A/N: Ok, it was a long wait between updates. But you guys have to admit, I wrote a LOT!! I really like this chapter, but I'm gonna warn you now, it's really long and possibly kind of boring. Sorry, but it's necessary. Still, as promised, Kuronue makes his very first live appearance in this chapter! Yay!! In response to Irene Sharda, I LIKE talking to my reviewers through my writing. You're just the only one who I can actually respond to! XP Now I will probably get the next installment out faster because I don't plan on it being this long, but no guarantees. I'm working on it, I promise!
Warnings: Umm... none. Wow, my writing is getting boring. Maybe something in the next chapter? ;)
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The interior of Sakyo's building was just as magnificent as the exterior. From gleaming marble floors to sweeping 20 foot ceilings, the compound was truly a sight to behold. And, wonder of wonders, Sakyo seemed to enjoy having foliage about, for every third window had beautifully arranged flowers in front of it in ornate, gold-chased hanging planters. Kurama had to work hard to maintain a straight face; it seemed fortune was smiling upon him! But, as he drew closer to one of the arrangements, his good spirits sank. Silk flowers… Of course; Sakyo wouldn't be foolish enough to provide weaponry for the legendary bandit he had invited into his base.
Pushing down his frustrations, Kurama continued following the little snake demon through the entry-way and towards the middle of the three hallways that branched from it. They all appeared identical; Kurama made a mental note of the path he was being led through so as to better plan an escape route later. He had a feeling that Sakyo wasn't going to let him leave easily; especially not with Kuronue.
A crystal chime rang out, as bright and clear as though it were right next to him, but Kurama saw nothing that could have made the peal as his head whipped around. Apparently the sound had been enchanted to echo throughout the entire compound. Further down the hallway, he saw a door open and a tall, lithe figure dressed in black silks emerged. He brushed his long, glossy black hair behind his shoulders, rustled his wings, and began to walk towards the end of the hallway; his hips swaying in an enticingly familiar way…
"KURONUE!" The figure froze, then slowly turned back to look at Kurama with bright lavender eyes. Kurama's heart soared as, abandoning all pretenses, he ran toward his former partner. Behind him, his guide gave a strangled hiss and screamed for Kurama to halt, but his commands fell on deaf ears. Before Kurama had taken his second step, however, Kuronue had turned abruptly and begun walking, very quickly, down the length of the hallway and out of sight. Kurama halted, both hurt and confused at the same time. Why had Kuronue run away from him like that? The man had sent him all those terrible memories and gone through all this trouble to get him here, then he ran away at the sight of him? A hiss at his knee pulled his attention back to his angry guide.
"You no do that! You follow me, not run off after him! See Kuronue later; see Master Sakyo now!" And, without another word, the snake slithered off down the hallway, apparently following the same path Kuronue had taken. Kurama's already fraying nerves came dangerously close to their breaking point when the pitiful little demon chastised him, but he managed to hold his emotions in check. Still, when the messenger looked back to assure himself that Kurama was still following him, he was met with a feral glare that sent an involuntary shiver up the entire length of his body. He quickened his pace, eager to be rid of his charge, and did not look back again.
After several more turns, Kurama was convinced that they must not be following Kuronue's path any longer. He never caught sight of the other man again, and although he thought he smelled the bat's scent faintly, he had no way to convince himself that he was not imagining it. Secure in the promise of a later meeting with Kuronue, he turned his attention to remembering how to navigate his way out of the compound. With his little guide refusing to look back again, Kurama found himself able to wander a bit more around the hallways he was being led through. While none of them had plants readily available for him, nearly ALL of them had windows overlooking the courtyard. It would take nothing more than an extra bit of spirit energy to grow the seeds he had planted in the courtyard large enough to reach these hallways and beyond. The tiniest of smiles crept across his face; his options were opening up…
Half a dozen turns later, Kurama and his serpentine guide reached a pair of double doors that had been ornately carved and covered in gilt. Kurama wrinkled his nose at the tackiness; the doors were really far too overdone for a compound such as this, nevermind the elegance of the hallways. Still resolutely determined not to look back at the spirit fox, the messenger gave instructions while faced directly at the gilded monstrosity in front of him.
"Master Sakyo wait inside; this his meeting room. You press hand to door and flare energy so he know who you are. He let you in. I leave now. Goodbye." And, still without a backward glance, the snake demon slithered off down yet another hallway and quickly disappeared from sight. Glad though he was to be rid of his pesky escort, Kurama still felt a twinge of anxiety as he realized that he had no one to guide him through the maze of hallways anymore. No matter, his path lay directly ahead of him and he had wasted more than enough time with his deliberations. Pressing his palm to the door, he let loose a surge of energy. Perhaps he used a bit more than necessary, but he wanted to leave no doubt in Sakyo's mind who he was dealing with. He was Youko Kurama, and he would be respected.
After a moment of silent stillness, the door gave an almighty creak and began to swing inward. Fool, Kurama chided, mentally. A door that opened inward was much easier to break into than a door that opened outward. Despite his bold display of spirit energy, Kurama entered Sakyo's meeting room cautiously with surreptitious glances in all directions. Just as the doors had been overdone to the point of bad taste, the room fell prey to poor furnishing as well. Obnoxious silks covered in swirling patterns adorned the walls and a plush carpet that appeared to be the exact shade of vomit covered the otherwise attractive marble tiling on the floor. The ceiling was carved with grotesque friezes depicting demons slaying other demons as humans sat about and watched.
Silencing a growl that had risen in his chest, Kurama returned his attention to the raised platform at the front of the room, upon which sat a throne-like chair, also covered in unnecessary amounts of gilt, flanked by a repugnant pair of twin candelabras. In that chair sat a pale human man with long black hair, and by his side crouched none other than Kuronue! Kurama took a step forward excitedly but, catching a nearly imperceptible head shake from the bat demon, he shortened his stride and began to walk more slowly, tearing his eyes from his former partner and fixing them instead upon Sakyo.
The Sakyo that sat in the overdone chair upon the platform was most definitely not the same Sakyo who had died in the Dark Tournament. The hair was nearly identical, it was true, and while it was obvious the two were blood-related, it was also very obvious that this man was a younger brother of the Sakyo who had owned Team Toguro. But… that didn't make any sense. Kuronue had been captured long before Sakyo had ever been born!
"Greetings and welcome, Youko Kurama. I have been looking forward to meeting you. Kuronue speaks very highly of you." He reached down and stroked the top of Kuronue's head almost as one might stroke a pet dog. Kurama's eyes narrowed; Kuronue was no pet to be treated so by some human! Forcing himself to remain calm, Kurama gave the young man seated on the chair a cold smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kuronue tense slightly under Sakyo's hand; he knew how dangerous that smile could be.
"If you wished to see me, why didn't you simply seek me out at the Dark Tournament? I met your brother there." The young man waved a hand impatiently, obviously disdainful.
"That lout had no idea what he was doing. Now, my eldest brother was a real genius. He figured out how to slip through the distortions in the Kakai. And then, of course, there was me; who was granted eternal life after I found the Yu-Su Fountain in the heart of the highest levels of Makai." Kurama's eyes narrowed at the mention of the Yu-Su Fountain; the Fountain of Youth. It was nothing more than a myth, and he was certain of it. He and Kuronue had searched for it long and hard and never found even a clue as to its whereabouts.
"The Yu-Su fountain," he repeated, flatly. Another cold smile lifted his lips. "I suppose after you found that, you also figured out how to turn lead into gold and water into wine, yes?" Sakyo chuckled once without humor.
"But naturally you would doubt the truth of my words. How to convince you… hmm…" He trailed off, obviously thinking hard. Kurama scowled, his eyes drifting to Kuronue momentarily, then snapping back to Sakyo.
"Who are you, exactly? Certainly no brother of the Sakyo I knew; Kuronue was captured before he was even conceived." The young man shook his head again, smiling in a patiently amused sort of way.
"No, I suppose I am not truly his brother. The Sakyo you knew was an ordinary human; absolutely unremarkable in any way." He paused and Kurama waited, unsure how to respond. Apparently not receiving the reaction he was hoping for, Sakyo continued with a slightly exasperated look on his face. "I and my brothers are nothing like him. We do share a father, but that is all we share. I've been told my youngest sibling had aspirations of greatness, but he was not anywhere near mentally stable. Father was disappointed in him and refused to take him to the Yu-Su Fountain I had found. Apparently the boy became enraged and killed the old fool in the middle of the night." He shrugged, showing no emotion as he spoke of his father's murder.
"You still haven't answered my question," the fox-demon growled, his tail swishing angrily behind him. "Give me a straight answer; who are you?!" The man straightened, seeming to take Kurama seriously for the first time.
"I suppose I should put it bluntly for you, hm? I am the elder half-brother of the man you knew in this so-called Dark Tournament. My name is Jiro Sakyo, and I was born in 1812." He smirked at Kurama's momentarily blank expression, pleased to have shocked the perpetually unruffled thief.
Kurama, meanwhile, was quickly running through the mental math. If he was right (and he was always right) and Sakyo was telling the truth, he was well over 170 years old! Entirely possible if he had actually found the Yu-Su Fountain (which Kurama still doubted), but hardly likely. After all, the Yu-Su Fountain granted eternal youth, but it did not grant any sort of immortal protection. Why hadn't Sakyo been killed by now by some demon aggravated by a human presence in Makai?
"You are lying," he said, finally. "Although your story about the Yu-Su Fountain may explain your perpetual youth, nothing can explain your continued existence. Demons do not suffer the antics of humans for long in their own world. Perhaps the Black Black Club manages to tame them somewhat in the Ningenkai, but they have no reservations about killing in the Makai. You would have been dead long ago."
"I would have," replied Sakyo, smiling smugly, "had I not hired a number of demons as bodyguards and strong-arms. I myself am hopeless when it comes to combat." He lifted his thin arms as if to illustrate his physical shortcomings. "But I am quite good with numbers. I figured out exactly how much it would take to secure the loyalty of my new bodyguards and paid them just that; no more, no less. Demons are so easy to buy off; greed runs in their blood." Kurama bristled, but kept himself under control. After all, he reminded himself, he was rather greedy when it came to most things. Something still didn't fit, though. Where had Sakyo come up with all this money to pay the demons?
"Where did you get all that money? You are far too young to have had a successful business, even in the 1800s." Sakyo shrugged.
"My father was in the opium business. He made more than we could have possibly used, even in our extended lives. He didn't mind me taking some off his hands. I daresay he barely even noticed." Kurama thought back to his knowledge of the opium trade and decided that Sakyo's words had the potential to be true. If his father really had been a powerful drug lord, they would have been exceptionally rich. The amount in today's terms would have been mind-boggling.
"Alright," he said, after chewing the information over for a moment, "assuming I believe you, and I'm still not certain I do; how did you possibly find out about the Makai?" A smile spread across the young human's face, as though he had been waiting for Kurama to ask this very question. He leaned forward in his throne-like chair, his black eyes flashing with unbridled excitement.
"It's quite a story, actually. My elder brother, Taro, was out hunting one day, something he quite enjoyed doing to pass the time. He was after some creature; he wasn't sure exactly what it was, but he wanted to kill it all the same. We found out later that the thing was actually a cat-demon, but I'm getting ahead of myself." He cleared his throat, then continued. "Taro was tracking the sly little thing all over the countryside, but he could never quite catch it. But Taro was not one to give up easily. Every now and then he would catch sight of its tail or ear and know that he was on the right track, but otherwise he was left to his good navigational skills; the creature moved silently, but nearly always in a straight line. Eventually he caught sight of it squeezing through some odd shimmery patch floating in the air ahead of him. He paused, considering his options, then followed the beast through the portal." Sakyo paused for effect, his eyes glittering with the anticipation of what he was about to say.
"When he picked himself up from the ground and got his bearings, he realized that he was nowhere near the place he had been only seconds ago. In fact, he was certain that he was no longer in Japan! He began to explore, keeping a sharp eye for the creature that had led him to this place. Eventually, he saw the dumb thing peek out from behind a bush to see what had become of him. Without thinking, he shot it immediately and landed a good hit on its shoulder. The creature fell and he ran to it to examine it. As I said before, it was a cat-demon. A very angry cat-demon who did not like getting shot at. It plucked the arrow out and leaped at him, but Taro managed to back away enough to shoot it again. This time he shot it through the chest, and the creature fell again, grievously injured. He stalked over to make the killing blow with his hunting knife, but the demon spoke to him in a voice like none he had ever heard before.
"'Don't kill me!' it begged, 'I'll do anything you ask of me, just spare my life!' Taro was intrigued by this animal that could speak and lowered his bow. 'What are you? Where am I?' he demanded. 'You are in the Makai, sir,' the creature responded, 'I am but a humble cat-demon. I can be of use to you if you spare my life!' Taro thought that over and decided that the cat-demon could, in fact, prove useful. He spared its life and instructed it to tell him everything it knew of the Makai and its inhabitants. The cat-demon acquiesced and told my brother all that it could. When Taro hunted that night, he gave the cat-demon some of his food, and a bond was formed between them. When it was healed, the cat-demon took Taro all over the Makai, showing him anything he asked to see and some things he did not. After a time, Taro realized that he had not yet found a way back to the world of the humans. He asked his cat-demon companion how to return, and the cat-demon found him a portal to return to the human world. Unfortunately, the portal led to a place in South America. It was 7 years after he had disappeared when we saw my brother again.
"He came marching in with this cat-demon by his side and told us of the enchanted world he had found on the other side of the 'shining sphere'. He wished to return, he explained, because he saw many opportunities for profit in this world. It was unclaimed and its resources virtually untapped. My father agreed and we all set off with the cat-demon to find a portal to go through. Luckily, one had opened near our estate, and we did not have to waste much time looking. On the other side of the portal, we found a world that surpassed our wildest dreams. Untamed nature everywhere; so much possibility for colonization, and so much market for, well… everything!" Sakyo's eyes blanked as he remembered his rapture when he first saw the Makai, and he was silent for nearly a minute before he brought himself back to the present and refocused his eyes on the fox demon standing before him. Kurama took the opportunity to exchange a private glance with Kuronue, who was still kneeling at Sakyo's side like some favored pet. He shot him a look full of unmasked concern and Kuronue returned a look of mixed anger and affection. He was angry Kurama had come to get him, but glad to see his old partner once again.
"My apologies," Sakyo shook himself from his daze and smiled vaguely as he continued his story. "As I was saying, we saw much potential in the world of the demons. After seeing Taro's success with his demonic companion, we decided that we needed our own companions, perhaps even protectors. Since no dying demons were readily available for us to save, we went a different route; bribery. As I said before, greed runs in demons' blood, and it was no difficult task to find some demons that were willing to exchange their loyalty for large monetary sums. With our new protectors, we were able to brave deeper into the Makai without fear. When one of our protectors fell, we simply hired a new one. Everything was so simple, and so very exciting then!" His smile grew wider and Kurama could tell that he was getting to the part that he had been waiting to tell.
"I heard tell of the Yu-Su Fountain one day while I was out gathering new bodyguards. A group of demons were telling tales of a pair of demons named Kuronue and Kurama who were nearby searching for the Fountain." He paused, his eyes sweeping over Kurama, looking for the slightest hint of a reaction to his own name. Kurama kept himself tightly in check, not allowing even the smallest twitch. His face remained passive and unconcerned. Obviously disappointed by the lack of reaction, Sakyo continued his story. "I asked around until I found out the two things I wanted to know: who were Kuronue and Kurama, and what was the Yu-Su Fountain? Kuronue and Kurama, I was informed, were master thieves who were quickly reaching legendary status. They were a force to be reckoned with; if anyone was going to find the Yu-Su Fountain, it was going to be them. That left the question of the Yu-Su Fountain, which was answered by a kind peddler. He explained the story of the Yu-Su Fountain, and how it was supposed to be guarded by-"
"Guarded by the three immortal children whose powers were so fearsome the gods dared not interfere with them," growled Kurama. "I know the stories, Sakyo." Instead of looking offended, Sakyo appeared delighted to have finally broken the youko's silence.
"Very good, Kurama! But I expected nothing less; you did look for the Fountain as well, after all." He deigned not to notice the blood-freezing glare Kurama shot at him for his patronizing tone and continued speaking. "I was intrigued by the peddler's story. I was even going to let him live, but one of my men had taken offense at something he said and killed him before I got the chance to stop him." He looked mildly regretful as he said that, but Kurama knew it was nothing more than an act. "In any case, the seed of curiosity had been planted, and I wanted the Yu-Su Fountain for myself. I gathered a number of new warriors and set off to find it, determined to beat the other pair who was searching for it.
"It took me years upon years of searching, and I nearly lost hope when I heard that even the legendary bandits Kuronue and Kurama had ceased their search, but I persevered. Every day I ventured a little deeper into this world I still knew so little about, and every day I grew more and more discouraged. Finally, after nearly a week of strictly rationed food and water and on the verge of losing my hired help no matter how much money I offered, we stumbled upon a tiny clearing in the midst of the Myou forest. Three little cherubs were waiting for us, their perfect features not demon or human, but downright celestial! Glowing pale skin, bright, jewel-like eyes, and perfect, rosy cheeks combined to form the most perfect, beautiful faces in existence. Nothing can compare to the beauty of these children. There were two males and one female, and all three were equally beautiful, equally perfect. They had created a barrier that was unlike any barrier, human or demon, that I have ever felt since. 'You may not drink of the Yu-Su Fountain unless you are worthy,' they told me; and their voices, Kurama, were like the clearest, most beautiful crystal bells." Sakyo closed his eyes as the memory overtook him, his face peaceful as he heard the perfect voices in his head. Kurama shot Kuronue another look, and the bat demon rolled his eyes. Kurama had to contain a snort of laughter; it encouraged him that his lover was well enough to make such a mocking gesture.
"Ah, those voices…" He opened his eyes again and continued with a somewhat reverent look on his face. "I asked them how I could become worthy, but they refused to tell me, saying that I would know if I was truly worthy. I became frustrated, but I refused to leave now that my prize was within sight. Three days later found me still stewing over the answer to the children's question, and my bodyguards were beginning to grow restless. Two of them abandoned me, so I sent two more to destroy them. That left me with only one guard when I finally realized the answer to the puzzle!" Kurama found himself leaning forward slightly in spite of himself, eager to hear the solution that Sakyo had come up with to the issue of worthiness. How could human scum like him be worthy of such a gift?! He stiffened as laughter floated across the room at him and he looked up from his thoughts to see Sakyo laughing childishly at him from his obnoxious chair.
"What?!" he snapped, irritated at the sudden jauntiness of the human in front of him. "What are you laughing at?!" His energy flared slightly as his emotions wavered uncharacteristically out of hand.
"Why, at you, of course! You're so eager to hear my secret, and you're never going to learn it! Why would I tell you, a rival, how to access the only thing that gives me an edge over you?"
"You have no edge over me," growled Kurama, emotions once again under control.
"Wrong!" replied Sakyo, cheerfully. "You will die someday, Kurama. I will not. Therefore, even if I cannot kill you or outthink you, I can still rest assured that I will outlive you. You will die and I will live. I consider that an impressive edge, wouldn't you?" The kitsune gave no response, but Sakyo continued as though he had. "I'm glad you see it my way. Now, to continue my story…" He cleared his throat theatrically and Kurama grumbled under his breath about idiotic humans. Sakyo appeared not to have heard. "After I figured out exactly what made me worthy, the beautiful children let me inside their barrier to drink from the fountain. The stories have not exaggerated about their power, though. When my guard tried to follow me inside, he simply ceased to exist. I won't pretend to know what happened to him or what other kinds of powers the children have, but the demonstration they gave me was enough to earn my eternal respect for them. But I digress… I drank, at last, from the Yu-Su Fountain, and the water was the cleanest, purest, sweetest water I have ever tasted in my life! After one drink, the children commanded me to leave, and I did as they instructed, not wanting to cross anyone with their kind of power. When I emerged from the barrier, my guards were waiting for me. They demanded to know what had happened, but I refused to tell them. It took a large sum of money to make them forget about the Fountain, but eventually I paid them enough to stop their questions and keep their loyalty. But, just in case, I hired new guards and had the old ones killed as soon as we reached a town.
"When I returned to our Makian home, I found the place in complete disarray. My brother had been killed, I was told, and my father had returned to the human world for a while. I was shocked and also returned to the human world to find my father doting upon a 13 year old boy I didn't know. He was introduced to me as Haru, my younger brother. I was stunned and forgot all about my recent immortality for a time. When I finally remembered, I told my father immediately and we set off to find the Yu-Su Fountain again, this time with my little brother, Haru, in tow. It took us some time to find, but it went faster than it had the first time because I knew what I was looking for. We found it within a year, and my father and brother both proved their worth to be let inside and gain immortality as well. When they emerged, I was shocked by their appearances. My father appeared to be no more than 30 at the most, and my little brother, who had been but 14 years old when he went in, had aged to an impressive 25. They explained what the beautiful children had told them; that the Yu-Su Fountain returned a person to the age at which they were in their peak physical condition. I had also been changed, they explained, but the change had been so slight in me that I had not noticed it. I was astounded, and once again in awe of the Fountain's power. We left immediately and have never since returned, not wanting to anger the beautiful children.
"Haru proved to be a feisty lad. Despite his body's physical aging, his mind had remained where it was when he was 14. He went off frequently on stupid, adolescent adventures and usually returned worse for wear. Thankfully, he healed quickly, but that only gave him more reason to continue his reckless exploits. Before his 19th chronological birthday, he had been killed by an angry demon lord. My father was heartbroken and made up his mind to return to the Ningenkai and avoid the dangers of the Makai. He begged me to return with him, but I refused; I was in the process of building a shadow empire for myself and had dreams of undermining the Makian Lords with my shadow armies. Realizing that I could not be swayed, he left without me and lived in the shadows of the Ningenkai as the years passed without ever touching him.
"Many years later, I received word that my father had found a new wife (my mother was LONG since dead) and that they were expecting a child. Unfortunately, it was a pivotal time for me and I couldn't get away for a long while to go and see my new sibling. When I finally returned, the Ningenkai was nothing like I had left it. I was intrigued by the new world and struggled to grasp all of the new concepts, like television and liquid soap. I was so dazzled by all of the new inventions that I completely forgot about going home until I happened upon my father in the street one day. I asked him what my new sibling was like and when he wanted me to come and meet him. My father told me that I was not to meet him, and that he did not want him to drink from the Yu-Su Fountain. The boy was unstable, he informed me, and he would most likely kill us both as soon as he got the chance. The poor fool had no idea how right he was. I agreed not to contact my newest brother and returned to Makai without ever meeting him. After a time, however, I grew curious about what he was up to and sent some of my spies to go and watch him for me. They returned with news of my father's death at the hands of my youngest sibling and confirmed reports of his mental instability. Apparently he did some sort of experiments on animals, and I heard later that he was a key member of the Black Black Club. I already knew of this club, which sold high-priced demonic entertainment to rich humans. Actually, although my brother didn't know it, I had a hand in providing weak demons for the club to sell.
"So I kept track of my brother through my spies, who reported to me monthly about his activities. Father was right; he did not deserve eternal life. He was literally quite insane, what with his plans to allow demons permanent access into the human world. You see, he never figured out how to get through the naturally occurring distortions in the Kakai. Thus, he had heard about the Makai, but he had never seen it. Someone lacking the ingenuity to find a place that was so easy to find did not merit eternal life. And now I find myself back at your original question; why I did not seek you out when you appeared in the Dark Tournament." He paused, glancing down at Kuronue and running a hand through the youkai's silky raven locks. Kuronue tensed, his jaw locking in place as he was caressed. Obviously he did not appreciate the attention.
"For one thing, Kuronue assured me endlessly that the red-headed boy in the tournament could not possibly be the Youko Kurama he had known. He guaranteed me that it was an imposter… didn't you, Kuronue?" The bat demon made no reply, and his lack of response seemed to anger Sakyo. The gentle hand in Kuronue's hair constricted suddenly and the young human wrenched Kuronue's head back to look directly up at him. Kurama hissed and started forward, but the door behind him sprang open and a number of bulky demons poured in, moving to block him. Kurama tensed, one hand drifting towards his hair as he sized up his opponents.
"Careful, Kurama. One more step and I slit his pretty little throat." Kurama's eyes jerked up to see Sakyo holding a small silver dagger to Kuronue's pale throat, the point of it already embedded in the soft skin. Kuronue whimpered, a sound that Kurama had rarely, if ever, heard from him before, and Kurama paused, glancing around at the demons surrounding him, then back up at Sakyo. He hesitated, then took a step back, his hand dropping back down to his side. Sakyo chuckled, his eyes never leaving Kurama's, and removed the dagger with a little jerk that left a line of blood on Kuronue's neck. Kurama couldn't stop the growl that rumbled from his chest, but he stayed put. Sakyo released Kuronue's hair and petted him absently, returning to his story. Kuronue sank back down by the chair, not meeting Kurama's eyes.
"Where was I? Oh yes, the Dark Tournament… Kuronue assured me that it wasn't the real you, but obviously he was wrong. He was punished, of course." He said that as though it were an unnecessary statement. "So I began following your progress in the Dark Tournament and debating the best way to capture you. Except… I wanted the Mirror you stole from me." His focus drifted to the Mirror of Darkness, where it lay nestled in Kurama's arm, for the first time, and a hungry gleam shone in his eyes. "I wanted it badly… so badly that I couldn't justify capturing you without it. And besides, your red-headed human form doesn't hold a candle to your Youko form. Not even one tenth as pretty." He smiled at Kurama, as though that vague compliment would make amends for the previous incident. Kurama bared his teeth and said nothing, so Sakyo continued.
"So I waited for the opportune time. I must admit, I lost track of you for a while. Every once in a while you and your team would show up on my radar and I would track you for a few months before losing track of you again. You always seemed to show up in the most unexpected places! But I digress… After you finally seemed to stay in one place for a while, I caught word of you and sent my messenger to fetch you. And so… here we are!" He took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, apparently exhausted from his long story. For a long minute, Kurama was silent. Sakyo seemed to be… telling the truth. And his story didn't have any obvious flaws. Impossible though it seemed, Kurama was on the verge of believing all that he had just been told.
"Well," he said, finally, "that was certainly an entertaining story, but I suppose it really has nothing to do with why I am here. Shall we move on to business?" A smile spread across Sakyo's lips and he sat back up with an exaggerated effort.
"Yes, business…" he echoed, his eyes drifting back to the Mirror. He shook his head, snapping out of some kind of daze quite suddenly, and returned his eyes to Kurama. "Oh, but certainly you must be tired. Business can wait; you've had a long journey." Kurama opened his mouth to protest (he wanted to be DONE with this place!), but Sakyo spoke right over him. "Kuronue will show you to your rooms and provide you with whatever you need." He gave the bat demon a pat on the back and Kuronue unfolded gracefully from his crouch to reach his full, impressive height. Kurama's words of protest were lost as he stared at the partner he had thought was dead for so long. He barely noticed the smirk fixed upon Sakyo's face as Kuronue walked slowly towards him, looking just as beautiful as he always had.
Placing a hand lightly on his elbow, Kuronue turned the fox demon towards the door (away from the semi-circle of bulky guard-demons) and began moving him towards it. Kurama looked over at him eagerly, but Kuronue did not speak or even glance at him until they were in the hallway.
"Until tomorrow, then, Kurama!" called Sakyo, but the sound barely registered in Kurama's mind, so intent was he upon Kuronue's angular face. The bat demon did not look at him until the doors clicked quietly shut; then he turned, scowling, to face his lover.
"You should not have come, Kurama."
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Weeeellll?? Did you looooove it? Why am I using so many vooooowels? XP Haha, I hope you all caught the bit about liquid soap (big inside joke among my friends, but funny to everyone else anyway!). I know, I know, it was really freakin long, but I did the best I could! Don't abandon me! I'll do better next time!! Yes, I left you with an evil cliffy (dun dun DUN!!), but that will only encourage me to update faster because I already have some of the next chapter written (I never end my writing with a cliffy, but I will cut off somewhere I think makes a nice abrupt ending ;P). Reviews keep me alive!! Don't be afraid to critique me or ask questions!! Luv ya'll bunches!
Oh, for all of those who were going to comment, I do realize that Sakyo may have been the first name of the character in the show, but it had been changed to a last name. The alternate universe strikes again!! Haha!!
Princess Seki
