The Price of Protection

Raikyo's cheeks flushed when she called him her love.

Hey, she said me too.

"Shut up, stupid CAT!"he yelled and then pounced on the panther. That probably wasn't the wisest choice for the demon, but Fairenz understood that it was only a game. The two of them rolled around in the middle of the trail. tails thrashing here and there. Fairenz's claw accidently caught into Raikyo's cheek, but all he did was laugh it off. The panther grabbed onto the bottom of his jeans leg and dragged him off down the trail.

"Ayame, help!" Raikyo yelled playfully while Fairenz continued to pull at him. Raikyo's body scrapped across the ground, burning his skin slightly.

"Hey, slow up would ya? This hurts!"he said. The only response was a more pressurized tug to his legs and an increase in burning as Fairenz picked up the pace. Raikyo winced and began to yank his leg back angrily.

"Fairenz, cut it out!"he shouted. Raikyo's body stiffened when he caught a red glimpse in the panther's normally black eyes. Fairenz...? No response. The panther bound down the road, dragging a struggling Raikyo with him.

"Ayame! AYAME!!!!"he shouted, realizing that she was alone.​
 
Ayame laughed and laughed at the way Fairenz drug the Raikyo,

Up until she heard stress in his voice

"hm?" She turned and seen the worried look on his face as the panther drug him along

"Raikyo! Fairenz stop your hurting him!" She yelled at the panther as she began running towards them

"Raikyo!" She yelled in worry as she caught a glimpse of Fairenz's red eyes

something was terribly wrong

She picked up the pace.. wondering exactly what she could do..

"Im WARNING YOU FAIRENZ!" she yelled once as the stir inside her lower abdomen began

She didnt turn, however the demons power flowed threw her veins a split second

but that split second was all she needed.

She caught up to the panther, right beside him and just before she was about to slow up, her claws grew and her purple eyes flickered

She caught the panthers snout right in between them, slashing him midly deep as she slowed and tripped she pulled Raikyo with her by his arms..

They both hit the ground hard and she sat there a moment catching her breath

"What the hell is wrong with you FAIRENZ!" She yelled after the panther
 
Raikyo scrambled to his feet, yanking Ayame against his chest. He wasn't going to question her on how she managed to perform the feat she did, because he had a small idea of how. The important thank was to make her feel safe and not anger her. That was easy for him to do, but the problem was that she was focused on Fairenz, which was bad.

Fairenz snarled, red eyes burning into the two of them. Raikyo held Ayame tighter, mimicking the snarl.

"Fairenz, I know you can here me! Resist it!"he shouted. Wrong move. The cat crouched down in his roaring position, teeth baring back. Raikyo gasped and shoved Ayame into a bush.

"Cover your ears!"he shouted before.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOO!"

Raikyo screamed out in pain as the roar bounced through his head. His bones throbbed uncontrollably, heart stopping and starting again. Raikyo writhed around on the ground of the forest, biting down on his teeth as hard as he could.​
 
Ayame had covered her ears just in time, but it barely did any justice

The roar from Fairenz made birds drop from the skies,

cut threw leaves and make animals whimper

It made Ayame curl up into a ball, her insides felt raw.

As a human, covering her ears was not nearly enough to suppress..

Silent angry tears streamed down her face as she stood on her knees one by one and grasped the ground

Her eyes flickered purple but it was easier to control, since the anger was for Fairenz and not Raikyo

She took deep breaths and tried to stay calm, but her body felt weak,

And the weaker she was, the more power the demon had over her

"Raikyo?"

She blinked and got up from the bushes immidiatley and crouched near Raikyo

Putting his head in her lap and running her fingers threw his hair "Raikyo.."

She said his name hopelessly, she could tell he was still in a lot of pain

It angered her.

She grabbed his shirt tightly in her palms as the purple flare began to surface in her eyes once more

"FAIRENZ!! WHATS WRONG WITH YOU THIS IS RAIKYO!"
She screamed in anger at the cat. Glaring at it, challenging it with her eyes

Fighting Raikyo was simple enough..

But Fairenz?

She was in a different ballgame indeed.
 
The panther prowled around the two of them in a circle, licking his wet, black nose. Raikyo struggled to regain some will or composure among himself, but that was a tough task to complete. The roar had shaken everything within him, inflicting pain way down into his very core. All of that and only from a simple roar? Fairenz was a powerful one, indeed, and it wasn't safe to have Ayame near him, whether she had the power of a demon or not. Satisfied as he was going to be with his decision, he stood upon his feet, still trembling from the impact. Fairenz let a warning snap from his jaws resonate through Raikyo's ears, but the demon ignored it. His gaze was fixated on the cat's eyes, the deepness of the red compelling him.

It was clear he was possessed, but by what or whom? Raikyo mimicked the prowl, making sure to keep his adrenaline and reflexes high just in case the panther decided to switch his target to Ayame instead.

"I don't know who you are and I don't give a damn, but i'm warning you: release my panther now or you're suffer a fate worse than death!"he snapped, eyes darkening quickly. He was just on his way to meet the Heiran and he wasn't going to let anything happen to Ayame before that time. Especially not from his own panther.​
 
Ayame didn't understand what could possibly be wrong with

The panther.. it seemed just a few hours ago he was fine..

How could something as powerful as fairenz get possessed ?

If this was the case she didn't stand a chance against the heiran

With or without raikyo

She tried to focus hard on anything besides being

Upset or angry

She didn't want it to come out now...

"Raikyo ..talk to him he can beat it if he tries!"
 
As usual, the girl's voice was an irritating insect that zipped in and out of Raikyo's cat-like ears. he couldn't concentrate while she was there. He tried to devise his own plans, but her suggestions only ruined them. There was no place for contemplation, but of course, she didn't know that. Fairenz crouched down into a pouncing position, but when Ayame spoke, he hesitated the slightest bit. Raikyo caught it, As small as it was, it was still a hesitation, so that meant that something about Ayame faltered the panther's plans. Raikyo had nothing to go with other than the fact that Ayame had spoke. Raikyo decided to feed the next actions off of that one notion.

"Ayame. Speak."he ordered like a dog. The minute Raikyo said something, the panther was again in an angry state of mind, returning to his crouched position. Raikyo growled.

"Now!"​
 
Ayame didn't understand his command at first and at that found It rather insulting but she didn't argue with Raikyo because this was not the time, She looked over at fairenz and stepped just a tad closer, swallowing rather hard before opening her mouth thinking of something to say "Fairenz.. I know you can hear me... please stop this" She begged, hoping that she might get through to him some way or another.

She cleared her throat and tried again "Fairenz.. dont let this control you.. Raikyo and me are your friends and we love you! SNAP OUT OF IT!!" She demanded, her voice going from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds. Though frustrated she knew she had to keep calm, otherwise risk awakening what was deep down insider her, something she hoped to beat. Something she promised herself earlier that she wouldn't let Raikyo sacrifice himself for -if she had to, she would to the honors.

"Fairenz.. evil is controlling you -an evil we all said we would defeat remember? together we can beat this thing but me and Raikyo cannot do it without you!... please.. Fairenz.."


She hated seeing him like this, but she knew deep down he had to hear her


He just had to


Fight it.
 
Just as expected, the panther was bending to the whim of her voice. At first when she had spoken he growled lowly, shaking his head. Ayame didn't stop there and kept speaking. Fairenz's red eyes expanded and shrunk at her every syllable and even went as far as to whimper in pain. His cat like growls of both frustration and pain was all Raikyo needed to confirm that Ayame was his poison. Whatever the Herian had slipped into him while they slept, they did not take in account of the cat's feelings towards the human.

Raikyo knew that Ayame's voice was not nearly enough to release the cat. Knowing the Herian, he had to do it by force. Ayame was as big of a distraction as Raikyo would get. She spoke in a soft hurtful voice which changed into a desperate beg. Fairenz's head bowed slightly and at that time, Raikyo's blue eyes flashed towards the cat. He had an open chance. A spark of blue aura erupted from the soles of the demon's feet and he zipped to the panther, knocking him off of his feet. Fairenz was late to react but it was enough for Raikyo to pin the panther down, struggling to keep him at bay.

"Ayame! Knock him out!"he shouted. The plan was a whim but if he was tainted through his sleep, maybe Fairenz would wake up pure. A claw scratched across Raikyo's right cheek but the demon barely felt it. He wasn't going to let his best friend suffer like that.​
 
Ayame stared in horror as she watched Raikyo pinned Fairenz, She felt a twinge of guilt as the panther struggled, but she knew it was for the best. Even watching him as he growled and lowered his head, motioning and she knew he understood. "Fairenz.." She called out to him, her voice slowly trailed as she sighed and shook her head trying not to watch as he was restrained by Raikyo.

"Ayame! Knock him out!

she heard Raikyo order her, as she snapped out of her trance at the sound of his voice and looked at him confusingly and then back up at Fairenz "Knock h-him out!? what do you mean?!" Surely he didnt think that she was going to risk bringing that demon out of her, just to knock out Fairenz -what if it took over her again?, the thought of that scared her. She sighed, shaking her head before slowly coming towards the two struggling and knelt down beside fairenz's head. She lifted her fist, hesitantly as she continued staring at him

"Fairenz... Im so sorry.." She concluded as her pupils turned a lighter purple, as she attempted to use the strength of what lay dormant inside her for now just to use its power. She targeted a spot behind Fairenz's head -not going near the temple or any other soft spot, so that it would be a clean knock out to unconsciousness.

She squinted her eyes, before charging her fist at his head one good time, strength that was not hers fueling it as it made hard contact with the cats head, a quick clean, but hard punch. Her eyes remained closed as she looked away, still on her knees as she struggled to keep herself contained against the demons wishes


Fool! you dont use me! I use you! dont think that will happen next time so easily..


and icy voice warned from inside as she was let go from herself, her pupils becoming normal again as she squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them

When her breathing was normal enough, she slowly turned back to Raikyo and Fairenz.. wondering if her punch had done its job.

 
There was a crack heard against the panther's head. Surprisingly enough, Fairenz didn't even struggle when he witnessed the fist flying towards his head. It must have been something in the girl's voice that caused a slight hesitation in him. Therefore, when Ayame's fist swiftly flew into contact with Fairenz's head, the panther's body slumped on top of Raikyo's who had been grappling with the large cat. Raikyo panted and tried heaving the panther off of him with one arm. He had forgotten the mass the panther weighed and instead used both of his arms to lift him off. Fairenz's body lay motionless in the middle of the road they were on. Raikyo touched at the wound on his cheek, dusting himself off with his other hand.

"They've gone far enough. Fairenz is not easily swayed by amateur magic like that. I say they're getting desperate."he muttered. He bent on both of his knees and grunted while he lifted the giant black cat over his shoulder. Fairenz's massive paws swung limply behind Raikyo's back.

"Come on."he ordered and continued to walk down the road as if nothing had happened.​
 
Ayame blinked and watched Raikyo as if it was nothing for him to pick the panther up, she then looked at her fist, letting her fingers retract and then protracting it, examining it closely, "Once again Im amazing myself" Even though she was astounded by her strength the feeling of fear also crept in, she wanted this demon out of her. "Coming" She practically sang, trying to keep her spirits up regardless of the situation and catching up with Raikyo.

"Do.. do you think hes going to be okay?" She asked hesitantly, running her fingers through the fur on his paw while doing so. Ayame couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for the way Fairenz was acting earlier and then having to knock him out, but not just that incident but everything. However she couldn't let that guilt eat her alive because now, it seemed she had somewhat sealed a relationship that was brewing between the two and she knew he would stand by her through this just as she had stood by him. "Hes a strong cat... Im sure everything will be fine..."

She couldn't help but be nervous though.
 
"Yeah, he'll be just fine."he said gruffly. "After I give him a piece of my mind when he wakes up. How could he let his guard down at a time like this! He's supposed to be protecting me! I bet it's your fault."he added, shooting a glare towards Ayame. "He gets all googly when you're around. You saw the way he reacted to your voice. Pansy cat."he growled, heaving th cat higer on his shoulders so he wouldn't be in an unbalanced weight.

The road was long and winding. Raikyo squinted ahead of him through the sun. It seemed as though there would be no end. He walked this road before, but it was added with a memory that he didn't want to revive. However, the thought already crept into his head. He ran down this road after Yami was murdered. He fled the Heiran on this road and now he was returning to it, this time, with back up.

"When we get there, don't say a word. Only listen to me. They'll taint you with their lies and probably piss the Mirriordian inside of you off. You need to listen to me and Fairenz at all times. Understand?"he said with a high air of seriousness.​
 
Ayame gaped at the coincidence of Raikyo stating that it was supposedly her fault that Fairenz was acting, even though it was some what a light accusing she couldn't help but feel insulted "Or maybe it was your fault!" She retorted haughtily, lifting her nose in the air and crossing her arms as if she was actually mad -She couldn't think of a reason that it could be his fault but the words left her mouth anyways. "Correction, he is supposed to be protecting both of us! remember there are two of us now..." her voice trailed as she realized that once again Raikyo's mind was wandering. They way he peered down the direction they were heading let her know something was bothering him, but she decided not to ask -for what? so he can tell her 'nothing' like he always did?

"I wont let them. I wont listen." She concluded, after listening to his warnings. He seemed serious enough however, to believe that it might be harder than it seemed to just block somebody out. "When do I ever not listen to you Raikyo?"


I put up a fight, but I do listen.
 
"Shut up! I never said you didn't listen to me. I'm just saying not to listen to them. These people aren't easy, Ayame. They won't hesitate to torture any one of us. I need for you to keep your cool."he said quietly, peering over Fairenz that was hunched over his shoulder and into Ayame's eyes. "When it comes to subduing the Mirriordian, you are horrible. You can't bottle your emotions worth a damn, and they all know that. They'll do everything in their power to get to your mind and spill your anger. You've seen what they did to rile me up with Yami. Don't think they won't do the same."he said. Fairenz's body was starting to feel heavier by the minute but Raikyo only heaved him up some more, continuing his walk.

"Even if they hurt me or Fairenz...you need to remain calm."he said before stopping in mid walk. Knowing Ayame, all of these words must be going through one ear and out the other, he thought. Raikyo turned around and slid his blue eyes up to hers. The two stared at one another before Raikyo spoke again.

"You need...to remain calm."he said, softer than before.​
 
Ayame blushed slightly at Raikyos action, before balling her hands into fists "I... I heard you the first time what do you think I am? DEAF?!" She shouted, rolling her eyes and continuing "As if I only listen when your being all.. dreamy.. and cute.. and.. " her voice trailed, when she thought about it -she really did listen when he was being that way instead of a complete jerk but she wouldn't let him know that.

When your a jerk I listen

When your being nice I listen... intently.



"Anyways.. I know what you mean, Im just not too sure how much more they can do to me.." She shrugged it off as if she had so much poise but of course she was nervous. "You think your the only one who got hurt when they brang Yami out here? and Im sure if they did it again it would go the same way it went then!" She snapped. -Why was she acting so fresh today? she had no idea, she was nervous so maybe that's why she was on edge. After a moment she sighed and looked over to Raikyo "Sorry... I didn't mean it" She mumbled flatly. Ayame wasn't trying to get all emotional right now, if they were going to face the greater enemy today, she figured she didn't have any emotions to spare right about now.

So she sucked it up.
 
What...is with...this noise? Raikyo was just about to retort to Ayame louder than she was before Fairenz's voice coated the air.

"Well, good morning, sleeping beauty. How was your nap?" Raikyo asked in a sarcastically sweet voice. Fairenz yawned, tongue curling and uncurling until his mouth snapped closed once more. The panther lifted its head and blinked its slow grey eyes around him.

Why are you carrying me?

"Heh, funny story." Raikyo said in a not-so-funny tone of voice. He even went as far as to wipe his bloody cheek with his free hand. Fairenz looked at the action and then to Ayame who was walking behind him.

Do you know what's going on? he asked her kindly. Raikyo scoffed and set the panther down on his legs.

"No no, no sweet talking, Fairenz. If you may know, during your precious sleep, the Heiran came in and possessed you."he said simply with a wave of his hand. Fairenz stretched out its limbs, yawning again and shaking his head to clear his head of the disoriented feeling.

The Heiran possessed me, you say. Ah, so i let my guard down.

"You think?" Raikyo replied, practically bleeding sarcasm.​
 
"Raikyo! stop being so rude!" Ayame shot him a look, and then smiled back at Fairenz, massaging the fur behind his ears as they continued walking "Yes its true.. you were possessed and almost got the best of me and Raikyo.. I had to knock you out" She concluded with light laughter. The situation was far from funny, but the fact that Ayame was the one to do it made it humorous in her eyes.

"S'okay Fairenz... I have a feeling its coming soon -the meeting between us and them I mean.. and when its all over we dont have to worry about this kind of thing happening anymore" Ayame concluded with nod, then crossed her arms to her chest as a cold chill ran over her -giving her immediate goosebumps, the wind also seemed as though it was picking up making her hair sway to the crazy directions that it was doing so and it was either that this was a little eerie or she was so nervous her own senses were coming alive now. "Do you guys feel that?" She asked anxiously as she pulled her kimono tighter around her. Ayame was trying to keep calm, the more nervous she got the more chance the demon inside her had to come out.
 
An advance of wind blue Raikyo's blue hair around on his cheeks. Fairenz lifted his head into the air and sniffed once.

It doesn't smell as if anything is nearing.

"Yeah, and I don't sense anything either..."Raikyo added. He sniffed into the air like Fairenz but no smell came back to him. As far as he knew, it was only the three of them on that road. He looked to Ayame with a puzzled face. "You sure you alright? Maybe you didn't get enough sleep like princess over here."

Don't start. Raikyo chortled and walked ahead of him as if the human girl had not inquired about a presense in the first place.

"Come on. We're wasting daylight."he said sarcastically, knowing that it just turned morning minutes ago. Fairenz shook his massive oil colored head and trotted after Raikyo to keep up.​
 
Ayame knew it was just her mind playing tricks. "I guess Im just nervous" She added, ignoring Raikyo's retorts and sighing as she began to catching up with them. It seemed they were losing daylight -the day had went by very fast, almost too fast. Ayame concluded that it was probably just the commotion with Fairenz.

She watched as the sky was now an auburnish color, letting her know that the sun was indeed going to set soon, which only meant one of two things: Either they were going to have to face the Heirian in the dark, which might not be a disadvantage to the Fairenz and Raikyo but was much to the disadvantage to Ayame. Or Ayame was going to be blessed with another night with Raikyo -which made her blush at the idea of it.

Of course, it would be a night with Fairenz too, and she was grateful for that -but more or so her mind kept drifting to Raikyo

Damn the hold he has on me.

As the wind didnt subside and she began to relax more rather than keep up her anxious facade she made her way closer to Raikyo, intertwining her arm in his and immediately explaining herself "Its.. well its getting cold." She explained bluntly, looking down at the ground and thanking the gods that it was getting too dark to reveal a blush