Author's Note: This update is actually for my lovely reader/friend/reviewer, DoppleGengar, for promoting my Etsy shop for me. ^^ She's a true doll, she is!
DoppleGengar: I knowwww~! Actually, I think killing off Yuji in the last story made me come up with the idea to bring back some characters. I missed him way too much! So, we'll consider him the inspiration. Hiei better not lose faith! Not while he's stuck beside Mukuro-gone-mad. Thank you for promoting me darling! I hope you like this chappie. (And like that I updated so much sooner than I said I would because I caught some free time. Heh...)
Koryandrs: Hello dearest! You've been reading quite a few of my stories, no? =3 Thank you for the positive feedback and I hope you love this chapter!
Song for Chapter:
Secrets Don't Make Friends - From First To Last, Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has A Body Count
Chapter Eleven: Secrets
Chu, Suzuka, Rinku, and Shishiwakamaru had been keeping a careful eye out for the perfect opportunity for days. Yusuke and the others had obviously gone back to the battling, for the troops had started to move, but the only confirmation they had was idle whispers that met their ears.
They did not dare start a fire, fearful that some of Yomi's army would see them, but they were slowly divulging a plan of attack to catch the weary soldiers off guard. For one thing, they learned that the blind king had invested in top-notch healers and those trained in dark magic to do his bidding behind the lines of the battle zone.
It was currently Rinku's turn to keep watch and he was quietly slinking around their current camp. The others were dead asleep and he was left alone to make sure none attacked them or seized the few papers they had, all scrawled with notes and ideas.
He was moving through a particularly dense thicket of trees when a vine began to grow right in front of him. He stopped, brandishing his yoyos, and waited in a crouched position for an attack that never came.
Instead, his eyes found a small scroll attached to the top of the vine, wiggling shamelessly and trying to catch his attention. With careful steps, he moved forward and procured the offered parchment, wary of what the erratic plant would do next. In a way, he trusted this situation, for there was only one he knew that could manipulate foliage in this way without being near.
Kurama.
The moment the scroll left the vine, it shrank into the ground as if it had never appeared. The demon might have thought he had gone crazy if he did not hold a scroll tightly between his fingers.
He unrolled the note and the very first thing he noticed was that it was addressed to one of the sleeping members of the group. Hurriedly, he slunk back to the small cave they were making camp in and called to his teammates.
The three woke up with a start, their weapons drawn and at the ready. When they realized it was just Rinku, they stilled and gave their various protests to waking them.
"Oh shut up and read this, would you!" He tossed the scroll to Suzuka while the others crowded around. With demonic eyes, they read the parchment.
"'BEAUTIFUL Suzuka,'" the aforementioned read aloud and grinned. "Well, whoever wrote this certainly knows my title."
"Mate, I think whoever wrote these scribbles was tryin' ta be sarcastic," Chu mumbled until receiving a nasty glare from the other demon. "Just sayin'..."
"Anyways," he continued, "'In two months exactly, I need you to go to the place where a jester became a legend. Come alone and bring what you're best at. Signed, -K.' What in the world does that even mean?"
"'Where a jester became a legend,'" Shishiwakamaru repeated, tapping his chin. "Perhaps whoever wrote this means where we participated in the Dark Tournament. Hanging Neck Island..."
The four shared a common look and agreed immediately. It was Rinku who spoke next, "It was delivered with a vine. You think it was Kurama?"
Shishi shook his head, "No. The fox's writing is much neater than that. This was written by a woman."
"Says the guy with more fans than he knows what to do with," huffed the Yoyo Master.
"I think the sheila wrote this." Chu pointed to the parchment. "Ko, I mean. The girl likes her riddles as much as Kurama himself."
"I think you're right," Suzuka mumbled. "She wants me to go to Hanging Neck Island in the middle of a war?"
"She has her reasons," added the imp in man's clothing. "I believe it is best you entertain her. After all, she is not fighting here for a reason."
"She was banished, ya know?" Chu pointed out the obvious.
"Yes, but Yusuke explained she did it on purpose, dummy." Rinku stuck his tongue out at his long-time friend. Despite being fully grown now, the Yoyo Master was still a child at heart.
"Well, I suppose I will go," Suzuka interrupted to keep an argument from stemming. "I'll have to leave in about a month and a half. That gives us plenty of time to do some damage."
"Or kill us in the process."
"Rinku, shut yer damn mouth, ya brat."
~:.:{This Place Is A Blood Bath And We Won't Be Taken Alive}:.:~
"I don't know what your woman has in mind, but she needs to hurry the hell up before we're all dead!" Yusuke screamed, fighting side-by-side with Hiei. The war had begun again and the two were drenched in blood, both from their wounds and from their foes.
"Keep your idiot mouth shut, fool," Hiei snarled, his anger forced into his sword to take three heads in the same swing. "My mate's doing is of her own accord. I know she is not foolish enough to leave us without good reason."
"Yeah well, she's sure taking her sweet ass time." Yusuke dodged a heavy blow to the head and returned it triple-fold. "Damn, I missed his heart."
"Keep your mind off the matters of one who is not here and try to keep your head intact."
"Oh how I hate you sometimes, you little bastard!" Yusuke grinned despite the comment. Fighting side-by-side with his friend had brought back the spirit of the battle, even if they were evenly matched against the thousands.
"Trust me, the feeling is mutual." Hiei smirked and viciously pushed his fist through another creature, the Mortal Flame ignited across his knuckles.
~:.:{Your Words Are Deadly Weapons, Killing Me, Destroying Me}:.:~
It was still bright in the daylight when three figures snuck from rock to rock, trying to hide in the wide open space as best as they could. Luckily for them, the battle was a few miles away and their presence had remained unnoticed so far.
"Okay, this guy was more powerful than any of us, so we need to put as much youki into it as we can," Kotone whispered to the two males accompanying her. "I don't want to waste more than a day this time, and with the three of us it is possible. Yuji, is our friend still alive?"
The writhing body across the lightning apparition's shoulder was enough to answer her question. "Yes, I suppose he is. We should hurry nonetheless."
"So far, this mission is really starting to make my muscles ache," Kuronue mumbled, nudging the wind demoness. "Let's get this going, shall we?"
The three slunk closer to the grave and hoped luck would be on their side once again. None were around now, but it could only take minutes for the war to progress into their line of sight. They needed to hurry.
"Yuji, help me set up a barricade." Kotone pushed the winds out around them. It was nothing more than a slight breeze just a few yards in each direction, but with the static the lightning demon added into it, it would be enough to deter demons from crossing within. If she thought herself capable of performing this resurrection and using her special trait, she would, but the chances were slim at best.
"Raizen?" Kuronue laughed, shocked out of his wits when he read the tombstone. He had made himself busy by depositing their live sacrifice behind the stone and strapping him tightly to it in the same manner as the last. "We're going to try and revive a dead king? You've lost your mind."
"Have some damn faith," she snorted and rolled her eyes. "There's three of us now, each with pretty substantial youki levels. We should be able to pull this off."
"Yeah, let's just hope the old man can carry all three of us out of the danger zone when he's up and about. If he even accepts the terms, that is."
"Keep yapping Kuronue, and I'll take your tongue too." Kotone smirked at the bat, who winked at her in return.
Their banter had been driving Yuji crazy, but it was definitely a good sort of madness. It greatly reminded him of a certain home once inhabited by four demons running from Reikai. That house had been filled with useless arguments and a loving family, nonetheless.
"Ready?" The wind demoness knocked him out of his nostalgia with a gentle hand on his arm. "We have to get started, Yuj, or we won't finish in estimated time."
"Yes, and our barrier will only hold for a day at best," he agreed. "Begin in three, two..." Everyone seated themselves in the appropriate positions in a semi-circle, hands clasped together. "Begin."
Their chanting was the only thing the three were allowed to concentrate on.
~:.:{Secrets Don't Make Friends}:.:~
A throaty snarl rang true in the dense night air, drowned out by the noise of war going on just a short mile from their location. Two figures fought mercilessly to contain the crazed demon, their bodies sore and weak from a resurrection gone wrong.
"Just where the hell is Yuji?!" Kotone shrieked over the commotion. "We can't hold him much longer!"
"If that bastard deserted us, he'll have a great show when you die and we go with you!" Kuronue tried his best to restrain flailing limbs, the red masking those piercing eyes unnerving him to a degree he certainly did not know existed. The only thing he could make out with his dull vision by this point were those wicked eyes and a set of pale blue ones peering back at him, stuck in the same predicament as he.
Kotone's gaze was the only thing that kept him from killing off their newest companion, if only because they held a determination he tried to mirror. She felt this would work and he had to agree with whatever she thought sane. Though, by this point he really wondered if she had lost her mind along with most of her youki.
"We'll be swarmed in a matter of hours!" Kuronue hissed, receiving a rather nasty cut from elongated claws, directly over a wound that had opened up during the ritual. "He was just fine until he took that damn heart and now look at us! What the hell happened?!"
"He fasted for centuries, if not more, and that is what killed him!" she called back, her entire body being used as a restraint on the wild demon. Raizen was back, but his ancient hunger was getting the best of them.
"Yuji, you little sneak, get back here!" Kuronue snarled, hoping his orders would be heard. Despite having known the demoness only a little time in comparison to the lightning apparition, it had been made clear that he took second rank in her schemes. The other male had not been so keen on it, but had consented with a single, fierce glance from their mutual friend.
"Calm yourself. It is a lot harder to find live humans than you might believe in these times. I had to snag one that stumbled into the barrier just moments ago." The voice was as calm as always, but it was nearly drowned out by the cries of his newest captive. Yuji had returned, frightened human in tow, and he sank to his knees near the head of the thrashing demon. "Now hold still, human."
A strangled wail assaulted three sets of demonic ears, causing them to flinch at the level of noise. It only sent the former king into another fit as the smell of blood from the unattached hand reached his acute nose, human in all aspects of the word.
Yuji did not hesitate in shoving the hand into the demon's mouth, forcing him to bite down on it. Raizen immediately ceased his erratic assault and began to chew, red dribbling down his chin and onto his nude form. Kotone took this moment to unravel her arms and legs from the naked male, lying on her back and panting heavily. Kuronue, for the sake of their safety, kept his scythe's chain secured around him in case of attack.
Raizen's eyes never dulled as he snatched up the human, devouring him in a macabre spree of flying limbs and organs. Blood splattered the triad, though none really paid much mind to it. They had been bathed in the shower of red many times before this instance.
Only after the human was nothing more than a pile of cleaned bones did Raizen calm and his eyes take to their normal color. He was breathing heavily, the occasional beat of his demon heart worrying the three. It should not beat like that...
"Raizen, are you alright?" Kotone edged closer, cringing as her wounds tore more. Kuronue noticed, and being the only one that knew of the ooze supplied, he went to fetch it after giving the blade to the female. "Raizen?"
"I have gone back... on my oath," he snarled to himself, more out of despair than anything. "What have you let me do?"
"Listen, you ancient fool," she huffed, feeling as if she was talking to Youko in that moment, "you agreed to this pact and now you're stuck with it."
"You foolish girl! This is your fault!" His head swiveled to look her dead in the face, but he stopped when he saw the strange emotion in her orbs.
"No, you agreed when I told you my reasons for bringing you back." She winced again when she felt the familiar tingle of the odd ointment rubbed on her fresh wounds. Kuronue was doing his part while Yuji stood menacingly behind her, just in case the king attempted an attack. "Do you not remember what I said?"
His mind still fuzzy, Raizen replied, "No, I do not know what you speak of. Explain yourself before I rip you apart for making me do this!"
"That's hardly necessary. If she dies, all three of us dies," Yuji calmly added. "Go ahead, Ko."
She sighed and repeated the usual monologue to the half-being. Only after she finished did she add, "Not only are my kids in danger, but your ancestral grandchildren. Yusuke is a dear friend of mine and he is now king of your territory. Things have gotten so bad he forced his mate, his daughter, and his son to go into hiding. We need your help to make sure they aren't hurt."
"My... ancestral grandchildren?" Raizen allowed his eyes to grow. "The brat had children?"
"Well obviously," she scoffed. "Now, will you calm down and help us, help Yusuke, or am I going to need to get rid of you now and save myself the trouble later?"
The former king debated with himself for a few long, agonizing minutes. The ointment had ceased to be rubbed on her body and Kuronue was patched up, allowing Yuji to do the same to his own gashes while the bat stood guard.
"I," began Raizen, "will help you, but I will not be eating another human in the process."
"That is fine. The one alone should placate you for a few years. Hopefully, we won't need that long." Kotone slowly unwrapped the chain from the male and handed the scythe over her head to Kuronue. "I am Kotone, the one you are bound to for the time being. Do you recall Yusuke speaking of a fire apparition named Hiei?"
"Yes, I know he was to become part of Mukuro's forces." Raizen rubbed his hands across the marks the chains had made in his skin. The indentations covered him all the way to his knees. "I suppose that is who you are mated with?"
"Yes, you learn quickly. I hate idiocy," she gave a lopsided smile at him. "This is Kuronue and Yuji."
"The legendary ex-thief," said the king, surveying the bat demon. "I don't know the other."
"He was once a close friend. So far, the three of you have been made part of my soul," she mumbled. "I still wonder if that was a bad idea."
"I'll help you until this fiasco has ended," Raizen said gently, moving to stand and offering his healed hand to the demoness. She took it, cautious of the former king and the damage he was capable of, standing to her own feet. "Though, I believe the war is closer than expected."
"We will not be going there." Yuji had the small smile on his face he used to wear, one that was utterly fake but not misplaced. It actually reassured the wind demoness. "From what we've been told, there are others we will be finding."
Raizen glanced at the demoness, eyes narrowed on her, but he nodded in consent. "Very well. If we are not involving ourselves tonight, we need to leave the area before they catch wind of what you are doing, girl."
"Kotone is the name, King Raizen," she huffed, rolling her eyes at the man. It had seemed to become one of her favorite reactions as of late. "You may think you are, but your body is not at full strength. It needs to be honed. Despite coming back when you were the strongest- which, unfortunately for us, was when you were trying to eat your ancestral son- you have a long way to go, just as the other two."
"Let us go for now." Yuji frowned a bit and surveyed the former king. "I believe we should find him some clothes."
"Way ahead of you." Kuronue appeared from the spot where the demon they had sacrificed was sprawled, a pair of pants in his hands. "Kotone destroyed the shirt, but here's this."
"I prefer to not wear them anyways." Shamelessly, the male tugged the loose black fabric over his legs and rear. The ends of the pants had elastic in them, so instead of stopping at his ankles as they had their predecessor, they stopped just below his knees. He did not look too comical. "Are the three of you capable of running, then? You look like shit."
The triad glared at their newest addition, taking his words as both a challenge and an insult. Kuronue spoke first, "Yeah, old man, we know."
"No bickering!" Kotone threw her hands into the air and snarled, baring her fangs at the two before Raizen could open his mouth. "I'm hungry, irritable, and exhausted. Now, if you please, we have to get to Ningenkai and we'll need some provisions to do that."
"Such as parasites?" Yuji's frown deepened. "Nasty creatures."
"Yes, those. Hurry along. If I don't eat soon I'm taking out someone's legs. Bat sounds pretty tasty."
"Remember, Ko, I am able to hurt just not kill," Kuronue grumbled, waving his scythe around menacingly.
The four decided silence was the best answer and fled across the sands, heading for the Demon's Door.
Next in 'Revelation, Defamation':
Ktotone was not the only one going through some tough times to try and aid in the war. The children of the Yu Yu Gang were trying to do their part as well, along with Daiki and Hajime in another part of Makai. It was time for the teenagers to seek the aid of another group, the Wind Demon Clan, but their entrance would not be as fondly anticipated as they hoped. Would they be able to get the reclusive clan to help them? Or would they be shot down and forced to walk away empty-handed? Yuji JR. always has a trick up his sleeve, at least...