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madimpossibledreamerMain Points:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/SMT Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha (Will of the Yatagarasu: A Suspicious Shadow)
Summary: Raidou and Oz investigate more of the Dark Realm, even though that wasn't exactly their plan to start with.
Word Count: 1259
Rating: Teen
Pairings: Xander/Oz
Raidou had forgotten how much of a pain navigating the Dark Realm could be, with Dragon’s Rises like impassible gates blocking every which way. Oz doesn’t seem to be having the same issues, but then, he most likely has his instincts to fall back on. Demons often would say that making their way around the Dark Realm could be annoying, but not to the same extent, and that’s ignoring the entire existence of the Ippon-Datara.
“Understood, Coyote,” he agrees, ignoring the fact that his demon looks surprised at the very idea his input would be taken into consideration. They’re being led out to the woods, and it’d be...unprofessional, possibly, to admit this, but a chill has run up Raidou’s spine. It is, he suspects, a typical observation of one more used to even a small city, rather than a more outdoorsy type, but the shadows of the trees seem to move. It makes sense there’s a January chill in the air, too, but as befitting the Dark Realm it’s unnaturally colder and it makes him very, very glad for his full uniform. Oz is probably thankful for his full coat of fur in a way he won’t be in the summer.
“Oh, there he is!” Encantado’s voice betrays none of her anxiety, if she even feels any. It doesn’t matter, because Raidou has it covered for the both of them. The werewolf is approaching a deer corpse, and it’s laid out so pretty and picture-like Raidou’s instincts are screaming it’s a trap.
“Oz!” he yells. Something about the desperation and fear in his voice must get through, despite the lack of understanding of English, because the werewolf begins bounding back until he’s shoving his head into Xander’s hands apologetically, practically begging for pets. He manages a wolfy smile that suggests he’s just as much a fan of ear scritches as, well, your average dog, though part of that is probably him interpreting that as grooming, too. “Come on, we really should be getting back to where we were hanging out—”
“Rude to do so without even paying your respects,” a voice rumbles out of the trees, all around them. Raidou can feel it through the ground beneath his feet.
Raidou’s heart nearly stops. Oz’s eyes go wide, and he presses himself closer to Xander, closer to the ground. Raidou’s demons, he’s pretty sure, both eyed his Tubes wistfully. He can’t make out the full form, but he sees the eyes, rusted red in the dark, enough that if he didn’t know better he’d say they belonged to separate creatures, and between an estimation of the size of a thing that would have eyes that large and the deep dangerous power he feels before him, he is, he knows, very small in comparison. This is not entirely a situation he is unprepared for. An entire aspect of the ethos of a Devil Summoner is entreating forces more powerful than the self to intercede in events. But the gulf between theory and practice has never felt so wide before. “My most humble apologies. We did not mean to trespass.”
The laugh is not unfriendly, but it might be a little cruel. The oppressive feeling of danger lifts only slightly. “The son of a fox, a slave to a raven? You should devour it alive. Your wolf companion would do so without hesitation.”
She’s talking about the Yatagarasu, and the Kuzunoha. “This particular raven is an illusion conjured by this humble son of a fox to keep a worse master far away. I do not know if you have seen the Watcher’s Council—they claim credit for the success of the humans they empower, when every action is made for control and their own glory.”
He is examined carefully. He can feel a breath on the back of his neck, even if he can’t actually feel an associated body close behind, and he doesn’t dare flinch or turn around. “A ridiculous statement, coming from one of the raven’s, and yet, one that rings with truth. You show fine potential, son of a fox. I look forward to seeing what becomes of you. A word of warning: I wouldn’t poke your eyes into too many places they don’t belong, little summoner. Someone might just poke them out.”
Raidou considers and hesitates. This might be pushing his luck, but…well. He’d feel better if this was dealt with. “And you should be made aware of another potential danger to your rule. There are those who would open the Hellmouth and challenge your reign.”
The answer doesn’t come immediately, and it’s a good thing Raidou has been training to stay still, even if his efforts at meditation have been difficult at best, lately. He really wants to fidget, but remains still, waiting.
“Many newcomers would be troublesome,” it agrees thoughtfully, voice less threatening. “I have a request for you, in return: there is one blight upon this land and a spirit that dared try to claim him as prey. Remove both.”
The eyes all close at once, and the feeling of the presence disappears as if it’d never been here. He finally bothers to breathe out heavily in relief, just as a sound between a roar and a scream echoes through the woods. That likely has to be the ‘spirit’ spoken of; while the sound doesn’t help narrow down the creature in any way, he doesn’t have to know the specifics to know the sound of a hunt.
Raidou sighs as Oz eyes him thoughtfully, padding alongside him like he’s an actual wolf. “No, I really don’t want to go save that buttwipe either, but on the plus side maybe he’ll be too freaked to want to ever come back to Sunnydale, and it’s always a good idea to keep spirits that powerful happy unless you’re prepared. Which we’re not and I don’t think we need to be. It’s dangerous, but it’s not, like, evil dangerous?” He glances at his demons. Who helpfully shrug. They might know what they’d just faced and are messing with him. It’s hard to tell. “You really should stay back, though. It’s you he’s after.”
Oz might not be able to understand every word but he huffs in some kind of acknowledgment and leans into Raidou’s legs hard enough he nearly falls over. It’s as good a declaration he’s not leaving Raidou’s side as he could possibly give.
“Okay. I probably have something I can use to keep you safe, too. Just wish I’d gotten to test the technique before now so I know if I can do it reliably.” Oz just leans in harder, trying to reassure him, probably sensing the tone, which makes him smile at least.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/SMT Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha (Will of the Yatagarasu: A Suspicious Shadow)
Summary: Raidou and Oz investigate more of the Dark Realm, even though that wasn't exactly their plan to start with.
Word Count: 1259
Rating: Teen
Pairings: Xander/Oz
“Keep your head about you, Summoner!” Coyote yells, and to be fair, he’s right. Raidou does need to pay more attention to the demons they fight and slow down. Thus far, they haven’t encountered anything they couldn’t handle, which he’s guessing is the only reason Oz hadn’t come sprinting back to their rescue. Still, that’s no reason to get complacent, to keep rushing through like no harm could possibly come to them here. They’re farther away from the Dragon Cave, which usually, from what Raidou has been told, means that things should start getting more dangerous soon. Under different circumstances, Raidou would be glancing at the demons with an acquisitive eye, but he doesn’t even want to consider which Tubes he could spare when that would slow them down. Oz is better prepared, like this, but he’s not necessarily safe, either.
Raidou had forgotten how much of a pain navigating the Dark Realm could be, with Dragon’s Rises like impassible gates blocking every which way. Oz doesn’t seem to be having the same issues, but then, he most likely has his instincts to fall back on. Demons often would say that making their way around the Dark Realm could be annoying, but not to the same extent, and that’s ignoring the entire existence of the Ippon-Datara.
“Understood, Coyote,” he agrees, ignoring the fact that his demon looks surprised at the very idea his input would be taken into consideration. They’re being led out to the woods, and it’d be...unprofessional, possibly, to admit this, but a chill has run up Raidou’s spine. It is, he suspects, a typical observation of one more used to even a small city, rather than a more outdoorsy type, but the shadows of the trees seem to move. It makes sense there’s a January chill in the air, too, but as befitting the Dark Realm it’s unnaturally colder and it makes him very, very glad for his full uniform. Oz is probably thankful for his full coat of fur in a way he won’t be in the summer.
“Oh, there he is!” Encantado’s voice betrays none of her anxiety, if she even feels any. It doesn’t matter, because Raidou has it covered for the both of them. The werewolf is approaching a deer corpse, and it’s laid out so pretty and picture-like Raidou’s instincts are screaming it’s a trap.
“Oz!” he yells. Something about the desperation and fear in his voice must get through, despite the lack of understanding of English, because the werewolf begins bounding back until he’s shoving his head into Xander’s hands apologetically, practically begging for pets. He manages a wolfy smile that suggests he’s just as much a fan of ear scritches as, well, your average dog, though part of that is probably him interpreting that as grooming, too. “Come on, we really should be getting back to where we were hanging out—”
“Rude to do so without even paying your respects,” a voice rumbles out of the trees, all around them. Raidou can feel it through the ground beneath his feet.
Raidou’s heart nearly stops. Oz’s eyes go wide, and he presses himself closer to Xander, closer to the ground. Raidou’s demons, he’s pretty sure, both eyed his Tubes wistfully. He can’t make out the full form, but he sees the eyes, rusted red in the dark, enough that if he didn’t know better he’d say they belonged to separate creatures, and between an estimation of the size of a thing that would have eyes that large and the deep dangerous power he feels before him, he is, he knows, very small in comparison. This is not entirely a situation he is unprepared for. An entire aspect of the ethos of a Devil Summoner is entreating forces more powerful than the self to intercede in events. But the gulf between theory and practice has never felt so wide before. “My most humble apologies. We did not mean to trespass.”
The laugh is not unfriendly, but it might be a little cruel. The oppressive feeling of danger lifts only slightly. “The son of a fox, a slave to a raven? You should devour it alive. Your wolf companion would do so without hesitation.”
She’s talking about the Yatagarasu, and the Kuzunoha. “This particular raven is an illusion conjured by this humble son of a fox to keep a worse master far away. I do not know if you have seen the Watcher’s Council—they claim credit for the success of the humans they empower, when every action is made for control and their own glory.”
He is examined carefully. He can feel a breath on the back of his neck, even if he can’t actually feel an associated body close behind, and he doesn’t dare flinch or turn around. “A ridiculous statement, coming from one of the raven’s, and yet, one that rings with truth. You show fine potential, son of a fox. I look forward to seeing what becomes of you. A word of warning: I wouldn’t poke your eyes into too many places they don’t belong, little summoner. Someone might just poke them out.”
Raidou considers and hesitates. This might be pushing his luck, but…well. He’d feel better if this was dealt with. “And you should be made aware of another potential danger to your rule. There are those who would open the Hellmouth and challenge your reign.”
The answer doesn’t come immediately, and it’s a good thing Raidou has been training to stay still, even if his efforts at meditation have been difficult at best, lately. He really wants to fidget, but remains still, waiting.
“Many newcomers would be troublesome,” it agrees thoughtfully, voice less threatening. “I have a request for you, in return: there is one blight upon this land and a spirit that dared try to claim him as prey. Remove both.”
The eyes all close at once, and the feeling of the presence disappears as if it’d never been here. He finally bothers to breathe out heavily in relief, just as a sound between a roar and a scream echoes through the woods. That likely has to be the ‘spirit’ spoken of; while the sound doesn’t help narrow down the creature in any way, he doesn’t have to know the specifics to know the sound of a hunt.
Raidou sighs as Oz eyes him thoughtfully, padding alongside him like he’s an actual wolf. “No, I really don’t want to go save that buttwipe either, but on the plus side maybe he’ll be too freaked to want to ever come back to Sunnydale, and it’s always a good idea to keep spirits that powerful happy unless you’re prepared. Which we’re not and I don’t think we need to be. It’s dangerous, but it’s not, like, evil dangerous?” He glances at his demons. Who helpfully shrug. They might know what they’d just faced and are messing with him. It’s hard to tell. “You really should stay back, though. It’s you he’s after.”
Oz might not be able to understand every word but he huffs in some kind of acknowledgment and leans into Raidou’s legs hard enough he nearly falls over. It’s as good a declaration he’s not leaving Raidou’s side as he could possibly give.
“Okay. I probably have something I can use to keep you safe, too. Just wish I’d gotten to test the technique before now so I know if I can do it reliably.” Oz just leans in harder, trying to reassure him, probably sensing the tone, which makes him smile at least.
