Inner Demons

Chapter 5

 When Kelsey, Rin, and Raptor finally make it to the ancient demon's cave, everything is eerily silent. Not even the wind blushed the trees outside the cavern. Taking a quick sniff, Raptor pulled back at the smell rising from the cave.

"Geez, you'd think she would clean up a little for company..." Raptor chipped as she pulled away from the smell of rotten flesh and blood.

Kelsey looks up at Raptor and smirks. "Don't like the smell of rotting flesh and blood huh?" She asks mischievously as she fixed her pen and inspected her dagger as it lights up in her bright, and beautiful pink flames again.

"Not when it's that powerful. Smells like a whole dead city in there." Raptor replied muttering a small 'Jesus Christ' as she put her hand back over her nose. Kelsey chuckled at Raptor's reaction before turning her eyes (which looked like they were on fire) towards her dagger. "Rin, what is your sword's name?" Kelsey asks him softly.

"The Kurikara. Why do you ask?" Rin said drawing his sword to light the tunnel to make sure none of them trip.

Kelsey smiles a little, "My dagger's name is Anzhelo. It's greek for 'Angel'" she tells him happily as she pulls out a sheath for her dagger.

Rin smiles back at her then turns to watch Raptor sniff around at the walls. Well that's weird... I see that these walls are covered in something but what? Rin asked himself before reaching for the walls. When his hand came in contact with them it seemed to just... sink. Like the walls were only for show; not meant to hold anything. Just as he pulled his hand back a skeleton fell from the hole his hand made onto the floor startling the group. Kelsey was right next to Rin when the skeleton fell and she squealed out in fright, jumping high in the air in fear; Raptor looked at the skeleton and noticed the Blue Cross uniform barely present on the corpse.

"Well now we know what happened to the rest of the group that was sent here." She said stepping towards to corpse and pulled what was left of the poor soul's weapons: a degraded knife and wards. "These ought to come in handy." Raptor placed them in her pockets. She turned back and started walking deeper into the nest again with Rin and Kelsey staring after her.

Rin looked at Kelsey shifting his sword to light the tunnel before asking, "How was she not freaked out by the corpse?" Kelsey shrugged in response, "Maybe she's used to it?" She stated as she clicked her pen and turned it back into her dagger so she can help him light the tunnel. Rin looked between Kelsey and Raptor, "I've seen some disturbing stuff but corpses... How do you get use to something like that?" Kelsey shrugged again. "There are detectives that study corpses... Maybe she has just been around them enough to not be fazed by it..." She told him quietly. Rin nodded before spinning around. He could sense weird energy coming from behind them that caught even Raptor's attention.

"Did you sense that?" Rin asked raising his sword to ready himself for a fight. Just as the energy source got close enough to be seen Raptor ran back and placed herself in front of Rin and Kelsey.

"Easy." She told the two, "It's just Shiro and Ichigo." True to her word, said Albino and orangette walked into Rin's light covered in cuts and what looked like demon blood speckled their Shihakushōs. Raptor looked over the two before asking, "You two OK?" She earned a head nod from both before Ichigo's knees hit the ground. Shiro helped him back to his feet, "Lots of demons, one got an attack in on him before it was killed." Shiro explained wrapping Ichigo's arm over Shiro's shoulders earning a whimper from Ichigo from the movement.

"Maybe you two should head back. I don't think it would be safe for Ichi, plus the demon might have poisoned him." Raptor pointed out before pulling her phone out.

"N... No... We are helping Raptor..." Ichigo stated trying to get his feet steady. He rose his whole height before looking at Raptor with tired eyes.

Kelsey watched the scene then remembered something. Pulling off her backpack she pulled out a spare shirt and started ripping it up. She then walks over to Ichigo and looked at him, "Where did you get hit?" She asked as she also pulled out a small jar full of pink goo that had a soft glow in the darkness of the tunnel. "This will help ease the pain. It's a healing remedy i made myself by reading ingredients from a healing book. I've tested it on myself, so I know it works." She tells him softly.

Ichigo - with the help of Shiro - walked to the wall and leaned on it before untying his Shihakushō to show a bite on his abdomen that was beginning to turn a different color.

Kelsey bite her lip as she saw the bite, and concentrated on what she was doing as she dipped her hand into the goo pulling some of it out of the jar before putting it down on the ground. She then slowly walked up to Ichigo and lightly rubbed the goo on the bite, the goo feeling both cool, and warm on Ichigo's skin as she rubbed the rest of it on the bite. The goo glowing even more brightly than it did before as she finished. Wiping her hands on her pants to get rid of any excess, she pulled out the long strips of cloth. Before the cloth even touches Ichigo's skin, the wound is already almost healed as she lightly presses strips of her old spare shirt across his abdomen, making a makeshift bandage. By the time she is finished the goo that was glowing under Ichigo's shirt is now almost gone. Kelsey then goes back to her jar she had placed on the floor and put it back in her backpack.

Ichigo felt relieved after the bite was bandaged up. He mumbled a small thank you to Kelsey before pushing off the wall. He wobbled a little but didn't feel as weak as he did before. "What... Where to now?" He smiled lightly earning a slight chuckle from both Raptor and Shiro.

"Into the Devil's Den, as usual." Raptor answered taking point with Rin and Kelsey in the middle while Shiro and Ichigo brought up the rear.