Kyoki took the roll of money from the stark-black youko. With a stiff nod, he shoved it into his pocket and turned to leave. He knew where to go from there, just one thing on his mind: the look on Koko's face... He was aware of eyes boring into his back as he pushed through the heavy wooden door and stepped outside. The Makai morning was humid, but Kyoki didn't seem to mind it. Being part fire demon, he actually enjoyed the warmth that rolled off his pale skin. It made Koko nuts to be in such warm weather, but he wouldn't mind it as much when Kyoki was finished with his plans. He smiled craftily. His lover would never know what hit him.
Ever since Yakumo had been destroyed, Koko and Kyoki had been looking for some place to settle down. After all, the youko's cousin couldn't house them too much longer, human guises or no. Kurama had his own life to live without a pair of demon lovers taking up space. Gods only knew that Hiei was enough to keep hidden without Koko and Kyoki as well. When school actually started up, they would have to give up their little charade and come back to the Makai. Koko had been adamant about finding a nice, out-of-the-way cottage to live in. The Demon Realm wasn't exactly the top living choice. If Koko had his way, he would live in the Ningenkai. He loved the change in weather and the starry nights. The Makai was almost always warm and dusty, save their horribly-cold, one-month winters, and the sky never shone as bright with silver stars. Every time Koko came upon a piece of Makai property that he liked, Kyoki would pout and do his best to point out everything wrong about it that he could. It wasn't that he wanted to be disagreeable, it was just that he had other ideas for their future.
Kyoki sighed, wondering if what he was planning was really such a good idea after all. The only thing he cared about was Koko's happiness. Maybe he should just toss in the whole idea... The youkai paused in his steps. No. He would go through with it. Koko's dreams were part of what Kyoki had planned. He wouldn't give up now. He had finally found the perfect place, and he would be damned if he was going to quit on it now. He began walking at a brisker pace than before, determined and anxious. He reached the run-down, two story building just inside the gates to Dokoren. As agreed, the tiny youkai female was waiting for him on the front porch.
Kyoki strolled up to the bench she was sitting on and cleared his throat.
"Do we still have a deal?"
The youkai turned her yellow eyes up to him. "That depends on if you have the money."
Kyoki reached into his jacket and pulled out his earnings. He waved it in front of her face, watching her red lips turn up into a smile. Her long-clawed fingers reached for it.
"I still don't know why you want it," she muttered, looking inside the broken window as she swiftly pocketed the cash. "It's falling apart. My father didn't take good care of it before he died."
"Just wait a couple of months," Kyoki said with a wistful smile. "You won't even know the place."
"That's what the last owner said before he was crushed by a rafter. Good luck."
With that, she tossed him a rusted key, walking down the steps and into the city, her orange hair waving behind her. Kyoki watched her go with a shrug. He looked at the key in his hands, then at the door. The little youkai had a point. The place was a mess. The wood under his feet was rotting to the core, and nearly every single one of the glass panes were missing from the windows. With a sigh, he shoved the key into the lock, juggling the metal around for a brief minute to pop the bolt. The door swung open with a squeal, and Kyoki's sensitive ears twitched.
Coughing on the dust that had been raised, Kyoki stepped inside, immediately feeling the mustiness closing in on him. The place must have been gathering dust for months. He strained his crimson eyes into the darkness, wishing he'd brought some kind of light source. He settled for relying on the morning sun to look around. Broken tables and chairs lay everywhere, the still-whole ones toppled or neglected. The bar top was cracked in several places, and he noticed a rickety staircase that he questioned the reliability of. Off to the left, in the back of the building, was a broad stage. Two dingy, brass poles rose from the surface to the ceiling, and a wry smile pulled at Kyoki's lips. He already knew what Koko would like about the place.
He brushed the thought aside and continued looking around. He barely noticed the huge lump in the middle of the floor until he tripped over it, stumbling and falling to his knees. Sputtering on the cloud of dust that made itself known at his collapse, he got back to his feet and dusted off his trousers. Scowling, he turned back to see what he had fallen over. Covering his mouth with his hand, he felt his stomach turn at the sight of a dingy body laying sprawled behind him. Next to the demon corpse was a huge wooden beam.
"Hm," Kyoki muttered to himself as he used his ki to spirit the body away. "At least I can say that the previous owner and I met. That must have hurt something awful." He effortlessly lifted the beam and glanced upward to see where it had come from. He located the spot and made a mental note to make that one of the first things he fixed. The last thing he needed was the roof to fall in on their heads. Shaking his head, he turned to the stairs. Maybe he should have told someone where he was going. Some mishap in this godforsaken place might try to give him the same fate as the demon before him.
Kyoki took a deep breath and placed a tentative foot on the first stair. It did nothing more than sqeak at him, so he dared to place more weight on it. When nothing happened, he went further, his heart jumping at every creak he heard, praying that the entire structure wouldn't give. He had no place to open up his wings for a safe landing. Demon would go thud! At last he covered the last step and found himself in a hallway with a row of doors on both sides. Assuming that he had the master key, he tried it in the first door on his left. Sure enough, it clicked and the door swung open. He coughed back the sudden dust storm and stepped inside, a smile coming to his face. This room was perfect!
Though dark and old, it was large enough to accommodate a couple, complete with large, comfy bed and a pair of wardrobes. A dresser table stood not too far off, exquisite in design though it sported a cracked mirror. Every piece of furniture was covered in a quarter inch of dust, including a large oak chair by the windows. Those drew Kyoki's attention immediately. They weren't just windows, but rather glass doors that led out onto a small balcony. His grim smile became a wide grin as he contemplated the wonders he could do with this room, given time. Reluctantly, he withdrew from the room and headed down the hall to examine the others. They weren't nearly as large, for they were meant for the building's guests. They would do quite nicely. In fact, this place, despite his expectations for its cleanliness, would do very wonderfully for the plans he had made.
Happily, Kyoki headed downstairs, intent on putting his plan into action. He would start as soon as he got back to Kurama's. Koko would press about where he'd been, but he had his answers already. He wasn't ready to give away his secret just yet, but he knew the youko would appreciate the good mood he was in.
"And here's the proud owner now," a sudden voice broke through the common room's shadows.
Kyoki let out a yelp and jumped back, nearly tripping over the bottom step of the stairs. He narrowed his eyes into the sun-spliced darkness, his sight coming to rest on a youkai with white hair and silver eyes. He breathed a sigh of relief and peeled himself from the bannister.
"Sneaking up on people is dangerous, Seth," Kyoki said lowly, getting his speeding heart back under control.
The pale demon smirked. "Who was sneaking? I didn't try to hide that I was here. You were just so wrapped up in your own thoughts to notice me."
Kyoki raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Right. So what are you doing here?"
Seth ran a hand through his hair. "I just happened to be wandering by when I saw you giving a demon some money." He took an unsure glance around the room. "So, you bought this pile of junk, ne?"
Kyoki nodded. "It won't stay that way," he said firmly. "I'm going to get it fixed up before I show it to Koko."
Seth gave him an enlightened look. "I see. This is for your little fox. Clever."
"I hope so," Kyoki replied, looking around the place once more. His eyes then slid onto Seth. "You wouldn't happen to be looking for work, would you?"
Seth flashed him a knowing grin. "It's just like trouble. I'm never looking for it, but it always seems to find me," he laughed. "I'll help you get this place in shape while Touma's in school, how's that?"
Kyoki caught Seth's smile, his face brightening. "Thanks, Seth."
Koko watched his lover curiously through the doorway. He'd never seen Kyoki so absorbed in his thoughts. A stack of paperwork was spread out on the coffee table of Kurama's living room, and the youkai was reading every one of them carefully, making notes on a tablet. Koko checked to make sure that Kurama had things covered in the kitchen before he went to see what Kyoki was up to. In his thoughtful state, he hadn't even noticed Koko come over until he felt the burning amethyst gaze peering over his shoulder. He quickly brought the paper he was looking at to his chest.
Koko looked a bit surprised, but feigned it with a sly grin. "Whatcha hiding, Kyoki? Love letters?"
Kyoki snorted, giving his lover a sharp glare. "Love letters? No. It's nothing, don't worry."
"'Nothing' doesn't take up the table in foot high piles, Kyoki," Koko pointed out, eyeing the stacks rather warily now.
"Look, I said don't worry about it, okay? It's nothing for you to be concerned about, trust me."
"All right, all right," Koko gave in with a sigh. He leaned down and kissed Kyoki, making the youkai drop his papers just to get a good grip on the swooning kitsune. He made a slight, contented purr from the kiss, and Koko was satisfied with it. He pulled back after probing his mouth one last time and grinned. "Dinner's almost ready."
"I think I should be more concerned with desert," Kyoki said smugly, then returned to his work.
Koko turned his back on Kyoki with a shake of his head. Kurama was lifting a pot off the stove and testing its contents.
"Well?" he prodded.
"He's not seeing someone behind my back, but he is pretty protective about whatever it is that he's working on. I only caught a glimpse of one of the papers. It was a liquor contract."
Kurama's eyebrows furrowed. "A liquor contract? What in Enma's name would Kyoki be doing with one of those?"
Koko shrugged. "Dunno. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens, ne? What's for dinner, oh Master Chef Kurama."
"Not funny. Mom wanted roast duck tonight, so that's what I'm fixing. I can't make it quite as good as she can, but I don't think she'll complain."
"I've never had roast duck before," noted Koko, sniffing the air as Kurama opened the oven door. "But it smells absolutely delicious."
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard a disgusted snort, and vaguely wondered what it was.
It was something completely different. Kyoki stepped very cautiously through the halls of the ominous fortress he was in. For some reason, the place gave him the chills, partly because it was unfamiliar...partly because the air was literally thick with sadistic tension. He couldn’t linger forever in the torch-lit hall, he had to move on. Picking a random direction, Kyoki began walking, his scarlet eyes searching the corridor for anything threatening.
“Master...?” a faint voice echoed.
Kyoki’s sensitive ears twitched. The voice was one he had never heard before, light...almost pleading. Who was it? His interest peaked, the chimera continued down the hall, letting his senses guide him to the area that emanated that eerie voice.
“Kurushimi...” a low, bass voice said in return.
Kyoki stilled. That voice...he despised it immediately. It was the reason this place reeked of evil and pain. It seemed to consume his soul, and he wanted so badly to leave...
But the other voice...as sweet as his own...so pained...begging...
Kyoki had to go on. He didn’t know what force in Enma’s great Trinity was moving him, but it did. It forced him to go on...even as the tortured cries began to sound. They resonated so deeply in his soul that he couldn’t tear himself away...no matter how hard he tried. The entrance to the chamber loomed into view. The heavy stone slab that served as a door was open slightly, spilling dim candle light out into the hall. Strange shadows flickered on the hard floor. The cries from within got louder, Kyoki wincing as they were fraught with pain. Yet, try as he might, he couldn’t pull away. He compelled himself...forced himself to look inside that crack. What he saw...
A tiny youko...no more than four feet...was held tightly by a pair of strong, dark-skinned arms. He was naked, his head thrown back, his face twisted into an expression of pleasured agony. Kyoki’s fangs gnawed at his lip, registering the huge demon beneath the kitsune, as much bare as the youko, but definitely deriving complete pleasure from the scene before Kyoki’s eyes. The demon beneath the ebony-haired youko gave a hard thrust upward, and the little creature screamed. Kyoki sucked in his breath...wondering why he felt so drawn to that tiny kitsune. Why was he here? What was this?
The youko gasped, taking ragged breaths. His head seemed to tilt in the chimera’s direction. He opened blind, pupil-less garnet eyes onto him, as if his lack of sight could see straight into his soul. His thin lips turned up into a weak smile.
“Kyoki...” he whispered, his voice frail.
Kyoki’s eyes widened, and he backed away from the doorway.
“Help...me...”
Kyoki snapped awake, sitting up bolt-straight. His eyes were large, and sweat poured off of his pale face. He clutched the blankets in huge fistfuls, his breath coming fast. From beside him, Koko stirred and sat up next to him.
“Kyoki?” he said softly.
The chimera didn’t answer for many long moments. Staring at the silver-lined wall, flashes of his dream came back in stunning detail. Those scarlet eyes...like his father’s...like his own. They drew him like no magnet could...and that voice. He shuddered as the screams rang clearly in his head like death bell tolls. It took a few moments for him to register that the youko was trying to get his attention.
"Love, are you all right?" Koko asked, looking worriedly at Kyoki.
The chimera blinked to make the screams fade away. He focused on a painting in the room and took a deep breath.
"I...I''m fine," he replied, shakily, doubting the truth in his words. What that demon was doing to the poor little youko... "It was just a nightmare."
"Musta been pretty vivid," Koko said gently. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Kyoki shook his head. He was afraid if he started to talk, the flashes and sounds would come back with no hope of them being shaken off. It hadn't been the first time he'd dreamt about the youko. And each time got more vivid...and all the more frightening.
"It was just...a little scary is all," the youkai said in explanation. "I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep."
Koko nodded, sliding a chocolate-coloured arm around his lover's chest. Pulling gently, he lay them both back, cuddling Kyoki close. He nuzzled the silk-black hair away from his neck and kissed the pale skin. Kyoki reacted with a violent shudder, and Koko paused.
"Kyoki?"
"I'm fine. It's just a little cool in here."
Koko sighed quietly, wondering what in Kyoki's dream had him so unsettled. He doubted it was as trivial as the chimera tried to make it sound. After all, fire demon's don't feel the cold.
"Makai to Kyoki," Seth prodded, waving a dirty hand in front of his scarlet eyes. "Come back to us!"
Kyoki blinked, the rafters coming back into focus. Seth had knelt down on the beam he was on, trying to get his attention.
"Sorry, Seth," he muttered. "What do you need?"
"Well, we have the cabinets and the desk from the dealer in Dokoren. We need to know if the office is going to be on the first or second level."
"The first," Kyoki answered. "I'm putting the bedroom in the largest room, and the rest are for guests. I believe I saw a room behind the staircase."
Seth nodded. "Okay...Hey, Kyoki, are you okay? You just kind of spaced out. We were worried."
Kyoki glanced down at Seth's ningen lover, Touma, who stood leaning against the bar. Somehow, Seth had coaxed him into helping out after he got out of school. Fixing up the run-down inn was turning out to be more than Kyoki ever expected, and how the white-haired youkai had managed to drag Touma in was beyond him.
"I'm okay, Seth, thanks. I just had a hard time sleeping last night."
Seth took on a devilish grin. "Oh, I see. Koko kept you up, ne?"
Kyoki scowled and threw a nearby rag at the shapeshifter. "No! You little hentai!"
Seth chuckled and leapt down to the floor again. Kyoki turned back to the rafter that he had finally managed to get back into place. He tested its solidity again and, assured it wasn't going to cave in as it had before, set to checking the stability of the rest of the roof. Below, Touma and Seth were carrying in the desk for the office. Kyoki couldn't help but smile. He coudn't wait! The work was going to be well worth the look on Koko's face.
The summons came later that afternoon. Seth tossed him a letter from across the room. In one expert leap over the bar, Kyoki landed, perched on top of it, holding the paper. He frowned as he read the contents.
"Do they always know where I am?" he muttered to himself.
"What is it, Kyoki-san?" Touma asked, as he passed by with the broom.
"Nothing, Touma," he said. "Tell Seth I'm leaving for a bit, but I don't know when I'll be back."
The ningen nodded, returning to the task of sweeping the heavily dusted floor. Kyoki rinsed his hands and arms off in the kitchen sink before leaving out the back door.
With a backwards glance at the building, Kyoki set off for the deepest part of the Makai woods. He took turns and unused paths that would have had any other youkai lost without a moment's hesitation. Kyoki knew it by heart. Before long, he came upon the set-back building, and knocked on the door. It was answered by a hooded figure, whose golden eyes smiled at him under the veil of darkness.
"Ah, Kyoki. On time, as usual. How nice to see you again!"
"Cut the formalities, Karaoke. Why do they want to see me?"
"Why do they always want to see you?" Karaoke laughed. "They have a job for you."
Kyoki didn't bother waiting until the door was completely open for him. He shoved past Karaoke, heading down the halls, and straight for the parlour. He knocked three times, then opened the door. A fireplace roared across the room, lighting up the faces of three demons who had gathered in around a table. They were smiling unerringly up at Kyoki the moment he entered the room. Kyoki just walked up to the table, bowing slightly.
"You wished to see me?"
"Indeed," a deep-throated voice replied. "You have an important job tonight, Kyoki. Do you know where to find Mukuro's palace?"
The house was dark when Justin Koren stepped up to the front porch. He dug in his pockets for the key, pulling it free and scraping it into the lock. He hoped he wouldn't wake Kurama...or Shiori for that matter. He wasn't up for an interrogation that night. Gods knew it had been stressful enough without one of the overconcerned members of his "family" trying to find out what had made it so stressful. However, he knew that Koko would probably slam him with questions the moment he got into bed.
The door opened without a squeak, and the black-haired human stepped inside. The inside was equally dark, and Justin had to force his now-weak sight to seek out the staircase. Wearily, he climbed it, slipping into the bathroom, shutting the door and turning on the light. He winced as it flooded around him, making him blind for a second. He sought out the cabinet that would have a clean pair of Kurama's silken pajamas in it, and pulled them out. He hoped the boy wouldn't mind that he borrowed them. Trying to get in and out of his room with his own sleeping clothes would catch Koko's attention for sure. Once he was positive he wouldn't be walked in on, he shifted back to chimera form, taking a look in the mirror.
"K'so!" he hissed, fingering a bruise on his cheek. Damned youkai guard, nearly took his head off.
There was another pain coming from his arm, and he looked down, surprised to see a red gash there. It had stopped bleeding, but the pain was still dull. Kyoki wondered how he had missed getting that wound. Then again, fighting off twenty + guards at one time was a very tedious task that didn't leave much to exact detail. Sighing, he stripped out of his dirty work clothes and into the pajama bottoms. He then turned on the water, sliding the injured arm under the stream. He hissed as the cold bit into the open flesh, making it sting.
"You should have used a damp cloth first, Kyoki."
Kyoki started, whirling to face the voice. "Dare da?!" he snapped in a deadly snarl.
"No need to get hostile," Koko said softly from the other side of the bathroom.
The youko was in his normal form, his dark arms crossed, amethyst eyes looking at first Kyoki's face, then the wounded arm. Kyoki sighed.
"Sorry, Koko. I don't like being snuck up on."
"I wasn't sneaking. I heard you come in and wanted to see if you were all right." Koko stepped closer to the youkai, watching him intently as he reached for the bandages in the cabinet.
"I'm fine, Koko. Sorry I woke you up."
"I never got to sleep." Koko took the roll of gauze from his lover and began to tenderly wrap up the wound. He was ever-gentle, and just the feel of his warm hands made Kyoki relax considerably. "Where have you been? Cousin Kurama and I had to lie for you to Aunt Shiori."
"I was in the Makai," Kyoki said, without a moment's hesitation. "I was looking at some property in Dokoren." He couldn't take any chances of Koko discovering...
"Did the property attack you for trespassing," Koko teased, yet with a serious, interrogating underlay to his cheerful voice.
"No, but the youkai on the way back did." Kyoki forced himself to chuckle, even though he was lying through his fangs.
"Why were you attacked?" Koko asked, now concerned, his smile fading.
"Because I was carrying money."
"Oh."
Kyoki sighed, pulling his beautiful lover into his arms. "Come on, Koko. It's late, and I don't want you worrying. I'm just fine, you see?"
Koko smiled up at him. "Yeah, I see. Sexy youkai."
"Don't. I am not sexy."
Koko just chuckled, leading Kyoki back to their bedroom, where he promptly locked the door. He pushed the chimera down on the bed and proceeded to show Kyoki just how wrong he was.
Seth smiled as he stored the last of the bottles under the bar. Touma was on the other side, polishing the brand-new wooden surface, grinning back at his lover. Kyoki finished arranging the chairs around the last table in the common room, then stopped to look around and admire their work. A wide smile pulled at his usually concealed face.
"It's perfect!" he breathed.
"You got it!" Seth agreed, glancing at the clean and beautiful tavern that had replaced the broken-down, dingy one. "I can't believe we did it!"
"I can," Touma spoke up. "Kyoki believed it would. Therefore, it has become his dream come true."
"You're too poetic for me," Kyoki chuckled as he joined them. "But I appreciate everything just the same. I wouldn't have done it without you."
Seth gave him a lopsided smirk that showed his fangs. "Sure you would have. It just would have taken you longer. How did the bedroom turn out?"
"Fine. I was able to replace the mirror, and I bought new satin bedsheets." He ignored Seth as the youkai grinned impishly. "The rest looked like new once I cleaned it up a bit."
"Koko's gonna love it!" Touma said, enthusiastically.
"I hope so," Kyoki replied, picking up the remaining contracts from the bar and leafing through them. "I'm just going to put these in the office, then I'm heading back to the Ningenkai."
"When's the big surprise going down?" Seth wondered, hopping over the bar to stand beside Touma.
Kyoki's smile was bright. "Tomorrow afternoon."
"Kyoki this is very weird, why do I need a blindfold for 'just a leisurely walk in Dokoren'? And what's with you for that matter? You've been on some kind of high since yesterday afternoon. Are you sure you're feeling okay?"
"Koko," Kyoki stated, as calmly as he could. "Would you just hush up and let me take you to Dokoren already."
Koko sighed, following the tug of his lover's hand. "I suppose, but I still say you're acting very weird!"
"There's a reason for everything, love," Kyoki just replied cheerfully, leading his Koko onward. They stopped at a particular spot, and the chimera reached back and untied the scarf over Koko's eyes, careful not to pull the silky hair.
The youko opened his eyes, blinking almost blindly in the sunlight. Then he gasped.
The Nine Tail Inn. Koko stared at the two-story structure before him, the sign swinging slightly in the musty wind. His eyes brightened, his expression beaming. He turned and embraced Kyoki tightly.
"It's wonderful, Kyo! I love it!"
Kyoki welcomed the kitsune's hug of gratitude and smiled. "I thought you would. This was what you were meant to do."
"Yes, stay by your side and run a business with my beloved."
"And dance," Kyoki added with a sideways smirk at his lover.
Koko smiled the widest at the last statement. He loved to dance, more than thieving, which seemed to please Kurama just fine. With Kyoki and the new Nine Tail Inn, his dreams could finally come true. He swiftly lost himself to the thought of the pulsing music, the screaming audience of rowdy youkai at the bottom of the stage. But instead of himself on the platform, his wicked mind put Kyoki in his place. He made a pleased sound as he imagined his lover twining himself gracefully about a golden pole, his hips swinging invitingly, that long, dark hair flying wildly.
"Koko," Kyoki said, nipping the youko's neck to draw him from his thoughts.
Koko lifted his head, a silly smile on his face. "Hm?"
"What were you thinking about?"
Koko laughed out loud. "Nothing, love. Just the future." It wasn't too far from the truth. While Kyoki, in all actuality, couldn't dance if his life depended on it, Koko still intended to get his reluctant youkai up there to dance with him.
Kyoki flashed a knowing smile. "Go ahead and look around. I have some things to do." He kissed Koko soundly before turning to leave.
"Hurry back," Koko said wistfully, unsure if his gentle demands would be met.
Kyoki had been leaving at the strangest times lately to handle business that Koko never had a clue about. He surmised that most of it had to do with the inn's preparation...but what was the excuse now? But the youko swore to himself he wouldn't be a bother. If Kyo thought it was necessary, he would tell him where he was going. It was probably just a simple matter. Koko watched his lover walk into the forest, then turned to his new business with a squeal of delight.
