Shonen
A Yuyu Hakusho fic
by Chester Castañeda
Disclaimer: All characters used in this fanfic (save some others) are the rightful property of Yoshihiro Togashi, Shueisha, Fuji TV and St. Pierrot. Don't sue me please, I'm very poor.
Chapter 3... Need I say more?
Chapter 3: Sapling
A collective silence filled the entire dojo. In this bleak obscurity, different degrees of attention came upon the depths of six various consciousnesses. A few moments later, eyes were again able to decipher, yet minds refused to believe; two silhouettes were dancing in the darkness, flashes of blue meeting up with the resistance of a golden light.
"...Munashii!" was all Yusuke could say. He may had not yet met the entity nor known him by any measure, but it was the only assertion about the situation that made sense. His head was in turmoil. His thought processes came up with the wildest conclusions-conclusions he refused to believe.
"...Hiei."
It came out as a whisper, but the impact of the words within Yusuke's psyche was far beyond that of decibel range. It wouldn't have made a difference if he shouted it out. He was still at a point of disbelief, but urgent matters pressed him to move forward to a new awareness. Hiei was possessed by Munashii; that was the simple truth.
And so now was time for the much more complicated action. Yusuke held up his pointer finger as a familiar warmth and energy rush seized his person, his reiki collecting into a concentrated ball of coalescing blue energy.
Soon, the two silhouettes came upon a frighteningly bright light-what the shorter of the two assessed as that annoying energy ball that the human shot with his finger aimed like a gun. Well, the half-demon looked ridiculous in his position, but the power of his Rei-Gan, as he so quaintly called it, was far beyond ridicule. The aforesaid shadow mentally snorted in disgust at the foolhardiness of the human, yet he watched in bewilderment as his companion silhouette froze, remaining in the path of the oncoming barrage of energy.
Bedlam erupted as piles of stone and rubble spread throughout the dojo after the Rei-Gan impacted. The dust cleared; the unscathed of the two combatants had no time to react to the onslaught of hard blows to his person.
"Hiei, you gotta snap out of this!" Yusuke pleaded... demanded... as he pushed on with his merciless offensive at the jaganshi halfling.
Hiei answered Yusuke's pleas by means of gutting the young detective with the base of the handle of his katana again and again, the sound of wood and metal pounding flesh akin to that of the thumping of those flying machines humans were so fond of using. The technique took place in just a span of several seconds.
In his fetal position, Yusuke took note of the annoyance in the fire demon's eyes. His own eyes narrowed into slits as his determination renewed. Faster than even Hiei could react, Yusuke rolled over and bowled out the youkai with an uppercut.
"Moron," Hiei stated as he simply glared at the stubborn human.
'I won't let you get manhandled like this, Hiei. You probably don't even know about it yet. I know you're going to hate me for saving you, but I guess you'll be worse off as a puppet of this Munashii character,' Yusuke thought as he braced himself for another assault. Hiei had already easily recovered from the surprise attack, none the worse for wear.
"Stop it... Yusuke!" came the outraged shout of Genkai.
The two fighters halted from attacking each other as they shifted their attentions toward two lone figures at a corner of the dojo.
Silence again filled the dojo as all eyes were fixed on two people; one that was recognizable as Kurama and another persona standing near a crater to where Yusuke's Rei-Gan impacted a while ago, covered by the dust that hadn't settled yet. Kurama was blocking the other person's ki-blade with his taut rose whip, the kitsune's steely gaze never leaving the shady figure's glare.
"You planned all of this... Didn't you, kitsune?" the other person stated as a fact, notwithstanding that the statement was in a form of a question.
"I figured it would be either Hiei or you; I guess I was half-right. You did have me going there for a while," Kurama divulged conversationally, almost cheerfully. "But why Kuwabara?"
The persona now identified as Kuwabara shrugged. "He was... shall we say... the most spiritually sensitive of you four."
Yusuke couldn't help but figuratively drop his jaw on the ground upon hearing the revelation. "So it was Kuwabara that Munashii possessed. But why did Hiei go berserk?"
Seeing that the thoroughly irritated jaganshi had no intention of answering the question, Kurama answered for him. "I think it probably had to do with his jagan and the fact that he knew everything even before any of us figured things out; and there's the fact he 'shoots first, asks questions later.'"
"Yet you figured everything out quite well, kitsune," the possessed Kuwabara drawled, his eyes half-lidded and his features showing apparent apathy and a hint of amusement after hearing a certain boy gleefully ask, 'Whaddya think of your new name?' He smirked grimly. "You never gave this boy any letter; you knew he would be the one."
"It doesn't really matter if I planned all this or not," Kurama stated matter-of-factly, not taking his eyes off the possessed boy. "Is it not true that you wanted me? I'm right here. What now?"
Munashii shook Kuwabara's head in a show of dismay. He held out his hand as he began concentrating golden energy on his palm.
Hiei reacted quickly, fleeing past the kitsune towards the possessed. The latter smiled darkly, his eyes never leaving the charging fire demon's.
The forbidden child stopped in midair as he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He chilled in realization. He looked down and saw the Rei-Ken tear deep into the muscle of his stomach. Kuwabara's features were almost sinister for a moment as he added to the fire demon's pain by twisting the embedded ki-blade like a corkscrew.
'Dammit. The human is now almost as fast as the creature that possessed him!' Hiei belatedly reflected as his vision blurred in searing pain.
"Hiei!" Yusuke shouted as he hesitantly prepared to strike with his Rei-Kou-Dan; to blast his ki-powered fist at an all-too-familiar face.
"Munashii, it's me that you want. Don't involve the others here," Kurama said darkly, his hands fiddling on the stem of an intimately known weapon.
"You still haven't figured it out, kitsune? Need I spell it out for you?" the being Munashii mockingly asked-the voice and the face not his own, but the intonation invariably him. "Should there be a need for blood to be shed for you to understand?"
"I'll personally send you back to Hell's Maw myself, you goddamned monster!" Hiei shouted as he pushed back and dislodged Kuwabara and the ki-blade away from him by shoving the tip of the sheath of his katana into the possessed detective's belly. He didn't hesitate to follow through some strikes of his own, but those were promptly blocked by Kuwabara's new unearthly reflexes.
Munashii easily recovered from the blow, though with Kuwabara's body, it was another story. He mentally noted the quivering and coughing reflexes his human marionette made from the fire demon's strike. He squinted his eyes to reassess the situation; first, the weakened fire demon.
Hiei crashed against the solid floor, bits of rubble and debris following his trail. The diminutive demon cursed to himself as the possessed teenager was actually able to execute several numbing strikes of his Rei-Ken unto him before he unceremoniously landed on the floor. The jaganshi halfling also dolefully noted how effective the Rei-Ken could be when used to its fullest potential before he was altogether knocked into unconsciousness.
"That is enough, Munashii!" Yusuke shouted at the marionette-like Kuwabara as he ran to prepare his own assault. Kuwabara always had a hard head, and surprising stamina at that. The raven-haired teen refused to believe that Kuwabara could be possessed by anyone against his will.
"So you're much more powerful now, Kuwabara? Faster? Stronger? Let's see how much of this you can take!" Yusuke taunted at the apathetic puppet, the latter merely tensing in response. Kuwabara easily evaded the swift ki-charged blow as it instead landed on the solid marble floor. Yusuke let out a maniacal grin.
An explosion of volatile reiki and debris rocked the whole dojo. A shower of pure spiritual energy hit Kuwabara's face in full force. Giving him no chance to recover, Yusuke followed through the ki-shower with an equally devastating Rei-Kou-Dan.
A Rei-Kou-Dan effortlessly parried by Kuwabara's free hand. With Yusuke's momentum broken, Kuwabara struck at Yusuke's side, dislocating a few ribs.
"I know all your tricks, Urameshi. Thanks to your friend," Kuwabara smirked, pointing towards his temple mockingly.
"The... h-hell... with this!" Yusuke spat, starting his attack anew. He demolished Kuwabara's defense with his volley of punches, throwing the battle back to his favor. But somehow, the possessed still managed to smack his open palm over Yusuke's face, drawing a burble of blood from the overzealous detective's broken nose.
Munashii intended to suffocate the young detective, but was interrupted by a well-placed blow over the throat. He noted that his host was now choking in his own blood, just like his friend. The two Reikai Tantei fell in a boneless heap.
Kuwabara gurgled incoherently as he wiped off the rust-tasting blood from his mouth, his blank eyes not leaving the perpetrator of the untimely disruption. Genkai eyed him warily as well; her blow should've rendered the boy unconscious for several more moments. She wordlessly helped Yusuke up, Kurama doing the same with Hiei.
"I shouldn't have underestimated you, old woman."
"You have Kuwabara's memories and Kuwabara's body, but you also have Kuwabara's limitations. He's only mortal; human. You are-" Genkai paused in mid-sentence.
"...Not. At least, not anymore," the possessed Kuwabara finished. He looked at Kurama, the former's melancholic smile never leaving his face. "So... Do you always let your friends do your dirty work for you, kitsune?"
"What now, Munashii?" Kurama retorted. "Are you satisfied? I'm here. You want a youko's soul? Come and get it! No more tricks. Face me as is."
Munashii responded with a small chuckle from Kuwabara. "Is that what you think this is about? That this is a mere give-and-take situation? This boy's soul in exchange for yours?" He shook his marionette's head in a mock display of disappointment. "I want something more than your soul, kitsune. I want you."
"What are you? Some sort of gay ghost?" Yusuke, after having recovered, yelped at the possessed boy, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You have a helluva way of wooing guys, lemme tell you!"
Kurama puzzled over what Munashii said. "What do you mean?"
"I love you, Minamino Shuichi."
From the relative calm of the patio of Genkai's temple, a palpable atmosphere of depression suddenly arose.
It was rather inexplicable. Everything was where it was supposed to be, and yet, at the same time, everything just... changed. The usually lush vegetation surrounding the veranda seemed drearier and darker. The sky seemed grayer than blue, while the animals-particularly, Yukina's dear birds-were now all fleeing inexplicably from... from what?
Strange.
Ever since Yukina stepped into the Human World, she couldn't help but marvel at the relative strangeness and splendor it presented to her. It was literally a whole new world, yet she also could not help disliking certain aspects of this so-called Ningenkai.
She had always loved nature-the 'ecology' of the Human World, as Genkai phrased it. In the frigid Land of the Koorime, there was no such thing. But here in this world, it was just bursting with it; bursting with life.
But then the environment of this world was quickly vanishing as the snow lady was just beginning to uncover its vast secrets and wonders; it was being destroyed by human progress. The cold, uncaring stone towers of progress was crushing her precious nature. Progress that, if it had its way in the Human World, would turn everything into a callous, unfeeling, and pitiless society; a dead society. It would still be the Human World, only different.
Just like now.
Acting on instinct and on the growing anxiety set in her heart, the young snow woman began moving towards the foreboding dojo, not noticing her lips move as it unconsciously let out a whisper of concern towards an unacknowledged kin.
Kurama scrambled for his thoughts with the unexpected turn of events. He didn't know whether to laugh, to recoil in aversion, or to simply stare dumbfounded in confusion. Well, the third of the three wasn't all that bad.
"You... aren't... serious... are you?" Kurama deliberately asked, picking his words carefully. Right now he didn't know what to think. The fact that it was Kuwabara in front of him saying all those things made the whole situation seem even more... ridiculous.
The possessed smiled-if one could call it that. It was neither cheerful nor malicious, but mostly... empty, with just a hint of sadness. "You've become everything that I've imagined you could be, given the situation. I swore to go against heaven and hell for you." He closed his eyes in contemplation. "That's why I have to do this."
Then there came a ripping sound; a horrid squeal of tearing far beyond that of life evanescent that soon erupted into a lethal fury no one could even begin to comprehend.
All three of Hiei's eyes widened in realization of the sight that beheld them. Just like in Munashii's corporeal form, a rift of utter emptiness and darkness was now where Kuwabara's chest used to be. Even though the young human's face still reflected his possessor's indifference, his rapidly paling white skin spoke volumes of what that black void was doing to him.
"What the HELL!" Yusuke verbalized everyone else's general sentiment. "You're killing him!"
"Am I?" Munashii scoffed. "I wouldn't have to go to such lengths if you'd simply given me the kitsune from the get go. Besides, if I were you, I wouldn't be worried with just Kuwabara Kazuma's life now." He turned towards Kurama and gave him a sort of half-smile.
"Heaven and hell."
Wordlessly, Yusuke aimed his hand directly at Kuwabara with a familiar thumb-and-forefinger gesture. He was prepared to literally blast the possessed boy to kingdom come if he had to, hoping against hope that somehow things would still work out fine.
"No, Yusuke!" Genkai shouted out, only to be seized by the throat by an invisible force. The old woman struggled in midair, helplessly choking under an unseen grip.
"Listen to her, Urameshi Yusuke. She knows a lot," Munashii derided, forcing the Master of the Spirit Light Wave with his imperceptible influence to nod in agreement. "This could've happened to you, you see."
Genkai's aura soon became visible to all present, but its luminosity then started to fade as tendrils of her smoke-like ki began to get vacuumed into the maelstrom of Munashii-Kuwabara's hollowness.
"Munashii! What do you want? Why are...? You're just a ghost...!" Genkai rasped.
"It's what I've lived for, died for, and have been erased to near non-existence for, old woman," Munashii deadpanned.
"LET GO OF HER!" Yusuke screamed, enraged. He wanted to move forward and crush Munashii's face... even if it wasn't the broken spirit's face or body, he just didn't care anymore. He would let his own instincts take reign, consequences be damned.
But he couldn't, even if he wanted to, as the same invisible force that seized Genkai in midair was now surrounding both predator and prey like an invisible barrier, preventing him from moving any further. The situation was getting way out of hand.
Soon, the aged martial artist seemed to become even older, her wrinkles deepening, her pupils disappearing, and her complexion approaching that of a chalk-white color. She was reflexively jerking as her aura soon sported the consistency of ash.
All were awestruck at the spectacle that unfolded in their midst. Hiei limped towards Kurama, motioning the kitsune towards the exit. Yusuke, in growing agitation, moved in front of the two youkai, acting as a shield lest Munashii shifted his attention towards them. Kurama, for the life of him, remained in his place.
Kuwabara gave the three spirit detectives a blank stare, then gazed back at the dying elder. "Be thankful that you aren't what I came here for, old woman."
He threw her to the nearest wall like a rag doll. A sickening thud was heard, the aged martial artist not moving from her place of impact. All eyes glared back at the possessed boy. A faint knocking was heard in the silence of the dojo, but no one took heed of it.
"Kurama, go with Hiei and get the hell out of here. I'll stall Munashii in the meantime," Yusuke earnestly commanded, not even looking back at the two. Hearing no response, he screamed out, "GO!"
"Don't tell me what to do," Hiei derisively sneered, even though he already had his hand on the hilt of his katana in an evident ready stance.
"But Yusuke, you saw what happened to Genkai-what she tried to stop from happening to you! Munashii will suck you dry! Your Rei-Gan will do nothing to damage him," Kurama protested.
The young spirit detective chuckled. "It'll be all right. Since when did I ever listen to granny anyway?" He then turned his attention to the imminent threat. He smiled grimly. "Bring it on, Kuwabara."
Munashii-Kuwabara stopped his leisurely pace in mid-step, then became a blur as his speed increased abruptly in a blink of an eye. He landed several stinging blows all over Yusuke's face, but the Reikai Tantei was able to improvise a makeshift defense to counter most of the blows, so none of them was actually devastating. From there, he went for the kill with a devastating uppercut.
Munashii easily recovered from the counter, but that was not the case for Kuwabara. Blow after merciless blow was followed up on the possessed, Yusuke not even giving him a chance to counterattack. Alas, as abruptly as the sleek-haired teenager had gotten his advantage, it suddenly vanished just as fast, along with his target.
"Too slow," Munashii rasped, disappearing and reappearing in various distances as he condescendingly beckoned the youth to begin his attack anew.
From there, Yusuke again picked up the pace as he unleashed a flurry of punches, this time hitting nothing but thin air. He cursed as in their exchange of parry-block-hit, Munashii still somehow broke several more of his bones, sending him skidding a number of feet away.
"Fox, run away!" Hiei insisted on the engrossed kitsune, the latter too hypnotized by the dance of death before him.
"Yusuke's still the better of the two when it boils down to fighting. But it's not just that Munashii's getting faster, despite Kuwabara's mortal body. It's also..." Kurama looked at the tiring Yusuke, "Yusuke is slowing down. His power is based on channeling generous amounts of reiki, while Munashii's power is based on siphoning all kinds of ki. Yusuke, you don't stand a chance!"
The dog-tired Yusuke looked at Kuwabara hazily, his blue and orange image blurring several times. He then had to shake his head just to clear it before directing a melancholic smirk towards the two youkai. "Just get the hell out of here."
A thunderous blast of light and energy streaked across the whole expanse of the dojo, sending Munashii-Kuwabara flying through the temple, hitting and breaking through columns like they were made out of gingerbread. A second blaze of incredible vigor burned through the trail the previous one left, this time impacting more violently towards the possessed. Wreckage, rubble, and debris were flung around like so many breadcrumbs, the wood and concrete of the shrine easily giving way to the consecutive incursions.
Yusuke didn't even flinch as his marionette-for-a-friend slowly got up from the ruins, none the worse for wear. He began walking across the trail of crushed and powdered fragments of what was once the floor. The dark hollow in the middle of the zombie-like teenager was now glowing, brimming with energy. This didn't even bother the Spirit Detective leader in the least as he followed up with another choleric wave of piercing spiritual power, one after another.
Rapidly, because of the incredible amount of energy released at such a short period of time, Yusuke began to weaken. Soon, the enormous streaks of reiki that the young half-demon shot continuously were replaced by that of reiki of arbitrate size, before they altogether dissipated into harmless heat and light. Munashii, unperturbed, continued his advance towards the battered and drained spirit detective.
In the corner of his eye, Munashii-Kuwabara saw the quite expected: a fire demon in a desperate attempt at battle. Kuwabara snorted derisively at the effort-an act that his possessor, Munashii, found curious.
Hiei ignored the pain searing on all four limbs of his body as well as the numerous other injuries on his person as he moved in for the kill. Making full use of his third eye, he resisted the invisible force of Munashii's own influence as he made a deep slash on the entity's marionette; at first hitting only the emptiness of the cavity, but as the slash completed its arc, also flesh and bone.
Munashii was helpless to act upon Kuwabara's body as it finally reached its limits. It reflexively recoiled in intense pain as it lost a large amount of blood from the deep cut on the shoulder. The being focused to take control of the teenager's bodily functions so as to skip some of its natural reaction to stimuli.
That done, he easily blocked another oncoming slash from the Demon World fighter, the blade harmlessly hitting his forearm, the most damage it did was leaving an imprint on his borrowed skin. After that, he said words that woke the fire demon up to a frightening realization.
"Rei-Gan."
The barrage of unrelenting reiki hit the jaganshi halfling with the force of a tidal wave, crushing him with its enormous metaphorical mass.
The shattered soul deemed that a reassessment of the situation was in order. The irritating little fighters were far more... persevering than he previously thought. He shifted his glance towards the kitsune. He seemed paralyzed in shock.
All of the fighters had the potential to stop short his little escapade; though materializing yet again in his corporeal form was readily an option given the situation. They were simply delaying the inevitable. He had no time for delays. Despite all the grueling years he spent as a wandering half-man, he never quite learned the value known as patience.
It was time to finish off the nearest threat.
The weary Yusuke Urameshi glanced up at the towering menace that wore his friend and rival's face. A faint but definite knocking was heard from the background, becoming more insistent. It stopped as Munashii-Kuwabara's voice echoed across the emptiness of the dojo.
"Now is the time for you to die, Urameshi."
The addressed cracked a weak smile. "Wow, Kuwabara. You finally got what you wanted. You beat me."
Munashii wondered at the slight wince his host body made before he prepared his Rei-Ken for the killer blow. He also noted a sudden piercing sensation that surrounded his throat.
"I'm beginning to sense that you people have an affinity for this boy's neck," Munashii despondently quipped as he realized that the sharp sting his host was experiencing actually 'stemmed' from Kurama's very own Rose Whip. The jagged thorns tore deep into the boy's neck; just one little pull was all it took.
"Do it," Munashii dared.
From the tone and determination that came from the voice, Kurama couldn't exactly tell if it was either Munashii or Kuwabara talking. He held steadfastly what was literally Munashii-Kuwabara... no... Kuwabara's lifeline.
"You didn't spare Toguro Ani, because of desperate circumstances of great consequence, yet you couldn't kill good ol' Kuwabara-kun for the life of you," Munashii evaluated, prodding the kitsune further by slipping the Rose Whip a couple of centimeters tighter around his puppet's neck.
"Coward," Kurama spat darkly, still keeping a steely grip on his favored weapon, yet not even moving it an inch further to finally fulfill its dismal purpose. "You played behind the shadows, but you're only controlled by wanton desires, having no will of your own. You're the puppet here!"
"Half-right, kitsune," Munashii answered as he fiddled with the thorny, vine-like whip before it began to wither away. It eventually gained the consistency of papyrus as it harmlessly wilted into brown, brittle foliage. There was a strange hint of sadness in Munashii's borrowed eyes. "Why were you always such a martyr?"
Voicelessly, Yusuke Urameshi let out a silent scream as he saw his youko companion flung helplessly to a nearby wall, pinned to it by a long, lance-like Rei-ken; a perverted version of a butterfly getting pinned to a display case. Next thing the great half-demon warrior knew, he was crumpling to the ground like a wet noodle care of a swift kick to the gut by a certain passerby.
Seemingly admiring his gruesome handiwork, the intrepid entity directly addressed his victim.
"It's time, Minamino Shuichi."
An unfamiliar sensation of panic grabbed hold of the snow lady's heart as she stopped insistently knocking on the large dojo doors. She stopped after hearing Kuwabara's voice... usually filled with life and clumsy passion... register as dead and monotone as he said something usually characteristic of him as a joking address to his friend, except the intonation made its meaning radically different and strange for him to say.
"Now is the time for you to die, Urameshi."
The seriousness of his voice-No, the emptiness of his voice had left the jaganshi in a condition of worry and trepidation. 'What's happening to Kazuma-san?' It probably had something to do with the new unknown foe Genkai was talking about.
There was something else that had also put her in an awkward position of uncertainty; the feeling that she had a while ago in the front yard. She could've sworn-But if he was here...!
The koorime stopped the futility of knocking as she concentrated within herself her own spiritual powers so as to go against the invisible force well within the dojo doors.
Munashii-Kuwabara's touch was surprisingly soft as his hand gently played with the light-red strands of Kurama's hair. His eyes remained dreary and listless, yet those blank pupils had an emphatic quality in them. Was it pity? Or was it perhaps something more profound? His unreadable features were in stark contrast to whatever meaning those eyes were trying to convey.
Kurama looked at Kuwabara as the possessed boy's eyes started to gain a strange violet color in them, not unlike fiery blue coals. The redhead shut his eyes, neither out of fear nor hesitation towards death. It was merely a fitting thing to do in the situation. It made sense, even though it actually held no logic. In the darkness amidst the youko, the after-flash of Munashii-Kuwabara's eyes burned in his memory. 'How is it? What is it like to feel nothing?'
A faint smile crept into Kuwabara's mouth, signifying amusement. "Why do you have to always empathize with your opponents? You'll spare yourself a whole lot of trouble by not bothering with that."
"If it's all so important to you, then just do it."
The youko didn't even see it coming. It just came, with no further disputation nor contention; not even an acknowledgement of the fact from his captor. Typically, Kurama began to assess the circumstances. Not so typically, his almost clinical evaluations soon became tinged with a flood of emotions; something much more typical of humans. Mere humans.
'So,' Kurama thought to himself drowsiness began to subtly but firmly intrude upon his consciousness. 'This is the way I'm going to die.'
Kurama contemplated a death where his very being-his very essence-would be sucked out of him. Not nearly like the warrior's death he was expecting nor the peaceful one he wanted, but it seemed oddly... fitting, for some reason. A grand death for a youko who betrayed his own identity to become something he was not. It was so very appropriate.
From there, it began.
Kurama didn't fight it anymore. In fact, he felt sort of resigned to the situation. He did not feel panic as tendrils of his youki began to get sucked into an abyss of inimitable depth and void, despite its appearance. While he was not at all comfortable with his present condition, a lethargy-induced acquiescence drowned his earlier reflexive panic. It was not unlike his detached and calculating deliberations in a fight, only that his acceptance had come to him more as a finality than anything else.
It was the finality of death. The inevitability of one's identity being erased in an instant; the demon fox never had such leisure. He had flirted with death many times. It was a constant companion to him. Even he, the elusive Youko Kurama, could not escape the inexorability of death; yet he never had to fear of having his entire existence erased, knowing what he was.
It was so, until now. Perhaps... perhaps it was an end he wanted after all?
Such fancy words soon began to fade into inconsequence as the once feared Youko Kurama was soon reduced to a quivering, pathetic human whose life was about to be taken away from him. Kurama chuckled at that last thought. It was something he would have said about the situation had he not been shot down and forced into hiding... forced to take a human pup's body as refuge... if he were still the great Youko Kurama.
How much of him had changed? Such thoughts had bothered him even way back during the Demon World tournament, but his resolution to it all-his answer to the question, abstract as it was-was reflected in his ultimate decision.
His choice was to live his life as a human. He still couldn't explain why he did what he did. Not entirely, not in a logical and rational manner that actually made sense. In short, not in a way that would have made sense to him. Maybe it was one of the few things that didn't actually need to make sense.
Who was he? What had become of him?
Memories began floating by; tiny vessels of the past. His past. A past that was mostly filled with his daring escapades and his lust for the unattainable... or what was supposedly unattainable, since he 'attained' each and every one of them. Those were all his prizes-big and small, tangible and intangible, real and ethereal-it didn't matter to him. The thrill of the hunt was far more valuable than the prizes, at the time. He was always looking for something.
It was curious, given his age and experience, how much his present human life had affected him. It had far more impact than his previous youko life should've had. It was very curious, indeed. In his past life, he had but one regret; that of the demise of Kuronue, his trusted ally. His partner's death was even an inevitability. Kurama couldn't blame himself for it, though he mourned for the loss. His human life, on the other hand...
It was an existence full of contradictions. He never had to second-guess himself before, but he had to with the kind of life he had now. He never expected himself to be so protective and caring of his adoptive mother. He never expected himself to become a Spirit Detective, even if he was forced into it. He never expected himself to be anything other than Youko Kurama, which was probably why he could never see himself as one person: Youko Kurama and the human Shuichi Minamino, or perhaps the human, Kurama.
He was human, yet he was youkai. He never considered himself human, but somehow it simply became a part of him. It was merely a disguise, just a mere masquerade, yet one that fit quite nicely with his personality. He couldn't deny that it was now a component of him, an element that made him whole, one way or another. Being part human didn't bother him a bit, as was his choice to live as one.
He soon drew in ragged breaths-an expected reaction, given that his life energy was quickly being drained off of him-yet the sensations that followed were things that he didn't anticipate at all. A faint shattering within his consciousness that was not induced by fear or agitation soon broke open his mental defenses. It was as if his very thoughts were...!
Violet eyes glinted back at him; so very much like his Kuronue's eyes while he was left dangling on sharpened bamboo shoots. Listless eyes; although they also had the strange humor he thought he imagined in his dead partner's stare. It was a look that bore some sort of realization of irony... like his black raven's languid stare that1 seemed to say, 'Well, it seems you were right again, fox.'
It wasn't a sight he wanted to behold, then and now.
It did not matter that a person who appeared to be a familiar ally was now holding him against the wall after the lethal lance of golden ki disappeared a long time ago. Munashii's expression bore no resemblance to the face he was wearing. There was not a shadow of a doubt that this was his eternally damned stalker.
It was then that he began to notice it-his memories that were suddenly flooding his mind with a superfluity of reminiscence and circumspection; memories of his mother, Kuronue, Yusuke, Kuwabara-kun, Hiei... and what was being done to them.
'...NO!'
With a single phrase, a mere word that was followed by faint glimmers of awareness, the kitsune was soon overcome by a chaotic mix of confusion and pandemonium as his thought processes-his very precious thought processes-were rendered into complete chaos and bedlam.
A single memory filled his mind-that of the gruesome death of his beloved friend and ally.
"Kuronue," a voice uttered, but it did not belong to the youko. It instead belonged to Kuwabara. Further shock became apparent in Kurama's features as the spoken word soon bore neither meaning nor familiarity to him... only a forgotten urgency to it that the redhead couldn't place.
Another memory appeared in Kurama's mind-that of his meeting with a young man on the rooftop, in a bargain for a dear sweet woman's life.
A young man-a brash, impetuous young man and a dear friend-the person lying several feet away from him... a... a...
Stranger?
Kurama glared at his captor, to which the latter returned in kind with a crooked smile from the familiar face he wore. A brusque yet kind-hearted young man whose utter simplicity lay his very charm.
A familiar face; how could he possibly forget the face of... another total stranger?
"Dammit, Munashii!" Kurama shouted, showing a rare display of temper. "What are you doing to me?"
Indigo coals of fire looked back at the kitsune; perhaps, for the first time, indigo coals that held some sort of meaning and life in them. "I want your soul, Minamino Shuuichi; every last bit of it."
Kurama had another memory of a dear yet unlikely ally; deadly yet merely misunderstood. A brooding creature, yet he longed merely for the completion of his identity; a longing for a reason to live. He was a forbidden child from the very start.
A sense of apparent urgency filled Kurama. It was an urgency he couldn't place, yet still it screamed out at him until it faded into irrelevance.
"Hiei," Munashii almost breathed the word, not unlike the last note of a master opus.
Kurama again looked listlessly at the puppet man, not fully comprehending the apparent significance of the word... name... he had just heard yet feeling a certain amount of alarm he could not exactly place. Anxiety soon overcame him as he clung to the last bit of memory that made sense to him.
'Kaasan.'
His words turned out to be useless as his thoughts became more abstract; more primal. It was the ultimate insult to one as intelligent as the great Youko Kurama; to be reduced to a level of utter unintelligence... eating up everything... every abstract and complex thought, every level of awareness of his own existence... up to his very last words. No! He was not an animal...!
He observed in an odd mixture of awe, panic, and uncertain acceptance his slowly failing verbal communication abilities as it got washed away by mere human-no, animal instinct. He was beginning to have second thoughts on his earlier acknowledgement of the situation as he held onto one last intelligible thought:
'It's a pity that it's going to be an insulting end, after all.'
His final word. The final word that actually made sense to him-one that he used over and over until it too lost its meaning. 'NO! NO! No! No. No. No. Nonononononononononono...'
Images began to flood the mindless youko; familiar, but also beyond the comprehension of his slowly degenerating mind; images that became swirls of unintelligible color and movement. It wasn't unlike an infant's first wake in the world as it looked around in an altogether extraterrestrial environment, trying to make sense of it all.
A silken darkness draped over Kurama's subconscious.
"It's nearly done, Asuka-san."
A tall, blind demon that had a definite regal aura about him that others couldn't immediately pinpoint now stood a fair distance away from a man whom he thought he knew very well. Yet now, he felt like he was staring at a completely different person.
"Why, Kurama? Why?" There was no anger in his statements, just a fair amount of shock and confusion. That was his question, yet he was actually asking, 'Why didn't you finish off Shigure as a youko? Why do you deny yourself your true nature?'
The bloodied youko... no, human or whatever he was... moved his head towards the figure's direction, his eyes blocked by long strands of his hair. There was a slight pause before he spoke.
"I fought as myself," he disclosed simply, yet his evergreen eyes were full of meaning once they finally came to view as he continued, "I was not second-guessing. This is who I am. This is what makes up my identity now, Yomi."
An out-of-the-blue brightness surrounded Yomi, enveloping and swallowing the silhouette of the powerful Demon World ruler. The bright light was accompanied by a voice-a voice that the kitsune recognized as his own, yet it was not.
"I fought as myself. This is what makes up my identity now. I am a youkai yet I chose to live as a human. This is the decision I stand by." Flashes of images surrounded the kitsune; memories unrecognizable, yet somehow familiar.
A single thought filled his mind. The kind, gentle woman who was his-
'Mother.'
She was the one who gave birth to this pup that was now him. He couldn't explain it. He still considered himself a youko, yet he had turned his back on that life and on his old youko self to live peacefully as a... human being.
"I love you so much, Shuichi," she had said dozens of times, until the words he at first couldn't quite comprehend were now the words he always cherished to hear.
It was just as Yomi believed, yet was all this-to live a human life-done in mere gratitude? Or was he a youko living a human's life; something that he should never have gotten or deserved?
"...And I will protect this decision and this identity that makes up my life now, no matter what."
He would do just that, even if it was the same identity that eluded him any explanation or description.
Munashii heaved a resigned sigh. "Such is the willpower of the living... Isn't it so, kitsune? It seems you do not even know what you really want."
Kurama spoke in between ragged breaths, "I... cannot... allow you to... do... that... Not at this point."
Munashii contemptuously snorted, his change in attitude perhaps influenced by the life force he'd just sucked up, making him more animated than before, or perhaps it was due to irritation even a being like him couldn't take.
"What's the point of all this, Kurama? Why do you continue to be so adamant and stubborn? You've abandoned your youko past, yet you insist on your being a youkai while living a human's life? Does that make any sense to you?"
Kurama contemplated the half-man's words carefully. For the first time, Munashii had addressed him formally with his actual name, and not with his human name, yet the being did keep referring to "getting Minamino Shuichi's soul," and never used it to refer to Kurama's youko self. Rather, it seemed that Munashii was referring to Minamino's soul as a separate entity altogether. Did that mean...?
"There is no Minamino Shuichi," Kurama stated, finally recovering his breath. He was still a little woozy, but at least he now had his memories and sense-of-self intact. And he wanted it to remain that way.
"In a manner of speaking, he... never had the chance to live. I've inhabited this human pup's body before any human soul could be formed. Therefore, no two souls could ever exist in here," he pointed to himself.
"I am Kurama; just Kurama. Minamino Shuichi doesn't exist," the kitsune repeated, ending his diatribe with a shrug. It was such a waste. To think, all that needless effort-
A laugh; a rather maniacal laugh echoed throughout the dojo. Kuwabara looked more like himself with the mirth Munashii showed. The hollowness within Kuwabara's person seemed to glow in concurrence to Munashii's laughter.
"I am not supposed to exist, kitsune," Munashii retorted, then he laughed some more-as if he were laughing at the funniest joke in the world, a joke that only he could understand. But then, he stopped. There was a pause.
"GIVE ME BACK MINAMINO SHUICHI'S SOUL!" he screamed, in equal madness as before, if not more so. The void in his borrowed body brimmed to life as he renewed his torturous endeavor.
A primal shout of equal strength to the previous-a warbling cry that bordered on lunacy-echoed consecutively, the hot-blooded voice tinged with utter desperation.
"You again?" the possessor deadpanned, untroubled by the rapidly approaching jaganshi bullet whose crimson and luminescent-green eyes glinted of murderous intent.
'Stupid fox. You should have run away while you still can,' Hiei brooded. It was all he could do, given his situation. Twice already, the bastard entity had beaten him up to a bloody pulp without so much as a relative sweat. He was beaten up without any effort at all.
He didn't like that one bit.
He didn't even get the satisfaction of giving his opponent a hard time. That was the ultimate insult to him, a Class-S demon; whatever that meant, what with the Spirit World's stupid rating system and all.
Basically, 'Class-S' meant just one thing to the fire demon; that he was one of the most powerful youkai, if not the most powerful youkai. He couldn't-shouldn't-be humiliated like this, not a demon of his caliber. Not twice, at the very least.
What really irked the jaganshi to no end was Kurama's atypical reaction to the situation. Sure, in the past he had procrastinated up to the last minute before performing the dirty deed, but at least he had gotten results in his otherwise profligate deliberations. But now... now...!
Kurama was acting just like... like... that stupid Yusuke or that idiot Kuwabara; like a typical, pathetic little human. Only this time, there was a lack of acting on his part. He'd appeared uncertain before; always second-guessing his moves, always hesitating. It was not unusual of the fox, in retrospect. But now he really was being doubtful of himself.
'Idiot.'
The kitsune's constant indecisiveness had left him at the mercy of the shadow man, left Yusuke sprawled on the floor just like the weak human that he was, and Hiei... ribbed, slashed, and blasted, in that order.
The jaganshi halfling doubted that he had enough strength to move forward with one last strike; the tremendous force of that gigantic Rei-Gan had nearly burned him to a crisp while his bruises, cuts, and fractures hadn't really healed up all that much either. He was really in bad shape, to say the least, and it was all thanks to the dithering Kurama.
Hiei watched Kurama's pitiable condition worsen as the kitsune was helplessly pinned to the wall care of the being's puppet Kuwabara, then as the fox's very own horrified mind was sucked into the inimitable hollowness of the creature's very essence-a fact provided by his versatile jagan.
All the while, the ostracized jaganshi was not able to act because of the growing numbness in his body.
Hiei almost felt as wretched as Kurama.
Yet he was still determined; determined in defeating the hollow man, and determined in saving the fox's life, for all it was worth to him. Unfortunately, fatigue had worn him down, among other things.
Kurama didn't give in just yet. He still fought with his mind and spirit. He didn't let Munashii's influence take a complete hold of him and suck out his very quintessence. If he had only done so before, instead of being so capriciously tentative...
'Foolish fox.'
But Kurama was still in danger, and the jaganshi's eyes blazed with a passion for retribution. It was too bad that Hiei's body, in turn, equally smoldered in agony and anguish. Hiei winced as he slowly got up. Each and every movement took the breath out of him in his utter pain and suffering.
The damnable void in the cumbersome human's person had reactivated once more. The threat was still there, and Kurama was helpless. Hiei ignored the tremendous pain. He was able to survive the operation of his evil eye, damn it! This was nothing compared to that.
Hiei's knees buckled, the pressure of his own weight too much for his weakened state. The half-breed cursed his apparent moment of weakness as his sheathed sword served as a cane that kept him from collapsing altogether... collapsing like a helpless old man.
Hiei nearly fell again as he tried to stand up, much to his frustration. He had to face facts. He was about as much a threat to Munashii as Kurama was, given his condition. That was the truth, and he hated every minute of knowing it.
The fire demon's crimson eyes suddenly widened, his third, resplendent one giving acknowledgement to a chilling foreboding caused by his recognition of a very familiar ki-signature nearby. No further consideration was necessary.
From there, all hell broke loose.
Munashii-Kuwabara was barely able to evade Hiei's oncoming attack, teleporting at the very last moment as the blade hit the air where his torso had been.
From the distance to where he was standing now, the possessed suddenly lanced the jaganshi's side with an elongated Rei-Ken... A Rei-Ken that never hit its target as the fire demon suddenly gained incredible speeds that made him look like he was perfectly healthy and at full power, fresh as ever before.
But all the fire demon's strikes sliced only nothingness as the being again used his influence to teleport through various distances, always on the defensive.
Kurama let out a course and throaty gasp as Kuwabara suddenly plunged into Hiei's katana. Yet there was no rain of blood that gushed forth.
The puppet took hold of the katana embedded within his person... or rather, within the void that was, in turn, within his person. Curiously, even though the curved sword had gone pretty deep within the hollow space, its pointed tip didn't go through Kuwabara's back.
Hiei shook in rage as he tried to pull free his sword, but it was to no avail. The momentum of his desperate move, as well as the rush of adrenaline that came with it, was quickly dissipating and was rapidly replaced by the damnable, gnawing pain and his ever-growing fatigue. Yet he didn't relinquish his hold of his favored weapon, not at all admitting defeat.
Munashii-Kuwabara ignored the blood dripping from his hand while he held the sharp blade as he stated, "What a pity. This time, you're really going to die." He subsequently made a small ki-knife aimed directly at the jaganshi's third eye.
The very quick and powerful thrust borne out of pure desperation cut through the air so fast that Kuwabara's body barely felt a thing. Horror struck Kurama's features as he saw Hiei's katana fly upward into the air, glinting a crimson shine.
Munashii... and Kuwabara... looked dumbly at Kuwabara's hand, part of his upper thumb missing and dripping in blood. He... or maybe they... also noted that part of Kuwabara's left ear was also missing... proof of which was the liquid warmth he felt at the side of his head down to his neck. Realization soon became evident with both the puppet and the puppeteer.
A scarlet fountain sprayed through Kuwabara's upper-left breast up to most of his left shoulder, bathing him in the warmth of his own blood. There was a long silence. There was not a stir of motion to be felt or seen inside the room.
It was so until the gleam of realization in Kuwabara's eyes was replaced by a haze of dementia. "HIS SOUL IS MINE!"
Hiei looked briefly at Kurama before he fell into his ready stance. His eyes spoke volumes.
'I have no choice but to kill him.'
The two combatants flew onto each other like birds of prey, their weapons like talons; ready to kill with one strike. A golden flash met up with a blue streak...
A flare of bright light assailed Kurama's senses. He was surprised by what he saw.
"Kazuma-san! Brother! Please STOP!" Yukina shouted as flakes of ice danced around her while little sparkling jewels cascaded down on her cheeks.
A scream. Silence.
To be Continued...
Next: The aftermath of the events.
Note that I put in the title Shonen not Shonen-Ai. Shonen-Ai (male-male relationship) and yaoi are just not my cup of tea. This is dedicated to Chimamire Kitsune for giving me the inspiration to write this fic. Wherever you are, this is for you.
Ja ne!
Abdiel