Well hello ! It's been a while.
This is the prologue of my long awaited new chapter story, Extinguished.
For those familiar with my work already you can expect much of my usual cruelty to the borrowed characters (and possibly to yourselves XD) and plenty of angst and drama and of course Hiei x Yusuke shipping! For those new to my stories you better be ready (for not only a lot of my babble here at the start but also) for a roller coaster of emotion.
Both old and new alike, I look forward to going on this adventure with you.
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Full Summary:
It was just an average Saturday for Yusuke Urameshi. He slept in, woke up to a boner thanks to his un-relievable sexual frustration, had a shower and took care of his "ahem" problem, went into the kitchen for some food only to see there was none, walked over to Kuwabara's through the park to bum some food off him, just a typical day. The norm wasn't even shaken when Botan came flying through Kuwabara's window with a new domineering demon prick for the Urameshi team to take care of. Yep, everything was just hunky-dory for Yusuke and the gang…Until Hiei is poisoned by the previously mentioned domineering prick. Now Yusuke and the gang are in a race against time to find and administer a cure before the youkai's fire is extinguished permanently. Through the journey Yusuke will learn more about his typically stoic teammate and himself than he ever thought he wanted. Will love blossom in Yusuke's heart? And if so, will the romance be doomed before it even has a chance to start?
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Disclaimer: Do I have to say it? ...Fine. I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, any recognizable characters or songs. Now I feel bad...
Warning: This chapter contains some dark themes and a small amount of gore. Well what can I say, it is the prologue. Don't want to scare anybody off before we even get to the main event now do we?
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Prologue
One Little Spark
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The old wooden floorboards creaked with every step he took. Dust clouded around his polished black shoes, floating up to coat the inside of his throat with every shallow breath. He stooped low under a support beam and as he rose his gray eyes took in the small dreary space that dared call itself an attic. The timber that had once been a fresh tan was now musty and dull. Most every inch of the floor was covered with old boxes and moth eaten furniture. Most every inch of that was covered in a thick layer of dust and neglect. His eyes eventually came to rest upon a lone book that was just sitting atop of one of the many cardboard boxes. Despite the film of gray that had settled across the majority of the room the books aged crimson cover was spotless. His now hungry gaze didn't move from the tome as he maneuvered through the clutter to its resting place a few meters away. His pale hand stretched out as he came ever closer to the object he desired, finally scooping the book into his waiting grasp. His dark chuckle seemed to echo around the musty space as he ran his polished hand over the blood coloured leather that bound the yellowing pages. The only type that marred the leather's surface was a thin but tall line of untranslatable gold symbols. As he traced the inhuman text with his fingertips a decade old memory brushed against his consciousness…
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"Stephen, what are you doing? Don't touch that!" The seven year old boy looked up, startled, as a wrinkled hand tore the book he had been playing with away.
"Hey! Grandpa, I was playing with that!" He cried, his grey eyes wide. The old man shook his head, glaring down at the spot on the floor where his grandson was sitting.
"This book is not a toy!" He growled in his croaky voice, brandishing the leather bound tome. "It's dangerous!" The young boy at his feet moved clumsily to his feet, one little hand brushing his copper curls from his eyes.
"What do you mean?" Stephen asked. His grandfather sighed and slumped down in one of the nearby armchairs. He waited patiently while Stephen hurriedly followed him and clambered eagerly onto his lap. Once the child was comfy he explained.
"This is no ordinary book." He started, running his hands across its crimson surface. "It has been in our family for generations. It is said that it was used to contain a demon back in the times when monsters and humans shared the Earth." The red haired child in lap stared up at him with wide, wondrous eyes.
"Really?"
"Yes. Many hundreds of years ago, back in the times of old, man and monster would often clash. Our ancestors lived in a village on the outskirts of a giant forest. It was in this forest that a large collection of monsters made their home. From there they would come at the village again and again, pillaging supplies and murdering any who stood in their way. One man, the village scholar and witchdoctor, decided to come up with a way of combating the demons. He had heard of ways to contain these inhuman creatures in objects of power often disguised as everyday items. So he made and bound a book specifically for this purpose using ingredients with strong magical properties. The night after he finished the container the demons staged another raid on the village. He was ready…
The rest of the story is a little violent for your ears but by the end of the night the tome was home to a dangerous monster, a creature doomed to spend eternity inside the book's pages." The young boy's eyes were by the end of the tale as wide as they could possibly get, his expression one of awe.
"Wow! So that demon could like come out and kill everyone couldn't he Grandpa?" Stephen asked excitedly. His grandfather shook his head.
"Not exactly. It requires the completion of a ritual that the book's creator outlined within. Normally this wouldn't be a problem as almost no one can translate the original language it is scripted in. However someone from nearly every generation took the time to rewrite the ritual's instructions in their own words, meaning that it has been described in a great deal of languages so that nearly anyone who picked up the book would be able to release the demon from its prison. And that is the reason why it is dangerous. So you must promise me you will never, ever play with this again." The child nodded sagely.
"I promise…"
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Back in the attic, the now seventeen year old Stephen smirked. His grey eyes swept the roof space once more before he slipped the ancient tome inside his blazer and swiftly took his leave of the musty old room, leaving no evidence of his presence except the spotlessly clean rectangle on the cardboard box which was already filling with dust.
Once out of the old house Stephen made his way home. As he unlocked the painted timber door and slipped into his room full of clutter he mentally thanked his luck that his parents were both at work that day. Stepping over the miscellaneous items that were spread across the carpet, he clambered onto his bed and removed the book from under his arm, laying it across his lap. Eagerly, with hands shaking in anticipation he opened the ancient tome. Page by page he scanned the different texts. Egyptian, French, Chinese…
"Ah, here we go…" Glancing over the necessary steps needed to perform the summoning ritual the red haired teen pulled out his cell phone.
"Hello, Brad? Call our brothers and sisters together. I've found it…"
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It was in the wee hours of the morning that the red haired teen donned his black cloak and slipped silently out of the house, the ancient tome tucked safely under his arm once more. His polished leather shoes made a muffled thump as he touched down on the grass outside his window. Knowing that both his parents were sound sleepers he was undisturbed by his quiet footsteps as he snuck down the side of the house, out the side gate and into the street.
The youth made his way through town with quick, purposeful steps, keeping his eyes straight ahead and his mind firmly on his goal. After all the time they had waited...it would all come together tonight.
The roads were empty besides the rare driver on their way home and after twenty long minutes Stephen finally arrived on the edge of a large forest. With a brief glance around to make sure there was nobody around he stepped off the sidewalk and into the dense bush.
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"Ah, there you are brother. I was beginning to worry." These words welcomed him as he pushed his way through the bushes and into the clearing. The teen's silvery eyes rose to meet amber.
"Yes, it took me a little longer to get away than I would have liked." He drawled, rolling his eyes to show the other his irritation that his parents late night had caused him. He gently picked a few stubborn leaves from his fiery hair as the other male gently pressed his hand against his back and led him further into the clearing.
"Never mind. You're right on time. I assume you have the book?" At the others request, Stephen reached into his cloak and pulled out the leather bound tome. Gently he handed the treasure to the other youth, watching as his amber eyes grew wide.
"Of course, Gerard. You didn't honestly think I'd forget the most vital element did you?" The red head teased with a grin. Gerard, a lanky young man only a year or so older than Stephen with messy brown hair and sun-tanned skin, had the decency to look mildly abashed.
"Well of course not. Not really. But this is what we have been waiting for since our founding. Can I be blamed for being a little nervous?"
Stephen shook his head.
"Of course not. We want this to be perfect just as much as you do." His grey gaze watched hungrily as his fellow youth flipped reverently through the books worn pages.
"Is everything ready?" He asked, interrupting the brunette's reading. Gerard snapped the book shut and nodded.
"Yes. All our brothers and sisters are here and all the necessary ingredients gathered. Though I was concerned that we wouldn't be able to collect some of the items in time." He said as he moved towards the center of the clearing where two score of likewise dressed people awaited them.
"Indeed. I myself was surprised. I thought for sure we'd have to wait until the next full moon to complete the summoning." Stephen murmured, following his elder.
"We may yet have to wait if we don't start soon. Dawn will be upon us in but only an hour or two." The older male said with a slight growl. He glanced around the group and spoke again for the whole group to hear.
"The time has come my friends! Hurry now and take up your places. We only have so much time."
His announcement was met with much scurrying as everyone gathered hurried to obey.
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A few minutes later everything was ready. An upside down pentacle was burnt into the ground with tall candle holders filled with blood coloured candles placed around the outside. In the center a metal frame had been staked into the ground, the ancient tome open in its arms. In front of the frame was what appeared to be an altar with a large copper bowl on the flat surface along with a number of objects placed around it.
All those called forth to the ritual had taken up place around the edge of the pentagrams outlining circle and waited silently.
Gerard shed his plain black cloak for a more ceremonious garb in a shade of darkest crimson and moved to stand before the altar. He glanced up briefly at the full moon that shone its pale silvery light down on them.
It was time...
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The cloaked youth spread his arms wide and spoke, his voice ringing out through the clearing.
"Friends… Brothers and sisters of the Creed… Two years ago we gathered here in this exact same forest and we swore an oath. We swore, over the basin of our joined bloods, that we would remain true to the cause. That we would search for the Lost Ones, our Gods, who upon their return would wipe the unworthy from this earth. We have continued this search in vain… Until now. Earlier today Brother Stephen found exactly what we had been searching for. A way to return one of the Lost to our living world so that we may serve him as he begins the cleansing! Tonight all our efforts, our dreams, will reach fruition! Tonight…is our night!" Gerard yelled triumphantly.
The other cloaked figures joined his cry with their own cheers. After allowing his followers the chance to express their excitement, Gerard finally shushed them and the clamor ceased.
He took a step towards the altar and picked up a small bottle off the side of the bowl.
"Liquid mercury." He said quietly but clearly. Slowly he uncorked the bottle and poured its contents into the copper bowl.
"Dried mugwort." Gently he took the herbs in his hand and threw them in. Reaching down again lifted a much smaller bowl in his hand.
"Crushed rutilated quartz." The tiny crystal fragments were tipped into the mix, flowing down like sand to join the other ingredients marinating in the bowl. Returning the now empty bowl to its place he motioned with his hand and two teens walked forward carrying a cage. Gingerly they placed the cage on the ground near the altar and opened it, pulling a small squealing pig from its confines. Gerard pulled an ornate silver dagger from his crimson cloak and moved slowly over to the pig which was being held aloft between the two youths. In one quick movement the blade had pierced the poor creature's chest. Efficiently Gerard sliced it open and pulled out its still beating heart, blood dripping down his hands and under the sleeves of his cloak. Reverently he took the heart back to the altar and brought the thin blade down upon it once more, spilling whatever blood was left in it into the bowl. Then, heart still in hand, he spoke aloud the ancient words.
"Milas kuronija. Limkoff ge netahr legas. Ptun na dreax legas!"
For a moment the world was still, the silence absolute, and then..
A fierce gust of wind blew through the forest, knocking over a few of the stands as it went. The candles they were using for light sputtered and died, their fragile flames extinguished.
The darkness lasted only a few moments before a bright orange glow lit up the clearing. The light radiated from the open books pages, long forgotten script rippling fluidly through the glow.
The young cultists stared in awe at its beauty. Gerard, who still standing nearby slowly moved forward, his arm stretched out towards the century's old tome. Just as his fingertips brushed against the worn pages a deafening shriek rang out. The humans gathered cried out, covering their ears in a desperate attempt to block out the excruciating sound.
Then, just as they began to think that their brains would explode from the pressure, it stopped. The light, the noise, the wind, everything, leaving the glade pitch dark and everyone's ears ringing.
"Did it work?" A young girl asked fearfully. Before anyone had a chance to respond a deep, dark chuckle resonated through the clearing and beyond. A narrow pair of glowing red eyes pierced the shadows.
"I am FREE!"
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'We've been seeing what you wanted, got us cornered right now
Fallen asleep from our vanity, might cost us our lives.
I hear they're getting closer
Their howls are sending chills down my spine!
And time is running out now
They're coming down the hills from behind...
When we start killing
It's all coming down right now
From the nightmare we've created,
I want to be awakened somehow!
(Wanna be awakened right now!)
When we start killing it all will be falling down
From the Hell that we're in
All we are is fading away
When we start killing...
We've been searching all night long but there's no trace to be found
It's like they all have just vanished but I know they're around
I feel they're getting closer
Their howls are sending chills down my spine
And time is running out now
They're coming down the hills from behind...
When we start killing
It's all coming down right now
From the nightmare we've created
I want to be awakened somehow!
(Wanna be awakened right now!)
When we start killing it all will be falling down
From the Hell that we're in
All we are is fading away
When we start killing...
When we start killing...
I feel they're getting closer
Their howls are sending chills down my spine
And time is running out now
They're coming down the hills from behind...!
The sun is rising
The screams have gone
Too many have fallen
Few still stand tall
Is this the end of what we've begun?
Will we remember what we've done wrong?
When we start killing
It's all coming down right now
From the nightmare we've created
I want to be awakened somehow!
(Wanna be awakened right now!)
When we start killing it all will be falling down
From the Hell that we're in
All we are is fading away
When we start killing...
When we start killing...
When we start killing...'
The Howling by Within Temptation
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Well there you have it, the first of many chapters. I hope you all enjoyed it. =) And I promise the boys will be in the next chapter.