It was dark. That's really all that could be said, in all honesty, that it was dark. There were no stars, no lights of any kind, not even the red one that graces most darkrooms. It was darker than a darkroom. Maybe a darkroom while they were still moving the unprocessed film between the roll and the chemical bath that made it safe for the red light to be on, but this place had the feel of a place where that red light would never come on. It was that dark. Now, if I could remember why I was here, I'd be able to get somewhere beyond the dark. But, that reason is denied me. I'd search for a wall, but I'm not sure where one would be and no direction feels right. What did I do to end up in this place?
A vicious noise breaks the darkness, causing lights to flash behind my eyes and my hands to fly up to my ears in a futile attempt to protect them. The sound hurt, reverberating in my head, echoing there. I fall to my knees in agony, but, even as I bring my head between those abused joints, I know the extra padding around my ears won't help. I writhe there on the ground, not seeing anything, not that it really matters, I think my eyes may be closed. I hurt, my head hurts, my ears are flames of pain attached to the sides of my head, burning into my skull and consuming my brain.
As abruptly as it started, the noise stops and I am left panting on the ground, my hands unwilling to leave my ears as I stare into the darkness between my knees, waiting for the assault to begin again, my ears still ringing from the assault on them. I nearly jump out of my skin when someone touches me on the shoulder. I do scramble away, trying to hold my ears and scoot my body along the ground, eyes wide, staring around, trying to see who it was that touched me. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, taste the adrenaline in my mouth, feel the sweat trickling down my face. Arms wrap around me and I panic, flinging my arms and legs about wildly, screaming, though it makes the pounding in my head worse, "DON'T TOUCH ME!"
"Open your eyes, Kurama," a voice instructs me quietly. How can I hear it above the ringing in my head? Who is this 'Kurama'? It sounds familiar, like something I should know. My head hurts, leave me alone!
"Kurama, come back to us," another voice calls to me. Again, the name…I think it is a name. Is it mine?
"Kurama…" a third voice calls to me. This one I know. Who is it? Who is calling? Why are you calling me 'Kurama'? "Kurama," the voice repeats, softer. How can I hear it, my head is ringing so loudly.
"My head hurts," I feel my lips move, the sound travel out of my throat. It hurts to talk, the sound echoing in my overtaxed skull.
"That will pass, Kurama," the last voice comforts me. "We need you to open your eyes."
Can't they see my eyes are open? I guess it's so dark they can't tell. "My eyes are open," I tell them.
Something…something brushes against my face. It goes over my eyes. "No, Kurama, your eyes are closed. Open them." Why is this last voice familiar? Who is this Kurama? It must be me, they keep calling me that.
I bring my hands to my face, tracing the path that that other…thing…was it a hand?...traveled. My eyes are closed. I thought they were open. Keeping my fingers over them, I part my eyelids, feeling the lashes tickle over the pads of my fingers. The light is dim, but after the darkness, it hurts, assaulting my poor brain with more stimuli. I groan. "My head hurts," I whimper out, keeping my fingers over my eyes. I feel and see fingers prying mine away from my eyes. "It hurts," I complain, fighting against the insistent pressure trying to blind me. The fingers don't stop.
"Kurama," the third voice calls to me. I can hear the other two murmuring to each other, but I can't make out their words.
"Leave me alone. I hurt." I want to ask who this Kurama person is, too, but I stop myself. Somehow, I know that will make them not go away, but pester me more.
"We need to go, Kurama. Can you walk?" It sounds as if that voice wanted to say something else. It was strained. How do I know this?
"No," I answer. "Leave me here. I hurt."
The second voice answers, "We can't. If we do, you'll be killed. We need to go. We don't have time to argue with him, Hiei. Kuwabara, pick him up, we've gotta go now."
Colors kaleidoscope before my eyes as the one called Kuwabara lifts me. I cry out, my head splitting in agony. "I'm sorry," I hear his voice whisper and feel him begin to run. I want the jostling to stop, it's making the pain in my head worse. I didn't think that was possible. For some reason, I cannot retreat from it.
I feel wetness on my face. Where is it coming from? I touch my face and fell the moisture on my cheeks. It's coming from my eyes. Is it because of the pain?
"Botan!" I hear the one without a name yell. I know his voice. Why?
"Hurry! I can't keep the portal open much longer!"
Kuwabara surges forward, the extra jostling sending a spike of pain through my brain that pushes me into darkness.
A/N I know it's short, but it's only a prologue. This ties into a couple of stories that can't be posted on this site. What you do need to know is that Kurama, Hiei and Yusuke are in an established relationship, though Kurama and Hiei have been together longer. Kuwabara and Keiko know about this, but others don't. What is with my muse and mental pieces?