(An OC excerpt)
Blue Thunder

~1~
Onto Westide

Iblis and holly had finally made it to the coast and the western tip that was *Panera city. So far their cari had been fruitless. They had checked every brothel, inn and teh house on the southern side of the country since their arrival, and it had taken them almost a bulan to cover that much ground, holly had wondered if their master had not gotten fed up with them and Lost his patience, and sent out a troop of soldiers to do where they have failed, to find Sesshomaru.

It wasn’t enough just telling them that he was at an Inn in Westide, which isn’t a small county with plenty of towns, big and small. They were weary, the cari was proving to be lebih tedious then they had anticipated. But surely their boss wouldn’t be so rash, after all he was in a precarious situation and this was Mukuro’s territory. Sending in a troop just to cari the lands would have been reason enough for the tyrannical lord to turn her savage fury on them and in his direction, which they both knew is something Yomi did not want.

holly sat down on a bench outside a small teh house at the outskirts of the city seeking a respite. He sighed, his blue face tilted skywards as if to breath in the sejuk air directly from the clouds, “oh we’ve been through this whole country so far, and so far nothing… oh were could he be? Sesshy… oh Sesshypoo where oh where are you?” he berkata out in song, knowing that he shouldn’t be saying the name of their subject out loud. Yomi didn’t say as much but they could sense it, the situation was something of a serious matter.

Iblis just stood sejak appearing indifferent, but on the contrary he was deep in thought, pondering on the whereabouts just in a lebih serious manner than his colleague. His pale green face also tilted towards the sky, his green eyes scanning the distant deep blue as if for answers.

After a drink, they moved on entering Panera. The city was big, full of business and commune of all sort, quickly they made their way to the pleasure district. Once they approached they both sighed, Panera city was the whore capital of the central world.

holly turns to Iblis, sporting a silly grin on his face, “think we should get a room, this could take a while?”

Iblis ignored him and pressed forth down the avenue, went up to the first brothel he saw and entered it.

~2~
Untrustable

The servant Penelope wasn’t a very smart girl, but she had been telah diberi orders and knew how to follow them.

rusa, gazelle was in the kitchen. The sup she had been preparing all afternoon was nearly complete. She had just to add the finishing ingredients then it could be served. Chopping a bundle of fresh herbs she set them aside to be added at the end once the sup had cooled. Then turned to Penelope, the merah jambu skinned and hornless young demoness was the sight of youth and innocence in her experienced eyes, still, “the sup will be ready in ten minutes,” she berkata to her, “I need anda to remove it from the hearth so it can cool. I’ll be back to finish it in twenty. I would like platters set up for *North Three when I return.”

Obediently the young demon complied and nodded. Then rusa, gazelle left to go about her business, unknowingly of the orders Goldstone had instructed of the girl—just two, he told her she recalled as she held up a small vile filled with round black pills.

~3~
Poisoned

Tsuki the White’s dish was set up on a silver lined pinggan with handles on each end for single transport, as instructed Penelope after removing the pot from the hearth set up the necessary servings for North Three. She had just finished filling the last dish, when rusa, gazelle returned.

Pleased to see that everything was set up as she instructed. She thanked Penelope and sent her about her way. Added the herbs then had a line of male servants carry the trays to their destinations on North Three.

~4~
Free Will

Sesshomaru was not particularly hungry, but since his appetite had begun to return, much thanks to the care packages he had been receiving had adapted a lebih laid back attitude about his predicament. Since then he has been accepting Gazelles food, but only if she prepared it.

Not before long rusa, gazelle arrived, the unknowingly poisoned sup following in just behind her.

~5~
Red Sky

The night was just beginning. There was an unusually red sun set that evening and Iblis found himself staring at it for an uncomfortably long time. He had once overheard his master complaining saying why he did not like red sun sets—“because it always portrays to misfortune. Every time! That’s been my experience!”

Misfortune, Iblis repeated the word in his mind, truthfully he didn’t know the meaning of the word, but he had observed his master well enough to know that it meant something unpleasant. “Oh Iblis dear…” holly called out, “time we be moving on.”

They did not get a room, but instead just took breaks every several hours atau so to calculate their search. What streets they should search, who and how they she ask about their charge, Sesshomaru. Iblis was transfixed.

“The sky is unusually red tonight.”

holly looked off in the direction he was facing, “yes, well it does that sometimes.” He shrugged.

“The master says it portrays to misfortune.”

holly laughed, “oh my dear anda should know how superstitious the master is, he also believes that if anda stare in mirror for too long it can steal your soul,” waving it off.

“The master does not have eyes, his soul cannot be stolen.”

holly realized his error, though he was little lebih than 200 years old in his current form, Iblis was still considered an innocent of the world. His species was entirely a subterranean race and knew nothing of the surface world. And considering that he only saw action atau had any experience when their master ordered it and issued it, he knew little of anything else. He recalled the master speaking of it after he reformed him and saved his life, and saw the sunset for the first time with his new eyes that he thought the sky was on api, kebakaran and tried to protect Yomi from it, as if the flames could reach out from above and burn his new master away. The thought brought a chuckle to his lips, but he held most of it in not to seem disrespectful before his friend. Iblis, despite his naivety had a sixth sense when it came to criticism, and hidden emotions.

If he felt anything he ignored it as always.

They moved on.

Night came quickly and soon the roads were lit sejak torch light. They began to weave in and out of inns, brothels and teh houses searching for anyone resembling the demon sejak the name of Sesshomaru. It was frustrating not being able to use his name, but just a description—given to them sejak a blind man no less, but it’s all they had.

“Hello, there I’m in cari for a demon, he’s canine with long white hair and golden yellow eyes—very fair and pretty. anda wouldn’t have seen him around would you?” he would ask, other times he become lebih elaborate going so far as to make up a entire story just to explain why—at his Friends expense, that allegedly had very particular tastes for the company of demons that looked a certain away—“it’s his birthday and I just decided to take him out for a befitting night on the town. anda wouldn’t happen to have what were looking for would you?”

Iblis would just stare straight ahead and just play along. Soon they were on the main road, and heading towards the hati, tengah-tengah of the pleasure district where all the finest houses were lined up down the road.

Iblis was pleased to discover that this side of town was much cleaner and brightly lit than in other parts of the city. Looking at the construct of the avenue it gave him a better feeling that if Sesshomaru was in this town he would be here—here in one of these finer buildings.

holly looked to him and smiled his, blue eyes disappearing beneath two narrow slits of good humor then led the way down the avenue. Iblis followed leaving the main arts of the cari to him.

~6~
The Dark

When Sesshomaru awoke he was in a dark place. He couldn’t recall when atau how he had Lost consciousness, but he felt nauseous and couldn’t move. Yet, what was worse it wasn’t an unfamiliar experience. He thought for a moment that he had been spirited away again. He felt the floor beneath him; it was rough like a straw mat and somewhat damp giving it a chilly feel.

Where am I…. what’s happened now?

He tried to focus on his surroundings, but everything was black, faint shapes in the darkness. The only thing that confirmed he wasn’t dreaming was the floor, the voices and a faint glimmer of light behind what appeared to be a closed door.

Voices were coming from behind it. He couldn’t understand what they were saying, just a phrase atau two stood out everything else merged into an incoherent muffle. But from what he could tell it sounded like several men arguing. He managed to make out, “… anda don’t know… This is my house! This won’t work… the Hell it won’t! If it doesn’t I’ll sell the bastard!”

After that the voices quieted down and Sesshomaru thought he heard someone stomping away down a hall outside the door. Then the door opened. Two demons appeared carrying torches. Sesshomaru, though his sight was blurry recognized them instantly.

The torchlight cut the darkness causing him to divert his eyes, but in that instant he automatically knew that he hadn’t been spirited away—that it was them, they did this, they put him in here. He tried to lift himself, but couldn’t. His limbs felt like they were made of led on loose hinges, he couldn’t feel his finger tips atau his toes and there was an unpleasant metallic taste in his mouth. But he struggled and manage to rise himself to his elbows when a sudden jerk of resistance drew him back down.

It didn’t register what was the cause. He tried to raise again, the same. The he attempted to pull away at whatever it was it, but there was no give. Something was holding him down and it was connected to his neck. He maneuvered himself onto one elbow and with his free hand reached beneath him when his hand grasped onto something hard and cold. With only half the feeling in his digits still the recognition was unmistakable. It was a chain. He followed it up to his neck, to discover he had been shackled sejak an iron collar. His writs as well, and his ankles iron shackles bound his flesh, linked with chains that snaked away into the darkness.

Reality was a blur, as the demon Tombstone emerged into clearer view standing over him with his torch held out, a nasty grin on his face.

~7~
House Book

Iblis and holly had visited three of the larger brothels already, and were on their way to the bay Berry Inn. The place was well lit up, with exterior tapestries and green pillars, pots of foliage adorning the entrance way making their approach feel somewhat lebih pleasant and welcome than the others. Passing through the ceri, cherry wood swinging doors they were equally pleased to discover that the inside was just as nice; holly approached the front desk, “Hello he said,” In his flamboyant and annoyingly friendly manner, to the demon attending it, “I was wondering if anda could help me?” unfortunately the demon at the front meja didn’t seem to be in the mood for friendliness.

“What do anda want?” he growled harshly, his dull eyes barely making eye contact with the jovial Holly.

holly shuttered, “Ooh I see you’re not in a good mood at all, so I’ll make this quick...” as he was about to go on with one of his little stories when Coppertone cut him off sejak slamming a booklet down on the meja before him. Then berkata out boldly, quickly to excuse himself from any further conversation, “you’ll find what you’re looking for in here! merah jambu page that’s all we have available!” then he turned and stomped away into another room beyond the reception area.

“Oh,” berkata holly taking the book up from the desk, “we’ll he’s a friendly fellow, but I guess this works to. merah jambu list, okay.” Opening the book holly noticed there were multiple colored pages each apparently issuing a different status of availability, there was the merah jambu List, the Green List, White List, Red, Blue, Yellow and Black, available, not available, on reserve, for sale, for auction and so on and in the back were pictures. “Well” berkata holly seeming impressed. “This place is on about its business. Stature, price, alternative prices along with all varying services all in proper accord… ooh how fancy!”

Iblis gave him a strange look, as if wondering if his friend was really complementing the house even though he knew what the place really was. Though he himself knew little of prostitution, he knew enough that it wasn’t a profession of proper dignity and that the proper word for places like this, his master had once put it, was Whore House, and that was a word he knew was highly undignified.

holly caught onto the expression and it pulled him back from his revelry, and had to laugh, “Shaitan’s bane, I’m afraid… do forgive, alright merah jambu he berkata right, ok, well… oh here we are, now let’s see …” beside each name was a page number along with other information. It didn’t take him long to figure out that the page number correlated with an illustration located at the back of the book, and so one sejak one he flipped back and forth hoping that an illustration of Sesshomaru would come leaping out at him, but had little luck.

It was a tiresome search, but after looking through them all, he was disheartened that none even closely resembled the huraian of the demon they were sent to find. All had horns, atau their hair was too short atau the wrong color, atau were female. After spending enough time with the book, holly noticed that at the bahagian, atas of the binding there was a little switch that enabled the book to open up like a binder. Where pages could be added atau extracted without damaging the paper—very useful for updating, without the book becoming too thick and full of old records.

Not thinking too much of it, he huffed, “oh poo. He’s not here.” Returning the book precisely to where the clerk had placed it, and disappointedly turned back to his friend. “Well guess we alih on.”

Iblis sighed, and went to head for the door.

As if he was hesitant to leave, holly thought to complain “Fuwy, I was certain he’d be in a place like this. It gives me the shivers to think he could be stuck in some degrading dive all this time, dulling that pretty white skin of his.”

Iblis nodded when they noticed a servant girl holding a tray that was observing them from across the room. She had a pale face and curly dark hair. holly waved at her and simply signaled that they were leaving, excusing them both as he shouted beneath his breath, “oh I’m sorry… not what we’re looking for. He berkata while jabbing a finger at the log book on the front desk, “We’ll just check out.” Then headed for the door and were gone.

~8~
Suspicion

Claudine stood perplexed, she didn’t know why but what she overhead the strange blue skinned demon say struck a chord, ‘Fuwy, I was certain he’d be in a place like this. It gives me the shivers to think he could be stuck in some degrading dive all this time, dulling that pretty white skin of his,’ For some reason it made her think of Tsuki—white skin. Noticing that Coppertone was momentarily absent from the desk, which was unusual since he never left the front meja unattended. She began to feel suspicious and went up to the desk, placed down her tray and began flipping through the House senarai log book looking for the name and huraian of the demon in question.

After examining it thoroughly enough she had determined that he wasn’t there. She checked the black senarai and sure enough there it was the name of the housemate she was searching for. It read Tsuki the White, currently unavailable.

Unavailable… why was Tsuki unavailable, rusa, gazelle berkata nothing of this, why’d Goldstone take him off the list? Wondering about the mysterious demons that just came and left, she set out to find Gazelle, figuring she would have some answers.

~9~
Light

holly was disappointed. He had thought they met a emas mine in the bay Berry, only to come up empty handed. The seterusnya house down the road was a ways off on the other side of the road. It was called the Sunflower, “eh, maybe better luck there. People say the only other place of high repute from there is Waterbrigde, and then it’s back to the slums.”

Iblis just looked on feeling concerned, “by chance could we have missed him?”

“Oh now don’t anda go on talking like that! anda know as well as I do that if that were the case that we would just have to go back and start over where we began, because he could be in any of these houses. It’s the best we can do I afraid…. Oh what happened to those *angels, I thought they were supposed to be helping us?”

Iblis hadn’t noticed, but the two Bidadari that had accompanied them when they departed from Gandara had somehow slipped away without their notices, and only now came in recognition of their absence.

“Perhaps it’s because they are not our comrades, but serve a different master.”

“Yes, but I thought they were here as a sort of favor sejak the orders of ole God. How could they just flee? With their help certainly we could have found him sejak now. Those little birdies are all full of recourses.”

Iblis had no response, but merely followed his friend as he began to alih off into the direction of the seterusnya Whore House. “Well we best get moving on, that poor ole demon isn’t going to find himse...” the final syllable and chuckle that would have followed was cut off when the instance of an enormous burst of energy distracted him and broke his speech. The ground shook and there was a a sudden flash of light then a roaring explosion. From it a towering beam of blue light burst into the sky, parting the clouds into a coiling funnel shape that reached the heavens.

The explosion came from the bay Berry Inn.

Iblis and holly were nearly knocked down sejak the force of the aftershock that followed. The power was unmistakable, somehow there was a demon with unusual power in that inn and something just really set him off. holly and Iblis took one look at each other the same recognition ringing in them both then dashed back to the inn.

~10~
Outrage

The scene that unfolded around them was instant chaos, but they were the first on the scene. The explosion seemed to come from underground and one full corner of the brothel was completely gone, entirely destroyed. And what had been was now a pit that opened a crater sized view to a dimly lit room down below. Rushing to the edge, Iblis and holly peered over and there they saw a figure he was glowing radiantly in blue light. Their eyes dazzled at the potency of the energy that encircled him. It was a male, young in appearance with long white hair that was flared about him caught up in the updraft and motion of his captivating aura.

holly was stunned, and couldn’t believe how they missed it, but it was him, Sesshomaru! Finally, a voice rang out from inside. Victory! There he was in full view, but something was wrong. The input in the aura he was emitting pervaded the feeling of outrage, and extreme haste, giving the impression of a beast striking in self-defense after being cruelly provoked.

“Oh dear, something happened,” holly shook, scrambling to contemplate what their seterusnya alih should be when he looked to Iblis and for the first time since he’s known him found himself startled at the expression plastered on his face. It was sheer outrage. His green eyes were burning and flashed with light. His mouth that was always ever so kerang, kima was contorted in a snarl, “Iblis…” was all he could get out before the venomous demon materialized his weapon a blade tipped spear that emitted a highly toxic poison and shot down the crater to the lit angkasa below.

“Oh dear…” was all holly could say.