon could not pull back in time to fully stop his blow, and his claws sunk deeply into the fox's shoulder.
"Kurama - !"
Eyes wide with shock and horror, he was helpless to move himself as the fox's hand rose and struck him hard enough to send him flying across the tent. Youko smiled and licked his lips slowly, advancing after him.
"Bastard - !" The smaller one had drawn his blade and was now moving for a position of attack. Arcillian, however, was beginning to now feel more confidence.
Calmly he pulled from his own robes the small, warm sphere that he had been carrying around with him since he had taken the fox prisoner, and the small demon stopped short.
"What the hell is that?"
"Oh, so you can feel him."
"What - ?"
Yusuke picked himself up slowly from the floor, and had barely gained his feet when a hand closed around his neck, elegant fingers and sharp nails digging into his throat.
"I'm getting pretty fuckin' sick of this game, Kurama." He managed to gasp out as the fox lifted him off the ground. His own hands closed around his lover's wrist, but his arm seemed immovable.
Just as last night, Kurama's eyes were empty of all compassion or love, empty of anything recognizable. At least now Yusuke had some clue as to why.
This time he was more prepared as Kurama threw him. He ducked his head and planned his fall to cause the least amount of damage as possible, as he tried to quickly form a battle plan.
Almost as soon as he hit the ground he was on his feet again, rounding on the advancing fox and ignoring the pain from pushing his body. Something in that first fall had hurt him.
Kurama's fist sailed toward him and he managed to block it, though the force of the incoming blow made his arm go numb. He was suddenly reminded of what Hiei had once told him – part of the reason he remained allied with Kurama was because he did not wish to ever be forced to fight him himself. Yusuke should have been thankful he had never had to come up against the fox before.
"I don't want to hurt you, man."
Unconcerned with the inability of his first blow to connect, Kurama struck again – a hard hook to his jaw. Yusuke realized, as his ears began to ring, that he had to fight seriously or his lover would kill him.
He gathered himself and lunged.
"Before your lovely friend could fall under my spell, I had to separate him from his humanity." Arcillian turned his gaze fondly to the sphere, rubbed his cheek against its pulsating, warm surface. "I contained it in this glass. It is very pretty, don't you think?"
He looked to the small demon once more, beginning to enjoy himself.
"Now the real question, little one. How integral was his humanity to him?"
"What?"
"If I were to crush this sphere, what would happen to him? At best, his humanity would be forever lost. At worst…we would find him unable to continue to survive without it." He smiled slowly, watching the horror dawn in the smaller demon's eyes. "I must say, I've found myself quite tempted to experiment. Care to test it with me?"
The small one frowned, determination filling his pretty face. He would make a fine weapon, Arcillian decided. His friend, too, if the youko left him alive.
For a moment the small one appeared to blur. Arcillian blinked, but decided his eyes were playing tricks on him. Too many late nights.
They circled each other, Kurama wearing an animalistic grin, his eyes utterly feral. He didn't even fight the same as he used to. There was nothing but anticipation of battle in him, no desire to test his opponent, no play to him. There was nothing but the urge for destruction.
"Kurama, you gotta be in there somewhere," Yusuke growled, watching his lover carefully, waiting for any sign he was about to attack. "You broke out before, didn't you?"
Kurama struck out toward him and he dodged, a quick step in the dance. Their circling continued.
"And if you fought out before, you can do it again, can't you?"
Another lunge forward. Yusuke felt one of his nails slice neatly into his cheek as he dodged again.
"You weren't like this before – so I know you're still in there somewhere. You're strong enough to beat this."
This time Yusuke was the first to move forward, and he managed to catch the fox by surprise. His fist buried itself in Kurama's stomach, and his other came down over his neck as he doubled over.
"I'm finally willing for us to be a threesome and you gotta turn all evil?"
He grabbed the youko's shoulders and pulled him up, striking their heads together.
"So not cool, Kurama."
The fox picked himself up from the ground, eyes dangerous. He lunged and Yusuke allowed himself to be thrown to the floor, turning it into a planned fall and using Kurama's momentum to throw him.
Yusuke had his spirit gun readied by the time Kurama gained his feet.
The former human didn't allow himself time to feel as he shot.
"We can't have any fun if I kill you – so fuckin' stay down this time!"
"The way I see it, little one, is that you do not have many choices left to you. You can attempt to fight me, risking not only yourself but the fox as well. Or you can drop your weapon and give up. The spell is much less painful when you don't attempt to fight it."
A derisive snort.
"I think I'd rather kill you and take my chances with Kurama's humanity."
"You think I won't take the risk?"
"Go ahead. Try it."
The small one gave an infuriating smirk – an expression much too confident for a man afraid of loosing an ally he cared for.
Something in that smirk gave Arcillian a moment of pause.
Slowly, the small demon raised his hand and opened his fingers to show the sphere held comfortably in the palm of his hand.
"My first order of business is to free him," he decided. "I'll worry about his humanity later."
"How - ?" But he could still feel its weight in his hand!
He looked down and stared, feeling the first stirrings of fear as he realized it was not the sphere he held, but a drab, boring stone.
"How - ?"
The smaller demon tucked the sphere away somewhere before sliding into a fighting stance, sword held at the ready.
"Now - !"
"Hiei!"
Yusuke was suddenly at his side, radiating fury.
"I wanna do it."
"What gives you more right than me?" Hiei snarled.
"You didn't have to hurt Kurama."
He snorted. "Foolish."
"Hiei."
Yusuke held up a coin, eyes burning into his. Hiei glanced back to find Kurama on the ground, presumably unconscious.
"Heads." Hiei grunted.
The coin sailed up into the air, a shining arc. Hiei tracked its progress obsessively, even as it fell to the ground, tails side up. Without a word he nodded and turned away.
Kurama's eyes were open, and he stared at Hiei silently as the smaller demon knelt beside him. He stirred as if trying to find the energy to attack, but stopped as Hiei's hand came down to touch his cheek.
"Fox."
Yusuke waited for Hiei to carry Kurama from the tent before turning his attention back to the asshole responsible for hurting his lover.
"Now," he decided, "I rip your fucking head off."
To Be Continued
Response to Unsigned Reviews:
kit-kit - well? (nervous) What do you think?
Abi - Yadda! This one is uber long...by kit standards.
Cryptic.Kitsune - Awww. One of my descriptions? Professional? Awwwww.
Curry - One step amid many, I fear...
BballAnimeLover89 - yadda!
Liz -Don't fall out of your chair! The floor is lava! The floor is LAVA! (Erm...sorry.)
That's it. Thanks everyone! Oh, and Riku says hi! (Riku is my kitten. Hiei's personality? Completley based of Riku's...even though Yusuke is the neko...)