Chapter Seventeen
What's Wrong With Pu?
~
Warm rays of light assaulted the girl's closed lids as Ajisai awoke from her deep slumber. Within seconds, she opened her eyes slowly to take in her surroundings, not remembering where she was for a second with her sleep fog. Warm and comfy, she buried the soft blankets around her as she glanced around. And then she remembered last night as her eyes slid to a spot at the cream colored drywall on the other side of the room.
The girl pulled the covers over her head and squeezed her lids tight, refusing to acknowledge what happened. For the life of her, she couldn't erase the feel of his lips or the new sensations that warmed her body as they kissed like that. And then she remembered how he had pushed her away again.
Ajisai opened her eyes and flattened out the blanket at her chest, staring at the wall where Hiei had once stood, a rainbow of colors basking his silhouette in a magical way. Then she turned her head and gazed out through the window, where he must have climbed through on her unawares. She didn't notice him until that song had ended – the one that reminded her of her own past.
Blinking, she then pulled the covers off of her, deciding to mull on everything later. Shizuru said she would make breakfast in the morning and greet her in the dining room. The girl sat up and placed her bare feet down apon the carpet, standing up in one fluid movement. Her eyes roamed from the stereo and the night light to the wardrobe.
Turning her body, she walked over to the brown cabinet as her finger pressed the off button on the light. She grasped the brass knob and opened, seeing a variety of different fabrics and colors grace her eyes. Shizuru told her everything in this wardrobe was fair game being that everything was old clothes from Keiko, Yukina, and the woman herself, Shizuru.
Taking out a suit jacket, she held it up to her chest with a smile. It swallowed her form. The girl giggled before putting it back on the rack and grabbing a pastel green flowery dress. Catching a whiff of mint, she knew who it used to belong to instantly – Yukina.
Ajisai peered at it for a moment, sizing it up with her eyes. It would definitely fit her, being that she was about the same size as the ice maiden. But she wasn't sure if she liked the green. The girl put it back reluctantly, placing it beside olive colored khaki pants.
Eyes roamed the fabrics again and stopped on something blue. She paused for a moment before reaching for the dress hanger, glimpsing soft white lace on the sleeves as she pulled out a blue dress. Blinking, her eyes took it in with interest watching as the dress softly wrinkled with a pleated skirt trimmed with more white lace.
The front held a cute white bow with more lace tucked under a false open neck line. Around the waistline, was stitched a permanent tie that was fastened with a bow in the back. On one of the sleeves was a printed boutique of white, pink and peach colored tulips.
The girl stared at the fabric for a good while before laying it out on the bed. She's never wore something like this before, having to resort to mainly pants and a T-shirt, the easiest clothing she could loot in the past. At one point she wore traditional miko clothing, red and white cloth. But nothing this fancy.
Making her mind up, she closed the wardrobe and slipped the thin nightgown over her head, exposing her bare breasts and underwear to the sunlight. Placing the nightgown on the covers, she picked up the dress and examined it closer noting that the neckline was squared. Maybe she could get away with her sports bra with the outfit.
Or, she glanced toward the drawer where Shizuru said there was some old clothing; she could wear something a little bit more different than she was used to. The girl had choices here.
Opening a drawer, she spotted a soft laced bra in the center. Taking it out to check the size, she smiled seeing that it would fit. The girl put it on effortlessly and glanced down with a blush, spinning herself as she noticed the fabric was a little bit see-through.
The girl glanced back over to the bed and picked up the dress then, slipping it over her head and shoulders for it to bellow around her. Instantly, she loved the feel of the fabric swishing and swaying against her legs, smiling as she twirled around the bedroom. The girl was spinning by the window when she heard a knock on the hardwood door.
"Come in!" She called out happily, feeling the fabric swish around her as she suddenly stopped to regard the person on the other side of the room. It was Shizuru, who peeked in to see the girl with wide eyes. "Wow, girl. You look adorable."
"Thanks," she blushed, swishing the fabric as she walked over to the door. Shizuru looked her up and down before saying, "Two things. I have some lace stockings that you can wear with that and some black leather shoes that would complete that adorable outfit you're wearing. And secondly…"
She paused, opening the door wider so she could walk in. The older woman put a hand up on the girl's forehead, brushing her long hair aside as she experimentally gazed at it. "How would you feel about a new haircut?" She finally made out with a wide smile. The girl blinked under Shizuru's hand and glanced up at the hair that she had laced between her fingers.
"Umm, sure. I'm down for anything new," she told her softly and received a grin from the older woman. "Good, cause you have the face for what I have in mind. If you told me no, I was going to beg you."
Shizuru paused before adding, "You're going to look like a completely different girl by the time I'm through with you."
Yusuke's plight in the mirror felt like eons. The half-demon weakly glanced down at the last picture frame that he had placed on the sidewalk, the line now spanned for a couple of miles. He didn't know why but something had possessed him to pay his respects to each and every one of them.
This was all his fault; he owed them that much.
Taking a slow drag off his cigarette, he turned and watched his reflection in the glass before him. The man was sitting against the concrete wall of an old business that used to stand in downtown Mushiyori, before the collapse of everything he once knew. In real life, this building was rubble. Yet here it lay pristine and untouched.
Yusuke glared at his reflection then, getting up to make him answer for his negligence, "You could have prevented this, you jackass!" He yelled at his mirror-self, throwing the cigarette with aggravation as he then pointed at the black glass with an accusatory tone.
"Look at all of the lives that were lost. They're all your fault, dipshit!" He told himself, watching the ire in his reflection's eyes as he told it, "What are you mad for, huh? All of these people," he gestured the line of framed pictures then pointed at the glass as he told it, "They should be mad at you! You're useless!"
Yusuke swiveled at his feet and turned to sulk down the road with his hands in his pockets. He angrily walked, passing the line of pictures as he then turned a corner to suddenly punch a red sedan's hood in. The car buckled under the pressure of his hit, popping the front two tires and caving in it's engine bay. Fluid and oil leaked all over the road as he withdrew his arm from the warped steel.
"You're useless," he told himself again and punched out the car's windshield next, resulting in his body being sprayed by bits of tempered glass. "You should have died that day," he punched in the car's driver side door, causing it to dent completely inside. Painted flecked out onto his arm as he pulled away, comically like red confetti. He punched the car again, sending it flying into the next building over.
He glared at it for a moment before glancing down at his bloody hand. In turmoil, he then grasped at his head with both hands and screamed a guttural, hateful yell. His voice echoed across the buildings resulting in the sound waves bouncing into each other with his distorted his cry of rage.
"Oh, how bothersome," he heard someone's voice from beside him and he turned to glare menacingly at its owner. Yurei quickly laced the man up with steel like thread as he had launched himself at her, securing him like a fly caught in a web as the threads held him up.
The sultry woman winked at him seductively as she slowly walked up to him, a slender hand held out as she then softly cupped his chin. He responded by glaring up at her like a feral animal, red glinting in his eyes. This garnered a red smirk from the woman, her perfect lips curved in amusement as she gazed down at him with her icy red lined eyes.
"I rather like you like this, Urameshi." She said and paused as she turned his head from side to side, "I think it suits you."
"Shut the hell up!" He screamed at her and yanked his head from her grasp, attempting to free himself from his binds. She tsked him as she told him in a mocking voice, "Oh, no Urameshi. You can't get out of those threads."
Plucking one from the air, she glanced at it intently as she told him, "These threads are equally as strong as the person they are bound to. See, my power is weak but it is cunning. Who needs strength when you can just use it against your foe?"
Yusuke, not caring or not believing her, wiggled against his restraints anyway. Glancing down at his hand with a furious gaze, he watched as the silver cords glowed blue. And then he fired off his spirit gun, to no avail. Both of his arms were secured tightly against his sides. All he managed to do was singe his thigh.
Blood suddenly dripped down his leg and Yurei watched as it trickled down to the concrete below. "Well, that won't do," she said and tsked again, taking out a metal shackle from out of thin air. "This should do the trick," she said and clamped it around his neck, securing it with a steel lock.
Yusuke struggled against her and attempted to light up his finger again, but no use. His energy was securely locked inside his body. The shackle was siphoning any used energy.
Yurei laughed behind her hand while Yusuke turned and glared at her. She then quieted after awhile before telling him, "You're going to stay like that until I transport you in here to the Makai."
"The fuck did you just say?" He hollered, not believing a word she just said.
"I said, you are coming with me to the Makai, to Demon Realm," she told him slowly, as if you'd talk to a child. As his eyes widened, she continued with, "You are a very special man, Urameshi. You have an audience with the King Karyuu."
"What!?"
"Minimal makeup is best," Shizuru told Ajisai softly as she brushed a hair out of the way, revealing beautiful glassy blue eyes under fluffy black lashes. "Minimal?" The girl glanced at herself in the mirror and blinked. The glass showed her a living doll, complete with porcelain skin, light blush and mascara.
She fiddled with her bangs again, pulling a long hair from their short puffy tresses to place on the side of her face. Vaguely, she wondered if she was going to have to keep doing that. Something told her it was going to keep happening.
"Remind me how a dress inspired you to do this to me?" She asked the older woman as she fixed another piece of hair back behind her ear, tucking one side in. Shizuru secured a shiny black ribbon to that side, tying it into a bow at the side of her head. Ajisai blinked, turning her head slightly to the side to look at it out of the corner of her eye and then they slid up to the fashion obsessed woman above her warily.
"Because you look fucking adorable, that's why," Shizuru told her with a grin, holding the girl's head and turning it toward the mirror. Ajisai blinked, eyes roaming her unrecognizable face. She looked prettier than she thought, long black eye lashes brushing against her bangs which swept to the side. Her lips a soft tint with a little bit of red. Her lids were the same soft pink as her cheeks, lined elegantly with a tint of red with a sharp little line of liquid liner.
"I kinda look like a kid," she mumbled, looking at the way her eyes sparkled in the mirror, right now a bright ocean blue. "Do kids have these?" Shizuru told her devilishly as she grabbed her chest, Ajisai blushed profusely as the woman squeezed.
"Hey! Virgin here! No touch!" She told her and Shizuru pulled her hand away with a cackle. Ajisai watched her for a moment before giggling, herself.
Throughout the night and morning, the two had grown relatively close fairly quick. Ajisai didn't know why but if she ever wanted a sister, she wanted it to be Shizuru. The older woman had a caring yet playful nature that reminded her of what it would be like to have one.
Shizuru took out a cigarette and lit it above her head, causing the girl to gag and push the taller woman away with a protest, "Go smoke outside!"
Shizuru backed away to regard her with an upturned look as she ashed her cigarette in the ashtray next to her where she sat on the living room floor. "Woman, you are in my house."
"I don't know how you can smoke that stuff," Ajisai plugged her sensitive nose as she complained, "It's bad for your health too."
"Oh?" Shizuru took another drag and exhaled it toward the ceiling before saying, "I feel just fine."
Ajisai adjusted the stand up mirror against the couch so Shizuru could see herself before saying, "You're way too pretty to smoke, Shizuru. Look, it gave you wrinkles."
Shizuru leaned closer to look at herself, turning her head side to side before leaning back and saying with a smirk, "Nope. That's just aging, little lady. I'm like a fine wine."
Ajisai giggled, watching Shizuru as she flicked a long piece of hair out to the side. The woman, even in her old age, radiated a suave energy. She then grabbed her glass of soda and took a swig from a metal straw, slurping the liquid down quick before giving a sigh.
"Thought you said there were no straws," Ajisai pointed out, looking at the metal multi colored tube. Shizuru glanced at it before telling her, "That's my personal straw. I've had that thing for years. You can clean it with a pipette in hot soapy water. Works a charm."
And then she snuffed out her cigarette before pushing herself up from the floor. "You ready to go, chicka?" Shizuru told Ajisai and extended a hand for her to help herself up. The girl nodded before grabbing her hand and pulling herself up, her dress swishing around her as she turned to pick up the mirror.
"It's fine where it's at," Shizuru told her helpfully and Ajisai put it down face down on the couch.
"You know," Shizuru put a crooked finger to her chin as she watched the girl. Ajisai turned to her with wide innocent eyes just as she said, "What you're wearing could be the ultimate form of revenge against that fire brat." And then she grinned a devilish grin as she added slyly, "I can't wait to see his face when he sees you dressed like this."
Ajisai sighed before telling her, "Yeah, I don't plan on seeing him at all today." She glanced out of the window as she said quietly, "I want to avoid him as much as possible."
Shizuru walked up to her and put an arm over the girl's shoulder with a sympathetic look for a moment, staring out of the window as well. Then she told her resolutely, "Well, if he does. I'm gonna show you." And then she whips out a Polaroid camera as she cheesed a grin.
"Actually, turn for a moment dear. Let me snap a picture," she told her and spun the girl around by her hand like a ballerina. The girl laughed just as a flash was taken and Shizuru lowered the camera slowly to smile at her gently, eyes widening as she watched the girl giggle.
Then she glanced down and plucked the developing picture from it's base and fanned it a few times, telling the girl, "Hey, all I'm saying is he's missing out. He could've had a beautiful doll for a bride but all he wants to do is sit in trees and sulk all day."
Ajisai's face lowered a little and she stared blankly down at the carpet suddenly, the light slowly vanishing from her eyes. "Yeah… I guess so, huh?" She mumbled to herself.
Shizuru backtracked immediately, telling her, "But let's not talk about him, okay? You're going to have a fun time, squirt!" And then she pulled the girl in by her waist, squeezing her against her side as she proclaimed, "You're gonna love it and forget all about him!"
"Mhm," the girl answered softly, her eyes slowly growing brighter but not quite. "I want to meet Kosuke and finally get to hold the twins!" She said excitedly.
Children in this world were rare and few, especially younger ones. Every child was special and a precious gift and should be cherished. Or, at least that was Ajisai's viewpoint. She loved kids, from her time at the orphanage. It was her duty to watch them and keep them together for their foster mom sometimes, even though most of the younger kids were already as tall as her.
"Let's go!" She told the woman excitedly and ran over to the door, pulling her by her hand as she went. "I wanna see their cute little fingers and toes!"
Shizuru laughed, allowing the girl to pull her to the door. Before too long, they were making their way down the road as Ajisai followed Shizuru to Keiko's house. They would be walking with them to the hospital, going as a group.
It wasn't too far from Shizuru's home, only a few blocks away. Keiko had told her that this area used to be their old neighborhood that they had sectioned off after a few earthquakes hit. Thankfully, their friends were able to hold off Ground Zero and push back the demon hordes, blocking the area off with makeshift cars and walls.
Eventually they had found that a few carpenters and builders lived in the area as well. They made quick work putting up the wall. The dome was Koenma's idea, taking a leaf from his old man's book.
While this area was claimed and tidied up, the rest of the city was utterly destroyed, being taken over by nature as it lay beneath a forest now. Kurama's doing as well. Friendly demons and other, smaller encampments lived around them, leaving the area relatively peaceful besides your lone rogue demon who wanted to cause trouble.
Ajisai remembered this as she took in the layout of the old city streets and homes. For the most part, this side of the town was relatively untouched. The other side had to be rebuilt with wooden structures. You could see the difference as you made your way through the place.
It wasn't long until they found Keiko and Yusuke's home – another odd fact that Shizuru told her, that Keiko allowed him to stay on the couch as long as he didn't get drunk in her house. Ajisai thought of them as divorced parents just trying to raise their kid in this rough environment. At least they could still stand one another enough to be roommates.
Ajisai and Shizuru walked up to the two-toned grey and white two story home, complete with a white picket fence with rose bushes growing from the front. It was a more western styled building, with white shutters and a wrap around porch. Very cottage house like.
Vaguely, Ajisai could see its Japanese influence in the sliding doors by the side of it and the way the shingles were curved and situated for better water flow when it rained. This area of Japan more than likely received lot of rain as well, during the rainy season.
Something caught Ajisai's eye as she gazed up at the roof just then. A feathered orange and blue tail swished against the tiles and she stilled as she watched the tail's owner turn around and grow big before her. Suddenly, she was staring into the eyes of a very large bird, its glassy brown eyes regarding her with interest.
The girl's survival skills must have stayed in bed that morning, because she started to walk up towards the side of the house to get a closer look at the thing. The bird's head followed her as she walked toward the side yard, face pointed up the whole time. When she finally got to a vantage point to see its whole body, she paused to take it in.
It was about as big as a large semi truck, with two large wings and an elegant tail. She noticed that the bird for the most part was completely blue save for it's white under belly and flame-like orange tail. On its head, were two long feathers that draped over its back. The bird lifted those feathers up to regard her with a curious expression.
"Hello, there," she called to it, watching as it flapped its wings with a greeting. And then it tucked its wings in and it had lain it's head back down, it's eyes downturned with a sad expression. It made a sound at her that sounded like "Puu," before turning its long neck away to tuck into its wing. Ajisai's smile dropped and she watched it with worried brows.
"That's Pu, Yusuke's familiar," Shizuru said from the side of her. The girl glanced at her then back up as the older woman explained, "He's been like this since Yusuke left. And it's worrisome, because Pu is a reflection of Yusuke."
"What does that mean?" Ajisai asked curiously as she gazed up toward the magnificent bird.
"Pretty much if Yusuke is sad, Pu is sad. If Yusuke is happy, Pu is more lively. For the past week Pu has roosted there, refusing to leave Keiko and Kosuke's side." Then Shizuru's eyes narrowed as she said, "Which means there's significant danger nearby and Yusuke's subconscious is trying to protect them."
Ajisai glanced over to Shizuru and took this in, pondering on the implications of this. Is there a calamity involved in this? Yusuke was fairly strong on his own, from what she's been told. If there's a power that's going to worry him that much, it must be one of them.
"Ajisai! You're here! Oh my gosh you look so cute!" Keiko called from the front yard, a dark brown almost black haired boy at her side. "Hey, Keiko!" Ajisai called out, past the shyness stage from last night.
"Come in! Come in! I was just getting together some things for Yukina. I wanted to show you something anyway!" Keiko called out to them before heading back into her house. Her kid, Kosuke, lingered back hesitantly. Ajisai watched as he gazed up toward Pu with a concerned look before glancing at them and then turning to follow his mother.
Ajisai herself gave Pu one last glance, taking in his despondent form before heading that way herself behind Shizuru. Soon, they were making their way up the porch steps and into a house that smelled of cleaning detergent and clean linen.
They took off their shoes at the front entrance and walked in, Ajisai taking in everything as she went. The girl glanced a messy blanket on the couch that drew her eye before moving over to the shelf Keiko was motioning them over to.
Shizuru was mumbling something about her little bro's hair when the girl craned her neck to look over her arm. "Oh, sorry Ajisai," the taller woman said before shuffling away. Finally, Ajisai blinked as she took in a medium sized white framed picture of six people, a black haired youth with his hand formed into a finger pistol front and center.
Suddenly, she was at peace as her eyes gazed upon each character in this framed photograph, taking in the general positive air of this gang of trouble makers. "That's Yusuke," Keiko pointed at the man in the center and then her eyes immediately slid to the two people that she recognized.
Hiei was way shorter than he is now. The girl blushed as looked closer, finding his younger self adorable. She then glimpsed red hair and her eyes flicked up to a long haired Shuichi, virtually the same besides a change of style and with shorter hair. Her eyes passed the orange haired man to fall down to Yusuke again, taking in how he seemed to have a vibe about him that told that you didn't want to mess with him. But he also seemed like the type of guy that would help you in a heart beat.
Then her eyes roamed to a younger Keiko, who stood next to Yusuke with an innocent expression. And then a mysterious blue haired girl with her eyes closed. Ajisai felt an other world-ness about that girl. And then her eyes landed back on Hiei, then Keiko and back again. He was just a smidge shorter than her, she noticed.
Then Ajisai glanced at the Keiko in front of her and used her hand to size them both up suddenly, getting a surprised reaction from the girl. Glancing back to the picture, she then turned away from Keiko and lowered her hand a little bit, taking a glance or two at the picture to adjust.
"What are you doing Ajisai?" Keiko asked curiously, glancing back between the picture and the girl as she adjusted her hand around with determination. Then, she brought out her other hand and placed it in an imaginary spot high above her, sticking her tongue out as she did.
"Oh I see what she's doing," Shizuru said and moved around the girl to adjust her top hand, while holding her other hand in place. Then, Shizuru fluidly copied the girl and held her hands up to show the girl the gap between her as she backed away, saying "Thirteen centimeters. That's almost a half foot of growth. Impressive isn't it?"
"Would you two tell me what you're doing?" A flustered Keiko asked irritably, getting a glance from Ajisai as she giggled and Shizuru turned slowly toward her with her hands still held out, as she told her, "This is how much Hiei has grown since that picture was taken, back in 1994."
"Holy smokes, that's quite a feat. I remember when he was shorter than me, about 160 cm or 5'3" at the end of the first Makai tournament," she mumbled to herself as she glanced between the old picture and Shizuru's hands. "He would be about as tall as Yusuke was then, which isn't even that tall for a demon. I think he was somewhere like 172 cm or 5'8" or so back then?" Keiko said and pondered on that for a moment. "Do demons stop growing?" She tilted her head in thought, staring up towards her ceiling in thought.
"How tall is Yusuke now?" Ajisai asked helpfully and Keiko responded with her hand in the air. Ajisai brought her hand up to show her where Hiei should be now and using that new fact, they deduced that yes, indeed Yusuke had grown a few inches.
"I thought he seemed taller than when we first got married," Keiko said lightly and turned toward Kosuke who was watching the women with curiosity. "Hopefully you stop growing like a normal human. I don't know where we are going to find the clothes to fit you," she told him with exasperation.
"He could end up even taller than Yusuke," Shizuru teased as she ruffled the boy's hair. He giggled and grabbed at her hand, attempting to twist it around to take her down. But all he managed to do was get himself pinned to the floor in a fit of giggles as Shizuru gave him a tickle bomb.
"How tall is Kuwabara?" Ajisai asked distractedly, her hand on the bottom of her chin as she stared at the picture, a ruckus of pillows as Kosuke attempting to wrestle Shizuru's legs behind her. With the boy attached to her ankles, she trudged back over to the picture and told her, "He's 190.5 cm or 6'3", probably 6'2" and a half now that he's aged." And then she laughed at that before adding, "I'm 178 cm or 5'10" myself."
Ajisai opened her mouth in wonder as she told her, "A majestic queen!" She said with a smile, resulting in Shizuru flipping her hair as she said, "You're damn right. These legs are still bringing in all the guys!" And she showed one long slender leg as Kosuke pulled against her other, attempting to trip her.
"Bringing in the guys alright," Keiko giggled at the sight, watching as Shizuru walked around the living room, Kosuke dragging behind as he grasped her ankles. The boy giggled the whole time, taking amusement in being drug around on the carpet. After awhile, he let go to assault her legs with more couch pillows.
"He needs this," Keiko whispered to Ajisai out of earshot of the boy, who had brought a blanket into the fight. Shizuru sat down on the ground, pretending to be held hostage as the boy wrapped the blanket around her upper body. Keiko watched for awhile before she added, "He's been missing his Father a lot lately. They usually wrestle in the living room when he's not out beating up demons."
Ajisai's eyes lowered at that as she took that in. She knew what it felt like to miss a parent. Hopefully Yusuke comes back soon so little Kosuke doesn't have to worry anymore. The girl thought back on when they first arrived, the concerned look in his face when he glanced up at Pu, his dad's spirit beast and familiar. She could imagine it must be hard on the kid.
After while of watching them play fight, Keiko rallied the group so they could make their way to Yukina's apartment, which was attached to the hospital having a whole wing to herself. Shizuru was telling her about the spiritual cleansing they had to do to get Kuwabara to want to stay there, complaining about the ghosts.
This peaked Ajisai's interest, as she could see ghosts too. Shizuru could as well, telling the girl, "Yeah and that one woman who shrieked at night. I was so happy when Botan finally took her to Spirit World! Turns out the lady just missed her husband. Apparently she did a complete one eighty when she crossed the threshold to Heaven, she was so polite to Botan."
The women and child walked up to the hospital grounds just then as Ajisai took it in with a more in depth look around, having to be rushed in for her first trip here. The grass was immaculately kept and lush, the flowering bushes and gardens attracted butterflies to flutter across the yard. There were a few medium sized trees and a big one that grew in the front, that obscured the side of the building's massive glass windows.
The girl glimpsed a plethora of bird feeders and stone yard décor as they walked up the path toward the building, making the place look more like a homely mansion than a sterile hospital. Ajisai spotted a tame chipmunk that simply glanced at them as it ate nuts on a stone bench as they walked past, its striped tail flicking as it reached for more.
Her eyes then slid to the front of the building and they walked up concrete steps to go in through the automatic sliding glass doors. Inside was decorated with interior plants as well as a good sized indoor pond to the side that housed a few gold fish. The concrete walls were painted a pastel green and hung on them were pictures of various landscapes and flowers. Rugs of different colors lined the walkway toward an unknown wing to the hospital.
To the left, Ajisai spotted the door that led to the infirmary. Glancing through the glass window, she took in the white, sterile hall that was typical of a hospital. Keiko ushered them forward toward the other door though, which led into a decorated hallway complete with accent rugs under each table and loads of indoor plants. The walls were a soft mocha color and held framed pictures of various people that she's either met or seen in photos.
Ajisai was staring at a framed portrait of Hiei and his sister, the man standing at least a head taller than his twin as they posed by a tree. This portrait must be fairly recent, Ajisai noticed that Hiei was a fair bit taller in this picture.
The black clad Hiei looked as he typically did, however he was wearing white hakama pants with a black and white trimmed haori jacket, on it was a white dragon design running up one sleeve. He had a single black hilted katana at his side, holding it out as his other hand fell limp to his side.
Yukina was absolutely gorgeous with her mint hair held up with two red ornamental hair pins. Her kimono was pastel blue with a lavender obi, the layering under shone a glimpse of red. The girl had the warmest smile on her face, standing next to her stoic brother.
Looking at it closer, the girl noticed that it was a in fact a real painting textured with brush strokes as it glistened slightly against the sunlight. Pushing back the urge to touch it, she turned her head and followed the group as they passed by more interesting things. Evidently, the Kuwabara's liked art as much as they liked nature, as Ajisai brushed past a metal sculpture of a cat with one paw up, its shiny head staring up toward the ceiling.
Ajisai was distracted with staring at what looked to be a life sized poster of what appeared to be Kuwabara and his wife. It possibly was printed from back before the Fall when these types of media were common. Then a door opened and a tired Yukina walked out to greet them at a welcome mat. Ajisai smiled and took a few steps forward only to see raven black hair as Hiei closed the door behind them.
Quickly, she hid behind Shizuru and masked her energy to the best of her ability, grateful of the wall the tall woman was leaned against as she made herself as small as possible. Kosuke gave her a curious look and she waved her hand to tell him to look away. The smart boy listened and quickly turned back around to bring his attention forward on the ice maiden and her brother.
Shizuru reached a hand behind her to grab Ajisai's and gave her suddenly cold hand a squeeze, reassuring her. Silently, the girl peered through a small hole between the taller woman's elbow and her body as she watched Yukina greet Keiko and Kosuke, giving the two a formal bow. Her eyes then slid to the fire demon next to the mint haired woman, who had his head turned away with a bored expression.
"Hello Yukina! How are the girls doing?" Keiko greeted happily as after giving the girl a bow of her own.
"Hi, Keiko! I was finally able to get them to sleep." Yukina told her and yawned a little behind her hand. "They were fussy all night long."
Keiko glanced at Kosuke, who was beside her then back at Yukina before she said, "Well, we can come back later so you can get some sleep."
Yukina widened her ruby eyes and waved her hands as she replied quickly, "Oh, no, no! It's fine! You're welcome here anytime! I know it's your day off and you've been looking forward to coming by for awhile now."
The ice maiden smiled and continued, "I'm sure they'll wake up soon anyway. Hiei has yet to meet them either, have you? Hiei?" And then she turned to him and he glanced down with his hands on his pockets.
"Hn. No," he mumbled and flitted his eyes to Shizuru's arm, where Ajisai was hiding before glancing away sullenly. The blue eyed girl moved out of eyesight to hide directly behind the taller woman swiftly, her eyes wide like saucers as her heart threatened to jump out of her chest.
"We'll make sure to be quiet though, so they can get some sleep. Right, Kosuke?" The girl heard Keiko say, not able to see past Shizuru as she glanced to the side.
"Yeah, I'll be quiet. Oh hey Hiei! Is that a new sword!" Kosuke suddenly exclaimed, she could only guess that he was meaning her white katana that was strapped next to his.
"Yes," Hiei simply said, keeping the conversation to a minimum but being cordial with the young boy anyway.
"Can you draw it out? I wanna see!" Kosuke asked excitedly, begging the fire demon to unsheathe the white sword.
Curiously, Ajisai wondered if he even could without being purified. The thought panicked her and she held her breath as she waited for the sound of the metal being unsheathed. The sword was blessed and came from a Holy place. Could a demon use a sword such as that one?
Almost to defy her, she heard the sound of metal against metal as he slowly slid the sword from its scabbard. She snuck a sneak peek to make sure he was ok and her eyes widened as she watched the blade glow a brilliant yellow in his hand before dimming to show its beautiful natural sheen. How was that possible?
He flipped the blade to the side to show off it's metal to the child, who's excitement could hardly be contained. "Oh! That's so cool! What kind of sword is that?" He asked excitedly as he leaned closer, promptly getting pulled away by his mother.
"You are not getting close to that blade, Kosuke. Swords are sharp and dangerous," Keiko scolded him, pulling him back to a position next to her. The child whined as Hiei slowly sheathed the sword, it's metal glistening like silver against the sunlight. Ajisai blinked and turned away to put her back against Shizuru's to hide herself again.
She listened as Yukina told them warmly, "Well, I don't mind for you guys to come inside. I have some cupcakes and desserts for Kosuke and anyone who would like to eat some," and then she added, "Let's see, I believe I have enough for three more guests."
"Make that four," Hiei told her definitely and Kosuke chirped up with, "I didn't know you liked sweets Hiei!"
"I don't, but I believe Ajisai might want some," the fire demon replied cooly and the girl gulped, being found out. Of course Mr. Three-eyes would notice she was there, even though she was masking her aura.
Ajisai tentatively pushed away from Shizuru's back and turned to slowly walk around her, making herself known. As she stepped up beside and slightly in front of the taller woman, she witnessed two things at once as she lifted her head up to meet Hiei's eyes.
Firstly, she noticed his slightly gaped expression as his cherry red eyes widened to take her in. Comically giving off a very uncharacteristically shocked face. "Aji… sai?"
And then she heard the sound of a click and a flash beside her and she glanced over to see a camera being swiftly withdrawn back into Shizuru's side bag. Then the girl glanced over to everyone else to see Keiko and Yukina giggle behind their hands and a cheesing Kosuke.
"Shizuru pranked ya!" Kosuke teased Hiei as the man's eyes narrowed at the taller woman, threatening death upon her with his expression. "Yup, sure did kid," Shizuru told him with an amused tone, pushing her hair behind her ear as she smiled at the boy.
"I see I need to add another Kuwabara to my list," Hiei seethed, his hand threateningly on his sword hilt.
Ajisai glanced between the two, not understanding what his issues with the Kuwabara last name were as Yukina walked up to him and touched his arm, saying gently, "It's just a photo, Hiei. Shizuru is a huge help to me. Please do not antagonize her."
Shizuru chuckled before taking a small Polaroid picture out and waved it at him, "Yeah, I'm harmless! Look, I'll even give you the picture back so you don't kill me in my sleep. How's that sound?"
Within the next second, Hiei had seemingly teleported beside Ajisai and next to the female Kuwabara to promptly snatch the photo from her hand. Bringing it up to his face, Ajisai seen a photo of herself spinning in Shizuru's living room, her eyes glistening with happiness with a bright smile on her face as the dress twisted around her.
She blinked again and it was gone. Where? She had no idea.
"This isn't the photo, woman," Hiei growled, clenching his fist as he side glared over to Shizuru. Ajisai touched his arm and he stiffened, slowly glancing back over to her with widened cherry red eyes. Another flash and he was attempting to snatch the camera from the taller woman's hand, who was holding it above her head with a grin.
"Tch. You're trying my patience, Kuwabara," he spat as he brought a hand to his hilt. Before he could do anything though, Ajisai walked in between them with her arms outstretched, her expression calm as she told him, "It's just a picture, Hiei. No need to resort to violence."
He slowly let go of the hilt as he stared at the girl then lowered his sword hand and tilted his head up to regard the taller woman above her in defiance, "We will settle this on a later date, Kuwabara."
The girl felt a hand on her shoulder as she heard Shizuru say behind her, "Good luck, short stuff. But she's living with me now. I have my own fire demon deterrent." And she laughed as Ajisai glanced up at her innocently, not understanding what she meant by that last statement.
Then she turned to see Hiei giving her an odd look as he told the female Kuwabara, "She won't be around you forever. I'll catch you slipping one of these days, woman," and then he turned sharply to stalk off out of the hallway and toward the front entrance of the hospital.
"Hiei," Ajisai called, moving around Shizuru so she could see him properly. He was about to walk through the door when he turned his head slightly to listen. Taking a pause before speaking, she finally told him in a soft voice, "Come back later and meet the twins, please. Hiei…"
She watched as he turned his head forward and open the door before making out, "No promises, girl. But… I might." And then he was gone, the door slowly drawing closed on its own automatically as the door stopper caught it.
Ajisai sighed and turned around to see that everyone was staring at her with curious expressions on their faces. After a moment of glancing at all of them, she asked, "What? Is there something on my face?"
It was Keiko who spoke up next, her voice apologetic as she told the girl, "I'm not going to say that I didn't believe you, but it's odd seeing it first hand."
"Huh?" She asked, confusion on her face.
"The fire brat. He's actually kind of sweet to you, Ajisai." Shizuru explained to her, gesturing the now closed door down the hall. Ajisai glanced in that direction then back at the women as they continued to voice their perspectives on the matter.
"I told you. It's like Hell froze over," Keiko told Shizuru, who nodded before giving her response, "It's almost like witnessing a miracle."
"Please, don't tease him," Yukina told them softly as she added, "He has a hard time with relationships in general. If Ajisai is important to him, then we should be happy for him."
"Yeah, I'd say he's grown," Shizuru said and then a devilish smirk plastered on her face as she added, "Did you see? He's almost tall enough to reach my chin. I think he's grown since I last seen him."
"Yes, he's grown a lot. But remember what I said, Ajisai," Keiko warned the girl, her eyes narrowing slightly. Ajisai glanced at her and nodded that she understood, though in the back of her mind she didn't know if she would listen to Keiko's advice.
She wasn't sure what Yusuke had put her through, or the dynamics of their relationship, but she couldn't be self serving like the brown eyed woman had asked. She didn't think she could put herself before the fire demon, or anyone for that matter. Ajisai just wasn't that type of person.
The girl was wondering about the raven haired man when she followed the women inside of Yukina's living quarters. Would her and Hiei mend the fractured relationship that they had at this point? Or would they spend the rest of their lives trying to avoid each other.
She hoped things would go back to how they once were. If that was even possible at this point.
"Okay! Today's the day! I can feel it in my bones!" Kuwabara told Himiko as she melted through the shackle on his right hand. The ghostly girl visibly rolled her eyes as she told him, "That's like the third time you've said that. Let me do my job in silence, please." When the shackle clattered to the ground, she quickly started in on the other one, watching as it's metal slowly grew from orange to red in a matter seconds.
It took awhile to melt that one as well and she pulled on it so it wouldn't sear his flesh. Suddenly, it melted and fell to the ground, freeing Kuwabara entirely. The man stood up and jumped comically with a "Hurray!", causing the lion demon Raishin to clasp a paw to his mouth.
"Shhh… quiet human, we still must have to be mindful of the base's occupants," the lion demon said in a harsh whisper. He sighed before continuing, "There are over a hundred demons at this sight alone. We mustn't rile up the hornet's nest."
"Oh, yeah. Haha. My bad," Kuwabara sheepishly scratched his cheek as Himiko moved around his body to check for anymore restrictive cuffs. "Okay, you're all good. Ready to cut into Time and Space, ole pal?" She asked propped her arm up on his shoulder.
"I was born ready!" He told her and unleashed his Dimension Sword. Or, at least, part of it. Kuwabara glanced down at it with shock as he swung the half sword around, causing Himiko and Raishin to both duck and back away from his swings. "What's going on here?" He asked the room, staring at the pitiful thing in his hand with deep confusion.
Raishin stared at it for awhile before sighing and telling the man, "You lost a substantial amount of spiritual energy to those shackles over the weeks of having them on. It's going to take you some time to recover."
"But I have to save Yusuke!" He told the cat, desperately swinging the sword towards the door. Then swinging it toward the left of him, then up and down. It did nothing in the end.
"Well, maybe we can just head over to Yurei's room and along the way, you might restore some energy reserves?" Himiko told him helpfully, holding her hand out as she did.
"It won't be enough time. And I've already gotten intel that she has left the area," Raishin admitted dejectedly, which garnered surprised looks from both Himiko and Kuwabara.
"But, why… Why hadn't you told us?" Himiko asked him with disbelief as Kuwabara wrestled with his sword.
"I didn't think it was important at the time since Kuwabara was supposed to be able to cut through space and time and send us to her location. But it's looks like our only option is to run on foot," Raishin told him with an edge to his voice, kicking himself for not being more prepared.
"All of my sources are surprised at the sudden move on her part. She must've received notice and is in a hurry. More than likely, receiving a threatening deadline to meet," he growled out and glanced out the window.
He hisses before he verbally formulated their next plan, "To cut to the chase, we should jump out of that window and book it across the Foggy Mist, the raven demon known as Kotengu's ability. We can get lost in it if we didn't have a plan, but I know what I'm doing."
And then he produced a large brown bag big enough to fit a few people from somewhere on his person, holding it out to show the orange haired human. "I'm going to need you to get in here," the lion demon told him, opening the flap to show a wide opening to the canvas material.
"I see what you're doing now!" Himiko said as she jumped excitably, "A secret spy mission like the Ninja. I'll have to go inside of him too then and hide inside of his body."
Kuwabara gulped.
Ajisai's eyes watered as she gazed down at the two sleeping girls, marveling at their cute little chubby cheeks and the way they held each other's hands when they slept. Apparently they hated to sleep by themselves, giving Yukina trouble all night as they fussed. Putting them in the same crib seemed to solve the problem, the girl's instantly calmed down and fell asleep soon after.
She wanted to touch them but was afraid to wake them up as Yukina stood by her showing off her beautiful babes. Amelia, with her soft brunette curls, was turned slightly toward Amaya and slightly snoring against her pink blanket. Amaya, was quiet and still facing upward, her hand clasped with Amelia's as she rested amongst pastel green blankets, her hair just a few shades darker and cooler than the warm green tone.
The two girls shared a look before turning and walking back to the living space, a wide open living room that used to be a cafeteria. It had been remodeled with drywall, soft gray carpet and the old kitchen was redone with black cabinetry with marble countertops. Between the living space and the kitchen was a large wide island with plates of cupcakes and chocolate pretzels.
Ajisai turned to sit on the slate blue sectional, leaning her shoulder against a large teal pillow as she took in the scene with amusement. Shizuru was teaching Kosuke how to play Go Fish silently in front of a wide flat screen tv. The large window casted her shadow among the card players and she moved to not disturb them, sitting at the bent end to lay her legs and bare stockings against the soft fabric.
Something caught her eye and she watched as a bird flew amongst the now downcast gray skies, warning of rain showers and wind. She watched the bird dip to the side and straighten as a gust hit it mercilessly. It flapped its wings and grew closer and to Ajisai's amazement, bigger.
She glanced toward the women and kid on the floor and then towards Yukina, who was sitting at the other end of the L-shaped sectional to see if anyone noticed the bird. The girl turned her head and with a yelp, saw two big brown eyes staring back at her through the window.
"Puu!" She exclaimed in a loud whisper, grabbing the attention of the rest of the living safe's occupants. Keiko stood up and walked over to the glass, watching as the bird flapped its large wings as it stayed in place. The bird cawed once before raising its head and ascending higher, to land on the roof.
"He's been acting strange lately," Keiko muttered worriedly, her eyes trailed on his beautiful phoenix tail as he rose higher in the sky. "Everywhere we go, he follows."
And then the bird disappeared shortly before Ajisai heard a soft thump as he landed above them. Then, almost as if to punish him for his loyalty, the skies opened up and poured down large droplets of water. Ajisai nit her brows as she watched a sheet of rain pelt the side of the hospital and roof, concern for the big bird as she realized it was going to receive a shower just then.
"He'll be fine," Keiko told them nonchalantly, "He doesn't seem to mind it lately. He won't go and find shelter, so if he gets wet it's all on him." She said dismissively, though Ajisai noticed the way the corner of her mouth turned down.
Ajisai glanced at her before walking up to the glass herself, just as a loud clap of thunder erupted and their faces lit up from the blue lighting that hit not too far away. Her heart thumped in her chest as worry clawed at her gut.
"I think I'm going to go talk to the bird," Ajisai told her quietly, watching as the skies grew darker. Keiko lowered her brows as she told her, "You don't have to. Pu can't really talk back that well."
"I have the ability to feel his emotions and thoughts," she told her just before turning and giving Yukina an apologetic look. "I know I just got here and I really wanna see the girls, but I think someone should go check on him."
The ice maiden smiled, slight concern betraying her voice as she told her, "We'll be here. Just be careful up there, okay?"
Ajisai nodded and swiftly walked toward the door, letting it shut quietly behind her before running down the hall toward the sign that said stairs. A flash of lighting lit up her form again as she pushed through the exit into a stairway. Vaguely, she wondered if the bird was even still up there as she saw the rain pelt against the windows.
Well if he was uncomfortable, she would be too. She hated seeing the poor creature suffer and she wanted to help him in some way. The girl was just about to head up the stairs when a little form sped past her and beat her to it. It was Kosuke and he was taking the stairs two at a time as he flew up them, frantic to get up to the roof.
"Kosuke!" Ajisai called out and followed, trying to reach for the determined boy. He spun around toward the top to look down at her with, "What? Are you gonna tell me to stay back like my mother?"
Ajisai stared up at him as he glared down at her. After awhile, she finally spoke, telling him carefully, "Stay next to me. I'm not sure what condition this roof is in. It can be dangerous."
And then she moved to follow him up as he stared down at her for a second, before turning and walking with her up the steps. "You're worried about your dad, aren't you?" She asked him calmly as her eyes followed the stairs upward.
"Yeah, but no body else cares," he muttered irritably, "Mom hasn't hardly even talked about him. I bet she doesn't even care."
Ajisai paused for a moment before quickly catching up to the sullen boy. After awhile she said, "You know, adults are just big kids right?"
He gave her a glance of disbelief before saying, "What does that have to do with anything?"
Ajisai sighed before answering, "We have feelings too, even though most want to hide it. We aren't a different species than you kids. We've just grown up."
"Adults are stupid," he grumbled as he walked, receiving a glance from Ajisai before she told him, "Well kids are stupid too."
After receiving an instant glare from the boy, she laughed before saying, "That's my point. We all have the same feelings, thoughts and concerns. Stupidity doesn't go away, it just shifts and changes with wisdom and education. You can be smart as a whip and still be stupid."
And then she smiled before telling him truthfully, "Take me for example. I'm being pretty stupid climbing up these stairs to go talk to a humungous bird in the rain. Especially on the roof of a building that may or may not had received roof repairs within the past twenty or so years. I'm pretty stupid."
And when she stepped up the last step to stand on the landing, she glanced down to him and added, "Your mom still cares about your dad. It's something that you notice in their eyes, or in their behavior. Your mom might seem unconcerned but I bet she's panicking inside not knowing where he went. Or why Pu has been acting strange."
And then she pondered and continued with, "We adults have learned to hide our emotions so that we don't bother others. It sucks that we do that. We could just say what we feel plain as day, but that causes drama sometimes or causes people to worry. I bet your mom is just trying to remain strong for you until he gets back."
Kosuke stared up at her for a moment before answering, "No one's ever explained it to me like that."
"I was a kid just seven years ago. Most of the adults around you have been grown ups for awhile. I think with time, we can lose sight of what it feels like to be a kid, ya know?" And then she smiled before turning and making her way to the door.
"But enough about that, let's go check on your dad's familiar," she told him and opened the door. It almost pulled her outside as a strong gust of wind slammed it open. "Oh boy," she made out as she stared out into the gray.
"Umm, Kosuke," she told the kid behind her as his wide eyes turned toward her in fear, "I'm going to be a hypocrite and tell you to stay here, okay. It's looking pretty bad out there."
"Okay," he told her meekly, his wide honey brown eyes making him look just like his mother.
And with that she walked out into the downpour to suddenly get drenched with the sheer amount of water. She turned with a smile as she said, "I'm gonna shut this door, okay?" After the boy nodded, she pushed it closed with a little bit of effort. When she heard the click, she sighed against the metal and willed herself to turn around and make this trek. She couldn't back out now, not in front of Kosuke.
Her dress suddenly felt heavy on her as she walked slowly across the rooftop, being mindful of any soft spots as she trekked across. Thankfully, it felt pretty solid as her eyes roamed the white paneled floor, trying to spot blue amongst the gray.
When she reached about the middle, a thumping sound altered her toward the wall of the exit where a huge machine of some sort sat. She was told it was an A/C unit a long time ago and she carefully watched to see what had made that sound. Nothing yielded her any answers so she turned to walk toward the other side of the roof.
"Puu," she heard a miserable cry and turned back around to see Pu had stretched his neck over the A/C unit was was watching her with a sad expression, his head lain on top of the metal. She noticed birds body was out of view. He must have leaned against it to attempt to shield his body from the downpour. Thankfully, the rain was lessening.
The thunder still erupted around her though and gave her a scare as she made her way across the rooftop toward his drenched form. "Hey there, big guy," she called out to him softly as she walked around the metal unit to see him properly.
"Puu," he called out miserably again and she reached toward him with a tentative hand, saying, "You aren't going to bite me are you?"
"Puu-Puu!" He told her angrily, before bumping her hand with his beak lightly, almost scolding her and saying that he was a good boy.
"Okay, okay," she chuckled and petted his beak and then his head as she moved closer to him. Glancing down, she saw a small metal box and sat down upon it as she continued to look at him. After awhile, she tilted her head and said in a calm voice, "You wanna talk about your feelings? I'm the new therapist, you see." And then she chuckled, garnering a dead panned look from the bird before he looked away.
"No, I mean it. You seem pretty down," she told him and glanced down at a small wound on his wing, "And injured. How'd you get that?"
"Puu," he told her despondently and went to put his head on the unit again, not wanting to talk to her.
Ajisai watched him carefully before slowly moving to his wing to look at the wound closer. It looked to be fresh and deep, cutting into the muscle. Carefully, she held a hand above the wound and let her energy mend it with a soft glow.
Pu just watched her work from the corner of his eye, resting his head against the unit limply. After awhile, she started to see the deep puncture close tissue folding back together and reforming new, pink tissue. When she was done, she took her hand back and sat on top of the box again, looking out into the sky at the darkening rain clouds. It was still midday. They weren't out of the clear yet.
"Can you fly?" She asked the bird.
"Pu," he told her but didn't move. She assumed he could, he just didn't want to.
With a sigh she closed her eyes and brushed her energy against his softly, preparing to read his aura. A bolt of lighting struck the dome just on top of the building, causing her eyes to flash open as her heart raced.
"Pu, you have to get shelter," she said with a shaky voice and glanced around to see if she could spot something large enough to house him. The energy dome above seemed permeable to the wind and water though, letting the rain pass through. It would do nothing to shelter him.
"Pu," the bird told her again. She sighed and attempted to reach him again with her energy. Like static, his natural defenses blocked hers and the bird stared at her hard to see what she was doing.
"I'm attempting to communicate with you, but you will not open up to me," she told him and sighed before continuing, "Which, I don't blame you. I am a stranger after all. I haven't done anything to earn your trust."
The bird regarded her for a moment before snaking its head toward her and putting its beak to her face. His eyes searched hers for a moment before sighing and lowering its head.
"Will you let me, Pu?" She asked carefully, not sure what to make of his behaviorial cues. The bird gave her a simple answer with the nodding of its beak – yes.
Ajisai smiled at him and closed her eyes to try again, this time easily brushing against a brilliant blue aura. With a start, she saw a face in her mind that looked like an older version of the boy front and center in the picture at Keiko's house – Yusuke.
Carefully, she pushed deeper, yielding a flurry of emotions to her brain. The girl jumped as she felt the great amount of energy that was pushed against her in return, an ocean of spiritual energy that she's never felt before at this volume.
Was this Yusuke's or Pu's? And then she remembered someone telling her that Pu was connected to Yusuke, a bird-like replica that held his subconscious thoughts and feelings. The girl pushed against it, only for it to envelope her like a bubble as her pink energy protected her.
Shocked, she opened her eyes to see a great flame around her, blue like the bird's feathers. Also, she wasn't on the rooftop anymore, somehow establishing a psychic link to this man she hasn't ever met before. It must be Pu. The bird was trusting her enough to allow her inside of Yusuke.
That was a huge amount of trust to give, she realized. "Thanks Pu," she breathed, staring up at the great well of cerulean energy around her. Vaguely, she pondered that from a distance it would look like a blue flame with a pink marble in the center.
Right now though, she didn't know what to do, so she improvised and slowly brought in her own energy to allow the half-demon's soul to touch her. It was a hugely intimate thing to do. And invasive, messing with people's energy like this.
She wondered if she should stop now and retreat, but something told her she had to press on. This was partly Pu or Yusuke who was allowing this to happen, anyway. She's never had someone do this to this extent.
And then her mind traveled to Hiei, when she was in his head a while ago. Allowing her access to his deepest thoughts. The energy around her seemed to respond to that, recognizing the fire demon's face. "Yeah, y'all are good friends aren't you?" She told the energy and waited for her solid pink marble to disappear.
In the next moment, she was assaulted with feelings of grief, sadness, anger, self-hatred, and loss as she halfway brought in her marble. "Shit," she exclaimed and pushed against it.
It was a lot for her at once, feeling all of these negative emotions. "But why are you feeling like this?" She asked no one and suddenly, menacing red aura enveloped her and she felt the feeling of wanting to kill someone. A tall, slender woman with icy blue eyes rimmed with red. Black hair and pale skin.
The corruption of the demon energy overwhelmed her and pushed what little barrier she had left, consuming her entirely. "This was a mistake," she breathed, assaulted by a visceral rage with a want for violence that she's never felt before. She gasped.
The last thing she remembered was a white flame erupting to combat the dense red energy, defending her against it. But it was too late, she felt it inside of her. The demonic energy had scalded her spirit.
She opened her eyes and lay there on the ground, feeling weak as white flames licked around her. Glancing over at the concerned brown eyes of Pu, she muttered weakly, "It was my fault, Pu. I went too far in."
"Pu," he whined and moved to check on her as the white flames died down. "I'm sorry buddy. None of this was your fault," she muttered weakly as the last of the flames disappeared.
"Your Master is in trouble, isn't he?" She asked him weakly and he nodded. "I see," she mumbled against the wet roof tile beneath her cheek.
The girl attempted to get up, to no avail. She must've used all of her energy stores to save herself from being completely taken over by all of that demonic energy. Internally shuddering, she didn't want to know what would've happened to her had she stayed any longer.
Suddenly, she felt a hard beak pick her up by the bow of her dress to be placed on warm and wet feathers. For some reason, as her consciousness slipped into the darkness; he smelled like lime peels and sweet tobacco smoke with a hint of cedar.