Big Eyes, Small Mouth (BESM): In the Shadows of the City - [Fic] Demon Schooling [Complete]

[z-Skye]

Skye hesitated, uncertainty in her youthful eyes. These were the enemies - show no quarter or be quartered. But her heart still hurt from the treatment the Old Man had given her. Impulsively, she nodded. "I am willing to talk." At their expectant looks, she added, "I will make no move against either of you until I return to the shrine. I promise."

She folded her fans and put them away, tucking them under her shirt. The soft gleam of her forcefield remained, though nearly invisible in the bright sunlight. She wasn't willing to trust them completely. Raking her hands through her damp, tangled hair, she attempted to look slightly presentable as she asked, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

[Justin OOC]

"The Future." With nothing more, She was shown into the building, which was disturbing in its opulence. The Demons lived well, with all the Luxuries of the ultra-rich. Tea was set before them by a human servant.

Afterwards Alexander began to speak again. "normally I would try to sway you to our side, tell you that what we're doing is for the good of humanity."

"It isn't. Humanity is wretched, and has long turned their backs on the Gods. They destroy each other over ideas and ideals they don't believe in anymore, or worse, follow blindly like sheep. What we're doing will end that."

"Orochi will end human suffering. He'll end humanity. Everything we humans did wrong, all the wrongs of the Gods, that they've done to us and through us, all erased in moments."

"To do that though, I need you Skye. Or rather I need what you possess."

[SalmonMax]

Keiko didn't hesitate. The moment Skye's location was revealed she took off running. She ran down the winding stone-lined path from the shrine to her family's modest home farther down the hill. She grabbed her bicycle from where it leaned against the wall by the rake and broom and launched it down the walkway going much too fast to be safe. She barely managed to get herself seated on it in fact.

Then it was just the wind whipping through her hair and clothes, and the sound of the spokes and tires spinning as she madly pedaled.

Hold on, Skye! I'm coming!

[z-Skye]

Skye took the tea politely but didn't drink it. She didn't want to test the limits of what the demons considered 'harm'. She was also quiet and politely allowed them to finish before she spoke.

"You say that humanity destroys itself over ideas and ideals, yet the greatest pain I have suffered is at your hands," Skye said simply. "You ask me to allow my entire race to die because you have chosen to look only at their darkness, only at the bad parts of them. You, one or more of you, killed an entire building of living, breathing beings - men, women and children - to hurt me. To cause pain to me.

"Death would end my suffering, but I have no desire to die," Skye said flatly. Her determination pushed aside the tiredness in her eyes as she said, "I hurt now, I know my race hurts, but I won't give up the hope that we'll become better, be better. I don't know how I could possibly possess the one thing you need for it, but I am not willing to give it to you."

She waited for them to make the next move, whether that was to let her go or to kill her.

[Justin OOC]

He frowns. "It's unfortunate. I was hoping we could make an arrangement. Very well though. Shizuru, escort Skye from the building, I charge you with her protection until she's home."

He sat back and Shizuru stood. "Come Lunar Priestess. we have been dismissed."

[z-Skye]

The petite teen frowned at the demon's words. "Alexander, I'm not sure what arrangement you hoped to make when all you were offering me was oblivion," Skye pointed out as she rose. "Thank you for the hospitality and keeping things civil. You have a lovely house."

She glanced at Shizuru, waiting for him to lead the way out.

[Justin OOC]

Shizuru waited till they were out of earshot. "He was offering you the chance to save everyone from more suffering Skye. Now, now, he will not hold back, and nor can any of us."

He took her to the door of the building to find Keiko on her bike, winded, and out of breath. "We have guaranteed both of your safety home to the shrine, Solar Priestess. Take Skye and go home, our battle begins again tomorrow. There will be no peace, from here on out."

[z-Skye]

"You demons have a crappy negotiation process," Skye grumbled. At Shizuru's parting words, she retorted, "So, same as usual."

Shizuru was about to step back inside when Skye called, "Wait. Shizuru, why do you do it? I know you're demons and that makes you evil and crap, but you have free will, don't you? We've been told that some of the demons are humans who make pacts with the demons. They made a choice. Can't you chose to be someone who doesn't kill and destroy a race of people because you're unhappy with their choices?"

[Justin OOC]

"Sayoko and I wanted that, Skye. It was you and Kaori who refused our terms. My serpents, her shadows, they'd killed no one at that point, I'd only attacked all of you because I was ordered too."

"We agreed to give you our true names, Alexander's true name even, making your seals permanent. We were willing to forsake our power and be normal again. All we asked was that you do it and leave us be."

She scowled. "You said no matter what we'd die. You brought this on yourselves. Next time, Kiyohime will have fed, and you and your allies will not defeat her." After that she too vanished and the door closed behind Skye.

[z-Skye]

Skye frowned, struggling to remember that. I guess we did. Despite the fact that it was only a few weeks ago, it felt like a year. Sighing, she turned, and looked at Keiko. She met the other girl's eyes for a moment, then turned away.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice a little gruff.

[SalmonMax]

Keiko's eyes teared up on seeing the other priestess, and she hopped off her bike, letting it clatter noisily to the pavement as she dashed over to hug Skye hard.

"I'm was so worried about you!" she confessed over Skye's shoulder. "I felt so bad for what he did...I couldn't believe it, I was in shock, and then you were running away and I was too slow...I'm so sorry!"

[z-Skye]

Skye froze. It wasn't that she'd never hugged the Sun Priestess before or been hugged by her before. It was that she had been dragged around emotionally so much in the last couple of hours that she was in something like shock.

Slowly, she put her arms around the other girl. "It's not your fault," she said woodenly. "It's mine. I'm not a very good Priestess, Keiko. That's why I'm not going back to the temple."

Keiko looked up at her in shock, pulling back a little and Skye said, "They swore they wouldn't hurt me until I returned to the shrine. Well, I'm not going back. Not yet. They'll leave me alone; they have to."

Yep, she was a terrible person and awful priestess.

[SalmonMax]

Keiko opened her mouth to plead; to beg...but then she realized the truth. That was actually a pretty good idea!

She nodded, then even managed a smile and patted Skye on her shoulders. "You're not a bad priestess, you just need practice. But you might be right about the shrine. So let me stay with you somewhere away from the shrine. I can help you train no matter where you are. And I think we should find exercises that are more like what you're used to. I was using Japanese exercises that make sense to me because of where I grew up...but maybe you'd be more comfortable with something that drew from your own past."

"What do you say?"

[z-Skye]

"No, Keiko," Skye said, biting her lip. She felt like Schisse as the other girl's face fell. "I need... away from the shrine," she elaborated, trying not to fall back on the old chestnut of 'it's not you, it's me'. "I need away from everything about about the shrine. After what that alt Hurensohn did, Das ist mir furzegal! I know I can't be like that, so I have to get away from him and the shrine. It's not you, Keiko. I just need to get away."

Skye shook her head. "I need some time to myself." She paused, and some meanness made her add, "And I'm going out with Kazuo tonight, to have some fun. I may come back in the morning. Maybe."

Click to reveal..

alt Hurensohn - old son of a bitch

Das ist mir furzegal! - I don't give a shit!

[SalmonMax]

"No, I know!" Keiko replied earnestly. "That's what I was saying. The shrine...that's not your path. We can find your path though, I know it! And don't worry about the old man! He's gone! I told him never to come back, never to try to interfere again."

She grinned and rolled her eyes. "I tried to banish him, but that didn't work, so I just yelled at him until he left. But I'm pretty sure he got the point."

[z-Skye]

"There's no we!" Skye said harshly. She took a step back. "You're part of the shrine, too, Keiko. I need to get away from it, for a while. I need to get away from all of it." She turned away from the other girl.

"I'm going out tonight. I'll see you later," Skye said. She looked back at Keiko. "I will come back to the shrine sometime, I promise."

[SalmonMax]

Stung, Keiko took a step back and seemed to shrink a little in her kimono. Her hand, half extended to reach out to touch Skye's hand or arm or shoulder, perhaps, wilted like a flower that hadn't been watered in far too long, and finally fell to her side.

"Okay," the priestess said in a small voice. "We...I...we can help you, Skye. I promise."

Then she awkwardly picked her bike up from where she'd let it fall and got back on. In moments she'd pedaled away...at a much slower pace than she'd arrived at. Just as she turned the corner to the next street over, she turned her head and looked back at Skye, maybe hoping she'd changed her mind. Then she was gone. Back to temple, no doubt.

[z-Skye]

Skye sighed, feeling a little like shit. "Verdammt," she muttered, but what she'd said was true. Keiko was part of the temple, and that's what Skye needed away from right now. She needed time for the sting of embarrassment to fade for her.

She still felt like a horrible person as she walked into the late Tokyo afternoon, considering how to kill time until she was to meet with Sho and Kazuo - and where to get a dress by then.