A Forest on Fire (KuramaxOc)

Ch 20: The Dog

It was two full days before Shuichi had finally woken. The pain the first night had been so intense, he swore he could still feel the claws raking through his own bones. Yumiko had yet to wake, but even at a glance her back was looking much better. Much of the flesh had been knit back together, and the rest would have to heal on its own. The spirit world's healers had told him she would recover, but her spirit needed time to rest after the ordeal the healing process itself had taken on the girl.

Once his fear for her safety had subsided, he found a phone in which to call his mother, shame slicing through him like knives at the fear in her voice after his disappearance.

"Please forgive me, mother. I would have been home today, but I'm afraid we managed to get quite lost. We're staying with a family out in the mountains just north of the city for tonight, and the husband said he could drive us all back to town come morning."

It was clear that she had been worried, but he had never done something like this before, and it was enough for now that he had contacted her. He would have to find a way to make it up to the woman tomorrow. With that done, he had planned to check on Yumiko again, but as he hung up the phone and went to turn around, a fist connected with his cheek and sent the red-head flying across the hallway.

He hit the ground hard, having not expected the sucker punch at all, and looked up to see a furious half-cat, half-bat demon in front of him!

Mako had shifted into his full form at the sight of the liar fox! He had watched lord Koenma's surveillance, had heard him tell Yumiko to show him what she could do, and send her in to face the threat alone! He had seen the demon using Lord Koenma's phone, and had waited silently, seething until the moment the phone was down, then struck!

Now he towered a head taller than the boy Yoko inhabited, his legs and arms elongated, the pale skin turned to ice, as well as his blazing blue eyes. Two large bat's wings stretched to their full width in the hallway, each beat assisting as he floated just above the ground. With the addition of his sharp ears and slender tail, he was hardly recognizable in this form.

"SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A HEALER!!!" He snarled, advancing on the boy with elongated black claw tips outstretched.

Shuichi lifted his arms in a protective manner even as Yoko purred about how much the man boring down on him resembled his father when in true hybrid form. He was not prepared to fight Mako Ren here, but he doubted the cat-bat would give him a choice!

"YOU SENT HER IN THERE ALONE!!! SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO HEAL!!!" He grabbed the boy around the throat, his movement so quick, Shuichi had little hope of blocking it in his current state, and lifted him off the ground, those claws poised to rip his face off when a strong blue-grey hand gripped the wrist firmly.

"If you do this, she will suffer, too..."

Maru said softly, squeezing the tomcat's wrist hard enough to bruise.
Mako snarled in his face and tried to rip his wrist away, the other tightening it's grip around Shuichi's neck, who had started to choke at the lack of air.

Maru's eyes blazed as he tightened the grip again. "Do not make me break it, Mako..."

That made the fuming demon pause. Finally, as Shuichi clawed at his other wrist, Mako released him. "FINE!"

Shuichi fell to the ground coughing as air filled his lungs again, but found himself yanked up by the hair as Mako growled in his face again.

"If you come anywhere near her before she wakes, I will kill you! I don't care what happens to Tsume, Yoko... I'll destroy you both and find someone with half a fucking brain to bond with Yumi instead, got it?"