Hell's Flame

Disclaimer

Sorry to say that I do not own YYH.

Summary

I was taught to hate and loathe demons. I did not fear them but I did feel that they were dangerous. I was a hunter, swift and silent. He was my target; he was my downfall. HB.

Trapped

Part I

000

My mind drifted for what seemed like a long time. I opened my eyes to see white surrounding me. I looked over to meet two very familiar brown eyes.

"Koenma?" I sat up slowly and put a hand to my head, which was bandaged. "What happened?"

"He was a strong one and you did it. I couldn't be more proud...but..." He sighed. "You have to be more careful. You got some bad burns on your arms and legs but that's about it."

"What's this for then?" I asked; giving him a glare as I pointed to the bandage on my head.

"Well, that is because you hit your head on the way down, where a boy named Shuuichi caught you." He frowned. "Are you doing well on the Hell's Flame case?" I nodded.

"I-I guess. As well as I could, I suppose."

"Have you spoken with him yet?" He asked eagerly. I couldn't bring myself to tell him the truth.

"N-No..." I shook my head. "Uh, is Shuuichi here?"

"No, he went home two hours ago." I nodded. Then something clicked in my mind.

"Koenma, you never told me about Urameshi." He paled. "Is he a replacement for someone?"

"No, of course not. He died saving a boy and I guess that I saw potential in his fighting abilities. He doesn't handle anything like you have to." I fell back on my pillows.

"By the way, where am I?"

"A ningen hospital. This is the best place that Shuuichi could bring you to." I felt so light-headed. "They will release you in a little while. I tried to convince them into letting you out as soon as you woke up but they settled for the day after. I guess tomorrow you can come to HQ and I'll have those burns taken care of, all right?" He stood up. I nodded.

"Thank you." I said softly as he left the room. He smiled at me over his shoulder before exiting the room to tell the staff that I was awake. I had to get out of there.

000

As soon as my burns were looked at, I went to Shuuichi's house. I was sort of upset that I forgot about sunglasses but I suppose it was okay. I walked up the walkway and knocked on the door. A young woman with kind chestnut brown eyes answered after a moment.

"Oh! Who might you be?" She asked with a bright smile. I smiled timidly and cleared my throat.

"I am here to see Shuuichi." The woman ushered me inside and sat me down on their sofa while she went to get him. I had to thank him for saving me. It was only right. I had no idea when I would've ran into him next. As I sat there, thinking, someone entered the room.

"What are you here for, little onna?" My heart stopped for a fraction of a second and I whirled around to face him. He walked forward and lifted my arm before pushing up the sleeves. "Who gave you these burns?" I looked down and pulled my arm from him.

"Why does it matter, Hiei?" I asked softly. "You will only put me through something worse." I felt so ashamed, sitting there when my mission was standing right beside me. Yet I could do nothing...and he knew it. My soul and my heart were drawn to his darkness and pain. I wanted to heal him so much. He growled before someone else entered the room. I stood up immediately and ran to him. I dropped on my knees. "Shuuichi-san, I owe you my life." I kept my eyes on the floor. "I needed to thank you for catching me when you did." I felt hands on my arms, gently pulling me to my feet. I stared into his emerald eyes.

"It was nothing at all. You saved a lot of people. Your bravery at distracting that demon helped the others to escape from the windows." He smiled. "I can hardly believe that you even made it out alive and with so little damage." I bowed my head in shame.

"Meanwhile, I am failing with another mission." He lifted my chin and smiled warmly.

"That mission is turning into much more than you have ever thought it would, is it not?" I nodded. "By the time this is over, you will finally know what it feels like to be free." My eyes narrowed and I pulled from his grasp.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked in distrust. He had been saying many weird things to me.

"You are not free to think for yourself or make your own decisions as of yet. Koenma is still treating you like the bird that was just born rather than the one that is about to leave the nest." I blinked.

"You have strange analogies." He chuckled and sweat-dropped.

"I hear that a lot..." I smiled lightly at him.

"In any case, I cannot hang around. I have a date to keep with someone." I winked at him before leaving. "Tell your mother that she is a lovely woman." He nodded and I noticed Hiei's flaming scarlet eyes.

Did I make him angry again?

Oh well...

000

I looked around for the person that I was seeking. I actually did not have a date to keep but rather a secret date that my 'date' did not even know about. The arcade was dark and yet lit up with all of the blinking lights from the machines and games. Genkai had told me that this was where I could find him. I walked inside and pulled my black leather jacket closer. I guess I fit in with my white sneakers, my form-fitting jeans, and my jacket. My cerulean hair was pulled up and hid underneath a baseball cap. I had also remembered to get a new pair of sunglasses! I gasped lightly when I saw him.

"Urameshi." I called as quietly as I could. He looked up at me before raising a brow. "It's me." I walked up to him and slid my sunglasses down to reveal my eyes to him. "Remember?"

"Botan?" He asked with a light smile. "What are you doing here?" He raised a brow in amusement.

"Looking for you." I smiled back at him. Then I gestured that we go outside and he followed me out. He was quiet, obviously waiting for me to speak. "I wanted to talk to you about your training with Master Genkai."

"Oh? What about it?" He asked; suddenly curious enough to be interested. I crossed my arms.

"You see, I learned things about my powers and how to control them. Master Genkai also taught me how to use swords and other things. What does she teach you?" I was hoping that she had been teaching him enough. I had a plan but it had to be taken care of very carefully.

"Mm, I'm still in the stage where she screams at me for using too much or too little Reiki." He answered; stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Why?" I removed my sunglasses and stared at him, the intensity of his dark gaze making me wonder really how much he showed and how much he kept hidden. However, that was not for now.

"Can you sense demons well?" He rocked back on his heels and shrugged.

"Not really. I've sensed them now and then." I could tell that he was interested in what I had to say. So, I figured that it wouldn't hurt.

"To get to the point, I want to request to Koenma that we become partners, in a sense." He raised a brow at me in confusion. "Meaning that I help you and you help me. It's something similar to having someone to fall back on." His question was obvious in his eyes.

"Why?" I sighed; obviously not ready to admit the answer to myself.

"I was wondering if you would consider picking up my position if I fail. That means that you would hunt Hell's Flame...or Hiei, which is his name." He looked surprised. That made it clear to me that he was not expecting this. "I am certain that you want to know why, right?" At his nod, I bit my lip. "I see strength and potential in you. You have what is needed for this mission. You have the inner strength, Urameshi."

"Call me Yuusuke." He said off-handedly. "Only the idiot, Kuwabara, calls me Urameshi." Then he smiled and I returned the gesture.

"Now, Yuusuke, don't forget to call me if you need help."

"Gotcha." I turned around and was about to leave. "Oh, and...it's a deal." I paused for a moment before walking on.

000

After I got out of the bath, I took careful time to check where my burns had been. They were gone now. The healing effect of the nurses took a little bit with as bad as the injuries were. I dressed in my uniform. I was prepared for a late night. The strap of the sword on my back was securely in place in the front. I looked at myself in the mirror and sighed.

What the hell am I? An agent or a murderer?

I looked more like a murderer. I continued to strap my weapons in place. Then I pulled my hair back. I left through the window; scaling along the building until I came to the fire escape. As soon as I was on the ground, I ran down the dark alley. I had an hour to get there and an hour to prepare myself to ignore my heart and desire on this mission. I jumped up and caught the end of the ladder that went half-way up the brick wall that would have been a dead end. I climbed up and followed along the thin top of the wall. Then I latched onto a ledge and climbed up the other building until I was on the roof. My heart was already beating quickly with anticipation. I tried to force myself to become the cold and ruthless shell that I once was. I tried to force myself to become ensnared and trapped within my past. I ran to the edge of the roof and looked down at all of the people and cars far below me. I reached back and felt the rips in my uniform. They were designed for my wings, whenever I needed them. I rarely resorted to it. The only time that seemed remotely logical was at night and out of the sight of ningens. I closed my eyes and felt the relief of stretching them out. I looked back at them to see the translucent blue and black fairy-like wings. An unearthly, ethereal glow surrounded them. I jumped off the edge and glided along on the air. My feet touched down on the next roof. It went on like this until I was at the direct spot. I heard something and looked down to see a puddle of dark liquid beneath my boots.

Blood...

The scent of burning flesh nearly gagged me. I looked at the bodies. The uniforms... They were from Reikai. They were Reikai personnel.

"Guards that saw me on the way here." I stopped. My gaze rose to meet with startling crimson eyes. "They were easy prey." I said nothing but just stood there, a battle waging inside of me. Finally, the battle was over and I drew my weapon. Hiei stared at me with narrowed eyes. "Are you going to come at me? Foolish onna."

"What's stopping you?" He growled and drew his blade. He lunged at me and I pulled up my blade to block his attack. I began raining attacks on him but he blocked each one. The infamous fire koorime stood straight and closed his eyes. He was suddenly surrounded by black flames. I copied his pose and closed my eyes as well. I felt my power rush through me. My Reiki soared through the roof, pun not really intended. I felt a burning sensation on my forehead and knew that my mark had appeared again. I opened my eyes to see my blue aura combating his black one. Flames and water rained down, joining the puddle of blood on the ground. I licked my lips when water splashed on my face. My tongue then traced the fangs that had returned. My ears must have returned to being pointed. I was a water sprite but there was much more to us than the fairy tales reveal.

"Botan." Hiei was staring at me. His eyes drifted to the mark on my forehead. It was the symbol of Flaming Water. A tear-shaped blue water droplet set in the middle of black flames. I now knew what it meant.

"Hiei." His bandanna had burned away to reveal his Jagan eye. His cloak was also gone. I saw his black attire, the same as last time. Except he had the tattoo of a black dragon encircling his arm. I felt his power grow but I refused to back down. Suddenly, four familiar Reiki signatures enticed my senses. They belonged to Yuusuke, Kuwabara, Genkai, and Koenma. They had come up from the stairs. I did not even bother to tear my gaze from Hiei. Our Reiki was battling and we were going to begin our dance again. I smirked and lowered myself into my stance. My feet spread apart with one stretched out completely while the knee was bent on the other. I held my sword in one hand while the other traced the silver blade until it reached the end. "Come if you want death." He vanished and appeared before me. Soon, we were locked in a duel that even the gods would envy. My speed matched his and while we were fighting, our Reiki was as well.

"Botan..." Koenma's voice drifted to me but I was too far gone to even notice.

The only thing that I did notice was the metallic ring that our swords produced as we danced the deadly moves that we mastered over years of practice.

All I could see were the two flaming scarlet eyes that stared into my own amethyst ones.

All I could feel was the heat of the battle.

I was trapped.

000

This is all I have for now! Until chapter 5 - Trapped Part II! Please review!