Darkest Dawn

Part 1 - A Moment’s Repose

Yotaka sat and listened, digesting all of this information. It was nearing midnight, but this had to be done now. Immediately after returning from that totally gone awry scouting mission of Youkai territory, the entire affair with Amadeus had happened. The other four children had provided Yotaka with sketchy information at best

Tanji and Kino had probably understood more than Lane and Ty, but with Kesu falling into that despair of ‘losing’ Amadeus, he’d been terribly worried about the kitsune and unable to concentrate on much. That left Kino, and while she had been extremely helpful, it was now Amadeus that was shedding some light onto this dark mystery.

Deus’ piercing eyes narrowed as he remembered that captivity, “He’d said that since I had found Kesu that he’d been watching, interested in him.”

“Good gods that’s been since the beginning of the year,” Ty managed to grasp that much at least.

“Nice to see Kesu has a fan club,” Tanji ignored a pointed glare from the vampire.

Yotaka ignored the comment, setting her tea down and staring at it to think. This had to be connected somehow, she could just feel it.

“So this… Joshua Augustine,” Kino’s eyes flickered to Amadeus for a confirmation on that name, “has basically been stalking Kesu?”

“He makes a habit of stalking me, actually, and makes a point of torturing anyone important to me,” Deus corrected.

Kino shook her head, “From what you’ve said, he knows far too much about Kesu. Not about Sakon, but Kesu, how did he make that distinction? Where did he get all that information? Why is he even in Makai in the first place?”

“There were youkai… a great many of them,” Kesu finally spoke, his tone hallow in a very frightening way, eyes glassy. He still was not at all in good shape, or at least his body wasn’t, his spirit was keeping him going. “Shadow youkai.”

Lane visibly shuddered, but kept quiet.

“So now we have Shadow youkai inhabiting Koorime, more at those ruins, and now this vampire…”

“Who mentioned that the neighbors are rowdy but easily controlled,” Deus interrupted Kino’s train of thought.

“This doesn’t sound good,” Tanji yawned.

“That’s an understatement,” Ty snarled.

It wasn’t that they hadn’t been bickering before, they had been, but now it was getting steadily worse. About the only one who seemed fine was Amadeus, figured. Yotaka took them back to the beginning, when they’d first gone to the ruins, everything they found together and separately, picking apart every detail.

Over the course of it, Tanji and Ty’s fighting escalated, naturally, too much time in the same room did that to them. Kino scooted closer to Tanji, which settled him down, and the fighting almost completely stopped when she discretely laid her hand on his. Lane was curled up with his knees drawn to his chest, resting his chin there, hair a cascading frame. He was silent unless prompted. Kesu had been sitting with one leg drawn up, but as time went on his body collapsed further and further until he was practically being supported by Amadeus. When the kitsune’s eyes slipped closed, Yotaka decided it was enough.

The small girl stood up, immediately catching everyone’s attention. Even in that girlish form she retained the power she’d had before her death. “Everyone go home, or you may find a room here at the temple, of course. I’ll discuss this with Reikai, meditate over this. Within a few days’ time we’ll seek out more information about this… issue.”

Tanji and Kino were the first to stand, bowing to Yotaka respectfully and heading for the door. Ty snatched up Lane’s hand, startling the Koorime from his half-daze, and dragging him right after them.

“Hey you two gonna walk?” Ty pulled Lane out the door, digging playfully in his pocket for his car keys, jangling them toward the lovebirds.

Kino sighed at Tanji, nodding at Ty, “It’s late, we wouldn’t mind a ride.”

“Cool,” the Jujin strode toward the temple’s front gate with a little bounce in her step, hopping into the driver’s seat of the car. Lane seemed almost completely oblivious to the danger he was putting his vehicle in, sliding into the passenger side as Tanji and Kino slipped into the spacious back, just barely before Ty peeled down the road.

“You’re worried about Kesu,” Kino brushed a finger across Tanji’s cheekbone.

“Extremely… he’s at a very fragile point.”

Lane turned slightly, somehow managing to hear even despite the wind. He blinked curiously but stayed quiet. However, Ty did not, “Teach him to hook up with a vampire.”

“Tyger,” Kino scolded rather sharply. She nodded at Tanji, they’d talk about this when they got home, staying silent for the rest of the rather fast drive.

Tanji was already up the stairs and unlocking the door as Kino watched Ty peel around the corner. He didn’t bother turning on the living room light, heading for the fridge and grabbing a bottle of raspberry tea. Kino locked the door behind her, sidling up beside Tanji and taking the tea from him.

“You’ll be up all night,” she defended at his pouty expression, putting the half empty bottle back and leaning against the fridge door.

“Be up all night anyway,” Tanji sighed, bowing his head to rest it against her shoulder.

Kino worried at her lip, wrapping her arms around his neck. “You shouldn’t worry about him, he can take care of himself.”

“I wonder ‘bout that,” Tanji whispered.

“Don’t Tanji…”

“He’s just so vulnerable… right now. Does fangs actually know? I mean… can he really help Kes if he needs it? I know tha’ leavin humanity, thaz pretty much somethin he’s gotta do on his own… but he’s also worried ‘bout what Deus thinks of ‘im… ‘fraid he’s gonna scare the vampy ‘way jus cuz he’s so fragile right now…”

Kino listened, subconsciously noting just how tired Tanji was, his speech even more muddled than normal. “They’ve been together this long, Tanji… I’m sure Amadeus can perceive that this is only a temporary transition, he’ll help him.”

“He better or I’ll go over there and toss him onto the lawn at noon.”

“You’re really asking for it. Come on, let’s get to bed,” she gently nudged him up, far enough off her to caress his face.

“An’ then I’ll find a nice big stake.”

“Tanji Hisaki, will you stop,” Kino scowled, “likely to get yourself killed. It’s not like you’ve made yourself very likable anyway.”

“Deus is a… a… troglodyte.”

Kino giggled, tugging Tanji back toward the bedroom. “If you can’t come up with a better insult than that, you really need to get to sleep.”

~*~*~*~*~

“Kesu?” Yotaka had stopped the kitsune in the doorway of the tea room. “Are you all right to get home?”

Amadeus blinked at the Temple Keeper, still couldn’t get used to this reincarnated form. It was just too weird. “I’ll make sure he gets there, don’t worry.”

“Take your time to recover, Youko,” Yotaka watched the pair head toward the front gate.

Deus stopped in front of the little hatchback, nudging Kesu toward the passenger’s side, “You’re in no condition to drive,” he insisted, the kitsune obeying without the slightest bit of hesitation. Amadeus slipped into the driver’s seat, reaching beneath to find the keys. Kesu was meticulous about that, never take your keys with you to Makai. Imagine if they got lost, he always said. Deus smirked at that thought, turning the car down the long wooded temple road. At least people here drove on the correct side.

Kesu angled himself to rest his head on Deus’ shoulder, drawing one leg up onto the seat, staying quiet for the entire long drive. That was one thing about the new house, it was further from the temple, on the south outskirt of Tokyo, past the mall even. It was good though, for the kitsune to be surrounded by that sort of naturalism, especially now that he ki-fed more and more often.

Deus shut off the headlights before turning into the parking space, so the light wouldn’t reflect on the windows. The house was dark. Kesu came around to the driver’s side, canting his head and reaching toward his lover in a cute little come here gesture. Deus hesitated.

“Your mother?”

“Gone to Osaka, koibito. Her father is very sick, she’s helping care for him,” Kesu had never bothered to get to know his ‘grandparents’, thinking that was one less tie to humanity, to make it easier on him.

“She left you alone when you were… like that?” Deus arched an eyebrow, retrieving the keys from the ignition and locking the car doors, finding the house key in the near perfect darkness.

Kesu shrugged casually, standing there with most of his weight on one foot, ankles crossed. The dark gray gi clung to his angled hips, flowing freely from there, revealed as a brisk wind tore open one side of his house coat. The kitsune shivered, ducking his head as if to avoid the chill, or Deus’ irritation at the fact Kesu had been left alone to that depression. Hadn’t his mother cared about what her son might have done in that state?

The vampire shoved the door open, taking out his frustration on it, snapping on the lights. He strode purposefully into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of flavored water from the fridge. It wasn’t much, but it had to have some sort of nutrients, which was better than nothing. Deus doubted that even with his persuasion powers he could get Kesu to eat anything. He returned to the living room to find Kesu still struggling to relock the door, shoving the bottle at him and completing that task himself.

“Drink,” Deus demanded when Kesu didn’t immediately follow the silent command. “Sit,” he gave a gentle push and the kitsune nearly fell onto the couch. He’d already been wavering slightly, which was why he’d done that.

Amadeus did a check of all the blinds and curtains in the house, a ritual of his in case he forgot more towards the dawn. Then he sat down beside Kesu, pleased to see the kitsune drinking that rather strange preference of his. Strawberry water… how odd. Deus leaned and nudged off Kesu’s slipper shoes, setting them by the door. Then he set to unlacing his boots.

Kesu’s hand curled against his chest, cradling the water in a loose grip. His eyes were barely open, but locked on Amadeus. “Kaasan will call before she comes back… probably another week.”

Deus grunted some sort of displeased sound, veritably throwing his boot at the little shoe mat. Ooh that subject just crawled up his spine immediately.

“I am old enough to be left alone,” Kesu perceived the irritation.

“Not when you were like that,” Deus remembered quite vividly all those days Kesu had laid in bed. Every time Amadeus had imagined himself there to comfort his fox, hoping that someone, anyone would fulfill those wishes. No one ever had. His mother had tried a few times, but nothing that made her concern seem truly genuine.

“It’s her father…”

“And you are supposed to be her son,” Deus shot back, regretting it the moment the words were spoken. He hadn’t meant to sound quite that severe. He placed his other boot beside the first and sighed in frustration. “I’m sorry, fox…”

“Don’t be, it shows me how much you were worried… how much you cared.”

Kesu set the water on the table, half of it remaining. He just didn’t have the strength to hold it anymore. He watched lazily as Deus unbuttoned his vest, feeling bone-weary, a soreness creeping into his entire body. That was going to try and keep him awake.

Deus reached and slipped the housecoat from Kesu’s shoulders, pushing it down around him. His fingers untucked the tunic top and pulled it over the kitsune’s head without much more than a tired resistance. Then lovingly he slipped the oversized jacket back over the young man, closing it around that slender form. He gathered the kitsune to his chest, running his fingers through that beautiful silvered hair, kissing his forehead.

“Not sleeping out here,” Deus nudged after a quiet moment, somehow getting Kesu to stand up, leading him back to the bedroom.

Kesu nuzzled into the softness Deus settled him down on. He watched the vampire remove his clothes and lay them neatly across the dresser, slipping into a pair of shorts he sometimes wore when staying, especially if there were ningen about the house. Kesu didn’t complain in the least as his pants were stolen from him, couldn’t complain he was so close to tumbling off into sleep. When Amadeus slipped into the bed beside him, wrapping the blankets and his strong arms around the kitsune, Kesu could resist the exhaustion no longer.

~*~*~*~*~

Tyger scowled, standing at the hallway, watching Lane. The koorime was perched on that window alcove, similar to the one in Kino’s apartment, one leg draped over the back of the couch and onto the cushions and the other drawn up onto the alcove against his chest. He was just sitting there gazing out the window. She wanted to say something, just wasn’t sure what.

It was Friday night, she’d checked the schedule tacked on the fridge, he had the day off tomorrow from both jobs, so there was no point telling him he had to go to bed. She’d been in bed, Lane promising that he’d be right there. Instead he’d lost himself to thinking, just sitting there quietly. And for as much as he pretended to be fine, even Ty could tell he wasn’t, and he hadn’t been for awhile.

Ty moved silently across the small living room, so silently that he didn’t even notice her until she reached and brushed back a strand of hair. He smiled up at her, but she caught that pure hurt look before he completely replaced it.

“Rishan…” he started to apologize for not coming to bed like he’d told her.

“What were you thinking about?” Ty interrupted him.

Lane lowered his head, tucking hair delicately behind his ear. “I was wondering… if this Augustine… was the one responsible for the Shadow…”

Tyger nodded, knowing what he meant and sparing him from having to say it.

“I want to go home,” Lane whispered, beyond human hearing, but not Ty’s.

“If you were there… then you… wouldn’t be here,” she scowled at herself, feeling really stupid for saying something like that. That obvious and dumb, but she was trying really hard to say something else, she just couldn’t do it.

Lane closed his eyes, not wanting her to see that pain there that he couldn’t suppress. Almost a year here in ningen, he didn’t think he’d ever get used to it. It was bearable, with Ty around, but could he - if given the chance - go back? If it turned out that VesTira was still alive, would he become her companion as his life had been planned? He shook his head slightly at his own thought, he didn’t want anyone else now, didn’t want to belong to anyone else. He just needed to know if his mother was still alive…

“Hey c’mon icicle,” Ty couldn’t stand him sitting there brooding like that anymore. She reached and gently gripped his shoulder, pulling him against her. He had been pretty strong about the whole thing, or at least that’s what she’d seen, it was disturbing to see him upset.

Lane slipped his arms around her waist, resting against her chest. He could barely believe this was Tyger holding him. “I just miss the beauty of the land… it’s so… different.”

“Ya know, Lane… Jujin is a lot different too,” Ty huffed at herself for being that close to being comforting and sentimental. Ugh, this was… disturbing. “And you had family too.”

Lane nodded vaguely, “Sometimes I think… maybe it would be better to know… than to wonder if my mother is still alive… even to know she isn’t.”

Ty sighed, she’d hit her limit of things comforting to say. Besides, parents weren’t exactly her best topic. She ran her fingers slowly through Lane’s hair, just centering on how it felt to help with that unsettled queasy feeling in her stomach. At least he wasn’t an emotional wreck, just slightly shaken. Anything more she probably wouldn’t have been able to stand it. Shaken she could understand.

“Rishan…”

“Shhh… just come to bed Laney,” Ty scolded the apology, easily tugging the koorime off the window alcove and into the bedroom. He didn’t give her any resistance as she laid him down, blinking a little curiously, but not saying a word as she held him through the night.

~*~*~*~*~

Amadeus forced himself awake despite the fact his body argued with him that it wasn’t yet dark outside. His eyes narrowed, looking to either side of him to find the bed utterly devoid of any pretty kitsunes. Well… dammit.

Kesu had slept that entire day, another night, and as far as Deus knew this entire day as well. He’d really needed it though, so Deus had let him sleep, leaving him only to go out the night before and grab a little something to sedate his hunger. The kitsune’s sleep had been relatively peaceful, he would whimper and toss now and again, but never wake up. It was Sunday night, Kesu had school in the morning, if he bothered with it. He’d been terribly sporadic about it anyway.

The vampire laid there and listened to the silence of the house. The silence wasn’t perfect however, his keen ears told him that Kesu was in the living room, now and again rattling about what sounded like toys. Ooh that fox had better not be cleaning. Deus forced himself to get up, pushing his hair back to something a little less unruly, and padded out into the hallway.

Kesu was knelt in the far corner of the living room, where his sisters had a little den of toys that had scattered slightly and never been picked up. He was very slowly reaching and replacing, toy by toy, in a glassy-eyed slow motion. He was still wearing his housecoat and now a pair of shorts, his metallic hair slightly wet in places, like he had showered and was letting it dry out naturally. Amadeus padded quietly across the living room and sat on the end of the couch, very near to the kitsune. There was a bottle of water on the table, a different one, and the remains of a salad. Good, he’d eaten and showered, Deus couldn’t be too mad at him for cleaning then.

“Feeling better, fox?” Deus asked quietly.

“Physically,” Kesu answered softly, bowing his head even further.

Deus sat up a little straighter. It wasn’t something he’d wanted to hear. Then again, it did have to be dealt with, he’d been telling Kesu that for months. “Why does this trouble you so much?” he asked like he had many times before.

Kesu lifted his head slightly, “My entire existence in this world has been a lie. I owe everything to kaasan… and everything she knows about me has not had one shred of truth.”

“You’re wrong fox. You owe her nothing. She owes ‘you’ everything. You saved this body from death, saving her, changing her fate. Isn’t that what you’ve told me? She has been blessed by your presence… and for long enough.”

Amadeus watched him kneeling there for a long, quiet moment. Strands of silver tumbled over his shoulders, catching the light from the kitchen beautifully.

“When a vampire is… reborn, they must undergo certain changes. Changes in manner, in habits… even in attitude, to accommodate what needs to happen. Without these changes the fledgling suffers, possibly dies. You’ve been human for nearly eighteen years, I can understand that’s hard to let go… but you were kitsune far before that.”

“I should… this should be easier… I expected this to be easier…”

“You can’t let it all go, fox, you have to keep a part of it. The things you’ve learned… there is a part that won’t ever leave you. You just have to accept that.”

Kesu placed his hands on the floor in front of him, between his knees in a very adorable way. He tilted his head slightly, blinking wide jade eyes at the silver-white tattoo on his ankle. When he’d been just a little kit he’d given himself that brand, swearing that it would be the only thing to ever have power over him. He’d never known why, never knew why he named himself Kesu Hato, or why that should even be important to his fate.

To change into a dove. He had to… to change back… back to being the Silver Dove. Sakon was just a lie, a costume he was wearing to stay alive, it didn’t matter, it had served its purpose. But… more as well. Sakon had changed who he was, who he’d thought he’d been. Amadeus was right, there was a part of that ningen boy the youko couldn’t let go. He had to find a way to meld them together. By Inari, they weren’t exactly congruent. Sakon and Kesu had never meshed well, never.

“I… it’s like a great void between what I am now and what I used to be… it’s so far…” Kesu’s voice trailed off.

“But you keep finding it… and then you slip back to. Why fox?” “I don’t want… no I want to let it go… do I?” Kesu chased the thought around in circles. “Don't be fooled by what lies before your eyes. Pursuing a wounded future Treading on a shattered tomorrow. Are doubts in this heart.” Deus’ eyes narrowed, mind flitting back through memory. Ah yes, that was a song that Kesu loved dearly, which he’d translated for Amadeus once because the vampire didn’t care to learn quite that much Japanese. It was from a television show, the character that sang the song was a kitsune that had been born into a human body, ironic.

“I say I don’t want to let go… but that’s not… I’m so used to being sheltered. Even if I want the thrill of my old life back…”

Amadeus sat and watched him, listening. This was Kesu’s battle, he was only there if the kitsune needed him. Kesu was ignoring the toys now, just sitting there blinking at the floor in front of him. Deus couldn’t hear his thoughts but he could sense a great amount of worry, even a touch of fear. That human part of him was indeed so strong.

Kesu looked up at his lover, blinking those pretty jade eyes, “What do I do?”

“First… leave this place, move out. Your mother will understand that you need to get out on your own, she doesn’t need to know what is really happening. Distance yourself from her slowly.”

Kesu nodded vaguely. Of course that made sense, get out on his own and slip away from all the human aspects. His family would never need to know anything else. He could stay in ningen, near the temple, because it still needed him, he knew that, and his duty to Tanji. But still… no he could handle being alone in ningen. He’d been alone in Makai all those years, ningen was so easy by comparison.

“And you won’t be alone fox,” Deus smirked a little bit., reaching to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear, running a touch along that graceful curve of his jaw. “I won’t let you be alone.”

Kesu managed a meek smile and bowed his head. He felt so, undeserving of Deus’ concern. He was so scared to lose him that the fear was making that feeling worsen, which heightened his fear. He just couldn’t stop it… that worry… that pain…

By Inari what was that pain?

Amadeus startled and blinked as Kesu leapt to his feet, moving fluidly to the door, working the lock and slipping outside. The vampire followed, pierced by a sudden shaft of fear in his thoughts. Something was not right.

The kitsune was running across the yard, oblivious to the chill in the air or the fact that his feet were bare. But he was beautiful, silver hair lighting in the moonlight of that cold and clear night. Deus hesitated for only a moment, then gave chase. Something in the pit of his stomach told him this was not the time to let Kesu alone.

Deus was a fair distance behind when Kesu stumbled into a stand of trees, moving as if disoriented, almost in a sort of panic. All he knew was the pain, he had to outrun it, had to get away, blinded by that instinctual drive, lost in it. He barely recognized it when he flung his housecoat off, crashing to the ground viciously enough to skin his knees. That pain was nothing by comparison. He knelt, curled up there, the heat of the tears on his cheeks burning. Kesu arched his head up toward the sky as if to scream, but nothing came. He bowed his head and closed his eyes.

“Bloody…” Amadeus skidded to a stop, nearly having to shut his eyes the whirlwind was so pummeling. Kesu was there at its center, knelt and curled. Deus recognized the movement of the air around the kitsune, shimmering and hazing caused by the shifting of forms. But instead of the tail and ears something entirely different unfolded from Kesu’s back.

Wings.

Deus blinked, shielding his eyes with his arm and trying to make sure he saw that right. Yes… those were wings, white and beautiful, like a dove. So this was his Silver Dove. The kitsune never stopped surprising him, now did he. Amadeus couldn’t move forward until the whirlwind died down as if it had never been, Kesu collapsing unconscious. He found Kesu’s housecoat he’d tossed away and knelt beside his lover.

Kesu was trembling, weakness or cold Deus couldn’t be sure. He reached and gently touched the wings. It was so soft… so beautiful. Gently Deus laid Kesu’s coat over him, gathering him into his arms. Kesu whimpered softly but didn’t wake.

“Silly fox,” Amadeus chided quietly and stood, cradling the kitsune easily despite their difference in size, carrying him back to the house.

~*~*~*~*~

Kesu awoke to a dull ache running all through him, laying rather comfortably half atop Amadeus. He remembered the pain… vaguely remembered being outside. What in Makai had happened? He forced his head up a little bit, wincing at the pain. It was nothing like what he remembered from before, but still…

“You okay fox?” Deus asked quietly.

Kesu nodded once, then nuzzled against the vampire’s neck, “Just… cold… hurts.”

Amadeus couldn’t help but smile. Kesu wasn’t whining or being timid, he sounded annoyed at the pain. It was a strange thing for him to pick up on. He reached and gently touched Kesu’s newest addition, making the kitsune wince again. Kesu roused himself, looking over his shoulder. He’d felt it, had just been too drowsy to really make out what it was against his back. He blinked, several times to make sure what he saw was real.

“Something new, hmm?” Deus smirked.

“Well… now… that’s interesting.”

Deus chuckled, kissing his forehead and brushing back his hair. “Never told me you had wings,” he teased.

“I never told me I had wings,” Kesu sighed, playfully, but still so tired.

“Will you wrap me up in your wings, fox?”

Kesu cradled his lover’s face and kissed him sweetly. “You like wings?”

“I like your wings,” Deus trailed kisses along his jaw, nipping at his ear. Amadeus avoided touching them anymore, despite really enjoying how they felt. Kesu was still in a great deal of pain, just hiding it, and his exhaustion as well. “It took a lot of your magic didn’t it?”

The kitsune nodded a little, “I’ll have to… get control…”

“Later fox… sleep now,” Deus held him securely, loving how warm that lanky body atop his felt, that soft skin, the beautiful cascades of hair. “It’s almost dawn anyway, just rest.”

“I love you koibito,” Kesu whispered, surrendering to the exhaustion.

~*~*~*~*~

Amadeus shifted slightly in half-sleep, immediately noticing a lack of comfortable fox laying against him. Going to have to tie him down, he swore to himself, forcing his eyes open. Ahh, but the kitsune had not gone far, was just curled on the edge of the bed, head bowed, eyes closed. There was a subtle ripple of energy in the room, and then it suddenly faded.

Kesu sighed, slowly opening his eyes and turning back to look at Amadeus. He smiled meekly as Deus roused himself enough to crawl to his side, canting his head as he gingerly reached to touch a soft wing.

“How are you feeling fox?”

“Better… much better,” Kesu answered softly. “I just can’t… get control of… those,” he cast a dirty look over his shoulder.

“They’re still pretty,” Deus smiled.

“I want to go look for an apartment… and I’m not doing it with wings.”

Amadeus chuckled, kissing Kesu’s cheek and sliding off the bed to stand. The crazy fox, however, grabbed him around the waist and pulled him back, gazing up at him. “And I assume you wish me to join you on this new home search?”

“Well of course koibito… my home is your home?”

Deus gazed into those beautiful jade eyes, running silver strands of hair through his fingers, “That’s absolutely right, fox. Better take care of those wings,” he winked and slipped away from the kitsune.

Kesu admiringly watched the vampire for another moment as he started to get dressed. “Deus?” he began quietly.

“Yes fox?”

“You promise… not to tell anyone about them… I mean, not yet.”

Amadeus didn’t know why the wings were embarrassing Kesu, but they were. Perhaps it was because he just wasn’t used to them yet. He nodded firmly, “I won’t tell anyone, fox.”

Kesu smiled, that beautiful smile that Deus loved so much. Then he bowed his head again and went back to concentrating on drawing in this new power. No, it wasn’t a new power, it had just been dormant for a very long time. But there it was now, and the Silver Dove was alive once more.

Part 2 - Seeking

Amadeus glared at the cell that had imprisoned him for that long, horrible week. There was nothing there now, not a thing except the vague remains of blood on the floor, the bodies had all been removed. Everything had been removed, all that remained was the stone of the building and blood.

He crossed his arms over his chest and glanced back over his shoulder. Kesu was standing there in the darkness, like a radiant beam of moonlight. He was different now, Deus could see the changes. The kitsune stood differently, with more pride, spoke with a touch less modesty. The human in him was still there, by all means, shown through that sweet and boyish smile, that giggle, the little blush now and again to his cheeks, and a thousand other very small things no one but someone very close could see and appreciate.

The vampire stayed where he was, trying to listen to the conversation between his fox and that unsightly midget, but they were speaking too low. Tanji made a point to stay clear of Deus more often than not, which he found quite funny. The little demon was afraid of him, and rightly so. Still, he was Kesu’s friend – which Deus still couldn’t figure out why – so no killing… yet.



Tanji shook his head, “I can’t believe you just moved out without telling her.”

“I left her a note, and then I called and left a message giving her my new address and number,” Kesu blinked innocently.

“Wha did she havta say about it?” Tanji was infinitely curious.

Kesu shrugged casually, shifting his weight to his other foot, “She said that if I thought I was ready to get out on my own then I should take care of myself. Besides, she has the babies to worry about, she doesn’t need me anymore.”

“I hope ya right, I hope this ain’t just some sort of selfish thing…”

“And what if it is selfish? Hmm? Do you blame me?” Kesu’s eyes shimmered with restrained tears. “I saved her life, and yes I stole a child from her that would not have lived, I consider that to be even enough. Her Sakon has grown up, it was time he left. Eighteen years I hid in that façade, I’m tired of it. This is the easiest way for me to just slip quietly out of Hiroshi Saya’s life.”

Tanji sighed and nodded after a moment, resuming their slow pace along the dark hallway, searching for anything… hell, who knew what they were searching for really. “Saya was… she was just…”

“I know what Saya means to you. Call her, offer to babysit when you wish. If she asks about me just tell her the truth, that I’m free and I’m happy,” Kesu smiled softly.

Tanji nodded, “So… what’s the new place like?”

“Oh it’s nice, you’d like it. It’s on the other side of the park from your apartment buildings, those sort of strange little stand alone cottage type things, you know?”

“Yeah I remember those,” Tanji quirked a little smile, Kesu was happy, and it was contagious. “Kinda old though?”

“Yeah just a little, but in fine shape, oh and cheap for as adorable as it is. Out in the middle of nowhere with just a few neighbors, and those a good distance and they never bug you. The yard is big too, perfect for parties when the weather’s nice…”

Tanji couldn’t help but giggle. Yeah that was good old Kesu, always thinking about throwing a party. He stopped, noticing Amadeus was looking at them. Kesu smiled knowingly and trotted over to the vampire, ducking his head into the room.

“Totally cleared out huh?” Kesu sighed, leaning on his staff.

“It’s getting late,” Deus answered simply.

“Yeah… we’ll stay in Saitennin today, ask around. It’s the closest population center, maybe Augustine was seen there,” Kesu reached and laid a hand on Amadeus’ shoulder, moving the touch to massage his neck. “You okay koibito?”

“Hmm?” Deus blinked up at the kitsune, dragging himself from his thoughts. “Yes… yes I’m fine silly fox.”



Kino and Tyger made their way slowly down the stairs to the hallway where the others were, having not found a thing in the level above. It was getting frustrating for certain, wasting hours scrabbling around an old fortress ruins and not finding one single thing. Kino blinked at Kesu and Amadeus standing in a doorway, Tanji a distance away, and Lane even further down the hall, scuffing about in a dark shadow like it might yield something the others had missed.

“Lane looks a little shaky,” Kino whispered, watching the koorime from the base of the stairway.

“He’s fine.”

“I know that he’s not, and you know he’s not. And further I know that you know, and you know that I know you know. So what I want to know is… what are you doing about it?” Kino’s amber eyes bore into Ty without flinching.

Tyger sighed, flipping her hair to appear casual, but it was a hollow gesture, merely from practice.

“Has he spoke anymore about loving you?” Kino asked much gentler.

Ty shook her head slightly, “Not since I last told you, before Halloween.”

“It’s some sort of sentiment you remember that,” the halfling quipped back. “And no other sentiments since then?”

“No,” Ty growled, not enjoying this conversation at all, and not about to participate in it either. Kino sensed that.

“You know Tyger,” Kino’s tone turned to that gods-awful I’m going to lecture you now tone that made Ty shudder slightly, but she met her gaze, violet to amber, “I learned something this last year. There are very few mistakes worth making in a lifetime, love… is one of those mistakes,” Kino blinked slowly and walked away from her friend.



“What was that about?” Tanji looked from Kino to Ty as his angel came back from whispering with the Jujin, too low for even his ears to pick up, and he was the closest one to them.

“Nothing, Tanji,” Kino sighed, looking like she’d lost some sort of battle, “just Ty being totally… annoying again.”

“There’s nothin new.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t bring Lane,” she spoke a moment later.

Tanji blinked, taking a moment to realize what she’d said the comment was almost completely random. He looked over at Lane, wandering aimlessly at the far end of the hall, then over at Ty at the other end of the hall. “Ahh… I see what you were talking about.”

“Tanji,” Kino scolded, trying to get him back to her point.

“Well this might have somethin to do with him… and he is a trained fighter, prolly more trained than we are. Why not have him along?”

“This is bringing back painful things for him when he could just live happily along in ningen the rest of his life.”

Tanji shook his head, “No angel, he’s nowhere near being happy this last year. Sure he looks like he’s okay, he works hard and he acts just fine, but… that’s just the outside stuff. And it has nothing to do with this stuff about Tyger.”

“She doesn’t help.”

“And she prolly can’t, nothin against her. No one else can prolly do anything about it either. Angel, you know what it’s like… not knowing something… especially something as deeply wounding as where a parent is,” Tanji noticed that tremor through her, regretted not being able to say that gentler. “Until the phoenix let me have its memories so I could see what happened to my parents, I lived in the same hell he’s going through. Nothing fixes it except finding out.”

Kino sighed in defeat, something that was really rare when she argued with anyone, sidling up against Tanji as if her mental exhaustion was physical, and it was creeping that direction. Tanji wrapped his arms around her, letting her rest her head on his shoulder.

“I found something,” Lane’s softly accented voice pierced the silence, jerking Kino’s head up the instant before Tanji was next to the Koorime to see.

Kesu raced up a moment later, kneeling and inspecting closer what Lane had found. It was a length of cloth, sheer and brightly colored, a little dirty, but it looked like a scarf… perhaps even a shawl, a strange woman’s article that looked extremely out of place in this dark fortress. Kesu lifted it to inspect it in the meager light.

“A taisjen,” Lane’s voice was extremely shaky, his eyes wide, lanky body starting a subtle tremble.

“What?” Ty blinked at it.

“A scarf basically… a Koorime scarf,” Kesu blinked.

“A High Ladies’ emblem of her House,” Lane corrected, reaching with a trembling hand to reveal an embroidered crest, studying it and recognizing it despite the wear and the dirt. He gasped as if in pain and dropped the fabric, turning away.

“Lane?” Kesu stood up, the scarf in hand. “Whose House crest is it?”

Lane braced himself against the wall with a shaking arm, the other clutched to his stomach. Kino glanced to Ty, thinking the Jujin would be in her own world, but she was watching Lane carefully. There were just too many people here for her to do anything, for her to get herself to move.

“Laney?” Tanji urged, taking the scarf from Kesu and studying its scent.

“It’s… the Jun emblem,” Lane finally answered, weakly.

“It reeks of Shadow youkai,” Tanji offered it back to Kesu.

“Lane we knew that the Koorime Council members were married to the Generals of the Shadow… perhaps their things were taken and given to others, female youkai who might be working for Augustine,” Kino tried to be comforting, taking a step toward him.

Tanji glanced at Kino, knowing damn well that female Shadow were only as good as the mate they were attached to, but keeping quiet for Lane’s sake. The Koorime nodded meekly, staying where he was. Kino sighed and went back to leaning against Tanji, thinking about this rather strange little clue Kesu was inspecting.

Ty glanced around, seeing everyone was back to their own business. She quietly crept up to Lane’s side, tilting her head to peer at his face, touching his face to get him to open his eyes.

“Hey, you okay icicle?” she asked quietly, not wanting anyone to hear.

Lane nodded, which of course she didn’t buy for one instant. Ty slipped herself between him and the wall, bringing his arm down from supporting him and letting it drape over her shoulder, supporting him herself about his slender middle.

“That your mother’s scarf?”

“High Lady Jun… my mother’s mother,” Lane answered quietly against her ear. “My mother would be High Lady of the Jun House if…”

Ty nodded, knowing how that worked. She glanced over Lane’s shoulder at the others, noticing Kino glancing their direction, but the others were still busy. Kino just blushed and ducked her head again. “You gonna be okay?” she asked again, testing to see if his ability to hide this worry was any better than the last lame attempt.

“It merely shocked me, I am better,” Lane took a deep breath, convincing himself as much as anyone else.

Yeah that was better, hell Ty almost bought it herself. She pushed him away a little bit, nudging strands of hair out of his eyes for a good look. He still looked a little upset, but no one else would expect him to be perfect after something like that.

Kesu sighed, striding over and giving Lane the scarf, neatly folded. “It’s a couple hours until dawn, let’s go to Saitennin and get a room to get a little bit of sleep, we’ll hunt around there after some rest,” he addressed the group, heading toward the stairway to lead them out of the fortress.

Tyger watched Amadeus go just beside Kesu, Tanji just behind, Kino pausing a glance back to her friend before trotting to catch up. Ty blinked at Lane, watching as he slipped the colorful scarf into his pocket, closing his eyes for a moment and sighing. Then she carefully took his hand and urged him after the others at her side.

~*~*~*~*~

“Three rooms?” Kesu asked, sounding particularly annoyed, mostly for affect, some of it truthful.

“Ahh, we have two… just two,” the little wrinkly Father Time wannabe youkai snickered.

“Two is fine then,” the kitsune squeezed his eyes shut for an instant, already feeling this migraine coming on. Tyger and Tanji couldn’t be in a room together, neither could Tanji and Deus… and Deus and Tyger… oh by Inari.

“I charge you for three, make you feel better,” the youkai snickered in a most demented and frightening manner.

“Just gimme the two, Arkanin,” Kesu glared, stretching out his hand in offering money, that vanishing in an instant and being replaced with two keys.

“Heh… gang bang huh Silver Fox? Like the old days?”

Kino blushed bright red, hiding her face. Tanji coughed quietly. Ty was just grinning ear to ear.

Kesu leaned across the desk, “Arkanin… you remember what I did for a living back in the… old days?”

“Rooms down the stairs on the left!” Arkanin stumbled back with an equally frightening cheerful grin, pointing.

Ty snickered, snatching the key Kesu offered her and finding the door the funky scribble on the metal matched. Kesu worked the other door and kicked it open less than gently, blinking at Kino and Tanji.

“Here or in there,” Kesu nodded toward where Lane was wandering behind Ty.

Kino smiled and pointed at the other room, nudging Tanji in that direction. Amadeus smirked, running strands of silken silver through his fingers as he strode past Kesu and into the room.

“Get a couple hours of sleep, we’ll go out about midday and ask around the marketplace for Augustine,” Kesu yawned, shutting the door behind him as he followed Deus to the bed, giving just the slightest pounce. The two of them tumbled down into a tangled mess, lazily attacking one another’s clothing.

“I’m beginning to like this little inn,” Deus took his time with those odd little not quite button closures of Kesu’s shirt.

Kesu stretched, running a hand down the vampire’s leg and bending it to work idly at the strings of his boot. He knew just how much to loosen them to get them off, being lazy about it, but not wasting anymore time than was needed.

“If we don’t find anything tomorrow we’ll stay one more day, then go back,” Kesu nuzzled against Deus’ neck.

“And then?” Deus idly ran his fingers through Kesu’s hair, then down his now exposed back.

“Then I’ll come back on my own if I have to, search all of Makai.”

Deus smirked to himself, settling back into a comfortable place with the fox nestled against him, reaching to pull the blanket up over them. “Then I hope you find something tomorrow.”

“Why’s that?” Kesu yawned.

“Honestly… all of Makai… alone?”

“Heh… I can run fast.”

“You’d still be gone from me for far too long,” Amadeus held him tight, tactfully hiding the fact that he’d been entirely serious about his worry.



Tanji plopped in the nearest chair, curling up into a comfortable little ball and yawning. He motioned Ty and Kino toward the bed. “You girls sleep there…”

Ty grinned, “Awww… it’s a big bed… what do ya say, squirt, room enough for Laney between us?”

Lane blinked, but Tyger waved him to ignore it, snickering madly with delight at Kino’s bright red face. Ty plopped herself down onto the bed, stretching out, blinking her eyes open and watching Lane wandering a bit, both physically and mentally. She snapped her fingers and pointed to the floor beside the bed.

“Sleep ice boy,” the Jujin kept pointing until Lane laid down where she’d indicated.

Kino scowled at Ty, “You don’t have to be so mean.”

Tyger inspected Lane’s placement of himself, then stuck her tongue out at her halfling friend and settled down with her back to her. She draped her arm down off the bed, out of sight of Kino and Tanji, reaching to trace her fingers through Lane’s hair. He blinked up at her, a little smile in his eyes, then slipped contentedly into sleep.



Lane blinked awake, trembling uncontrollably, gasping quietly, forcing himself to stay silent. There were three other people in the room he didn’t need knowing about his nightmare. Still, it hadn’t been the nightmare that had awakened him, but rather a dark figure ‘falling’ rather conveniently off the bed.

“Tanji snuck into the bed, little snipe, I ain’t sleepin up there,” Ty excused softly, nuzzling against Lane’s ear and slipping her arms around his shoulders.

Of course she knew about the nightmare, it had been his distinct heartbeat change that had yanked her from her own rather restless sleep. Yes, she admitted to herself, she was worried about him. Plus, there was just something about Makai that didn’t make itself very conducive to letting her fall asleep. No sense they be separate and miserable.

Ty tugged herself away from him long enough to reach up and grab the pillow from her side of the bed, tucking it beneath her head and okay, letting Lane have a bit of it as well. She smiled softly to herself as he settled into the comfort, eyes closed, expression peaceful and gorgeous. Just now appreciating this was strange, something she’d never done before, but she felt right now that she had to… she just had to stop and appreciate this. She didn’t know why she was thinking about it, but it had occurred to her that she might not have the chance again.



Kesu moaned and drug himself away from Deus, taking every bit of strength in his arms to push himself semi-upright, gazing down at his lover. Deus’ eyes fluttered half-open, the need to sleep weighing heavily on him since it was midday. He reached and tried to draw the kitsune down against him again, which Kesu allowed for another moment, nuzzling against the smaller figure with a contented sigh.

“I have to get up, koibito,” Kesu ghosted his lips over the vampire’s ear. “Market is busiest right now, probably catch some rumors of Augustine…”

“Stay… little longer, fox,” Deus whispered.

“I can’t, I want to but I can’t. Perhaps we’ll find a clue and I’ll be right back, and we can get out of Makai soon.”

“Hmm,” Deus smirked slightly at that, eyes slipping shut despite his attempts at keeping them open. Kesu kissed his lips and managed to pull away from his lover, getting dressed quickly and heading for the door, “Come back quick,” Amadeus murmured as he settled back down into sleep, making Kesu smile softly.

Tanji was standing outside the door as Kesu slipped out, Kino a little further down the hall gazing out the window. Tanji quirked an eyebrow at his kitsune friend. “Ty and Lane already went to the market to ask around.”

“Still think that was dangerous,” Kino added.

Kesu shook his head, “Not at all, the Saitennin market is the only place where no one questions what you are, and no one cares. Even a Jujin has no fear in the marketplace.”

“Damn, I was hoping she’d get burned at the stake,” Tanji got a jab in the arm from Kino as the three of them exited the inn.

The market of Saitennin was a busy place, full of noise and al sorts of different types of beings. Youkai were the most populous, but since this was the one time that other species weren’t in danger of losing their lives if they were seen, they took advantage. Kino and Tanji were delighted, and had to keep reminding themselves and one another what they were there for.

Kesu only had to ask a few sellers before finding Lane and Tyger, the five of them gathering in a relatively quiet spot. “Anything of interest?”

“Well a great many of the livestock sellers are upset at a recent loss of animals, they tend to blame a large gathering of Shadow youkai,” Lane replied very quietly.

“Yeah we dunno the name of the place, can’t pronounce it,” Ty scowled.

“Describe it then,” Kesu listened intently, and after only a short while he was convinced he knew where it was they were talking about. “We’ll have to wait until evening anyway, so you can go back to the inn and sleep or play around some more.”

“Ooh, look at all those scrolls,” Kino tugged Tanji away.

“Guess that answers that,” Kesu laughed.

~*~*~*~*~

“This place is worse than the last one,” Tanji muttered, ducking under a collapsed beam.

“Someone’s been here,” Kino inspected the rubble beneath their feet carefully as they went along the dark passage.

“Can’t smell anyone… but that doesn’t mean anything,” Kesu sampled the air.

“Augustine would never be seen in a place like this,” Amadeus cast a disgusted face to just about everything.

“Yeah and you neither huh?” Tyger snickered.

“Precisely,” Deus shot back.

They all fell silent at a glare from Kesu, who led them through the ruined structure. It was smaller than the one Amadeus had been imprisoned at, much smaller, but still a fortress. There were plenty of abandoned and ruined fortresses like these in the youkai territories, the Shadow and Dragon war having gone on so long, it just depended who the territory belonged to as to who was hiding in the fortress.

Several centuries before, Saitennin had declared itself a free territory, despite being seated in just about the center of the conflict. The non-youkai who lived in the city were tired of it constantly changing hands, so boundaries were drawn around the city and it had stood for ages that there was to be no clan fighting within those boundaries. Those who failed to obey that were cast out of the city the first time, the second imprisoned, the third put to death. That was why the market was safe for even a Jujin.

This fortress was on one of those boundaries around Saitennin, and was often inhabited by the current clan that ruled the surrounding lands, even if it was small and falling apart. To have been used recently didn’t mean much, except that it had been Shadow clan there… and the Dragon clan currently controlled the surrounding area.

Kesu slipped through a small space where the hall had caved in, grasping Deus’ arm and helping him, the vampire obviously upset about getting this filthy. They’d talked about splitting up, but really Kesu felt that they all needed to stay together, and it wasn’t that big of a place anyway to search it all before dawn. He and Deus took a few steps into the chamber the hall had led to, gazing upwards as the rest came through the crack in the rubble.

It was a central gathering hall, large with a high ceiling at least three stories, probably more, the second and third floors having overlooking balconies. They’d come across this room before from a different direction on the second floor, which wasn’t unusual since the design of the place centered around the main hall, most passages ended there.

“It’s too quiet,” Kesu realized after the others had gathered.

Tyger sniffed at the air, “I smell…”

“Youkai,” Tanji snarled, whirling and clashing blades just in time to spare his head being severed.

Kino yelped, not having her staff ready, ducking behind Tanji as the six of them formed a sort of circle to keep from being separated. Ty, never without weapons, was snarling and clashing her claws against swords, Lane at her side brandishing his naginata with deadly precision. Kesu and Kino’s staffs joined the fray an instant later.

The hall, previously quiet, was suddenly filled with Shadow youkai and the sounds of fighting. The six of them alternated between loosening the circle by going after adversaries and being pressed back against one another by the sheer number of opponents. Eventually they were pressed so tightly together that they were separated.

“Tanji!” Kino yelled, struggling to wield her staff with one hand as her other arm was caught by a youkai.

She saw the flurry of his sword, a splay of blood as he struggled to reach her… and then nothing.



Amadeus arched and writhing, roaring in the grasp of several youkai, that large group of them barely managing to keep a hold of the enraged vampire. Kesu was fighting with his normal beautiful perfection, but there were just too many of the fire demons. The kitsune would slam his staff into one, dropping him, only to be faced with two more.

“Fox!!” Deus howled, getting Kesu to turn just in time to take a massive blow to the side of his head, knocking him right off his feet, slamming to the ground with staff clattering on the stones.

The youkai laughed in triumph, kicking at the downed kitsune and beating him with sword hilts and staffs until he was knocked unconscious. Never once did Amadeus stop screaming Kesu’s name, not even as the youkai drug him away.



“Godsdammit!!” Tyger howled, slashing across another youkai’s face with her claws and sending him staggering away blind and screaming, ducking another sword and catching that one with a back kick to the jaw. They were everywhere!

She could keenly hear everyone, Amadeus screaming Kesu’s name, Kino trying to call out to Tanji in the chaos. She tried to ignore everything, not feel anything, not see anything else but the next youkai to die. It was useless, her eyes kept wandering, kept searching. That foreboding feeling was lingering from the night before, that disturbing thought that Lane…

NO!! she screamed at herself, disemboweling another youkai with far more force than necessary. Lane could handle himself in a fight, these were Shadow youkai, please. But then again, there were an awful lot of them, and even Ty had to admit she was getting a little tired herself, but that only made her fight harder.

She noticed Tanji, fighting his way desperately to try and reach those youkai that had vanished Kino between their bulks. Someone as small as Kino easily got lost in the crowd of hulking fire demon warriors, especially if she was captured and being taken away. Oh Tanji was pissed, trying to balance sheer rage with intelligence. Ty had to admit that sometimes when fighting she had that same problem. Her eyes traveled through the chaos, searching for someone else familiar.

Amethyst eyes locked on a white movement just in time to see Lane being flung against a stone wall, the impact against his back so fierce his body bowed with head flung back as he fell forward. She could see even from that distance the blood from his mouth as his slender form collapsed forward, trying desperately to stay on hands and knees. It didn’t last long, the youkai converged on him like vultures.

Ty roared, slamming herself viciously through the masses of youkai threatening to swallow her down between them. She felt what seemed like a hundred swords cutting into her flesh, and yet didn’t feel them. She kept throwing herself forward, trying to reach in vain the last place she’d seen that flash of white.



Tanji spun, wielding his katana in a vicious arc that severed some body part, he wasn’t pausing to see what. Another youkai in his way, moved by a Jagan blast, and then another and another. It was getting quieter despite the fighting, voices he knew and cared about diminishing one by one.

In a howl and a flurry of claws, Ty was overcome by youkai, thrown over a triumphant shoulder unconscious and carted off through the fray to much cheering. Tanji cursed as the press against him turned even stronger. He fought well, but there were only so many blades he could parry at one time. The last thing he felt was a searing across his stomach as a youkai blade bit into his flesh, and then a cracking blow to his skull rendered him unconscious.

Part 3 - Captured

Tanji shivered, groaning as he opened his eyes. The view didn’t offer him much. He moved, or rather tried to move. Every part of his body seemed to hurt. The motion made something rattle, something attached to his left wrist. A chain? Well that was rather pleasant. Tanji managed to get to his knees, blinking at the near darkness.

Lane’s pale form greeted him, curled up against the wall and facing away from him. Tanji reached out and touched him, gingerly. The koorime turned his head slowly toward Tanji, eyes glinting from whatever meager light source there was.

“Laney where are we? What happened?”

“Captured Tanji… captured and thrown into this… cell,” Lane’s eyes wandered their small enclosure.

“And… the others?” Tanji grasped his spinning head with his right hand, wincing. Ooh he’d taken a bad hit.

“Not near us,” Lane shook his head a little bit.

Tanji curled up, having to scoot a little closer to the chain’s attachment to the floor to get his left arm across his lap, clutching at his stomach. He doubled over and coughed, trying to spit out whatever it was that was threatening to choke him. The dizziness came in waves that threatened to knock him back out again, but he fought them and managed to stay awake.

“I’d just… like to know… why can’t something go right?” Tanji coughed, panting and gazing at Lane.

The koorime boy just shook his head again. “I guess vampires don’t enjoy being followed about Makai.”

“Yeah… well he deserves it. Ahh… shimatta,” Tanji doubled up again, trembling in pain.

“You should lay back down, more than likely you have internal bleeding,” Lane reached with a slender hand and touched Tanji’s shoulder. “There is nothing we can do except wait for our captor to show themselves.”

“Yeah an then I’m gonna rip his throat out with my bare hands,” the halfling snarled, fighting another series of dizzying waves.

This time he didn’t succeed. He fell, thankfully into Lane’s touch, the Koorime easing him down. Tanji found his head resting atop Lane’s leg, albeit much better than the floor, but psychologically uncomfortable.

“Sleep, Tanji, you need to rest,” Lane whispered, his words flowing into a beautiful, poetic stream of a language Tanji could only guess to be Koorime. The rhythm of the words slowly lulled him into a troubled half-sleep, haunted with visions and worries of Kino.

~*~*~*~*~

“All right… why the fuck did they have to chain me down!”

Kino was startled out of a daze of pain by that rather familiar roar. She blinked her amber eyes all around the darkness looking for her friend. Ty was so damn … blendable in darkness! Blendable, was that even a word? Ugh, she’d taken more hits than was healthy, no doubt. Ah there she was, indeed chained to the floor by one ankle and one wrist. That was strange, Kino wasn’t chained down.

Gods, that was why, she found out as she tried to kick in her healing magic. The dark cell was warded. No magic allowed here. Just trying had been horrible painful, and she really didn’t need much extra pain. No the wounds from the fighting were painful enough as far as she was concerned. She coughed to clear her dry throat.

“Ty… it’s useless to struggle.”

“Like hell it is… I can get outta here…” Tyger thrashed against the chains, trying to break them.

“You’re going to make your injuries worse,” Kino favored her arm, propping herself up against the wall and just curling up there, watching Tyger continue to struggle anyway with sad eyes. She knew the Jujin wouldn’t stop trying.

“Rather kill myself trying than sit here and rot to death!”

Kino tried to look away, she could see the shimmering of blood all over her friend, staining the floor, the chains, permeating the air… it was sickening. She closed her eyes, worrying about the others. She felt so useless without her magic, but then again even if she wasn’t a mage she’d probably be feeling the same way, because really there was nothing that could be done no matter what abilities she had.

So the halfling mage sat there against the cool stone watching her friend exhaust herself, finally collapsing into a forced sleep. Kino sighed, and tried to sleep as well.

~*~*~*~*~

“Kesu,” that softly accented voice tantalized his ears, making him jerk his head up, eyes flying open.

The kitsune found himself standing upright, with something like a beam against his back, bent in an odd fashion because he’d been tied to the thing a foot too low to straighten his legs out entirely. Shimmers of white criss-crossed in front of his eyes in the darkness as he looked around. There were other beams, he could see vaguely in the darkness.

“Kesu,” Amadeus’ voice repeated, from behind him.

Kesu looked back over his shoulder to find himself nearly eye to eye with the vampire, Deus tied right up against the back of the beam. Their wrists were bound to one another, but they shifted slightly within the bindings to entwine their fingers together.

“You okay fox?” Deus’ voice was uncharacteristically soft.

“Yeah… fine,” Kesu rasped, looking down at himself. He’d fought viciously, perhaps a little too viciously, and had taken a serious pounding for it. There were more bindings around his waist, slipping over his chest and winding around his neck. He’d been lucky he hadn’t strangled himself while he’d been unconscious.

“Even after you were down… they kept beating you,” the vampire’s voice was hollow with suppressed rage. It did neither of them any good to lose their temper.

Kesu turned and looked at Deus again, growling at the gash across his cheek. “They hurt you.”

“It’s nothing, fox. I don’t think they were supposed to hurt me, only capture me.”

“So… they hurt me to get to you?” Kesu nodded, trying to toss his head enough to get his bangs out of his eyes at the same time not make the movement excruciating.

“I think that’s the idea. What are these… ribbons?”

Kesu smirked at the tone of irritation. “They’re warded binding ribbons.”

“Warded?” Deus thought that sounded like a magic term, probably was. Sometimes he wished he paid more attention to Victor, just sometimes.

“It,” Kesu winced and gasped, “traps magic, wards it off…”

“Are you all right?” Deus strained to get a better look at his fox.

“I was just… testing the wards,” Kesu panted, closing his eyes.

“Well stop that if it hurts you silly fox,” the vampire scolded.

Kesu grinned, “Sorry, had to try.”

“Silly silly fox,” Deus shook his head, gazing down at his feet. They’d been left with nothing but their pants for some odd reason, and those were in tatters. Bare feet against cold and slippery stone, ugh.

“Where are we?” Kesu shifted back against the beam, looking up. It was worthless, nothing but black. “Another demented vampire hiding place, no doubt.”

“That was a cheap shot, fox.”

Kesu snickered.

“You’re in an odd mood for being tied up.”

“Well I’m tied up with you, koibito, that makes it all better.”

It was Deus’ turn to laugh softly. “You are so strange, kitsune. So… no magic whatsoever will work with these… ribbons?”

Kesu leaned his head back against the beam, “The whole room is probably warded as well, just in case.”

“Someone is rather afraid of your magic then.”

“He’s probably quaking in his coffin.”

“Will you stop making jokes,” Deus was glad Kesu couldn’t see that smirk. Kesu was in quite a mood, but it kept the situation from being too awfully dreary. The kitsune was right, being captured and held alone the last time had been unbearable, this was pure vacation by comparison. And it was certainly much better than that timid and depressed Kesu.

“I could sing if you prefer, koibito?” Kesu chirped back.

“I wouldn’t call your noises singing, fox,” Deus grinned slyly over his shoulder at Kesu’s fake hurt look.

“Sure just rub it in,” the kitsune was smiling though, as pained as his body was, as dark as this situation was, he was still smiling. Deus thought it was the most beautiful thing.

“Is this what you were like… before you were reborn?” he had to ask.

“This? Well you know I’m missing my ears and my tails,” the kitsune giggled.

“Your mood, silly fox,” Deus shook his head.

“Darkly humorous, trickster, sarcastic, devious, and beyond sexy, why yes that was me.”

Deus couldn’t help but laugh a little bit.

“Well okay I had my subservient moods, sure, but then I’d just get mad and turn the tables, mostly mad at myself I guess. If you can imagine, I had even more ego, just couldn’t let something like myself be overpowered.”

“Oh the horror,” the vampire shot back his own quip. “So humanity is good for something.”

“If you mean bending to the passionate domination of a beautiful and powerful vampire, then yes, by all means, koibito.”

“Damn I love you fox,” Deus smirked, squeezing his lover’s hand.

“I know,” Kesu lovingly returned the gesture, still smiling so beautifully.

~*~*~*~*~

Tanji took a sharp intake of breath, jerking his head up a mere half inch before the total agonizing pain running down his spine made him stop. At his sound of pain, Lane shifted slightly, the barest cool touch of concern at Tanji’s forehead.

“I’m fine… Lane… just… slept kinda wrong.”

Tanji blinked, realizing it would have been a lot less comfortable if Lane hadn’t allowed him to rest his head in his lap to sleep. He imagined with a wince how the Koorime had to feel having slept sitting up. He managed to tuck his right arm under him a little more comfortably, he was still so tired, trying hard to just fall back asleep. There really wasn’t else that could be done, just rest.

Lane’s cool touch slipped down the back of his head, through his hair slightly, as if just barely brave enough for the slightest touch. He didn’t disturb the hair tie, which was probably pointless anyway, Tanji’s ponytail was a mess. The koorime nudged the silken blackness away, pressing the soft pads of his fingers into Tanji’s neck.

Tanji instinctively tensed, like he always did when touched. Those fingers searched, finding the sensitive place that was paining him and pressed, hard, but entirely good. Tanji’s eyes slipped closed, breathing a quiet moan as the pain dissolved.

“Laney… why… why do you stay with Ty?” he forced through the pleasure, as if trying to distract the both of them from the actions by conversation.

“Because I know she can love.”

“You?” Tanji opened his eyes slightly.

“Perhaps.”

“You can’t know that, she’s never said anythin like that.”

“A great many people say things they don’t mean… and a great many never say things which they want to.”

“You’re too good for her, Laney,” Tanji gasped as the touch slipped lower, between his shoulder blades. The touch was on the outside of his shirt, but the fabric was thin, he could still feel that calming coolness.

“No… if that were true… no, it is I who am not good enough for her.”

“And if she never comes to love you?”

“Then I can only pray that I will have helped her learn to care about someone else.”

Tanji sighed, frustrated at Lane’s all too willing selflessness. “You need to think about yourself more often.”

Lane only hummed softly, not wanting to argue with his friend.

“I mean it Laney, be selfish, it’s okay now and then.”

“It is not my place to think of my own wants,” Lane regretted fighting back, especially about this topic.

“Are ya goin back to that old shey crap? You aren’t that person anymore.”

“Tanji,” Lane started softly, fingers slipping to the halfling’s mid-back to massage, “that was who I was for so long, that was all I was. And while yes, I did discard my robes, shunned my gods, forgot about my homeland, my traditions, my place, my house, my… birthright… I still retain a great amount of that within me.”

Tanji blinked, thinking about that for a moment, feeling the intense sadness in his tone. Certainly that had been sitting within the Koorime for the past year, never spoken to anyone, just churned about deep inside him. No wonder he kept so distant from everyone. Tanji had to admit he was probably Lane’s best friend in ningen, and he’d had no idea about any of that… regret.

“I’m sorry, Laney…”

Lane laughed without humor, a short dry sound, “I can survive without anything that I used to be, find someone new to exist as… except for my mother.”

Tanji nodded the slightest bit, “I spent most of my life not knowing about what happened to my parents, ya know that. You’ve always got your gods, right?”

The Koorime made another discontented little noise, “They never listened my entire life… I’m just a shey after all.”

~*~*~*~*~

“Stop it!” Amadeus roared, thrashing against the bonds that held him.

He felt the beam separating him and Kesu rattle with every blow the figures landed upon Kesu’s form. Kesu had said they were Youkai before they’d begun punching on him, but Deus didn’t care one bit. All he knew was that he hated them, and somehow he’d get them.

Deus could hear Kesu’s bones crack, ragged breaths barely escaping a tortured throat and lungs, coughs filled with the sounds of liquid. He could smell the blood, Kesu’s blood, everywhere. His fox’s sweet blood. Not once had Kesu uttered a sound of pain, merely gasped desperately for breath. With every blow those breaths were stolen from him. His body screamed for him, his heart hammering and fluttering unstable, trilling in Deus’ ears. They were torturing him without reason, not one single reason. Deus wouldn’t have cared if they had reason or not, no one hurt his fox. No one.

“You want a fight then untie me and I’ll give you a fight!” the vampire howled, arching his back against the beam, trying desperately to break the ribbons.

The youkai laughed and spoke in their own rough language, continuing to pummel the kitsune until long after Kesu had gone limp… more than likely passed out. Then, after standing there and laughing a bit more, the demons slowly went away. The rage also slowly left Amadeus, straining to look over his shoulder.

Kesu’s head was bowed, body entirely supported by the ribbons, cutting harsher into Deus’ flesh where the ribbons bound the two of them together. The vampire’s little hand struggled against the bonds, finding Kesu’s slender hand and grasping it, having lost the grip during the beating. Deus squeezed, but it was unanswered. Kesu was barely breathing, a liquid-filled sound. The scent of blood was everywhere, pooling on the floor beneath their feet, making Deus slip now and again.

“Fox… please fox answer me,” Amadeus breathed, probably too softly to be heard. “Fox!” he called out, a sudden panic racing through him.

He didn’t need to panic, he tried to tell himself. Kesu was strong, and his captor wouldn’t want to kill him. But maybe those youkai hadn’t known how weak the kitsune was, maybe they pushed him too far… maybe…

“Kesu! Kesu answer me! Please fox!” Deus felt a warmth trickle down his face, a blood-red tear, but it didn’t matter, nothing else mattered. “Fox,” his voice broke from the pleading, the weight of the emotion constricting his throat to be mute. He wept then, openly, without care.

~*~*~*~*~

Tanji’s eyes fluttered open, quickly discerning from Lane’s heartbeat and breathing that the Koorime was also awake, just staying quiet. There were youkai standing outside the doorway to their cell, their shadows moved now and then against the little light source peeking under the door. They were also talking, in youkai.

Most youkai dialects, though differing slightly from clan to clan, were basically the same. Tanji silently praised Kesu’s diligence in teaching his halfbreed friend the language. He couldn’t understand everything, but most of the words he caught.

“I want to go play with those females.”

“No, General said they aren’t important, it’s the blood-drinker that is, bugging him by hurting that fox.”

“If they aren’t important, we can play with them.”

“Come on, we’ve got work to do, play later.”

Tanji growled as the youkai wandered away. He had no doubt who the females were, nor who the blood-drinker was, but at least they were all still alive, or in Deus’ case as alive as he had been before.

“They’re alive, Lane,” Tanji whispered, debating on trying to sit up.

“Yes… I understand youkai speech,” the Koorime answered.

“I can’t let them hurt Kino anymore,” Tanji’s spine rippled with crackling noises as he started to get up, gathering his knees beneath him and sitting there in a curled fetal position, clutching at his stomach.

“There isn’t much we can do,” Lane’s tone had a tinge of hope and questioning to it though, so he hadn’t given up hope.

Tanji looked up, ruby meeting icy blue, “Lane, they said the General. If that’s one of the Shadow generals that married the Koorime council members…”

Lane’s breath caught in his throat, eyes blinking rapidly. To find out about his mother… he had to try, and to have an opportunity this close, closer than the entire year before. The Koorime’s willowy fingers explored the chain that had Tanji bolted down.

“It’s useless… just see if there’s a way outta here, you can get out, come back for me.”

Lane didn’t like the idea, but Tanji was right, that chain wasn’t moving, and Tanji probably wasn’t in the best shape to even be sitting up. He stretched his neglected legs and scouted about the cell, Tanji’s eyes watching hopefully. His fingers searched the stone from floor to ceiling on all sides, taking greater time around the doorway. He was just barely tall enough to peer through the slightest little carved out placed in the wood, allowing a meager view of the hallway.

There were other doors, lots of other doors… like…

“Teshnei!!” Lane gasped, the shock of the realization making him stumble back a few steps.

“What?” Tanji blinked, confused.

“This is… Tanji we’re in Koorime!” Lane’s normally soft voice was strained.

“How do you know?”

“These are the old shey barracks for the abandoned High House, kept for sentimentality. I used to play here as a child, Zelia would bring me here and tell me stories about how many shey the High House owned, how high-bred they were, something for me to aspire to, that I might someday be owned by them.”

“If we’re in Koorime… we were moved after getting ambushed…”

“Ambushed,” Lane nodded just as Tanji realized what he’d said, “they were waiting for us, like the time before at the ruins.”

“Gods…” Tanji shuddered with rage, this guy was always one step ahead of them. “So he is working with the Shadow that invaded Koorime. I take it the chains aren’t a natural part of the décor?”

“No… and neither is this lock on the door,” Lane was back to peering through the little window, inspecting the cell across from them carefully, no doubt there being the same on their door. He tried slipping his arm through, standing on his toes and managing somehow to get his entire arm through.

“You’re gonna get stuck,” Tanji worried.

“The hallway isn’t warded,” Lane stretched, eyes closed in concentration, extending his arm as far as he could away from the edge of the warding spell. He gathered power, slowly. If he could get enough to spear the lock with an ice bolt, it might come undone, but it was going to take some time.

~*~*~*~*~

The youkai had returned.

Amadeus was glaring at them as they carefully undid the ribbons that bound him to Kesu, making sure to not release any that had the vampire tied exclusively to the beam. Once a certain number of ribbons were released the kitsune’s body collapsed bonelessly, rousing a chuckle from all the youkai gathered. They tossed the body a distance away, perfectly within Deus’ sight.

Kesu landed on his side, limps tangled haphazardly, facing Amadeus but still unconscious. His silver hair tumbled around him, a few trailing ribbons fluttering before settling. Blood trickled from his mouth, but most of the rest of the wounds had stopped bleeding. Despite all that he looked peaceful, beautiful.

A growl tore itself from Deus’ chest as the youkai advanced on the helpless kitsune, jerking him up and tossing him around, more than likely trying to get him to wake up. They were laughing and talking in their language, some of them drinking something. They fondled Kesu as he slowly roused, making their intentions obvious to Amadeus.

Kesu, now fully awake and coherent, was held with his wrists behind him by one youkai, shoved roughly down onto his knees in front of another. Kesu shook his head violently in protest, entire body arching and straining. The youkai in front of him grabbed a mass of silver hair, muffling Kesu’s cry of pain and refusing with his privates. The kitsune’s body shuddered visibly with a series of gagging, tears shimmering in his eyes, jade orbs fixed on Amadeus and begging for forgiveness. Not pleading for help, but forgiveness.

As far as Deus was concerned, Kesu needn’t worry about that, but those youkai were going to be sorry.

Kesu choked and spit as the youkai who were most involved with him at the moment switched places, and was punched for the spitting before being forced to take the second youkai. The laughing and talking grew a bit louder, the drinks passed around. Deus watched even when Kesu looked away, as if trying to focus on something else… or perhaps slipping into shock.

Deus lost count on how many fire demons forced Kesu like that, but at least they went no further. Laughing and drinking they took some ribbons and tied Kesu’s wrists together behind him, binding him to the base of another beam and leaving him there. Kesu laid there coughing and spitting, trying desperately to get that taste out his mouth, stomach churning. Amadeus watched, enraged that he hadn’t been able to kill those demons, help his fox, missing the kitsune’s touches, his reassuring presence that had been there behind him for who knew how long.

“Fox?” Deus asked softly when the coughing had died down.

“Hai waga koibito?”

Amadeus didn’t know what to say, fidgeted against the ribbons that held him, testing them for a weakness for the hundredth time. “I’ll make them pay.”

Kesu’s eyes slipped shut, the fox quiet for a long while. “I wish you were holding me, koibito,” he sighed.

“I wish I was holding you too, my fox.”

~*~*~*~*~

“Kino! Kino!!” Tyger’s growl vibrated Kino’s ears, jolting the halfling awake. “I hear something.”

Kino forced herself to get up, pressing against the door. There was no way she was tall enough to peer through the little window at the top of the door. Perhaps if she moved a bit of the rubble around… she kicked at it, trying to kick together a decent pile to stand on. The first few times she tried standing she kept slipping, but finally got something to go right, peering through the little hole into the mildly lit hallway.

“What is it?” Tyger insisted.

“Shhh,” Kino hushed her, nearly slipping, but gripping the door as best she could and adjusting herself for a better look.

A very familiar and pale arm stretching from another little window a few doors down tugged a smile onto her lips. Elegant fingers were cupped, taut, shaking in concentration. Even at the barrier of a ward it was hard for the Koorime to gather enough magic, but it was gathering slowly. Kino watched as the gentle glow became brighter and brighter, a panic running through her that someone would notice it.

“What is it?” Ty repeated impatiently.

“It’s Lane,” Kino whispered back with an annoyed tinge in her voice.

“Lane? Doing what? Where?” the Jujin irritated her with more questions, as if Kino concentrating as well would help Lane any.

“It’s complicated, shhh,” Kino shot back.

Tyger grumbled, but stayed quiet for the most part, fidgeting against her chains. Kino stayed as still as she could, feeling like her pile of rubble was threatening to give out at any moment. Lane’s hand gracefully turned over, still tense and shaking from the exertion of sustaining the spell. Suddenly his arm jerked toward the door, the glowing magic in his hands forming into an icy spear that crashed through the lock on the door.

Lane’s slender arm was tugged back through the little window, nearly caught. A moment later the Koorime’s pretty face peeked through a crack in the door, looking up and down the hallway for anyone who might have heard what he’d done. Confident they hadn’t yet been discovered he blinked at the other doors, spotting Kino after a moment.

“Stand back,” Lane warned, standing in front of the door with hands pressed together in front of him.

Kino slipped down off her pile of stones, taking a minor tumble in her haste, but backing away quickly. She felt the magical tug in the air just as a crack resounded through the cell, marking the vanquishing of another lock. Lane slipped within, stopping short in visible shock at seeing Ty.

“Where’s Tanji?” Kino asked immediately.

“In the cell where I was, chained to the floor, he’s fine. Tyger,” he strode over to the Jujin, kneeling beside her, fingers reaching to inspect a hundred different wounds. Most of them had stopped bleeding, but some she’d aggravated since then, and the floor was still covered in blood.

“It’s… nice to see you icicle,” Ty managed, trying to say something thankful.

“Lane… the two of us together can break the wards of the cells,” Kino urged, “then we can use our magic to take care of the chains.”

“Of course,” Lane caressed Ty’s cheek shortly before standing and slipping back out of the cell behind Kino.

“Your cell first… then Tanji can help with the other one,” Kino wasn’t sure she and Lane could honestly break both of the wards by themselves… not to mention if they happened to find where Kesu and Amadeus were and those were warded as well.

Lane nodded and stood beside her, facing the cell he’d occupied for far too long. The two of them gathered their magic, slowly seeping it into the edge of ward, like a knife being forced into a small crack in order to widen it. Then they eased the wound open gradually.



Tanji listened after Lane slipped out the door, heard the crack of another lock being speared by an icy lance. He waited patiently, fighting a rising tickle in his throat that was trying to make him cough. He wasn’t entirely confident in his ability to stay awake either.

Suddenly a pulse of magic trembled over him, startling him back to reality. Lane slipped through the door, with Kino behind him! Tanji smiled as she knelt beside him, worrying over him for a moment before grasping the chain that had him captive. A ripple of fire ki shifted through the metal, stinging Tanji’s skin just before the chain fell away from him. He instinctively rubbed at the chafed wrist, then threw his arms around Kino.

“We have to get out of here quickly before someone notices,” she forced herself to be practical despite the tears at the corners of her eyes, standing up and trying to help Tanji to his feet. He was terribly unsteady.

“Tyger?” Tanji coughed as the three of them ducked out of the cell.

“We have to break the ward,” Kino nodded toward her old cell, glancing up and down the hallway just in case.

Tanji forced himself to stand without help, entire body cramped from the limited range of movement and the bruises and wounds. But the smell of blood was terribly strong from this cell, almost distracting. When the ward fell, so did Tanji, right into Kino’s arms. She leaned back against the wall and held him, watching as Lane ducked in after Tyger.

“We can’t stay there, we’ll get caught.”

“Kesu and Amadeus,” Tanji nodded against her shoulder, one arm wrapped around her and the other cradling his stomach.

There was a soft cracking of metal and Lane emerged carrying Tyger, much to her disagreement of course. Tanji shuddered against Kino looking at the Jujin. The two of them had fought too hard when they’d been captured, uselessly, in a blind rage, especially after Lane and Kino had been overpowered.

The four of them moved slowly along the hallway, beginning their search for the rest of the group. It was never spoken, but they each knew they were running the risk of being caught by not getting out immediately… but there was no leaving anyone behind, not this time.

~*~*~*~*~

“Get away from him!” Amadeus roared, thrashing wildly against his bonds, straining hard enough for the ribbons to cut into his flesh and entice the air with blood.

The youkai had returned, or different youkai, it didn’t really matter to Amadeus. They’d forced Kesu onto his knees once more, kneeling in front of them and satisfying their pleasures. But now instead of leaving him alone they obviously had other intentions, stripping Kesu of all clothing, tossing him between them like a rag doll.

“Stop it NOW!” Deus knew he was in a frenzy, didn’t care. They couldn’t have his fox, no way.

There was a laugh from the shadows, a familiar and sickening laugh. That barely caught Amadeus’ attention, his gray eyes intent upon what was happening with his fox. Augustine wanted him to lose control, he knew that, probably got some sick thrill out of it. Deus would make them all pay.

“What do you want?” Amadeus still didn’t look away, but directed his question at the other vampire in the room.

“Oh I’m fine, Amadeus dear, what do you want?”

“To tear your throat out and drain you of every drop of blood,” Deus growled in retort, straining against the ribbons.

He saw from the corner of his eye a much larger and older looking youkai, his clothing and armor fancy, colorful… more than likely of a higher rank than the degenerates preparing to take advantage of Kesu. Augustine was laughing at his reply, and the youkai as well.

“He does indeed have spirit,” the youkai rumbled in a massive, bass tone.

“That is of course if you can escape, dearest,” the vampire replied to Amadeus.

“Even so, he’ll need a new boy to play with… this one is getting overused,” the youkai laughed.

Amadeus growled, couldn’t stop himself, nearly losing his mind completely to the rage. At least three youkai had taken Kesu by now, all brutal, not giving a care to whether or not they hurt the kitsune.

“He may have saved you once, Damien, but he won’t this time… and all his little friends are well secured too.”

~*~*~*~*~

Tanji slowly drew his sword from the sheath, a little smile playing on his lips. In their searching they had found a room with their weapons, Kino and Kesu’s staffs, Lane’s naginata, and Tanji’s sword. Lane offered Kesu’s staff to Ty, but she waved it off, she had her own weapons. Then the four of them silently continued their search for Amadeus and Kesu.

Lane did know the structure extremely well, even all the secret places and passages, checking the most likely spots for housing two more prisoners. Several times they’d run into youkai warriors, low level in training, just basic fighters. The ones they hadn’t been able to sneak past had been killed, and so far without letting anyone else know what was going on, but they still had to hurry before their empty cells were discovered.

“I hear someone talking,” Ty whispered, pointing in the direction.

Tanji listened, nodding to Lane and pointing as well. Lane studied the direction and the memory of the ruins, then led them on through the maze of near-darkness. The four of them stopped outside a large door, listening.

“That’s Amadeus,” Tanji whispered, wincing at a scream.

“That’s Kesu,” Kino worried at her lip.

“We have to…” Tanji began, adjusting his grip on his sword.

Lane nodded at Kino and Tanji, the three of them taking down the wards right before Lane kicked open the door with a flurry of ice magic, quickly followed by the other three. Tanji was quick to take advantage of the youkai that were having their way with Kesu, managing to kill at least half of them before they began really fighting back. Kino ducked through the fray, seeing Amadeus tied to a wooden beam by binding ribbons.

A tall black-shrouded figure came between her and the familiar vampire, sending her flying back against a cold stone wall. Tyger snarled and leapt for the stranger, but was just as easily cast aside. However, distracted as he’d been with the females, Lane had snuck into a position to slam an icy staff against the enemy’s knees, toppling him to the floor.

The Koorime was quickly occupied by the higher-ranking youkai, sword clashing against his staff. Ty recovered before Kino, dashing toward Amadeus and slicing through the ribbons that held him with her claws. The near-frenzied vampire leapt on one of the last youkai Tanji was battling.

Kesu managed to get to his hands and knees, indicating the strange figure to Tanji, “That’s Augustine!”

The youkai fighting Lane had tossed the Koorime boy to one side, putting himself between Augustine and the rest as the vampire began slipping out the door, moving against a current of more youkai pouring into the room. Lane, Tanji and Ty were pressing against those newcomers immediately, the three of them working together to get to Augustine before he managed to get away.

Kino dropped by Kesu’s side as Amadeus finished off the last of the youkai on their side of the room. She blushed and found Kesu his pants, feeling sick just realizing what Kesu had been through only moments before they’d gotten there. Perhaps if they’d been just a little bit faster.

“Who’s the other youkai?” she asked.

“A general… a Shadow Clan general,” Kesu struggled back into the remains of his clothing with Deus’ help, practically collapsing into the vampire’s arms for a moment afterwards.

Kino struggled to her feet, sprinting through the door after realizing that the others had pushed the youkai back out of the room. Kesu pushed himself away from Amadeus, finding his balance, gathering what shreds of dignity he had left. Lane had left the kitsune his staff, and he picked it up. Deus blinked, wiping youkai blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Fox…”

“I have to fight, we have to take care of this guy” Kesu was trembling with weakness, but he turned and followed his friends anyway.

Amadeus ran after his crazy fox, the blood of several youkai pulsing in his veins. Kesu was drawing ki as they ran to catch up to the others, he could feel the crackle of energy in the air. The kitsune would be able to sustain himself for awhile on that without a proper healing, but it was just buying time. Not to mention wounds not physical.

Kesu and Deus burst out into the crisp air of a Koorime night. The group was battling what remained of the youkai from within the ruins, which were up the mountain a distance above the city. There was no sign of Augustine in the area. Coward had probably already ran for his life… or for reinforcements.

In the fray Tyger had managed to single out the youkai general, snarling and clawing at him as his sword whistled through the air. Several times the blade seared her flesh, but she ignored it and continued her attack. The youkai laughed and stepped back now and then, drawing her after him.

Lane looked over, icy blue eyes immediately finding the blood-stained Jujin in what remained of mild chaotic fighting. His eyes flickered upward to where the youkai was leading her… and raced over.

The General roared, but instead of swinging his sword at Tyger, he swung and slammed the blade into a massive pillar supporting an archway of the ruins, intending to kill the both of them. Dropping his staff, Lane streaked across the expanse with every bit of speed he had and shoved himself into Tyger, sending her sprawling… and then vanishing beneath the collapsed rubble.

Tyger coughed, shaking her head to try and clear it enough to realize what had happened. Once she did, she was immediately clawing through the debris. The others joined her an instant later, the rest of the youkai in the area dead or unable to fight.

Kino choked, leaning on Tanji and fighting herself not to throw up, having found what remained of the General. Tanji grimaced and led her away, afraid as to what Tyger would find. Kesu at her one side, even Amadeus at her other, deigning to get his hands dirty to search for the willowy and pale Koorime boy. Kino managed to settle herself down, her and Tanji searching as well. Slowly, piece of piece, they pulled away the rubble, driven on by a sight of white somewhere beneath the mess.

Tyger strained against a rather massive piece, Amadeus joining her and getting it to lift a little bit. Kesu made a small noise and ducked into the space they’d created, wriggling and reaching, drawing back out a pale and broken body…

…and he was breathing, barely.

Kesu cradled Lane for a moment, but surrendered him to Tyger immediately, glancing over his shoulder. On the far side of the city of Koorime, there was a huge camp of tents and fires… and youkai rousing to see what all the commotion was about at the ruins. And further in the distance the dawn was approaching, they’d be hard pressed to get back to the Gate and into Ningenkai before morning, but they could do it if they moved that instant.

“Let’s go home,” Kesu whispered, and no one objected.

They’d be gone from Makai by dawn, but it would be a dark dawn… perhaps the darkest any of them had ever seen.



~*~*~*~*~

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