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The Price of Protection

Raikyo stared at her for longer than he thought he would. She still looked the same, dressed in a kimono and cleaned. Her scent had returned to normal and so did her attitude. Raikyo smiled to himself and whistled once. Fairenz's head snapped up, golden eyes wide and alerted, Raikyo rarely whistled. The signal was for Fairenz to be ready to put his life on the line for a mission. Raikyo never wanted to endanger his cat, but he had something he needed to protect for the time being. Fairenz bound to all fours and stood straight, gazing at Raikyo and awaiting orders.

"You can come out of hiding now."he said aloud. Fairenz's head tilted ever so slightly, too slightly for Ayame to tell, but Raikyo could tell a lot about Fairenz's gestures. Judging by the change of aura, Fairenz had agreed to Raikyo's suggestion. With that, the panther turned over to Ayame and sat on his hind legs, tail rubbing across the green grass.

Remain calm, Ayame. It's time I properly introduced myself. I am Fairenz. Nice to finally talk to you.

Fairenz bowed his black head once, speaking to the girl through her mind just as he did to Raikyo.​
 
Ayame did what any normal human girl would do in a situation like this


She screamed.

"FAIRENZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU JUST SPOKE TO ME!! DID YOU HEAR THAT?" she said going over raikyo and pulling his collar "FAIRENZ JUST S-P-O-K-E IN MY H-E-A-D!!" she continued,

She let go of his collar and went up to fairenz.

"Fairenz you have a deep voice" she said giggling and petting his head

"I feel like a demon now.. wow A cat just introduced himself to me.. and told me to remain calm" She said giggling.
 
Fairenz and Raikyo both exchanged knowing glances. Raikyo shrugged and the cat had returned his attention to Ayame.

I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself sooner. My master didn't give me permission so I've been silent this entire time. I knew he would want me to converse with you sooner or later though, he said, trotting over to her and rubbing his head against her leg in a cat-like manor. I wanted to tell you so many things. And now I have forgotten them all, he said with a chuckle, licking his nose.

Raikyo smiled and also made his way to Ayame.

"If you respond to him internally, then i can not hear what he says to you. But if you answer aloud, then I can witness what he is saying. It has always been like that. Fairenz makes a choice of who he wants to bond with. And..well.."

The rest of his sentence was obvious when he and Fairenz both smiled at her (if the cat could smile).​
 
"And he chose me" She said gratefully hugging fairenz around his furry neck.

Thank you for being there for me.. and guarding my butt all the time

She said to fairenz, testing the waters, She felt truly honored, she once owned a cat, but nothing as big as fairenz

And the cat loved her to death, so she had a thing for them.. even big ones like fairenz
 
Any time, Ayame, the cat responded, purring softly against the girl's body. Raikyo had about enough of the touchy feely moment, eyes darkening an inch.

"Yeah yeah, whatever, let's go."he said, walking over to the main road once more. He didn't hear the conversation between the two of them but he knew that Fairenz purred for a reason. Raikyo walked off, knowing that Fairenz and Ayame were not too far behind. The morning wound on. The road was beginning to wind its way into something that had a familiar destination. The dirt and gravel transformed into something paved, like cement and asphalt.

"The village isn't far from here. Have you heard of Tiontse? The village is famous for its ridiculous parties and celebrations. They have one like every other night. Juts because they enjoy life that damn much. Humans..."he finished, a look of annoyed confusion on his face. Raikyo was content with the fact that he might never know why humans do the things they do, walking onward.​
 
"Maybe because we don't want to be mad all the time like you guys are... and most of the time your mad for no reason" She said rolling her eyes


"And yes I have heard of it... my dad calls it the city of sin.. He told me never to come here... he said once he sent a female soldier out that way to catch a demon and bring him to justice.. and she came back pregnant" She said giggling.

"So any particular reason we are stopping here?... you gonna go into the whore house they have up there?" She said blushing slightly and looking away


She wasn't jealous.. she just wanted to know so she could prepare herself for what was to come.

who was she to stop him?
 
Raikyo didn't slow his pace when the entrance of the city loomed in closer to the two of them. When Ayame mentioned the whore house and his intentions for it, a smile tugged at his mouth.

"Human whores, Ayame."he answered, which was all he needed to say. Fairenz trotted next to the two of them, tail swaying.

Tiontse. I remember this place. Master and I had to cross this very village to get to the village you were at. Of course, we weren't supposed to run into you, but that's only how things work. Tiontse was throwing a party for a newly wed, I believe?he questioned and Raikyo responded with a nod.

The two humans were perfect for each other. I could tell.

Raikyo stiffened at the statement. He didn't want Ayame to know about Fairenz's gift. There was no hiding it now, obviously.

"Fairenz can detect the vibes of love flowing through the hearts of people; humans and demons alike."he said, passing through the large gate of Tiontse. Fairenz stayed at the gate, watching the two of them leave.

I'm only a call away.

With that, the cat bound off in the opposite direction.​
 
"So what if they are human whore houses? you know im getting really fed up with your little rules and regulations about who should date and who shouldnt, it would be best if we didnt talk about it" She said as she quickened her pace as they entered the city,

She was happy to know about fairenz's gift though she didnt say anything ...

because she had so many questions to ask him when she got back to him later on..
 
"You're not the only one getting fed up over things, princess."he mumbled.

Once the two of them entered the gates, it was like the town was throwing up confetti, colors, and noise. There were horns blaring in all sorts of directions and pitches. There were colors upon colors darting through Raikyo's blue eyes. Some where from fires, and others from clothes of the cheery people wedged around him. Raikyo grabbed Ayame and held her close when a boy his age looked her up and down. The demon growled from within his stomach, but was wise enough to not do it aloud at the boy. He would eventually have to kill him when he had free time.

"Stay close to me."he ordered, walking her through the mass of people and heading to the restaurant he remembered wasn't far from the entrance of Tiontse.​
 
Ayame couldnt help but smile at how protective he was of her, it was almost flattering.

She nodded when he told her to stay close, holding on to his arm as they went threw the crowd.

"Where are we going?" she said blinking twice ,

He looked as though he was on a mission, like he already knew where he wanted to take her

she was excited to be here, all the festivities and loud music and noise..

she knew she would have fun with Raikyo here.
 
"I don't know about you, but I'm starving. I haven't eaten in over a day."he answered her, keeping a firm grip on her waist. The crowd started to disperse but only to gather again in a different area with more people added. There were personally too many teens for Raikyo's liking. As if the humans weren't bad enough, he had to follow all of the lustful stares of men eyeing Ayame. Some of them couldn't see Raikyo's arm around her, so that gave them the freedom to undress her with their eyes.

"I'll kill all of these bastards..."he said lowly, enough for her to hear. There was one man in particular that knew that Raikyo had his arms around her, he continued to stare at her, eyes peeling too much. Raikyo's blue cold eyes bore into the mans and Raikyo bent down to Ayame's ear, touching the back of her neck in a slow motion.

"Melt for me."he whispered in a soft voice, still eyeing the man.​
 
Ayame blushed a little at his words following his gaze to the man who was still eyeing her

But also challenging Raikyo with his eyes.

She didn't want men hitting on her, especially not with Raikyo there,

she was certain he wasn't joking about killing them all if he had to.

She removed space between them, doing as he said, leaning into him,

making sure to give the man the signal she wasn't interested..

"Next time you tell me to do that. I wont be faking" she said boldly in his ear.
 
Ayame's gesture was exactly what was needed to rid the two of them from the lust-craved man. He only shuffled away into the crowd, a confident smug on his face. Not like he accomplished anything, Raikyo thought to himself as he slowly backed away from Ayame, but still kept a firm grasp of her waist. They were already in front of the restaurant. It was more of a ramen shop than a restaurant, actually.

Raikyo inhaled the savory aromas in the air. The air of familiarity washed over him when he remembered eating here in his travels. He had detected the hint of miso ramen from the entrance. The smell of it was actually one of the main reasons he stopped at Tiontse anyway.

Raikyo sat at the stool, letting Ayame also sit next to him. His ear twitched when he remembered what she said about next time. Raikyo merely yawned in response.

"You're a terrible actress."​
 
Ayame playfully pushed Raikyo "Yea so are you fake boyfriend" She mumbled as they walked into the Restaurant.

"Mm... It smells really good in here" She said not taking the seat by Raikyo but the seat across from him

"I wouldn't wanna look too fake next to you" She said sarcastically as A lady in a bright Yellow kimono came smiling

"Welcome to Tionste's Ramen Shop.. Best in the land... you guys don't seem from around here though I think I've seen you here before"

The lady said, you could tell she was trying to figure out where she knew Raikyo from..

"And you? you look like a younger version of me" She giggled running a couple fingers threw ayames hair, making ayame blush fiercely.

The lady was beautiful, too pretty to work in a ramen shop, She had long hair pinned up, her face painted like a gieshas.

Gorgeous figure, which made her kimono look even better... The kind of girl Ayame hopes she becomes when she reaches her 20's.

"So um ... anything to start?" She said, her pin to the paper, a smile on her face.

"Ill have..Tamaryokucha Tea and a small bowl of white rice" Ayames father had told her, girls done eat ramen they eat rice, because when you eat ramen, you have to slurp it, and young

ladies shouldn't slurp anything they eat, so it was a habit that stuck

"So you like your tea sweet just like you" she said smiling more at Ayame. Ayame blinked twice and smiled "Thank you.."

Raikyo barely gave her compliments on their little journey so it was nice to hear a compliment... after the possessed incident she didn't feel pretty anymore, she felt Possessed

Nice to know she still was.

"And for you Handsome?" She said turning to Raikyo.
 
Damn.

Raikyo recognized the woman quickly. It was his old waitress when he went there. It wasn't that long ago so it didn't surprise him that the woman recognized him also. There wasn't much to hide under the bandage, black ears, and tail, either. Ayame seemed to be pretty much content with the woman, so Raikyo relaxed also, lifting his feet to the end bar under his stool.

"Yeah, I remember you too. A miso again."he said, looking elsewhere. In a quick second when he felt the eyes of Ayame bore into the back of his head, he turned back to the woman with a small smile.

"Please."he added.​
 
"Ayame smiled, glad that he understood that it was rude not to say please.

The lady nodded "Wow you must have him on a pretty tight leash" she said writing down the order

Ayame didnt say anything, she just returned the ladies smile as she walked away.

Ayame plyed with a ribbon she had out in her hair earlier... looking out the window..

"What you thinking about?" she said just loud enough for him to hear.
 
"I'm thinking that the sooner I get my bowl, the sooner I can eat and leave this place. I hate this village. What are they celebrating for THIS time? Someone bought a new pair of shoes? All of this unnecessary crap for something stupid. It's a wonder where all of this money is coming from."he ranted. It felt good for him to vent his anger to someone, even Ayame. He tapped his fingers against the bar while he was talking, glancing at her with his dark eyes from time to time, letting her know that he was still angered.

Ayame sat and listened like most humans would do. Raikyo never had a full-fledged conversation with a human before. Rather, whenever Raikyo would encounter them, they wanted to kill him on sight. He didn't mind that. It was a daily habit to him.

"You're dinner."came the voice of the waitress. Raikyo allowed Ayame to thank her this time. It was hard enough for him to say please to the woman, let alone thank you. He got a good look at her before she walked off beyond the bar again, kimono trailing after her. She was a thing of beauty, that human.

"I wonder why she works like this. She looks like one at those stay at home women, doesn't she?"he asked, nose wrinkling as he played with the ladle in the porcelain bowl in front of him. All of the smells of miso ramen hit his nose at once. Raikyo's mouth watered and he broke apart the chop sticks next to him. Winter had taught him how to use them when he was in the Heiran, and though he was glad the man was dead, he still silently thanked him for the lesson. When the hot soup touched his tongue in a burst of flavors, Raikyo disregarded all of the heat that came along with it. His eyes brightened and he dug farther into the bowl.
​
 
"Thank you" She said as the lady disappeared

Ayame giggled as Raikyo ate.

She took apart her own chop sticks and began to eat her rice

"No wonder your so cranky.. its cause you were hungry" She concluded.

"She is really pretty" Ayame said admiring the woman, ayame loved beautiful things.

She shrugged and sipped her tea "Maybe its because she has to" she said when she was done sipping.

"You cant live off of looks alone. Maybe she doesn't have children so why stay home?" she said as her and Raikyo continued to eat


"I hope they have a celebration tonight I want to be apart of it that would be fun" She exclaimed.
 
Ayame's words buzzed around him but he wasn't paying any attention to them whatsoever. The ramen was calling him so he answered it, picking up long strands of noodles and slurping them. Every time it came to chew, Raikyo's cheeks turned pink with delight. It was embarrassing; such a boyish face on demon. He did catch some of what she said, but his replies were short like "Yeah." and "Oh." and "I see."

It didn't take long for the bowl to be emptied of its delectable contents. When Raikyo's body was warm and full, he sighed pleasingly and decided to watch Ayame eat instead.

"Rice, huh? There's no meat in that."he noted, stating the obvious. Raikyo was much like Fairenz; a true meat lover. He even went as far as to trap his own dinner one night. The night dragged on, celebration still bustling. It didn't quiet down, if anything, it got louder. The noise was ruining the demon's good mood, but he didn't want to rush Ayame. Instead, he picked up the empty bowl.

"Guess I'll set this on the tray."he said.

"Sir, did you enjoy your meal?"came a feminine voice from behind him. Raikyo's eyes perked when he realized the woman was talking to him, so he turned around.

"Yes, it was very goo-"

CRASH!!!

The bowl slipped from Raikyo's fingers and shattered into hundreds of shards on the floor. No one around them was concerned about it because they could barely hear the crash above the noise of the party.

Raikyo stared at the girl in front of him with wide, shaking eyes. His heart beat rose extremely, and was a wonder it didn't burst right through his chest. Everything around him slowed down, the noise, faces, movement. He felt dizzy, head beginning to spin but eyes never leaving the girl. Well...demon. He stood face to face with a brown eared and tailed demon with golden eyes, wearing a dark green and gold kimono. She stood stark straight, blinking at Raikyo slowly with a blank expression, like a ghost.

"Y...Yami..?"he sputtered, voice cracking.​
 
Ayame had heard the crash, she was too close to him not to hear it,

She turned and looked at the girl who had basically the same ears and tail as raikyo.

Ayame wanted to stand but something wouldnt let her, something inside her told her it was over.


She didnt know exactly what it was, but it was over.

She looked at the face expression on his face, and she could read his lips over the music

Yami.

Ayames mouth widened a little but she quickly collected herslef not wanting to make a scene, again she wanted to go over to the two,

but decided not to.

She just listened in on their conversation instead.
 
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