Chapter 18

She was writhing in his grasp and he couldn't do anything about it. He looked up with death in his eyes for any demon that came near them. Hika was fighting as hard as she could against the demon, pushing it back with kicks, jumps and punches. She'd taken out a dagger and was fighting the demon with that now. Kuronue looked down at Inane as she gripped his shirt.

"Kuronue," she gasped out before another scream left her lips as she felt a pain in her legs that wouldn't go away.

"Don't worry. We will get you safe and to a doctor. I promise. Hang in there Inane, all right? Listen to me!" Kuronue told the girl, his eyes flashing with worry. His head snapped up however as Hika screamed loudly. She was sent sailing back by a kick to the gut. He was torn—help Inane or get up and help Hika with what little help he could offer.

The answer came when Hika shoved herself up and launched herself at the demon again, a look of rage on her face. Just as she reached the demon another figure joined her, adding his own power to the punch. Charlie, in all the glory of an elemental tethered to a human body, slammed his fist into the demon's stomach, helping Hika knock him back. Kuronue stared at the two that worked in perfect synchronicity. Where one went right, the other went left and met in the middle of a twist so that both their feet went into the demon's face at the same time from different directions.

Kuronue turned his attention to Inane and fed his spirit energy into her through the hand he grasped tightly in his. Battling back the venom, he concentrated. He could not let the girl die. Never would he let the last thing standing between him and his old life die. "Hang in there Inane," he whispered.

There were snaps of air as more figures appeared. A woman with long pink hair and blue eyes joined him and joined him in healing the girl. Kurama appeared next to Inane's head, a whip in his hand as he brought off the demon that had bitten Inane. A man with black hair that seemed to defy gravity and a sword finally cut off the head of the demon before disappearing to cut the head off of another demon that seemed to have appeared from the rocks that surrounded them.

"Kuronue!" Hika screamed. He looked up from helping the woman save Inane and saw the bat demon start towards her. He looked the way that she was looking and saw the woman that had taken Inane the day before turn and walk away from the battle ground. Everywhere demons were fighting the Spirit Detectives and Hika and Charlie.

Kuronue placed Inane in the hands of the woman and rushed off towards the woman that was walking so calmly away. "Wait! Get back here!" he yelled. His hand was an inch away from her as she disappeared from view. He stumbled forward and rolled.

As if she were some kind of signal the demons retreated from the group of humans and demons and the grim reaper. The Spirit detectives were the only ones that were able to get out of this scrap safely. Hika had bruises on her face and arms that could be seen and multitudes of smaller scratches. Charlie had also sustained some scratches.

The pink haired woman rose with the human and hopped onto an oar before Kuronue could object. "I have to take her to Koenma's Palace. He'll get his medics to take the poison out of her," the woman said before zooming towards the sky. Kuronue tried to protest but Kurama came over and put a calming hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry Kuronue. Inane will be fine. Koenma wouldn't hurt her, you know that," the red head answered before looking at Hika and going over to look her over. "Dear girl, what have you done to your wing? I'd heard you torn it, but this is horrible." His hands ran over her wings membrane as their surroundings vanished and they were all in the forest again. Everyone snapped to attention from checking their wounds the moment their surroundings changed.

Kuronue was shivering suddenly as the night air took hold around them instead of the dry heat of the demon world desert. Damn he wished he had his pendant, and his wings. He blinked as those things hit him as almost funny. A more focused part of him said that it was probably shock. While he had been prepared to give up his life in order to kill the demon that was attacking Hika, he had never truly thought that he would go after Inane, or draw them into an ambush. He took a few steps back and leaned against a tree before sliding down and putting his face in his hands.

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"We have to Botan!" Koenma said as he stood next to the bed that Inane was lying on as the poison was purged from her system. "She's an innocent human. Look at what happened to her! Our job is to protect humans from demonic deaths as much as possible. Kuronue will just have to deal with the changes."

"But it isn't fair to him! He's not the same Kuronue that fell in love with Hiromi those years ago. He's human! This girl means something to him my Lord," the woman exclaimed in reply. "You can't do this to him. We wanted Them to be happy but that isn't going to happen if you do this to him."

"It'll have to work. I broke a few too many rules for Hiromi to be reincarnated into a demon. Father is still not happy with me for doing it. If Kuronue doesn't love Hika in return, then that's too bad. I can't let another human die because of that man."

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Kuronue couldn't wait to get to school the next day. Kurama had called him sometime during the night to tell him that Inane had been returned to her home. Kuronue was all for running over and checking on her, but Kurama told him that she would probably be asleep even if he did go over at that late hour of the night. Kuronue fidgeted as he waited next to Inane's locker much like he had the day before, his eyes worried. Anyone that saw him walked around him and didn't stop by their lockers.

Hika rushed over and was about to say something to him, worry on her face when he stood straight and started towards Inane that was walking towards her locker with a bright, smiling face on. "Inane!" Kuronue said and pulled her into a hug. That she did not return. He blinked a few times and pulled away, worry on his face as he looked down at her.

She was looking at him with a look of surprise and worry. "Kuronue, why did you hug me?" she asked, her voice nice and happy. There was no sign on her body that she'd been almost killed the day before.

"I'm just so glad you are okay," he said before frowning a little. "Inane, you are okay right?"

Inane had taken a step back, confusion on her face as she held her bag closer to her. "Why wouldn't I be Kuronue? Listen. I know we used to hang out together as kids, but that was years ago. You haven't talked to me since the fifth grade. I don't know why you are being all friendly now, but I don't want to hear it. Just being ignored by a friend for so many years is painful, and it's even more painful when they suddenly act like you are going out or something. Please, don't talk to me again," she said in a matter-of-fact way before walking around him and going to her locker where she was joined by two other girls that were whispering to her and pointing to where Kuronue stood, stunned.

Hika stepped over with Charlie that had come in on the last part of it. "That's what I was trying to tell you. It seems—"she started to say, but the look on Kuronue's face was one of despair and she stopped speaking all together.

The three of them stood there in silence as it sunk in to Kuronue what had happened. Koenma had had one of his mind wipers go through and erase every bit of them from her memory—at least anything that could be associated with demons. He'd even gone as far as to have them incorporate her into friendships with others. Kuronue felt numb as he walked away from his last two friends and out of the school yard. Hika stepped forward to go after him but Charlie caught her and shook his head.

"Go to class. I'll go find him and talk him around," Charlie told the girl before walking after his friend at a slower pace.

Hika looked after the two as a sense of dread came over her. This was a turning point. She didn't know what for, but it was for something—something big. Everything would go fast after this, she felt, and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

PS: .^. Please, whatever you do, do not kill me. Inane needed to go. At least this way, her 'exit' was used in a productive way rather than a 'I hate you' romantic end? If you kill me... You'll never know if Charlie and Hika end up together or if it's Kuronue and Hika. ROSEY