[Content warning for this chapter. Depictions of graphic violence/death.]
(Another early upload for the holidays!! Two more chapters coming tomorrow!)
With a flourish of his wrist, and a bow that made the girl giggle, Kurama released the reigns that had pulled on Yumiko since her first day in the human world. She couldn't help grinning from ear to ear as she walked past him towards the park, still beaming at what he had told her just before.
"It seems to me, my little fox... that there's a beast in you desperate to prove what she can do. Show me..."
He had whispered the last part into her ear, only inches away from the lobe, and the tone he used, as well as the command in the words still sent shivers down her spine.
She took a few glances around, making sure no humans were watching to closely, then took off at full speed. She could smell the demon's foul scent, and leapt into the trees for a better advantage as she gained on it's position. It didn't take long to track it down, but as Yumi drew closer, she became very aware of a second scent, and stopped about 30 meters from it.
'Kurama, there were only supposed to be two demons, right?'
'That is correct. Is something wrong?'
'There's a second demon here, and it's not like the scout at all...'
There was a moment of silence, then came that same command that she was growing oddly accustomed to.
'Show me.'
Yumiko did as she was told, grasping for the connection as her eyes started to glow, the hue changing to more of a greenish tint as their vision became one. Ahead of her a small, sickly green demon with an appearance very similar to that of an ogre bowed low before a very large dog-demon. He was a massive brute of a creature!
His skin and fur were a ruddy brown, and his fangs were damn near the size of her fingers!! He had dark brown hair, with eyes as black as night, and was built like an ox! As his smell touched her nose, Yumiko had to bite back a gag. She hated dog demons. She always had! It had taken years for her to get used to Ben being around, and she still felt nauseous at his smell.
Kurama watched silently as Yumiko examined the clearing ahead of her. The dog-demon was quite large, but he could sense that it was still low level. His eyes narrowed however as he felt a shift in the little fox's demeanor. He could feel her human mask slipping, and his own fingers tingled as her claws grew, little red-orange tips itching to feel the dog-demon's flesh beneath them.
'Yumiko, what's wrong?'
There was a snarl in his mind as the dog's scent washed over them both.
'He smells like them...'
Images of a pack of demons filled her mind, and Kurama watched in horror as she shared the memory with her. Memories of the day her village was destroyed.
'He smells exactly like them!'
'Focus!' He sent the thought with a sharp command, putting as much force into the words as he could, then started towards the clearing. He had full certainty the girl could handle herself, however he wanted to bring the demon in alive.
'I'm fine... do we need the scout if we capture the dog?' There was such vitriol in her tone that it gave him pause. Instead of answering immediately, he sent a thought to Hiei instead.
'Have you found your target?'
He did not need to wait long for the response. 'Captured with ease. You'll be pleased to know he's still alive.'
Kurama smiled slightly, nodding to himself. 'Good. We've run into a snag, but we can handle it. Meet at the park as planned.'
Once he had confirmed the collection of at least one target, he returned his attention to the seething girl.
'Hiei's team has aquired a scout alive. You may have some fun with that one, but I want the dog captured. Do you understand?'
The response was immediate, and the unabashed glee in the girl caused him to stumble slightly.
'Yes sir.'
______
With a cruel grin, Yumiko allowed herself to shift fully. There were no humans in sight, the gentle rain that was beginning to fall chasing them away from the little park. She was downwind of the beast, and the rain would provide a perfect disguise against the noise of her advance. Crimson and cream ears flicked at the gentle drops as she drew closer, her tail wrapping around her waist so it's lashing wouldn't draw the beast's attention.
With ease of grace she made her way through the trees until she could go no further, settling into the branches of an old willow not even five meters from where the demons stood, still thoroughly unaware of her presence.
Carefully, she placed a hand on the bark of the ancient willow, and sent her energy into it. Several long tendrils snaked their way onto the ground.
Hidden by the grasses of the clearing, the two demons remained blissfully unaware of the vines. Once they were in place, Yumiko released a long, drawn out breath, and made her move.
The vines exploded from the earth at once, causing the smaller demon to screech as the dog-demon was wrapped into a tight mass of willow, tendrils and roots both ensnaring the brute with ease. The scout took off running, just as Yumiko had planned, and ran directly beneath her tree branch. With a lick of her lips she dropped from the tree, claws extended to sear straight into the beast's shoulder.
They spun and rolled as her weight toppled the scout, and came to a stop with her on top of the scaly little beast, the claws of one hand still pinning his shoulder to the ground. The little demon snarled at her, the fear in his eyes turning to a bold fury as she raised her other clawed hand, and she snarled right back.
Kami, it had been so long since she felt like this!! She had only ever truly hunted once in the village, but she could still feel the rabbit pinned beneath her five year old claws. Every instinct in her screamed to sink her fangs into it's throat, but she would still need to make her way home after this mission, and claws were easier to clean blood from than faces.
She was impressed by the scout demon's bravado as it stared death in the eye, and felt the earliest tugs of a smile as she granted it a quick death, her claws slicing down to open a wound across its' grey-green neck. It gurgled for a moment, then went still, eyes never leaving hers as they dulled.
With a sigh she sat back, giving her claws a lick as she stared at the scout's body. She tensed at once, a shiver running through her before she gagged at the foul taste and spat it out. 'That's the grossest thing I've ever tasted!!!' She thought, spitting again.
A chuckle sounded in her mind before Shuichi, or Kurama's voice broke through. 'It's not quite as tasty as ramen. Is it, little fox?' She glanced over her shoulder to see if he had caught up yet, but paled as she caught sight of the orb of vines, or what SHOULD have been the orb of vines.
The tendrils lay shattered across the ground, some simply broken or cut, others singed or scorched. A scent hit her nose, one so very familiar that it made the little kitsune's mind go still. All at once, the smell of earth, ash, and burning flesh rushed in, a darkness that engulfed the girl from every side, and before she could even scream for help, all went still in that dark void.
_______
Kurama had began walking the moment he sensed the young kitsune's glee at making her kill. He chuckled to himself as he sensed her displeasure at the taste of such a low demon's blood, and teased her a bit as he stepped into the park's boundaries. He was perhaps halfway to them when he sensed her go still. Something was wrong.
Not even a heartbeat later he felt a trill of shear panic race through the connection, and staggered to his knees at it's weight. Something was very wrong!
'Yumi, talk to me. What's happened?' No response other than that terror pulsing through the connection.... Pulsing....
'Yumiko, show me... NOW!' He strengthened the command, trying to send his intent through the bond but to little avail. 'Yumiko!!!' He tried again, more forcefully this time, and gasped as his vision exploded with light.
He was standing in a large clearing, nothing but ash and scorched earth around him. There were places of packed earth where homes once stood, but now only cinders remained.
In the distance, a little girl with crimson, orange, and cream hair screamed at the ashes in her hands begging for...
'Oh kami....' He thought, breath hitching in his throat. He watched as his old friend appeared, watched him sheath the blade he had already drawn before the child could even scent him. 'He stopped... he could have killed her, but he stopped...' Kurama felt sick at the thought, and tried to quiet the wave of nausea as Mako reached down for the girl. He watched as the tomcat carried the girl away, only then noticing movement to the far-side of the clearing.
"Welcome. To the true use of the sylphan dream-state." Kurama damn near jumped out of his skin, unaccustomed to being snuck up on as the voice of Ecovehn sounded behind him. The fire-branded sylphan laughed at the boy's reaction, then straightened. It was shocking to see just how quickly the ancient demon's face changed from jovial to stoic with ease, but the snarl on the edge of the forest brought the boy's attention back to the 'dream'.
A brown and russet dog demon stood along the tree line, watching as Mako and the kit disappeared. It snarled as his eyes took in every inch of the destroyed village.
"Normally, you wouldn't be able to view 'true memory', able to see and hear what she herself had missed, or merely glimpsed, without having completed the bond, but I've gifted you a bit of my own power for this. I can only do this once, so I suggest you make good use of it." Eco said calmly, even as his visage began to fade.
Kurama nodded, and kept his eyes on the dog-demon as it opened it's palm, a small eyeball demon flying upwards from within, and taking off in the other direction. Suddenly the entire clearing shook, the scene shifting to show him images of the park. That same demon now stood among burned tendrils and roots as he stared down at the kitsune girl. As quickly as the vision had began, it was gone, and Kurama staggered to his feet.
'Yumiko, YUMIKO! Listen to me! I need you to focus now, I need you to focus and run!' He tried to send the commands through to her, but found only silence.
_______
Yumiko couldn't move. All around her the smell of burning flesh crept in. She couldn't escape it. She heard screams, and the tears of a little girl. She gripped the earth at her knees, but felt ash where there should have been damp soil.
"To think we wasted time paying the likes of him, just to have you come to us, bitch..." A deep, guttural voice spoke in front of her, but she couldn't see it. All she could see was darkness surrounding her, and in it's center the burning clearing.
"It's a neat little trick, isn't it?" The demon cooed, lifting a black orb that seemed to shift within itself as he spoke. "It took a fortune to make, but it's certainly living up to it's reputation... What I wouldn't give to know what you were seeing right now?"
He snarled, advancing on the girl until he stood right before her. He knelt down until he could look directly into her face, the face of a murderous little bitch.
"I imagine your watching your former self burn my brother alive!!" He snarled as he reached out, and struck her hard across the face. The force of the blow sent the little fox-demon flying into a nearby tree, and he laughed as he stood, approaching her again as she lay face down in the soil.
_______
Yumiko felt pain, her cheek felt like it had been split open, but all she could see were those demons. All around her, kitsune, and dog-demon alike ran in every direction. In the distance behind her, a little girl screamed. There was the sound of impact, and the world grew still.
'No...'
She tried to clamp her eyes shut, but the images still came, she tried to flatten her ears against the sound, but she still heard that horrible 'bwip' as the air in the clearing drew in amongst itself. Then she heard the roar. Within a single second, the inferno had passed her.
She watched in horror as the wall of pulse-flame incinerated everything it touched on contact. She heard the beginnings of screams as the people furthest from the source tried to turn, to flee, but it was too late! The entire thing lasted no more than ten seconds, but the village was gone by the time it was done.
She let out a choking sob as the smell engulfed her again, before the scene reset, returning to the peaceful village that morning. She was being forced to watch it again, and again, and again, while trapped in this horrible place!
"Shuichi..." she sobbed out.
"Mako.... Maru.... Please..."
_______
The little fire demon let out an impatient huff as they sat on a willow branch in the park they were meant to meet the others in. He had done as ordered, assisting in the capture of the scout demon who was still unconscious beside him. He was staring off in the distance, wondering how long it would take the foxes to finish their task, when the older fire demon across from him stiffened, dark brown eyes turning to blazing embers at once.
"What is it?" He asked, his own body tensing at the sudden change, but instead of an answer, the demon dropped from the tree, taking off at a blinding pace the instant his feet touched the ground.
"DAMN!"
Hiei leapt to his feet at once, grabbing the demon and throwing it over his shoulder. Immediately he reached out to Kurama with his telepathy, intending to tell him of Maru's sudden disappearance, but as soon as his thoughts touched that of the fox-demon an ear-splitting scream pierced his mind like daggers!
He nearly fell from his spot in the tree as the scent of earth and burning flesh overcame his mind.
"What in hell is going on???"
_______
Kurama ran as hard as he could for the clearing near the willow tree, constantly prodding at the connection between their souls, desperate to reach Yumiko in time. He hissed, staggering as he felt a pain in his cheek, followed by a ripple up his spine similar in so many ways to the night pains he had felt for years.
*Yoko, what is it?*
'It's your bond Shuichi...' The demon's tone was grim as he responded to the boy's thoughts. 'You are feeling the kitsune's pain just as surely as we have felt Tsume's these last fifteen years... You must reach her.'
The human boy nodded, drawing on the demon's strength to run faster. He was nearly there when a pain fiercer than any he had felt before ripped across his back! He shrieked as he stumbled, landing with clenched fists on the damp earth. Kami, that hurt! He could distinctly feel four lines across his spine, two of which he felt far deeper than the others. He let out a low snarl, and rose to his feet again, pushing through the pain with Yoko's assistance, and started for the clearing once more.
________
The brute let out another cruel laugh as he lifted his blood covered claws, and gave the girl's blood a taste.
"You're lucky the boss wants you alive, bitch... or else I'd skin you right here..." He growled as he eyed the four long gouges across the girl's back. He grinned a wicked grin, and lifted his claws again.
"You know, I think it'll be worth the beating though... to get some revenge for my brother! Did You know he had his pup with him that day? Yeah... it was the kid's first hunt too! Betcha didn't think of that while you burned him ALIVE!!!"
He slashed at her back again, and again, and again, leaving four delicious sets of claw marks across her skin. By the time he paused, her tunic was in tatters, and there was little of the girl's back that was not covered in crimson. He raised his claws a fifth time, this time raking them slow and deliberate,
from her left shoulder down to the right of her hip, and grinned even wider when she let out the tiniest of whimpers.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot! Boss said you could feel everything happening in the real world no matter how deep the stone dragged you down. I hope my brother's in there girl... I hope he's tearing that pathetic hide to pieces for what you did to our pack! SUFFER!!"
He raised his claw to strike again, only to freeze as a sharp pain exploded in his wrist.
"Huh? WHAT?" The beast bellowed. He had looked up at the sudden pain, only to find a bleeding stump where his hand had been.
"I will warn you only once... dog..." An icy voice spoke from the edge of the little clearing. Though his voice was calm, the words held a hidden snarl that sent a shiver down the dog-demon's spine as he turned towards the cause of the voice.
"Touch her again, and I will take great pleasure in dragging your death sentence out..."
The dog demon blinked as he spotted the one who so boldly thought to command him. It was just a boy!! Just a stupid kid in way over his head!
"BWAHAHA!! WHAT IS THIS?? Are you really telling me the best that pipsqueak can do is send little kiddies to deal with us??? I mean it's bad enough he sent this one to our den, but you??"
He rose to his feet, grinning ear to ear and seemingly oblivious to the pain as the bleeding of his wrist slowed.
"Listen kid, go home! This little bitch isn't your concern anymore. You see, she has a pretty substantial debt to my boss and he plans on making her pay back every bit of it in blood, so unless you're planning on taking the whip for her, I suggest you run along!"
He turned his back on Kurama so quickly that he missed the snarl on the boy's lips, as well as the gold that took over his emerald gaze. He was already drawing his rose whip up once more as the demon bent down, digging his claws into the fur of Yumiko's tail. The dumb brute laughed again as he dragged the girl up by the tail so that she hung limply in the air.
His whole body went rigid as he heard multiple snarls rip through the clearing, and looked back over his shoulder just in time to see the rose whip crack in the air, it's tip slashing off the second wrist with a similar ease as the first. The demon opened his mouth to snarl, but the sound never had time to leave his throat as the seed Kurama had placed on the tip of the whip bloomed in his skin.
(Image of Auren when she is empty credit to Dall-E)
(Image of Auren when digesting. Credit to Dall-E)
A Makai cousin to the Attenborough pitcher plant, the Covehn Pitcher grew to it's full size to tower over the dog-demon. A disgusting, wet-snarl seemed to escape from the plant's fanged maw as it scented it's target. The dog demon's eyes went wide as the plant's full weight dragged his wrist to ground.
"W-WHAT IS THIS THING???" He howled, desperately pawing at the roots digging into his arm with the stump of the other.
Kurama paced forward, watching as his beloved plant devoured the demon from the head down.
"Her name is Auren, and she is a beauty, isn't she? She is in fact, one of my other half's most prized possessions."
His eyes never left Auren as she worked her way over the now screaming demon. He doubted the mange-ridden mutt would comprehend his words, but he spoke them anyways. He kept his pace forward until he could run a hand down the spine of the beautiful purple and blue plant before him.
She truly was stunning. The inside of her shone a bright metallic blue, while the outside was a mixture of purple and dark greens, swirls and crackles of black veins working their way along the delicate seeming plant-flesh. Even as the demon sank further into her bell, the darkest of the purples began to change, glowing an entrancing light metallic blue.
Yoko purred deeply inside the boy's mind as he watched the sentient plant, and even with Shuichi's consciousness between them, Auren purred back at the touch. Shuichi smiled genuinely at the ancient pitcher plant, grateful to even see her in more than simple memory. She truly was unlike anything in the living world.
"I cannot summon her without pure demonic energy. I'm afraid she hasn't been fed in nearly sixteen years now, so she is quite hungry. But don't fret, she likes to take her time... with the kill." He drawled.
"I've known her to keep her prey alive for years if she likes the taste..." he turned his gaze back to the dog-demon, now no more than grotesque ruddy feet sticking out of Auren's bell, his face hardening at the sight.
"Though I doubt she'll enjoy your taste at all..."
With a final pat, Kurama ignored the dog-demons screams and pleas for mercy, and turned towards Yumiko, only to find a goat-fire demon leaning down to collect her injured form. For a moment, a split second, Kurama saw red. Both Shuichi and Yoko sharing a singular thought.
"Unhand her..." The command was issued so quietly, he was unsure if Maru had heard him until he snapped his head up, eyes boring into his own, and Kurama gasped at the sight.
Tears of molten gold left a burning trail down the demon's face as he gazed into their eyes. Maru did not trust himself to speak, so sent a thought instead.
'I am not a threat to her...'
Kurama released a growl, and took a step closer, his hand already lifting to his hair to collect a new seed. The image of the demon's hands on what belonged to him, solely to him, was blinding, and all he could see at that moment, were her tears in that memory.
"Then why did she attack you?"
Maru nearly snarled. His lips twitched up before he could gain control, and he glanced at the girl's unconscious form again. He silently removed his own coat, laying it across her back to cover the injuries and protect the girl's modesty. His eyes then hardened as he gazed back to the territorial fox.
'I will answer every question you have Shuichi Minamino, but understand this now... she has lost a great deal of blood. The only thing allowing you to stay upright at this moment is the stone holding her conscious mind, keeping it separate from the pain. The moment you destroy it, you will both feel everything that dog did to her, both here, and in that dream. We need to get her to spirit world, first.'
For an instant, Kurama considered growling at the demon again, but released a sigh instead, his eyes searching the ground until they landed on the night-black orb. He scooped it up, then made his way over to the "goat-demon", becoming more sure by the minute, what type of beast lay beneath that blue-grey skin.
"I can still feel each claw mark as it is. If she somehow becomes aware of the pain, I'll likely stumble. Will you please carry her, Maru?" He asked in a level voice, trying his absolute best to be diplomatic. The look in the demon's eyes had spoken volumes. Whatever happened between these two, it was clear that Maru cared for her deeply, and he would not target his grief. Not now, at least.
Maru nodded, then leaned down, his arms out behind him. Kurama understood at once, and carefully lifted the girl so not to disturb her wounds. He hissed as pain lanced across his back at each minute movement. Doing his best to ignore the sensations, he laid her across the older demon's back, then turned as a quiet voice sounded behind him.
"I never knew a plant could be so cruel." Hiei spoke softly from across the clearing.
He was staring at the pitcher plant, rather starstruck by it's sight. Yoko smirked in the back of Shuichi's mind. Oh yes, his Auren was a wonder. "Does she allow others near?"
Kurama chuckled despite the situation, then returned to Auren's side. "As long as I ask her not to harm you, then yes. The Makai covehn pitchers are extremely loyal. I have a few seedlings, descendant from her if you would like to try your hand at raising them. Though, their teenage years can be quite a mess."
Hiei listened intently as he reached a hand out to run across the surprisingly rough-skinned plant. The flesh vibrated under his touch, and he thought he felt a trill of emotion as it purred.
"I might take you up on that, fox..."
______
As Hiei admired Auren's beauty, Kurama took the communicator from his pocket and contacted the spirit world prince. They didn't have to wait long for the portal to appear, and found themselves transported directly to the infirmary wing once they had crossed through.
He quickly handed Auren over to a few ogres with a pallet waiting to move her down to the holding cells, giving explicit instructions to both ogre and plant to behave themselves in his absence, to which the sentient plant churled pathetically, a root tendril wrapping around his hand.
"I will come visit you as soon as I can my sweet Auren, but I must see to Yumi, first."
He could feel the demon plant's displeasure at being placed second in matter of importance, but a sharp look and threat of pruning had the plant purring at the ogres to take her away.
Finally, once the demons were dealt with, and Hiei paid and returned to the living world, Kurama let the guise fall. He slipped comfortably back into Shuichi alone. It wasn't too difficult to find a phone in the spirit world palace, and he made a call to his mother. He made up a story about a camping trip, to which his mother beamed through the phone, overjoyed to hear of him spending time with friends. He assured her that he would return in time for school, then bid her farewell.
There was nothing left now, than to face the injured girl. He took a deep breath with his hand to the door of her room in the intense healing ward. He reached into his pocket for the dark orb that held her conscious mind at bay, and entered the room.
Maru glanced up from where he sat beside the bed, his hand resting along Yumiko's arm as the girl lay face down on the hospital bed. He took one look at the orb, his still ember-lit eyes hardening at the sight of it, then stood to greet him.
"Are you certain you are prepared for this, boy?"
Unlike others, when Maru called him 'boy' there was no hint of malice, nor snide undertones to the word. He simply spoke as a mentor, ensuring his pupil were ready for the task ahead.
"I am." Shuichi answered with a level voice, his eyes hardening along with his resolve as he stared at the damage the dog-demon's claws had caused to his dear Yumi.
Maru nodded once, then motioned for the empty cot next to the girl's. He had asked the nurse to bring it in, knowing full well the boy would be unable to move once he felt the full extend of the damages the girl had obtained. The spirit world's best healers had been working around the clock to heal her wounds, but dear Yumiko would still feel them fresh once that accursed stone were destroyed.
With another deep breath, Shuichi nodded in return, and laid across the cot, his eyes never leaving Yumiko as he did so. When he had gotten as comfortable as he could given the circumstances, he gripped the orb, and shattered it in his palm.
[A/N: So this was supposed to just be a "random mission intro" but became its own entire thing! I am very excited to progress this storyline and meld it into the plot we all know and love! One thing I've always enjoyed while writing is that at certain points, the story writes itself, and just takes the author along for the ride! That's kind of what happened here.
I decided on using the Attenborough pitcher plant for the living world cousin of this plant, and I'm utterly thrilled with how she turned out! I'm in the process of getting actual artwork for her, and will replace the Dall-E images with the true art once it is finished!
I went through a ton of options before deciding on the two images above, and I utterly adore Auren, and wanted to show her a little more love! Please enjoy these images of how Dall-E imagined our dear Covehn (Co-vae-yen) Pitcher Plant, Auren! Thank you for reading! Next chapter: Ruminations,
See you then!]