Third Person

~

"All you had to do was keep quiet."

Shiro had braced himself for the pain from the moment he let go of the orb, he's lashed with several thick vines, their thorns ripping away bits of flesh and tearing at his clothes as he's violently beaten over and over until in a switch up he's slammed into the foot of a cliff, a bloodied mess of bruises and broken bones.

Kirai's voice is a low drone; hardly scolding, hardly showing emotion, hardly giving a damn abut anything actually.

He glares up at the Demon's lanky frame, he's never been sure of the guys connection to Nightmare but what he does know is that Kirai wouldn't be here if Nightmare hadn't at least anticipated his failure.

'Kill him before he reveals anything, he won't but just do it anyway.'

He roughly assumes that's how it would have gone but he's pretty sure he hit the mark.

"You had promise, you know that right? But you just had to screw up and make me do more work than I should," He languidly snaps his finger, newer vines spring up from the ground beneath his scuffed boots, coiling and twisting together before opening up like bulb to present a curved silver glaive engraved with wilted plants which Kirai proceeds to drive through his shoulder, pinning him to the wall.

The shape-shifter grits his teeth through the intense agony that drowns in senses in the need to beg, ignoring every instinct screaming at him to plead for his life. His vision is starting swim, dyed red from the blood dripping down his temple into his eyes. He's not healing, one of the Demon's plants is probably responsible for that but he can't bring himself to care much about that. Not when it's taking his all to fight against the panic.

Kirai sluggishly paces side to side in front of him, his oversized raggedy excuse for clothes swaying with each drawn out step, the air is stale with stench of blood and the unique odour of rot gotten only from the plants of the Demon territory which he holds power over. Kirai of the Blooming Hatred, a lesser known but powerful Demon who's only place for the last couple of centuries has been by Nightmare's side as the Summoner's faithful executioner.

Shiro knows there's no hope of him getting out of this even if he can tell they're still in the Overseer's sub-plane; maybe there are scouts running this way to find the cause of the breach, but by the time of their arrival it'd be too late. He'd be dead and Kirai would be long gone.

"Do you know how annoying it was getting in here?'

Shiro huffs out a short, derisive laugh, giving the Demon a blood-soaked smirk, "Last I checked, nothing's too much for Nightmare's precious lapdog, you're here right now, aren't you? Bet you'd bark if he-" a deafening thwack rips through the air as a vine strikes him across the face.

He catches a hint of Kirai's vicious glower which melts back into indifference when he drags hand down his face to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"I told Seirou you were a lost cause the moment you hesitated to chase that kid down, but he's just got to have his games, and his shows, and his schemes," he yanks out the glaive pulling a scream from the shape-shifter as the wound begins to bleed out even more, "And you just had to almost ruin everything."

Shiro clutches at his shoulder, the sharp ache now a dull throb he starts to loose all feeling in his left arm entirely, "Damn you..." he hisses out, "And Nightmare! And all the other monsters in your sick little party of freaks! I'm not pretending to be one of you anymore!" He uses the dregs of his magic to create a new knife, dodging Kirai's attack and going right for the Demon's chest.

His blade pierces through soft tissue but his dizzying elation fades when realizes what he thought was skin had actually been the stem of a plant that had grown in place right at the last minute. It turns to ash with a pained screech, Kirai's hand emerging from the dust to grab his neck and throw him back into the rocky hillside.

The red flecks in the Demon's sickly green eyes glow with a renewed viciousness, "If that's how you truly feel, who am I to drag you back?" He lifts his weapon, about bringing it down for the final strike when a shadow falls over them, darkening the already dim light of the moon and drawing both their eyes upwards.

A torrent of glistening black feathers swoop down with all the force of a rainstorm trained directly on Kirai's position. The Demon calls forward a shield of thick moss green leaves. Shiro doesn't get to piece together what the hell is happening before he's roughly grabbed by the back of his collar and being zoomed through the sky.

He swallows down the flare up of pain from his wound, unwilling to be the reason his miraculous rescue attempt failed.

"Well done for stalling," a cold voice spits down at him. From the feathers alone Shiro has a good idea of who's talking, one of the other few blood magic users in japan who had used the complicated Moonlily spell on Nightmare.

The Dark One, Kuro.

The boy holding him now is far from the snarky but cheerful personality he'd met before the Overseer Council.

"You could've come a bit earlier," he throws back without much heat, glancing up to meet flashing red eyes that seem to be holding back the urge to decapitate him.

"Don't make me drop you, I'm only doing this because Kira worked hard to get you on our side, if I hadn't set up quick enough you'd be dead and I wouldn't give a shit."

Shiro's brain stalls for a bit. Kira...so that's her name.

Before he can come up with a response, the ground beneath them cracks, spilling forth tentacles of vines that twist and stab through the air in search of them. He has to wonder just how much area Kirai had been able to cover with his saplings.

"Of course that bastard won't go down without a fight," Kuro murmurs before flying more dangerously to evade the vines, "Try not to fall."

"Do I have a choice?!"

A gigantic razor-toothed flower blossoms from earth, taking shape too quickly and forcing Kuro to swerve abruptly to the right, They spin right into a grove of waiting trees, narrowly escaping the cage of branches all for one stray vine to pull forcefully at Kuro's right wing, holding fast before throwing them both down. They're sent rolling across the forest floor, coughing up dust and blood but Kuro finds his footing faster with a pained wince; his right wing sprained as a result of their crash landing. He puts them away so he doesn't have to deal with the physical pain, just a drain in Magic Energy. It'll be a while before he can use them again but right now that doesn't matter.

They're so close.

He runs over to where Shiro had fallen, trying not to let the other's ghostly pale skin unnerve him. He's lost too much blood and that fall definitely hadn't helped his dislocated shoulder. He can see the blood gushing out in waves now but they're just a few meters from the portal, they should be able to make it.

"Hey! Get the hell up already! You don't want to die, that's what you told Demona, right?!" He pulls the shape-shifter up, steadying him over his shoulder, "Then lets get going!"

"Can't...run..." Shiro rasps.

Kuro holds back as best he can from slapping him. He hadn't sent a feather through that portal and risked death itself flying through one of his own for nothing. This was as much for his sake as it was for Kira's efforts, someone who had been on the ins of Nightmare's people would bring him once step closer to his revenge. He had to get get this guy back, he had to save him.

"Shut-"

The world tilts dangerously and Kuro realizes he's being pulled into the shelter of a small cave. He remembers zooming past this location after he'd set up for the portal. One's already drained him enough along with how much he's spent using his feathers to hold Kirai back. He laughs darkly to himself, three in one night, he's really pushing it. There's a good chance they'll get hurt should he try getting them both out of here but it's better than certain death.

He feels the last feather crushed under foot as the Demon inches even closer.

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A vine darts past the point they had been standing which would have stabbed at least one of them had they remained there.

"Can't run from Kirai...not on foot," Shiro wheezes out, "And we're both in no shape to put up the fight that'll hold him off...not at your level..." He wipes away the blood from his eyes, staining his hand which he stares down at, "I wish I could've held Ryo one more time."

Kuro grabs him by the collar, "Shut up, I'm not dying here and for all the hell you've dragged us through I ain't letting you off so easy."

Shiro lets out a low chuckle, "All blood magic users are the same after all..."

"What-"

A blood stained hand is placed over his mouth before he can finish just as another vine slithers by this time. "The more we consume, the more like them we come, I realized that but instead of trying to hold on to my humanity I wanted someone still have hope in me... I don't regret it being Ryo...what I regret...is not seeing the hope he saw..." He takes several strained breaths, hand moving from Kuro's mouth to his shoulder, "You'll probably live longer, don't lose yourself too early if you want to protect your friends."

"I said I'm not-" Kuro lunges forward, trying to stop him from leaving the cave but Shiro slaps his hand away.

"I...don't want to run anymore," he gives the younger boy a weary smile, "But I still owe your Kira one for making me realize that," he swipes a drop blood along Kuro's bottom lip which the other licks.

"Your most recent memories...of the past..."

"Good, you can see them. The answers she wants, and something else," He pulls Kuro close and whispers into his ear. Blood red eyes widen in shock as Shiro slowly pulls back, stumbling slightly as he draws on the waning pool of his magic for a final stand. Seven clones just as bruised and battered as he is appear beyond the cage and six of them dash into the fray searching vines demonic man-eating plants. The real Shiro gives him one last smirk, "It's up to you now, let them know...before it's too late, that's my atonement."

With that he sprints out of the cave and before Kuro can stop him the last clone snatches up the younger boy, carrying off in the direction they had been running before.

Towards the portal.

A vine curves through the sky, descending towards them with it's tip straight as a spear. The clone throws him forward, taking the hit instead and Kuro skids to stop right above his spell circle. He turns back to throw one last look at Shiro but his view is all too quickly taken up by more vines diving for him. He catches Shiro's stiff nod just before the older boy is kicked into a nearby tree by Kirai.

The Demon faces him, holding out a hand to command the vines but Kuro is faster, he closes his eyes to the pain, his own and Shiro's coursing through him, turning cold and distant just as Lady West had taught him. He directs his magic into the spell, engulfing himself in a pillar of blinding red light that singes some of the vines, swallowing him up.

Kirai huffs, slight agitation bleeding into his next words as his gaze shifts to where Shiro sits propped against the tree trunk, grinning up at Demon like he's won some kind of grand prize.

"Why?" he places the blade of his glaive to the boy's neck, "Was it really worth it?"

"At least once...I had to prove to myself...I was still human..." He coughs weakly, his clones dissolving to dust as the world swims in and out of focus. So this is it huh?

Kirai lowers his blade with a disapproving click of his tongue, "You've always been human, weak...and pathetic."

Shiro tries to place the words but his mind feels stuffed with cotton, he wants to bite back but his lips don't move soon the world around him falls into deathly still silence broken only by a voice he'd recognized even he had been dropped into the world's loudest battlefield.

"After all I went through you still went and got yourself killed, Aka-chan."

He's swallowed the warmth of familiar arms pulling him into a hug and he's very sure he's having one last pleasant dream. he sinks into it regardless, "I'm sorry...I..."

A laugh he knows so well, now tinged with heavy notes of melancholy, "I'm definitely mad at you...but I'm also glad you grew...things are definitely as they should be..."

'As they should be...' Shiro holds onto those words, felling the passing draft of a willful breeze blowing past him, vibrant green eyes slowly floating to the surface of his conscience. He let's the warmth take him with a smile, '...let's be free...'

***

Kira stows away the orb, standing in hasty uncoordinated movements as if the world had began to spin on it's axis as soon as she'd heard the news. Her first realization is that the attacking vines had withdrawn at some point during her tantrum, she dashes all the way back to where she had left Inoue to see he's in a glaring match with Lucifer who appears to have been much closer than she had thought.

"Leave it to lousy humans to lose one measly pipsqueak-" the Demon jeers.

"The report said he left through a portal before anyone could stop him-" Inoue answers coolly, but Kira easily spots the unrelenting twitch of his brow as Lucifer continues to tear down the Overseers.

She gets in between them just as Troy and Mammon appear, the blond looking worse for wear but actively keeping his distance from the Demon that had carried him some ways there.

"What's the news 'bout the kid?" Mammon asks.

Inoue turns to him, looking even more displeased with another Demon present, "We can't find them but we're sure there still here. We've gotten alarms from the more remote areas of the territory being monitored by runes, talisman and charms but it'll be hard to know what's what until we get scouts on site."

"Damn exorcists, always leaving every little thing up to your equipment," Lucifer tsks, pulling out another cigarette and lighting it.

"We should be heading-"

"Absolutely not," the three-horned Demon snaps, shutting Kira down before she can get a word in, "One of your dumbasses has already made a stupid call, I'm not letting you walk yourself into minefield," he meets her headstrong glare with a flat look, blowing smoke down at her face, "You're not ready to go against him. You might not realize this but your limit as a Keeper affects our abilities, there's only so far our experience and knowledge can go to protect your pathetic excuse for an existence."

She tries to brush past him but Mammon scoops her up, slinging her over his shoulder, "Sorry boss but Luci-chan has a point, you and Pretty boy aren't in any shape to do a thing."

She could vanish them from this plane but she knows just how hard it'll be to bring them should things get difficult now, she has to keep them here for as long there might still be danger.

But it still hurts, being told and understanding her own uselessness in a situation that requires her to be stronger.

"As much as I hate to agree with Demon scum, they're correct. The exorcist scouts will take it from here," Inoue grunts out, placing a hand to his heart and bowing ever so slightly to Kira, who stops her struggling against Mammon, "I'll bring your teammates back and won't let your efforts go in vain."

"Teammates?" Troy asks.

Inoue turns away from them, "The Keeper convinced Shiro Akane so as per the deal, he's now Team Demona's problem. You four should return to the Council Chamber, your presence is required."

"We'd have gone anyway," Lucifer huffs, snatching up a protesting Troy as he does. He casts a look over his shoulder, "Bring our third brat back."

***

The next ten minutes spent sitting in the Council Chamber are somewhere amongst the worst Kira is sure she's ever had to endure. A mat had been laid out on their previous spot with Lucifer and Mammon setting her and Troy down and stepping far back enough to not intimidate the three dark robed and kabuki mask wearing medics who had been standing at the ready.

Troy was the one to wave them off before Kira could bother, "We'll be fine?"

"Eh? You both look like your about to fall over from exhaustion," Lady West had hummed, looking up from her nail filing to spare them a mock sympathetic glace, "An energy restoration potion should be fine at least, it's my special brew~"

If that tidbit had been to inspire their trust, it has the complete opposite effect.

Kira can feel her body getting heavier with each passing second, the weight of Council's watchful gaze pressing down on her even harder as they watch for any signs of her broken composure. She's sure they're used to this, waiting for results to be brought but she all she feels is the incessant nagging urge to dash into the forest, calling Kuro's name until her voice turns sore.

If she hadn't dragged the boys along...If she had just handed over the seal...if she had been stronger...

"There's nothing you could have done to prevent this," Shigeru's unwavering comment cuts through the air like a knife, there's no coddling, only pure fact.

"There should be...I should be..." her chest tightens against the flurry of tears about to pour, "We might lose him this time...this Demon isn't Akio..." She can feel Troy tense up beside her like the thought had crossed his mind as well, "Kuro could be-"

The center of the room distorts in a wildfire of unstable Magic Energy. The medics rush forward, taking fighting stances, but Kira would be able to pinpoint that Aura anywhere, she pushes past them just as the tendrils of magic disperse to reveal Kuro falling forward. She catches him, falling to her knees with tears of joy.

"Kuro! How dare"-hic- "you scare me"-hic- "like that again...stupid?" She hugs him close for several long seconds, his stiff with disorientation for just as long until he realizes there's no danger. He buries his face into her shoulder, muttering his remorse.

"I had to...we needed him...Shiro..."

Kira pulls back, wiping to her eyes and searching around frantically, "Yeah! where..." her voice trails off, eyes widening in realization as she finally notices the state the younger boy is in, shaking his head and squeezing her hand hands in his.

"He didn't make it, but he didn't run either."

They're given a few minutes to recover and gather their thoughts, all of which Kira spends staring at the soul orb glowing faintly in her palm. Inoue had returned at some point with news of scouts having found Shiro's body at the exact spot Kuro had described to the Council.

"We'll discuss what should be done when your team is up for it," he'd said.

The young Keeper had been expecting just as much but it still drives painful pinpricks of frustration through her already torn heart.

She pulls out her phone, checking the time to see it's already two in the morning. It becomes even clearer there's not way they can drag this out any longer. She pushes off the wall she had taken to lean on, each step dragged by the weight of the guilt now consuming her.

She comes to a stop before the Council, bowing at the waist and fighting to keep the tremble out of her words, "I know you've done so much for us but I'd like for us to do the rights, before anything else...before it's too late, for both Shiro and Ryoichi...It's gone on long enough please let's put them to rest."

It hurts, her fingers tighten around the orb, I don't want to hold this anymore...

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