Demon Dreams: Chapter 1 - Blood Soaked Sands (private)

[Ketsueki Satou]

The demon women who carried Kahako through the skies looked down upon her, not with shock, but with such a loving look in her eyes. "Oh, don't worry my little dove. I, or rather myself and my beloved are taking you to your new home. So don't fret. We won't eat you. We aren't like the others, we wanted to find a child, a human child to bring into our family. My dearest husband has given me three beautiful boys. But I feel a mothers urge to have a girl amongst our children. Though I dare say i'm not in the mood to breed another, so we searched. And found you, so pure and warm. You're heart is so innocent, I could not bare a single moment without you joining us. With time you will grow to love us as we will love you unconditionally." She pulled Kahako's face closer to her well endowed busom as it swelled with a mothers pride for her new child.

The male demon swooped in close, flying almost a foot away from the female demon. "Come now my love, you're going to suffocate the poor thing to death." He laughed, yet it came out twisted in pitch, much lower then his actual voice. As the three fly across the dark night sky, below Kahako could see a vast wasteland of sand, bones and rock. If focused she'd see figures of twisted shapes and forms, demons scrawling across the wastes.

"We're almost home my child, soon you'll meet your new brothers." She cooed as she continued to snuggle Kahako with an admirable affection, almost a look of jealousy on the male demons face twisted into a stern scowl. "You were always one to coddle the children Liliana." He jest.

The female demon known now as Liliana replied in a hiss. "And you, Julius. One so easily offended by my love being given to anyone else but you." She smiled. And he could only smirk as he turned and flew on ahead. In the distance stood a mountainous castle that shot up past the clouds and looked to almost pierce the moon itself. This was where Kahako was being taken to.

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Satou awoke in the rubble, angered, bewildered at his surroundings of a buried suffocating crypt of stone and wood. His anger unleashed in a small birth of force as the the rubble was shot about in a fierce demonic cry of rage. Standing, breathing in heavy breaths of hot steam bellowed past his lips. His eyes looked about. "Sukino...." He glanced around, what waste had he laid. He felt the guilt dawn upon him. "I did'nt...." He feared his power devoured her, but he would have felt it. His hunger was not sated, he did not taste her blood on his lips so the creature must have spared her as it did the remains of what was a humble village.

The small group of men and women exited the church, the children hiding amongst held arms. Horror stricken as their lands had been destroyed by Satou's fierce blast. The young demon stood before the group of stern angered human faces. Only but one face had solemness sadness in her eyes. The old women, holding a rosary. "Demon, though I wish not to evoke your true name. I feel it is time we parted on our contract. You have thwarted so many, for so long, to the point your women has been stolen from you. The two lords of darkness have taken her to the tower of abyss. Their kingdom stands across the sands of blood, you will find much adversity." The women took the rosary in both hands, kissing it and saying a prayer under her breath. "I am sorry for your loss. She is doomed, but maybe, even for all the darkness that hides in you. Maybe her light has given you reason to keep on, please. For that poor child's sake! Save her." Tears welled up in the old women's eyes.

Satou's own eyes burned like hellfire. He had but few words for them, his rage was all that consumed him, his drive to save his beloved Sukino. "They will pay for this, as I will. I know, all of you can not forgive me for what I've done here. I leave with nothing but pained hearts and even emptied stomachs. For what its worth, hate me. Curse me with every breath you have. But use your hatred to fuel strength, to rebuild. To become a stronger village that maybe one day you will not need power like mine to protect yourselves. Possibly, one day you will all find a way to end my kind and myself, with your old seething hatred." He then turned and left, to travel across the lands, to chase after his lost light in the darkness.

The old women stood there, her mouth a gaped, not understand why the demon would ask for their hatred, but not their forgiveness...

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As the two demons descended upon their castle, the giant spire of Gothic like architecture was stunning, the flooring was of pristine white marble, the buildings structure looked of pure black onyx stone. Drapes and furnishings that decorated an aristocratic look. They landed upon a large precipice where they sat Kahako down upon the cold solid marble floor. "Let yourself adjust my child." Liliana whispered as she knelt down, infatuated with her new addition. The male, Julius flew past them, landing with equal poise as his long bat like wings transformed into a flowing red cape. "Come, quickly. The boys are probably impatiently waiting on us in the dinning hall." Liliana replied in a low hiss once more. "You are my husband but not my master. Let the girl adjust, our demonic aura is of the strongest caliber. It amazes me she did not get sick while around us, let her rest. The boys would tire her out." She smiled, staring with interest only for Kahako, the sire left without another word through a large elaborate looking gated door.

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

Kahako, in her weakened state, could only listen as the female demon spoke to her in such a loving tone. The sway in their bodies jostled her stomach with each flap of her wings making her feel ill and uncomfortable. ‘How old am I?’ Kahako wondered absently. But that didn’t really matter, did it? Her entire lifetime would only be a spring season to their kind. In the eyes of demons, Kahako would always be a child. “but…” she said feebly as the demon woman pulled her into an embrace. It was warm like her mother’s but the aura that surrounded her was suffocating.

"Come now my love, you're going to suffocate the poor thing to death." The tone was twisted. As if the male demon only tolerated Kahako’s presence. Amongst powers she had no true strength against, Kahako realized that it was only by the good graces of the female demon that she was still alive. But would Sukino see it that way?

Both remained silent in the woman’s arms as they approached a foreign fortress of grandeur.


Upon their arrival, Kahako was finally released from Liliana’s hold. Her feet graced the marble flooring, and her body followed her legs quickly after. "Let yourself adjust my child." Liliana said as she guided Kahako to her knees. The mednin breathed heavily. Never had a demon’s aura affected her so. Was this what those without resistance to a demon’s natural genjutsu felt? The black shadow of Julius covered them both for a moment before he landed. "Come, quickly. The boys are probably impatiently waiting on us in the dining hall." he called, demanding obedience out of the both of them. An obedience that his wife did not appreciate as she hissed at him in return. She spoke of adjusting, but would such a thing be possible?

Regardless, Kahako remained silent as Julius turned away. The danger here was not simply being in the wrong place, no the danger would come if she spoke out of turn. Instead, Kahako looked down to her knees, quickly taking note that she was not in her usual attire, but peasant clothing instead, and waited for the male to leave. She felt it, a foreign feeling of fear encased her own heart. It took her a moment to realize that it wasn’t her own fear she was feeling, but Sukino’s. Kahako was shaking, terrified of the demons before her. The woman promised that she would not harm her, but could she trust a demon?

Well… she trusted Satou. Fear of a different kind drifted through her chest at the thought of him. Kahako only felt it once in her life, when her beloved Ayumu was engulfed in black flames. Unbeknownst to her, it was clone, but the feeling was all the same.

It was fear. Fear for your loved one’s well-being. Sukino forgot everything else in that one moment, even her own safety. It wasn’t until the ornate doors closed did Sukino find her voice. “Please,” she said, her voice wavering between a fearful sob. “The demon in the village, is he dead?” Sukino looked up to Liliana, grabbing a piece of her sheer, silk dress like it was a lifeline. There were no words in any language that could explain the emotion that lay in Sukino’s eyes as she looked up to the demon. Her entire world hinged on the life of one man. This feeling was so great, Kahako was having difficulty disconcerting it as Sukino’s and not her own.

Tears began to stem down her face, panic rose, making the world sharper, more alive and less like that of a dream. “Please, tell me, is Satou dead?” Her voice raised. Kahako tried to stand, too frazzled to sit anymore, only to find that her legs would not obey her. Sukino would break if she heard of Satou’s death, and Kahako would feel the grief of losing a lover alongside her.

MFT

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

The succubus stood smiling a perfect set of white teeth. She look enamored with her new addition to their twisted family. As she stood, her wings transformed into a black veil that surrounded her body as she walked across the precipice to a plan black onyx wall, her hand wiped across the solid form, and eerie feeling emanated from the wall much like the demons aura and the wall produced a wardrobe made out of the black stone. Opening it the women revealed lavished shimmering dresses that any women would pay thousands of yen to produce and wear.

She took a few and rushed back over with an almost giddy expression on her face. "Come now, lets get you out of those dreadful rags my child." She spoke so calmly and with a sense of honest compassion. Laying the dresses down before Kahako/Sukino. The female demon then snapped her fingers and what was once a precipice looking out to the blood red sands was now a walled off room as the floor expanded slightly and the black stone walls began to contort and stretch out. "This will be your new room! I hope you don't mind it. We can decorate it to however you like" Her giddiness showed. Possibly due to the fact of being the only female within the castle, she never had anyone to connect to.

As Liliana watched the girl sob, immediately she tended to her tears with the cloth of her veil. "Shhh my child, It Is alright. A simple smack from my husband could never kill an ill creature such as that one." She smiled so warmly and her gestures were that of kindness even when her presence only put a sense of fleeing in Kahako/Sukino.

Her finger snap once more to summon a lavished red silk bed in the corner of the room. Picking the girl up like a feathered pillow and whisking her over to gently lay her down. Waving her hand as the dresses flew through the air to hang before the two women. "Oh so he changed his name again?" She began caressing the girls back soothingly. Hoping she would calm down. "Now, we have to pick something nice. The rest are waiting on us i'm sure." She seemed a bit eager now to get Kahako/Sukino dressed up for dinner.

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

It wasn’t the raking of Liliana’s claws along Kahako’s back that calmed the mednin, but the surety that Satou was alive. Pure relief washed over her, allowing her sobs to dwindle until eventually only slight hics controlled her body. Liliana’s coos were that of a mother, but the aura was still there, thus the ever pressing fear and lack of comfort.

But at Liliana’s urgings, Sukino eventually sat up. There was no trying to run despite her body wishing to. She would not be leaving this castle unless it was by death or the will of its masters. So Sukino allowed herself to be dressed for ‘dinner.’ Her only hope was Satou, she realized. Kahako worried, knowing that Sukino’s outcome did not end well, that he just… never came. But she could feel Sukino’s belief in Satou. ‘He will come for me,’ Sukino thought with a hopeful heart. As Liliana summoned a vanity and changing area, Sukino allowed herself to be led.

One very lavish bath later, Sukino sat before the vanity and allowed Liliana to tend to her long black hair. The demon combed through Sukino’s soft tresses lovingly, clearly excited for her new… pet. That was what Kahako felt like at least, not a daughter, but a toy doll to dote over. Even in Kahako’s bitterness, she could feel a glowing calmness from Sukino’s mind. The girl truly believed her love would come for her. And so she would wait patiently.

Kahako however, had different plans. She tried to struggle for control, to communicate with the demon woman tending to her hair. “Liliana-sama,” Kahako began, “can I please have a window? One where I can see the red sands and the sun set in the evening?” she whispered, grabbing onto the silk fabric. The gears slowly turning in her mind as the comb raked through her hair.

When Liliana pulled away, Kahako finally looked at her reflection. ‘I look so odd with long hair...’ What stared back at her was something from a fairy tale. The dress that Liliana chosen for Sukino was much like her own with slight differences. There were two layers to her dress, one a thicker light green silk that clung to her body and another made of a thin white material. Coupled with her long flowing hair that was thoroughly brushed and left to fall freely, it brought out the color of her eyes while giving the appearance of someone… ethereal. Both Kahako and Sukino hated it, feeling very immodest yet saying nothing.

No matter how beautifully dressed Kahako was, however, she still looked human and paled in beauty compared to the demon standing behind her. Out of habit, Kahako began fidgeting with part of her silk dress. She was staying silent for a reason, giving the airs of a shy human girl. Sukino would wait for Satou, as it was her nature to rely on him. Kahako's nature, however, was different. And she had better plans.

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

Liliana tended to the girls needs. She was almost happy to do as the girl asked. As though her personal interactions with people was enthralled and curious. As she let Sukino/Kahako bath herself and returned to the room to change the girl, now sitting before a large body sized mirror garnished in decorative gold. Combing the girls long beautiful hair with a silver comb. As she tended to Sukino/Kahako, Liliana paused when the girl asked for a window to made in her room.

The Succubus obliged to the girls demands with a snap of her finger. To the farthest side of the room reveal a curtain covered window bout the size of the entire wall. "I know why you wish for a window. To see the outside world beyond this. That sense of hope, its very becoming of you. I know you think of him dearly, but please try to keep him out of mind my child. You're here now, with your new family. And as such you should get to know your new family, come. I'm sure everyone awaits to see you." She gave her hand to Sukino/Kahako. Guiding the girl out of her "room" to the hallway. Much like the rest of the castle, the walls and draping were of fine Gothic architecture and satin.

Leading down several hallways lead Sukino/Kahako to believe they were walking in circles before stopping in front of a single door that resembled every other door. "Here we are!" She gave a few simple raps against the door before it opened and revealed a massive ballroom covered in shimmering silver and gold furnishings and paintings alike with depictions of great wars, the ceiling of the massive room was a massive glob showing the night sky and bright shimmering stars gleaming down to alight the room in a sparkling glow as the rest of the lighting was from torches positioned on the walls.

In the middle of the room sat three figures at a vast dinning room table. One of which Kahako already knew as the lord of the castle.
A man dressed all in blackened armor adorned with a bronze chest plate. His hair was once as blackened as his armor but now it was pitch white with a silvery ting. He seemed aglow in a blackened aura as a nude women sat upon his lap, kissing him and enthralled in him as he took joy in her body.

The second, a man dressed in flowing blue robes covered in odd runic writing, His face hidden by a long hood that hides his short straitened sea blue hair. Sitting in his chair overlooking a human male dressed in rags laying upon the table, his hands placed over the mans head. A blue aura like light surrounding the mans skull, a look of horror painted over the mans face, his eyes twitching and rolling back into his skull.

The third was a Goliath compared to the other two, covered in the some kind of black gem like skin that resembled much of the walls of the castle. Though the third demon wasn't partaking in humans, he was having himself a plat of rather expensive looking gems, eating them as if they were made of candy.

There were three other seats. One for Liliana and Sukino/Kahako and one missing person. To which as Liliana sat upon her seat asked calmly and acted surprisingly normal to her mates behavior. "Wheres Grom?" She asked politely as the Lord removed his face from the chest of the women straddling him. "He's in the forest, I believe hunting some cattle for supper." The women on his lap suddenly convulsed and then went limp, to which he threw the lifeless body to the floor. His silvery hair began to change once more to a black as night color his aura vanishing with it.

The one dressed in blue move his hands slightly, a violent snapping noise came from the neck of the human laying on the table as his head twisted three hundred and sixty degrees. Then the body was thrown off the table by some unseen force. His eyes opened to reveal a glowing blue light. "He's coming up in a few minutes. He's having the other mortals prepare the animal right now." His voice had an eerie echo to it. As though his words tried to seep into your mind and stick there.

The giant slammed his fist on the table, causing the whole to shake violently. "They take too long! I grow tired of their pathetic excuses. I'm ready just to eat them raw if they can't cook me a proper meal!" Liliana waved her hand and immediately the giant froze in his fury. "Please my child, let the humans do their work. If you show such barbaric behavior then you place yourself like those mortals who hate us yet can do nothing but serve their masters. We must show them some compassion and tolerance. Also, we have a new addition to the family. Show some respect my little mountain." She cooed with that motherly voice again. The behemoth quieted in his seat.

Her eyes turned to the one in blue. "Sukino, this is my first child, Beloth. A master of mind magic and lord of our seas." Beloth removed his hood, his face was human, much like the Incubus and Succubus. Yet his eyes held an eerie blue glow to them. Her hand then waved to the giant who was changing in form, his rock like skin retreated till only his arms held the stone like quality. His skin wasn't pale like the others but a violent red tone. His hair made of the same substance as his arms. His looks weren't as fair as his other family members but his masculinity showed in his massive build. "My second bundle of joy, Orcien. He created this lovely home of ours out of the mountain that had rested here a few centuries back." She paused when he hand pointed to the last empty chair. "Though my third Grom, will be joining us shortly I hope."

Just as she finished, the door busted open, stepping forth was a man covered in fur coats. Large much like Orcien yet he looked more human then demon. Only his helm looked like the skull of some obscene creature, in his hands he carried a massive silver plate which held a vast amount of steaks and other meats. "I brought supper...The humans were slow to prepare the cow, so I cut it and cleaned it myself." Grumbled the third child as the rugged looking beast of a man sat in his chair. His furs looked like different species woven into a fine collage of sorts. Once his helmet removed revealing a brutish looking man with long flowing black mess of hair. His eyes had a blood ruby red look to them.

Staring down his siblings then looking at the large platter of meat. Liliana snapped her fingers and before the group was a spread of plates and silverware. Cups by their plates appeared as well. To the few seconds after a few human servants entered the room with bronze jugs of wine which was poured to those sitting at the table.
Liliana smiled as she took her wine sipping it delicately and with posse. Her eyes look to her new daughter. "Please, eat and drink to your hearts content my child. Don't be afraid to speak with your brothers either. They may seem a bit off coming, but they will be respectful to you. Right boys?" Their mother shot them all a glare and each one of them bowed their head towards their plates and ate quietly. The mother smiling at their display and returned to her meal.

Julius grabbed his glass and raised a toast. "To my daughter, may you enjoy the life of luxury we give you. If there is anything, do not hesitate to speak up." He drank from his glass. The others raised their glasses and drank in unison.
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The sands burned his feet to the point where pain became a numbing sensation. The sun glaring down at him had burned his skin, sweating was painful even. He felt sickly, coughing and wheezing from dehydration. Soon the sun would fall and the cold night would sweep over him. He couldn't move much more, even with the castle but a spire in the distance. His legs could not carry him for the night. He needed to rest, collapsing underneath a sand dune, the shade that formed was enough to cool him off a bit.

As he laid there, his mind swam with thoughts of her, feeling her smooth soft body against his. The feeling of her lips upon his, it was such a lulling feeling. He barely noticed the short figure standing but a foot away from him before the demon spoke up. "You really going to just lay there? You don't know what they could be doing to right now." The boy talked. Satou was not having any of it. He turned on his side, even just rolling over was painful.

"I have not the strength to stand. What could would I be to face demons such as them in this state-" He broke into a fit of coughing up dust. His vision even blurring. The pain that wrecked through his chest burned with hunger.
"Yeah I know, you always stopped from taking her. From feeding off her, you act more like a human each day around her. It makes me sick." The vision mentally kicked sand at the downtrodden Satou. "So, we wait. You get back up after a nice nap, maybe eat something local around here. Get a nice energy boost before we throw ourselves to deaths door? Why couldn't you just give up on her? Leave this place and lets go devour that stupid village that hates us so much?"

"No." He whispered under dried breath. "I won't harm innocence anymore. I'll die before then." The demon child laughed at the weakened mans words. "Won't harm? Oh that is rich, you really are pathetic. You do realize its not just you in that thick head of yours. I'm here too! I'm hungry and thirsty just as you are! I have to listen to your sappy disgusting human words crawling around me like I have your stupid feelings for that human girl. She's probably dead by now any-" He paused when Satou began to stand.

"Shut, the @!#$, up!" He growled through clenched teeth. His hands clenching the red sand he laid on. His body shaking, forcing himself to get up. Standing and facing the younger version of himself. His eyes bloodshot, filled with rage. "She's alive, and I will save her! Now Silence!" He waved his hand and the boy vanished. Leaving him to himself, quiet silence.

Nothing but the sound of his own raspy breathing as he looked to the castle in the distance and continued on his journey. "I will save you...my Sukino...I'll save you." He repeated as he walked through the blazing sun burned sand, and even into the cold dark night.

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

For a moment, Sukino sat fascinated at the magic that Liliana could perform. The stone pulled away revealing pristine and clear glass. It was almost as the glass wasn’t there and she could reach out into the wasteland beyond. "I know why you wish for a window. To see the outside world beyond this. That sense of hope, its very becoming of you. I know you think of him dearly, but please try to keep him out of mind my child. You're here now, with your new family. And as such you should get to know your new family, come. I'm sure everyone awaits to see you." Sukino balked, surprised that she was so easily discovered. Was her wish so clear on her face? “Yes, Liliana-sama,” Sukino responded meekly. A blush of shame lightly tainting her cheeks in response to her being so easily caught. Keeping her head down and her current captors happy would be harder than she originally thought.

Keeping track of the halls became nearly impossible. Should Sukino find herself in the palace alone, she would quickly grow lost. Kahako, who watched through Sukino’s eyes mildly wondered if the castle was somehow alive and constantly changing. Maybe it only responded to the demon family. The thought halted immediately when she laid witness to the… atrocities that were occurring in the hall. No amount of grandeur would or could pull her eyes from the three men before her and their actions.

It took everything in Sukino’s body not to gasp. Kahako was sure that it was her own will keeping Sukino’s hand from coming up to her mouth in horror. Such an act from the lord of the castle was inappropriate enough, but the torture the demon in blue robes inflicted on the human male was mortifying for the girl. Even Kahako, a shinobi trained at a young age to expect such displays of torture, was far beyond uneasy as the sight that lay before them. She stayed as close to Liliana as she could without meaning to offend, shielding herself from the table until she too was at an empty chair. One last seat next to her indicated that the final son would be sitting near her. The largest son was odd, eating shiny rocks that Sukino had never seen before, but what he was doing was far less morbid and so she focused her idle sight in his direction. "Wheres Grom?" It did not block out the awful sounds of pleasure that came at the head of the table, however. "He's in the forest, I believe hunting some cattle for supper." Sounds that quickly ended in a strangled gasp.

Much to her misfortune, Sukino looked back just as the blue robed demon snapped the man’s neck like a twig. The whites of his eyes stare back at her on an unnaturally tilted head as the body slid to the floor from the wall it landed against. She wanted to vomit and Kahako felt the same. "He's coming up in a few minutes. He's having the other mortals prepare the animal right now." How was this normal conversation happening amongst such atrocity? The large slam onto the table caused Sukino to jump slightly in her chair, startled like prey among predators. Sure that she would be next. "They take too long! I grow tired of their pathetic excuses. I'm ready just to eat them raw if they can't cook me a proper meal!"

‘The servants or the meat?!’ Kahako thought with growing concern. Sukino watched with barely concealed terror and Kahako watched with apt interest. How quickly Liliana could quell and calm the giant demon. As each boy was introduced, a small, clearly fake smile was firmly planted on her face as she nodded in greeting at each ‘new family member.’ Her eyes showed the truth though. She was terrified of them all. “It is a pleasure to meet you both.” Sukino said through her smile in baited breath. Kahako could feel it; Sukino was scared, but she was trying. Her life depended on this ‘pure’ image her ‘mother’ conjured of her. She prayed that ‘trying’ would be good enough for the demons on the first night.


A little sigh of relief came when the door burst open and eyes moved from her to the food. The final son, Grom, set the large plate before them and sat down. When he removed his terrible helm, Sukino wanted to scream in anguish. His black hair and red eyes reminded her too much of Satou. The memory of his hands encompassing her own rushed through her mind. His tender kiss on her cheek and the sound of his laugh... Sukino could remember it clearly and as a result, Kahako felt the emotion. Nothing! Nothing in this place would be okay! But she would have to make it so to stay interesting to them all. She wanted to kick and scream and run for the door. Instead, she lifted her wine glass with the rest of the family and drank deeply from the cup. “Thank you for your kindness,… Otou-sama… Obaa-sama,” she said after Julius’s small welcome.

The names fell from her tongue awkwardly and she spoke so quietly, they could not hear the waver in her tone. She needed to survive in this gilded cage. If walking down the halls in their little morbid parade called ‘family’ was what she needed to do, then so be it. Sukino reached for a piece of meat, cutting a larger slice before cutting each piece. The image of the dead, naked woman and the white eyes of the tortured man flashed through her eyes. Her movements stopped and her hands shook as she actively fought the urge to vomit over the plate. ‘I need to eat,’ she thought to herself as the others ate in silence. ‘I have to eat.’ came a plea after a few seconds of no response. It was the combined effort of Sukino and Kahako to have the fork reach her mouth.

“Grom-sama, is it?” Sukino asked quietly after she ate her first bite. “Your furs look great and lavish, what sort of game do you hunt?” It was a simple ice breaker. Sukino could have approached any son with idle conversation, but the familiarity of dark hair and red eyes make Grom the least… ‘offputting.’ She began to cut her pieces of meat into smaller pieces, slowly preparing her weak body for another bite as her mind flashed the images of the two dead humans in the room.

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

The situation was unsettling, their displays of power and vicious intentions were blatant to the poor girl. She indeed felt meek next to such creatures yet Grom seemed out of place. He appeared more man then any of the other members of his family. He ate much like his mother and father, with poise and a sign of refrain from being more like his giant sibling of stone Orcien. The red giant laughed and ate his slabs of meat with bare hands. His father looking at him with a stern gaze. The giant halted for a moment, but only continued eating like a savage. The demon in blue had none of it, rather a human servant appeared with a bowl of soup that looked oddly vegetable. A vegetarian demon perhaps?

Both the parents only smiled when responded with respect and manners from the girl. Liliana finished her steak and snapped her fingers, servants dressed in rags came to take the bodies away and brought the lady her own bowl of soup. As they ate and drink, Sukino was the first to start conversation, the others paid little attention. The large young man looked to her, his face was stern when he arrived but it softened a bit. "In my woodlands there was a large dire wolf. It was eating my livestock. So I hunted it down, took its head off with my axe and skinned it. I then took the rest to the humans who prepared a great meal for my family. It was rather tasty in a stew." He looked over the fine pelt. Then to the dress that Sukino/Kahako chose. "Would you care for one yourself? Name an animal, I will hunt it for you, skin it and make something nice for you to wear." His smile was somewhat becoming of him.

His brother Beloth smirked in between sips of his soup. "Trying to suck up to her to win her favor dear brother? Always the romantic." The red giant Orcien laughed and even the father snickered. Liliana glaring all three males down to hush themselves.
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What once burned his feet now felt cold and relaxing as the night chilled the desert sands in between his toes as he continued to walk across the wastes to save his beloved. His body halt when approached by small groups of monsters that worshiped the family of demons that lived in the castle up ahead. He was about several yards from the main gate, a drawbridge raised to stop those from the ground to enter, the endless drop around the castle appeared to lead into nothing but darkness. Satou stood before small bands of creatures trying their best to halt him. He slew every last living thing that stood before him and retrieving Sukino.

He was weak, he knew it true, he knew his body was showing signs of breaking. How he swayed to and fro, looking as though he'd pass out any moment from running cross a desert with no food or water. Surprising even himself he survived this long. Fighting anything that approached him out in the vast span of sands would have killed lesser men. his cloths shambles now, his body wounded and weak. How much more could he hold up? Was he even strong enough to face what awaited him in the castle? He was unsure. He could feel the fatigue set in as his eyelids couldn't stay open much longer. His dried lips barely uttering her name as he stepped towards the mass of creatures looming over him as they approached.

One of the massive creatures fists connected to his face and everything grew much darker. He blacked out and was soon carried by the mass of horrors into the castle. He awoke only a few hours later to the smell of rats hitting his nostrils and the stinging of their teeth biting him, his hand shot out first. Grabbing at one, bringing it to his face as he took a bite from it. Feeling the hot rush of blood seep past his lips, the rough taste of the furry little creature made his stomach churn. It was all he could manage. His vision was obscured by cloth as his feet and hands were chained to one side of the room he laid in. He couldn't move far from the wall, but he had a nice supply of rodents. The little ones scurried away before he could grab any more. But he knew they'd return to nip at his skin again.

His instincts to call for help were futile, who would help him in this place, and the painful thoughts of Sukino being harmed stirred in him an inkling to move and to escape. But he had not the strength to break the chains. He needed to bid his time, save what strength he had. He could do nothing but count the minutes of time, listening for any signs of movement in the darkness of his cell. He knew he was now in the castle, it would just take him time to regain enough strength to break free from his holding and find Sukino. "Wait for me, be strong for me..." He whispered to the emptiness of the room.

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

It was clear that Grom held Sukino in better regards than the other two brothers did. Maybe the fact that he looked more human than the rest of the family had something to do with the softening of his tone. Maybe he just pitied her lamb-in-wolf’s-den situation. Regardless, the compassion he showed in this horrid place gave her hope that she might be able to garner allies. Or at the very least, less people that would be okay with killing her should she lose her luster.

She only hoped that the elder brother’s teasing remark had not ostracized her from Grom. Sukino placed her hands in her lap and looked down, somewhat regretting her attempts at conversation. Kahako felt Sukino’s tears of frustration threaten to spill over her eyes. The pure hatred of being trapped here swelled at the Beloth’s teasings, effectively squashing any will she had of making small conversation. Despite Liliana’s efforts to hush the laughing men, the fragile mask she had shattered, and her fear of them all was obvious if it hadn’t been before that moment.

Sukino was miserable amongst this decadence. Did any of them even know her name? She wanted nothing more than to return to her simple village she called home. The people hated Satou there, but as long as he protected them, they paid them no mind. Oh, how she missed him as well. He was alive, that much was true, but what if she never saw his face again?

The meat too heavy for her palette, Sukino refused to take another bite for the rest of the meal. Only at Liliana’s urging did she take a small bite while looking at no one. It was hard to be strong when you know you are the weakest in the room. On the inside, Kahako was growing edgy. Sukino’s emotions were putting them both in danger by making the atmosphere so dismal. The best way to handle this would have been to respond to an equally catty remark, maybe even make a joke to keep the mood light or just completely ignore Beloth’s words altogether and continue her conversation with Grom. Shutting them all out did nothing for the current prediciment.

Kahako needed to remove Sukino from this situation. After what seemed to be an adequate amount of time, Kahako tried again to force her will into Sukino’s. “Obaa-sama,” came a soft response from the girl’s mouth, “may I be excused to my room? I am… tired.” Kahako on the inside sighed. It was not what she had wanted Sukino to say, and definitely not in such a defeated voice, but it was better than nothing.

If she was granted leave, then Kahako would stand, prepared to be escorted back to her room. Once outside of the room and not surrounded by the entire family, she might have been more willing to speak again. Until then, she was trapped inside a body wrecked with grief and woe, unwilling to talk.

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

The skittering sound of the rats feet gave him simple clues as to where his hands or feet had to be. He gripped the fat soft flesh and tangled fur of the rat. It snapped to bite back at the gaunt hand that grabbed it. But his other free hand grabbed the rats head, grabbing the skull with more then ample force to twist the head, it died quickly after teeth tore through flesh. Blood, the hot scarlet red dripping down his chin, chewing and drinking. The guttural sound of sucking then a heavy thud as the carcase of an empty rat was tossed aside.

How long was too long? Minutes? Hours? Days? Would he even wait months here. Rekindling from the thralling burn in his chest. The heavy dryness collapsing whatever he tried parching it with. Rats were and still have given little relief.He needed Sukino's blood. Her blood vitalized him, gave him warmth. Made him feel that much more human when all else simply caused the feeding to worsen.

"So, you holding out on me again?" Spoke the demon apparition that stepped into the view of Satou's blood thirsty eyes. "Shut up." He mumbled, looking away unamused that the apparition took Satou's looks and morphed it into a full demonic looks. The demon with long flowing raven hair which long it goes the more morbid it turns into slithering black tendrils, eyes black as coal with sharp red pupils that were slowly changing shape of pattern. Legs faded in the same morbid form of black tendrils spilling out into the darkness of the cell.

"You can't hide it. You know it to be the truth yet you so blissfully ignore my calls to FEED ME!" It's last words shrilled out in a violent angered tone that ripped the air from the room. Even as an apparition of his mind, its powers were stretching out. Satou flinched and flexed what muscle he had left and to hold himself mentally. Clearing his mind from the anger of the monster inside. Of course he knew the truth. Sukino's blood was all he had to survive from. He wasn't a demon yet, no, he still believe himself a man. With her blood he abstained from the horrors within.

But now, being so far from her, without a drop from her in so long. He wondered how much restrain he had left to fight this demon stirring within. "Be gone from my sight, leave me in peace. I need to regain myself. I need to save Sukino and leave this place." He was uninterrupted, which shocked the poor chained man. Usually the demon would break off his sentence to yell or scream profanities, yet silence.

Satou's confused eyes had to focus to see the demons mute face. It was almost empathetic at this point. "You are correct. Everything you just said is something you should do. But you can't." It hovered closer, slowly dropping lower so its face was on level with Satou's. "I can though. I will save her for you. I will save her for last." It snickered.

The black tendrils surrounded him, encasing him in a thicker darkness, void of any light. Its voice but a whisper to his ears.
"You are out of time. She will die tonight. Either she dies with becoming their plaything. Or I will kill her myself. One path she will die without dignity, the other, well, I'll make it a quick death. But none the less, I will feast on her blood, flesh and bone tonight Satou." Its chilling shrill voice was twisting into different low snarling octaves. The eyes of the demon were glowing so brightly, like pools of fire seething forth. Satou's face was stricken cold, he could feel it coming out. It was forcing its way through his mind, the world around him was pitch darkness, he couldn't feel anything.

First was his body going numb, then lack of taste. He couldn't breath, couldn't scream. It was a pitch frozen world. Yet he could sense it all around him, the tiny voices screeching. Claws scratching. "Let me out!" The voices cried in unison. And Satou had not the will to disobey. Here and now, he broke under the pressure. Years of holding back the storm of power, the rage, the hunger.

"Let me out." It whispered deeper, like and echo in his head, pulsating over and over again. "No. Sukino. Sukino." He whispered trying to close his eyes and picture the girl, her sunny smile, her beautiful beaming eyes and long flowing hair. But slowly, the images became muddy, unclear. The color was fading, everything was fading back to that abysmal dark.

"I must save her." He tried to say, but it came out mumbled and dulled by the slack of muscle control. He wanted to cry out to her, but he was losing control. He was losing to the void of helplessness in this situation. "Please, give me, the power to save her. I swear to you. I'll do it. I'll drink, so please. Give me power!" He cried out the last bit of strength he had before pitching forward."

"Sukino. forgive me." It was inaudible from his voice going out in mumble, a few tears were shed before his body hit the cold floor. Of course, it did'nt feel cold anymore. His hands started to burn as they scraped along the ground, stone breaking. The metal cuffs torn clean from his legs. Standing, breathing in the cold cellar. His breath heated. The body felt great. "Oh How I missed this feeling. Now then," The demon fixed the rags the body was wearing. "Time for dinner."
_____________________________________________________________________
Grom looked to Sukino, his eyes warmed over this small creature. He felt truly ill at his families displays. He did'nt want the girl to be living in fear of them. He wished for her to love them and for them to accept her. Though after glaring down his two brothers and father who was eying Sukino oddly yet naturally as was his fathers nature. Grom was the first to stand at call when the small frail girl asked to be taken to her room to rest.

But he raised before his mother could interject with words, which gave him resounding thud to the floor from the mental slap from his mother. Only to stand stroking his jaw. "Yes you may dear." She answered to them both. "Here's something to help sleep. Please rest well my dear." She then got up. Stride over in a single step behind the girl and wrapped her in layers of her sleeves like a blanket in the embrace, soft supple lips gently kissing the girls cheek.

A wave of sensations shooting through Sukino's body tingled a trance like euphoria. Both Sukino and Kahako felt the lull of the succubus lips. Almost enthralling was the sensation coming across from the table as the Incubus's body radiated a faint white glow. Liliana glared over at her husband. "You best stop that before I walk over there and deal with you myself." She glanced to Grom and waved the two children off out the room. Which Grom replied quickly grabbing Sukino, lifting her small frame up in his giant arms like a cradle of muscles and whisked her out the room into the infinite hallways.

In the room behind large closed doors, both Grom and Sukino could hear the demonic couple scuffling. The giant paced down the hallway till the yelling was no longer in ear shot.

________________________________________________________________________

Inside the room the remaining four sat and ate, finishing the meat and moved on to other delicacies. Eating what they preferred to fill their darker needs. The whole group in there thralling demonic debauchery failed to notice there was an unattended body sitting in one of the chairs, the chair Sukino had sat in was now occupied by a well dressed Ketsueki Satou. Yet he looked far from human yet much more healthier fresh demon look. His skin had retained color, healthy tan after being out in the desert wastes. his eyes had that pitch black with red iris's that glowed behind his long black locks, hair long and healthy fall and movement to it. Posture completely lax. His teeth a pearly white set of razor sharp fangs that tore into a plate of meat. "Damn, this some good stuff."

He belched and wiped the mouth with the fancy sleeve, looking up from his plate at the incubus. With the most awestruck look written similarly on each face at that table. "Oh yeah I needed new cloths, couldn't show up for dinner looking like those mortal things you lot play with." He waved a fork at the human bodies sprawled about the table. "You all eat like this? How sad, poor table manners?" Then came the onslaught of powers.

Of course the demon within Satou knew this was going to happen, a wave of the free hand and several mortal bodies torn asunder by the force, yet the four demons hit by Satou's power was simply sitting back in their seats. Forced to the chairs that were even buckling under the pressure. All looking pale stricken, fear was evident when not a one talked or moved.

"No, not like that. You can't all just jump at me the second you feel threatened. Are we not demons? Are we not better then the mortal creatures who kill when they suddenly see a more superior creature then themselves? I say nay, let me breath in a bit. Get you all lots attention for a moment. Just a bit of time to speak, I'll be humble. This a first." He waved his hand again to release them. All breath a silent sigh.
Liliana was the first to talk, she couldn't turn to look at the demon sitting so close to her, but noticing something glimmering off the demons neck. "You're wearing my jewelry?" She almost let out a chuckle, a bit upset even. Satou laughed softly holding up the many necklaces he simply threw on. "Oh, sorry, I liked how they shinned. Thought I might make Sukino wear them before I kill her." His words whipped the smile clean from Liliana's perfect lips. "The girl? You're going to kill her?!" Her slightest heightened voice caused the vice grip force around her neck once more.

Satou stood, all did not move even without the powers holding them down, the mother of the brood slowly chocking. Pacing slowly over to her, a wide passive grin on his lips. Hers a horror stricken purple face soon to expose as he leaned in whispering. "I'm going to eat her up, like sweets. After I have something a bit filling first." He then whipped his right arm wide as hand cleared off the woman's head with a single stroke of the unseen force.

Blood bathed him, mouth a gap, swallowing the delicious crimson spray. The three then braved themselves a second run at Satou. All wielding devastating powers, yet, with a simple wave of the demons hand. Three sat down once more.

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

Sukino couldn’t have been less prepared for what was about to happen. Kahako even more so as she could only see what Sukino could see. Feel only what the woman could feel. Would Kahako learn the truth at the end? Who knew. Would she want to know? A more vague answer.

----


"Yes you may dear." Sukino’s plea to leave the room was granted. She felt something… uncomfortable coming from her new ‘father,’ but she refused to look at anyone for fear of antagonizing any of them more. "Here's something to help sleep. Please rest well my dear." Engulfed in long, lengthy arms, the kiss upon her cheek left a feeling she had never felt before. Kahako wasn’t completely new to the feeling, but the extent was almost too much to bear. As Julius began to glow white, both Sukino and Kahako were pulled to him with a yearning that was near impossible to ignore. The only thing that tempered the feeling was Grom physically picking Sukino up and pulling her away from the table. Away from the temptation.

In a few quick steps, the the incubus’s effect lost it’s pull, leaving the girl with a feeling of wonder and exhaustion. Before she knew it, the loud door to the main hall closed behind them with a surprisingly quiet click. She was carried back through the halls to her room. For a while, she lay silent in the tall demon’s arms. Nothing more than a human who breathed and felt. Kahako was also caught in the haze. All she could understand was energy. Her mind couldn’t distinguish her arm from Grom’s body, or Grom’s body from the walls the walls from the air and the air from the world. Everything pulsed, everything felt. The feeling was good.

Simply put, Sukino and Kahako were high. Very high. Slowly, they lost understanding of where they were and who they were with. As she breathed in Grom’s scent, Sukino noticed how different it was. Yet the dark hair that fell into her vision was Satou’s, no? Even if the scent was off, it had to be her beloved. Her gentle hand stroked the long thick locks of black. She could hear her own voice call out softly in his ear. “Your hair is growing out a bit long.” It was more annoyed and playful. Not at all filled with fear as it had been before. Red eyes looked down at her, but the emotion was now beyond her understanding. Delusional, and with the familiar pressure that only belonged to her demon lover in the distance, Sukino conceded that this was indeed Satou. She smiled up at him, the smile bright and given to only one man. “I love you Satou-otto.” Her soft lips kissed his neck.

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

Grom felt the girl stir in his arms. He knew all too well the entrancing euphoria of a succubus curse, let alone his fathers aura. He himself inherited some of that blood, sensing the burning passion that swells in this girl, her softened tentative voice was now relaxed and at ease. It was when he was at her bedroom door he heard the soft whispers of her voice calling him her husband, she was taken by another. Yet even with this knowledge, Grom couldn't help his demonic lusts. Sukino's soft lips kissing his neck burned him deeply. He had never felt so enthralled for a human. As before he opened the door he turned his head to face hers, his lips gently brushing against soft supple lips.

His own moistened. Rough, strong thick lips. Suffocating her in a longing deep kiss. Burning through her an intense fire inside that washed over every coherent thought she could muster. "Come Sukino-Okusan, show me your love for me." He whispered, slamming the door behind him. He whisked her to bed, there he preformed passionately and lovingly for Sukino, all the while divulging her in the carnal euphoria of an incubus's aura. Her mind slowly melting away, so much so she began to even forget who she was or what she was doing. All her body and mind could want was happening right then and there and she could not want anything else then to be with her lover.

Kahako was within the same position as Sukino, her mind was all a flutter with carnal needs that she could barely control. The tingling sensations would not cease no matter how long she waited for it to pass.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The three demons sat tentatively as Satou was finishing another plate of meat, then went bout the table. Slowly enjoying each and every plate. Only to stop and chat with the person he was taking food from. First was Orcien, the giant mountain of a man was almost going to die of embarrassment. Being locked in his seat by some strange power. While this small framed creature was stealing his meal from him. He couldn't even fathom how this small thing had so much power. Satou began the conversation. "So, you like the weather this time of year? I do, the sun feels so nice." He was making idle banter. To which his surprise the giant demon spat on him.

The thick mucus on Satou's shoulder dripped off. The short stature demon looked up, eyes a glowing hellfire. "Bad choice." He mumbled before leaping up in a simple jump to get enough height and distance to stab the sharp cutting knife into the demons throat. Which was the only soft spot besides one other vulnerable bits but, Satou was being courteous at the dinner table. The hot red flowed out so beautifully along with the sound of gurgling. Satou kept the hold on the body from jerking or moving, the other two sitting did'nt even flinch.

Crawling onto the creatures back he grabbed the hilt of the knife and gave a violent jerk with a loud snap as the spine broke as it went with a long twist and then allowed Orcien's body to go limp. Satou crawled back down slowly, once on the ground he took the demons large arm and slice the wrist. His blood flowed out rather slowly due to its thick skin and took a few more slashes before prominently bleeding without halt. Taking a fine empty crystal class he filled it with Orcien's blood. Bringing it to his lips, smelling it softly before tipping the glass back and sipping the blood like wine. Wincing almost a bit. "Hmm, goes cold quick it does." He mumbled to himself, pacing counter clockwise back around the table to the opposite seat where Beloth sat. Satou paused as he kicked Beloth to the floor, the demon sprung back to his feet, readying some sort of spell or form of magic. But was soon pushed down to the floor. "Did I say you could stand up?"

He only heard a mumbling sorry before even his lips were silenced. the incubus smirked, which was rather forced. He was pained with the loss of his beloved wife, and his children. Oh what did he care, he could have more. He just needed to survive. But as Satou finished Beloth's plate he moved over to Julius whom he stood over, motioning for the demon to relax and stay in his seat. "Please allow me sir, to be kind to you. I am a guest at your home." He then began cutting pieces and feeding them to the Host. With which he ate slowly. And Satou would calmly cut another piece, so on and so forth. This awkward feeding moment had gone on too long. "She will no longer be yours Satou." Julius finally had the muscle strength in his jaw to saw something. The fork with the final piece of meat on Julius's plate halted. Satou's face was solid, grim expressionless. "Speak up." He commanded.

Julius answered. "Sukino, she is with one of my sons as we speak. I doubt her body and mind belong to her husband now. Even if you were to run there now you might make it in time to save her some dignity." The incubus's cocky grin was its last. The fork that held meat was soon lodged down Julius's throat. Suffocating, chocking, gasping, silence. Satou straightened himself. "Well, lets hope the husband doesn't wake up before he gets to see his lovely wife then. I really wanna see the look on her face when she realizes the man who loved her, who risked life,limb and sanity to get to her-" Satou's face went into a horrific twisted grin. "To see his face wrecked with pain. Oh the misery inside is so tangible I can feel it on my tongue!" In the heat of moment excited at the soon to be tragedy that he let Beloth go.

Beloth leaped up, finishing the last few words of his spell before sending out a mental blast so strong it physically sent Satou flying across the table. The impact had suddenly knocked the air out of him, a feel unfamiliar. In his fit of glee was soon replace by rage as the table sundered apart by the force of Satou's power. His blackened aura like tendrils now visibly slithering along the ground, all of it. The room was covered in Satou's demonic aura. And slowly, it diminished back to just a tentative cloud of darkness about him. The demon inside was calming.

Beloth was halted, not by Satou's power, but by the fear of its display. He knew mentally how powerful the creature really was in that one body. It terrified the mind eating demon as it coward back as Satou approached. Hand outstretched, the horrid suffocating feeling of something slithering around Beloth's neck before he could mumble out something, a mental charge shot to Satou's forehead. Satou's twisting his hand as he fell back, snapped the mind eaters neck like a twig. Both falling to the floor.

Who knows how long Satou laid there bleeding from the forehead, slowly trying to move. The room shaking, everything throbbing with pain. All of it rushing back in when his nerves came alive. Screams of pain from the attacks he's suffered as his body adapts to what it went through. Slowly the pain ebbed away, he could stand but his movements were sluggish and tumbling to the ground a few times as he ran from the sight of the room. "Sukino..." Satou whispered softly, he was himself. Or he had hoped he had regained control. Running through the hallways, its whispers in his head were getting louder and louder. Like screaming from a distance. He just kept running from the yells of the demon before he happened upon a certain door after running for so long.

His feet stopped when he heard her through the door. His hand pushing the door open. "Sukino-"

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

Hues. The world was nothing but hues. Red tinged with black, a reflection of warmth; and through it all the world pulsed around her. Nothing and everything filled her senses at once. No... everything filled her senses. Nothing could be distinguished from the other.

And when it was over, an indescribable happiness filled Sukino. Like she had just woken from a wonderful nap on a sunny morning. She didn’t reconnect with reality for a long time, just laying in a haze. A blissful haze with a smile on her face and a glint in her eyes. “I missed you Satou-otto.” Sukino called out lovingly as she lay on the man’s bare chest. “I missed how you would make me laugh and how you would cook us the food that you would hunt. The meats meshed so well with the food the villagers brought. It truly felt like home, even if we were hated.”

The creak of the door went unnoticed. "Sukino-" “Don’t leave me please,” she interjected to ‘Satou’ on the bed. Straddling him, she reached for his face in her small hands. She paid no heed to the other figure in the room. The reds of his eyes enticing her even further. “Never leave me.” Sukino whispered as she bent in for a kiss. Requesting a second round with a soft pull of her lips.

But something at the door eventually pulled her away from her lover. A noise maybe? A grunt of horror? Turning, she saw a tall, fit man dressed in a suit and covered in blood. “Who is that?” Sukino called to ‘Satou’ on the bed. What the real Satou would see from the door would be his beloved Sukino, bare and freshly ravished.

He should have known it would turn out this way. He had always been too late. But would he notice the hollowness in her eyes? Her thin and pale skin, even though she healthy and supple just moments before? Could a man, just encountering his worst fear see the bruises on Sukino’s skin where the demon Grom held onto her too tightly in their love making? Would Ketsueki Satou see the life drained out of his wife, or would he see the love of his life in the arms of another? At her own free will no less?

Grom sat from his laying position and wrapped Sukino within his arms. Instinctively, Sukino laid her head against his bare chest, taking warmth with the embrace. Her long hair cascaded down her body in waves, tickling both of their skins. She paid no heed to the stranger at the door. Instead, her mind drifted. She was engulfed in the presence of the incubus that still held her. It consumed her. She wanted more. “Please don’t leave, no matter what the man says,” she called softly.

_____

Inside, there was a battle of a different kind. The pull of the demon’s aura mixed with the curse drove Kahako mad, and she just barely retained her consciousness. At least, until Grom laid Sukino’s body onto the bed. In those long minutes, Kahako was not separate from Sukino. Sukino was no longer a body that Kahako was experiencing memories though. Just as it affected Sukino, Kahako was nothing more than flesh receiving senses.

And in that moment, something broke. No, something was released. Flashes of pictures crossed her mind, but in her current state, none were noticed. There may have been a blue haze, but it didn’t even register as something separate like everything else around her.

It wasn’t until the hollow eyes of Sukino passed over a shaded figure at the doorway did ‘Kahako’ come to be again. In the matter of milliseconds, thoughts rushed past Kahako’s inner mind. Too fast for her to pick out, but the few that did stick left her mind in a reeling freefall. They were memories, but they weren’t her memories. At least, she believed they weren’t hers. There were too many to analyze one for any period of time. There were things that happened that had nothing to do with Kahako. Places she had seen that she never been to. In that short span of connected eyes, thousands upon millions of thoughts that weren’t her own rushed into her mind. And just as quickly as they came, they left. And the entity known as ‘Kahako’ along with them. Stifled and suffocated by the aura of the demons around her.

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

It was one of the most uncomfortable moments, the swelling of emotions. The feeling of power roaring in him, all with the whispers of the demon. Satou stood in the doorway for what felt like an eternity, entranced at how engulfed Sukino had simply aired him away as a stranger. The tears were impossible to hold back, streaking down his cheek. "Sukino-Okusan...." He mumbled, barely load enough to hear over Groms voice and that of Sukino.

"Do you not see him Sukino? It is your husband Sato-" Before he could finish a blast of invisible force shattered Groms jaw with a might snap. Then tightly round both the necks of Grom and Sukino, swiftly both of them parted on opposite sides of the room. Sukino hitting the wall quite hard while Grom went deep into the thick onyx stone. Satou's pace was slow as he entered the room fully. Bathing the entire room with the feeling of death in the air.

His eyes a hellish glow as the blackened aura seeped from his body, his tears red like blood. Wiping them with his fingers, the demon hardly heard petty garbled words from Grom. A wave of the hand, the powers inside were his now. The ethereal tendrils of force severed Groms head from his body. His blood spurting, pooling. It was quick kills, yet. He felt no hatred. There was only a bitter emptiness now, something needing to fill it. Satou's demonic eyes looked upon his wife. The women he married, the women he was going to bed with, to raise a family.

It was as if the demon itself was playing this cruel joke on him, his world was shattering. The force around her neck tightened as he slowly dragged her towards him. The menacing aura was eating away at the ground and the room itself. His skin looked alive as veins trailed up his neck, all sorts of thoughts running through his mind. Though the most prominent was the beast inside, growling and churning. Fangs extended his teeth bared as he snarled at her, for the first time together he's never felt such anger towards her. Yet, it was mostly brought on from the pain surrounding him, suffocating him. He acted like an animal now, sniffing the air about her. Pacing about like a predator ready to pounce and rip into her neck.


________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kahako but only blinked and she was once more in a sense a spiritual form. She couldn't feel but see and move, looking upon her own body. She was in a calming, relaxed room. A dark room, the trimmings weren't as important as the walls being cases upon cases of movie tap cossets surrounded her. The door to the room was opened, leaving out to hallways of video tapes covering every space possible. In the middle of the large comfy room was a fireplace, a large TV, and a lounging couch. Sitting upon the couch was none other then the child demon Satou, watching the scene that is unfolding between him and Sukino on the tv.

"Yo! Human, come sit with me! You're gonna miss the good stuff." The demon boys face lit with a strange joy. "And you best sit, this part you need to see for yourself." The boy sat down, now with a bag of popcorn in hand. Tapping a spacious spot beside him on the couch.

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

Sukino nuzzled into the man’s chest, content on the heartbeat she heard and the warmth she felt. “Do you not see him Sukino? It is your husband, Sato—“ faster than she could realize, a pressure unlike any other wrapped around her neck and slammed her into the wall. If she could breathe, Sukino would have screamed in pain. It was like a nasty wake up call. She nearly blacked out from the pain just as Kahako returned to reality.. Naturally reaching for what held onto her neck, Sukino, desperately struggled to get away. She looked to Satou on the floor for help, seeing the crater on imprinted into the floor made her struggle more as she looked to their assailant who slowly entered the room.

It was Satou. ‘What?!’ Sukino tried to speak, to breathe; but to no avail. What happened? Fear gripped her as grabbed again at what pinned her to the wall. She gazed at the two men in the room, confusion still holding her, she was just with Satou. She was just with Satou! Right? Right?! Grom’s head flew through the air and rolled next to her feet. She watched his body land, separate and bleeding in the pit on the onyx floor. Sukino’s heart filled with unbearable terror. Pupils dilated as the truth ended it’s roll at the tips of her toes. Eyes that were looking up at her slowly closed as Grom’s mouth twitched for a few seconds before stilling forever. She didn't even have a moment to feel filthy and used.

Then it was her turn, her body, no longer capable of holding itself fell to the ground when the dark tendrils started to pull her in. Struggling, clawing, silently screaming Sukino cut and bruised flesh in a desperate attempt to escape. She silently begging Satou to stop, to understand, but not even whimpers could come out of her crushed larynx. The grip around her tightened, slowly pulling her closer and closer to the black abyss that watched her in a silent rage. He was going to kill her. She betrayed him and he was going to kill her. ‘I didn’t know’ she tried to say again and again in hysterics. Tears rushed down her face as her eyes grew bloodshot, her face turned purple ‘I didn’t know, I’m sorry, I didn’t know’ But no amount of soundless begging, of clawing, of scratching would sedate her husband.

Kahako, equally caught up in the curse until the moment of Grom’s death, was fighting a battle on her own level. Confused and panicked, she couldn’t even respond to what was happening to her. How long did she believe she was Sukino? What happened while they were both dazed? While her senses were assaulted by what Satou was doing to his wife, her mind was enduring an onslaught of emotions and memories. But it wasn’t just memories of what happened in these last horrific minutes. It was so much more. Happy memories, sad memories, memories of a childhood and young adulthood, memories of pain. All of them, all at once, and the largest being the overwhelming sense of regret that wept from Sukino’s very soul. It was worse to bear that the pain of not being able to breathe. So much worse.


Everything rush back to her, and in a panic she lifted Sukino’s arm to reach for Satou. Reach out to him in hopes that he would stop. Her chakra raising in natural defense. She blinked only for a second. It was long enough to find herself in a calm, dim room. Though she couldn’t feel any pain, she gasped and coughed as a natural reaction. “Where… what-”

"Yo! Human, come sit with me! You're gonna miss the good stuff." She saw the large screen on the other side of a sofa, the small child-like demon, and the scene she just experienced. "And you best sit, this part you need to see for yourself."

He didn’t have to tell her twice. As a matter of fact, before he could finish she rushed towards the television, nearly face-planting the ground as she struggled an uncoordinated leap over the couch. “No!” she screamed in agony, body shaking when she reached the screen. Both hands were on the bottom of the black frame as she fell to her knees. “She didn’t know.” she sobbed, screaming at Satou through the TV hoping her voice would reach him. Her voice higher pitch than it had ever been in her life. “Satou, she didn’t know,” she screamed again. Broken. Wrecked with Sukino’s final emotions and thoughts, Kahako couldn’t look away, her mouth agape as a wail from deep within her pierced silence in the room. Tears streaked down her face as her mouth gaped in horror. Through sobs, crazed screams, even over the demon’s requests to simmer down, Kahako chanted. “She didn’t know, Satou, she didn’t know.”

She didn’t know…

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

The room was clustered with a thick air of death, blood and the danger of the blackened aura bringing out the feeling of death so clearly one could taste it. For Satou, his tongue thirsted for the taste of this women's blood. His mind was a whirlpool of collided opinions from himself and the demon deep below. His face showed the signs of struggle, his tears still held a reddish hue. His movements became more rigid as he closed in on Sukino. He stopped periodically withing the few seconds. His eyes changing color from a deep dark gray to a vibrant burning red. Every time he stopped the colors diminished and he would breath for a seconds time only to fall back into a stalking pattern.

With every step the mental bickering grew and escalated.

No please, don't hurt her. I need her, we need her! Don't do this!
Feed me.
No, I will never drink from her! I will not let you taint her as you have so many others!
Do you think you hold power over me mortal!?
I can try! And if I fail, if you dare harm her I will destroy us both!
You may try, but you will never be rid of me!
___________________________________________________

"Always stubborn, you human lot." Mumbled the child demon on the couch, munching loudly on popcorn. "By the way, good job on the dream running so far. You did good for you're first time." He chuckled, popping a corn in the air and letting it fall into his mouth with perfect accuracy. "This is why you're here, now, watching this. This moment in his life. One of many memories he wishes never to remember."
___________________________________________________

His movements stopped when he encircled her, close enough his hot breath was hitting the skin of her neck. His eyes a glow so bright with demonic presence they looks almost on fire. His fangs long and extended fully an inch and a half. His skin rippled with throbbing veins, hungering for that sweet nurturing blood. He looked more of a monster then the demon family that tried taking Sukino in.

His hand raised and the forces moved her body into his. The grip around her throat disappeared and she almost fell into him. His thin arms wrapping around her small frame. His hold on her was gentle, not forced.

Immediately as she came into the embrace his mouth sought out her flesh, his lips parting when he felt the intense pulsating of her heart beat through the veins in her neck.

Blood, give her blood to me! Mouth parted, his fangs scrapped gently along the skin where her jugular was located, just long enough to hit the artery. Sukino could feel the gentle pressure of Satou's fangs gently pierce the skin. Her blood flowing like water into his mouth as he repeatedly bit down again and again. Lost in the soothing taste of sanguine. All the anger and rage ebbed away as the demon became satisfied with its meal.

It wasn't till the demon inside lulled itself back to slumber after its feast that the man inside had control once more. When Satou had regained control of himself. His eyes widened in horror at what he had done, his mouth left the wound on the poor girls neck. Holding the wound shut with his hand, doing everything to stifle cries of pain as he pulled her close. "I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry Sukino." He could hardly make out his own words as tears began streaking down his cheek and neck.

He held the girl close, doing his best to stop the bleeding yet he knew, he took too much and slowly she was dieing. "I did'nt mean for this...I..." He couldn't find the words as they choked out from the engrossed smell of Sukino's blood still pulsating from the wound with each heart beat.
"Please, forgive me. Sukino, I love you." He gently petted her cheek, trying to hold onto her as long as possible.

He did as any normal human would, he looked about in a panic. Frantically looking around and yelling out for someone to help. But no one was going to help them, they were alone. In this castle of ebony stone walls, this place felt so cold and lifeless now against all its extravagant decorations and blood stained floors.

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

Kahako couldn’t have told you when she stopped screaming. Maybe it was when the demon behind her commented on the tenacity of humanity. Maybe it was the moment Satou sunk his flesh into Sukino’s jugular confirming her doom. The only person who would truly know would be the demon. Kahako herself was too engrossed in what was going on the other side of the television.

Quiet sobs wrecked the kunoichi’s body a she watched Sukino’s face turn from a fearful purplish-blue to a weary pale. Her medical training told her, based on the bruising alone, that if the blood loss didn’t kill her, then her crushed esophagus would. The demon was thorough in incapacitating it’s prey. And when it was over, when Satou finally pulled away to hold the girls neck firmly, Kahako knew, even before he begun to drink from her, it was too late to save her.

"I didn’t mean for this...I..." She couldn’t look anymore. Satou would try his best to keep her alive. That irrational psychological hope that there was still a way to save her was too much for Kahako to bear. ‘Satou...’ But Sukino would not hear his apologies. Though her body wasn’t officially dead, she lost consciousness long ago. "Please, forgive me. Sukino, I love you." And the truth was, Sukino died believing Satou killed her because of her betrayal. Not because of his hunger. ‘Satou...’

“Enough,” Kahako quietly begged as she curled into herself crying. Her knees and legs barely supported her as she hid her sobs into her hands. Everything kept replaying in her head, over and over again up until the moment the demon pulled Kahako out of Sukino’s body. ‘Satou...' "Please… enough… I have seen enough...” Kahako’s whole body shook with sobs. No wonder Satou wanted to hide these memories away. Under the same circumstances, she would have done the same. It was her presence, Kahako’s existence, that made him want to unearth this horrible nightmare of a memory. That knowledge made the kunoichi realize how much of a curse she was to the man. “Oh, Raiden-sama, what have I done?” Kahako whispered as she rocked back and forth. ‘Satou...’

She didn’t know how long she sat in that position crying. “Why did you show me this?” she eventually asked the demon when she could speak between her sobs. “Why was this memory so important that you had to show it to me first?”

Anger welled in Kahako’s grieving heart. “Was it because that is what you foresee in my future?”</B><i></i> Her tone quickly grew accusatory, lashing out at the creature who created this. “Do you see yourself drinking your fill from me until there is nothing left?”<i></i> She found her balance again as she rose to look angrily at the demon in a child’s body, tears still pouring from her eyes. How could she think this creature could feel sympathy for humans? He was curious about humanity, but not to understand and be like them. He was curious, because their struggles entertained him. “I am not Sukino, I will not--”<i></i> ‘SATOU...’<i></i>

Just as Kahako said his wife’s name, a voice separate from her own screamed through her head. No, not a voice, a feeling. It was so strong, Kahako’s body jerked backwards as if a force pushed her off her feet. Her elbow hit the television screen behind her, the impact causing a crack in the scene where Satou continued to scream for help in the empty halls of the castle. “What’s happening?”<i></i> she whispered frantically as the feeling consumed her. Once again, flashes of moments passed her eyes. ‘Satou… Satou… Satou...’ <i></i> Kahako’s pupils dilated flittering left and right as thousand upon thousands of memories flicked past her eyes like she was watching a ramped up slideshow. Emotions flew across Kahako’s mind with each moment. Emotions that weren’t hers. Emotions… feelings…

Kahako looked at the child demon in the room, his form fading in and out of her vision. He had a blue… hue… aura around him. “How did you know Sukino’s memories?” Kahako said quietly as she suffered another intense wave of emotions and memories. <B>“If I was just dream walking, how did you know her feelings of love and regret? How did you know what was happening to her while you and Satou were locked in your cell?”<i></i> The blue aura around the demon grew lighter. Kahako watched it pull towards her, as if trying to get away from the demon and latch onto the kunoichi before him. The movement and flow of it looked… like chakra. ‘Satou...’<i></i> it whispered to Kahako, in a woman’s voice.

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

The feeling in the room did'nt change. The demonic entity of a childlike Satou, sitting on the couch, amusingly watching this young girl flip her lid. Crying and sobbing, whining and screaming. Oh what interesting noises she made when her voice cracked.

His jaw tensing, feeling the muscles flexing along the skin. It was nice, to have this sensation, to feel. But not many would understand this little predicament. When the whining began to grow so intense that the girl had clumsily smashed the TV, the demon child winced from the light.

As if frantically trying to distance itself from Kahako now. Running to the farthest corner of the room. "No she is mine! You can't have her, you can't take her away from me!" He screamed in distress as the child now looks somewhat helpless. The blue light whispering gentle tethers of mist like chakra from his body, reaching out to Kahako.

The child stood and ran to the doorway in a blur, leaving a trail of blue mist behind him. "Do you think these are his?!" The child exclaimed swinging its arm about gesturing at all the videotapes. "It all belongs to them, belongs to her. Their minds, their souls, their very beings I've taken from them to sate myself. To fill the void which I am! I am the devourer! I am the stealer of hopes and dreams, I am the nightmare which you humans wake in a cold sweat in

the middle of the night! I will consume all life and do so with a smile on my face. I am the thing underneath your bed when you check for it. The noise in the closet, the chill on the back of your neck!" The devil child's grin was wide, but its eyes were pained, its figure hunched, breathing heavily as if it were to collapse. The flowing aura began to creep along the floor.

"Yet I am plagued by this thing called a conscience. Ketsueki Satou, I have carried that name and that life for so long. He thinks himself a man still. A creature to be saved, but I want him to see the truth. To know what he is and forever will be. He is a monster as I have created him! A tool to be used by you mortal things! So you may use him as you please, use his power to wipe this world clean or simply command him like a slave. He is yours now, as is all this!" He waved to the thousands of tapes along the walls.

"All the lives I took, all the pain and suffering you mortals endured for thousands of years collected inside me! You may have it all, but not this one." it tried to draw the aura back into itself but it was failing miserably, the child fell to the ground. Shaking more with frustration, tears welling in its eyes. "You had to be just like her. You had to taste the same, look the same, even the kindness of your heart matches hers." Its voice but a sad whisper.

"I want to keep her with me forever, because I hold the same emotions as my mortal coil. I will not lose her, he will not lose her. She will be with him forever. This was what he wanted." Spoken through mumbled lips as the soft wisp floated to Kahako. He motioned to the cracked TV which was still playing with perfect picture.

"If he is to remember this moment, I don't know what he will do." With that the child crawled back to the couch, it looked weakened. In pain. Falling back onto the couch, a defeated slump.

______________________________________________________________________________

Holding her in his arms, life was draining from her eyes. Her face as pale as Satou's Leaning in to feel her breath on wetted lips. She was still alive, but she wasn't going to last much longer. Choking down the tears, the frustrations, the guilt that sank him into a dark hole. There was a light, there was hope.

Speak to me...
What?
Can you save her?
You really asking me to save a delicious meal? Do I get left overs?
I will kill myself if you don't silence the arrogance and tell me what I want to hear.
What, that I can take her life into me? Into you? Do you know how cramped it is in here? How many dead things I've collected?
So help me if you do not stop your dribbling I will end us both!
Fine! I'll do it! Jeez, tough guy to please. Well, there is a problem.
What?
I need you to give in to me once more, I promise, no joy rides.
Do what you must, please, save her.

Letting go of the dark forces within, bursting forth the blackened void of chakra encased both Satou and Sukino. His eyes pooled with the burning hunger of a demon. The monster within came forth, breathing in the cool air of the room and the delicious smell of death. Looking down at the frail little animal he just so recently tried to end.

Leaning in close, lips almost kissing hers. His breath sucked inward slowly. But instead of a natural clear breathing in, it sounded guttural and deep from his stomach. Mouth slowly opening wider as he drew her lips wide open. Then came a more violent notion from her as a faint blue light floated out past her lips.

With which the demon quick breathed in and ate in one swallow. The burning light shone bright down his throat, hitting the stomach. But it wasn't food, it was something else. Then the violent motion was from his body, jerking and convulsing. He gently dropped the dead girls body. Twisting and writhing on the floor.

Memories and feelings that Sukino had for Satou coursed through both the mind of the demon and Satou. It wasn't some magical experience, it was as though living through her life on fast forward. Having every little detail crammed into your brain in seconds time.

There were no words to describe the pain of joining something so difficult and intricate. It lasted for a good thirty minutes till his body went limp. A cold dead look in his eyes as he laid motionless for a few seconds. Blinked, breathed in a rough draw of breath and cough.

Body slowly getting feeling back. Vision blurred like last time. Doing his best to blink it away, crawling towards the body. Laying next to her, holding her. Craddling her in his arms he did his best to get up and carry her.

He clothed and cleaned her, fixed her hair and hide the wounds with delicate cloths. Time flew by while preparing the body. He almost acted dead himself, he did'nt have an expression on his face. As if his mind had left him and something was working the body for him. When he spent several hours running through the labyrinth of doors and hallways. He found a servants exit.

With which he noticed a caravan approaching. A way to get as far from this place as possible. Turning back to look at the hallways, how lavished everything looked yet now so empty. Leaving Sukino's body in better condition, sleeping in the soft elegant bed of the former Matrons. Her dress was simple yet elegant. And that image of her, in that eternal sleep. It will haunt his dreams for the rest of his immortal life.

Make me forget...
What?
Make me forget about all this, about her, about this place. About myself.
You sure about this? You won't have my power completely at your disposal. It will take some time for you to adapt again.
I don't care about the power, I can't live like this. I know you will not let me die with her then at least let this part of me die with her, lock my memory of this with her.

There was a few moments of brief utter silence in his mind.

Where do we go after this?
I don't know, someplace cold. Some mountains perhaps.

With that he started walking towards the approaching caravan that had strange yet familiar writing on the bannisters. The TV screen goes dark. Picture fades. Tape stops, pops out the TV and sits neatly to be taken.

The child sat patiently, staring at Kahako, his deep glowing amber eyes showing underneath locks of raven hair.

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

The blue charkra called out to her, struggled to detach from Satou, all the while calling his name inside her mind. She heard the demon’s words, but the assault on her mind kept her mostly silent. “No,” she whispered through the air. Was it to the demon who looked dismayed as the last of the blue chakra pulled away from him? Or was it to the chakra that wrapped itself around Kahako like a snake wraps it’s prey? Either way, she didn’t want or agree to something.

"I want to keep her with me forever, because I hold the same emotions as my mortal coil,” the child said as the chakra reached her mouth. She was not willing, but still her lips parted as if she wanted to take the bite. The pictures that flew past her mind suddenly became clear as something inside… clicked.

Her body spasmed as the chakra rushed through her lines. Her own surged to protect her, but just as the two were to clash, her chakra just let it pass by. Kahako felt no pain, her mind currently separated from her body, but the violence of this invading power shook her so hard her head slammed against the ground several times. Like a seizure, but a thousand times worse.

Through it all, Kahako remained distinctly aware of what the demon said and did. Like another presence was listening for her. When her body finally stilled, she knew and understood what this presence was. And Kahako was afraid.

‘Don’t worry,’ Came the gentle whisper through her mind. It wasn’t very reassuring, but she tried to calm herself none the less. Silence filled the room as an argument with no words, just abstract thoughts, flashed through her mind. Eventually Kahako agreed. Slowly, the kunoichi sat and stood. The tape had popped out long ago, but she didn’t need to see the ending. She already had through anothers eyes hundreds of thousands of times over. As many times as the demon chose to watch it himself.

Slowly, she stood from the floor, walking over to the cassette and television all without looking at the boy who moped on the couch. “What an interesting thought,” came a voice from her mouth, breaking the silence in the room. It was her own voice, but laced thickly with an accent as if Kahako spoke her natural language for the first time. “Satou-otto, in all Kahako’s years upon researching the concept of demons, she believes that, among all life, humans are the closest thing to them. Shinobi are capable of the same terror, the same apocalyptic destruction of the spiritual and physical worlds. What separates one from the other is the human conscience. The ability to empathize if we so choose. With it, we dictate what is right and wrong. But what does right and wrong really mean when in the end every other living species ends up suffering because of our decisions?”

Turning with the cassette still in her hands, Kahako’s image changed. Like double vision, a second outline appeared, slightly detached from Kahako’s body. The more solid version of Kahako gazed out in a daze. Her eye movements mirroring the faded shadow, but the emotion within them was dull. As if Kahako was not awake. The shadow an exact image of the girl but with longer hair and older eyes. Sukino. “Which begets the question. Are humans just that evil? or…” she looked down at the tape held between her fingers. “...do you have more humanity in you than you care to realize?” She closed her eyes and held the tape close to her. “For so long I wanted to tell you that with no way say or speak to you.” A small chuckle emitted from Kahako’s lips. “You protest so much that you are a monster, but in the same breath you admit that you hold something precious.” She shadow’s eyes sparkled with mirth. “Yes, I have to agree with this young girl. You are more human than either of you are willing to admit. Humans are not as good as they believe. Demons are not as cruel as they make themselves out to be. What if humans are the problem and your hunger was created to purify the world? A thought that has cross her mind more than once it seems.”

Walking slowly over to the moping demon, Kahako sat on the couch next to him. She didn’t look at him, but at the cassette in his hands. “I would like to speak with him before you wake this girl and send her back to her body. I do not know what will happen when she leaves your mind, if I will go with her or return to you or… cease to exist. I do not even know if I am the Sukino you remember or just some… thing her memories created. But I want… no I need to speak with the Satou of today. The one who now remembers before he chooses to forget again.” Her arms lifted the little black square to her lips. There were many dark memories in this small cassette, but also very good ones as well. Ones that Kahako had not seen until their merge. “And, I would also like for you to be present as well.” A smile appeared again. “If you two can agree to stop bickering like you’re the married couple for once.”

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

The child froze on the couch, her voice was melodic in tone. He did not move or speak for the longest time, just his bright burning red eyes watching her every move. Listening to the words of an apparition. A portion of Sukino he locked away was now here, talking to him. The feeling, a feeling surged through him, it was Satou's feelings. Tears began to well in his eyes but simply wiped them away.

"You and this girl, you act so much alike. Humans change with experience. I have experienced through him for so long, I had begun to think and feel like a human. I've grown worrisome over this development. That sooner or later, I would lose to him and he would wake up from all these dreams. You will most likely leave here, this place is not where you should be. Maybe some time with that girl, you can guide her to helping him. All this," he motioned with his hands to the tapes on the walls. "He's going to be a mess, and what you'll soon see is what experiences have shaped him. Or for worse I should say what has twisted him. What humans perceive as evil is merely a definition of words and opinions."

The child got off the couch, walked over and took the tape. "You won't be seeing this anymore." He shot the tap perfectly back into the slot on the wall. Suddenly everything started shaking, the room began to crumble away. The TV before them shattered into pieces as the room dissolved around them, leaving a blinding white area. Padded white room, the ones that most mental patients are locked up in with straight jackets.

Where once sat a TV, no was a man covered in dark chains to the wall. From neck to legs he was barred to this place. This one room.


Satou's eyes opened, the blinding light usually left when the videos would stop and the demon would let him rest in the darkest corner. But being shove blindingly into the light. He tensed what muscles felt like to raise arms to shield his eyes from the light. "Leave me be, have I not suffered enough today? Must you make me watch another?" Satou had to squint, thinking the demon sitting upon the sofa but instead what his eyes saw stabbed at him harder then any blade could wound. "Kahako-chan? No, no it can't be.S-S-Sukino?" His lips trembled her name.

The demon sauntered over to the couch and sat down. "Yes and No. But that doesn't matter at the moment." He snapped his fingers and Satou's dark chains disappeared. "What matters now is, what are you going to do?" He looked to Kahako/Sukino. "I give you this, my conscience. My humanity."

Satou stood slowly, the appearance of him was gaunt and thinned, as if starved to death but could never die. He fell to Kahako's feet, crying and grabbing at her legs to hold her again so desperately. Mumbling her name and wishing this was not some horrible trick.

The demon sitting back watching shook his head. "This is what he's like, if I gave him all his pain, all his memories back of what he has done. Do you think Kahako will respect him, a blithering mess like this?" Motioning to the broken man on the floor. "He is yours, as he is hers. Deal with him as you wish, soon enough the memories will start to build up in his mind once he wakes. He'll probably end up like this." The boy laid his head back ignoring the burning glare from Satou who pulled his attention from Sukino/Kahako.

"You sealed me here, away from her. Forcing me to watch all of these...."memories" you so fondly enjoy."His words spit like venom in his graveled dry voice. "I asked to be with her forever, and you burn me for an eternity of this depressing scenes."

"Yes!" The boy yelled with a smile. "A lesson, a lesson for you both!" He jumped off the couch and walked around the room, pacing rather gracefully. "If I did not show you how breakable our chains are, how easy it is for you to fall. You will never learn to stand back up on your own two feet. You can not rely on others all the time. love, caring, it is all good for you mortals. But for a demon, you must be more then that. I must be more then that!" He screamed the last part running right up to Satou's face, grabbing hold of him with supernatural strength and yanking him from Sukino/Kahako.

"I want you to become better then this. To lose that weaker sense of humanity in you. To finally accept that you are not like them!" The boy smacked Satou once, twice. Sending him back to Sukino/Kahako's feet. "I want to stop the sentimental in you. Because its more then just effecting me. It has made you weak."

Satou could barely muster the strength to lift himself, feeling as if gravity shifted to weigh him down. His arm muscles flexing to strain and support him as he got up slowly. The demon child looked as though he would strike Satou again.

"My love for her has kept me to this point and I will never let go. Even if you rend me to pieces by haunting me with my past. You will feel the same love I have for her, and its slowly killing you isn't it?"Spoke the half beaten Satou. The boy demon twitched.

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

And just like that, the little room shattered. Sukino was not surprised by this, she always knew the flashiness of Satou’s personality didn’t come from his human side. The blinding white light, however, made her eyes wince. "Leave me be, have I not suffered enough today? Must you make me watch another?" Once her eyes adjusted, she gasped at the sight of the figure before her. "Kahako-chan? No, no it can't be.S-S-Sukino?" She wanted to cry at his dilapidated state.

"Yes and No. But that doesn't matter at the moment. What matters now is, what are you going to do? I give you this, my conscience. My humanity." Faster than she could respond, Satou was at her feet. He sobbed into her legs, words muffled by fabric and tears. Sukino laid her hands on his shoulder, providing some comfort while she tried to find the words to say. “Satou…” she whispered softly. But what do you say after countless years of being there unable to say anything? She chose to remain silent… what could she possibly say to express the emotions that racked through her body.

Resigning to the inevitable argument that was to ensue between the two, Sukino done as she had always done for so long, listened with no opinion. It was how she coped with it. When the demon yanked Satou from Sukino, she uncomfortably watched in silence. One deafening slap, two. At each Sukino physically winced, silently wishing for them to agree at disagreeing and just stop. She didn’t want the two sides of Satou to fight. She had even asked! Why? Why are they doing this? Sukino closed her eyes until it was over. "My love for her has kept me to this point and I will never let go. Even if you rend me to pieces by haunting me with my past. You will feel the same love I have for her, and it’s slowly killing you isn't it?"

Before the demon could initiate a second round of assault, a wall of manifested water appeared between the two, pushing the demon away from his human counterpart. Serpentine dragons also made of water danced within it, snapping angrily at both individuals it separated. An exaggeration due to their current location within Satou’s mind; where emotion and imagination had more control over what could be seen.

“Enough,” came an angry voice at the sofa. Upon catching the tone of their master, both would turn to see Kahako’s emerald eyes blistering with consciousness and rage. Her hand extended, maintaining the water between them. The apparition was still there, but no longer in control of Kahako’s body. It lifted its transparent hand in surprise, startled as she felt Kahako manipulate chakra for the first time. “Sukino has listened to you two bicker for years. Watched the two of you fight for control and slowly attempt to kill each other, all the while unable to utter a word.” Never had Kahako seemed so… angry at the man before her. “After everything that Sukino just said, you still fail to understand her point.” The apparition looked startled and panicked. It realized Kahako was going to say the truth, the raw truth, even before Kahako would say it.

“You have so little faith in your humanity, demon. We love, harbor sadness, feel guilt, and regret. These are not signs of weakness. With effort we recover from our traumas, many times stronger than before. We are the only species who can, so be grateful you weren’t stuffed into a horse. What you have is a weapon many of your kind can never begin to comprehend. You have an ability to understand your prey and you fail to use the power properly. You have a human on your side, willing to protect you from her kind and all you can think about is how weak my bond is making you. It is stupid and unbecoming.” Kahako took a breath, but her tirade was far from over.

“What makes us weak are not these traits, because we can move past them.” She turned her head to the man on the ground, barely able to keep the top part of his body up. “Our only weakness is our unwillingness to seek help moving on.” As Kahako walked forward, Sukino wrapped her transparent arms around herself. She couldn’t look Satou in the eye, not while knowing what Kahako was going to say next.

“But the demon is also right, Satou. You are more than human, and for so long you have failed to act like it.” Slowly and quietly, she lifted the man’s massive body, a simple feat with the help of her chakra that philtered through her muscles. Once he was comfortably on the sofa, Kahako stayed standing. “You knew that one day Sukino would die. You had always known. She had always known. Your worst option was that you would eat her. She knew that. She saw every moment you strained to stop yourself, as do I. Your best option was that she lived a long and uneventful life, dying in a bed surrounded by your children and grandchildren. You, however, would remain in your youth for much longer than her own lifespan could allow. Instead of resigning to that truth and loving her as best you could, you pretended it would never happen. And when you killed her, instead of accepting her end, you forgot her.”

By now, Kahako was in a rage. Sukino still refused to look at Satou, her eyes closed, clearly in pain. Tears began to stream down Kahako’s face. “These are not my tears, Satou, these are hers. They are not the kind that are rejoiced to see you. They are of relief to be free. Not from you, but from the lie you asked for. While you couldn’t remember, she could. Every time you thought of her, the demon saw the truth of her death. Every time you grasped at her altered memory, she was forced to relive her kidnapping, violation, and death. The ONLY thing I find repulsive in all of this.” Kahako turned glare at the demon. Letting the barrier go with the flick of her wrist. “is the fact that you refused to face what you had done and you made Sukino face it. Relive it. Repeatedly. ALONE.”

From head to toe Kahako was shaking. Sukino was silently sobbing into her hands. Words did not form, but ‘Kahako, please stop.’ crossed her faded lips between silent hics. “You want to know what made her separate and reach out to me? There was only one sentence that gave her strength to leave you.

“‘Satou, you should have let me die.’” The words came out with Sukino’s voice. Kahako was too emotional to wonder if she did it to prove her point or if it happened because it was such a strong feeling from her passenger. “It is not your love for Sukino that is keeping you going Satou. I do not doubt that you loved her greatly at one point. That memory I walked proved that your love for her made you and the demon stronger, not weaker. What is really destroying him, destroying the both of you, is your own damn guilt.”

At this, Kahako sighed rubbing her puffy eyes, her anger slowly running out of gas. “And that is what is so frustrating about you, Satou. At first, Sukino hated what you had done to her, trapping her within your mind. Not because of how many times you made her relive this, she forgave you for that a long time ago. But because you wouldn’t forgive yourself. You refused to.”

Emerald eyes gazed into his own. The anger still there, but calm, like the sea after a great storm. “That was her hell, Satou; that she constantly felt your regret. Now I remember it as if I had lived it myself. That is the worst prison you could ever wish upon someone. To be forced to see and feel the one you love have guilt for ever loving you.”

Kahako was silent for a moment. Sukino equally calmed down now that Kahako made the spirit’s feelings known, but still refused to look at her husband. “What makes your sins so great that they are completely unforgivable?” She whispered, “Why are you so graciously above accepting what you’ve done and moving on?” Kahako asked the both the man and his demon.