Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Demon Dancers and PuppetMasters ❯ Chapter Eight ( Chapter 8 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

-Demon Dancers and PuppetMasters- by Nemesis Q. Ravens

Chapter Eight

“You okay?” asked Kurama, stepping up behind Janie who still knelt, breathing deeply and clutching her bleeding face. Nemesis had long ago disappeared and the green-eyed woman had not moved.

When she didn’t reply, Kurama repeated his question.

She twitched and taking a deep, shuddering breath looked over her shoulder to where the fox demon waited patiently.

Janie chuckled sadly. “No. Not really.”

“Did she cut you badly?” he inquired and walked around Janie to stand before her. He reached out to look at the wound but she moved her head away.

Shaking her head, she replied, “It’s not the cut I’m worried about.”

“Then what is it?”

The woman looked off the right and gazed forlornly into the shadows there. “Blood. There was blood on her blade. …The Demon Dancer has my blood.”

Kurama frowned slightly as he thought back to what little information they’d had on Nemesis. There was nothing about blood that he could remember that should worry Janie.

Seeing as the redhead didn’t seem to understand her fears, she explained. “Her lover; Damien, the leader of Team Kyrios, was famous years ago for using the Crusher of Hearts technique. Meaning that because Nemesis has my blood on her blade, she can give it to him, allowing him to kill me whenever he sees fit.”

The other three boys had heard what Janie told Kurama. Each of them stared at her sympathetically. It seemed that the young woman was to forever have her life haunted by Damien and the Demon Dancer.

The Uremeshi team stood silently in the Spirit World’s ruler’s office. The toddler sat solemnly as he gazed at the four boys. Janie, the newest member sat hunched over on a chair behind them. Her hair fell down in front of her face, hiding it from Koenma’s concerned look. Evidently he’d watched their training and heard Hiei’s offhand remark about Janie never possibly understanding what it feels like to have someone taken from them forever. He must have seen the sudden stony expression of her face. He must have known what was wrong and ordered an immediate conference with the team.

“There is something I have to tell you four,” he said gravely. “And Janie has okayed my telling you. Now believe me when I say that she knows perfectly well the loss of loved ones.”

The four young men exchanged glances. They were in for a somber tale.

“To be brief, Janie has had every joy in her life taken from her by Damien and, later on, the Demon Dancer, Nemesis. At the age of four, her family and all her neighbors were brutally massacred by Kyrios. Another child, a young boy she would soon meet and eventually married, experienced the same killing of his loved ones. After the birth of their only child, Marissa, he too was slaughtered before her eyes. Then when Marissa was nearing the peak of her youth, she was viciously stolen by Damien and supposedly killed by Nemesis. A body was never found, but when Janie was confronted by the pair not long after, the Demon Dancer admitted to murdering Marissa.” The ruler paused and stared at them each in turn, as if searing the story into their minds. “Now, I do not ever wish to hear from any of you that Janie will never understand. Because she does. …Better than you’ll ever know.”

Silence flooded the room once again. The only sounds were the shuffling of Kuwabara’s monstrous feet and the stifled sobs and sniffling of the blonde reliving past horrors behind them. Each of the four boys glanced about the room, guilt and pity coursing through their minds.

Finally Janie sniffed one last time and wiped away any stray tears. She blinked back the wetness of her eyes and stood and walked to stand before the Spirit Detectives.

“You four are lucky. Far luckier than I ever have been. And I pray that you’ll continue to be smiled down upon by Luck and her dear sister Fate.”

Each of them nodded. They were lucky. They never would understand the pain that Janie must suffer constantly. So when the green-eyed, onetime mother told them they had better get back to training, each left the office without a protest and they too prayed that Luck and Fate would forever shine on their lives like they never did for Janie.

Yusuke stepped forward and rested a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. “Don’t you worry about it, Janie. We’ll see that those bastards are put into the ground before they can do anything else,” he said with confidence.

“I hope you’re right,” she answered quietly with a small smile tugging the corner of her mouth.

“Of course I’m right!”

She laughed then sobered suddenly. “Promise me something, Yusuke.”

He looked down at her. “What?”

“Promise me that you kill Nemesis. I want that bitch to burn in Hell for eternity. And if I can’t see to it myself I want you to. She needs to die for what she did to Marissa. She needs to die for what she did to my baby girl.”

Yusuke nodded and stared into Janie’s eyes as he swore to her that he would avenge Marissa’s death. Janie nodded also and grasping his hand on her shoulder said, “Thank you, Yusuke. Thank you all of you guys.”

Nemesis stormed up the creaky staircase of the abandoned hotel with a scowl on her face. The hood had been swept back in irritation as she kicked in the front door. Her long, black hair swayed to and fro to the outraged pace of the Demon Dancer. Blue eyes gleamed with ice cold fury. Obviously Kyrios’ lover was angry.

The blue and sliver room’s doors were slammed inward, startling the occupants. There, staring into the grand room, was Nemesis. Jason and Kyle, fearing her anger as much as they feared Damien in any mood, exchanged looks and made a run for the room’s exit now pulsing with the chilling rage of the small figure. Kyle got safely past her, but Jason however was snatched by the ear and pulled down level with Nemesis.

Never looking at him, the Demon Dancer hissed the question, “Where is he?”

The earth demon, knowing exactly who she was talking about, pointed at Damien’s closed bedroom doors. “He’s in there.”

Nemesis released the yeti and taking a deep, calming breath, walked to the set of doors calmly. Her face expressed no emotion as she coolly opened one the doors and walked in, not bothering to shut it. Just inside the room, Nemesis stopped dead. What she saw had stunned her and ignited her jealous ire.

Keiko sat beside Damien on his luxurious bed and handfed him peeled grapes as Botan knelt at his feet, massaging them and Yukina stood off the side cooling the Kyrios team leader with a large, exotic fan. Her already high level of irritation and fury rose another notch at the sight.

With scorpion sweetness dripping from her voice, Nemesis said, “My, my, Damien. I do hope you’re enjoying the treatment.” Her eyes practically shot icicles straight through his heart.

Damien, realizing that she was beyond livid, sat up. “What’s wrong, my love?”

She stepped closer to him. “You knew Janie was going to be there,” she stated in a dangerous tone.

Kyrios raised an eyebrow and then ignoring her statement, turned to Keiko and said, “A red one.” The demon opened his mouth and let her place a red grape onto his tongue.

“You knew Janie was going to be there,” Nemesis repeated.

“Yes I did.”

“And yet you still sent me!”

Damien turned to her. “Do, pray tell, why in the Hell not? You are my best.”

“Because,” she said stepping up beside the bed. “You and I both know the history between that bitch and I.”

He chuckled with a smile and stood. Upon reaching Nemesis, he wrapped her tightly in his arms. He kissed her on the brow and asked, “My love, you’re angry with me because of some petty thing like that?”

Nemesis sighed, not replying, and called the three other Kyrios members into the room. “Take them to the basement. I‘m sick of the sight of them,” she ordered upon their arrival.

They nodded and grabbing the girls and what little they had with them, quickly exited the room, shutting the open door behind them. Once it was only the lovers left in the room, Nemesis pulled back from Damien’s embrace and walked to the window. He watched her closely, a small frown marring his handsome face.

Nothing was said between the two for a few minutes. The sound of their slow and steady breathing could be heard intertwining with the soft crackling of the fire. Finally Nemesis broke the silence.

“Damien, it should be obvious why I’m angry.”

Her lover slowly walked to stand mere centimeters behind her. He bowed his head acknowledging. “I know, my love. And I do know why you’re upset.”

“So then, why did you send me?” she asked in a cheerless voice.

Damien lifted his hands and grazed her bare back up and down with his fingertips. She shivered at the sensation. Kyrios then rested his hands on Nemesis’ shoulders and turned her to face him. The two gazed into one another’s eyes.

“I sent you because I believed you could handle yourself. Unlike the others, you know exactly how to deal with Janie and those annoying pests she’s picked up.”

“But Janie--”

“ ‘But Janie’ nothing, my pet. You did what you were sent to do. And she undoubtedly did what she felt she was sent to do…” He paused. “Let the past be, my love. You cannot change what happened.”

Nemesis looked away from Damien and stepped away a pace or two. She glanced down at her dagger sheathe on her left forearm. The Demon Dancer pulled out the bloody blade and held it out to Damien, hilt-first.

“Janie felt inclined to attack after she was told the news.” Nemesis paused and took a deep breath with eyes closed briefly. Damien waited patiently for her to continue. “Her blood’s on the blade. Do with it as you see fit.”

Damien nodded and took the knife. He kissed her once and left Nemesis to brood alone.

Nemesis stood beside Damien as a younger version of Janie stared at the pair with murder in her emerald eyes and a gleaming sword in her hand. From the depths of her hood, Nemesis gazed at the vengeful woman with deeply hidden guilt.

“You killed her! You killed my daughter, you fucker!” the woman yelled at the top of her lungs. “Now it’s your turn to die Kyrios. I’m going to kill you just like you killed her.”

Damien smirked and opened his mouth to accept the statement. Before he could however, Nemesis cut in.

“Believe what you will, but he was not the murderer of Marissa. I was the one who killed her.”

Janie looked between the two. Damien luckily kept his surprise at Nemesis’ words concealed from showing.

“You killed her?” Janie asked.

Nemesis nodded her head once in affirmation. Janie raised her sword and charged at Nemesis. However, Damien pulled Nemesis to him and stepped back into one of his many swirling, black portals; taking his new lover with him.

Later that night, Nemesis rested comfortably beside Damien in a bed much smaller than the one in their hideout of the future. Her hand slowly caressed his muscled stomach.

Looking out the large window across the room from the bed, she watched the lightning flash and heard the thunder rumble as the storm raged through the night.

“Do you think she’ll ever realize I’m not really dead?” she asked softly into the silence.

Sighing, Damien replied. “No. Janie would never be able to even conceive of the possibility that her precious daughter is on the other side of the battle… with me.”

Nemesis stood before the window, watching the rain clouds gather. A storm was coming. Her eyes were unnaturally bright and her shoulders slumped slightly. The guilt she had pent up for years aged her face faintly. No tears fell, but the air reeked with deep misery.

She blinked.

Her shoulders straightened and her midnight blue eyes hardened to cold chips of ice once again. Jaw clenching, Nemesis raised her head proudly, staring at her reflection in the window.

She chose her side, Nemesis thought coldly. And at the tournament she’ll receive the just reward for her decision.

Damien came up behind Nemesis and watched the rain fall also. He wrapped his arms around Nemesis’ waist protectively.

“Damien,” she said before he could speak. “This is the end. The ongoing conflict will come to an end at the tournament.”

He didn’t reply. Bending down slightly, Damien pressed his lips to the ebony locks of Nemesis’ hair. Resting his chin on her crown, he too looked out the window. The two lovers stayed like that as the rain continued to fall steadily throughout the night. Yet, somehow in the deep corners of his mind, Damien couldn’t help but feel that Nemesis’ words and more would come to pass.