Bullets
By Rachel Dyson
(Based on the song by Creed and the Anime/Manga Yu-Yu-Hakusho by Yoshihiro Togashi)
-Text- = lyrics
~Text~ = thoughts
-Walking around I hear the earth seeking relief-
"Hn..." I say as I slowly walk across the frozen ground and through the trees of this forest... I hear a slight whisper brush past my ears as the icy wind blows across my face. It seems as though the wind has a voice... A voice of wearisome cold and despair. "So, this is Koorime... I wonder if the others would like it. It's quite lovely when it snows. But... Too cold of a place for me. Maybe I should head back..." I turn and retrace my steps through the fresh snow, and look back once or twice as I remember why I even came here. "Maybe another day..."
-I'm trying to find a reason to live-
-But the mindless clutter my path-
-Oh these thorns in my side-
Now, walking back into the busy streets of the city, I'm thinking heavily...
...~Hah... my whole life must have been something fate wanted a laugh out of.~ I felt a shove as a man accidentally ran into me on his way to his destination. I thought nothing of it, but I still let out,"Watch where you're going, baka ningen!" After that, I felt a little rude for blurting that, but I brushed it off and let it slide as I usually do. I sigh as I continue my stroll and meditation. ~ Things would have never happened if I wasn't a fire demon. What a life I've lived... I got into so much trouble. Just because I wanted to find her... Yukina. Then... I couldn't bare to tell her about my past. She doesn't even know who I am. I told her I was only part of Urameshi's team...~ I ruefully smirk as I turn a corner and notice a large crowd heading towards me. "Time to depart..." I jump to the top branches of the trees next to me, and elude the oncoming mob. ~There is one good thing about all of this. Yusuke and his friends changed me... At least I'm not so cold-hearted as before. Hn... I feel so much different now. I feel liberated...~
-I know I have something free-
-I have something so alive-
-I think they shoot 'cause they want it-
~My life has changed dramatically since Yusuke and I fought for the first time. That's when I began thinking about my life. ~ Suddenly, I turned my attention to a strange energy emitting from some being behind... Then to one to my left, then to my right... Then...
-I feel forces all around me-
-Come on raise your head-
I quickly land on the sidewalk with the slightest sound coming from my shoes reaching the ground, and then take a stance while scanning the area with my eyes. ~Someone's here... but... they're trying to hide.~ Just then, I noticed a sharp and choppy movement, coming out of a shadow of an alley. I squinted my sight to two piercing slits, and observed something peculiar. ~Maybe they'll strike now. I must be ready.~ "Hm... I don't see any color in that flesh," I whisper, nearly silent, to myself. I watched as the energies that I sensed came out of the hiding places they were in, just as the last human on the sidewalks vanished onto the other busy streets. ~ I can't detect any souls coming from those bodies... Those bodies look human. HUMANS have SOULS...~
-Those who hide behind the shadows-
-Live with all that's dead-
"They're zombies," I realized, and then I unsheathed my sword and held it behind my back. ~I'll feel strange not actually hurting them, but I must do what I must do. Soul or no soul, they're after me.~ Slowly they close in, dragging their lifeless bodies while grasping a gun in each of their right hands.
-Look at me... look at me-
Their eyes rolled into their skulls, their mouths excreting spittle and releasing mournful moans. ~It's sickening. Even I can't stand their torture.~ Each of them, four in all, raised their arms to aim the pistols at my forehead. I could sense another presence, and I hadn't noticed that they were closing their fingers slowly on the triggers... I had turned around in search of the other being, but I soon noticed the minute sound of the triggers folding inside and I abruptly turned my head and saw them looking away (even though they couldn't see) as their last bit of maneuvering slammed the triggers inside the guns... I froze, my world slowing down all around me, my feet feeling as though they were encased in cement, unable to budge, and my eyes locked on the four oncoming bullets.
-At least look at me when you shoot a bullet through my head-
-Through my head-
-Through my head-
-Through my head-
I had no time to lose. I was face to face, my nose nearly touching the tip of one of the four silvery objects, and my eyes were intently glaring at it as they closed in on my head. I jumped out of the way, only leaving an afterimage of myself and the four bullets collided with the zombies that shot them. I smirked as I landed outside the ring of the dead. ~I'm lucky to be that fast. I would've been a goner because of my being caught off-guard. Now... to find that eerie energy...~ I cautiously, carefully, looked and searched the area around me. Nothing. Whoever this being was, they were a master of hiding. ~Playing a game, are we? Well, I'll do the seeking... But I won't count. Maybe cheating will help with this situation...~ I ripped off the tie I wore around my forehead, revealing the implanted Jagan I had. I t began glowing as I concentrated on finding that being, and I chuckled as I found out it was just overhead. "How silly of me... I looked around, but I never imagined that it would be smart enough to be above me!"
-In my lifetime when I'm disgraced-
-By jealousy and lies-
-I laugh aloud 'cause my life-
-Has gotten inside someone else's mind-
I looked up to see a... human looking being? I thought it might be an animal-like being or at least look like a demon, but it... looked so human. It felt TOO much like a demon. What was going on? ~Hm... let's see... I'm going to... read his mind... ~I tried to tap into his thoughts, and successfully did so... And everything I read seemed so familiar, so non-mistakenly relative to what I knew in my own mind. I only couldn't see the face of whoever it was. I was so puzzled as I tried to figure who it was, and they were in their own train of thought as I was doing so. All of what I head next was a click and a bang.
-Look at me... look at me-
-At least look at me when you shoot a bullet through my head-
-Through my head-
-Through my head-
-Through my head-
I dropped to the ground, in an almost unconscious state. I knew I'd been shot. In my head. Gratefully nowhere near my temples or my forehead. I lay there, bleeding heavily, wondering still who that was. I was unsure of what the next five minutes would hold, but I knew if I didn't receive any help within that time, I'd surely die.
-Hey all I want is what's real-
-Something I touch and can feel-
-I'll hold it close and never let it go-
Now I fully understood what it meant to be afraid of death. Every second that ticked away, a strand of my life was being snipped away by fate. I longed for nothing more than to live, to survive this. It wasn't an honorable death, anyway. Yet again, I was caught off-guard. Foolish me. I wished for this pain to escape me, and for my wound to heal as quickly as it was inflicted.
-Said why... why do we live this life-
-With all this hate inside-
-I'll give it away 'cause I don't want it no more-
I would give anything, everything I had, for this whole thing to vanish. I forgot completely about that being who shot me, and I gingerly looked above and saw-
The limb I was dozing on seemed to slip from beneath me, I fell from it's support, and I seemingly bumped my head on the way down. I groaned as I sat up, and I looked around the area on which I sat. "Where am I? Was I just dreaming?"
Suddenly, a door burst open in front of me. Flowing out of it was a group of people, all laughing with smiles stretched across their faces. One said, "Have a nice nap?" Another one exclaimed, " Are you okay? We saw you fall!" Then I noticed someone in the group. They somehow reminded me of my dream, and then I heard from him, "I suppose you had a nightmare, didn't you, Hiei? You never have fallen out of the limbs of trees before. I'm astounded."
Just then, I knew exactly who it was. And the conclusion to the dream came to my mind...
"Kurama...?" I managed to let that last statement out before losing consciousness. A little while later, I remembered waking up, my head resting in someone's lap. I looked up to see tears welling in their eyes. "Kurama, that's disgraceful to cry. Stop it." Kurama replied, " Hiei, I'm so sorry... I don't know what came over me... I can't believe I shot my best friend... I'd hate to say this, but-" I quickly interrupted him by saying, "I don't have a chance, do I?" Kurama let a tear flow down his cheek, and he whimpered as he said, "I'm so sorry... Hiei, forgive me..."
-Please help me find a place-
-Somewhere far away I'll go and you'll never see me again-
I shuddered as I stood up with the help of Kurama. Never again would I wish to have that dream. Kurama looked at me in a frustrated way as I SMILED at him. Kurama said in a concerned way, "Hiei, you're actually scaring me... Why are you smiling? It's not like you. Not that there's anything WRONG with smiling..." I just asked, plainly, "Kurama, would you ever shoot me?" Kurama burst out laughing. "Never, Hiei, never... Whatever gave you such a ridiculous idea?" I answered, "I was only wondering..." ...~So I'm safe for now...~ Yusuke walked up to us, followed by Kuwabara. And, just like always, he HAD to comment on my height. Kuwabara blurted out, "Hey, short stuff! What's with the smiling and crap? It's too creepy!" I smiled at him in a huge, ear to ear grin, and I saw him jump and cringe at that sight. "Is this any better? Or shall I expound on this?" Yusuke patted my shoulder and chuckled. He stated, "Hey, leave the guy alone! He's in a good mood! So what? I feel like smiling too!" I sighed and walked off, trying to erase that dream from my thoughts. Kuwabara took two steps forward after me, but he was held back by Kurama's arm. Kuwabara yelled, "Where does he think he's going???" Kurama only smiled and walked in the opposite direction. "He's thinking... It's good for you... Try it sometime." Kuwabara groaned and walked with Kurama, and Yusuke stood there, watching me walk away. "So, you had a bad dream, huh? I still have those..." I replied, "Have you ever had one of your best friend killing you?" He shook his head and looked away. I said, "Remind me not to sleep in trees for a while... I have a feeling this one's going to replay in my mind for quite some time..."
~*~End~*~
By Rachel Dyson
(Based on the song by Creed and the Anime/Manga Yu-Yu-Hakusho by Yoshihiro Togashi)
-Text- = lyrics
~Text~ = thoughts
-Walking around I hear the earth seeking relief-
"Hn..." I say as I slowly walk across the frozen ground and through the trees of this forest... I hear a slight whisper brush past my ears as the icy wind blows across my face. It seems as though the wind has a voice... A voice of wearisome cold and despair. "So, this is Koorime... I wonder if the others would like it. It's quite lovely when it snows. But... Too cold of a place for me. Maybe I should head back..." I turn and retrace my steps through the fresh snow, and look back once or twice as I remember why I even came here. "Maybe another day..."
-I'm trying to find a reason to live-
-But the mindless clutter my path-
-Oh these thorns in my side-
Now, walking back into the busy streets of the city, I'm thinking heavily...
...~Hah... my whole life must have been something fate wanted a laugh out of.~ I felt a shove as a man accidentally ran into me on his way to his destination. I thought nothing of it, but I still let out,"Watch where you're going, baka ningen!" After that, I felt a little rude for blurting that, but I brushed it off and let it slide as I usually do. I sigh as I continue my stroll and meditation. ~ Things would have never happened if I wasn't a fire demon. What a life I've lived... I got into so much trouble. Just because I wanted to find her... Yukina. Then... I couldn't bare to tell her about my past. She doesn't even know who I am. I told her I was only part of Urameshi's team...~ I ruefully smirk as I turn a corner and notice a large crowd heading towards me. "Time to depart..." I jump to the top branches of the trees next to me, and elude the oncoming mob. ~There is one good thing about all of this. Yusuke and his friends changed me... At least I'm not so cold-hearted as before. Hn... I feel so much different now. I feel liberated...~
-I know I have something free-
-I have something so alive-
-I think they shoot 'cause they want it-
~My life has changed dramatically since Yusuke and I fought for the first time. That's when I began thinking about my life. ~ Suddenly, I turned my attention to a strange energy emitting from some being behind... Then to one to my left, then to my right... Then...
-I feel forces all around me-
-Come on raise your head-
I quickly land on the sidewalk with the slightest sound coming from my shoes reaching the ground, and then take a stance while scanning the area with my eyes. ~Someone's here... but... they're trying to hide.~ Just then, I noticed a sharp and choppy movement, coming out of a shadow of an alley. I squinted my sight to two piercing slits, and observed something peculiar. ~Maybe they'll strike now. I must be ready.~ "Hm... I don't see any color in that flesh," I whisper, nearly silent, to myself. I watched as the energies that I sensed came out of the hiding places they were in, just as the last human on the sidewalks vanished onto the other busy streets. ~ I can't detect any souls coming from those bodies... Those bodies look human. HUMANS have SOULS...~
-Those who hide behind the shadows-
-Live with all that's dead-
"They're zombies," I realized, and then I unsheathed my sword and held it behind my back. ~I'll feel strange not actually hurting them, but I must do what I must do. Soul or no soul, they're after me.~ Slowly they close in, dragging their lifeless bodies while grasping a gun in each of their right hands.
-Look at me... look at me-
Their eyes rolled into their skulls, their mouths excreting spittle and releasing mournful moans. ~It's sickening. Even I can't stand their torture.~ Each of them, four in all, raised their arms to aim the pistols at my forehead. I could sense another presence, and I hadn't noticed that they were closing their fingers slowly on the triggers... I had turned around in search of the other being, but I soon noticed the minute sound of the triggers folding inside and I abruptly turned my head and saw them looking away (even though they couldn't see) as their last bit of maneuvering slammed the triggers inside the guns... I froze, my world slowing down all around me, my feet feeling as though they were encased in cement, unable to budge, and my eyes locked on the four oncoming bullets.
-At least look at me when you shoot a bullet through my head-
-Through my head-
-Through my head-
-Through my head-
I had no time to lose. I was face to face, my nose nearly touching the tip of one of the four silvery objects, and my eyes were intently glaring at it as they closed in on my head. I jumped out of the way, only leaving an afterimage of myself and the four bullets collided with the zombies that shot them. I smirked as I landed outside the ring of the dead. ~I'm lucky to be that fast. I would've been a goner because of my being caught off-guard. Now... to find that eerie energy...~ I cautiously, carefully, looked and searched the area around me. Nothing. Whoever this being was, they were a master of hiding. ~Playing a game, are we? Well, I'll do the seeking... But I won't count. Maybe cheating will help with this situation...~ I ripped off the tie I wore around my forehead, revealing the implanted Jagan I had. I t began glowing as I concentrated on finding that being, and I chuckled as I found out it was just overhead. "How silly of me... I looked around, but I never imagined that it would be smart enough to be above me!"
-In my lifetime when I'm disgraced-
-By jealousy and lies-
-I laugh aloud 'cause my life-
-Has gotten inside someone else's mind-
I looked up to see a... human looking being? I thought it might be an animal-like being or at least look like a demon, but it... looked so human. It felt TOO much like a demon. What was going on? ~Hm... let's see... I'm going to... read his mind... ~I tried to tap into his thoughts, and successfully did so... And everything I read seemed so familiar, so non-mistakenly relative to what I knew in my own mind. I only couldn't see the face of whoever it was. I was so puzzled as I tried to figure who it was, and they were in their own train of thought as I was doing so. All of what I head next was a click and a bang.
-Look at me... look at me-
-At least look at me when you shoot a bullet through my head-
-Through my head-
-Through my head-
-Through my head-
I dropped to the ground, in an almost unconscious state. I knew I'd been shot. In my head. Gratefully nowhere near my temples or my forehead. I lay there, bleeding heavily, wondering still who that was. I was unsure of what the next five minutes would hold, but I knew if I didn't receive any help within that time, I'd surely die.
-Hey all I want is what's real-
-Something I touch and can feel-
-I'll hold it close and never let it go-
Now I fully understood what it meant to be afraid of death. Every second that ticked away, a strand of my life was being snipped away by fate. I longed for nothing more than to live, to survive this. It wasn't an honorable death, anyway. Yet again, I was caught off-guard. Foolish me. I wished for this pain to escape me, and for my wound to heal as quickly as it was inflicted.
-Said why... why do we live this life-
-With all this hate inside-
-I'll give it away 'cause I don't want it no more-
I would give anything, everything I had, for this whole thing to vanish. I forgot completely about that being who shot me, and I gingerly looked above and saw-
The limb I was dozing on seemed to slip from beneath me, I fell from it's support, and I seemingly bumped my head on the way down. I groaned as I sat up, and I looked around the area on which I sat. "Where am I? Was I just dreaming?"
Suddenly, a door burst open in front of me. Flowing out of it was a group of people, all laughing with smiles stretched across their faces. One said, "Have a nice nap?" Another one exclaimed, " Are you okay? We saw you fall!" Then I noticed someone in the group. They somehow reminded me of my dream, and then I heard from him, "I suppose you had a nightmare, didn't you, Hiei? You never have fallen out of the limbs of trees before. I'm astounded."
Just then, I knew exactly who it was. And the conclusion to the dream came to my mind...
"Kurama...?" I managed to let that last statement out before losing consciousness. A little while later, I remembered waking up, my head resting in someone's lap. I looked up to see tears welling in their eyes. "Kurama, that's disgraceful to cry. Stop it." Kurama replied, " Hiei, I'm so sorry... I don't know what came over me... I can't believe I shot my best friend... I'd hate to say this, but-" I quickly interrupted him by saying, "I don't have a chance, do I?" Kurama let a tear flow down his cheek, and he whimpered as he said, "I'm so sorry... Hiei, forgive me..."
-Please help me find a place-
-Somewhere far away I'll go and you'll never see me again-
I shuddered as I stood up with the help of Kurama. Never again would I wish to have that dream. Kurama looked at me in a frustrated way as I SMILED at him. Kurama said in a concerned way, "Hiei, you're actually scaring me... Why are you smiling? It's not like you. Not that there's anything WRONG with smiling..." I just asked, plainly, "Kurama, would you ever shoot me?" Kurama burst out laughing. "Never, Hiei, never... Whatever gave you such a ridiculous idea?" I answered, "I was only wondering..." ...~So I'm safe for now...~ Yusuke walked up to us, followed by Kuwabara. And, just like always, he HAD to comment on my height. Kuwabara blurted out, "Hey, short stuff! What's with the smiling and crap? It's too creepy!" I smiled at him in a huge, ear to ear grin, and I saw him jump and cringe at that sight. "Is this any better? Or shall I expound on this?" Yusuke patted my shoulder and chuckled. He stated, "Hey, leave the guy alone! He's in a good mood! So what? I feel like smiling too!" I sighed and walked off, trying to erase that dream from my thoughts. Kuwabara took two steps forward after me, but he was held back by Kurama's arm. Kuwabara yelled, "Where does he think he's going???" Kurama only smiled and walked in the opposite direction. "He's thinking... It's good for you... Try it sometime." Kuwabara groaned and walked with Kurama, and Yusuke stood there, watching me walk away. "So, you had a bad dream, huh? I still have those..." I replied, "Have you ever had one of your best friend killing you?" He shook his head and looked away. I said, "Remind me not to sleep in trees for a while... I have a feeling this one's going to replay in my mind for quite some time..."
~*~End~*~