I am going to be toning down the fanservicey outfits. They make sense for a hentai, but I am not writing a hentai. (looking at you, kuroinu armour).

Also, all of my knowledge of Kuroinu comes from fanfic and looking at wikis, and I will be keeping it that way, so I apologize for any and all inaccuracies in the worldbuilding.

This chapter: Toga and Olga confirm their pact. And then they talk.

There were few things in the world that could make Toga infuriated to the point that he needed to consciously suppress the urge to abandon his human-like guise and reveal his true form.

The evil that had occurred in this fortress was one of them.

Toga would have been able to find his Summoner and her guard even without the Contract, weak though it was, binding them together. He had caught their scents on the monsters and men occupying their fortress. The mixture of the women's blood and terror, along with their assaulter's mingled lust and spend was repulsive, but it had grown stronger as he traversed further into the fortress.

Killing the Kuroinu, he believed they were called, and the lesser youkai had been…satisfying, to say the least.

He would have never allowed for something like this to occur when he had ruled the Western Lands. Rabble like this didn't come from anywhere, and he could only wonder how the ruler of this land had allowed this pit of vipers to brood under their nose.

He had many questions he would need to ask his Summoner, Toga thought, as he led the two women out of the fortress.

Both of them had tied the blankets he had retrieved from an upper level of the fortress around them rather like the garb he had seen in the city states around the Great Sea in his home realm.

His summoner and her guard did not flinch at the blood and viscera that painted the floor, walls, and even parts of the ceiling. It was messier than he usually allowed himself to be - he usually preferred dispatching his opponents with a sword.

But these creatures had not been worthy of a clean death, much less a sword formed of his yoki. And killing them with his hands had been rewarding, in its own way.

The two women did not flinch away from the scene. Their faces stayed in a blank mask of pride the Toga was well familiar with - Sesshomaru hadn't only inherited his demeanour from his mother - but their scents were a mixture of satisfaction and vindication.

His furor calmed as they exited the fortress with no challenge, enough for his eyes to bleed to their natural gold.

Though he still kept his guard up. The lands were seething with a dark, poisonous energy. The same type of magic, he noticed, that his Summoner used.

Now that the immediate crisis had been done away with, it was time, he decided, to complete his pact with his summoner and get some answers.

He stopped walking, and turned to the duo following him.

If Toga had not been familiar with reading Sesshoumaru and Inukimi, he would have missed the nigh-imperceptible flinch his Summoner gave when he looked at her.

That was the first thing he needed to address - after he got her name.

"What are your names?"

The guard drew herself up proudly.

"You are in the presence of Olga Discordia, ruler of the Dark Elves. I am her guard, Chloe."

Her posture was arrogant, and her tone was just this side of belligerent, despite the situation. Toga felt a pang of nostalgia at the sight and sound of it. He had been husband to a woman of similar bearing.

They had not loved each other, not in the way of spouses, but Inukimi had been one of his oldest friends.

Toga inclined his head in acknowledgement of Chloe's introduction, before turning to his Summoner. Queen Olga Discordia.

"Once we complete this pact, I will own you Queen Discordia. You are aware of this."

Chloe's eyes narrowed in fury, and she took a protective step in front of her queen.

In contrast, Queen Discorida closed her visible eye for a brief moment, and nodded. Her expression tightened slightly, but that was the only indication of the impact of Toga's words.

"I know. I am prepared to pay any…price that you would demand of me."

Toga knew very well what kind of price she expected from him.

He would never demand that of anyone, man or woman. In any other circumstances he would be offended that someone would assume that he would force himself on another being, but in the situation…well. It was perfectly understandable that she would think that of him.

All she knew was that he was a powerful youkai from another realm. And there were many youkai who would demand all that she was - body, mind, and soul - in exchange for their power.

"I am not one to force myself on other beings. Especially not those I am bound to protect." He paused for a second to let his words sink in. "And as far as I am concerned this pact places you under my protection."

Queen Discordia's eye widened in shock. It was the first unguarded emotion she had displayed.

"Then what do you want? If not me then…"

Toga thought back to what he had seen when he had found Queen Discorida and Chloe, of the injuries that had been on their bodies before they had covered themselves, of the fear-anger-hopelessness that had been so profound that he had scented it before he had even destroyed the door to the dungeons.

"The satisfaction of killing these creatures is payment enough."

Toga felt Queen Discordia sourcing their still-tenuous connection for any sign that he was lying. They really would need to complete this soon, he could feel this world giving its first attempts at rejecting his presence, but he could keep it at bay for some time longer.

She stopped prodding at the contract, seemingly satisfied with the truth of his words.

"What is your name?"

"I am Toga, the Inu no Taisho."

Toga had borne the title for so long that it was as much a part of him as his name was, though it meant nothing in this world.

His title drew a humorless laugh from Queen Discordia. "Inu no Taisho? How ironic…"

She sobered up quickly after that. "I believe that we need to complete our pact. I can't imagine that keeping yourself in this realm is easy. Stand back, Chloe."

Chloe, whose protective stance had not faltered, reluctantly obeyed her queen.

Queen Discordia closed her eyes, and Toga felt magic being pulled from the cursed earth they stood upon.

So, she was the originator of the curse. Toga filed the thought away for a later time.

He held out his hand, palm up. As the Summoned being, it was his role to begin the pact-confirmation. He could, if he so desired, simply affirm the contract and take her energy from her - because that was truly all that was required - but he had some modifications he wished to add.

"I, Toga, the Inu no Taisho, have answered your call from the beyond. I will destroy the Kuroinu and their allies. I shall not harm your people, unless they seek to hurt me or my own. In return, you shall be mine, and you will be under my protection."

No matter how distasteful Toga found it, there was no way around the clause of ownership. An appropriate sacrifice had to be made to tether a youkai of his power to this world. But at least this way, Queen Discordia could have something other than his word alone as an assurance of her personal well-being.

He had not missed the fact that her own safety was not part of the terms set for his summoning.

Toga felt through the strengthening pact a sense of respect from his Summoner at his modified terms, although her face remained inscrutable.

The power drawn from the land coalesced into a purple haze in his Summoner's hand as she laid it, palm-down, in his.

"I, Queen Olga Discordia of the Dark Elves, agree to this."

His skin began to burn at their point of contact as their pact-mark etched itself into his hand. It was a simple, circular design of barbed flowering vines in the dark purple of her magic. He knew that on her hand would be the mark of a crescent moon in deep red.

Queen Discordia removed her hand from his when it was done, and stepped back.

"You may call me Olga. I believe that we are now on close enough terms to dispose of courtesy."

Yes, he supposed that she was correct. There really was no use in formalities any longer.

"Then you may call Toga." The sky was turning a deeper red, which was likely the equivalent to night, and a chill was sweeping over the barren land. A gust of wind blew through the air and Toga watched with concern as both Olga and Chloe shivered.

"Come, we must find a shelter."

He was not familiar with these lands, but he knew that the most evil things tended to come out at night.

Olga stared at the demon - Toga - from across the fire.

They had found rocky outcropping that protected them from most of the winds. Olga had convinced Chloe to rest some time ago. Her guard was so protective that it had been a battle to get her to let her guard down enough to sleep, but in the end, she had conceded to Olga's point that she would be unable to protect her if she had no rest.

Toga's now-golden eyes were molten in the firelight. Olga wondered, again, what manner of demon she had summoned. He was unlike the beasts she had encountered in the past. Those were creatures akin to goblins or orcs, only far more powerful.

And in personality…he was nothing like she thought he would be, at least so far.

As a matter of fact, if she ignored the fact that he was a demon, all of his actions thus far had painted him as a man of honour. And right now, Olga was inclined to believe that he was.

They were bound by the pact, after all. She would know if he had lied to her, or if he had malicious intent towards her.

Not that she would be able to do anything about it. Olga pushed the thought away. She had made her bed and…it seemed to be a fair sight more comfortable than she originally thought it would be.

"I imagine that you have questions." His voice lacked the growl it had held at the fortress.

Olga nodded, cautiously hopeful that she would gain some answers.

"I do." She hesitated for a moment, before adding, "I imagine that you do as well."

Her summoning hadn't been the most informative, after all. All he knew of her situation was that her fortress had been taken and that she and Chloe had been violated by the invaders.

"We will have an exchange then. I have already gathered that the Kuroinu are a mercenary group of some kind. What more can you tell me of them?"

Straight to business then. Olga could appreciate that in a man.

"Their leader is Vault, a warrior of great prowess. Arguably one of the best in the land. The Kuroinu were employed by Celestine, the Queen of Eostia. They wish to take over all of Eostia, and do to the country what was done to myself and Chloe."

Olga abruptly paused, as the experiences she was doing her best to ignore briefly rose up to choke her. She forced it down. She was a Queen. She knew how to compartmentalize.

"What manner of demon are you? I have not encountered one like yourself before."

Toga's eyes glimmered in the flickering light, leaving Olga with the feeling that he knew exactly why she had stopped speaking of the Kuroinu.

"I am Inuyoukai."

Inuyoukai. Where had she heard that term before…"The legends of Kaguya's people" Olga realised aloud.

"Kaguya?"

Olga pulled her makeshift clothing closer to herself as a gust of wind blew through their shelter. Chloe shifted in her sleep, and murmured something inaudible.

"One of Celestine's six Princess Knights - the rulers of the six major cities aside from the capitol. Kaguya hails from the East, and has a style of dress similar to yours. I have heard legends from her people of youkai."

Olga studied the youkai - not demon, at least not the type of demon she was familiar with - before her, and scoured her mind for what she knew of his species.

He was elflike in form, and obviously a man of extreme power, she had felt as much when she summoned him. In fact, the only signs of what he was were the slitted eyes, fangs, claws, and markings.

Such a successful guise and his immense power could only mean that he was of the highest class of youkai.

"You're Daiyoukai, are you not." It was not a question. Olga knew that she was correct.

Toga inclined his head in affirmation.

Pride welled up in Olga's chest at that. She, diminished though she was, had been able to reach through the worlds to summon a daiyoukai. That meant there was hope for her magical prowess yet.

"...I will show you the way to a settlement of my people tomorrow. Then, we can begin to plan the destruction of the Kuroinu."

Daiyoukai or not, he was only one being and the Kuroinu were many. A plan would be necessary.

And Olga had no intention of sitting back and letting Toga do all of the killing. No, she would absorb as much magic as she could from the curse she had put on this land all those centuries ago. And then she would use that power to destroy the Kuroinu.

Now that she knew that she would not be spending the rest of her life as a demon's plaything, the thought of up close and personal revenge sounded incredibly appealing.

She could hardly wait to hear the dying cries of the worms who had dared to try and subjugate her and her people.

The Great Sea = The Mediterranean Sea. I have decided that Toga/Olga is going to be a thing.

Thank you to y'all who have reviewed! I find it really motivating to read them.

Next chapter: Olga leads the squad to a Dark Elf settlement. Said settlement is being attacked by mercenaries. Bloodshed ensues.