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It had been years since Tsuzuki and Hisoka lost themselves to the underworld, since their bodies and spirits twisted under the pull of hellish impulse. They ruled here, general and lieutenant, undisputed by the demon community. Ambassadors from Meifu were quickly killed or converted, until they stopped arriving altogether. All was as it should be.

But then the pulling started.

It was undoubtedly magical in origin, the sort of pull that crossed barriers demons were traditionally forbidden to pass. They were being sucked from their world and into the next, presumably in the interest of performing some sort of service.

They arrived on the mortal plane in a burst of flame and sulfur. Even at night, the light was harsh, the air stiflingly fresh. The smaller one moved firse, long tail uncoiling until it passed through the smoke, heralding a huge, snakelike creature bearing the torso of a young man. He might have looked almost normal, if it wasn't for his forearms, which darkened until his clawed hands bore a permanent red stain.

He broke from the figure beside him, slithering closer to the human girl and extending a long, forked tongue to sniff the air between them.

"Human plane. Tsuzuki, are you hungry? It's just one soul, but we can share."

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"Patience."

Of course he was hungry. They always went to earth to eat, and in the back of his mind some Pavlovian reaction was happening.

Being on the earthly plane did more than bring back memories of their old life. It rekindled instincts, unwritten rules that demons went by even if they didn't understand why. It wasn't any different for high ranking ones. Tsuzuki took a step forward, staying within the circle they had been summoned in. At least for now. He narrowed his eyes, trying to decide whether they should kill her quickly or if she was worthy of something more. Souls were infinitely richer in taste if they were prepared.

"Is she awake?"

Actually, she wasn't awake. Currently, Usagi was passed out over the very same book she'd used to summon the demons, having a very nice, very yummy dream--donuts and fried chicken and ice cream and lollipops the size of mountains and trees made the landscape of this slumbering fantasy, and although it was kind of sacrosanct she was drooling a bit on the page of the book.

It was kind of a miracle--or make that a mystery; there wasn't much miraculous about summoning soul-hungry demons--that she'd been reading it in the first place. Usagi could used barely be assed to read her normal books for school, and that was actually supposed to be worth something. Pleasure reading was the kind of thing that Ami did, or maybe Makoto or Minako (but only if it was a trashy bodice ripper). If Rei hadn't been so haughty about her having the psychic talents of a rock, hadn't gone out of her way to snootily shove the book back onto her shelf when Usagi was just curiously glancing at it, hadn't told, "This isn't just some silly manga for a dumpling head," Usagi never would have sneakily stuck it into her book bag, never would have brought it home, never would have painstakingly set up all the candles and drawn all the diagrams before reciting all the words.

And that was a whole lot of nevers to have overcome in just one go, but there was another never that she had entirely ignored:

Never ever forget to seal your demon summoning circle with salt.

Instead she'd drunk a bunch of sugary soft drinks and eaten a lot of candy and waited and waited for something to appear, until finally she'd laid her head down to rest, just for a second, she'd promised herself. This was about as truthful as the usual, "Just one more minute, mom," she usually mumbled from under her warm, comfy covers in the mornings, and she'd been asleep and gently snoring within five.

Being currently in a lighter portion of her sleep cycle, she was somewhat distantly aware of the presence of the demons in the room--or at least their voices. They manifested themselves as echoes that shook the edible landscape of her dream, threatening to make brownies crack and cookies crumble. "Mmmnuh," Usagi groaned, turning her head to the other side and closing her eyes tight against the noise. "Just... five more minutes," she mumbled.

She was certainly in for a rude awakening, in more ways than one.

[ooc: Wasn't sure if I should reply as a top-level comment to keep the thread from collapsing or if it'd be preferable reply directly onto Tsuzuki's sooo I took a gamble. :D Let me know if I should repost.]

Hisoka approached the sleeping girl slowly, eventually reaching out to draw his scaly fingers along her soft, exposed skin. Mortals seemed so peculiar now, old-fashioned technology that shouldn't even be in production anymore. They were obsolete for anything more than cattle, and should only be allowed to live when they could be useful as beasts of burden, or to breed and act as a self-renewing resource.

"Asleep, but not so far that her spirit's gone to wander." He reported it properly, then turned away from the sleeping girl in disgust. Honestly. Summoning demons and not even staying awake to make whatever paltry demands she had in mind? Unforgivably rude. "She's covered in sweets. I'll pass on it. Feel free to enjoy her."

He flicked the end of his tail in annoyance, already working his way to the doorway. It wasn't his choice to come hunting, but maybe the girl had more responsible adults sleeping in a different room. Healthier humans made better food, as far as he was concerned."