The light led me to a graveyard that was in the town. Coming into the yard I saw Fang standing in the graveyard already. Noticing that there was someone in front of him, my eyes followed to find out what form this would take. Instead of seeing a shadow I saw the demon we came here for.
Running towards Fang I frowned at the scent of his blood. It was the rotten smell again instead of the better one I smelled the first day I meant him. There was a deep gash on his arm. His blood was dark, it was almost as black as a demon. There were so many questions that surrounded Fang. This only added one more to the ever growing list.
"Look who finally showed up. Fashionably late to the party aren't you, Zero." Fang said there was a tease in his voice and I laughed.
"Couldn't let you have all the fun." I countered his smart remark. I was happy to see that he was okay. I thought that we were going to find him in the same state as Emiko. Still I wondered what it was that scared Emiko.
"The vanity, Zero. You're just here to steal my thunder." I scoffed at him backing away and crossing my arms over my chest.
"By all means, the stage is yours." I wanted to see Fang fight. I was dying to know what kind of magic he was going to use. Korku laughed drawing our attention to the demon. He stood in his human form. His hair was bright orange, his eyes were dark blue nearly black. Even as he laughed, neither Fang nor I showed him any fear.
My eyes were on Fang as he started to make hand signs. Once again, I frowned as I started to realize why Fang blood smelled rotten when he was using his magic. This was the forbidden art, it was black magic. Humans weren't suppose to use black magic.
The dirt around us begin to stir. Soon hands started to pop out of the ground. My eyes shifted to the graves as the dead being to rise. I knew a spell like this. I didn't use it though. There was ever any need for me to raise the dead.
My eyes shifted to Fang. Using this kind of magic meant his powers were eating at his soul. It was okay for demons to do it. Whatever soul we had was already black and rotten. Fang wasn't a demon though. If he kept using this art, he would become a hollow shell. I wasn't sure, but I found I had a new respect for Fang. It took a strong person to use black magic in the first place.
Fang was either very brave or very foolish. I wasn't sure which side of the line he fell on. Maybe he had a foot on both. Either way what Fang did with his soul was none of my business. If he chooses to damn himself at least, his magic will prove him more useful than I originally thought.
Fang was standing still as the dead army he rose attacked Korku. The demon was handling his own against them. Of course, it was going to take more than that to kill a demon. Fang made another hand sign. I watched as the dead humans started to transform into an animal like creatures.
They all rushed to Korku. They all ripped into the fear demon. Korku went down, the demon things falling on top of him. The sound of smacking and chewing could be heard. I never saw anything eat a demon before. It was quite impressive.
"That's how you kill a demon with style," Fang called back to me. He had a smirk on his face as he boosted over his skills. I rolled my eyes at him but frowned. There was a light shining from under the dead things. They all exploded raining down bits of rotten flesh on us.
Korku stood in his demon form. His horns spiraled on top of his head. A tail whipped around the back of him. Sharp teeth jutted down from his mouth as drool dripped from the teeth. The drool sizzled as it fell to the ground.
Korku hawked back making this disgusting sound as he gathered spit from deep within his throat. After he had hawked it up, Korku spat at Fang. I watched as Fang sidestepped the disgusting thing. The spit hit a tombstone that was behind Fang. It burned through the tombstone, that was some nasty spit.
Fang didn't seem to be shaken by the new development. Making a new set of hand sign Fang touched his own chest. His body started to shift as he got down on all fours. Fang's body started to become more beast like as he kept changing. Soon a huge towering wolf stood in front of us.
There were spikes that ran along it's shoulders and on its tail. It had two sets of teeth one resting behind the first row. It's body was black and dripped down ooze that made the ground hiss and smoke. This wasn't a wolf, this beast I never saw before.
"A hellhound," Soji spoke and I turned to see him and Rai coming behind us. Looking at Soji he nodded his head before we all turned back towards the fight. Korku and Fand went at each other. It was like watching a dogfight as they bit into each other.
Korku kept using his burning spit, but Fang was too fast in his beast form. His quickly jumped out of the way each time Korku hawked it at him. I watched as Fang bit down into the fear demon. Korku cried out as Fang took a chunk out of the demon.
Korku yelled in pain as Fang decided it was time to go for the kill. Fang rushed forward and I found. I saw it before Fang did it seem. Moving quickly I jumped in front of the hellhound. My black flames burned the blood snakes that were about to sink their fangs into . . . Well, Fang.
"Kenji," I hissed his name as Ban appeared next to him. Why were they hear? Maybe Korku had something to do with the Night of Demons. Would they protect him then? They hadn't protected Maya when we came for her.
"You look amazing tonight, Natsu. The red moon truly brings out your inner charm." I growled at Ban as he called me by that name again. My fangs pressed down as I sneered at him. "That look only turns me on." I frowned at him.
"Ban!" A voice yelled before I could think of anything witty to say to Ban. I watched as a girl was rushing towards Ban. She seemed to look past Ban and dropped to her knees bowing as she saw Soji. "Master Soji." Great another church nut.
"What are you doing here, Ayase?" Soji asked and she rose again rushing towards Soji to stand in front of him. I watched as Kenji went to Korku. He helped the Fear Demon stand. Why were they helping him? I watched as Ban moved his eyes towards me then to Soji.
"So you are the white mage," Ban spoke and I pushed Soji behind me. My fangs pushed down as Ban sniffed at the air. I could see a frown on his beautiful face. It didn't fit there, that didn't mean I was going to change it. "This is the scent you had on you. I won't rest until he's dead."
"You'll never touch him." I hissed as Fang reverted back to his true form. I was never going to let him have Soji.
"You're a demon and you're playing with a white mage. I'll kill your white whore soon enough, Natsu." I growled at Ban.
"My name is Zero." I hissed at him and he laughed before he, Kenji and Korku disappeared. I sighed shaking my head as I turned around to look at my team. Standing in the ghost town there was a sobering feeling that past over us. Now that Korku was gone there was nothing else for us to do here. Ban and Kenji had came and saved him. I wondered if they had been here the whole time.
More than that Emiko was dead. It was never easy when you lost a member of your team. Even if you hated this member. Coming here had proven to be a waste. Nothing had been accomplished in the end.
My eyes shifted to the girl who had showed up after Ban. She was standing with Soji. Emiko died and now this Ayase girl was quick to replace her. I wasn't sure if trusted it. Ayase was probably in her twenties. I wouldn't give her much older than that. I noticed her hair, I never saw anyone with black hair that had white streaks in it before.
My eyes shifted to Soji. Ban saw him, he wanted to kill him now. I couldn't allow that. I couldn't let Ban hurt him. I wondered if Soji was strong enough to kill Ban. He was a white mage, but Ban was unlike any other demon. All demons could die, even Ban. Did I want Ban dead? If he died, it would be by my hands no one else.
I sat on the ground next to Rai. She was curled up asleep. Her head rested on my lap. Funny how children can fall asleep anywhere. Fang was roaming around the area we marked as safe. He was complaining about his lost prey. I wasn't happy about Kenji and Ban's rescue mission either. Korku was our car. Now he was gone.
It had been too long. We had to move on. We needed to get home to Amy. We weren't going to be buying a car this time. Shu was always against stealing and things of that nature. Anytime he caught me stealing Shu would yell at me to be human. Of course, I reminded him that humans were liars, cheaters, and thieves he would give me a lame line.
Be better than humans.
How could I be better when I was supposed to be worse. Whose standards of humans were I suppose to be living up to? Shu's or mine. Reaching into my pocket I took out my pack of cigarette. Pulling one stick free I lit it before laying back in the grass.
Soji and Ayase were talking in hushed voices. I didn't know what they were planning. I wasn't sure I wanted to know either. Soon the two of them walked towards me. Looking up at Soji his eyes were red. It was clear that he had been crying. He had been through a lot today.
"Master Soji told me everything," Ayase spoke and I looked to Soji. When she said, everything did she mean everything. I doubt that Soji would tell her about our alone time together. He wasn't that kind of boy.
Ayase's honey brown eyes were looking into my own golden ones as I sat up again. I noticed that unlike Emiko, Ayase added Master in front of Soji's name. I wasn't sure how things worked in their church, but it was clear that she had a deep respect for the white mage.
"I have a care, I don't mind taking you where you need to go." My eyes shifted to Soji again. Where I needed to go. Where were he going? Home maybe, head this girl comes to take him home. Why did that upset me?
"My father is calling me back. There are reports that a large number of demons are gathering in the Ancient City." The Ancient City was just a few miles away from my hometown. It was where the demon door was. Was it coming then? Was this the Night of Demons.
Soji licked his lips nervously. I could hear the creak when he mentioned his father. I could see the pain in Soji's eyes. Everything inside of me wanted to take that pain from him. When I had been human, I loved my brother. He might not have been around a lot but in the last day that I remembered him he had been a loving father.
The thing that Soji feared was his father. What was that like. To fear your own father. It wasn't something that I knew. It made me not want Soji to go back home. If he were going to be hurt there, I would rather he stay with me.
"Rai and I need to go home." We had to get back to Amy. Looking over at Fang I didn't know what he would do or where he would go. Maybe he would stay with us.
"We'll drop you all off first then," Ayase said and I stood up before swooping Rai up in my arms. The group followed Ayase to the car that she had. Once we were inside Ayase got into the driver seat. Soji was in the passenger seat he seemed focus on something. Maybe what was to come next.
Pressing my forehead against the glass as the world rushed past me. When I relived the events of today, I kept thinking about Ban. I thought about the Night of Demon was coming. Demons were gathering. It all seemed to be coming to ahead. I just didn't know what the climax was. I knew that Ban needed Soji to reach it.