HEY ALL! HERE'S A NEW CHAPTER FOR ALL OF YOU! JUST LETTING YOU KNOW THAT THIS WEEKEND I WILL BE A LITTLE SLOW POSTING SINCE I AM HANGING OUT IN OTAKON! BUT I WILL TRY VERY HARD TO TYPE UP THE THIRD CHAPTER! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT! I CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Chapter 2
Return to Demon World
Nakita turned over in her bed. Funny, she had no memory of actually going to her room. She remembered dinner. She remembered the playful squabbles between Master Genkai and the new Spirit Detective. She even remembered the private conversation with her father.
Koenma had pulled her away from the group to have a heart to heart with her. He tried his best to explain himself; to try and get her to understand that he loved them both very much. Nakita was sympathetic to him. She told him that she forgave him and that she understood why he did what he did to them. Sadly, she informed him that he wouldn't have any luck with Kaida. She was as stubborn as he was. Koenma knew that she was right, but he was willing to do whatever it took to gain her forgiveness. Something about that struck a chord in Nakita and she volunteered to help.
Nakita forced herself to roll out of bed and quickly dress. She was fortunate to have left a couple of training Gis behind and that they still fit after fifteen years. Once again, she was back in front of the mirror but instead of her Goth look, she decided that her real appearance would do. As she watched the mirror, her black hair faded to a mousy brown and her eyes softened to a chocolate brown. She really did have more of her father in her then Kaida did. Kaida was more of their mother. It surprised her to see her real face. It had been so long since she saw her true self.
After a couple of morning stretches, she ventured out to get some breakfast. A feast was waiting outside for everyone as Nakita came around the corner. At first, Nakita didn't trust it. Genkai always had something up her sleeve and since Genkai was training again, Nakita suspected that Kaida and herself would be dragged back into the torture. Nakita shuddered at the thought but the moment she saw her father, Botan, and Hiei sitting there, enjoying their breakfast, she figured it was safe enough.
She waved to her father and Botan. Naturally they both smiled at her and waved back. When she looked at Hiei, she realized that he didn't look at her. That's when it clicked. She had fallen asleep at some point and remembered someone carrying her to her room and tucking her in. Someone with red eyes. Nakita was curious about him. Something about him just felt...right?
Nakita faltered a bit. It felt right? Had she really just thought that? She wasn't a romantic or even looking for anything like that. She shook her head and ignore the thought, but she couldn't stop staring at him. Behind him, Kurama was pacing. He seemed stressed and unnerved. She was also curious about the half-breed. The man claimed to be Kaida's dead mate. So naturally, she wanted to know more. Walking pass the table, she walked over and stepped in his pacing tracks. "Good morning," she said as she startled him from his thoughts.
"Oh! Good morning, Nakita," he said as he gave her a gentle smile.
"You seem distracted, got something on your mind?" she asked.
Kurama eyed her for a moment before shaking his head. "I'm just worried about the tournament. I'm hoping your sister will help us out," he said as he tried to ease himself.
"You don't know my sister very well, do you? Her hatred for our father will be the deciding factor and I have a feeling that I know the answer," she said sadly.
"Your sister seems a little cold," Kurama pointed out.
"You would be too if you lost the number of loved ones that she did," Nakita said as she watched Genkai drag Yusuke out of bed. The human was still in his pajamas and was kicking and screaming the entire way. With Kurama, she decided that now would be a good time to ask the biggest question she had. "So are you really Youko Kurama?"
Kurama watched his teammate go head to head with the old psychic and watched as she won out. "I am. What have you heard about me?" he asked. He was interested to know what his mate had told her little sister.
"Very little," she said as Kurama nearly fell over. He wasn't expecting that. "But I do know that you're supposed to be dead. How did you manage that without our father's help?"
Kurama kept his eyes on her. She really was Kaida's sister. She knew exactly what to say. "I'll tell you this, love is a very powerful motivator to stay alive. That was how I was saved, not by Koenma," he said as he watched for any reaction.
Nakita never took her eyes off of him. A part of her wanted to see if he was truly who he said he was. Unsure, she decided to take the chance. "That may be, but the damage is done and a lot needs to be done to mend that broken heart," she said before venturing over to the seat next to Hiei. By this point, Genkai was doing her usual, 'Stop the blast to earn your breakfast'. It took Nakita a week to stop one of her blasts.
She could feel Kurama's eyes on her but she ignored him. Besides, his eyes weren't the only ones on her. She caught a glimpse of Hiei staring at her from the corner of his eye. But as fast as she caught it, it was gone. Nakita went to take her seat but Genkai stopped her.
"Nakita, you know the rules. You have to earn your breakfast," Genkai said as she led her away from table. "Your sister too, if she ever gets out of bed."
"Kai isn't up yet?" she asked as she turned towards her sister's window. "She's normally up by dawn."
Genkai looked towards Kaida's room and marched towards her room. Nakita looked at her father and saw the look she was expecting. He feared that Kaida had run off. Yusuke took the opportunity to grab some food but Botan smacked him on the back of the head. Naturally, that sparked the mouth of the sleepy human. When Genkai returned, she had a grim look on her face. "Kaida is gone," she said as she looked at Nakita. "Where did she go?"
"Master, I have no idea. She was in her room last I saw her," she said as she held her hands up in defense.
Before anyone else said anything, Kaida emerged from the forest, dirty and covered in blood. Kurama was at her side in an instant as she started to lose her balance. Nakita came to Kaida's side, shocked to see her sister so injured. "Kaida! What happened to you?" she asked.
"I got attacked. Two demons came out of the forest. A fox demon and a bat demon. They were saying something about revenge for murder," Kaida said as she moved out of Kurama's arms and into Nakita's.
Koenma came to Kaida's side and tried to offer aid. "Oh Kaida. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault," he said as he tried to hold her.
Kaida pushed Koenma away but grimaced. Her shoulder was dislocated. "I figured it was your fault, I've never met them before and they never mentioned my royal status," she said as Genkai started to look over her shoulder.
Nakita looked her sister over and came to a simple realization. She knew who Kaida was referring to and that meant one thing, she did this to herself. Nakita was furious. So this was how she was going to back out of helping her father, by lying about Kiara and Sienna. She looked over at Kurama and saw that he was thinking along the same lines as herself.
"Let's get her to her room. I need to put this shoulder back in," Genkai said as she started to lead Kaida into the house. "I'm surprised this happened. I thought I trained you better."
"Sorry Master, I was distracted," Kaida said as she tried to smile but Nakita decided that she'd punch her sister's injured shoulder just to help knock some sense into her.
"DAMN!" Kaida shouted as she glared at Nakita. "The hell was that for?!"
"You're too damn stupid for your own good," Nakita told her as she walked away from her sister.
Kaida tried to go to her but Genkai held her back. "Fight with your sister later, healing now," she said as she dragged her into the house.
Nakita sighed and turned to her father. "Sorry dad but I don't think she's going to be able to fight now," she said as she glared at her sister's window. "I have an idea. Kaida and I will go into hiding until the end of the tournament. The apparitions will be distracted enough with the tournament to come looking for us. Once the tournament is over, we will BOTH be moving back home. I won't give her the option to turn that down."
Koenma looked at Nakita and nodded. "Where will you both go?" he asked.
"I think for right now, it might be best if I don't say. If those two demons are after Kaida then who knows where they are hiding," she said as she looked over at Kurama. He was just as furious as she was but he seemed to agree with her.
Koenma nodded as he turned to Botan then back to Nakita. "Alright, just promise me you'll both be safe," he said as Nakita nodded her head. Nodding back at her, he started to head towards the exit. "I'll see you both after the tournament then."
Nakita nodded as she watched her father and Botan head back to Spirit World. Once they were gone, she felt a bit easier to breathe. Slowly but surely, Nakita made her way to her sister. She chose the right time to walk in as she heard Genkai putting the shoulder back into place. Kaida would have screamed but she just bit her lip and endured the pain.
"It wasn't that bad. Some ice and you'll be fine," Genkai said as she started to clean some of Kaida's wounds.
"Master, I can finish her up. Besides, I saw Yusuke stuffing his face once you left," she said. Genkai watched Nakita for a second before nodding.
"Alright, I'll be back to check on you in a few minutes," she said as she stepped out of the room.
The moment she was out of earshot, Nakita turned her furry on her sister. "Have you no low?!" she growled. Kaida just sat there and watched her sister. "Is your life that horrible that you have to pull a stunt like this? Or are you doing this to get back at dad? I can't believe you did this to yourself and then blamed it on Kiara and Sienna!"
"Um, Sienna really did dislocated my shoulder," Kaida pointed out.
"All the way from the Demon World?" Nakita snapped sarcastically.
Kaida sighed and got off her bed. "Always looking for a fight," she mumbled as she pulled her injured arm close to her body and began to change her clothes. Every movement was agony as she changed but it was enough to help clear her head. She could feel her sister's angry stare on her and growing angrier as she waited for answers. With a groan, she gave in. "I'm going to need you for the tournament."
"So you're going to help dad after all?" she asked as she gave her sister a glimmer of hope.
"No, I'm not fighting for his team," Kaida said as she took a seat on her bed. This was going to be interesting, getting into a pair of jeans with one hand.
"Then who are you fighting for?" she asked.
Kaida stopped shimmying her hips and looked up and smiled. "Kaida isn't fighting at all. She's injured, remember?" she said as she lifted her arm for good measure. The sudden pain was a good reminder that she was still healing. Once the pain passed, she smiled at her sister once more. "However, Kiara is ready to go."
Nakita was confused now. "Explain," she said.
Kaida went back to trying to get her pants on as she continued. "Sosuke was kidnapped by the committee. The only way to get him back is to fight as Kiara. I'm going to need your help. So we need to figure out a way to ditch dad and get to Demon World," she said as she finally got her jeans up.
"Well, I already took care of that," Nakita offered.
"Wait, what? How?"
"I told daddy that we'd go into hiding until the tournament was done and then we'd move back into Spirit World," Nakita said as she put some distance between herself and her sister.
"Daddy?" Kaida asked with an amused look and then it clicked. "WHAT?! WHAT DID YOU DO, NAKITA?!"
Thunder clapped above them as Nakita bolted from the room and into the yard. Kaida followed her sister, fury clear on her face. The four members of Team Urameshi watched as the youngest daughter and eldest daughter of Koenma flew out of Genkai's home.
To the team, Nakita was unbelievably fast. Faster than Hiei even. However, Kaida was all power. With ease, she uprooted the roots of a tree causing Nakita to trip and face plant into the dirt. The moment Nakita was still, vines began to wrap themselves around her. "HEY! NO FAIR! LET ME GO!" Nakita shouted as she squirmed.
"You promised what to Koenma?" Kaida asked as she approached her sister.
Nakita squirmed in the vines, trying her best to break free. She wasn't afraid of her sister; she knew Kaida would never hurt her. That being said, she was still pretty scary to look at. "Look, it's time you got over your issues with dad," she said as she looked beyond her sister to the audience that they had acquired. "It was a long time ago. Dad feels horrible and wants to make it up to you. You just have to give him a chance."
Kaida glared at her sister. "There is no way in hell I'm going back there!" she said just as Genkai came up beside her and kicked Kaida right in her injured shoulder. Kaida dropped to the ground as she felt the wind leave her body. When the ground finally stopped spinning, she glared at her master. "Why the hell is everyone hitting me in my injured shoulder?"
"Because we're hoping it'll knock some common sense into you," Genkai said as she freed Nakita. "Your sister's temper worse than ever," she said as she turned to Kaida. "You have so much crap around your heart. You'll never truly be strong enough. You and that dimwit have something in common."
Kaida just glared at Genkai as she continued. "Koenma is trying to make up for his mistakes, Kaida. The least you can do is try to meet him halfway. After all, you will be the one to inherit spirit world once your grandfather and father step down. You need to let your pain and grudges go," Genkai said as she looked Kaida in the eyes.
Kaida was furious with her sister and Genkai but she knew they had a point. Her father may have kicked her out of Spirit World but she was the rightful heir to the kingdom and nothing could change that, not even her father's broken heart. Kaida slumped her shoulders in defeat. She didn't have a comeback. Finally, she turned and looked at the team that watched her little sibling spat. None of them made an effort to turn away or pretend that they did not see her lose what was left of her calm. Kaida took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. She was going to need help for what was in store for her and she could only hope that her mother and Youko would to keep her sane.
Kaida started back towards the compound. "Alright. Let's pack and head out. We need settle things in Living World before returning to Spirit World," she said as she cradled her arm against her body.
"I thought you were going into hiding?" Kurama asked he came up beside her.
Kaida backed away from him and gave him a hard look. She still couldn't get used to the man who claimed to be her Youko and to have him questioning her just added to her already exhausted anger. Looking over at her sister, she saw her pleading look and decided against taking his head off. "We will be going into hiding but if we're going to be moving back to Spirit World then we have to pack our belongings and make ourselves disappear, she explained as she watched him. Kurama kept a straight face and nodded as he walked. Kaida found that strange that he so suddenly would brush her off like that but just ignored it and went back to her room.
Nakita looked at her master and found sadness in her eyes. It was the briefest of moments before the hard psychic returned and went back to torture the young spirit detective. By this point, Hiei and Kuwabara had gone off into the woods and Kurama was giving his whip a work out. Nakita took this chance to go to Kurama and speak with him. The moment she was close to Kurama, he stopped and turned towards her. "I have forgotten how nuts your sister can make me," he said as he frowned at the ground.
Nakita chuckled softly. "Join the club. She drives everyone nuts," she said as she tried to reassure him. Still, she was unsure of whether or not he was telling the truth about being Youko. So since she already slightly confirmed his suspicion, she decided to try and help him out. "Well if you really are Youko, then you know what's really going on."
"She's returning to being Kiara," he said matter-of-factly. "I'm guessing Sienna had a hand in bringing her back," he said as he nodded and looked up at her.
"Let's just say that hiding in plain sight is Kaida's new plan. We'll be seeing you sooner than you think," she said as she left him to ponder her words and went to her sister.
Kaida had quickly gathered hers and Nakita's things and was waiting at the top of the stairs for her sister. She wasn't looking at her sister but Nakita knew she was stressed. Once Nakita was beside her, Kaida set off down the mountain but they never made it to the bottom. When they were out of Genkai's spirit awareness, they ventured into the dark woods that led to the hidden tunnel to Demon World. Before entering the tunnel, Kaida pulled out two simple black masks and handed one to Nakita. "You need to think of a new name. Can't go by the name Nakita here," she said as she turned towards her sister.
"Sayaka. I've always like Sayaka," Nakita said as she put on the mask.
Kaida slipped hers on as well and looked at her sister. It was strange seeing her face covered up like that. To be honest, it felt strange to have her mask back on. "Well, Sayaka, welcome to Demon World," she said as she jumped into the tunnel and landed on the other side. For once, Kaida felt the feeling of coming home, even as the smell of blood filled the air. "Home."
Nakita jumped into the tunnel and landed next to her sister. Within seconds, Kaida was in her full demon form. She was a majestic sight when she was in her fox form. Her long brown hair flew in waves in the wind. Her ears and tail both black as the night and her eyes were as green as the forest that stood before them. She shed her jacket and enjoyed the feeling of the wind on her skin. She really was home. She stretched her arms, to the best of the injured one's ability, and took a deep breath. Her tattoos of her weather glimpsed at Nakita as her sister turned towards her. "Squirt, you need to really change your look. Can't risk anyone thinking you're related to Koenma," she said as she turned towards a familiar area. "Come on out, Sienna. This is your area of expertise."
Sienna came out of the woods and smiled at her friend, well the best she could. "Thank you for coming back, Kia," she said as she came over and hugged her friend and then turned and hugged Nakita. "It's good to see you again…"
"Sayaka. My new name is Sayaka and it's good to see you too. I'm sorry about Sosuke. We'll get him back, no matter what. Kiara won't stop until she does," she said as she hugged Sienna back and looked at her sister.
"Sayaka? Color? Why that name?" she asked as she nodded her thanks to her words.
Nakita smiled at the two demons before changing her appearance. With ease she transformed her eyes into a rainbow of swirling colors. Her hair was jet black and hung low down her back. Her skin changed to be pure as snow. She forced herself to grow fox ears and tail so that she looked more like her sister. "What do you think?" she asked as she did a twirl.
Kaida laughed as she nodded her approval. "Sayaka fits perfectly. By the way, you look good in a tail and ears," she said as she ruffled her sister's head.
"Don't get too used to it. We'll see how long I last with these," she said as she watched her sister and Sienna take off into the forest. Nakita was quick but had to slow it down in order to not get lost. This was her first time to Demon World, after all.
"We've got two months to train for this tournament. We're not wasting any time. Are Emiko and Miko ready for this?" Kaida asked as she ran quickly through the forest.
"The whole compound is in lockdown. The girls are read and half of our friends will be at the tournament as spectators and our back up. Kosuke is our alternate," Sienna said as she followed close behind. "Everyone is really happy that you're coming home."
Kaida turned to Sienna and nodded. It's nice to be back home," she said as she made a point of avoiding her hot spring. Those were memories that she wasn't ready for. Every now and then she would check to make sure that they hadn't lost Nakita. When they finally did arrive, she was surprised to see how many were waiting for them.
"WELCOME HOME KIARA!" they shouted as she walked through the gates.
Tears clung to her eyes as she hugged all of her friends. When Kosuke stood before her, he bowed deep and offered his hand. "We have missed you terrible, our queen. You have no idea how wonderful it is to have you back," he said as she looked up at her.
Kaida smiled as she took his hand and pulled Kosuke up and hugged him. "Good to see you old friend. Thanks for helping to look after the place for me," she said as she smiled up at him.
Emiko and Miko came forward, both looked ready to fight. They both hugged Kaida before turning to Sienna. "Now that we have Kiara back, that tournament doesn't stand a chance," Emiko said as she looked past Kaida to Nakita. "Who is this?"
"This is my little sister, Sayaka. She heard about what happened to Sosuke and wanted to help bring him back," Kaida said as she placed a hand on her sister's shoulder.
"Is she strong?" Miko asked.
"Strong and faster than I," Kaida said proudly. "Don't worry, she won't let us down."
Both fighters nodded as they led the way into the compound. Kaida was surprised to see all the new additions to the group, many were young children. Two wolf cubs ran up to Kosuke, tackled him and proceeded to wrestle with him. Emiko's eyes lit up as she chuckled at the scene. "You've missed much while you were on your journey, Kiara. You'll be happy to know that we've finally fully domesticated all the men," she said as she walked passed a group of children learning a certain fighting technique from Sakura.
"I can see that. You've all kept very busy while I was away," she said as she chuckled at the scene before her.
"Well we had to do something while you were away," Miko joked.
"You're a bunny, I expected this from you but not everyone else," Miko said as she stuck her tongue out at her.
"Oh no, then angry bunny strikes again!"Kaida said as she laughed at Miko's expression.
"Watch it, fox girl, I'll bunny kick you into next week," Miko teased. She was glad to hear her friend's laughter after all this time.
Kiada shook her head as she looked around, but when her eyes fell on Sienna, she knew that not everything was right. "Sia, we'll get Sosuke back. I swear on my life that we will," Kaida said as she wrapped her uninjured arm around Sienna.
Sienna looked up at her friend and tried to smile. "I know you will," she said as she tried to be strong.
"Let's get to the meeting room. We have a lot to get done in the next two months," Kaida said as she worked her way into the compound. Kiara had finally returned and was ready to fight again.
A few weeks had passed since Kurama had seen Kaida. Everyone was off training for the tournament. He had taken Hiei's place in training Kuwabara as well as some private sparring sessions with Hiei. Still, even with the weight of the tournament weighing heavily on his mind, he couldn't stop his focus from drifting to Kaida.
Nakita had given him a clue when last saw the princesses. He knew that something had forced Kaida to once again be Kiara and he had a feeling it was the Dark Tournament. Normally, only one team was invited to participate and that honor, if you'd call it that, belonged to Team Urameshi. However, the committee was used to making up rules as they went along and could have forced Kaida to fight. There was some underlying goal being played out in this Dark Tournament. He just wished he had some clue as to what it was.
"You're distracted fox," Hiei said as he put his sword away. "It's not like you."
Kurama turned to face the fire demon as he spoke. Kurama just shook his head as he put his rose whip away. "Sorry about that, Hiei," he said as he tried to focus on the little fire demon.
"Got a princess on the mind?" Hiei asked but he already knew the answer.
"Poking around in my head?"
"Hn...just trying to figure out why you're fighting like a predictable fool," he said as he took a sip of water and gave his friend a knowing look. When Kurama gave him a wry look, he smirked and shook his head. "You need to focus on the fights that are coming your way and not a cranky princess."
"Cranky princess? Is that what she is? I don't think I'd use cranky...more angered beyond all reason," he said as he tried to joke with his friend but he knew what he was getting at. "As concerned as I am with Kaida, I noticed that I wasn't the only one concerned with a princess. Something you wished to discuss about the younger one?"
"Hn," Hiei said as he pulled his sword out and got ready to fight. Kurama smiled at the demon. He figured that was the only answer he was going to get and thankfully, it got Hiei out of his head. At least, that's what he thought. "At least I can focus myself more to the tournament than Nakita."
Kurama glared at Hiei for a moment before shaking his head. With one swift move, he summoned his whip. "Nice to know that you can at least admit you like the younger princess," he said as he got ready to fight.
"Foolish fox, I don't like her but I don't hate her either. There's a difference. She's tolerable and interesting enough for a female," he said before starting an array of attacks.
"Fully, I remember feeling the same way about someone a long time ago," Kurama murmured and countered every move.
"Queen of thieves, Kiara?" he asked. "I heard she's been pretty busy in demon world since you left. Perhaps she'll even be at the tournament."
"You know, a part of me hopes she will be," he said as they continued their training.
Thanks all for taking the time to read this. I know it's a slow start but I promise things will get better, after all, the tournament is just being! Please rate and review! THANKS!