Prologue to Through the Iris. Main story starts next chapter. Read, enjoy, and review please!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, however I may have Hiei under my bed...
A simple job, steal a dusty old relic and be paid handsomely. A wealthy man owned the relic, a golden long sword never meant to see battle, and he proudly displayed it in the massive dining room of his lavish mansion. Wealth in the world of Makai was rare and attracted thieves of all sorts. His mansion was heavily guarded and armed to the teeth with every kind of trap. But of course, there was always one group of thieves who managed to break through those traps and slip past those guards.
In the silence that filled the mansion, two lone demons stalked through long hallways decorated with the grotesque paintings and sculptures favored by Makai's inhabitants. Images of tortured humans and bloody battles dominated, broken only by statues venerating the lord of the mansion. Sukane, his name was, and he earned his fortune capturing humans and selling them to various buyers.
The thieves now approaching the dining room didn't care who he was or what he did. They wanted money. More specifically, Yoko Kurama wanted money. His lifestyle was not overly lavish, but his partner, Alana, was frail and sickly. Often requiring expensive medicines and urgent treatment, Yoko worked for her.
Numerous times he'd found himself wondering why he kept the girl around, and every time he was left without an answer. But nearly one hundred years had passed since he discovered her on the verge of death. Even then, he wasn't sure why he helped her, but he did.
Approaching the doors of their destination, Yoko held out his hand to stop Alana from entering. She nodded and quickly analyzed the thick wooden doors. Her eyes were shaper than his; she could pick up the faintest signs of a trap or alarm. Finding several, Yoko disarmed them all easily. Alana picked the complicated lock, and the two entered silently.
The room was pitch black, windowless walls provided no moonlight, and not a single candle was lit. However, the demons needed no light. They could see with ease and Alana led the way, constantly alert for nearly invisible tripwires and pressure plates. Once sure the path was clear, Yoko deftly unlocked the golden sword's restraints and moments later they were out the way they came.
Certain any and all traps along their path had been disarmed their first time through, Yoko led. They ran quickly, but focused intently on the world around them. They wouldn't be completely free of danger until far from Sukane's mansion.
A slightly open door appeared at the end of the hallway ahead of Yoko and a small moment of relief filled him. This mission would be a success. The following morning Sukane would wake to find his prized possession missing, and no trace would remain of its thieves.
Alana coughed. A small sound that seemed to echo endlessly throughout the mansion, but that was so quiet no one would hear. No one except Yoko. He turned quickly and saw Alana leaning against a wall gasping for air. Rushing back, Yoko caught her just before she collapsed.
"S-sorry, Yoko," she whispered.
"It's alright. I'll get you out of here," Yoko said, wrapping one arm around her slender waist to help her stand. She leaned on him for a moment before taking a step back and standing on her own, attempting to prove she needed no help.
Yoko eyed her warily, but allowed her to take the lead; if she was ahead, he could watch out for her. She walked shakily but swiftly through the door out into the cool night air. But as she passed through the threshold, a shrill alarm rang out, sounding not unlike human screams.
Alana stopped and looked back in surprise, but Yoko pulled her into a run shouting, "Go!" She ran as fast as she could, but soon her illness caught up with her again and she fell into a fit of coughing. Yoko had been holding the golden sword, but now he placed it carefully into the sash around his waist. He knelt beside Alana and carried her in his arms.
An instinct within him that had helped him survive centuries in Makai's harsh, lethal lands screamed at him to drop Alana and leave her behind. But he couldn't. Her fit had subsided only because she had passed out. He couldn't leave her behind; he just held her closer to himself and ran as fast as he could as shouts from guards and mercenaries hired by Sukane arose behind him.
Noticing a varied collection of weeds and flowers on the ground around him, Yoko fed them some of his spirit energy to cause them to grow into vicious monsters capable of holding of his attackers for at least a little while. Angry shouts turned to screams as the men fought, but the sounds of battle, replaced by angry shouts calling for revenge, died far sooner than he had hoped.
He was about to focus more energy into feeding the plants, but sharp, intense pain erupted in his shoulder, causing him to stagger. He kneeled and laid Alana in the grass so he could feel what had hit him. A long arrow protruded just left of his neck, narrowly missing a likely fatal area. He ripped out the arrow, but before he could do more, he was surrounded.
Alana stirred and awoke. Upon seeing the heavily armed men around her she gasped in fright and on impulse crawled behind Yoko. She froze when she saw the blood pouring down his back. "You're hurt! Yoko, you're bleeding!" she cried in a shrill voice.
"It's nothing," Yoko muttered to assure her. He took a look around at the men surrounding them. Once was insisting they just surrender, but Yoko ignored him. Turning to Alana, Yoko was about to insist she run but her pale pink eyes were glowing brightly. Spirit energy began to gather around her and some of the guards stepped back as her eyes glowed brighter. A wave of energy rose up around her, shrouding her in a dense pink fog, and pulsed once before exploding, spreading out like a ripple in a pond. The wave knocked back unsteady guards and was directly followed by a ring of searing pink-white fire that reduced every last guard and mercenary to ash.
The glow in her eyes dulled and she once again fell unconscious. Yoko clutched her to him and stood. But before he could leave a figure cloaked in black robes approached, Alana's dying flames illuminated a beautiful woman's face.
"I'm afraid this is as far as you go, Kurama the demon fox," the woman snickered. "I'm sure you're aware of the bounty on that girl's head, you must live in shame knowing it far outshines your own. Let's avoid further unpleasantness. If you hand her over, I'll let you walk away."
Every survival instinct Yoko possessed screamed at him to drop Alana and run. He placed her gently on the ground once more and stood to face the robed woman.
"See, wasn't that so much easier than fighting?" she asked, her smile devious. She laughed, but the sound died in her throat. Yoko was behind her in an instant, holding a rose against her throat. Using his free hand, he threw small seeds into the few remaining pink-white fires. Immediately after coming in contact with the flames the seeds burst and grew into vine-like plants coated in bright orange and yellow fire.
Yoko kicked the woman into the plants' vines then ran for Alana. He carried her a few yards away from the scorched ring before lying her down underneath a fallen tree. As soon as he turned back to rejoin the fight, the woman was in front of him. She smiled again, this time holding out her hand towards Yoko as if she expected him to grasp it.
The woman's violet eyes glowed for half a moment as flames erupted over her body. "You can't stop me with a carnival trick like that," she sneered. A sword was attached to a black leather belt she wore and as she pulled it from its sheath flames traveled down the blade.
Yoko's rose flashed red before forming into a long, vine-like whip. A flick of his wrist snapped the thorny rope in his attackers direction. She easily dodged the simple attack, but while she moved Yoko rushed forward. He continued lashing out with his Rose Whip, not intending to harm her but to learn from her movements instead. She was fast, and her fiery attack style prevented the use of most of his plants.
With a flourish the woman spun her sword suddenly in her hands. Instead of blocking Yoko's next attack she stepped around it and rushed forward. Yoko brought up his whip in an attempt to catch her arm, but she twisted out of his reach and shredded the vine. He reached into his pocket for a few more seeds, but the woman vanished into front of him before he could act.
"Oh, Foxy!" he heard her call amiably. Her voice came from behind him and his heart froze. Turning, he saw the woman standing with Alana propped up against her. A wicked smile twisted the woman's face, revealing pointed, fang-like teeth. She laughed once, sounding demonic, before plunging her flaming sword through Alana. The small woman's eyes flew open as a small cry escaped her lips, but as her face grew ashen her pink eyes grew cloudy and fell shut once more.
Yoko growled and tried to run to Alana as the woman threw her to the ground, a pool of blood forming beneath her staining her snow-white hair, but he couldn't move. A harsh, sudden burning sensation arose in his ankle and he looked down to see a fiery rope entangled around his leg. Still smiling the woman held out her hand. A small, arrow-shaped mass of fire formed in her hand. As if she where blowing a kiss, she threw the arrow at Yoko, piercing his heart.
Pain erupted from his chest and he nearly passed out, but he clung to consciousness as he fell to the ground. He heard the woman's laughter, but it sounded muffled behind the loud rush of his heart beat slowing. His vision grew dark, and he lay still.
Several minutes passed before he slowly made his way to his feet. He shuffled slowly towards Alana's still form. A dense fog clouded his vision, but he managed to make it to her side. Reverting to his spirit form, Yoko spoke a simple chant that would revert Alana as well, if she was still alive. The world around him grew darker with each passing moment. Alana's spirit form, a long tailed swallow, fluttered beside him weakly before resting on his back. Using the last of his strength, Yoko opened a passage through to the world of the humans. Soon after passing between worlds, Yoko lost consciousness. Moments before his eyes slipped shut, he saw Alana's glowing form drift away, having slipped from his back shortly after arriving in the human world.