Chapter 25
It looked like any other corporate boardroom you might see in the headquarters of private companies across the world: a long conference table of dark wood with a built-in speaker, a projector suspended from the ceiling, and tasteful non-art on the walls. The only clue that signaled that this wasn't a normal business meeting was the assemblage of people in it.
Mayuga Nokawa sat at one end of the table, her long feathery antennae vibrating slightly in a nonexistent breeze. She was flanked by her two blue demon bodyguards (the same ones who had backed her up during the kidnapping, if Rin didn't miss her guess) while Koenma manned the other end of the table. Various ogres skittered about, shuffling papers. One sat in the corner taking notes. Two others were trying to be inconspicuous but were obviously security by the way they stood just a little too stiffly, faces just a tad too carefully blank.
All in all, this was not the exciting first visit to Demon World that Rin had hoped for. In fact, it was dreadfully boring. Mayuga and Koenma had been talking for at least ten minutes without saying anything of substance, seeming to be feeling each other out as they exchanged diplomatic niceties. Rin glanced over at Hiei. The demon was standing with arms crossed, staring out a window, but she knew he was keeping an eye on the room all the same.
When Rin had told the fire demon that her presence at the negotiations between the Spirit and Demon worlds was mandatory, his immediate response was, predictably enough: "Absolutely not."
After she had weathered the initial storm of his objections and told him that she was going, with or without his permission (which, she added, she didn't need in the first place), he had insisted on coming along. And honestly, she felt better having him there. She was strong for a human, but she wasn't anywhere close to Hiei, Mayuga or even A-class levels of power.
The crossing to Demon World just wasn't as exciting as she hoped it would be, either. They had entered the tunnel with adult-form Koenma and a flock of Spirit World police. The tunnel itself was in some sleepy suburb of Tokyo which bore no scars from the battle that had been fought with Sensui fifteen years ago. As far as Rin knew, this was the only Spirit World entrance in Japan, and she wondered if other countries had their own border crossings, but she hadn't kept up with Spirit World happenings enough to know.
The hole in the side of the hill was tall and wide enough to accommodate a few trucks side by side; a small shack with a guard and a gate over the entrance prevented unaware humans from wandering in. The interior of the cave was lit with a string of cheerful electric lights overhead, its walls scraped smooth and papered with Spirit World paraphernalia. The ground beneath was paved with asphalt. A far cry from the dark, dank, foreboding tunnel that Rin had expected.
When after a short walk they emerged into the light of Demon World, they found a small fountain square in the center of what seemed to be a small city. The sky overhead was reddish-purple and painted with grey clouds, which was admittedly interesting, but the buildings below were all made in standard human architectural styles. No weird fantastical spires or bulbous, insectoid buildings akin to the Dark Tournament stadiums that Rin had assumed were Demon World standard. Craggy black mountains loomed in the distance, promising adventure, but the horizon was mostly blocked by the nondescript, conventional city around them. People of various shapes, sizes, and colors strolled by on the street, both human and demon. A large mansion dominated one side of the square and proclaimed itself to be the Spirit World Embassy. Curious, Rin looked closer at the signs on the buildings; there was a coffee shop, a bakery, a small convenience store, a couple restaurants, and a few hotels.
At her side, Hiei sneered and muttered under his breath, "Gentrified Spirit World garbage."
Rin had snorted, making a note to ask him later how he had learned that word.
In the present, Rin reflected that it made sense that while Spirit World had opened the border between Human and Demon World in an unprecedented show of good faith, it would not pass up such a prime chance for bureaucracy. Of course there would be an embassy, shops, and hotels. People were people, whether they were demon, human, or spirit. There was even a metal detector at the entrance to the embassy to check for weapons; Hiei had grumbled but relinquished his sword. Rin couldn't help feeling a little disappointed that Demon World wasn't more like the Wild West stories she had heard over the years.
"As I was saying, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Madame Nokawa," Koenma said, in an official-sounding, cultured voice that Rin had heard only rarely in the past, when she (or someone else, usually Yusuke) was in trouble. He had left behind the pacifier that was habitually clenched in his teeth, maybe in an attempt to seem more authoritative. "Please be assured that Spirit World is willing to hear your request and be of assistance in any way we can."
"Thank you, Lord Koenma," Mayuga replied. "Now, if I may, let us get down to business." The moth demon folded her hands on top of the table and sat forward, her gaze sharp and the afternoon light on her fluffy antennae sending rainbows about the room. "I am sure you are aware of the content of our many, many," her voice dry and sarcastic for a split second, "petitions, but please allow me to reiterate our position for the record. Simply stated, we, the anthropovore demons of Demon World, for whom I am the elected representative, formally petition Spirit World for their assistance in feeding our people. This is our request. It is a simple one, is it not?"
Koenma stared at her, considering, then said, "As you say. It is not the simplicity, but rather the content of the request, that gives Spirit World pause. As you know, we are charged with protecting Human World. This obviously includes the flesh and blood, as well as the safety, of its citizens."
"Indeed. Yes, it is an unfortunate fact that my kind must eat humans," agreed Mayuga. This frank concession, spoken as if it was not a concession at all, seemed to put Koenma on his back foot. He looked doubtfully at her. She continued, "Human meat is best, but blood will also do for a short term solution."
"Blood?" Koenma repeated, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
"Oh, don't worry, Lord Koenma," Mayuga said, laughing a genteel laugh with a slim hand over her mouth, "We are not vampires out of human fantasy. Blood is a stopgap measure, nothing more, but it will suffice for a time. I know speaking of human blood and meat is… distasteful," she shot a glance at Rin, "but if my people are to survive, we must have help in the short as well as the long term. I am aware that our friend Rin is not representative of the human race as a whole, but it is appreciated that she has chosen to attend this meeting."
Koenma and a few curious ogres turned to look at Rin, the only human in the room. Rin nodded, if only to show Mayuga (and the Spirit World prince) that she agreed.
"It is my understanding that the Human World has blood banks," the moth demon continued. "Would it be feasible to donate some of that blood to my cause, while we work on the central problem of the, shall we say, meat? Once that is done, I have other ideas. For example, we could eventually examine the possibility of repurposing the bodies of human undesirables - after they pass by natural means, of course." Mayuga smiled, as though there were no other option than to agree with her, as if she was being perfectly reasonable.
Koenma shuffled around the papers in front of him, considering her proposal. "That is a possibility. I have dealings with some of Human World's leaders. We may be able to convince them to donate some… material." The prince seemed reluctant to say the word 'blood.' "Perhaps we could claim a natural disaster, so we do not raise suspicions. You must understand, most humans are still unaware of the demons walking among them. I don't know if Human World will ever be ready to accept the supernatural in full. With that limitation in mind, it will take time to procure the, um, liquid supplies. It's a limited resource over there as well, as I'm sure you're aware?" He smiled wryly, as if hoping to pull Mayuga into the joke.
Mayuga's gaze sharpened again. Instead of responding to his question, she asked, "How long?"
"How long? How long what?" Koenma was confused.
"The blood, Lord Koenma." Mayuga's gaze hardened and one of her fists clenched almost imperceptibly.
The prince was briefly surprised, then looked up and away, calculating in his head. "I cannot commit to a specific timeline, but let's say six months to a year," he said after deliberating. "This is all uncharted territory. We've never needed to ask Human World for help before."
Rin snorted. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hiei raise a skeptical eyebrow. Koenma shot her a disapproving look, then turned in his chair to say something to one of his ogres.
"Unacceptable." The word dropped like a rock into the conversation, sending ripples of stunned silence crashing into the room. Mayuga crossed her arms.
"Excuse me?" Koenma whipped back around to stare at her, confused.
"That timeline is unacceptable." Her eyes were steely and uncompromising.
"Surely we can reach a compromise?" Koenma's tone went cajoling. "You must understand, Madame, that even Spirit World cannot work so fast."
Rin, Hiei, and everyone else but the two at the table watched the conversation in horrid fascination, their heads swiveling back and forth like spectators at a tennis match.
"I'm sure it hasn't escaped the eminent Lord Koenma's attention that my people and I are, quite literally, starving to death as we sit here holding this conversation. We need help now," the moth demon shot back, voice firm and brooking no argument. "Five years ago would have been best, but in the next few weeks is better than nothing."
"The next few weeks?" Koenma said, his voice strangled. "Impossible. We are doing everything in our power to help you people - ."
The demon opposite cut him off decisively. "Does 'everything in your power' include stalling for twelve years? Does 'everything in your power' include thousands of preventable anthropovore deaths in the last decade?" When Koenma blanched, she said, "Yes, thousands. I have the figures, if you'd like it see them. Tell me, does 'everything in your power' include the rise of extremists among my people and violent attacks on peaceable anthropovores and Spirit World agents?" Mayuga swept her gossamer blond hair away from her face and straightened her shoulders. She was not going to back down. "Six months is unacceptable. A year is unacceptable. If we do not receive help now, I cannot be responsible for the consequences."
"Is that a threat, Madame Mayuga?" Koenma's voice was a sword cutting through the room. The ogres behind the Spirit World prince stiffened, the two guards reaching for their belts.
"It is not a threat, Lord Koenma," Mayuga said, every word precise, her soft voice undergirded with unflinching steel. "It is an unavoidable guarantee of what will happen if you fail to act decisively. I cannot control the rebels for long, and their faction is convincing more and more of my people to their side. Unless we receive immediate help from Spirit World, there will be a reckoning that I cannot prevent. Are your people prepared for a full-scale war? We have had many years of peace, and I fear that your forces may be out of practice."
Koenma spluttered before grinding out, "Spirit World does not negotiate with terrorists, Madame Mayuga, nor do we act under pressure from threats. And while you may claim that your statement was not a threat, it most certainly was. This meeting is over; I am afraid that there is nothing Spirit World can do for you." Koenma stood, his face thunderous. One of his aides began snatching papers from the table and shoving them in a folder.
Mayuga's mouth dropped open, but nothing came out. For the first time she looked deflated and unsure.
"Wait, Koenma, sir," Rin said, one hand stretched to him. Hiei's ears perked up, and he turned towards her. "Please, you have to - ."
At the same time, one of Mayuga's guards stepped forward and put a hand on her back, as though he was comforting her. Then there was a crunch and a spike of bone grew from Mayuga's chest like a horrible mushroom, slick with blood. She coughed wetly, tried to look at him and asked, "Daisuke?" before she collapsed forward on top of the table.
Everyone in the room froze, except for Hiei, who flash stepped and appeared in front of Rin, shoving her back against the wall with one arm thrust out. Daisuke took a step back and snapped off the spike from his hand, leaving it impaled in his lady.
As his counterpart stepped forward to help the stricken moth demon, Daisuke fingered something in his pocket and said quietly, "I'm sorry, Lady Mayuga."
There was a high-pitched whistling outside and then a sharp crack as one of the windows shattered; something flew into the room, hovering over the conference table. It was a black ball of spikes, about the size of a basketball. It hung suspended in the air for long seconds before exploding. With a horrid fascination, Rin watched it blossom in slow motion, its needles shooting out into the room, their tips wickedly sharp.
Hiei swore as the others in the room screamed and scrambled for cover. His power flared all at once as he summoned a wall of flame to protect them. Rin watched over his shoulder as the purplish-black flames turned each deadly spike to ash; screams and roars of pain echoed in the conference room. The fire demon pressed her back further into the wall, anticipating another attack, but instead the chaos was replaced with a jarring silence. All was eerily quiet as he let his flame wall die, except for ragged breathing and moans of pain.
There were spikes covering every inch of space that Hiei's shield had not protected. The table, the walls, the floor, and even the ceiling were prickling with black hedgehog quills that Rin could now see were dripping with a sizzling black liquid. Koenma and one of the ogres were relatively unscathed; both of them were bleeding from superficial cuts and were struggling to keep pressure on the various wounds of the ones on the floor. Rin wondered distractedly if he had conjured a shield at the last second. Mayuga's demon bodyguards were down, even the one that had stabbed his mistress, their eyes staring vacantly at the ceiling. Mayuga herself was still prone on the tabletop, her back peppered with black needles.
"Go for help," Rin barked in Hiei's direction as she rushed around the table to Mayuga's side, fearing the worst. If Mayuga was dead, all of this would be for nothing, and they'd still have a hell of a fight on their hands. The moth demon was the key to everything. Hiei nodded and disappeared in a black flash.
As Rin put two fingers to Mayuga's neck, hoping to find a pulse and fearing she wouldn't, the woman groaned, then coughed weakly, bloody spittle speckling the table. Her eyes opened to slits and slowly tracked to Rin's face.
"It's okay, you're going to be okay," Rin murmured, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay." She cast around for something to staunch the bleeding with, but the moth demon was bleeding from everywhere, and where could she possibly start? Mayuga's hand spasmed and Rin gripped it gently, squeezing to let her know that she wasn't alone.
Rin's voice continued on and on in a mantra that was more for Rin herself than for Mayuga, while they waited for help to come and blood drip drip dripped steadily onto the floor.
Author's note: Thank you CindraVanaskar for the favorite, follow, and the very kind review! You are the second person to say that you reactivated your old account because of this story, and that makes this author very happy :)
