Insanity

Jena stared at Koda for a good half a minute, then sighed. "I'll do it, but we have to wait until later tonight. First I have to get ahold of two inactive collars, which is easier said then done..." She said, glancing over her shoulder. "Then we have to wait for Kazuki to retire for the night. The other guards are easy enough to distract, but Kazuki...he would sacrifice everything for Lord Akio, and he's keeping an eye on you specifically. I think he fears you." She smiled.

"I don't understand why he would. Aiko deserves everything he gets." Koda scowled, folding her arms across her chest, shooting a glare at the guard from across the room. " I don't get why he's scared. Still, I won't complain."

Another guard rushed into the room, a little out of breath. Jena fell silent at his arrival, walking to the opposit door. "You. You're Damian right? Come with me. Lord Akio requires your assistance. It's in regard to Lady Kana." The fair-haired human said in a breathy voice, leading the Kitsune away.
Akio turned towards the door at the sound of approaching footsteps. "Go." He said to the guard, waving him away. Standing tall he faced Damian, a small hint of worry on his face. "What's wrong with her?" He demanded, walking over to the bed that Kana laid on. "She's burning up. Her pulse is through the roof and thready, and she's having trouble breathing." He said quickly. "I need her alive. She's of absolutly no use to me dead. I removed the curse, and she was fine, but then this started. This shouldn't be happening. You're the best physician known. Can you stabelize her?" He asked urgently. "If you can't I'll have to get Senshi-san in here. Save a life by taking a life..." He whispered, eyeing the man as if to decide if he would be an acceptiable sacrifice.

"This wouldn't of happened if you let her calm down before removing it." Damian snapped, feeling her forehead with feigned indifference. Pulling away, he walked across the room, pulling out various herbs and plants. Walking over to her, he gently placed willow bark onto her leg. Sitting back Damian ground the plants together before handing the paste to Aiko. "Three times a day. And change the bark when she complains that it's itchy."

Akio stared at Damian, contempt clear in his eyes. Turning towards his young wife, he made an amused noise. "Do you seriously think she'll tell me when it begins to itch? She's stubborn as an ox and tries not to speak, or hell, even look at me. Not that I can really blame her..." He trailed off, brushing hair away from Kana's face. "When do you think she'll wake up?" He asked, glancing back at the other Kitsune. "And since I have you here...why did you leave? I paid you more in a month then most people would make in a lifetime. You never protested against what I did, even when some of my top guards did. Once I recovered from Kana's beautiful wedding gift, you just disapeared."

"An hour or so." Damian replied, wiping his hands clean. "Why did I leave...why do you enslave people. Why do you hold yourself with more class?" He snapped. "Your nothing more than a child snatching toys that dont belong to you."

Akio narrowed his eyes at Damian, rage growing inside of him. "I do it because it's my right as heir to this clan! I do it because no one has the power to stop me, not you, and not her!" He growled in anger. "If you believe I use people as if they were toys, why didn't you say something before you joined their ranks? Back when I trusted in you to speak frankly to me? It was only because of your words that I didn't kill her!" He asked, emotions of anger and betrayal racing across his face. He had actually listened to what Damian had to say, before the man abandoned him.

"I did say something. A lot of things. But you were to deluded to listen." Damian snapped. "I have no intentions of helping Kana to stop you. She's as twisted as you and it was fun to provoke her. She must've loved that kid." He smirked, tossing the towel to his feet. "I befriended the people you use as objects while I was here. The word of whats happening is spreading. Even the humans call you scum. And they're right."

"If it wasn't for the fact that you're more useful to me alive then dead I'd kill you where you stand right now!" Akio roared. "All that power you could have, being a kyuubi like Kana, and you don't cultivate any of it..." He said, giving him an ironic smirk. Stepping up to Damian, he balled the other mans shirt in his fist. "You know, if you were a little more motivated, you could probably over throw me...especially if you worked with her. I know you're twisted enough, just as twisted as I am. You're the one that slaughtered a defensless child after all. Of course, if I even thought you were capable of that, you'd be dead. I'd kill that little Neko bitch, but she doesn't die. I'd kill Kana, but then I'd lose her powers. Sora's not even worth killing again." He added in a menacing tone.
Kana moaned on the bed, tossing her head. Akio glanced at his wife, then brought his attention back to Damian. "Do you think I care what Humans call me? What anyone calls me? No one can touch me as long as I have her. As long as I have Kana's powers to fuel me. No one." He finished, shoving the other man.

"I don't cultivate it?" Damian laughed. "Clearly not, that's why that bitch is lying dead on the table then yes? Oh no wait, she's alive. I clearly wasted everything because I don't try and take land that doesn't belong to me and keep people under control with fear." Damian straightened his shirt. "Killing me won't gain you another tail. You'll always have six. You'll always be weaker." He snapped. "Sora's more of a man than you'll ever be." He growled, shoving a vial into Aiko's hands. "Go ahead Aiko-Sama, kill me." He smirked. Tucking a strand of hair behind his ear Damian folded his arms across his chest. "You're a leech. Without Kana you'd be dead. You call yourself a Kitsune? I call you weak and pathetic." With a smile, Damian turned on his heel and walked out the door, back down to the cellar.

Akio glared at the door Damian exited through, so angry that he was shaking. He looked down at the vial in his hand, idea's running through his head.
Sora looked up at the sound of footsteps. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, he hurried over to Damian. "Kanachan, is she alright?" He asked quietly.

"She'll be fine. I gave Aiko a vial. He thinks it can save her life. Truth is it's sugar water and purple dye. If she drinks it she'll just be more hydrated. If he thinks he can control her or something with that he's very much mistaken. I just hope she plays to it." Damian replied just as quietly, biting the tip of his thumb. "And you need to watch yourself. Give him no means to kill you. Because he's thinking about it."

"She'll play into it. Kanachan is good at that..." Sora reassured him. Nodding at Damian's warning, he closed his eyes. "Thank you. He probably would of killed me the instant we came here, just out of spite, if it wasn't for the fact that he wants to know exactly how my Okaasan brought me back to life. But if he's angry... and he knows how to upset me, how to push my buttons." He added, shanking his head.

"If you call him weak, he'll rant for a while. That might help." Damian told him. "Though you might get punched. So I'm not sure." He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Though he thinks I like you but you hate me. Told him I think you're more of a man than he is, which is true. But as you can imagine, he's not happy that I think that at all." Damian smirked. "Kana'll be fine. Promise."

Sora let out an amused noise. "Have you ever been hit by Akio-sama? It's really quite laughable...Dai-sama throws a better punch then him." He laughed again. "Then again, Dai-sama asked me to teach her how to spar, where as the only reason Akio-sama has ever had to hit anyone was to beat up little Kanachan. He's good at hurting people, don't get me wrong, but actually punching someone...." Sora shrugged. "Arigato gozaimasu for telling him you consider me more of a man then he is...especially with you being a kitsune as well, and our kinds tendancy to base ones worth on their tails...it means a great deal to me." He said, bowing deeply. "And thank you for taking care of Kanachan." He added, still bowing.

Damian shook his head, laughing quietly. "You don't have to bow or thank me. I make it a policy not to lie unless I can help it. Someone's tails don't deem their worth." He shrugged. "I a way I admire humans for ridding them in the first place. I wish I could." He mused to himself quietly.

Sora tilted his head to the side, considering. "I've never thought about human's in that way. As a matter of fact, I've never thought much about humans in general. The only humans I've ever met were the ones that work here for Akio-sama. Hired thugs and will-less slaves. Before all this, I never really left this area...but I understand what you're saying..." He said, smiling, thinking about living in a culture where your worth wasn't based on tails.

"It would be nice." Damian murmured, turning to meet Koda who was walking down the hall towards them.
"The collars come off at three when Aiko goes out riding. The girl has no idea what's really going on so we should be safe." Koda murmured.
"Do you really know her mother?" Damian asked, a sceptical look on his face.
"Actually, yes. Didn't expect it. But it helped us."

"Does that include mine?" Sora asked, not sure what the answer would be. "Do we have a plan as to what we're going to do after? I mean, Kanachan is still unconcious. She's of no help until she wakes..." He asked, trying to think of a plan, and hoping the other two, who had much more experiance then he did, had something in mind.

"Just mine and Damians. We'll do yours after. That way we still look like we don't get along." Koda told him quietly.

Sora nodded, understanding completely. "It's not like I have much in the way of power to contribute anyways, besides the healing and wind thing, and what you two can do is greater then that. My skills are more in physical fighting..." He explained. "Is there anything I should be doing to help?" He asked.

"Keep an eye on Jenna. Wouldn't surprise me if she went to Aiko." Koda murmured, scowling at him and stepping away as a guard walked past the trio.

Sora quickly gave the two a look of disgust. "This is a large estate, why do you keep coming near me?" He hissed at Koda as the guard watched them. As soon as he turned away, Sora nodded, turning on his heel, storming off in search of Jena.

"Because you remind me me of the girl." Koda snickered, turning around the corner, dragging Damian with her.

Sora stiffened at Koda's words, whirling around to confront her, but she was already gone. Taking a deep breath, he continued on his way. Even knowing the small girl was perfectly fine, the way Koda spoke about Dai disturbed him. He saw Kana's sister almost as a daughter, thinking of her being harmed almost made him physically ill. Rounding a corner, he stopped suddenly, spotting Jena at the bottom of a staircase...
Kazuki stepped out of a room, locking the door behind him. Seeing the couple coming down the corridor, he stepped forward, narrowing his eyes at them. "Where are you going? There is nothing for you down this way." He asked harshly. Turning his gaze to Damian, he added, "At least, not anymore.."