Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine,
except Kamen, so please don't sue me.
I have no money anyway!
BROKEN MASKS
by Kat
Kurama paced restlessly in front of the
double doors that led to the inner chamber of
Mukuro's mobile city. The fact that Kurama was in
the heart of what many people would call his
enemy's capital was not a reason to be alarmed.
His pacing on the other hand, would set anyone
that knew him on edge. Kurama seemingly never
worried about anything. He always held an air of
confidence, even when it looked like he was on the
losing side of a battle. For Kurama to openly
display his troubled mind was a very good reason
to be alarmed.
"You know, Kurama, wearing the floor out
isn't going to make Mukuro come out any faster,"
Yuusuke said as he leaned against the wall, facing
the doors. He glanced down both ends of the
hallway, noting the nervous guards with little
interest. Right now his attention was on a very
agitated youko in front of him.
Kuwabara sat cross legged on the floor, with
his elbow on his knee and his chin in his hand.
His eyes followed Kurama as he continued to pace.
He too gave the impression that he was bored and
he would rather be somewhere else, though he was
the first to say he was coming.
"Yeah, Kurama, give it a rest. It isn't like
the shrimp can't take care of himself," Kuwabara
stated with a yawn.
Kurama stopped his pacing to stare at the
closed doors. he thought,
Kurama fingered the folded paper in his pocket.
Both Yuusuke and Kuwabara had received the same
note from Mukuro. All the note said was that Hiei
had been missing for a week and, if they wanted to
help find him, they were welcome to come.
At first Kurama hadn't been too worried that
Hiei was missing. After all, there had been times
when he hadn't heard from Hiei for twice that
amount of time. Hiei was very capable of taking
care of himself. What worried him was that Mukuro
had pulled out all the stops to find Hiei. What
scared him to death was that Mukuro felt the need
to arrange transportation for the three of them,
pulling some not so small strings in the process.
She had even given Yuusuke and him complete
immunity in her lands until Hiei was found.
Kurama's thoughts were interrupted when a
very frantic youkai came flying out of the room
running into Kurama, "Mukuro-sama will see you
now," was all he said before continuing down the
hallway.
Yuusuke pushed himself from the wall and
walked into the room, " About damn time. Maybe
now we can get some answers." Kurama certainly
hoped so.
==========================
Mukuro watched the trio walk into the room
with a clinical eye. Yuusuke seemed aloof, but he
kept his eyes trained on her ready to do battle if
necessary. Kuwabara, the one she always
considered an idiot in the extreme, walked in the
room only a few steps behind. His eyes went to
all corners of the room watching for an ambush or
hidden adversaries, watching Yuusuke's back.
Maybe it was time she updated her image of that
one. Kurama slowly entered the room, not out of
caution she saw, but in a distressed haze. she thought as she stepped
closer to them.
"Ok, Mukuro, what the hell is going on?!"
Yuusuke demanded, right to the point as always. A
thin smile came to her mouth as she tried to hide
her irritation at being addressed in such an
insolent manner.
"As I said in the message, Hiei has been
missing. I sent him out on a routine scouting
run. When he didn't come back in a reasonable
amount of time, I sent someone out to locate him,"
Mukuro answered. She turned and walked over to a
table, where a neatly wrapped bundle lay. "All
they found was a field of charred youkai and
this." She hand the bundle out for them to take.
Neither Yuusuke nor Kuwabara moved forward to
take the package. Kurama pushed his way in front
of them and took the offered bundle. He slowly
unwrapped the coarse cloth to reveal Hiei's
bloodied cloak and sword. Kurama fingered the
ruined cloak with unease. A look Mukuro could not
identify passed over Kurama's eyes as he looked to
Yuusuke. Yuusuke had not looked away from Mukuro
during the entire display; Kuwabara looked for
him.
"Kuso, you must have something more than that
to drag us all the way out here. That little baka
could have just left those things there after the
fight, or lost them during the fight if he used
kokuryuuha. What's the real reason you brought us
here?" Kuwabara added his accusing glare to
Yuusuke's. Mukuro thought,
"You're right, that wasn't enough to peak my
interest. I wasn't even going to continue looking
until one of my people said they sensed Hiei in
two different places at the same time day before
yesterday. When my man went to investigate,
several small villages on both my lands and
Yuusuke's were completely destroyed by what can
only be Hiei's Kokuryuuha," she said as she waited
for their responses.
Yuusuke didn't move or comment on the
information. Kuwabara eyes and mouth gaped open
like a dead fish. she amended, Kurama was the one to
question.
"Are you sure it was Hiei? Could there have
been a mistake?" he asked with little emotion.
Mukuro
thought.
"There's no mistake. My people don't make
mistakes like that. If they did they wouldn't
live to repeat them,' she stated calmly. "I've
already sent for the best tracker I know to locate
Hiei, but she can't do it alone. That's why you
are here."
"I don't understand. If this tracker is so
good why does she need our help?" Yuusuke barely
kept the sarcasm out of his voice. Mukuro gave
another wane smile.
"Kamen uses a combinations of memories,
personal objects, and energy patterns to track.
Since there is only one other besides the four of
us that has gotten close to Hiei she's going to
need all of us to help her get a fix on his
location ," Mukuro said, wishing that Kamen would
hurry up. Mukuro's patience was already wearing
thin, and she was going to need all her composure
to handle Kamen when she realized who her guests
were.
"I don't understand how she's going to do
that? Why me? Who's the other person? Why..." as
Kuwabara continued to rapidly fling questions
Mukuro rethought her earlier opinion,
=====================
Kamen quickly made her way down the hallways
to the inner chamber. She hoped Mukuro didn't want her spy on
Yomi. That kind of job was not a healthy way to
live. Kamen came to a halt in the shadows by the
double doors. A pleased smile formed as she continued
her thoughts
Kamen moved from shadow to shadow, always
making sure that her hair remained covered as she
had been taught. If a single ray of light fell on
the golden locks it would be like a beacon
shouting 'Here I Am. Come Get Me'. At one time
she had entertained the thought of cutting it all
off, but Mukuro had made her promise to never cut
it. So now Kamen always had to make sure that her
hair was kept closely wrapped and pinned to her
head, or someone might use it against her in a
fight.
As Kamen came closer to the doors she could
hear a heated argument between Mukuro and a voice
she could not recognize. Kamen pulled a dagger from the
sheath on her left forearm, and checked the
poisoned pins in her hair. If she was going to be
pulled into a fight then she was going to make
sure she was ready.
She opened the door enough so that she could
see Mukuro and the man she was arguing with.
Kamen could see that he was much taller than
herself with short, curly, red hair. The top of
her head probably would only reach the middle of
his broad chest. His face was a comical shade of
pink as he continued to yell at a woman that could
kill him with a thought. For that reason she
liked him immediately. Anyone that would give
Mukuro as good as she gave was worth liking.
As the argument became more heated Kamen was
shocked to see him unwittingly gather power that
hummed as only a human's power could. The fact
that Mukuro was having a yelling contest with a
human instead of just killing him surprised her
enough that she didn't notice the other young man
until he stepped in between the two combatants.
This one had the feel of death and rebirth, a
soul that was just slightly out of line with his
body. He carried himself in a way that was
familiar to Kamen, though she couldn't see how
that could be. It was obvious that this new one
was trying to defuse the situation, but the more
he talked to the tall one the angrier he became.
The whole scene was so ridiculous that Kamen
decided to just walk in and make a grand entrance.
The door swung open with a push of her hand.
Out of habit her eyes scanned the rest of the room
then stopped. In the back of the room, holding a
bundle was another young man. His hair was long,
hanging halfway down his back, the color of
freshly spilled blood. His emerald green eyes
were set in a face that could only be called
beautiful. His human clothing only enhance his
looks from beautiful to heart stopping. The only
thing that distracted from his looks was his
sorrowful expression. He was so gorgeous that any
girl would kill to have him. Kamen would kill for
the chance to end his hateful existence forever.
Her right hand gripped the cold dagger
tighter, the other pulled two pins from her hair.
He was totally preoccupied and an easy target.
All she had to do was throw the pins and by the
time she took the few steps that separated them
the poison would have taken effect. He would be
completely paralyzed and her blade would easily
slit his pale throat from one silken sidelock to
the other. As she readied her hand to throw she
imagined his blood flowing from the wound making
the floor the same color as that lovely hair.
=====================
Well, here it is, the first chapter. You guys
said you wanted it.
(If you start throwing things and I'm knocked unconscious I
can't finish the story : ) ) Anyway comments and replies
are welcome.
except Kamen, so please don't sue me.
I have no money anyway!
BROKEN MASKS
by Kat
Kurama paced restlessly in front of the
double doors that led to the inner chamber of
Mukuro's mobile city. The fact that Kurama was in
the heart of what many people would call his
enemy's capital was not a reason to be alarmed.
His pacing on the other hand, would set anyone
that knew him on edge. Kurama seemingly never
worried about anything. He always held an air of
confidence, even when it looked like he was on the
losing side of a battle. For Kurama to openly
display his troubled mind was a very good reason
to be alarmed.
"You know, Kurama, wearing the floor out
isn't going to make Mukuro come out any faster,"
Yuusuke said as he leaned against the wall, facing
the doors. He glanced down both ends of the
hallway, noting the nervous guards with little
interest. Right now his attention was on a very
agitated youko in front of him.
Kuwabara sat cross legged on the floor, with
his elbow on his knee and his chin in his hand.
His eyes followed Kurama as he continued to pace.
He too gave the impression that he was bored and
he would rather be somewhere else, though he was
the first to say he was coming.
"Yeah, Kurama, give it a rest. It isn't like
the shrimp can't take care of himself," Kuwabara
stated with a yawn.
Kurama stopped his pacing to stare at the
closed doors. he thought,
Kurama fingered the folded paper in his pocket.
Both Yuusuke and Kuwabara had received the same
note from Mukuro. All the note said was that Hiei
had been missing for a week and, if they wanted to
help find him, they were welcome to come.
At first Kurama hadn't been too worried that
Hiei was missing. After all, there had been times
when he hadn't heard from Hiei for twice that
amount of time. Hiei was very capable of taking
care of himself. What worried him was that Mukuro
had pulled out all the stops to find Hiei. What
scared him to death was that Mukuro felt the need
to arrange transportation for the three of them,
pulling some not so small strings in the process.
She had even given Yuusuke and him complete
immunity in her lands until Hiei was found.
Kurama's thoughts were interrupted when a
very frantic youkai came flying out of the room
running into Kurama, "Mukuro-sama will see you
now," was all he said before continuing down the
hallway.
Yuusuke pushed himself from the wall and
walked into the room, " About damn time. Maybe
now we can get some answers." Kurama certainly
hoped so.
==========================
Mukuro watched the trio walk into the room
with a clinical eye. Yuusuke seemed aloof, but he
kept his eyes trained on her ready to do battle if
necessary. Kuwabara, the one she always
considered an idiot in the extreme, walked in the
room only a few steps behind. His eyes went to
all corners of the room watching for an ambush or
hidden adversaries, watching Yuusuke's back.
Maybe it was time she updated her image of that
one. Kurama slowly entered the room, not out of
caution she saw, but in a distressed haze. she thought as she stepped
closer to them.
"Ok, Mukuro, what the hell is going on?!"
Yuusuke demanded, right to the point as always. A
thin smile came to her mouth as she tried to hide
her irritation at being addressed in such an
insolent manner.
"As I said in the message, Hiei has been
missing. I sent him out on a routine scouting
run. When he didn't come back in a reasonable
amount of time, I sent someone out to locate him,"
Mukuro answered. She turned and walked over to a
table, where a neatly wrapped bundle lay. "All
they found was a field of charred youkai and
this." She hand the bundle out for them to take.
Neither Yuusuke nor Kuwabara moved forward to
take the package. Kurama pushed his way in front
of them and took the offered bundle. He slowly
unwrapped the coarse cloth to reveal Hiei's
bloodied cloak and sword. Kurama fingered the
ruined cloak with unease. A look Mukuro could not
identify passed over Kurama's eyes as he looked to
Yuusuke. Yuusuke had not looked away from Mukuro
during the entire display; Kuwabara looked for
him.
"Kuso, you must have something more than that
to drag us all the way out here. That little baka
could have just left those things there after the
fight, or lost them during the fight if he used
kokuryuuha. What's the real reason you brought us
here?" Kuwabara added his accusing glare to
Yuusuke's. Mukuro thought,
"You're right, that wasn't enough to peak my
interest. I wasn't even going to continue looking
until one of my people said they sensed Hiei in
two different places at the same time day before
yesterday. When my man went to investigate,
several small villages on both my lands and
Yuusuke's were completely destroyed by what can
only be Hiei's Kokuryuuha," she said as she waited
for their responses.
Yuusuke didn't move or comment on the
information. Kuwabara eyes and mouth gaped open
like a dead fish. she amended, Kurama was the one to
question.
"Are you sure it was Hiei? Could there have
been a mistake?" he asked with little emotion.
Mukuro
thought.
"There's no mistake. My people don't make
mistakes like that. If they did they wouldn't
live to repeat them,' she stated calmly. "I've
already sent for the best tracker I know to locate
Hiei, but she can't do it alone. That's why you
are here."
"I don't understand. If this tracker is so
good why does she need our help?" Yuusuke barely
kept the sarcasm out of his voice. Mukuro gave
another wane smile.
"Kamen uses a combinations of memories,
personal objects, and energy patterns to track.
Since there is only one other besides the four of
us that has gotten close to Hiei she's going to
need all of us to help her get a fix on his
location ," Mukuro said, wishing that Kamen would
hurry up. Mukuro's patience was already wearing
thin, and she was going to need all her composure
to handle Kamen when she realized who her guests
were.
"I don't understand how she's going to do
that? Why me? Who's the other person? Why..." as
Kuwabara continued to rapidly fling questions
Mukuro rethought her earlier opinion,
=====================
Kamen quickly made her way down the hallways
to the inner chamber. She hoped Mukuro didn't want her spy on
Yomi. That kind of job was not a healthy way to
live. Kamen came to a halt in the shadows by the
double doors. A pleased smile formed as she continued
her thoughts
Kamen moved from shadow to shadow, always
making sure that her hair remained covered as she
had been taught. If a single ray of light fell on
the golden locks it would be like a beacon
shouting 'Here I Am. Come Get Me'. At one time
she had entertained the thought of cutting it all
off, but Mukuro had made her promise to never cut
it. So now Kamen always had to make sure that her
hair was kept closely wrapped and pinned to her
head, or someone might use it against her in a
fight.
As Kamen came closer to the doors she could
hear a heated argument between Mukuro and a voice
she could not recognize. Kamen pulled a dagger from the
sheath on her left forearm, and checked the
poisoned pins in her hair. If she was going to be
pulled into a fight then she was going to make
sure she was ready.
She opened the door enough so that she could
see Mukuro and the man she was arguing with.
Kamen could see that he was much taller than
herself with short, curly, red hair. The top of
her head probably would only reach the middle of
his broad chest. His face was a comical shade of
pink as he continued to yell at a woman that could
kill him with a thought. For that reason she
liked him immediately. Anyone that would give
Mukuro as good as she gave was worth liking.
As the argument became more heated Kamen was
shocked to see him unwittingly gather power that
hummed as only a human's power could. The fact
that Mukuro was having a yelling contest with a
human instead of just killing him surprised her
enough that she didn't notice the other young man
until he stepped in between the two combatants.
This one had the feel of death and rebirth, a
soul that was just slightly out of line with his
body. He carried himself in a way that was
familiar to Kamen, though she couldn't see how
that could be. It was obvious that this new one
was trying to defuse the situation, but the more
he talked to the tall one the angrier he became.
The whole scene was so ridiculous that Kamen
decided to just walk in and make a grand entrance.
The door swung open with a push of her hand.
Out of habit her eyes scanned the rest of the room
then stopped. In the back of the room, holding a
bundle was another young man. His hair was long,
hanging halfway down his back, the color of
freshly spilled blood. His emerald green eyes
were set in a face that could only be called
beautiful. His human clothing only enhance his
looks from beautiful to heart stopping. The only
thing that distracted from his looks was his
sorrowful expression. He was so gorgeous that any
girl would kill to have him. Kamen would kill for
the chance to end his hateful existence forever.
Her right hand gripped the cold dagger
tighter, the other pulled two pins from her hair.
He was totally preoccupied and an easy target.
All she had to do was throw the pins and by the
time she took the few steps that separated them
the poison would have taken effect. He would be
completely paralyzed and her blade would easily
slit his pale throat from one silken sidelock to
the other. As she readied her hand to throw she
imagined his blood flowing from the wound making
the floor the same color as that lovely hair.
=====================
Well, here it is, the first chapter. You guys
said you wanted it.
(If you start throwing things and I'm knocked unconscious I
can't finish the story : ) ) Anyway comments and replies
are welcome.