This is part b of enter the lion's den. Not part a. Be sure to read part a first, neh?

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enter the lion's den; part b
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“...—neke, it’s been awhile...”

“Oh, my—How unexpected!”

Strange words floated through Sano’s mind, odd bits of conversation leaking into his dark world of dreams... He struggled to listen, to open his eyes, yet he drifted... Floating in a warm, dark place...

“This one fought bravely. You will----won’t you?”

“Of course! He’s--”

“...--a storm approaches.”

“Druuvbin-sama...”

“Take care of--”

“Of course, I understand.”

What? Sano thought foggily, once again trying to focus his senses, to wake from the odd sleep he had fallen into. A deep slumber... Wait... Am I dead? Hadn’t he been fighting? What happened before this black dream? The teen tried to think, hovering in the darkness...

Druu... He’s sick... That’s right... We had to go get medicine... And then... Then what? He tried to focus, his mind slowly drifting...

Veenom! I fought her and won, but that bitch poisoned me! So am I really dead? Because this isn’t exactly what I expected... If anything, he had figured he’d wake up in hell. Yeah, he’d figured his punishment for being a fighting, boozing, gambling bum would consist of eternal damnation. Or in other words, to forever be annoyed by Shishio and his pet freaks in hell... It’s warm and dark... And...

A crack of thunder echoed in his ears and he frowned, trying unsuccessfully to open his eyes... What is this? What’s going on?!

“I shall return...”

“I’ll be waiting, dearie. As always.”

...Dearie? What the hell... Who was talking? Two voices... The teen tried to focus, however could not place the sounds... His hearing faded and he drifted again, lost in dark warmth, surrounding him. The distant sound of thunder...Darkness...

“Oh, my dearie, my dear. What will I do with you, my beautiful strong human? Hee. I love humans so. Sano---suke, wakey-wakey!” a soft voice giggled into his ear and he started, blinking his eyes. The dark sleep was fading away... What?

“Come now, sweet human cutie. Wake up for me.”

“Wha—What? Huh?” He slowly forced his eyelids open, attempting to focus on the face hovering mere inches away from his own.

“Want a kiss, my sweet little hunny-human?”

What. The. HELL? Oh no... That’s not...That’s not who I think it is, is it? he thought, a bit of dread washing over him... He blinked again, this time slowly bringing the world into focus.

“Hiya sweetie. So, we meet again, hm? Did you miss my beautiful face?” Hanneke questioned sultrily, winking a green eye at the teen.

“You!” Sano exclaimed fearfully. “What are you doing here?” he questioned with wide eyes, glancing about his surroundings. Wait... Where am I? he thought, taking in the small room. He was laying on a little twin bed, in a dim, sparsely decorated room...

“What am I doing here? This is MY house sweetie,” the demon replied with a smirk, running a hand through her silky long blonde hair. The beautiful tanned woman then slowly moved closer, drawing nearer to the teen. “I’m taking care of you, my little sexy human. So what parts need to be kissed and made better?”

Sanosuke’s eyes widened further and he scooted up the bed, pressing himself against the wooden headboard. “Look lady, uh, I don’t need anything kissed, just stay back!” he stated nervously, watching the blonde carefully.

How the HELL did I end up here? With HER?! the teen thought with wide eyes, taking in Hanneke’s youthful appearance. The woman was clothed in sleek reds... Sanosuke let his eyes travel over the demon, taking in the apparel and her lean, sensuous figure.

A long crimson skirt with a slit almost all the way up the side, smooth and silken... The revealing skirt showing off her attractive legs, fishnet hose and long black boots... Her matching red long sleeved top barely covering her chest, her tanned midriff quite visible, her sleeves long and flowing, elegant... Sure she looked amazing... Right now. Please, PLEASE do not turn old in that outfit! he mentally begged the woman, not wanting to see her true form in THAT outfit...

The first time he had met Hanneke, he had been tricked, sure. When young, she looked beautiful and voluptuous, her red lips and dark green eyes... Yeah, until she turns old and hideous with the freakish glowing eyes and scary white hair and.. the teen’s thoughts trailed off as he shuddered at the memory of the woman’s true appearance...

“Now, now. My Sanosuke got a boo-boo, Hanneke must kiss it and make it better, yes?” the blonde woman replied seductively, once again drawing closer to the spiky haired brunette, a wolfish grin forming on her lips.

“No!” Sano shouted desperately, glancing frantically about for an easy escape. Please don’t kiss me again! That first time was bad enough!

“You’re so shy!” she giggled, suddenly pouncing on the teen, pinning him to the mattress. “Now. Where was I?” she lowered her head, meeting his lips with her own.

Gaaaaaaahhhhh.....

Without warning the young woman was no more, instead replaced by a wild haired old woman, her green eyes glowing and her face wrinkled by time. “Kissy-Kissy! I usually hate poultry, but you my sweet rooster are an exception!”

“GET OFF OF ME!” Sano shouted angrily, trying to squirm away from the insane old woman. “GET OFF!”

This is ridiculous! the teen thought, frantically attempting to escape the woman’s powerful grasp. While Druu was deathly ill, quite possibly dying and Rae was off alone in Laineka... He was stuck, being molested by a crazy old demon woman? This wasn’t good at all. He needed to get away... He had to get to Rae and... Wait... “Uh, how am I alive?”

“Hm, oh the wind saved you dearie! It was DOOOOOOM! But the storm came and swooped from the heavens with beautiful luscious skin so smooth! The doom came! But it left! Doom,” the woman rambled happily while playing with Sano’s hair, twisting a lock around a bony finger. “It was doom, but you were in the storm!”

Sano blinked, trying to find meaning in the woman’s peculiar ramblings. What the hell? “Uh, how about trying that again. Only this time, how about you make some sense! Old hag!” he snapped irritably, rubbing a bit at his eyes. His vision was still a bit blurry and he felt a little lightheaded, but other than that... Considering I just got poisoned and I’m supposed to be dead or whatever, I feel okay.

“Hm? Why are you angry dear? Don’t you want to kissy?” the woman questioned innocently, her gleaming green eyes twinkling happily.

“NO! I do not. I want you to tell me how I got here and why I’m not dead,” he replied, finally getting the woman off of him. He quickly sat up, once again rubbing a bit at his blurry eyes. “Veenom poisoned me, right? So how am I here?”

“Veenom? Oh that silly little child lies. Her blood isn’t strong enough to kill even a sweet little human like you, she knows this. It sent you to the land of sleepy dreams, that’s all. My beautiful storm brought you to me,” Hanneke replied, a dreamy look passing through her bright glowing eyes.

Wait, what? Veenom lied about her blood being lethal? Sano blinked, an irritated sigh escaping his lips. Bitch just did that to try to throw me off I guess... “Okay, so uh, this storm...?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow. What is she talking about? Storm... Wait... Was he forgetting something? Right before he had passed out...

“Yes, the storm with the wind and rain, it is soo beautiful!” the woman sighed, running a hand over her red silky blouse, which looked quite terrifying on her old form, Sano noted with a twitch...

Sanosuke let out an irritated moan, running a hand through his drooping—though dry—brown hair. Afterwards he moved to adjust his red headband a bit. The teen then glanced down at his dirty, rumpled shirt and jeans, noting that they were dry as well. Well, I'm not wet anymore at least...Now If only I can just... What am I forgetting? Okay... Right before he had passed out... Something, he had seen something, right? What was it... Wait. Footsteps... And then... A woman! Oh, wait!

“There was a woman. Tsepmet! Who is Tsepmet? Is she the one that brought me here?” Sano questioned, biting his lip a bit, trying to remember what the mysterious woman had looked like... His vision had dimmed and he had only been half awake, but... Dark smooth skin, and beautiful dark eyes... Right?

“The storm brought you to me, dearie,” Hanneke replied matter-of-factly, as if that should explain everything. “Now that that’s settled, would you like for me to molest you, or would you like some tea first?” she then questioned casually, once again inching toward the brunette.

“Uh... Tea please,” the teen practically squeaked, eyeing the old demon with horror. She’s scarier than any enemy Kenshin ever had to fight... Quite frankly, the woman kind of terrified him...

“Ah, I see. Tea it is then, my sweet sexy man,” she replied brightly, quite suddenly returning to her young blonde form. “You can walk, yes? Follow me, my sweet poultry man,” Hanneke stated with a wink, her silky voice low and sensual.

“Uh... Okay...” he replied uneasily, moving to stand from the small bed. The teen stretched a bit, rubbing at his eyes. He then shook his head, turning his attention back to the demon.

“This way dearie.” With that said the blonde turned, walking gracefully through the only exit of the small room.

Sano frowned but slowly followed, unsure if he really wanted to follow the demon... The tall brunette exited the room, finding himself in a dark corridor. He glanced about; noting the worn wooden floor and the dark walls... Lights would be nice... How am I supposed to see in here?

“Come on, come on, sweetie,” Hanneke cooed, moving to tightly grab the teen’s hands, tugging him further into the long corridor.

Sano expected to feel a rush of pain at the firm contact; after all he had shattered his hands right along with that weird weapon of Veenom’s, right? However when he felt nothing he looked down, finally noticing that... Now that I think about it... Why aren’t my hands hurting? Wait! My hands aren’t broken, or bleeding, or anything. That cut’s gone too... “Uh, what happened to my hands?”

“Hm? Oh the storm took you into her clouds and rain. The thunder fixed your hands dearie. I’ll bet your hands are even stronger now than before. You have the thunder in your hands you know. She put you in the clouds,” the blonde demon replied happily, a smile on her dark red lips. “The storm is quite lovely, yes?”

Sano blinked, focusing his gaze on Hanneke, though he couldn’t see her quite as clearly in the darkness. The storm? Is she talking about that Tsepmet woman? “You mean Tsepmet? Who is she?”

“Hm, dearie! We need tea. Unless you want to test those strong hands on me. Or I could let you test my hands,” Hanneke stated suggestively, moving closer to the teen, a coy smile on her full lips.

“Is that all you ever think about?!” Sano shouted, pulling away from the lecherous demon. “Let’s just have tea, okay?” he went on to say, hoping to distract Hanneke from whatever devious plan she was formulating...

“Ah, yes, tea! Tea, I love tea!” she chirped happily, turning and pulling the brunette along by his arm, further into the long dark hall. “Tea!”

Is this her hut? Because I seriously don’t remember it being this big. Or maybe it’s bigger than what it looks like? Like uh, maybe it only looks little on the outside or something? Sano definitely didn’t remember the hut being this big before, but well... In this weird world, nothing really seemed that unbelievable...

He let the woman pull him along, stumbling a bit in the darkness. The two finally approached the end of the hall and Hanneke reached out, opening a thick door. Sano followed the woman into this new room, immediately recognizing it as... Well, it looked a lot like a kitchen. Actually, kind of like the ones in Rae’s time.

Unlike Rae’s kitchen however, the floor was not tile but dark hardwood flooring, the walls painted a soft peach color. Sano looked over the area, noting the wooden cabinets and large table in the center of the room. It honestly wasn’t what he was expecting. The room wasn’t exactly fancy, but it wasn’t dark and bleak like the hallway and that small room he had been in previously...

The only real difference he could see in this kitchen and the more modern day variations of Rae’s time was the lighting. Not those weird bulb things, but instead lanterns fixed to the walls. Well and the stove thing looks older. And no micer-o-wavee thing or whatever...

“So, uh... This is your hut? How do you... Uh, it’s bigger than it looks, huh?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Aha, dearie. Looks can be deceiving. My hut is my mansion. But it’s my hut. My mansion hut house. Isn’t that nice?” she replied cheerfully as she walked over to the long counter on the far side of the room, a bright smile on her lips. “Sit down my sexy rooster while I make the tea. I don’t get visitors very often, so the tea must be non-doom, wonderful tea,” she chirped excitedly, turning to wink at the teen.

Sano blinked, shaking his head a bit. Man is she weird... He did as he was instructed however, making his way over to the large table and chairs in the center of the spacious room. He pulled out a dark wooden chair, choosing to straddle it backwards, leaning his arms and chin on the tall back. He watched the woman as she moved about, looking through her cabinets.

“So, uh... You know, I really need to get to Laineka. You think you could take me?” he questioned, his thoughts drifting back to the sick psychic a world away...

“Hm? No, no. The storm instructed you to wait here,” Hanneke replied distractedly, rummaging about yet another cabinet. “Where is my special tea?”

Sanosuke twitched, an irritated sigh escaping his lips. “Look Hanneke. I need to get to Laineka. Do you remember Rae?”

“Hm? Rae, my feisty smart-mouth pink human?”

“Uh... Yeah. She’s in Laineka. We came here to find Malba, because--”

“Because you seek the medicines to ease my Druuvbin-sama’s suffering. Yes?” the woman interrupted, not looking away from her search. “My poor doomed Druuvbin-sama.”

“What do you mean doomed?” Sano questioned sharply, watching the blonde closely. She’s crazy, but... If she really is a psychic... Does she know something about Druu, and...

“The shadows have been in his head for a long time, you see. They slowly tear him away,” Hanneke responded slowly, her voice lowering a bit, however her search for tea continued. “Where is my special tea? You cannot have tea without special tea.”

Sano let out a frustrated groan, trying to hold his temper at bay. “Look. What is that supposed to mean? Shadows and whatever? Can you forget about the damn tea and tell me what you know about Druu? He’s sick, right? Do you know what’s wrong with him?” Okay the woman was really starting to irritate him. She talks about Druu being doomed and doesn’t even stop looking for her damn tea. Doesn’t she think that this might be a little more important than tea?!

“We need tea, dearie.”

“No. We need for you to stop acting like a psychotic hag and tell me what you know!” Sano snapped, irritation flashing in his brown eyes.

“Calm down my rooster. We need my special non-doom tea. Doom is never good in tea you see,” she responded pleasantly, throwing a few containers over her shoulder, shaking her head a bit. “Nope. This isn’t my special tea. Nor is this. Where is my non-doom tea?” Hanneke mumbled as she sent another container flying, hitting the hardwood flooring with a –thunk--.

Sanosuke twitched, closing his eyes for a moment, trying to keep from screaming at the woman. He needed to be in Laineka, yet instead he was stuck in this crazy hag’s kitchen, listening to ramblings consisting of tea, doom and shadows... Damn it! I’ve got to get out of here.

“Chippora! You foul fowl poultry product! Have you stolen my special tea?” the woman suddenly shouted, placing a hand on her hip, a frustrated look in her green eyes. She turned away from the cabinets, instead facing the kitchen doorway. “Chippora?!”

“...What?” Sano really, really needed to get out of this place. Now. Crazy hag...

“Chippora! Come at once, poultry! Or it will be doom,” Hanneke called loudly, her green eyes focusing on the open kitchen entry. “Doooom I say!”

Sano raised an eyebrow, sitting up a bit in his seat to turn and glance at the open doorway. What is she going on about now? He cleared his throat, preparing to question the demon on her strange outburst. However before his words were spoken, a large blue chicken slowly stepped through the door, its dark eyes focusing on the woman.

The brunette jumped at the sudden appearance of a chicken—blue no less—. The bird clucked a bit, stepping into the bright kitchen. “Brawwk!”

“What the hell?” Sanosuke inquired with an eyebrow raised, watching the large bird as it made its way closer to the red clad demon. A blue chicken? Wait... Didn’t the fairy accidentally make that thing or whatever when he had that weird cold?

“Ah, you remember Chippora, yes? My Malba-poo accidentally summoned this foul poultry product from the spirit world. She is a spirit chicken who will not leave me be. I have been doomed to be haunted by poultry! DOOMED I say. And I hate poultry!” Hanneke let out a sulky sigh, a pout on her full lips. “Doomed...”

“Uh... That’s nice. But I still need to get to Laineka,” Sano replied with a blink. A spirit chicken from the spirit world? Maybe that explains why the damn thing is blue... The brunette shook his head, turning his attention back to the blonde demon. He had a lot more important things to be thinking about. Yeah, like getting out of here...

“No, you need to stay and drink special tea. This adventure is not for you. You will wait with me until my Malba-poo and my pink human Rae come back,” the demon responded calmly, not taking her green eyes away from the blue chicken by her side.

“What? But I--”

“No more my rooster. The beautiful tempest has given her orders. You will stay. ...Oh, Chippora? You say the special non-doom tea is in the bottom cabinet? Well why didn’t you say so before? Silly poultry product!” the woman interjected, her eyes lighting up as she moved to look through the bottom cabinets of the long kitchen counter. “AHA! My special non-doom tea of doom!”

Sanosuke let out a moan, thumping his head down on the back of the chair. Why did the woman have to be so... So crazy? This was ridiculous! I can’t just sit here and drink tea!

“Now, now my rooster. You wouldn’t be thinking about leaving me, would you? You can’t leave. My mansion hut of doom will not let you leave. So you must drink tea. And I will tell you of the shadows eating away my Druuvbin-sama,” Hanneke commented levelly as she moved to start preparing her ‘non-doom’ tea.

“You know what’s wrong with Druu?”

“No. I do not.”

“What? But you just said--”

“Let me make my tea. I need my tea. Then we shall talk,” the woman’s voice took on a bit of a serious tone, a small frown on her full lips. “He has fallen into the shadows again... One day he will not return. Which day will it be I wonder?”

Sanosuke bit his lip, trying to make sense of the demon’s newest comment. Won’t return? Does that mean...

The teen sat silently while Hanneke prepared her ‘special’ tea, Chippora never leaving her side. Sanosuke found himself slipping into thoughts of that blood covered rag... That long needle... So much blood...

“It’s ready, dearie,” Hanneke stated gently, holding two small cups of warm tea. Sano nodded a bit, taking a cup from the woman, staring down at the dark liquid... Do I really trust her? What if it’s weird tea that’s drugged or something?

Hanneke moved to sit in the chair across from Sanosuke, taking a sip of tea from the cup held in her smooth tan hands. “Turn around and sit in your chair like a normal person, my sexy human,” she ordered, placing her cup on the table.

Sano let out a small groan, standing and stretching his legs a bit. He then returned to his seat, only this time as instructed, ‘like a normal person’. “Like you have any room to talk about being normal...” he muttered, finally deciding to take a small sip of the tea. Actually, it’s not too bad...Surprisingly... He then set his tea on the table, his dark eyes locked on the simple flower design of the cream colored cup.

“Druuvbin-sama is lost in the shadows again,” Hanneke commented quietly, her green eyes focused on her tea. “I warned him that the shadows were calling again, but he never listens,” the woman paused, taking another sip of tea. “My Druuvbin-sama is fading into the darkness, every day. Little by little. But no one knows why, dearie.”

Sano frowned, pulling his gaze up from the cup, focusing on the woman’s attractive, suntanned face. A small sad frown had appeared on the demon’s lips, a faraway look in her green eyes. The look was a little scary, actually. He wasn’t used to seeing the woman without that perverted gleam in her eyes... Fading into the darkness? No one knows why? What is she talking about? “What’s wrong with Druu?” he questioned, hoping the woman’s seriousness would last long enough for her to answer a few of his questions.

“Sick. So very sick for so very long now. The shadows of sickness have eaten away and called from the darkness for many years. But we know not why,” the blonde replied slowly, running a trim, manicured fingernail along the rim of her tea cup. “You know what the darkness is, don’t you my rooster? You’ve seen it before in the eyes of those who fall away...”

Sano watched the woman for a moment, taking in the melancholic look in her green eyes... The teen nodded. Yeah, he knew what darkness she was talking about, alright... “Death,” he commented quietly, his dark eyes falling to his tea. “So I was right. He’s dying.”

“Yes.”

“Is... There’s medicine though, right? Kopaka sent Rae and me here to get medicine... So there must be a way to help Druu then, right?” he questioned hopefully, not looking away from his cup. He didn’t really want to see the woman’s expression. Don’t tell me what I think you’re going to tell me...

“Medicine, yes. My beautiful haired Kopaka makes such wonderful potions and fights so hard. But I’m afraid it’s not enough, my rooster,” Hanneke replied, her voice soft. “You see, it keeps calling. The shadows come and won’t go away... Not really, you see? The potions keep the shadows at bay, but it can’t last forever. I... I am sorry to say this... However... The shadows will win, dear.”

Damn it. Damn it! the spiky haired teen slammed a hand down on the table, jarring the tea, sending a bit of liquid splashing onto the wooden surface. “So what you’re saying is, the medicines aren’t enough, right? So that’s it? Even if we do get him the medicine, he’ll still die, right?” he questioned angrily, his voice shaking. He hadn’t come all this way, hadn’t fought Veenom and, and... He hadn’t come to this world just to find out this! There had to be something! Why should he believe this crazy demon anyway?

What the hell does she know?!

“I cannot tell you when the shadows will win, my brave little rooster. For some reason... I cannot see. It’s the fate of one who looks through the veils of time I suppose. It only shows so much. But as it goes now, yes. The shadows will win,” Hanneke stated slowly, her green eyes focused on her tea cup, a soft, sad smile on her red lips. “I do not want to see this, yet I do. Why is that? Why is it that I see the shadows but not the way to drive them away?” the blonde shook her head, slowly lifting her cup with slightly shaking hands, taking a small sip of tea. “Perhaps there is no way. Maybe that’s why.”

Sanosuke closed his eyes, running a hand over his face. I didn’t want to hear this... The teen let out another sigh, pulling his hand away, once again focusing on the demon sitting across from him. “I still don’t understand.” What was wrong with the blue haired elemental? What... Why? Why is he dying? It just... He didn’t seem like... He never even acted like he was sick at all... And now he just suddenly... She said he’s been sick for a long time... Why didn’t I notice anything?

The blue chicken that had remained quietly on the floor near the demon suddenly let out a small cluck, flapping its wings. The bird hopped up onto the wooden table, moving to stand in front of the blonde. “Brawk!”

“Chippora. You shall scratch my table and it shall be doom. I really hate poultry,” she whispered sadly, reaching out a hand to gently stroke the blue bird on its head. “You are a very bad poultry product.”

The bird let out a small noise, which to Sano’s ears almost sounded... Sympathetic? Hah, now I’m going crazy... A chicken sounding sympathetic? Right... Chippora rubbed her head against the woman’s hand, another soft noise escaping her pointed beak.

“I do not understand either, my cute little rooster. Yet I see it anyway. The sickness that eats away with no apparent cause or reason... My lovely Ko-chanie cannot find its source, nor can I... But it’s there. Always. It fades and grows, but it’s always there. Attacking and breaking,” Hanneke let out a small sigh, her voice trailing off. The demon’s green eyes remained focused on Chippora, her tan hands moving to stroke the strange spirit bird that she claimed to despise.

“So...So—What you’re saying is that both you and Kopaka don’t know why Druu is sick, don’t know why he’s dying, right?” the brunette questioned quietly, his eyes focused on his hands, his clenched fists on the table’s smooth surface. This... Doesn’t even make any sense. Kopaka and Hanneke, they both might be crazy, but still... Both a psychic and a doctor can’t figure it out? That doesn’t make sense...

“Yes dearie. That’s what I’m saying. Doom is such a sad thing,” the woman replied, ruffling Chippora’s feathers a bit as she spoke. “My poor suffering Druuvbin-sama...”

Sanosuke let out a small growl, pulling his gaze to the blonde demon, angrily glaring at the woman. “Stop saying doom! You don’t know that for sure!”

“Don’t I?”

“No! You don’t!”

“I hope you are right, my rooster. I hope you are right.”

With another small irritated growl Sano turned his eyes away from the woman, instead focusing his gaze back down to the table’s smooth surface. Just because she says so... There still has to be something. People don’t die for no reason. There has to be something... “So when can I go to Laineka?” The teen was tired of this conversation. Even if Hanneke was right, even if... Even if Druu was going to die...Even if there wasn’t a damn thing he could do... He wanted to be there, not stuck in this woman’s kitchen... I have to get out of here.

“You dearie are going to stay with me until Rae and Malba have returned. They are no longer in Laineka. They travel through the storm, to a lion’s den,” Hanneke replied, moving a hand away from the chicken to reach for her tea cup, taking a sip.

“A lion’s den? What?” Sano blinked, eyebrow rising at the demon’s words. “What do you mean? Malba and Rae are going to a lion’s den?” If the woman was right, that would mean that Rae had found Malba and was alright... That was a relief. But what about this lion’s den thing? What’s that supposed to mean?

Hanneke frowned, setting her tea cup back to the wooden table’s flat surface. “I hope my Malba knows what he’s doing...”

“What? What do you mean?” Sano questioned, a perplexed expression flittering through his brown eyes. “Are they okay?” Lion’s den? They should be going to Kopaka’s apartment, right? That's where he said the drugs are. So what the hell is she talking about now? the teen thought uneasily, a frown on his lips.

Were they in danger?

“I see only shadows... I hope that you, my sexy little rooster, are right. I hope that I am wrong. I want to be wrong, just one time. I’ve never been wrong before....” With that comment Hanneke stood, moving gracefully away from the table, across the large room. She arrived at a curtain covered window, reaching out and gently drawing back the cream colored fabric. “The storm is here.”

Sanosuke stood, crossing the room to stand next to the lean woman. He cast his gaze out the large window, taking in the dark forest... Rain soaking through the thick canopy... Looking at that dark, rain sodden scene... He couldn’t help but feel an odd feeling. An ominous dark feeling. “This... This has been a really crappy day.”

“Yes. Yes it has.”

The teen placed a hand on the cool glass of the window, taking in the dark, windy forest... The trees bending, dancing... “You’re not quite as crazy as what you seem, are you?” he questioned quietly, not moving his gaze away from the window.

“Hm? Oh I’m quite crazy dearie. But even I can see the storm.”

“I don’t want him to die.”

“I don’t either, dear.”

Sano sighed, running a finger down the cool glass. It was quite a helpless feeling. To be stuck inside, looking out at that dark, windy forest...

“You are a brave young man, with a strong heart. The tempest is right. You have a strong soul,” Hanneke commented softly, her green gaze set on the tall teenager. “I think she may be right...”

Sano turned to glance at the woman, raising an eyebrow at the blonde with a questioning look in his brown eyes. “Huh? Right about what?”

“Hm... Nothing dearie. So, can I molest you now, or would you like more tea first?” the demon questioned lightly, rather suddenly returning to her old form, a lecherous grin forming on her lips.

“...I changed my mind. You are as crazy as you seem.”

“Thank you, sexy.”

“Let’s just stick with tea, okay?”

“You’re no fun at all, dearie,” the woman stated with a pout on her red lips. She then once again changed back to her young form, walking away to put on more tea.

Sanosuke let out a sigh, his eyes not leaving the window. Yeah. I’ve really gotten way too involved with all these people... Now I care too much... Damn it. “Forget tea. You have any booze?”

He really... He really needed a drink.

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I’m so tired of being wet... Rae thought with a groan, attempting to flick a sopping wet strand of pink hair out of her just as wet face. Which was a little difficult to do, considering she was clinging to Malba for dear life as he drove the motorcycle at an entirely UNSAFE speed. Really, it was raining so hard she could hardly see a damn thing, yet the sprite only further increased their speed, the bike jarring and bouncing on the bumpy road.

Rae glanced down at the rocky path, noting the rain quickly turning the dirt into mud... Rocks, dirt and mud... Just as she had that thought a small chunk of mud sloshed up, splashing the girl right in the face. “Blech!” she sputtered, an agitated moan escaping her lips.

Meh... Rae glanced up at the dark sky, rain pounding against her face. A bright flash of lightning briefly lit up the sky, quickly followed by a loud blast of thunder. Man, what is up with me and storms today? When I first got here it didn’t really look like it was going to storm...Especially not like this... Geez...

--Just a few more minutes,-- Malba’s voice echoed through her head and she nodded a bit, biting her lip. Yeah, okay, she thought in response.

--Uh, you might want to hold on by the way.—

Why? she thought nervously, eyes widening a bit... She didn’t like the sound of that....

--We’re making a right. Now!--

Without warning the darkness elemental made a sharp turn to the right, mud spinning from the back tire as they shot off the main dirt road, onto a smaller, less noticeable trail.

“Grah! Malba you maniac!” the girl shouted as the bike bounced, the motorcycle’s fast pace sending them airborne as they traveled down this new downhill trail.

“We’re going to die, we’re dead, we are so dead!” Rae shouted over the loud hum of the bike and the wind, her aqua-colored eyes focusing on the small gravel path swiftly rushing to meet them...

--Boom---The bike landed with a jolt, however Malba kept it steady, not missing a beat, never slowing down. Rae was pelted with a few pieces of gravel, which... Well, stung quite badly, actually... “Ow! Damn it Malba!”

--Ah shut up. Big baby—

The girl rolled her eyes at the irritable sprite’s response, taking in a shuddering breath. She glanced around this new path, noting that further down the trail was an entrance to a forest, a patch of dark weeping willows and some other type of drooping tree she could not quite identify. Another forest, huh? she thought as she glanced about, noting that other than the approaching mass of trees, not much else could be seen in this sparse area. Malba was kinda right... This place is boring and um, well... Ugly...

--We’re going a little ways through that forest and then we’ll be there,-- Malba suddenly stated telepathically, swerving the bike a bit to miss a deep sunk in hole in the gravel path.

Where exactly are we going? He still hadn’t really told her and Rae was more than a bit curious. Plus that whole, I can’t tell Kitsune or Kopaka thing... Where the hell is this?

--I said not to worry about it. It’s no big deal.--

The speeding bike swiftly approached the mouth of the forest, shooting through the entrance, into the dark depths. The girl frowned as the trail grew even rockier, the bike jerking and bouncing. That has got to be killing Malba’s hand... Rae thought with a bit of concern, looking over the sprite’s shoulder to gaze at his swollen right hand tightly gripping the vibrating handlebar.

Her attention was quickly pulled away however as a bright flash of lightning shot down from the dark sky, striking a nearby tree. As they quickly passed the tree—now in flames—Rae’s eyes widened, her heart missing a beat. Holy shit.

--Hah. That was a little close,-- Malba commented with a bit of dark amusement. Rae raised an eyebrow, forcing her gaze back to the uneven trail. “A little? A little?! Yeah, that’s an understatement!” the girl yelled over the roar of the engine, trying not to think about what would have happened if it had been them instead of the tree... I’ve already been struck once today, I so don’t want to push my luck and try it again...

Another bright flash of lightning flashed across the sky, quickly followed by a loud crack of thunder. Rae kept her gaze focused straight ahead, forcing herself not to look at that dark cloudy sky or the trembling, quaking trees. A large gust of wind swept through the forest, trees bending and shaking, the bike jarring in the harsh breeze. Don’t crash, don’t crash, don’t crash, I don’t even have a helmet on for kami’s sake!

She was wet, cold, had a small scratch on her cheek thanks to flying gravel, muddy, bloody, worried, scared and... She just really was NOT having a good day. At all. “How much longer?” she called out, a bit of rain splashing into her mouth. Blech...

--I don’t know... About three or four minutes?--

“So, we’re almost there?”

--Yeah.—

Okay... Almost there... Just... Please don’t strike us... Please? she silently pleaded with the dark sky, which... Well actually was probably rather pointless and immature, but dammit. She so didn’t want to get fried. The girl had to admit though; Malba’s driving skills were actually pretty damn good... The way he had sped through the driving rain and wind and mud and... Yeah. He’s pretty cool. Even if he is a jerk.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the bike began to slow, the darkness sprite steering the machine over to the side of the path. He pulled the machine to a stop, placing his feet on the wet gravel trail. The dark haired elemental cut the engine, running a wet hand over his face. “All right. We’re here.”

“Uh... Where?” she questioned with a blink, glancing about the dark forest. “I don’t see anything.” How were they supposed to find medicine in the middle of a creepy, rainy forest?

“We’re walking the rest of the way. I don’t want anyone to hear my bike. Stupid,” the sprite snapped in response, rolling his dark eyes. “Now get off.”

“Uh, okay. Sorry, geez,” she replied, throwing her hands up in mock surrender. “Don’t yell at me.” The girl gingerly stood, climbing off the bike. Oww... Wow, sore much? She stretched her tight, aching legs a bit, all the while running a hand over her wet face, trying to wipe away the bit of mud still present.

Malba quickly hopped off the bike, letting it fall unceremoniously to the wet gravel. The sprite adjusted his wet coat a bit and then turned, glancing about the forest. “Okay. This way,” he commented flatly, stepping away from the trail, heading into the dark forest itself.

“Uh, okay,” she replied, quickly moving to catch up with the dark haired elemental. “How’s your hand?” the girl then questioned, eyeing his swollen right hand hanging by his side. Man all that bouncing around and all... That had to hurt...

Malba simply shrugged in response, dismissing the girl’s concerns. Rae frowned, but said nothing, focusing her attention on the wet earth. Don’t trip and make yourself look like an even bigger idiot, she instructed herself, trying to keep her footing on the wet earth, avoiding the roots sticking out from the wet dirt...

“Listen, when we get there, stick near me, okay? I can’t use any magick while we’re here, so... We need to be careful,” Malba stated slowly, his dark eyes not looking away from the wet forest.

....That doesn’t sound good... “Uh, why can’t you use any magick?” she inquired uneasily, glancing at the tense look on the elemental’s lean face. “That really doesn’t sound so good.”

“There are some people here that I don’t want noticing me. If I use any of my powers, they’ll... Notice. So, yeah. As long as I don’t use any, it’ll be fine,” he responded vaguely, a small frown on his lips.

“Um... These people you don’t want noticing you... Who are they?” Rae questioned quietly. He shouldn’t be here. I don’t know why, but somehow I’m seriously sure he definitely shouldn’t be here... He doesn’t want Kitsune or Kopaka to know...Man, Malba. Where are we?

“I said don’t worry about it, god! You’re as bad as that fucking fox,” Malba snapped, rolling his midnight-blue eyes. He clenched his swollen right fist, an agitated look on his face.

Rae let it go, keeping her mouth shut. She could tell her questions were pissing the sprite off, which was something she definitely did not want to do. With my luck, if I keep pestering him he’ll go all red eyes on me again... So she remained quiet and followed the lean elemental’s lead, walking quickly through the rain.

After a few quick minutes Malba slowed, his dark eyes locking ahead of the two. Rae cast her gaze up, noting the sudden clearing... Her eyes widened a bit, taking in the sight. A large building could be seen, tall and immense. Metal and glass, completely out of place... It looked like a building she would find in her own city, not in some underdeveloped area like Laineka... Especially not something she would expect to see in the middle of an isolated forest.

“What the fuck?” Rae blinked, taking in the tall, modern-style building looming in the distance. “What is that?”

“It’s a government research facility,” Malba replied softly, his eyes locked on that tall building. A flash of dark emotion briefly flickered through his eyes, but before Rae could figure out exactly what the look even was, it vanished. A cocky smirk replaced his former expression. “Now. Let’s steal some drugs.”

The pink haired girl watched the elemental for a few more moments before pulling her gaze away, back to the tall structure. Why... What was that expression? What is this place, Malba? “Um... What government?”

“It’s not Gahlreyian. We’re actually in Gahlrey, but this is a Tevrra run facility. Tevrra is a nearby country that has pretty close ties to Gahlrey. Gahlrey let’s ‘em have a few research facilities scattered around, so that Tevrra doesn’t get a bad reputation and can keep their nice ‘peaceful’ image. This is supposed to be a secret facility. The rest of the world doesn’t really know about Tevrra’s little dark secrets...” the elemental explained slowly, his eyes not leaving that immense building. The dark haired man then shrugged his shoulders, turning to give the girl a confident smirk. “So, you ready for a little breaking and entering?"

Rae watched the elemental closely, taking in his face... Somehow that smirk seemed a little forced... “How heavy is the security?” she asked, turning to glance at the building once again.

“Not bad. They’re completely overconfident. No one’s supposed to know about this place, remember?”

“So... How do you know about it?”

“I just do.”

Rae rolled her eyes, realizing that the sprite simply was not going to give her any more information. She let out a small sigh, pushing wet hair away from her face. Stupid long hair...Stay out of my friggin’ face! Geez... Rae once again turned her gaze back to Malba. Something feels kind of... Off... She said nothing however. It’s not like he’s going to tell me.

“We just need to get to the ninth floor. That’s where most of the medical stuff goes on. They have a med lab stocked with basically anything you could ever fucking need,” the elemental commented, taking a few steps away from the girl, towards the building.

Medical stuff. Hm. She nodded as she followed the sprite, once again taking in his attractive face. Oh, um wait... “Uh, Mals? Wait a sec.”

“What?” Malba questioned irritably, turning to look at the girl.

Eh, he’ll probably kill me, but... She moved closer, looking at the elemental’s face. “Now, uh, don’t kill me. Just hold still for a sec,” she stated slowly, moving a finger up to rub a bit at the corner of his left eye.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Um... It’s uh, your eyeliner got a little smudged. But... Um.. Yeah. I fixed it, no worries,” she replied with a small smirk, pulling her finger away. She looked over his face again, nodding with satisfaction. There. No more make-up smudges. Pretty as always. Heh. I wonder what brand of stuff he uses? It must be waterproof or something... Besides that little smudge, it’s all still on really good...

“...I’m not... I’m not wearing any eyeliner!” the dark haired man stammered angrily, a sudden flash of color appearing on his pale cheeks. “Idiot!”

“Uh, Malba. Admittedly, I am stupid, but even I’m not THAT stupid. That’s definitely eyeliner,” the girl replied, giving the sprite a knowing look.

“...It is not,” he stated flatly, twitching a bit.

“Oh come on! It is so. Besides, what’s wrong with a guy wearing eyeliner? I like it when guys wear make-up.”

“I’m not wearing any freaking make-up!”

“Uh-huh, riiight. Just admit it. That’s so eyeliner.”

“...FINE! It’s eyeliner! Are you happy?! Now shut the fuck up you stupid bitch!” Malba shouted irately, his face flushing as he turned away from the girl. “Stupid fucking humans,” he mumbled, stomping away with his fists clenched by his sides.

A small smile appeared on Rae’s lips and she shook her head a bit. Poor Malba. What a dork. Despite the bleak, dark situation and the dire circumstances... She couldn’t help but smile a little. The small grin quickly faded however, an image of Druu once again flittered through her mind. Hold on Druu...

“Okay, so uh, how do we get in?” the girl questioned as she moved to catch up with the sprite striding angrily away from her. “Hey! Wait up!”

“There’s a side entrance that’ll work. I’ll just con one of the guards into opening the door,” he replied with a small shrug, not slowing his pace as he continued to trek closer to the clearing. “After that, we’ll head for the rear elevator corridor, take one up to floor nine, grab some meds, and that’s it.”

Hm... Sounds easy, but... Why do I get the feeling this might be one of those ‘easier said than done’ situations? Meh... We have to hurry and get those meds... “Uh, okay. How are you going to get a guard to open the door?” she inquired curiously as they quickly approached the clearing.

“Just shut up and let me deal with it.”

Rae rolled her eyes, but smiled a bit. Malba’s cocky attitude was actually kind of cute. In a really, really, really annoying, bitchy kind of way... She silently followed the darkness elemental to the edge of the forest, where he paused. She moved to stand next to the lean sprite, glancing at his wet face. “What is it?”

“...Nothing. Come on.” With that said he once again walked away, his coat flapping a bit in the gusty wind. Rae frowned but followed, an uneasy feeling running through her mind. Nothing? Hm...

A flash of lightning lit up the sky, a crack of thunder shook the earth and rain continued to pour down from the black sky as the two headed for the building. Malba motioned for the girl to hurry and she nodded, quickly following the dark haired man across the small open area.

Maaan.... I’m getting such a bad feeling about this... As cliché as that sounds...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yuki bit his lip in concentration as he directed energy into Kopaka, drawing down as much as possible, taking it from the very storm itself...

It’s definitely a good thing it’s storming, the silver haired man thought, glancing out the dark window near the bed. A flash of lightning momentarily lit up the night, revealing rain and black clouds... If it weren’t for the storm, there’s no way I could have gotten the Jump to work for Rae-chan... And...

Yuki had sat earlier, watching as the grey haired elemental struggled to keep hold, to force energy from his spent body... Yuki had noted that tired shake, the strained look on his face... He couldn’t just sit and do nothing... He had already failed Druuvbin once by keeping silent... He couldn’t sit by and watch as Kopaka made himself sick from energy loss, couldn’t just sit by and watch Druu die.... It’s all I’ve ever wanted... To be useful... But... his thoughts trailed off, his watery eyes closing. I’m sorry...

He knew that it would only draw further suspicion on himself by giving Kopaka the energy... However... At this point, did it really matter anymore? He had already... They were suspicious anyway, he knew that. Plus... I... I won’t be able to stay much longer anyway... he thought sadly, his grey eyes opening, moving to focus on the unconscious psychic in Kopaka’s lean, toned arms. Please don’t die...

He moved his tear-filled gaze to Kopaka, silently watching as the grey haired elemental sat on the bed, forcing energy into the psychic, his blue eyes closed tightly in concentration. He’s not mad at me... Yuki had been surprised to say the least... When the sprite had smiled at his apology, forgiving him... I’m not even sure what all I was apologizing for... I know he didn’t know... But... He still smiled... That somehow... Had meant a lot to the small framed man.

Strange... With his hand on Kopaka’s shoulder, the world of grey wasn’t quite as... His vision wasn’t quite as faded. Yuki could actually make out a few vivid colors amongst the faded bleakness, besides that blood red... Kopaka’s blue eyes and pink lips, Jiro’s dark green shirt and silver hoop earrings, Kouji’s blue jeans and icy hair... Strange. A few bright colors amongst the dimness. I suppose... It’s his energy... Even though he’s giving it all to Druu... His energy is grounding me to this world somehow... It doesn’t really make sense but... It was the only reasonable explanation he could think of.

Actually, he had first noticed it a few months ago. When the sprite would randomly jump on him, or touch him, or start pulling his hair... Yuki would notice a few colors bleeding into the world of drabness... He hadn’t understood it then, and he still wasn’t sure. He also wasn’t sure why it was that... It’s like... I think he somehow... Remembers me... But how? Why wasn’t that grey fog affecting Kopaka like the others?

It made him nervous. I... I don’t want him to remember...

-- “You lied to me! Please! Please stop? Yuki? Yuki! NO!!” --

-- “....Yuki... Why?” --

A small involuntary shiver ran through Yuki at the words echoing in his mind, words from the past... The small framed man quickly pushed the memories away, concentrating on drawing down energy from the sky... From those thick rolling clouds full of pulsating, strong flows of power... Please don’t stop storming... Just stay... I need this energy. How much longer would the thunderstorm linger? Hopefully... If it would just...

“Oh... Oh that’s...” Kouji’s soft voice broke into the man’s thoughts and he opened his grey eyes, focusing on the icy boy. “That’s not good at all,” the boy whispered, his ice eyes a bit clouded, as if... He’s seeing something... Yuki thought, apprehension flittering through his mind.

“What is it, Kouji?” Jiro questioned from his spot on the black couch, his nervous steel colored eyes focusing on the young teen. “What’s not good?”

“I, I um... Malba’s going somewhere he shouldn’t go,” Kouji replied, his eyes filling with confusion. “What does that mean?” he asked, his voice shaking. “I, um... What does that mean?” he repeated, questioning his own words, tears in his perplexed eyes.

“Huh? What about Malba?” Jiro inquired uneasily, a frown on his lips.

Kopaka opened his eyes, watching the half-human boy with a troubled expression passing over his face. “Kouji. Calm down, okay? Now what do you mean? Malba’s going where?” he questioned gently, obviously attempting to keep the young teen calm. “Can you tell me?”

Oh... Oh no... A sudden flash of realization hit Yuki and he bit his lip, apprehension coursing through his numb body. Malba... Was in Laineka... And... Oh no... The elemental always had been extremely reckless... Especially when it involved Druu, Kitsune or Kopaka.... He... Not there, Malba...

Yuki glanced to the wind elemental, taking in the expression flickering across his boyish, attractive face. A look of realization, followed by trepidation. “He wouldn’t have...” the elemental muttered, his blue eyes focused on the icy half demon. “Kouji? Can you tell me where Malba’s going?” he then went on to question gently.

“Um... Um... What was I... I don’t know,” the boy whispered, his eyes confused and his face troubled. “I... Um...”

“It’s okay Kouji. Don’t worry about it, man,” Kopaka cut the teen off, giving the boy a somewhat strained smile. “It’s okay.”

“I’m sorry,” the boy mumbled, his gaze falling back to Druu, his face once again going blank. “I don’t know,” he whispered, a tear falling from his eye.

Yuki felt a pang in his unbeating heart at the look on the boy’s face... Poor Kouji...

“Mals... You better not be going where I think you’re going...” Kopaka mumbled quietly, a frown on his lips as he closed his eyes, again focusing on the psychic in his arms. “Who am I kidding? I know exactly where he’s going. He better be careful...”

“Hey? What about Malba? Where is he going? What are you guys talking about?” Jiro questioned, looking first at Kouji, then focusing his gaze to Kopaka. “He better be careful where?”

“It’s okay Jiro. Don’t worry about it...”

Yes... Really careful... If... If... Yuki felt another small shiver run through him, but he closed his eyes as well, drawing more energy from the clouds... With the combination of the power from the storm and Kopaka’s strong but rapidly depleting energy... We can keep Druu-chan alive for a little longer, but... Please hurry...Even with my help, Kopaka-san isn’t going to be able to keep this up forever... He’s getting weaker...

As he stood, his right hand gently gripping the wind elemental’s shoulder... His thoughts once again returned to that encompassing, inescapable grey wave... How much longer would it take for that grey force to finally swallow him, pull him away from his friends? How much longer would it be before he faded into that void of colorless grey? Would using so much energy hasten his inevitable plunge into the abyss?

I haven’t used this much energy in a long time... First helping Rae-chan jump... And now this... Yuki wasn’t sure if it would quicken his descent into the grey bleakness, but... I don’t care. It’s going to happen anyway. At least this way... I’m being... At least I’m being a little useful...

A small sigh escaped his pale lips and he briefly opened his eyes, glancing about the room... Taking in Kouji, Jiro, Druu, Kopaka.... I don’t want to go...

He closed his eyes, shoving the thought away. Just focus...

A soft pained moan escaped Druuvbin's lips and Yuki once again opened his eyes, taking in that agonized, blood-stained face. Dried blood on his lips, a small trickle of blood slowly leaking from both nostrils... So very pale... And... Yuki reached out his free hand, brushing a few strands of blue hair away from the sprite’s face. “Hold on Druu-chan,” he whispered, lightly running his hand over the man’s cheek, in what he hoped to be a comforting gesture.

Druu let out another low moan, a bit of blood leaking from his lips. Yuki felt a tear slip from his eye as he moved to wipe away that fresh flow of blood with the long sleeve of his creamy-mint colored shirt... What did it matter? It’s only a shirt... The psychic quietly mumbled a few words, his voice soft and halting. Yuki tried to decipher the words; however the small framed man could not quite make out the language. It sounds a little familiar but... Whatever it is...It’s old...

“What did he say?” Jiro questioned softly, moving to stand near the bed, looking down on the water elemental.

“I don’t know... I’m not sure what language that is,” Kopaka replied quietly, not opening his eyes. “It’s old, whatever it is,” he went on to say, practically echoing Yuki's thoughts.

“He said... He said he’s sorry. He said he’s so sorry... I think he’s lost in the past,” Kouji whispered flatly, not looking away from the sprite, clutching Druu’s lifeless hand in his own. “He’s lost in his dreams...”

“How do you know?” Jiro inquired, watching the icy half human with curiosity in his steel-blue eyes.

“I...I don’t know,” the boy replied with a small shrug.

Druu-chan... Yuki moved to once again gently caress the psychic’s cheek in a slow soothing motion. The water elemental let out a small sigh, quickly followed by a quick, harsh cough.

“Vetein sa eere nafa weta-il...” Druu whispered haltingly, his breath short, his voice soft and faraway. “Sanal—arta...Feine.. Vetein sa... Vetein-sa...”

“Hey Druu? Wake up and talk to us, okay? Can you hear me? Open your eyes for me, Druu,” Kopaka prodded gently, his voice weary and apprehension filled as he continued to draw the storm’s energy from Yuki, transferring it to the water elemental.

“Vetein...sa...” With those soft words a spasm rocked the psychic’s lean body, a harsh, jagged breath escaping his lips.

Yuki bit his lip, teary eyes focusing on Druuvbin’s pale, pain filled face, another wave of guilt washing over him. I should have said something.... I...

The silver haired man closed his eyes once more, resolve setting into his very being. If it took all the energy he had left, even if it sent him spiraling into that grey darkness... Until Malba-san can get those medicines... I’m going to keep you alive. No matter what... With that thought he pushed everything else away, his guilt and his fear, his sadness... All that was left... All that was left was the sounds of the thunder, the rain, the feel of the lightning charging the air...

Please be careful Malba-san... Please get that medicine... Please...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
end part b
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rae: Still not finished. Now read part c. XD