InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Phoenix ❯ Prelude to Horror ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I own this really cool paperclip that is shaped like an electric guitar. But I do not own InuYasha, Yu Yu Hakusho, or my amazing collection of stolen pens.

 

 

//The Phoenix\\

§Prelude to Horror§

 

 

"Where would we be if throughout history, our greatest minds had feared that which they could not confirm? Embrace the unknown with caution, but not with fear."

--Karyn Somerfield

 

 

She knew it was pathetic, but it was still welcomed with open arms. Anything would do to get out of taking those pictures.

 

“I really must apologize for this, Higurashi-san,” the receptionist continued profusely. Kagome resisted the urge to roll her eyes while she staggered through the halls, as it would ruin her `innocent bystander' routine. How could no one notice that she wasn't all that upset that all the lights in the vicinity somehow shattered? Of course, incidentally she was also the cause of said phenomenon, but that could remain her own personal little secret.

 

“Don't worry about it. Do you have any idea how this managed to happen?” she asked politely, inwardly marveling at her control over her previously untamable power. All she did was glare at the lights above her when she was about to pull off her shirt with a female attendant's help and poof—shattered, nonworking light. With that in mind, she proceeded to expand her aura, carefully breaking all the lights but making sure that no injuries were caused. She would feel absolutely horrible if something bad happened because she wasn't feeling very photogenic.

 

“We think it might have been a power surge,” the woman answered, a soft frown forming on her mouth. (You could say that again, Kagome thought.) “But enough of that,” she continued cheerfully. She reached behind her desk, scooting away some broken glass—Kagome winced unnoticeably at that—and pulled away with a key in her hand. “This is the skeleton key to your house. All should be in order. Anything in the refrigerator was thrown away because it was rotting. Your friend Yuka is taking care of your cat. Everything on the shrine is in order, although, nobody was able to get into the well house: the door seemed to be jammed,” the receptionist said curiously.

 

The miko almost blanched. Thinking quickly, she explained, “Oh, you just need to know how to open it. I was the only one in my family who could get the door to move.” At some point during her travels, the well house omitted any persons who weren't Kagome and InuYasha from entering. While it upset Jii-chan that a part of his own shrine wouldn't allow him passage, Kagome was immensely relieved that no one could get hurt by falling in the well, or that a youkai couldn't destroy it in her time. It also became a wonderful place to store all of her weapons, her supply of dried herbs and poisons, and her taijiya cat suit without the risk of exposing her secrets.

 

Kagome accepted the key and rebalanced herself with her katana. She glanced around the lobby, trying to find any sight of Yusuke or Kazuma, but their auras were gone and had been for a pretty long time. “The two boys who I was with aren't here?” The receptionist nodded.

 

“The shorter one made a call to some girl, but that was over an hour ago,” the woman said. “Would you like an escort?”

 

Kagome frowned. Keiko would have made it by now if the call was made an hour ago. The deep unsettlement that had been pulling on her soul for the better part of the day gave a giant tug at the realization. Is Keiko hurt…?

 

“Higurashi-san? Higurashi-san, would you like an escort?” the receptionist asked again.

 

“…Hm? Oh, no thank you. I'll be fine,” Kagome said with resolution. Carefully sidestepping any broken glass that hadn't been swept to the side already, she made a hasty exit.

 

The sun beat down on her as soon as she stepped onto the sidewalk. Basking in the comforting warmth, Kagome immediately searched for Keiko's aura. She frowned when nothing came to her. All she could catch were faint traces of where the older girl had last been before she disappeared about two hundred meters in the direction she was heading, meaning it was most likely that Keiko was taken on her way to the police station. Kagome's frown deepened as she quickly ran there, her pain less important than Keiko's safety. While moving, she strapped the Miracle of Mercy to the belt holding up her skirt and prayed that it wouldn't be needed.

 

§

 

One more, Kikyo couldn't help but think as she looked at the old Master Genkai. She allowed a small smirk of satisfaction reveal itself on her lips as she surveyed her handy-work. While the shrine wasn't damaged, the petite Koorime her shinidamachuu just carried off left quite a bit of blood behind.

 

 

“What have you done to the girl?” Genkai demanded, grabbing her wounded shoulder. Her stern brown eyes blazed with a cold fire as she glared at the intruder. One of arrows had grazed her, the dark aura burning much of the surrounding skin. The psychic could feel the aura suck away her power.

 

“Nothing of consequence. She was a youkai, after all. Such tainted, pathetic creatures, don't you agree?” the kuromiko asked conversationally, indifferently examining her bow.

 

Genkai glared, focusing her remaining reiki in her hand. She couldn't move nearly as fast as she normally could, so a long distance attack would be necessary. “At least the girl is alive,” she spat. The woman across from her gave off no life energy whatsoever, but a great anger rose in the dead aura that caused the psychic to smirk. Genkai continued, “I don't sense a shred of humanity from you at all. Doesn't that make you a bit hypocritical?” she yelled as she released the reiki from her hand. Weary, Genkai fell to her knees, watching the blue blast move in towards its target.

 

Kikyo calmly pulled out the Mirror of the Void, holding it up do the ball of energy in a serene manner. She almost smiled at the mixed look of shock and horror on the old woman's face as the blast reflected back, hitting the psychic heavily in the sternum. Genkai's body arched at the force of the attack, lifting into the air before it crashed heavily to the ground. Kikyo leisurely walked over to the fallen woman, briefly noting that Genkai was still alive before summoning her soul-stealers to bring the old woman to the clearing she selected. It was nestled deep into the woods near the Kekkai Barrier, very well guarded with secrecy spells to insure that no one would be getting there before her fun was to end. Smirking in joy, she wandered into the forest surrounding the shrine. It was heavily populated with low-level youkai.

 

They could be of good use to me…

 

§

 

“You mean to tell me that she's actually alive?” a woman asked calmly. She crossed her arms over her purple vest, the white of the long-sleeved shirt she wore underneath bringing out the matching scarf that lay loose around her neck. The man across from her did nothing to answer her from his position at the window. Her good, blue eye softened slightly at the silence. She unfolded her arms and dusted off any dirt that might have gotten on her light green pants and adjusted the red tie that held them up. Half of her face was covered by a cloth with a lens over her eye to hide the hideous scars that were there. Sighing, she moved her stubborn, short red-orange hair from her face. “You miss her.”

 

It was a statement, and he knew it. Turning from the view of his lands the window gave, one of the more beautiful lands in Makai, he let his amazing eyes show a hint of the pain he harbored. “It is not only that, Mukuro. She was forced back with the falsehoods of my death two weeks ago from the present moment,” he answered. He took a glance at his female ally, his friend. He was one of the few people who knew her true story behind the scars that covered the right side of her body and her very well engineered prosthetics for her right arm and leg, and he greatly respected her for it. Not many people would disfigure half of their body for freedom. “You miss her, too.”

 

Mukuro smiled sadly for a moment. “Of course I have. Kagome and I became very close in those six months we traveled together…”

¥¥¥¥¥

Panting, Mukuro knelt down next to the small stream to try and clean the gashes on her chest. She didn't think that the last youkai would have been so difficult to defeat. Her energy was almost completely gone, and the bleeding had yet to stop. Suddenly, a rustle in the bushes across from her on the other side of the river alerted her to the presence of another.

 

A young woman emerged from the foliage. She was human, but the aura around her suggested that she wasn't weak. There was a sword strapped to her hip, and a bow accompanied by a quiver full of arrows at her back. On the other side of her back was a brown rucksack, probably holding her other belongings. The hakamas she wore were a dark green and the sleeveless haori was a very light violet with dark blue flowers trimming the collar. The raven hair was loose and wavy and her eyes were an odd blue-gray, matching the flowers on her haori. Those same eyes looked at Mukuro in surprise. “You're wounded,” the young woman stated.

 

Wary, Mukuro blinked away the blackness trying to overcome her vision and stood. “It matters not, I'll still defeat you if I must, human,” she proclaimed bravely. The girl across from her smiled innocently.

 

“I have no reason to fight you, though,” Mukuro heard before the darkness succeeded in ruling her consciousness.

 

She awoke in a small hut, her chest wrapped in bandages. A small window told her it was just slightly before dawn. The embers in the fire pit illuminated the room enough for her to make out the figure of the girl watching her curiously from across the room. Sitting up immediately, she glared. “Why did you heal me?” she demanded.

 

The girl made no move to get up, but she did smile again. “You were injured. Should I have left you face down in the stream?”

 

Mukuro frowned. She was only dressed in a large haori and her pants, her shirt hanging to dry on a string over the fire. “I am a youkai, you are a human. Why save the life of a creature that could kill you without a care?” she asked.

 

The girl stood and stretched before checking the dampness of the shirt over her head. Mukuro also noted that she was rather short, an observation that was missed earlier. She was also pretty, making the demoness feel slightly embarrassed about the scars on her own body. Deeming that the clothes were dry, the young woman pulled them down, folded them and placed them on the floor, then moved to sit next to her. “I may be a miko, but I also have friends who are youkai, and hanyou. In fact, you happened to have passed out by one of their homes. We're currently in his hut while he and his mother are gathering some herbs for a salve to help your wounds heal faster.” The girl paused before adding, “I'm Kagome, by the way.”

 

Mukuro introduced herself in return and they sat in a comfortable silence until the hanging over the doorway was pushed aside and an old woman handed the herbs in her hand over to Kagome. Kagome grabbed a mortar and a pestle made of a gray stone, mixing varying measurements of the plants with a bit of water to make a paste. “I take it Jinenji is out tending the fields?” Kagome asked the old woman, gesturing to Mukuro to take off the haori so the wounds could be treated with the paste.

 

“Hai, he heard that your friend was awake and didn't want to cause an awkward moment or make her feel uncomfortable,” the old woman answered while rekindling the fire and reheating some leftover stew. Kagome carefully applied the salve and rewrapped the wounds in fresh bandages, storing the rest of the herbs in small pouches and tossing them into the rucksack. Mukuro had watched her carefully, noticing that she didn't flinch away when her hands came in contact with the scar tissue.

 

After breakfast, Mukuro stood and walked to the door. “Thank you for your hospitality. I'll be leaving now,” she announced, pushing back the hanging and exiting the hut. She made it no more then five steps when the cry of “Wait!” reached her ears and Kagome hurried after her. “What?”

 

“You shouldn't go yet, Mukuro. Your wound hasn't healed,” Kagome said, standing beside her. “At least let me stay with you until you're okay,” the miko pleaded.

 

¥¥¥¥¥

And stay with me she did, Mukuro thought wryly. Kagome explained that very same day that she had run away from her friends only a month prior to study independently. Apparently, she had asked them to train her so she could fight for herself, but they kindly declined in the belief that she wouldn't be able to handle it and no matter what she said they wouldn't change her mind. She had first gone to some old sword smith to learn how to make weapons. Her own katana, Shinkirou, was forged by her own hand of one of her wisdom teeth and blood. After spending a few weeks there learning and training, she carried on.

 

An almost silent cough brought Mukuro back to the present. The man in front of her raised a delicate eyebrow, to which she raised her own. “May I assume that you didn't invite me here just to tell me this?” she asked.

 

“Indeed,” he confirmed. “If we leave now, we should make it to the Ningenkai just short of one in the morning.”

 

Mukuro nodded in understanding. “With the Harvest of Souls in progress, the Reikai won't be able to stop us.”

 

“Exactly. Let's take our leave immediately,” the man said as he exited the door. Mukuro followed him to the stables housing one of his favorite modes of transportation silently. The servants bowed respectively to their lord and the ruler of the northern lands as the two passed.

 

§

 

No wind disturbed the quiet rooftop of Sarayashiki High School. The sun illuminated the cement tiles, heating them with constant attention. It seemed that nothing was willing to disturb the scene. That is…until a portal swirled open and five people stepped out.

 

Yusuke was the first to step out, his slicked black hair giving off a green luster in the afternoon sun. His watch told him it was 2:37 p.m. He moved out of the way to let his teammates pass through.

 

A dark blur streaked past him, eager to get away from the raving toddler for whom he was forced to work. Hiei stood solemnly against a wall, his black cloak swishing in the now daring wind. His crimson eyes searched the area for any signs of danger.

 

Kurama was next to enter the roof, carrying an unconscious ferry girl in his strong arms. His head was oddly quiet, the proud fox silent in his own contemplations.

 

Kuwabara, last but not least, left the portal, and it disappeared as soon as his feet came in contact with the cement. No words were exchanged between them, but the words of Koenma rang loudly in their minds.

 

“The Harvest of Souls is a dangerous event in which an unidentified identity moves into the Ningenkai and steals first the souls of the dead, and—if needed, and it usually is—continue onto the souls of the living. Approximately 1,000 souls are taken every fifty years. This demon always manages to slip through our fingers like he was putty. The reasons for taking the souls are unknown, but he is completely ruthless and kills any opposition standing in his way.

 

“Every time a Reikai Tantei tries to stop him, there is almost nothing left. He steals the detective's soul, which makes revival impossible, and leaves the mangled corpse behind. This guy is dangerous, and cannot be stopped. Many have tried, and all of them failed. Therefore…you do not have to do anything—I'm not making this a mission. All I ask is that you try to stay alive…”

 

They made their way off of the school property to the small gathering of trees behind it. They formed a tentative circle and leaned against a respective trunk, Kurama sitting to take the pressure off of his burden. Silence dominated for a few moments before Kuwabara interrupted it softly. “We can't just let this happen. I don't care if the odds are against us; we've succeeded when no one thought we would before. Why stop now?”

 

“I never thought I'd say this, but the baka's right,” Hiei agreed. “I've saved this damnable place too many times to let someone else desecrate it.”

 

Kurama nodded. “But we know nothing of our enemy; guesses are the only thing we have. Since he's targeting human souls, he could be a soul-sucking oni like Gouki…”

 

“What about a toad youkai?” Yusuke contributed. “I know they eat human souls when they can get them.”

 

Kurama shook his head. “Doubtful. Toads encase the human in an egg-like sac until the soul is fertile. The body has to be alive, so why target the dead first? Then again, I've never heard of a soul-sucking oni eating a dead soul…”

 

“And we're back at square one again,” Kuwabara sighed.

 

“Look,” Yusuke said, calling all attention to him, “since we can't do anything about this Harvest of Souls thing yet, let's try and find a way to get Botan healed. Normal pneumatherapy won't work, and even if it did that won't lift the curse on her eyes.” He paused before nodding firmly. “Right, follow me.” He turned and left the trees.

 

“Wait, Urameshi! Where the hell are you going?” Kuwabara yelled as he and the others moved to catch up with their swift-footed leader.

 

Yusuke never stopped walking as he answered, “Think about it Kuwabara. Pneumatherapy is basic Western white magic, right? So the color of the energy is white! Who do we know who doesn't fit in that category?”

 

Kurama and Hiei exchanged an inquiring look before turning to Kuwabara. The tallest of the mismatched group had wide, enlightened eyes. “You mean…” Kuwabara's voice trailed off.

 

“Exactly!” Yusuke exclaimed. “We're going to Higurashi Shrine.” With that said, they began to run, following Yusuke to their destination.

 

§

 

The humid, sticky feeling at her back was all she needed to know that her wounds had reopened, but she couldn't care less about that now. The pain that she should be feeling was overrun by adrenaline. She created an illusion of roller blades at her feet before Willing the wind to her heels and shooting off. She just hoped that nobody would pay much mind to the absent sounds of wheels on concrete. Swerving around the people who cried out in indignation, she finally made it to where she wanted to be.

 

Kagome gently release her influence on the wind and walked into the alley. She scanned it carefully with her energy before coming up to a ripped blue sleeve stained in blood. The area around it expressed a great amount of fear from a weaker aura—most definitely belonging to Keiko—and a chilling confidence she had long ago associated with her incarnate. “But Kikyo isn't this cold,” she argued to herself, trying to deny the facts. “Then again, five hundred years is a long time to change, and she never got to take Inu…InuYasha to hell.”

 

She sighed heavily. There was no getting around the fact that this was Kikyo's aura, and it was Kikyo's presence in the Ningenkai that was causing her soul to pull. She must be trying to capitalize on my weakness to get to my soul, Kagome thought. A fat lot of good that'll do her. You don't put me in danger without consequences. When her powers started to develop in the Sengoku Jidai, especially when she broke away from her friends and met Mukuro, they reacted of their own accord when she was injured. The more trouble she was in, the faster she tended to heal. Even now she could feel the skin start to seam together.

 

Picking up the bloodied sleeve of her newest friend's blouse, Kagome let her determination to save Keiko overcome her grief and she turned to leave the alley. Stopping mid-step, she turned her head to the direction of where she felt three, low-level youkai approaching. Frowning, she Willed the wind to her feet again and let it carry her up to the roof—it wasn't wise to fight outnumbered in a cornered alley, no matter how weak the opponents.

 

Two hairy things and a bald thing soon came into view. Her opponents didn't stop when they reached her roof, but instead charged on to immediately ambush her. Rolling her eyes, she pulled her amethyst hama no reiyoku from the ocean inside her and guided it to her hand. A sufficient amount pooled in her palm before she let it loose, instantly purifying the two hairy demons with ease. The bald one, who had the intelligence to dodge out of the way, released a garbled wail and charged once more. Kagome guided more energy to her hand but before she could release it a large burst of flames caught him and quickly reduced him to ashes. Surprised, Kagome turned to the source and gasped.

 

“Kirara?” the miko whispered, falling to her knees. The small, cream-colored neko youkai with the black stripes on her tail, ankles, cheeks, and the matching diamond on her forehead mewed before running to her old friend and new mistress. Kagome quickly scooped her up into a fierce hug, the tears she had been trying to keep at bay barreled down her cheeks. “I've missed you so much, Kirara.” Kirara mewed again and rubbed her furry head into Kagome's neck.

 

Suddenly, Kagome felt a prick at her cheek and reflexively she slapped at it, looking down at her hand in amazement.

 

“Five hundred years since I've been able to taste that sweet blood of yours, Kagome-sama. It really has been too long.”

 

Kagome slowly faded from shock and let the first truly happy smile come to her face since her families died. “Myouga!” the miko exclaimed joyously. She loosely clasped her hands and pulled them to her chest, the closest thing to a hug she could get with such a small creature. “But, how are you alive?” she asked.

 

Myouga scratched behind his balding head. “I got a lucky break one day and sucked the blood off of a powerful regenerative demon about four-hundred years ago,” he said, falsely nonchalant. His eyes widened as though he suddenly remembered something and he quickly bowed down to her. “Milady Kagome, I swear until death to be a loyal vassal to you, as anything of Lord InuYasha's is now bestowed upon you. I shall protect your secrets, and assist you to the best of my ability.”

 

Kagome blinked. Well, that was abrupt, she thought. Giving her head a little shake, she said aloud, “Right…but if you are going to stay with me because of InuYasha's death, then—”

 

Myouga quickly amended, “Lady Kagome, I would stay with you even if it wasn't my duty. Of that you can be certain.” Kagome smiled slightly.

 

“Thank you, Myouga, I needed that,” she said, absent-mindedly running her hand through Kirara's four tails. Wait… “Four tails?”

 

The neko mewed proudly to the inquiry. “Yes, she grew one shortly after coming upon the battlefield and another around three hundred fifty years ago,” Myouga informed, hopping to Kagome's shoulder. “She's gotten a lot of rumors going about in Makai.” Kagome picked Kirara up with her as she stood.

 

“Congratulations, Kirara! That's won…” a flash of blue caught her eye, “…der…ful…” Gently putting Kirara on the ground, Kagome moved to pick up Keiko's bloody sleeve. Her face set in determination once more before turning to her fire-cat, placing the tattered cloth in one of her pockets. “Let's go, Kirara. We're heading to my home.”

 

Flames engulfed the neko before they dissipated, revealing a large, fanged feline. Kagome quickly seated herself on Kirara's back and, after making sure that Myouga was steady, she cast a quick invisibility spell as they flew off together.

 

When the shrine finally came into view from their vantage point in the sky, she immediately sensed her two friends, as well as three other unidentified presences. Pulling in any traces of their auras, Kagome quickly assessed the strangers. The man on the bench felt both human and kitsune at the same time, but it was the human soul that had true ownership of the body. The girl resting in his lap had a similar aura to that of the Soul Piper, so Kagome assumed that she was a Grim Reaper. She was also the victim of a curse that had a dark purity around it, another person hurt by Kikyo, she could tell. Then there was the male youkai who stood by the Goshinboku. His aura was dark, but she could tell that he was a far cry from evil. Turning to the flea on her shoulder, she whispered, “What of the people at the shrine?” as she silently guided Kirara to the grounds that now belonged to her.

 

When the great cat landed, the two youkai visitors looked in their direction. Giving Kirara a silent nod to transform back to kitten form, she set a strong barrier around the shrine to keep away anyone or anything with an evil intention—sending everyone into a defensive position. Letting the invisibility spell vanish—a funny thought in itself—she turned to Myouga again. “Talk to me, Myouga,” she said loud enough for the others to hear, causing wary glances to be sent.

 

“I suppose I'll start with your friend, Kuwabara Kazuma. He is the only completely human member of the Reikai Tantei, and as such has no real connection to any of the Makai rulers. His power is about a B and his main weapon is the Rei Ken. Also unlike his companions is the immensely strong psychic awareness, with the ability of sensing ghosts and youkai ranging very far.” Kazuma was looking at her with wide eyes.

 

“I knew he was powerful,” she murmured, and then nodded for Myouga to continue.

 

“Next is Urameshi Yusuke. At the age of fourteen, he was a normal human `badass'—skipping school, dressing out of uniform, smoking, stealing, and fighting were a part of his everyday life until one day he died trying to save a little boy. As it turns out, not only was his death completely pointless—as the boy would have lived, and not even have gotten hit—but since no one was expecting him to push the boy out of the way, there was nowhere for him to go. Prince Koenma made a deal with him—bring him back to life and he works as a Spirit Detective—to which he accepted. A year or so later, Yusuke-sama dies again, but this time he revives because his demon blood awakens. As it turns out, Yusuke-sama is a distant relative to the late Raizen-sama, one of four lords of Makai—the eastern lands to be specific. With his prestigious background, he is an upper S-class youkai. In a series of long and complicated events I don't feel like going through, Yusuke-sama handed his title to Enki-sama, a friend of Raizen-sama, until he was ready to take up his position as Lord. Now, he still works for Koenma-sama as a Reikai Tantei since there are still trespasses from Makai to Ningenkai…which, come to think of it, could be said about all of the detectives. However, he still enjoys dates with his girlfriend, Yukimura Keiko.”

 

“Where is Keiko, anyway?” Yusuke asked impatiently, his tolerance being quite easily tested at having some unseen source tell an abridged version of his life story to a young woman he came to trust.

 

Kagome flinched and looked down sadly. `How am I going to tell him that his girlfriend was kidnapped by my incarnate?' Suddenly, she felt hands grip at her shoulders painfully, causing her eyes to fly up into an intense crimson.

 

§

 

It was ironic, if you really think about it: a Koorime feeling cold.

 

Yukina hung limply from the tree, held by branches birthed from those strange, eel-like creatures. She tried to get free, but everything she had tried to do failed miserably. She looked around the clearing.

 

Shizuru was the only other one awake, and now she was the only one fighting the restraints. Genkai was just brought in, her battered body easily held to the tree on the Ice Maiden's right. To her left was a woman she only met a few times, but it was well known that the woman was the mother to Minamino Shuuichi. There was a cut on her forehead, but the bleeding had stopped.

 

A groan brought Yukina's attention to Keiko, but thankfully the human girl stayed unconscious. Her arm had a deep gash, easily exposed by the missing sleeve at the left shoulder. She quieted down quickly, and Yukina continued her look around to the last person hanging from a tree. Atsuko was one of the least injured of them all, with only a heavy bruise on her cheek.

 

Yukina herself bled heavily from a cut on the wrist that was inflicted when she tried to dodge one of the arrows. Her stomach was burned by an energy attack from her captor and it was stinging horribly whenever her breathing caused her skin to brush against the bark.

 

Did the boys even know they were gone? Were they going to come save them? Where was she?

 

Her head hung again as the darkness claimed her once more.

 

§

 

Mukuro sighed happily as she watched the land below her blur from the speeds with which they were traveling. She was seated behind her friend, and while she didn't like not actually being in control of what was carrying her, she couldn't deny that she liked being pressed so close to him.

 

Not many people would believe that he was as comfortable as his eyes were cold.

 

She refused the blush that tried to make it to her cheeks—not that it would have mattered since he couldn't see her face at the moment. The two-headed beast made a left at his Master's command.

 

“I did not manage to ask, how are your lands holding?” her companion questioned. Had it been any other person—with the exception of Hiei, of course—she would have immediately been put on edge. However, with this man she knew that her trust would not be scorned.

 

“Fair, if it must be placed into words. The general economy has improved, which is nice. The army is also becoming stronger. I trust yours are doing splendidly?” Mukuro inquired, though it was fairly pointless. Her companion had one of the most advanced, not to mention beautiful, lands of all the Rulers—probably since he's been at it for the longest of the four. Admittedly, Yomi was running a very close second, but he was also one of the people that she would be suspicious of if he asked how her lands were holding.

 

“Of course,” her companion answered. “And how is Hiei?”

 

“I saw him last week, actually. He was checking in after a mission to see if anything needed to be done before he went to watch over Yukina. I told him how things were doing over dinner, and then dismissed him to take care of his duties concerning his sister,” Mukuro retold with aloof humor.

 

“You find him to be suitable for your second-in-command, then?”

 

“Very much so,” she reaffirmed with absolution. “I'm…proud of him. Speaking of second-in-commands, though, what of yours?”

 

Her friend turned his head and gave a mild frown. “You know quite well that I have no second, Mukuro.”

 

She smirked slightly. “Exactly.”

 

It took a moment before her companion actually let loose a chuckle, accompanied with a small smile. The sight caused her to reflect the smile as well.

 

“You should smile more often, Mukuro. It suits you very well,” he said before turning back forward. Mukuro tightened her arms around his waist before she responded.

 

“You should heed your own advice, Sesshoumaru.”

 

§§§§§

 

A/N: Ha! Take that society! Fuck you a…oh…wait…wrong audience…Sorry!

 

Anyway, Mukuro is a real character, if you want to know more about her, leave your e-mail in a review or something and I'll work something out so you get all good and caught up. If you also haven't noticed, I've thoroughly fucked with the original Makai lands (there are supposed to be three, but now there are four). However, since I've seen plenty of fanfics where Sesshoumaru is King and shit, I figure why not?

 

A side note, depending on my mood and the reviews I get, I may or may not have a chapter up by Sunday (cookie to anyone who can guess why SPECIFICALLY on Sunday).

 

Review please!