Chapter One: An Unusual Alliance
Kuwabara gradually woke up and quickly realized that he was laying face- down in the dirt. He stood up and wiped off his face and dusted off his jacket and pants. He began looking around for the others.
But before he found anyone, he quickly noticed that he was in a different place then when he had lost consciousness. The sky was a pallid green color, littered with noxious clouds, and very little light came in through them. The landscape was no better, their was hardly any grass and the dirt was a nasty ash-like color. He also noticed that all the trees looked sick and leafless.
"Where am I." He thought out loud. He continued to look around, noticing the remains of several destroyed buildings. He looked up to the top of a hill and spotted the ruins of some kind of temple. He then suddenly spotted a diminutive figure standing off in the distance. "It's him." Kuwabara remarked and he broke out into a sprint and began running up towards hilltop.
***
Hiei had been awake for a while, and assessing the situation. He had lost consciousness, and then awoken in this strange new environment.
He had found his way up to the hilltop, where there were remains of some kind of temple. "Nothing is sacred." He commented bleakly as he kicked a stone off into the distance. "All man's prayers can do nothing to save them in the end." He remarked as he looked around more.
He picked up an old chair and sat down on it. He gazed upward, noticing the deathly sky; then stopping to observe the dead landscape. "What has happened here?" He wondered. "And why am I here?" He then thought.
He then suddenly looked over to the side and- unfortunately- saw the familiar face of the tall red-haired human.
"Hiei!" Kuwabara exclaimed in his deep, barrel voice as he made his way over towards him. "So you're here too, huh." He commented as he stopped to catch his breath.
"Unfortunately, yes." Hiei replied with agitation. Not only was he trapped in a horrible land of death and squalor, but he was stuck with the one person he disliked the most.
"What is this place?" Kuwabara mused out loud, looking up at the sky.
"I don't know." Hiei replied, without looking up.
"It's horrible." Kuwabara commented, looking around. "It looks like hell." He added.
Hiei processed what the young man had said and thought about it for a moment. A smile began to spread across his face and he let out a small chuckle. Kuwabara was caught off guard by the sudden outburst and didn't know how to respond.
He was rather amused by the simple, yet very appropriate comment. He stood up and looked up at the taller individual before him. "Yes, you're right." He replied. "It is like hell." He finished.
Kuwabara shrugged and watched as the small demon turned on his heals and took a few steps forward. He then spoke up again, his back still facing the taller boy. "But I doubt that this is hell." He commented. "This is worse; this is something completely different." He added.
"So, you don't know where we are then?" Kuwabara replied, holding up his arms and resting them against the back of his head.
"Of course not!" Hiei exclaimed. "Otherwise, I would be standing here, talking to you!" He added.
"Hey!" Kuwabara yelled. "I resent that!" He exclaimed as he looked at the little demon with contempt.
Hiei turned around and looked him in the eyes. "And I should care, why?" He asked with an expression of disinterest. He then walked past the taller human and began making his way down the hillside.
Kuwabara caught up with him. Hiei looked up at him again. "As much as I hate to say this, we'll have to stick together. for now." Hiei admitted reluctantly with a frown.
"Fine by me." Kuwabara replied calmly.
"The first thing we need to do is to find out where we are." Hiei reasoned.
"Yeah," Kuwabara replied. "But I can't see anything that looks familiar." He added.
The small demon shook his head as if to agree. "I can't recognize anything either." He added. "Though, I'd feel better if I knew how I got here." He mused out loud.
"Hey!" Kuwabara exclaimed, causing the demon to stop in his tracks. "Maybe it has something to do with that weird relic that we found." Kuwabara inserted.
Hiei gasped, and looked at the young man standing next to him. "I'd forgotten!" He exclaiming, cursing as he did so.
"We were fighting with that Demon inside his castle when he held up some kind of artifact." Hiei remarked.
"That's right." Kuwabara blurted out, snapping his fingers as he did. "We were about to finish him off when that thing he was holding shot a weird beam at us." Kuwabara reasoned.
"Then perhaps that 'beam' teleported us to this bizarre area." He remarked. "Now it's time for us to find out where exactly we are." He added, rapping his cloak around him and then heading off into the horizon at a brisk pace; Kuwabara following him.
Kuwabara gradually woke up and quickly realized that he was laying face- down in the dirt. He stood up and wiped off his face and dusted off his jacket and pants. He began looking around for the others.
But before he found anyone, he quickly noticed that he was in a different place then when he had lost consciousness. The sky was a pallid green color, littered with noxious clouds, and very little light came in through them. The landscape was no better, their was hardly any grass and the dirt was a nasty ash-like color. He also noticed that all the trees looked sick and leafless.
"Where am I." He thought out loud. He continued to look around, noticing the remains of several destroyed buildings. He looked up to the top of a hill and spotted the ruins of some kind of temple. He then suddenly spotted a diminutive figure standing off in the distance. "It's him." Kuwabara remarked and he broke out into a sprint and began running up towards hilltop.
***
Hiei had been awake for a while, and assessing the situation. He had lost consciousness, and then awoken in this strange new environment.
He had found his way up to the hilltop, where there were remains of some kind of temple. "Nothing is sacred." He commented bleakly as he kicked a stone off into the distance. "All man's prayers can do nothing to save them in the end." He remarked as he looked around more.
He picked up an old chair and sat down on it. He gazed upward, noticing the deathly sky; then stopping to observe the dead landscape. "What has happened here?" He wondered. "And why am I here?" He then thought.
He then suddenly looked over to the side and- unfortunately- saw the familiar face of the tall red-haired human.
"Hiei!" Kuwabara exclaimed in his deep, barrel voice as he made his way over towards him. "So you're here too, huh." He commented as he stopped to catch his breath.
"Unfortunately, yes." Hiei replied with agitation. Not only was he trapped in a horrible land of death and squalor, but he was stuck with the one person he disliked the most.
"What is this place?" Kuwabara mused out loud, looking up at the sky.
"I don't know." Hiei replied, without looking up.
"It's horrible." Kuwabara commented, looking around. "It looks like hell." He added.
Hiei processed what the young man had said and thought about it for a moment. A smile began to spread across his face and he let out a small chuckle. Kuwabara was caught off guard by the sudden outburst and didn't know how to respond.
He was rather amused by the simple, yet very appropriate comment. He stood up and looked up at the taller individual before him. "Yes, you're right." He replied. "It is like hell." He finished.
Kuwabara shrugged and watched as the small demon turned on his heals and took a few steps forward. He then spoke up again, his back still facing the taller boy. "But I doubt that this is hell." He commented. "This is worse; this is something completely different." He added.
"So, you don't know where we are then?" Kuwabara replied, holding up his arms and resting them against the back of his head.
"Of course not!" Hiei exclaimed. "Otherwise, I would be standing here, talking to you!" He added.
"Hey!" Kuwabara yelled. "I resent that!" He exclaimed as he looked at the little demon with contempt.
Hiei turned around and looked him in the eyes. "And I should care, why?" He asked with an expression of disinterest. He then walked past the taller human and began making his way down the hillside.
Kuwabara caught up with him. Hiei looked up at him again. "As much as I hate to say this, we'll have to stick together. for now." Hiei admitted reluctantly with a frown.
"Fine by me." Kuwabara replied calmly.
"The first thing we need to do is to find out where we are." Hiei reasoned.
"Yeah," Kuwabara replied. "But I can't see anything that looks familiar." He added.
The small demon shook his head as if to agree. "I can't recognize anything either." He added. "Though, I'd feel better if I knew how I got here." He mused out loud.
"Hey!" Kuwabara exclaimed, causing the demon to stop in his tracks. "Maybe it has something to do with that weird relic that we found." Kuwabara inserted.
Hiei gasped, and looked at the young man standing next to him. "I'd forgotten!" He exclaiming, cursing as he did so.
"We were fighting with that Demon inside his castle when he held up some kind of artifact." Hiei remarked.
"That's right." Kuwabara blurted out, snapping his fingers as he did. "We were about to finish him off when that thing he was holding shot a weird beam at us." Kuwabara reasoned.
"Then perhaps that 'beam' teleported us to this bizarre area." He remarked. "Now it's time for us to find out where exactly we are." He added, rapping his cloak around him and then heading off into the horizon at a brisk pace; Kuwabara following him.