Chapter 27—Kuronue Unlocked

Kuronue forgot Edmund the second he heard the cackle from Hika. She was standing there as if nothing was wrong with the scene before her, laughing as if it were going out of style. The woman that stood there was no longer his Hika. It was Bleathe completely. He pushed himself up and put his hands on Hika's shoulder, shaking her body in a vain attempt to get her to wake up from the possession. All he got was a laugh in his face form Bleathe that pushed him away.

"She's gone lover boy!" Bleathe said as she held her stomach. It had been so simple to make the girl take her over. The last bit of life left was crying out for Kuronue as if he were some kind of drug that the girl couldn't live without. "She is gone and she'll never come back."

Kuronue stared at the woman that stood there before he saw red. That was all he saw. Her body was surrounded by red; her normally pale skin became red. He didn't hesitate. He started to attack. As he fought he felt his spiritual energy, which had been slowly depleted over the time he'd been sent on stupid protection details of his family from Edmund, begin to rise from its low level.

Bleathe, using Hika's full demonic potential, easily dodged any attack that Kuronue launched at her. In fact, she simply started to dance suggestively as she dodged. The dodges became hip thrusts or sidesteps turned into twirls that from anyone else would have been beautiful. But having no control over her body it only seemed pointless on Hika. When she got tired of 'dancing', Bleathe turned her attention to Kuronue and started to fight back.

It was obvious from anyone's perspective that Kuronue wasn't fighting smart. He took shots that he could easily have missed just for an attempt to knock the girl out. "You can't have her!" he finally growled as he pushed himself up from where he'd fallen from a volley of punches to the gut. He coughed and a few splatters of blood splattered over Hika's shirt front.

"Oh? Says who? She doesn't love you. You two are not lovers. She holds no mate's mark and had no intention of taking one while you were there," Bleathe said with a snicker. "She loved that elemental we set free. She loved him and could never love you."

"It doesn't matter if she loves me!" Kuronue shouted. "All that matters is that I love her and I won't let you treat her like some puppeteers puppet!"

/

Hika looked up. She could have sworn she'd heard something from inside her dark prison that was her mind. Everywhere around her she felt the presence of Bleathe. She looked towards a Monitor that let her see outside for quick glimpses. Kuronue was standing there as if he had been through a war. Somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered him falling through a pair of doors as Bleathe had stolen her mind.

"He shouldn't be here," She whispered to herself.

He's saying that he hates your guts.

That was Bleathe's interior voice that reverberated inside Hika's mind.

"I don't believe you," she whispered back.

"It doesn't matter if she loves me!"

Hika looked up, blinking. That hadn't been Bleathe's voice nor her own. She looked towards the monitor and saw Kuronue shimmering with Spiritual energy. She had only seen him sparkle like that with energy once—when he'd saved her from being crushed from the fall.

"All that matters is that I love her and I won't let you treat her like some puppeteers puppet!"

Hika started to uncurl from her position in her prison of a mind.

/

"Well she doesn't like you so it doesn't matter. Splutter all this love nonsense as long as you want. It won't help her come back. She's dead. The only person you'll get back is me." Bleathe snarled, sensing the energy that Kuronue was starting to build up. She looked up and noticed Edmund hovering over them. He nodded when she looked up at him.

It does matter! I love you too Kuronue! Hika screamed in her mind. But of course Kuronue couldn't hear it. He grunted as a pain in his back started to grow. Unlike the time before, this was forced and was taking a bit longer.

"I'm not going to let you hurt Hika any more you bastard!" Kuronue snapped as his eyes flashed with power. The spirit energy slowly changed. As it changed his back arched.

"Attack him you idiot!" Edmund ordered, realizing what the human was trying to do.

Bleathe did as she was told. She pushed Hika's body forward and punched him—Or tried to. He caught her fist just as his wings shot out from his back. Kuronue stood there panting as he held Hika's body.

"Hika, if you are in there, listen to me. I've loved you since the first time I saw you as Deshiri. Remember there. You will always have my love, no matter what form our souls take," he said, his eyes determined as he punched Hika in the gut, taking the breath from her. As she stumbled back he shot into the air, aiming straight for Edmund.

The punch to the gut did exactly what Kuronue had meant it to. Bleathe flinched away from the pain, giving Hika a few seconds opportunity to take a foothold in her own mind. The words encouraged her to do just that. Bleathe turned her attentions to the girl, letting Hika's body crumple to the floor as her attention turned inward.

"You'll regret that girlie," Bleathe hissed in her mind.

"You'll regret lying to Kuronue," Hika hiss back as she launched herself at Bleathe in her mind.

/

Kuronue flew up to hover a few feet away from Edmund, his power ragging around him to anyone that felt like looking. "You'll pay for hurting Hika and her family Edmund. I said it before and now I'm here to collect what you owe them," he snarled.

"Come little boy," Edmund replied with a sneer. "Let's see what you can do."