This story was originally a one-shot death fic with no intention of it ever to become a full-blown story. As I re-read it not too long ago, I felt ashame I stopped it at that. I added on, made corrections that were needed (which were a lot) and I felt the need to repost it. I'm kind of attached to this thing.

My updates won't be as often as some of you might like so please, deal. You'll have to understand, I'm a graduating senior with a lot of things to do. I'll be writing the next chapter ASAP and post it when I can get around to it.

Original : April 15, 2004
Revised: March 05, 2006

All rights belong to Yoshihiro Togashi who's the creator of Yu Yu Hakusho.

Insanity Brink
Tori Hiei

"I'd rather die
Than to be like you"
KuBiX – Trip

The world spun around and it made a black-haired man's head felt like it was meeting a metal device that was beating him upside the head repeatedly. It felt like he was being smothered in pain which then sent shock waves to his brain. He had to regain control on himself, tears illuminated weakness and that- was something ever demon learned earlier in their lives. He was determined, he had to push back ever ounce of pain that shocked his body like an electric cord hooked up to a 600 volt battery.

Laughter... Was it laughter? Hiei didn't know—he couldn't tell. Whatever it was pulsed through his brain, like an earthquake of sound waves which then bounced around in his cranium for a while. It was mocking him- nothing mocked him, ever; however, the spinning sensation began to quicken, worsen as if the world was no longer going around the sun in its normal speed but more like the world was spinning toward the sun and there wasn't a damn thing that could make it stop. The major problem of this: He couldn't think clearly.

He felt something cold touching his skin; something that wasn't unfamiliar to him. His reflexes were trying to back away from the blade; which was now penetrating his skin and trailing down toward his abdominal area. His vision and his mind were fuzzy but that didn't stop him for registering that this feeling was someone trying to gut him. He for damn sure that this wasn't what he was barging for. The now warm blade trailed up to his neck and now he was able to see who this maniac was.

"Surprised Hiei?" The man mocked at him. Hiei could only guess what that meant. His brain was trying to solve this jigsaw puzzle that he had apparently found himself in and the outcome kept looking grimmer than the last. His thought were becoming such an enigma that demon was beginning to give up on thinking all together. He knew he couldn't, he had to remain conscious to remain alive and to find a way of getting out of there.

His unfocused glare met with the sick bastard who was holding him here. If he was able to make out the features of this fucker, he promised that this fucker would be dead once he was able to think clearly. Unfortunately for Hiei, he was long past feeling the wounds that made home on his body, which also means; any new wounds would only join the current pain that made home in his mind.

Colours were always something that the demons never truly understand. Colours were made up so one thing would stand out better against something contrasting it. Like orange contrasted against blue—that was the only thing that colours were remotely good for. And right now, there were colours that embraced his vision to the point were his eyeballs felt like jumping out of their sockets and do the mariachi. Red, black and blue. A giant bruise.

"Ah…Hiei…we'k?" That damned voice said in its empty mockery. Something that Hiei finally noticed- somewhat he was thankful for. He was becoming more aware. "Yukina's gonna be alright with us. She'll be away from a monster like you." That fucking laughter emerged again. Something he didn't want to hear since it echoed off the walls and caused his pain induced migraine to pulse with intensity. Son of a bitch had to mention Yukina—the fucker was going to die- he vowed. Minus the fact that this was the first real sentence that he was able to understand in days.

Grinding his teeth in pain, he lifted his head up barely to be engulfed with a wave of nausea. "Leave her alone." He spat out though barely a whisper. He didn't want to admit how weak he actually felt let alone what will happen to him if he actually admitted it.

Some more of that fucking laughter emerged for the other's voice. "Tough brother will risk his life for some girl who doesn't know who he is." Some more of that annoying laugher. Hiei vowed to slit this guy's throat if he survived this. "How romantic." The other's voice sneered. "I think I should give you another dose."

Whatever this stuff was, made Hiei's senses go off like a fire alarm detecting smoke for the first time. His body screamed as if trying to reject the shit that invaded his veins. Yet, he was not unable to feel the needle piercing his skin nor was he able to stop his body for spasms that responded to whatever they put in his body. There was one thought that ran quickly through his mind—he was dying.

"Yukina. Evil. Dead. Friends." He tried to remain conscious but soon found the fight unless. He was slipping back into the catatonic state; however, was it for the better or the worst he didn't know. He body refused to move and his mind had just been fatigued with unbelievable pain. What really made his heart pound was the no matter how much he tried to piece words together—nothing came.

He was slipping... Piece by piece... Inch by inch.

Hiei couldn't help it anymore. The pain was so suffocating that he had to laugh. His laughter wasn't one of a joy man who witnessed his wife giving birth nor was it of a grieving man who found his daughter had died. No, this was one of those insane laughs that someone would laugh about when he just slit someone's throat or someone who took joy in molesting little girls. This was laugh of a mad-man.

His blurred vision soon found themselves on his current foe. The one who would watch him die-- "Everything will fall apart." Hiei said in no more than a morbid whisper.

A snort emerged from the other man but Hiei could barely register it as such. "Bullshit."

A small smug smirk emerged on the demon's now ghostly gray skin. "No..." Hiei recited like he read it for somewhere he was announcing it to the whole class. The horrid white-haze was trying to take a hold of vision and no matter how much he fought against it, it was winning.

As a new sort of pain rocketed through his small frame, like a lighting strike on a metal rod, each breathe was forced—his lungs felt like they were to collapse at any minute. He felt them sticking together as if glue had found its way in his lungs and someone was trying to make a paper project of them—he was suffocating. His system was beginning to shut down, his heartbeat was rapidly lowering and his breathing became so nonrhythmic that he was sure he wouldn't make it out of here alive. He knew that this fucker was enjoying the show, probably had that ningen popcorn and was watching him die like it was some movie. In every second, that fucker's laughter kept reaching his ears until it faded into an abyss of darkness...

'I wonder what hell is like.'

The white haze was soon engulf with an overcoming darkness that even then turned into a colour so dull, that it made him feel sick to be overcome by it. He idly wished his friends were here, or nearby but they weren't. They weren't aware that he was dying and that he was stuck in a prison of pain.

He felt his body shook as his last breath drew near; he was barely conscious to realize that it was just that, the poison had won. His last thoughts that ran past were of Yukina smiling.

"Death is only the beginning..."