The Hunted

The bathroom filled with steam, the water shuts off, and coughing is heard. Rikushi lost track of the time while he was in there, not that he new the time to begin with. Hell, now that it hit him, he didn’t know if it was even daylight when he woke up. ‘The sun didn’t shine in my face or brighten the room,’ he thinks stepping out of the tub onto the floor.

Not finding a towel it wasn’t a big deal his just redressed himself his hair dripping wet his cloths stuck to him as he throw open the door seeing the same dusty room. The light no brighter then it was before, but also not any darker. Nodding he had solved one question, ‘so this place doesn’t change,’ he thinks getting it.

Seeing the beer bottle sitting on the nightstand where he left it he glances at it then out the window, he really needed to go. But where, he had no home, and where he yearned to be. He wasn’t even sure if he was welcome there, shaking his head he hears noises coming from downstairs.

Darting his head to the stairs he heard someone coming, thinking on his feet he quickly rushed to the window sliding it open looking back just as a head emerged from the stairs in the floor. ‘That was too close,’ Ryu thinks landing on the roofing ledge as he listened.

“Someone’s been here,” a man says seeing the opened bottle, recently used bed, and the shower, along with the window.

“You think it was him?” A girl replies appearing in the room her head rested on the balancer.

“I wouldn’t hold my breath,” he replies stepping closer sweeping his fingers across the ledge of the window seal noticing it wasn’t as dusty. “Oh yea someone was here recently alright,” he states again poking his head out the window knowing nothing would happen to him.

“Well then what shall we do?” the girl asks as she circled the room with her eyes.

“Use your training what do you thinks going on?”

Thinking, “Well, someone we obviously here,” she states, “And there exit could be out the window,” standing to her full height off the banister she finishes coming up the stairs looking around the room. “If it was a human, he could have hid in the closet or somewhere similar.

Seeing the man nod with a grin, “There you go, someone paid attention,” he finishes clapping with a humored voice.

Rikushi kneeled down into the snow, still on the roof what was going on? ‘Who are those people,’ not waiting around to find out he silently escapes the roof to the woods. Running down the snow covered pathway he felt weird, like he’d been her before. As if it was in a dream he tried to shrug it off but couldn’t, this really wasn’t helping his homesickness.

Sighing, ‘It really wouldn’t hurt to see my old town again,’ he thinks knowing now he had no idea where he was. Jumping out of the road hearing someone coming from the opposite direction he hid in a tree watching two men go by, ‘what happened to this place being deserted?’ he thinks so far they where up to four people not including him.

“So what are you here for?” the dark short haired man asks the other, “I saw you back in town but interested as to what you want with this old place,”

“I’m interested in many things,” the other dark long haired man says keeping to himself.

“Oh is that so,”

Watching Rikushi ponders, ‘that guy mentioned a town so maybe I’m not that far off from one that’s not deserted,’ the demon boy thinks looking down the road they came from. Quickly taking another glance at them he jumps from the frozen tree to the next praying he wouldn’t hit a patch of ice on the way there.

After doing that for what seemed like awhile he did come to a town, and shocking him to death, it was surrounded by demon hunters, ‘great,’ he thinks sarcastically, ‘and here I thought I would at least get a direction to go in before I’m attacked,’ he continues completely dodging the town entrance. “There’s got to be a way to find out and not get seen,” he mumbles from the bushes.

“Indeed, there has to,” another voice says whispering in his ear.

Jumping not expecting anyone to be there, “Shit,” he screams tripping over his feet falling out of the bushes getting more attention from a pair of blond guys, and by the looks of it they looked like demon hunters.

“Who’s this?” the first one asks his hands on his hips looking down at the creature.

“I’ve not seen-,” he pauses as Rikushi sits up squinting he’d got dirt in his eye.

“Fucking shit faced ass wipe,” Rikushi cusses trying to get the dirt out of his purple demonic eye. Jumping up turning around he pounces into the bushes yelling, “What the hell dude that wasn’t funny!”

“Haha,” I beg to differ he replies running off, “Whimp,”

Clenching his fist, “Oh you’re calling me that! You’re the one running away coward!” he screams his fangs visible. “Yea you keep running,” he mumbles as he was half transformed. Looking at himself his fangs, his claws had already made themselves comfortable. He was only guessing but the markings on his face were most likely there now, and his hair was semi longer. “Great,” he mumbles turning back around seeing the two hunters were still there watching him. “Let me guess,” Rikushi says pointing, “You’re rookies aren’t you,” Both flinching, Ryu hadn’t been all right they weren’t trained to fight demons only to run errands but they liked to act as though they were one of the gang. Shaking his head, “Ok fine don’t answer but you mind telling me how to get to-,” he pauses hearing someone scream.

“Demon it’s a demon!” a woman cries running as a monstrous figure chased her.

“You are going to save her?” Ryu asks pointing his eye brows raised looking at them when they shook there head, “Well that I wasn’t expecting,” he replies looking at the woman shrugging it off.

“Why don’t you?” one asks.

Choking, “Me save her,” he states, “I may have a heart but if I do that I will only get framed with trying to kill her and get sent ether back to that hell whole prison or sent to my death,” he states looking at them out of the corner of his eyes, “And I don’t want ether one to be my choice so I can’t,”

“Otherwise you would right?” the other asks this time.

Shaking his head, “You two can’t even be demonic hunters,” he states pointing a finger at them, “I would already be fighting you if you were,” shaking his head he starts to walk off, “Anyway I’m off I got what I needed,” he says tossing a map up in the air, “that’s for the help,”

“Karini isn’t that your map,” his friend states as they both look at each other baffled.

“How-,”

“I’m a demon don’t you forget it,” Ryu says acting all tough and bad as he hopped into a tree disappearing.

“Someone help me!” the woman cries latching onto one of the blondes, “Help!”

“Ah th-th-ths way madam,” Karini says rushing off with his buddy close behind as the retreated back to the village.

Staring at the map he figured he was in the land of snow, ice, and destruction formally known as Zakubata. “Wonderful,” he starts, “I start out on the border line between here and Gegigeni. And I end up all the way here,” Shaking his head he rolls the map up. Taking off, if he wanted to get home anytime soon he would have to run like the wind and not look back. Forget his human traits of hungry and push on, if he wanted to see his lover again.

Running and jumping for what seemed to pass by fast really only meant he was one step closer, he felt the weather warn up somewhat. Taking that as a sign he starts to slow down, if he sped up he could hurt himself. Just as he thought the weather was warming up, which was wonderful. He’d been freezing but kept moving, ‘I better not have frost bite,’ his mind thinks as his final jump on the snow covered land ends. And he lands on a warm spring time oak tree in full bloom.

Smelling the sweet sent of flowers all around him, he swung from the tree branch to the ground sitting down to check out the map. Yawning tired from his long journey he gets up mumbling, “screw it,” shaking his head to keep him from falling back asleep he starts to walk each step reminding him of something from his dreams, his memories. Seeing the tree he had hid from Karu or it looked like it he stops there leaning against it like he did before.

Closing his eyes the memory flickered on playing, he had been chased by his friend down this road and his hiding spot was here. Taking the scent in, it had changed over the years he’d been gone. “I wonder if the fields still our field,” the blue haired demon questions heading up to that once grassy area. Only to find that it had been untouched, ‘thank god,’ he thinks with a smile creeping on his face. ‘a place to sleep,’ he continues running down through the grass diving into it hiding, he needed a nap. Food could come later, he didn’t want to think about that now.