Crimso's Notes:
Today was a good day! It's still 11:41:03, so I'm allowed to say that. It's not like it's one in the morning like when I usually start chapters. I spent most of the day with my camp friends. I haven't seen them since July, so that was awesome. I was planning on getting this up earlier, but as I said before… I was with my camp friends. Yeah, real life can be fun sometimes. I need to do things sometimes aside from write, so I hope you understand...
One: Yay, more slow development. Really guys, this will not last long. I don't think it will, anyways. I'm still trying to figure things out. I have major events, but I need to stuff things between them. You get what I'm saying?
~~~~X~~~~
Chapter Eighteen: Blood Flows Black
The doors to the Kimiyoshi Manor burst open, revealing a very, very angry Takeru. His expression was painted with pure rage, something that startled the old man who had been sitting in the room with his son. The sudden appearance of the young Sonozaki was a shock, as they weren't expecting any visitors, and the expression he was wearing was even more of a shock. They weren't sure why he would look so angry.
"You two!" he practically screamed at them. "Give them back!"
Kimiyoshi blinked in surprise. "Give who back?"
"My demons! Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight!" Takeru demanded, his expression not softening even in the slightest. He had originally planned to ask his grandmother to come over and yell at them instead, but the old woman was busy with other matters. He supposed that he could be scary if he tried, too. "You guys were the ones that stole them from us! I order you to return them at once!"
Kimiyoshi's son looked incredibly offended. "And what makes you think that we stole your damn demons, Sonozaki brat?" he cried out as he stood up, looking at the green-haired boy with fury in his eyes that rivaled the other's. "We Kimiyoshi members are high-class! Do you think that we'd do something as low as to steal from you? Besides, you deserved it. My father told me all about those two demons. They're your damn—"
"That's enough, Masaru! Sit down!" ordered Kimiyoshi.
Masaru, his son, bit his lip and obeyed reluctantly.
Kimiyoshi turned to face the green-haired boy, his expression slightly more calm. "You surely have a mistake, Takeru. We don't steal demons."
"It had to be you!" screeched Takeru, refusing to listen to the man in front of him. "You guys were the ones that wanted Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight so badly! You kept making offers, and every time you refused, you got rather angry with me, didn't you? You wanted those damn demons, so you took them from me! You just wanted them because you thought that identical twins would make a good part of your collection, yes? Well I'm sorry, but my grandmother is pissed off and we need those demons back!"
Kimiyoshi sighed and rubbed his temples. "Indeed, I was interested in those demons, but as a member of the great Kimiyoshi family, I would never steal. No one in the Three Great Families would be low enough to steal demons. Stealing demons and all that is for the poor, and not for the rich like us. We have enough money. We wouldn't steal a demon."
"But still, I wouldn't sell you them! That's enough for you to want to go ahead and snatch them up!" protested Takeru, not giving up on the idea that the old man had stolen his demons. He was sure that the man had gotten his hands on his demons and locked them right up, replacing their nice spiked collar with one engraved with many patterns. Perhaps they had different numbers now, too. Whatever the case may be, Kimiyoshi surely had those demons with him, locked up in his giant demon storage area. He probably wasn't paying attention to them anymore. He had just wanted them because he thought that identical twins would look nice in his collection, after all.
Kimiyoshi shook his head. "Masaru, please take this man over to the demon storage area and show him the truth."
Masaru nodded, staring at the green-haired boy with a look of bitter hatred in his eyes. How dare someone like that suggest that his family stole demon? They were Kimiyoshis. A Kimiyoshi would never steal a demon. Besides, what was the point in stealing them, anyways? It wasn't like they were going to do anything besides sit there and look pretty. "Fine," he growled with annoyance. "Follow me, Sonozaki."
The two young males wandered down the hallways of the Kimiyoshi Manor, eventually reaching the back of it where the demons were being kept. Masaru still wore a very, very annoyed look on his face, and Takeru didn't look the least bit pleased at having to be within a few inches of the person who supposedly stole his demons. Those two demons were special to his grandmother. He couldn't allow them to be stolen. She was understandably very upset when she heard the news, and was now ordering the execution of the person who had stolen his demons.
Masaru took out a key, perhaps a copy that had been made so he could access it, and opened up the door. They stepped in the room, which gave off an awfully unfriendly and dark atmosphere. However, villagers of Onigafuchi were usually used to such atmospheres, as one, though a lot lighter, engulfed the entire village.
"You can go take a look down the hallways if you like. Let me know if you happen to spot your precious sisters," spoke Masaru bitterly.
"Thank you," hissed Takeru.
He walked down the many rows of cells, looking inside at the many different demons that were contained inside. A lot of them were eyeing him suspiciously, and quite a few were screaming loudly, which was something normal for a place that contained many demons. The Sonozaki Basement used to be the same way, after all. None of the demons were too pleased at being kept in cells, in which they spent the whole day doing nothing except for begging for release and threatening their owners, and sometimes chatting amongst themselves.
He couldn't find any demon with green hair, though. None of the demons resembled either of his sisters in the slightest, much to his annoyance. Of course, he had only gotten halfway through the rows, so that could mean many things. Perhaps the twins were being kept in the back with the demons with higher numbers, like they had been in the Sonozaki Basement. It was possible that their numbers had been changed, as there was already a demon with the number twenty-seven and one with the number twenty-eight in the Kimiyoshi storage.
"Hey, who the hell are you?" hissed a demon as she spotted the boy walking down the halls.
Takeru looked at her. "Sonozaki Takeru. I've been here before. I'm just looking, Number Forty," he told her.
"I think I've seen him before," whispered Number Thirty-Nine to the demon placed in the same cell as him. "Let's just let it be. Kai hasn't said anything, so we shouldn't either…."
Number Forty grunted, but reluctantly decided to listen to the other.
He continued on his way down the cells, though he still couldn't find his sisters. He was at the last cage now, which was currently hosting Number Forty-Nine, Number Fifty, and Number Fifty-One. There was no sign of any demons with a higher number, or any demons that looked like his sisters. He sighed as he folded his arms over his chest. Had he really been wrong about Kimiyoshi stealing the demons? His grandmother seemed convinced when he told her, too, as the part about Kimiyoshi wanting to buy them seemed suspicious. Of course she was furious when she heard that. Like hell she was going to sell her granddaughters.
"You," he spoke to the three demons. "Have you possibly seen two demons that looked exactly alike coming through here? They're Sonozaki demons. They have green hair and green eyes."
Number Fifty looked over to Number Forty-Nine. "I don't think so. I spent a lot of my time sleeping, though." She shrugged. "I doubt it, though."
"Haven't seen any. Fifty-One might know, though. He hardly sleeps," Number Forty-Nine answered. She turned herself around to look at Number Fifty-One, who was currently trying to engrave something in the wall for whatever reason. It was a strange action, but neither demon bothered to ask why he was doing it. "Hey, Number Fifty-One," she called to him, "have you happened to see two demons with green hair and green eyes? They look exactly alike, and they're Sonozaki demons."
Number Fifty-One turned around from his engraving, and slowly shook his head, almost as if robotic. He then turned back to his engraving and began to scratch at the surface of the wall with a rock.
"Don't mind him," Number Fifty replied. "He's been at that for days. He's like any other demon when he's out of his cell, but he does this when he's in here." She shook her head. "Don't know what he's trying to engrave, though."
Takeru sighed and walked away, not even bothering to thank the two of them. He walked over to a cell that was built in the corner of the room, almost hidden from the others. There, in the cell, sat a blue-haired demon who was doing absolutely nothing. He looked bored, but then again, when didn't he look bored?
"Kai," he spoke to the demon, who instantly turned around when he heard his name. "Has your master brought in a pair of identical demons? They have green hair and are both female," he asked him.
Kai stared at him. "No. No demons have arrived since Number Fifty-One," he informed him.
Takeru blinked. "Well then, is that a lie? Has your master given you an order not to tell anyone about them?" he asked once again, his voice becoming a little harsher.
Kai blinked, though his expression did not change. "I have received no orders such as that one," he replied in his dull, emotionless tone.
Takeru sighed. If Kai said so, it was highly possible that he had been wrong all along. I guess I misjudged them. Takeru thanked the demon and turned around, beginning to walk back to the front. He felt sorry for having yelled at Kimiyoshi and Masaru before, since they really were guilty. The Kimiyoshi family didn't seem like the type to steal, anyways. Perhaps having fifty-one demons was enough for them. He met up with Masaru again, who was still wearing a rather annoyed expression on his face. Of course he had been offended by Takeru's words, as his family had had no involvement with the stealing of the twins.
"I'm sorry," he told him. "It appears that your family really doesn't have anything to do with the disappearance of my demons."
"Of course not," grumbled Masaru. "We're Kimiyoshis. Do you think we're low enough to steal demons?"
Takeru shook his head. "I guess I was just angry. It seems wrong that the Kimiyoshi family would steal demons. I'll report this to my grandmother and possibly pinpoint another suspect. I need to have those demons back soon, as my grandmother will be very upset if I don't show up with them." He let out a sigh as he envisioned how angry his grandmother had been when she ordered him to go discover who had stolen her granddaughters. When he came home and informed her that the Kimiyoshi family was innocent, she would probably melt with anger. "I'll find that thief soon. For now, accept my apology."
Masaru's face softened a little bit upon hearing his words of apology. "Well, I guess I accept your apology. Good luck finding your sisters."
"Thanks," replied the green-haired boy as he walked out of the storage area and back down the hallways. He had failed this part of his mission, but that didn't mean he would stop here. He had to get those demons back, as his grandmother would be furious if he didn't. Perhaps she would go as far as to disinherit him. It didn't seem surprising for her to do such a thing. She really did love those two demons, even if she didn't show it. It made him wonder why she locked them up in the first place.
Don't worry. I'm going to get those two back… no matter what it takes!
~~~~X~~~~
Rena hummed a small tune to herself as she ran a comb through Mion's green locks, undoing the many knots and tangles that were in it. How long had it been since she had combed her hair? Whatever the case may be, Rena noted that her hygiene wasn't the best. She sighed as she tried to brush the comb through a gigantic knot in her hair, though she was having trouble doing so. Mion was fidgeting a little, not liking the feeling. It hurt a lot.
"Ah, got it!" declared Rena as she finally pulled the comb through the knot. "Your hair is getting better, Mi-chan, so just wait until I get this one knot down here…"
Mion sighed and held still.
On the futon next to the one Rena was sitting on was Keiichi, who was swapping between watching what she was doing and reading a slightly amusing magazine. Shion was busy playing with a strand of her green hair, wondering if it would take as long for Rena to brush her hair. She had been working on her sister for a long time now, and was not yet done. Perhaps she was almost done, but there were still quite a few knots to be combed through.
"You're doing great, Rena! Thanks for helping me with this," Keiichi said as he smiled at the orange-haired girl.
"Thank you Keiichi-kun!" she replied as she focused on Mion's hair, trying to get a small tangle undone. "Ah, Mi-chan, please stop moving! I know it hurts, but you'll be all better soon, and you'll look really beautiful! Not that you weren't before, though."
Keiichi chuckled a little bit at the sight before him. He was really grateful for Rena's help. Today, she had decided to work on their appearance. First off, she was to brush their hair to get all the tangles and knots out. It had been rather messy over the last few days. Second off, she was going to change them into better clothing. Their kimonos were now covered with dirt and other stains, and they were beginning to smell quite a bit. She had a few more things planned, though Keiichi couldn't quite remember what they were. Whatever they may be, Rena's plan was to make the two of them look as beautiful as they should be.
"All right there, Mi-chan! It looks like your knots are gone! Let me just brush it a little more, and you'll be all done!" Rena informed the green-haired demon as she continued to run the comb through soft green locks. Mion fidgeted a little more, relieved that she wouldn't have to go through the pain of having her hair tugged at by the comb, though annoyed at having to do nothing but sit there for a while. The last few days of her life had been spent doing everything she wanted to do that she couldn't since she had been locked up, and hadn't really consisted of standing still. It would be easy for the Mion that had been locked up for seventeen years, though it was a little tougher for her now.
"There! Shi-chan, it's your turn now!" she called out to the other twin as she nodded to Mion, indicating that she could go now.
Keiichi was about to look up from his magazine, but Rena shot him a glare. "Don't look, Keiichi-kun! I'll show you them when they're all done! Just go back to reading whatever you're reading!" she ordered her.
At first, he was scared of how powerful the glare was and quickly went back to reading his magazine before he could get even the slightest look at the green-haired girl before him. Why he couldn't look at them, he would never know, but it was apparently important. He flipped through the pages with boredom, finding that the magazine wasn't all that amusing anymore. The only sound in the room was Shion's slight yelps as Rena roughly combed through the knots in her green locks as well as Rena informing her that it wouldn't hurt all that much if she didn't move around.
"Ah, Keiichi-kun. I forgot to tell you!" cried Rena as she momentarily stopped brushing the younger twin's hair. "Go take a look inside the front of my backpack. Not the middle, the front. I brought you something from the library you may want to take a look at."
Keiichi nodded once as he turned to Rena's backpack, which was placed against the wall of his room, though he was careful not to get a look at the green-haired demon sitting on the other futon. He unzipped the front of the backpack and began to fish around inside of it. His hand soon grasped onto something that felt kind of like a book, and he pulled it out. It was indeed a book, but he was shocked when he read the title.
"Koichi's Demon Book? Rena, you checked this out from the Okinomiya library?" he asked her in disbelief.
"I sure did. Read it, Keiichi-kun. If you want to get a better grasp on demons, I suggest you do."
Keiichi opened up the red cover and flipped through the first few pages, which were the ones he had already read when he went to confirm the existence of demons during his first days in the village. After skipping that part, he began to read a little more about them.
Demons are hostile. They live mostly in the woods of Onigafuchi and will not come out into the village unless food is low. Then, they kill a mass amount of humans and return to their spot in the woods, where they have a giant feast. This fills them up for a good while, and if they get hungry, they eat the leftovers. Usually, demons with higher positions are given more to eat, such as Makoto and the three guards.
Keiichi blinked at the page. That was probably why people didn't bother feeding demons all that often, but a single slab of meat couldn't compare to a human feast. Did they even realize that?
No demon will ever become close to a human. All demons despise humans. They are sick, twisted creatures that no one can ever grow to like. They will not hesitate to kill a human, and if they do get close to one, it is likely that it is a trick and they are simply after your blood.
That wasn't true. Mion and Shion were good demons, and he doubted that they were after his blood. Perhaps it was because they were turned into demons. Really, the two of them weren't very hostile. Of course, it may just be because they were ordered not to kill anyone. But if that were the case… would they kill me if they hadn't been? He quickly shook the idea out of his head. The reason why they wouldn't kill was because they were good people. They would never harm him.
The rest of the next few pages were about how terrible and cruel demons were to humans, so Keiichi skipped over them, finding no interest in how they thought demons were. He knew that not all demons were how they described them to be, such as Mion and Shion. A good few demons he had seen in the Kimiyoshi storage looked friendly enough, and it didn't seem like they were as they described them in the book. Of course, this book was written by Kimiyoshi Koichi himself, so it was incredibly biased against them. No villagers back then knew that demons could be nice creatures.
The next section was on the capture of demons. He didn't go into the details on how he had defeated Makoto, but he wrote that anyone who wanted to know should look in the Onigafuchi legends book. He shrugged. It didn't really matter to him, after all.
I rounded up all the demons after Makoto was dead, and began to distribute them. I decided that I would give one royal guard to each of the Three Great Families, and the rest would be given out between them. I figured that if any other family wanted some, they could buy them from me. I took most of them, but gave a fair few to the Sonozakis and the Furudes. I decided that, of the royal guards, I would receive Kai, and that the Sonozakis would get Kenji, and the Furudes would be given Kaede.
Demons were sold at a high price, and eventually I gained enough spare money to build a storage connected to the manor. I placed them in many cells built into it, and kept them there for a while. They don't do much, but if we were to let them go, chaos would flood the village once again.
Not all that interesting, but it was something. Keiichi flipped the page.
When we enslaved demons, we took something from them. We removed their emotions. The reason why we did this is because they would then be forced to listen to everything we say, and would not try to go against us. They cannot attack us if they are under our control, and they cannot disobey orders. They won't feel bad if we ordered them to kill another demon that was close to them. This is a part of their enslavement. No demons have emotions and it is impossible for them to show any signs of this.
Keiichi clenched his teeth. Koichi was wrong. All demons had emotions. He just thought that they didn't. Perhaps the whole thing about taking away emotions hadn't worked entirely, and there were still a fair few demons that had emotions. There were a few demons that seemed like they didn't have them at all, like Kai. That demon never changed his expression and always used the same tone of voice. He never objected to orders nor did he ever show any signs of wanting to be free from the hold of humans.
Mion and Shion were different, though. He just needed to work a little more on them, and their emotions would be clearly visible.
"Ahaha!" cried Rena as she placed the comb down, smiling at the demon before her. "Shi-chan is all done! Now, come to the bathroom with me. I brought you a change of clothing. It'll feel nice! All that dirt and smelly stuff will be gone, and you'll feel refreshed," she told them both as she stood up. And then, with the two demons, she walked out of the room.
Keiichi smiled slightly. Thanks, Rena. I'm sure they're going to love not having to wear that old kimono. It hasn't been changed since they got here, and who knows how long they had been wearing it for before that.
He went back to his reading shortly after this.
Demons cannot be happy, and they cannot be sad. They are unable to feel any emotions, and they can't understand the emotions of humans. They are unable to love anything or feel affection. They have nothing, and are now simply a tool for us to use. They have no purpose in life other then to serve us, the mighty humans. We now have complete dominance over them.
He doubted that was true.
And, because of the lack of emotions, it is said that a demon's blood flows black and not red. This is more proof of how they are inhuman and are our slaves.
Keiichi felt his blood boil. This guy was really getting on his nerves. He was speaking of humans as if they were so much better than demons, and that no demons were good and their only purpose in life was to serve humans. That wasn't true! He wished he could punch this guy in the face for saying all these things about demons. He hadn't ever gotten the chance to know one. While he knew some were bad and wicked, there were many who were good at heart.
And what was this about a demon's blood flowing black and not red? Something like that had to be a lie. It just didn't make scientific sense. Because a demon didn't have emotions, it meant that their blood was… black? Really, who had come up with these things? Come to think of it, though, I haven't seen a demon bleed before. Kai had cut himself to allow his blood to flow into that man's, but I wasn't able to get a look at the color. Is their blood really black?
Before he could think anymore about the subject, the door to his room slid open, revealing Rena smiling happily. Keiichi closed the book, having heard enough of the lies contained in it. She looked behind her and whispered something to the demons, though Keiichi couldn't see either of them. They had taken an awfully long time, hadn't they?
"Close your eyes, Keiichi-kun. I'll tell you when to open them," she told him with a wink of the eye.
He wondered why he had to do that, but he obeyed nevertheless.
Keiichi could hear footsteps as they entered the room, and slight whispering from both the twins and Rena. He couldn't make out what they were saying, though. Was there some sort of surprise she was planning? It didn't make sense to close his eyes otherwise. Usually, this was told to people when someone was about to show them a huge surprise, like a gift or something similar. However, this wasn't a gift or a surprise or anything like that.
"Open!" cried Rena.
And so, he did. When he got a good look at the twins in front of him, he gasped. Rena had really done a good job of cleaning them up.
Their hair was no longer tangled, and their skin was clean. Had Rena bathed them? Come to think of it, Keiichi had heard running water, though he didn't think much of it. There hair was slightly wet, so that added to his theory. They were wearing rather fancy black kimonos, both of them identical. However, what surprised him the most was what Rena had done to the their green hair. Rena had tied yellow ribbons in Shion's hair, and Mion's was now tied up into a long ponytail.
The ponytail looked stunning on her, really. She was absolutely gorgeous in that. He was shocked that he used such a bold word to describe a girl, but she really was. He had never thought that he would ever call a girl beautiful. My cheeks are kind of warm… am I blushing?
"Do you like it? I changed their hair because I thought that it would be easier to tell them apart," she explained to him. "But if Mi-chan were to pull her hair down, and if Shi-chan were to take her ribbons out, the two of them would look exactly alike! I didn't cut it or anything. I think that it would be nice to keep them looking identical. They are identical twins, after all, so I think it would be better to have them remain that way."
Keiichi nodded, though he couldn't find words. They were both stunning. Rena had done a great job.
"I… I…" he tried to speak. Still, though, he couldn't find words.
Rena grinned and giggled a little bit at his reaction. "I know, you think they're beautiful, don't you? You don't have to say it if you're shy about it." She turned to the two demons, grinning. "See, Keiichi-kun thinks that you two are beautiful!"
The two of them nodded and their faces remained the same, but upon closer inspection, Keiichi saw the faintest of blushes on Mion's face…
"Where did you get the kimonos?" he finally asked her, gazing at the two black kimonos that Shion and Mion were now wearing. They looked extremely expensive, and it was doubtful that Rena would have two extremely expensive kimonos that were exactly alike. Really, she would only need one.
"I stole them from the basement when Takeru was working," Rena told him nonchalantly. She seemed completely calm about the whole idea. "They were Mi-chan's and Shi-chan's, so it would okay. They're not going to use them for something else." Upon noticing that Keiichi looked rather startled by the whole idea, Rena just smiled. "Ah, you went down there often to talk to them, right? It's no different. I just brought Mi-chan and Shi-chan's stuff over for them. I have a few more kimonos that I took, so I'll bring those later for you to put in your closet."
He understood what she meant. Who was he to say anything, after all? He was the one who had stolen the demons. That wasn't nearly as bad as stealing a few kimonos.
"Ah, Mi-chan! Please remember to let your ponytail down when you're asleep. Same goes for you, Shi-chan. Take out those yellow ribbons when you're sleeping. Here, look. I'll show you how you can put them back on," Rena told them as she reached for Shion's ribbons, undoing them from her hair and beginning to explain how she could put them back when woke up.
Keiichi watched this with a smile. With their new hairstyles, Keiichi could tell them apart, unless Mion were to take her hair out of it's ponytail and if Shion were to remove her ribbons. Now, games like tag in which the twins liked to swap would be easier. It wouldn't be as easy as rotating their collars. It could take a little bit for them to switch hairstyles.
But really… I love that ponytail on Mion. It really suits her. She's really beautiful…
Keiichi blushed at that thought and shook it out of his head. Really, though, how could someone like them be as monstrous as Kimiyoshi Koichi described them as? Demons weren't all that bad. All that Kimiyoshi Koichi wrote was probably a fake, and what he had thought. It was an opinion. It was not fact.
And that thing about blood flowing black… hah! As if!
Really, who would believe in such a tale?
~~~~X~~~~
"Here you go!" cried Rika as she placed a slab of meat down on the ground of one of her cells. "That's some nice, yummy meat for you good demons! Now eat up! Nipah!"
The demons rushed towards the meat and began to tear at it with pure hunger in their eyes. A single slab of meat didn't last a long time for three hungry demons, and the need for more food grew quickly after a meal. Rika closed the door to her cell and locked it tightly before moving on to the next cage. When it was feeding time, none of the demons yelled or cursed at her. It was a nice demon for the demons, who always enjoyed to have something to eat.
"And here's another slab of meat for the hungry, hungry demons!" she yelled as she tossed another slab into the next cell.
"Rika, what's with the manor of speaking?" asked Satoko as she held up the bag containing all the slabs of raw meat.
Rika smiled. "Just for fun, Satoko! You don't always need a reason! Nipah!"
Satoko sighed. "You're so strange at times, Rika…"
Often, the young yellow-haired girl and her older brother would come down to help her friend feed the demons or with whatever else she needed help with. Her brother was busy cleaning out a cell, and the demons inside of that one had been placed in a spare for the time being. Having two good friends to help her really decreased the amount of work and time Rika had to spend on the demons. She didn't need unreliable servants when she had friends she could trust to do the job with her.
As Satoko handed Rika another slab of meat, who then preceeded to throw it into the cage, she began to speak. "You know, these demons become a lot calmer when you have food. Usually, they're yelling and shouting curses."
Rika nodded. "But there are a few that are nice. Like Number Thirty-Five!"
Satoko blinked. "But that's because she's five-years-old."
The blue-haired miko shrugged. "Still a demon."
"They're still not all that human like, though," Satoko said as she watched the demons devour the slab of meat that was given to them just seconds before. "When you talk to them, it's like you know they're a demon. It's something you can't shake off when you talk to them."
"I think most demons are like that," Satoshi's voice came from a cell. "I don't think I'll ever meet a demon who acts completely human. They'll always be a demon after all," he told them as he scrubbed the dirty floor. "I've never been able to become good friends with a demon aside from Kaede, really. But she's only that way because she's a head demon and has a name. I don't think normal demons would act that way."
"I agree," his sister's voice replied. "I don't think I'll ever see a demon that's like that. It would be cool, though."
Rika nodded. She looked about the demon storage area, finding that every single demon had received their food. "Satoko, if you would help your brother now. All the meat is gone, so I don't need anymore help with that!"
"Okay," Satoko replied as she ran over to the open, empty cell so that she could help her brother clean the floors and the walls.
Once she was gone, Rika went over to very, very back of the storage area. In the final cage stood Kaede, who had finished the meat that she had received already. She bowed when she saw Rika coming towards her, knowing that her master had come to speak with her yet again. The two of them would often converse about the fate of the village and how things were going, and it seemed like today it would be the same.
"Master," Kaede said.
"Kaede, tell me, how have the demons been when I'm gone?" she asked the orange-haired woman.
She paused for a few moments. "Ah, they've been all right. You know how a lot of them are. Number Thirty-Two can't get over the fact that he's trapped now. He's been a captured demon for as long as I have, though. Of course, he was bought from the Sonozakis, but that doesn't matter." She blinked. "He wasn't all that different under the rule of Makoto, though."
Rika shrugged. "Some people are like that."
"How's Kai?" Kaede asked, suddenly changing the subject. "I assume you know a little about how things have been with the Kimiyoshi family."
"Kai's being Kai," Rika replied, playing with a strand of her blue hair. "He's always being Kai. You never see him without that same, emotionless expression on his face and the same look in his really strangely golden eyes. He speaks in the same tone, and well… he's obeying Kimiyoshi's troubling orders. Doesn't even bother to complain about how much Kimiyoshi works him."
Kaede sighed. "As I thought. He wasn't all that different back then, either. He obeyed whatever Makoto said without question. He's someone that respects and obeys whatever his master tells him to do. That's why Koichi chose him, I think." She looked off into the distance. "He tried to defend Makoto from Koichi as best as he could. He has a scar from the fight on his back, and it's really nasty. The wound wouldn't stop bleeding. It just goes to show how dedicated he can be towards his master."
Rika winced. That must have hurt. "Was Kenji the same way?"
"Ah, yes. He obeyed Makoto all right. I did, too. It's too bad he's gone now. Only the two of us remain…" She shook her head. "I do not question what Oryou said, though. Has your friend said anything about what she thinks is going to happen in the future?"
"My friend tells me many things, Kaede, but she can't tell the future." Rika turned her head so that she could get a quick look at Satoko and Satoshi, but then returned her vision to the female demon in front of her. "I know something's going to happen. But what… I don't know."
Kaede nodded. "I understand. I shouldn't be pressuring your friend like that. Tell her I said I'm sorry for hoping she knows about what's going to happen."
"I will. Though, Kaede, didn't Makoto say something about the future of the village? Something about the twins of Onigafuchi," Rika recalled.
"Yes. Makoto told Koichi that twins shall be born, and that they shall destroy the village. But then, Koichi defied what he had been told. He decided that there would be a hero who would stop the twins in their tracks and save Onigafuchi. He called this person The Hero of Onigafuchi." She shook her head. "How much is true, I do not know. But I believe in Makoto's words. As for Koichi…"
"You don't know," finished Rika, understanding what Kaede was saying. "But Kaede, I would chose to believe in Koichi's words if anything. I don't know if someone like Makoto, a cruel demon leader would be correct. Who knows if the great demon leader was trying to trick us?"
Kaede looked up at Rika, a serious look in her eyes. "I don't know about that, Rika."
Rika blinked. "Huh?"
With a sigh, the orange-haired demon continued on. Her tone was serious, and there seemed to be some sort of nostalgia thrown in there."…There's a lot more to Makoto than you think, Rika."
~~~~X~~~~
Crimso's Corner V.2
I wanted it to end there. I know it seems funny, but I wanted the chapter to end with those words.
…Usually, when the title of the chapter is the title of the book/fanfic itself, that means something dramatic is going to happen. Nope. Not here. It was that way with Green-Eyed Demon, but that's because the title fit the chapter, and the title fits the chapter here. In the chapter Green-Eyed Demon, a revelation was made about the Green-Eyed Demon, hence the title. They talked about the legend of a demon's blood flowing black here, so that's why the title is Blood Flows Black. It's not an important chapter, but the title fits.
That's all I must say, so please review! Reviewers can get a model of the Furude storage area, and people who point out typos can get figures of random demons to fit inside! Keep in mind what I like to hear in reviews! I must go now. It's 12:25 AM, and I have banned myself from watching Mirai Nikki episode four until I finished this chapter. I have to watch it before I go to bed, which I NEED to do at 1 AM as it's Sunday.
Also, since it's 12:25… Happy Halloween! I hate it, personally, except for the dressing up part, but I hope anyone who still celebrates it enjoys it! I quit last year.
~Crimso