Winter Nights of Hell

      

Chapter Ten

Asturdorm

      

As the so-called ‘night’ of Asturdorm grew wilder, so did the drinks. Jenieva had asked one of her employees to close for her, as she’s the Bar Owner of the Wet Rose. She was adamant about joining Enoxon and me for drinks, as it seemed we were just having the night of our life! Everything was going exceptionally well, lots of laughs, jokes, and more! Kurai thought we were too obnoxious, so he decided to stay at the booth.

But it didn’t matter whether he was there or at the bar with us; we ended up joining him at the booth anyway. Sitting at the table with them, I felt at ease and welcomed in the little group. I felt like I could be myself with them, which was nice. I didn’t ever get to go out with people in the human world. If I did, it wasn’t for a fun time. Enoxon and Jenieva were so happy and outgoing, Enoxon drank off his ass, and I was probably getting there. I wasn’t a heavy drinker, but I also was not one known to get intoxicated very quickly. I’m unsure how many drinks or shots I had, but the underworld drinks were much better than the human worlds. I’m not sure why they were better, but there was a hint of something in them that made them better. 

Towards the end of the night, Enoxon had nearly fallen into Jenieva, falling to the side and then the other side. His speech wasn’t making sense anymore, and he just looked dazed and out of it. Jenieva called it a night and asked her demon workers to close it. I even began to sway a little, bumping into Kurai, sitting next to me. I was in the same boat as Enoxon - a bit too drunk. Not drunk enough to know what’s happening around me, but enough to see the swirling room. I ended up leaning on Kurai’s shoulder. “Oh, I think 2 of your Underworld Drinks are enough for meeeee,” I murmured.

“Two? Sweetheart, you also had three shots,” The red-headed demon called me out.

“Oh? Did I drink that much? Ooh, I’ll feel it tomorrow,” I groaned, resting my head backward.

“You and Enoxon both, glad I have some good drinkers on my hand, though. We’ll have to do this again another night.”

“How do you know it’s night here if the moon is always out?” I questioned them, staring at the spinning roof above me.

“Mmm, Demon Sense, the easiest way to put it,” Jenieva shrugged and stood up, smiling widely at Kurai and me. “I’ve got Enoxon since he won’t be able to teleport home, I’m afraid. Just another casual night with Jenieva!” Her red eyes immediately turned to Kurai, narrowed and brows furrowed. “If you put a hand on this sweet little Virgin, I will eat you alive,” She growled at him, getting into his bubble. 

Kurai immediately matched her energy and retorted back to her, “Comes from the girl who’s been flirting with her all night.”

I giggled at the two of them, patting Kurai on the head, which shocked him. “Kurai is a good boy; he won’t do anything.” I smiled up at him and then smiled back at Jenieva. 

“Stay safe, Little Snow,” Jenieva replied softly, giving one last cold glare to the Nogitsune. Then within a few seconds, the demon picked Enoxon up and threw him over her shoulder, patting his back as she did so. “Enoxon is in good hands; he’ll be back tomorrow, ta-ta, sweetheart!” 

With another smile at Jenieva, I watched as she left The Wet Rose, walking away with the sorcerer hauled over her shoulder. After they left, I attempted to stand up but nearly lost my balance. “Oof, maybe I had too much to drink for sure! Oh, but I had so much fun!” I squealed, catching myself on the back of the booth. 

“Way too much to drink,” Kurai muttered, guiding me outside the Wet Rose and into the cold, snowy terrain.

Outside, I immediately embraced the cold breeze that came by, making the warmth from my body almost nearly wholly escape. My gaze scanned the area, everything being a little bit blurry. I felt loose and happy. I never got to do this in the human world, but these three made it feel unique. This is what it was like to hang out with friends and just drink away and have fun. The human world was all working to pay the bills. Perhaps I was a bit spoiled now, but I felt amazing. 

“Kurai, thanks for coming out and drinking with us - even if you didn’t drink. It was nice to have you along!” I squealed to him, balancing on an invisible balance beam with my arms out to the side. “Jenieva is sweet, and Enoxon sure can drink! He had a lot of fun, though, which made me excited. I love seeing other people happy.” 

“Not much demon energy from you,” Kurai scoffed, watching as I walked through the town.

 I gasped, freezing and turning to him. With a closed fist, I smacked an open palm and stated, “You’re right! Let me get better.” I lowered my voice to mock that of a demon or just a man, “I big scary demon, omnomnom, human. Hear me roar!!” I stomped around and scratched at the air, still seeing two of almost everything. I giggled as I nearly lost my balance again, “Whoopsies.”

Kurai caught me by the wrists, pulling me closer to him than I expected. As he had done so, I noticed that he had a slim smile playing on his lips, as if he had reacted to me falling or acting silly.

When I noticed his smile, my cheeks lit up like Rudolph’s nose. His smile was genuine and unique, but he didn’t smile often. Knowing that I could make him smile made me feel better that even I, an ordinary human girl, could make a demon smile. “I won,” I bopped him on the nose and turned away again, catching my balance this time. 

My alcohol began to wear on me a bit more, slowly but surely, making me a tad bit more drunk. “Do we have to walk home?” I questioned him. “That’s kind of a long walk.” 

His posture and face returned to his usual, sad-looking self, which instantly bummed me out. He didn’t stay happy very long, but at least I did get to see a little smile. 

  “Mmm… no, but we definitely cannot do any magic here at night. Also,” his voice turned very quietly when he spoke this following sentence, “I don’t need you falling and cracking your skull, bleeding and attracting demons, so if you need something to hang on to… I just don’t wish to get this kimono dirty,” He let out a slight cough.

I stared at this man in awe, noticing his hand tucked away in his pocket, elbow pointing out. As I was about to reach out to his arm, I ended up tumbling again and clashing with him, knocking him over.

“Kurai, I need to go home nowwww,” I murmured, lying on the snow on my back and staring at the bright red moons above me. “I am seeing double; it’s not good,” I whined to him, glancing over on my side at the nogitsune, who was now clearly annoyed he was lying in the snow. The angry look on his face made me feel horrible, he had just stated he didn’t want to get his kimono dirty, and now it was covered in dirt and snow. I was a drunken mess - to the point I could feel my eyes water a bit, “Please don’t be mad. I didn’t mean to; I’m so sorry,” I squeaked, covering my face with my hands.

The man sighed, lying in the snow and not moving. 

“When I return to the house, I’ll wash and scrub and bleach and all kinds of stuff to your kimono to ensure it’s not dirty!!” I begged him, my drunken side not wanting to get yelled at. I even rolled to my knees and looked like I was begging him; my drunken mind was desperate. 

He didn’t move or say a word, just… laid there. 

All the blood rushed to my face as I continued to apologize. I felt so horrible. I couldn’t even sit upright; I was teetering and tottering to the sides, catching myself as I did so. My body felt the desperate plea, knowing that I didn’t want to get yelled at. I would do anything at this point. 

Finally, he spoke. “Snow,” His deep and serene voice from this man was like a warm blanket on a cold night. His voice was soothing, which helped me calm a little, feeling that twist of emotion from inside his gut, “I’m not angry.” 

I lifted my head from my position, locking gazes with him as he stared at the moon above us. I watched as he lifted his arm, stretched his knuckles, and patted my head. My entire body tensed up, stunned at his reaction to me. His gentle touch was warm, bringing forth a bit of light as I instantly just froze. I was surprised. Tears swelled up more as he told me he wasn’t angry, and his touch was so gentle. My drunken mind felt extremely overwhelmed, and then I began to overthink.

He’s just trying to make you feel better. He’s angry with you, don’t believe a word he says. He thinks you’re a drunk slob.

But no, the demon fox smiled at me and pointed to the moon, speaking gently, “The moon here is always out. We don’t ever see the sun here. Also, I do not think you are a drunk slob.”

I was speechless, with no idea how to respond. My response was to let the tears fall from my eyes and land on the snow below me, the snow that made me cold, but Kurai could do nothing but make me feel better. His internal body heat radiated from him, making the surrounding area slightly warmer. I looked at the moon when he told me the random fun fact. I forced myself to push away my tears as I stared at it, embracing the light that shone brightly above. It was unique, standing out for everyone in the underworld to see. A couple of sniffles escaped me as I began to calm down, taking in the moon’s radiant view. However, it spun as the alcohol intensity increased over the past hour. I felt it finally consuming me. 

  Kurai removed his hand from my head and pushed himself up, offering a hand out to me as he did so. A soft smile played on his lips, an amber gaze as gentle as honey. “Let’s go home.”

“But you said not here!” I quickly shook my head, refusing to take his hand. 

“It’ll be ok. We have no witnesses.”

Hesitantly, I took his hand and was pulled up onto my feet. He closed his eyes, and a small magical portal appeared before us. Holding my wrists, Kurai began to step through. 

As soon as I was about to step in, something came barreling at us. Something hard hit us, knocking us off our feet and forcing Kurai to pull me in closer to him, hoping not to split us up. My body was already trembling with anxiety from the alcohol, and now I was hugging this man. I’m unsure what happened, but Kurai and I ended up in my room. In the room, he held my body close as we landed extremely roughly on the floor, nearly coming into contact with the reading nook in the window of my room. I did my best to embrace the fall, but the nogitsune protected my head with his hand and own authority, but also a part of my body. We skidded across the room, and Kurai double-checked on me before turning towards our attacker, hand lit up with a blaze of glory fire. For a second, I lay there, my head pressed against his thick white and black kimono. I could hear his heartbeat thumping pretty hard, nervously. 

Amber eyes scanned the clear, wondering what could’ve possibly knocked us through the portal. I closed my eyes against his chest, as now not only was I drunk and unable to see straight, but all I could do was hear his heartbeat. When I could feel his body relax, I gently lifted my head and came into something blurry - but I could hear his heavy breathing. I immediately recognized them as I did my best to focus on the frantic figure. 

It was Yushin, the Spirit Walker. 

“Snow! You have to help me!” He immediately begged as he came into view of me. He ran over and quickly propped me on my feet as if I was nothing or being held by Kurai. “I’m desperate; you need to help me. You are the only one who can!” His voice was croaking with fear, his heart beating extremely fast as he tried to catch his breath. 

I tried to fix my gaze, as I was still seeing two of Yushin, the Spirit Walker. I rubbed my head and tried to steady myself, but I wasn’t doing well. 

“Please, Snow. I require your assistance,” He asked me, taking my shoulders by the palm of his hands. “You’re the only one who can.” He told me quickly, frowning and looking me up and down. 

“Hey! Get your hands off her!” Kurai snapped, pulling me away from the Spirit Walker and stepping before me. The heat from this man was extreme; I could barely stand beside him how hot it felt. “How dare you just use my portal and ask her for help?!” Anger ripples from the inside of this man. 

“Who are you?” Yushin asked, judging Kurai with a silent look. He looked him up and down, tapping his chin as he did so. He gasped, “Oh, I know who you are. You’re Kurai,  the Banished Kitsune, Brother to Lord Mundus.”

Banished Kitsune? I echoed inside my head, looking over Yushin and Kurai. I tilted my head slightly and frowned as Kurai’s firepower grew more intense and hotter, dancing around his fingers as if he were ready to kill. 

I could feel his body twisting with more anger as Yushin stated that. 

“Strong but stupid,” Yushin sighed, returning to the nogitsune and facing me again. “Anyway, I am not here for you today, KItsune. Please, would you mind?” He turned his attention back to me and asked again, gently, “Snow, will you please help me?” 

I was so stunned that everything I heard blurred into one. I tried my best to search for something, something that was showing whether or not how serious he was. If he was so severe that he pushed Kurai and me into the portal, it must be something.  Or was he coming back to ask me about Yuna? Remembering when I had that weird memory that corrupted him, turning him into some kind of blob, I couldn’t help but worry about him and his powers. I was still confused about what Spirit Walkers did, something about guiding souls, but from what I could recall, no one had seen them in a long time - and then I showed up and saw two. Now, here is Yushin appearing in front of me and Kurai. But… Where have they been? Why hadn’t they been around? Why has no one seen them? My lips turned downwards, frowning, and I felt slightly saddened by The Spirit Walker.  “I’m a bit… drunk. Can we talk about this tomorrow?”

“Ugh, you’ve corrupted her.” Yushin groaned, 

I placed a hand on Kurais’ fire-flaming hand and smiled at the Spirit Walker. “Come tomorrow, and we can talk.” I offered it to him. 

“What?!” Kurai snapped, but I could feel his flames growing colder as they began to go out. His emotions were riled up, but I could feel he also feared for something. Perhaps I wasn’t supposed to hear about this banished Kitsune. I couldn’t be angry, though, just curious. What turned into a sweet night became a night full of wonder and curiosity. Everything happens for a reason.

Snows Dagger