Random - Chapter 4

"No wonder the demons went after her!". Ryu turned to Genrou then, his expression fierce, "Genrou, you cannot, I repeat, cannot harm her, alright? If she's the guardian of the Hoseki-ke, I have to protect her as well". His expression softened then, "I know you won't do it, but I'm just saying this, alright?".

Genrou said nothing, his golden eyes trained on the reptile sitting atop the unconscious girl's stomach. He frowned. Ryu saw Genrou bend down to scoop it up, then saw Kibo's eyes snap open. In a flash, her hand had grabbed Genrou's wrist and she was suddenly pinning him to the ground once again. The ruby-red dragonett had scrambled onto her shoulder and was peering down at the hapless young man curiously.

However, Genrou managed to twist around and somehow both managed to get a hold on the other. Ryu spoke up, wondering to himself why he kept on having to break the both of them up, "Genrou . . .".

Suddenly, the girl gave a cry of pain and she pitched forwards. Genrou, quick on the uptake, grabbed her, "The hell. . ?".

"What happened?", Ryu asked, vexed. Genrou, still holding on to the girl, gently pushed her hair aside to reveal a tiny dart embedded in the middle of the flame tattoo on her neck. He then looked up, eyes scanning the surroundings carefully.

There was movement just across them. It seemed as though a clock of darkness was thrown aside as a figure emerged. It was a young man, his features almost indistinguishable as his face was partially hidden by shadows. It was clear, however, that he held a bow in hand while a sheathed katana blade hung by his side.

Ryu's sword arm twitched as he suppressed the urge to grab a weapon, any weapon, and challenge the newcomer. Who is he? he wondered to himself.

"Don't move", the figure warned, "Just put Kibo down and I won't kill you".

Ryu shook his head, "S . . .", and broke off as an arrow whistled past his neck to embed itself into the tree trunk behind.

"You moved", the figure said flatly. He turned his attention to Genrou then, "Put the girl down and step back".

"I thought I can't move", Genrou said dryly, though his golden eyes were warily watching the young man's every move.

There seemed to be a hint of a smirk, "I'm trying to find an excuse to kill someone".

Genrou seemed to shrug and dropped the girl who landed heavily onto the ground. There was a slight sound as Genrou dodged to the left slightly. Another arrow disappeared between a couple of trees. Ryu blinked. He didn't even see the figure reach for the arrow! "Step back", the newcomer gestured to them, "Seven paces. And don't try anything. Especially you, wolf-boy".

There wasn't a flicker of anything in Genrou's expression as he did so. The figure knelt down and pulled the dart out of Kibo's neck before examining her bandages. Seeing the figure was distracted, Ryu's hand crept towards his sword handle only to be grabbed by the wrist by Genrou's hand. "Don't do anything", Genrou told him through clenched teeth.

Ryu gaped at him. Why?! However, the expression on his best friend's face gave him reason to remain silent. After a while, the figure stood up and faced them, "She has been hurt badly. I will leave her in your care until she is well enough to return. In the meantime," he tossed something in Genrou's direction, "You will make this for her".

Genrou caught the box, nimbly dodging the arrow whizzing past him. Unfazed, he asked scornfully, "Why would I, of the wolves, listen to you, a demon?".

Ryu started, demon?! The figure merely laughed as he heard the question. "Because", and there was a smirk in his voice, "I told you to".

"Who are you?", Ryu demanded.

"Kyudo". The figure vanished once again, as though he was never there in the first place.

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Long wooden slivers peeled away from Genrou's dagger as he ran it along the wooden disc, making it thinner and thinner. He was humming a little tune to himself, but he paused when a slight sound caught his ears. Lifting his head to look at the still Kibo, he nudged her body with his foot. A slight groan and she sat up to look around groggily.

"Feeling slightly dizzy, miss?" he asked conversationally, "A little sick in the stomach?". She treated him to a blank stare. He heaved a sigh before laying down the disc, "Your partner isn't as dead as you think".

Her hand flew to the tattoo on her neck, her eyes searching his for any signs of untruth. "That can't be", she whispered, "I killed him. I strangled him, and fed his carcass to the serpents".

Genrou regarded her impassively, "Then who is Kyudo?".

Kibo's eyes widened as she heard the name. A small sinewy neck stuck out from her collar then as the Ruby dragonett's head swivelled to look at Genrou. It keered then, softly. Her hand, still resting on her neck, clenched. "He darted me?".

"Just answer my question ojousan", Genrou said wearily, "I'm tired, I've been up for over a day, I haven't eaten and I'm exhausted. I really don't want to end up killing you just because I'm feeling grouchy and you don't want to answer a question".

"Where's Ryu?", she asked guardedly.

A brief smile, "Ryu is out trying to hunt down food as well as getting a few things I need. So that leaves just the both of us . . . alone . . . in the middle of this forest . . .", his lips curved sensuously, "Where no one can hear you scream, ne?".

"You don't scare me", she snarled.

Even though she was prepared for any attack, his speed still caught her off guard. He was suddenly pinning her to the ground, using his weight to prevent her from getting up. At the exact same moment, an arrow thudded into the ground, its wooden shaft resting against Kibo's neck. She stared upwards to see a fine red line against Genrou's. Yet he didn't flinch. "Your friend is watching us constantly", Genrou growled, "I've instructed Ryu to fetch Dyura herbs. You know those, right? Rare, and guarantee protection from all demons. But I reckon, ojousan, I reckon your friend is immune to those, am I right?". He grabbed her by the throat, "Am I right, ojousan?".

Another arrow whistled past, once again resting against the other side of Kibo's throat, once again causing another red line to appear on Genrou's throat. "You're insane", Kibo yelled, "Kyudo will kill you!".

"The asshole won't dare shoot me outright", Genrou shook his head, "Because if he does, his arrow will go through me, and kill you too. Wound you, at the very least. And he won't do that. I have a very strong feeling he won't. Now", his voice dropped to a menacing low, "Tell me about your demon friend before I lose my temper".

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'Damn', Kyudo cursed inwardly, 'The bastard's good'. He lowered the bow, frowning to himself. There was no way he could shoot the wolf-boy without hitting Kibo as well. And somehow, somehow, the asshole knew he couldn't shoot Kibo if his life depended on it.

Surprisingly, he laughed then, silently. 'It's been a long time since I've come across an opponent like him', Kyudo thought ruefully. Taking an arrow in hand, he smiled to himself as he made himself comfortable on his branch and began carving Genrou's name on the arrow's shaft. As each rune was finished, it glowed an eerie red before fading.

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"You can't threaten me", Kibo narrowed her eyes, "If you kill me, Kyudo will kill you".

"I can't kill you", Genrou shook his head, "But . . .", something glimmered under his robe, "I can make it very uncomfortable for you". He sighed then, "Why are you making it hard for yourself? I'm trying to be civil. Just tell me, and I won't kill you".

"I won't call that civil. Nor is pinning me down".

He laughed, "I'm just looking out for my own skin. So, are you going to tell me or not?". He shot the ruby dragonett a fond look, "And your pet there won't harm me. Just tell me what I need to know. There's no need to dramatise".

Kibo stared at him. Dramatise?! She struggled, "Dramatise? You're the one pinning me down! I didn't do anything!".

"Kyudo is watching after you, and he wants to take you back to the Hitera after you've healed up", Genrou informed her, "It will be interesting to see how the Hitera will treat its traitors". He watched her carefully then, "Is this Kyudo the same as I've heard of? He who is not of this world, brought by his father only to be stranded here as his father was killed. Master of the bow which is rumoured to be carved from the fang of the One True Dragon?".

This time, she couldn't mask her surprise, "How do you know so much?!".

Genrou grinned once again and got up, nonchalantly hopping to the side. Kibo stared at the quivering arrow protruding from the ground. "I'm right, ne? Now, what interests me is, why has he come for you? Surely such a high demon like himself shouldn't bother with a mere human like yourself. Unless the Hitera itself has enlisted his help. Which begs the question; why is the Hitera so anxious to get you back? Alive?".

She glared at him sourly, "Since you know so much, why ask me?".

"Now now miss . . .", he began, but was interrupted by footsteps.

Ryu appeared then. "Genrou, you're not bullying Kibo again, are you?", he grinned, easily dismounting off Kumo. The grey shook its mane and snorted. Ryu gave it a fond pat before turning to the two, "I daresay we've got enough meat to last us another three to five days".

Genrou looked at the deer carcass thrown over the stallion's back and snorted, "Maybe for you. But for me . . .".

Ryu held a hand up, "Genrou, don't gorge yourself. You know you'll have problems when you do". He grinned when Genrou growled, then turned to Kibo, "Ki . . .", he broke off then, spinning around to face Genrou, "What the hell happened now Genrou?!".

His friend looked surprised, "Eh?".

Ryu groaned, "Geez, Genrou! You've got blood running down your neck!".

"It's nothing . . .".

"Sometimes", Ryu shook his head, "Sometimes . . .", but he broke off then, saying instead, "You two are hopeless. Can't I even go for a couple of minutes without you two going for each other's necks?!".

"Can't help it. Wolves and flames don't mix". With that, Genrou grabbed a backpack from Ryu and strolled off, whistling to himself.

Ryu watched him go, shaking his head, before turning to a frowning Kino, "What did he do to you?".

"He wanted to know who Kyudo was", she replied impassively, edging around the question.

The emerald eyes watched her for a while, before he said, "Kyudo was the one who wanted you back". She nodded and shrugged, indicating she knew but didn't care. "He left you though, but he said he'll come to claim you once you healed".

"I will be gone by then".

Ryu signed, bending down to pluck the three arrows from the ground, "He hasn't left yet, and he won't unless you're with him. Is he with the Hitera?".

"Possibly", she said guardedly.

He gave her a warm smile, "You hungry? Genrou's most probably gone off with his toys, and I'm going to need help gutting and skinning the deer". His manner made it seem like a friendly request, yet the order in his tone made it impossible to refuse.

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Genrou frowned, thinking to himself. 'What has Ryu gotten himself into?' he wondered as he took a seat on a large boulder. The girl, Kibo, she was a runaway from the Hitera. As far as Genrou knew, no one ran from the Hitera as they were all brought up strictly under its laws to be fiercely loyal to the temple. She must be important to the place as Hiterajin were looking hard for her, this he knew from listening to the howls warning him at night. But why did she have a dragon of the Hosekki? Could that be why the Hitera wanted her so bad? No . . . he was sure there was another reason. And then Kyudo. How could a youkai such as himself be involved with that girl? Genrou was sure that the Hitera had a hand in this somewhere, but he knew that there was yet another reason to why Kyudo was after the girl. Personal reasons, maybe?

So many questions . . .

He fingered a small orb he had taken out of his knapsack. It was small, spherical in shape. A sort of red haze floated inside, and if he peered into it really hard, he could just make out a single feather suspended in the middle. Deep in thought, he tossed it up and down . . .

Questions, questions . . . .

On the fifth toss, he caught it, clenched it in his hand and flung it to the foot of the boulder. The orb shattered, a high-pitched tinkling carried away in the light breeze. The mist floated upwards, and instead of spreading out, it began to pull inwards, forming a shape.
There was a faint pop, and a small girl dressed in white and red robes appeared. Long sleeves hid her small hands as they grasped her ponytail of pale red hair. A white feather with red edges was tucked there. Her sleepy peach eyes swept the surrounding. Genrou watched her in amusement, waiting patiently for her to notice him. And when her gaze finally fell on him . . .

"Saa, saa, Jhenruu!!", her tiny voice thrilled. She bounded up to him, and her steps were light as though she didn't touched the ground. "Jhenro saaa!!".

"I'm happy to see you too, Nyicha", he laughed.

The exhuberent expression on her face vanished as she peered at him closely, her brow furrowing in deep concentration. "Saaaa!!", she wailed, "Jhenruu still wuulfff! Jhenruu still danjerus!!!". With that, she burrowed into his knapsack, disappearing into it. Objects began to fly out, even those that weren't there in the first place. Her muffled voice was heard as she rummaged about, "Nyicha find cure!! Saaaa . . .".

Genrou chuckled to himself as he pulled the little girl out of his knapsack. "Nyicha, I didn't summon you to cure me of my love for weapons, alright?".

"Saa . . . . but Akashiijin gets hurt if touch steel, Jhenruu . . . Steel not good!".

"Nyicha", Genrou told her patietly, putting a hand on her head to ensure her full attention was on him, "I need to talk with Lady Shiro. Can you summon her?".

"Saaa . . . hai!!". The little girl frowned in concentration, pressing her palms together to form a focal point. The single feather tucked in her ponytail glowed. Genrou waited patiently.

A moment later, there was a flurry of wings and a lady descended from the sky. Long strands of red and white hair streamed in the gale that swept up from no where, clouds of dust stirring up as she set a foot down. Genrou noticed however that her feet weren't exactly touching the ground, instead hovering about an inch of so above it.

"So, Genrou, how long has it been?", the voice was musical, fluting. The woman cocked a delicate eyebrow at him, her white eyes watching him curiously. She was wearing the same robes as the little girl, except hers complimented her fine figure.

Genrou tilted his head in her direction, indicating respect, "Quite some time, Lady Shiro".
"Saaa . . . Shiro-saa!!". Nyicha bounded to the woman, who gave her a pat on the head. Nyicha thrilled, "Shiro-saa!! Nyicha miss Shiro-saaa!".

"And I missed you too", the woman crooned maternally. Genrou watched the reunion, curbing his impatience. He knew better than to insist her attention. He treasured his life too much. "You haven't changed, Genrou", Shiro finally said, turning back to him, "You know better than to demand things from me".

"Even if I can't see your wings my lady, doesn't mean they've fallen off", he replied evenly.

A smile appeared on her red lips,"And still cautious I see". Holding her arms out, there was a faint feathery sound and a row of large feathers appeared, lining her arm. The red edges appeared to gleam dangerously. Shiro crossed an arm on her stomach as she cupped her chin with her other hand, taking a small sniff then made a face, "You still love your weapons". It was said as a statement, and Genrou nodded. "What do you want, Genrou?".

"Who is Kyudo, who is Kibo, how are they connected to each other, and where is the Hitera involved in this?".

The woman gave a throaty laugh, "Always straight to the point as usual". Her eyes glinted, "Information always has a price, boy. What will I get out of it?".

Genrou shrugged, "What do you want? What do you need? Nothing. I thought you were self-sufficient in everything Shiro, no offense intended. If you do need anything, you're powerful enough to take it for yourself".

Shiro imitated his shrug, "I knew Kyudo's sire. He was a very spirited demon, quick-tempered and cunning and I know for a fact his son takes after him. I also know that Kyudo has a very strong connection with his weapon, which you know of".

"Is it true?", Genrou queried, "That the bow was carved from the One Dragon's fang?".

She gave a low chuckle, "Why don't you see for yourself? From what you've done so far to Kibo, he's just waiting for a chance to kill you". Seeing Genrou wasn't about to comment, she continued, "Kyudo's sire was very . . influencial. Kyudo was taken in at the Hitera to protect him from being hunted down as his father was. In theory, he should be one of them but he considers himself superior to all humans. The Hitera think they're able to control him, but he's been having his own ideas".

"Is he going to take over the temple?", Genrou asked.

"No . . . I don't know what his real intentions are but I don't think that's what he wants".

"What about Kibo? Where's she involved in all this?".

Shiro gave him a sharp look, "Kibo? From the Hitera?". He nodded, slightly surprised at her tone but not showing it. Shiro seemed thoughtful, her limber hands absently running through Nyicha's hair. The little girl's expression mirrored her mother's. "Kibo is a chosen", Shiro finally said carefully, "Her escape has shaken the Hitera. They are very anxious to get her back".

"What's her link with Kyudo?".

Shiro gave him a sideways glance, "You never fail to amaze me, Genrou. Kyudo . . .". She stopped abruptly, turning her head to look in the far distance. "We shall have to continue our chat some other time, wolf-boy", she muttered, "He's coming".

Shiro bent down and kissed Nyicha on the forehead. "Aka-chan", she asked, tucking a stray strand of the little girl's hair behind her ear, "Do you want to stay with Genrou, or come back with me?".

Genrou kept his gaze neutral. He knew these dangers. Once summoned, there may be a chance they would never return. If Nyicha decided to go, he knew that his link with Shiro would break and there would be no way of ever contacting her again.

The price of knowledge . . .

Nyicha turned to look at Genrou. Her face crinkled up as she made a face, "Saaaa . . . Jhenruu wuullfff . . . Jhenruu have steel . . . Steel harms Akashiijin".

"Stay, or leave, Nyicha?", Shire repeated firmly.

Nyicha took a seat on the ground, deep in thought. 'If she stays, then something bad's gonna happen', Genrou thought to himself. 'If she goes, then that means she knows I'll no longer need her help, which means I'm not gonna run into any more trouble. But . . . if she goes . . .'. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew he'd miss the little Akashii's company.

Shiro looked to the side worriedly. Genrou noted this as well. If Shiro-sama was worried about Kyudo, then he must be even more deadlier than what Genrou had thought at first. He touched the inside of his sleeve, letting the cold blade of his dagger assure him. 'Let him come', he thought, 'He can't fight both Lady Shiro and me'.

There was a sharp twange out of no where. Genrou dashed forwards, but Shiro was faster on the uptake. There was a subtle cracking as the feathers on her arms hardened, and with a twist, she deflected the arrow.

There was laughter from the trees, "Very good, Shiro! And not bad, wolf-boy, not bad". Kyudo appeared then, strolling from under the dark covers of the trees.

"We have had no trouble with you", Shiro spoke up, "Why do you attack my child?".

The youkai feigned innocence, "But Lady Shiro! I wasn't attacking her. I knew you would be fast enough to save your whelpling. If you didn't, well, I would be very disappointed then".

Nyicha, who had been quiet all this while, spoke up then, "Saaa . . . Nychia will stay with Jhenruuu!".

Shiro's gaze didn't flicker from Kyudo. In a low voice, she said to Genrou, "Very well. I now leave Nyicha in your care. If anything happens to her, Genrou . . .". Her threat was left unsaid.

"Haii . . " Genrou muttered. Satisfied, Shiro gave a curt nod to Kyudo, then leapt up into the air. There was a strong gale then, and she vanished.

Genrou faced Kyudo. "Well, well", the youkai smirked, "So it's just me, and the little pup".

"Yeah, well". Genrou didn't move an inch, "Us little pups can still bite".

He laughed, "Oh, I'm not going to kill you just yet. Yet. You've still got a role to play, wolf-boy".