Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction, I do not claim any rights to any of the characters or

concepts created or owned by Viz Video or Rumiko Takahashi. This is just the work of one fan to the others. The only characters or concepts that I claim are the ones I created or introduced. That said, I bring you:

The Annals of the Heroine Akane, and the Dreaded Demon King. A Tale of the Mirrorverse.

Chapter 15: Dark dealings are done in the deep of night.

Nabiki skulked her way through the forest, as silent as a ghost. She had spotted several sets of tracks so far, all of them heading to and from a common place, it would seem. Best to scout out their camp, and then decide what needed to be done.

If possible, she would prefer to avoid a direct fight. That was much more her younger sister's area of expertise. She would happily let Akane wade into the thick of a fight. She much preferred surgical strikes, finely tuned and targeted violence over smashing an entire army. That was, after all, where each of their areas of expertise lay.

Nabiki knew that some regarded her as cold and calculating. Ruthless and without morals. She really couldn't fault them in their beliefs, after all it was the image she presented to the world. The fact that she was a woman, and thus seen as inferior, weaker and less capable. Her sisters could escape some of that stigma by nature of who and what they were.

Kasumi was a priestess, so the motherly, loving image worked for her. The fact that she was an intelligent, capable woman on top of that just made her better at her job. She was allowed to nurture and care, and being able to understand what was going on, where she was needed most was acceptable, even appreciated. sure, it would be chocked up to the influence of the Goddess more often than not, even if it was definitely her sister's own capabilities and talents on display.

Akane was the Hero. No one doubted her, no one second guessed her because she was a woman. They might harbor doubts or concerns, but that was more about the duties she carried out, and less about who she was. In a way, that was probably even sadder. They didn't see Akane, they saw an image, an icon. Not a person, but a concept. An ideal, no longer human. She wondered how they would handle it if they knew that she cried herself to sleep some nights, or that she doubted herself more often than not.

Honestly, as questionable as she might be, Robin was a good addition to their little group. She seemed to be able to ease some of the worries that plagued her sister. She had slept well the nights she had fallen asleep talking to the Bard, it would seem. That spoke volumes on the character of the traveling minstrel.

So, now it was up to Nabiki to do what she could to make sure that things continued as peacefully as possible. If it was just a small band of goblins, she should be able to handle them herself. That would be ideal, as it would allow the others to rest peacefully and for Nabiki to not have to worry about them getting ambushed some night.

Nabiki nodded to herself as she made her way ever closer, unaware of the small, dark shadow that paced along silently on quiet paws behind her.

Xian Pu had to admit to herself, the human was even better than she had thought. If it wasn't for her superior senses, she would neve have known that the human woman, Nabiki, had passed through, much less been able to follow her. It was mere curiosity, plus she did not want the Master's traveling companions to be alerted to the true nature of the Master. That was why she followed the human. Nothing else.

Certainly not because she hoped in that secret part of her heart for another chance to be petted by the human. There was of course no way that she, a noble demon, would crave the gentle touch of the human who stalked ever closer to the raider's camp by the moment.

That would never influence her. Not one bit, she thought to herself even as her tail swayed behind her.

The unlikely pair made their way towards the enemy's camp, as Nabiki suddenly and silently dropped to the ground and started to move even more carefully and slowly towards the noise of the small camp.

Xian Pu sniffed, and her eyes narrowed. There was a smell coming from the camp that should not have been there, and that could be a problem, especially with the human woman who had continued to close on the camp. It might be necessary to do something sooner rather than later.

She could not afford to let Nabiki know about the changelings that had infiltrated human society, after all. Her worries grew more and less at the same time as they grew ever closer, and she could smell blood. Lots of it.

It would seem that the changeling was not there of their own volition. That made it an entirely different problem. Renegades and upstarts had to be put down before they tried to overthrow the current Demon King. Such things happened regularly, it was even encouraged by the priests of the Goddess. Common belief was that it made sure that the strongest ruled, that all others would bow down out of fear and respect for their strength. Her master sometimes spoke of other reasons he thought of, and those made her shiver at times. The thought that the Priests of the Goddess were actively working against the Demon King, trying to make sure that their own power was not compromised or eclipsed by a particularly powerful ruler. It was a thought that she did not care for, but now it sat at the back of her mind and tainted all that she saw with doubts. Better to just focus on the problems at hand, and worry about tomorrow when it comes.

Still, that left her with what to do with the human at hand. She couldn't kill her, her Master would be quite upset with her. Trying to scare her off seemed almost impossible, with how much tenacity she had shown over and over again. She thought briefly of trying to work with the human, fighting their common enemies side by side. Maybe another chance to nibble a bit, even. The feel of that strong, but surprisingly gentle hand sliding lightly over her fur….

Xian Pu mewed a little and shook her head. Best to dislodge those thoughts for now. It wouldn't do to get distracted, especially since it seemed that Nabiki had seen what she had already smelled. The captive in the camp. Her decision might be made for her rapidly.

Nabiki stiffened as she came into view of the camp. There were more than a few goblins and even a hob milling about, but what drew her attention was the slight figure that was tied against what remained of a dead tree. Nabiki recognized them almost immediately, more from what was left of their clothing than anything else. They had not treated their captive gently. Dried blood covered one half of the woman's face, and her eye looked to be a ruined mess. Her clothing had been cut and stained in more than one place, but she could still see slow, pained movements from their captives chest. Nabiki hesitated, caught between problems that were not easily solved. She could go back and get her sisters, but there was no guarantee that the captive would be alive still. There were more of them than she would like to take on by herself. The number of goblins would make it a challenge, but the hob (if there was only one) tipped things into their favor heavily. Also, if she did get her sisters, there was almost no way she could keep Akane from barreling in like an angry storm. Also, not conducive to the survival of the captive.

Nabiki's thoughts are interrupted as a strong, clawed hand wrapped around her mouth from behind and pulled her quickly and quietly back into the undergrowth. She once again found herself eye to eye with the feline demon that had danced with her that time, not too long ago.

It really seemed like this was not going to be her night.

Xian Pu had watched Nabiki creep even closer, watched as her pupils dilated and nostrils flared. Smelled the indecision and worry on her. She had seen her tense as she came to a decision, and started to move to act on it. This was not the careful, cautious woman she had hinted and fought against. This was someone who had just weighed their existence against another's, and came to the completely wrong decision.

She caught a glimpse into the character of her rival in that moment, and it annoyed her for some reason. Annoyed her enough to act, without thinking about it. To shift in the bushes behind Nabiki, and grab her. Drag her back from the brink. And then, leave herself dumbfounded as she found herself eye to eye with her tasty rival.

There was a reason that Xian Pu sometimes regretted her impulsive, instinct driven nature.

Nabiki glared at her captor as she pressed slightly with the knife that was pushed against the side of the demon that held her. She could feel the warm trickle of blood from where she had pricked the demon, and glared at her.

Xian Pu sighed and made a shushing motion with the hand that was not covering the annoying, enticing woman. When Nabiki nodded, she carefully removed her hand, and winced as she felt the tip of a knife prick her side.

"What now? Kill me? Eat me? Tie me up next to that poor woman and torture me for the fun of it? No matter what, I'm not going to go easy, demon." Nabiki ground out softly.

Xian Pu heaved a great sigh and looked pointedly down at the knife, then sighed and started to talk quietly. "Xian Pu not with them. No torture. Hunt and kill? Yes. No torture. Is no sport in it. Remove knife, yes? We talk."

Nabiki stared intensely into those expressive eyes then with a flick of her wrist, the knife vanished as fast as it had appeared. "Okay, if you are not with them, then what are you doing here?"

"Hunting them. Renegades. No follow His orders. Take care of them, no let them cause more trouble. Is not what He wishes." Xian Pu replied as she made no move to separate herself anymore than she had from Nabiki.

"Okay, so you are hunting them, and we just happened to run into each other. Okay. So, now what?" Nabiki said quietly.

"We hunt. Take care of renegades. Free woman if possible. Kill them, teach lesson." Xian Pu said with sure confidence.

"And? Then what? We try to kill each other like last time?" Nabiki asked quietly.

Xian Pu hesitated, then shook her head. "No. No hunt or kill Nabiki. You go back to camp. Xian Pu make sure all taken care of "

Nabiki eyed her for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. We will circle them. Take out their sentries, then hit their camp. I want you to take the side nearest my camp, and I will work on the back side. I hate to admit it, but you are faster and stronger than me. I'm just the sneakier one."

Xian Pu snorted and nodded as she stretched and twisted in ways that shouldn't be possible. "Okay, is works. We hunt now, yes?"

"Yes, Xian Pu. We take care of them and do our best to save that woman. Now, get your furry ass moving." Nabiki said as she started her part of the mission.

Xian Pu lingered for a moment, then grinned as she started her own part. Just because she had agreed not to hunt or kill Xian Pu didn't mean she couldn't play just a bit. There was just something about the human that made her tail twitch.

Plus, she kind of wanted to get even for how she got petted and played with by that audacious human. The sheer audacity! To just pick her up and pet her like she was just some common cat! How she so brazenly scratched her behind the ears! How she rubbed her under the chin, like it had no meaning or weight to it! And how she rubbed her belly. Her belly, of all things! And then she would stop! Just, stop! That was perhaps what made her the most angry. She would get handled, petted, and then when the human was done, she would stop! With no regard for Xian Pu's wants or desires!

Honestly, it made her quite miffed.

What better way to settle her nerves than by playing with a few goblins. She just hoped that she didn't break them too quickly.

With those thoughts on her mind, Xian Pu, the most feared assassin and hunter in the Demon King's army, skulked into the shadows intent on soothing her wounded pride.

Nabiki sneaked her way towards the other side of the encampment as she kept a wary eye out for not just the sentires, but any traps or messengers. It was likely that there might be another camp somewhere, and that is part of the reason she assigned the sections that she did. She wanted to see if there were any tracks coming or going. Especially since it was likely that this group had been following the sister's and their party.

On Top of that, if they tried to flee with the captive it was almost a guarantee that they would be heading this way once Xian Pu made a commotion. Nabiki thought she had a pretty good read on her erstwhile partner for his operation. Once the sentries on her side were gone, she was sure that Xian Pu would engage the camp directly. She was overly confident in her own abilities, and enjoyed the fight almost as much as the hunt.

It was a trait that Nabiki had every intention of exploiting as much as she could. Let Akane handle straight up fights, it just wasn't her way of doing things. She was the silent death in the shadows. She was the inevitable end in your bed. She was the one who heard your last breath. Nabiki let her thoughts run their course in the background of her mind as she focused on what she was doing now. A pair of senties had already been dispatched. They were far too lax, far too confident. That spoke of either poor leadership, or a certainty that came with a larger force nearby.

She was wagering on the latter, if anything.

She looked towards the camp as she carefully laid down the last of the sentries on her side, as she heard a cry of dismay and terror sound from the camp. It would seem that Xian Pu had grown tired of the game she had found, and decided to raid the henhouse herself.

Just as she had planned.

Time to get to work.