Chapter Eight- Showdown
Kuwabara blinked at the colored lights surrounding the people below him. Wow, so those are the auras. Amazing, but why can only vampires sense them? I understand the sharp hearing, intense smell, and clear eyesight, but auras? He scanned around at the colors before a lone black one suddenly showed up across the road on a rooftop on his left. There's Hiei. He said that vampires have black auras and we're the only ones around. He watched the black aura draw closer and closer until it was beside him. "Hey, Hiei," he said calmly.
"Hn. So, how long have you been here?"
"Enough to use my senses and see auras. I do wonder why we see auras."
"An interesting question. I surmise it's in case we're somewhere that seems deserted. It probably aids our sharp hearing in case a prey is hiding where we can hear their heartbeat, but not their exact location."
"Right; makes perfect sense."
"I didn't see you in the park and you haven't been here long. Where did you hunt?"
"Near the river and the train tracks. I claimed a junior high jerk who was part of a gang that picked on me and my friends too often."
"You knew him."
"Not well, but yeah I did. I don't really care who I attack as long as I get blood."
"Exactly how I feel. You and I are complete dark vampires."
Hiei and Kuwabara had little contact with one another over the next several days. It was understandable: Vampires are generally loners and both were completely dark as neither cared who they attacked and Kuwabara no longer needed any education. He disposed of the other Kasanegafuchi students who irked him and each one gave him great satisfaction. Yes, their murders caught police and media attention, but both were baffled: Smudged fingerprints and no blood in their bodies.
But Yusuke, Kurama, and Shizuru knew and the latter was deeply concerned. Her brother would leave once night fell, come back before sunrise, sleep pretty much all day, and stopped going to school. She knew he killed those students, but there were murders in another part of town that bore the marks of a vampire attack. Those had to belong to the one who turned her baby brother.
The day after the news of yet another student murder, Shizuru called Yusuke. "Hey, Yusuke. I was wondering if you noticed my brother acting weird."
There was a pause and then, "You know he's a vampire, huh?"
"He told me several days ago as well as showed me. I'm worried about him. He sleeps almost all day, stays out all night, and is clearly attacking people."
"Yeah, Hiei's doing the same thing."
"Wait. Hiei's a vampire, too? He's the one who turned Kazuma?"
"Not intentionally, but yes. Kurama and I were told to stop Hiei, by any means necessary. The way things are looking, we'll probably have to kill him."
"Do what you have to. I'll talk to Kazuma and see if I can talk some sense into him."
"All right. Hope it goes well."
"Same to you." Shizuru hung up and headed for Kuwabara's room. He was still sleeping, but she knew he would soon awaken, anyway. She knocked. "Kazuma, can I come in?"
There was a pause, what sounded like grumbling, and then a yawn before hearing, "Yeah, come in." She entered to see Kuwabara sitting up in bed and wearing his sunglasses as usual. "We need to talk," she said calmly.
"Okay. What about?" He was calm too.
Maybe this won't be so bad. "It's your behavior the last several days."
"What of it? I'm a vampire and I'm doing what we do."
"Kazuma, this isn't you! You need to stop attacking people! Get your blood from the blood bank."
Kuwabara jumped off the bed and slid down his glasses to fix his sister with a menacing, dark, red-eyed stare. "You don't understand! I need to attack! You can't stop me from doing so!"
Actually, I can, she thought. I don't want to, but I may have to kill him. He's gone completely dark. She spied a knife on the bedside table and resolved to grab it and plunge it into her brother's heart. She took a seemingly calm deep breath before slowly moving toward her brother, her back facing the table. "You say I don't understand," she said calmly and soothingly. "What would you propose that would have me understand?"
"I can think of two ways. One, I can turn you so you can understand by experiencing it."
"That is certainly an option," she agreed, her back up against the table and her fingers searching for the weapon. She felt the sheath of the knife and gripped it tightly. "And the other?"
"I could just kill you."
Shizuru's fingers froze, but maintained their grip on the sheath. She paled at his casual response. "Kill me?" she whispered in fear. My God, my brother is really, truly dark! I have no choice. Kazuma, forgive me.
"Yeah, I could since you want me to stop attacking and I won't stop!"
Shizuru steeled herself before whipping the knife out of the sheath and swept it through the air, aiming for Kuwabara's heart. Kuwabara saw the flash of the knife and snagged Shizuru's wrist, stopping the attack cold. His glasses still down, he glared at her, his red eyes turning a darker shade and his mouth twisted in a snarl that revealed his fangs. "You were trying to kill me! Your own brother! I would never have believed it, but now? All right then: Prepare to die!"
Shizuru licked her lips. "Listen, Kazuma," she pleaded. "Given a choice, I would opt for number one. I'll let you turn me."
Kuwabara's eyes lightened and he gave her a suspicious look. "How do I know this isn't a trick? Prove you're serious about becoming a vampire."
"Yusuke and Kurama have been told to stop Hiei anyway they can. That includes killing him. I'm also concerned that they may decide to kill you too."
"What?" he hissed, his grip still tight on Shizuru's wrist. Hiei was right. They see him and possibly me as threats so they decided to kill us. Well, I'm going to kill them! He looked at Shizuru. "All right. I believe you." He grabbed the knife from her and tossed it on the bed before grabbing Shizuru and giving her a bite. He drank a little bit from her before pulling back and lying her unconscious form on the floor before dressing and leaving the house the now sheathed knife on hand.
He sped into the park first and started scanning auras. He picked up a black one and rushed toward it, ending up by a tree. He looked up to see Hiei sitting up and stretching before removing the glasses and looking down at Kuwabara. "You're agitated," he assessed. "What has happened?"
Kuwabara removed his glasses. "Urameshi and Kurama plan to stop you from attacking. They're prepared to do anything, including murder."
"Since I have no intention of stopping, they will turn to murder." Hiei jumped down. "So, I will kill them. Would you care to help?"
"Gladly. They may decide to kill me too. Plus, I haven't fed yet, so either one will do."
"Yes. I leave the detective to you. I'll take the fox."
"Agreed." Hiei left the park and Kuwabara followed. "We're going to confront them?"
"Not exactly. I'll lure them into an alley with you in the shadows. When you feel the time is right, attack. By the way, how did you find out about this?"
"My sister. They obviously spoke on the phone. She also wanted me to stop attacking. I told her she doesn't understand. I added that I could turn her so she'd understand or I could kill her."
"Since you said you haven't yet fed, you turned her."
"I did. She's probably already awake. I intend to teach her as you did with me." Kuwabara didn't add that Shizuru tried to attack him since she was now a vampire and would soon understand the thrill of attacking. Besides, Hiei didn't need to know all that.
Hiei nodded and they continued to the shopping district in silence. He had already decided that their showdown should be in the same alley where he turned Kuwabara. It seemed fitting: He tried to kill his fellow vampire and now he would kill Kurama while Kuwabara killed the detective.
Kuwabara has definitely changed from how he used to be. He used to be a clumsy stupid human who wouldn't dream of killing another human. Now he moves gracefully, thinks by impulse and thought, and enjoys being a dark vampire. It was lucky that I turned him instead of killing him. He's well-suited to being a vampire.
"Here's where we'll do our ambush," Hiei announced when they reached the alley. "Go ahead and hide while I lure our prey. It shouldn't take long." Hiei gave an evil grin which Kuwabara returned as the shorter vampire sped off.
Kuwabara smirked as he slipped into the shadows. His eyes landed on the spot where his life changed. Hmph, I was so…weak and pathetic. I love what I am now and I will kill anyone who intends to stop me- unless they wish to be turned, like Shizuru did. I can hardly wait to start teaching. She will listen to me for a change. He chuckled softly to himself at the thought.
The sound of rapid footsteps reached his ears, causing him to fall silent and back up even more. He saw Hiei enter wearing an expression of frustration. He hissed to him as he passed, "They're wearing silver crosses!" Seconds later, Yusuke and Kurama entered, both wearing a silver cross around their necks on a silver chain.
Hiei drifted to the dead-end and turned to face his ex- teammates. Kurama stepped forward. "Hiei, you need to stop attacking humans," he said reasonably. "There is a blood bank you can use."
"I don't intend to stop!" he hissed. "I loving draining humans!"
"But, it's wrong!" Yusuke protested.
"Wrong, detective. Draining humans is what vampires do. Kuwabara realizes that, why don't you?"
"Yeah, well. Hopefully, his sister will bring him around."
He thinks there's still some humanity left in Kuwabara. He's wrong: Kuwabara's a complete vampire. There is no humanity left in him. "Hn. Tell me, both of you: What would you think if I turned both of you? The four of us as a team of dark vampires with no one to order us around, free to do as we please. If you just take off those crosses, I'll turn you quickly and with as little pain as-,"
"No," Yusuke said. "You won't turn us and you don't intend to stop attacking, so we have no choice but to kill you."
Kuwabara stood in the darkness, examining the situation and the chains. Kurama was in front with Yusuke hanging back. The chains were fine, easily broken but he couldn't touch them without experiencing pain. I do have my knife. I can cut the chain and quite likely Urameshi's skin too. That's fine, I can suck his blood through the cut. He pulled out his knife, silently came up behind Yusuke, and slashed. The sharp, stainless steel blade cut through the chain effortlessly and, thanks to Kuwabara's enhanced strength, left a deep cut on the back of Yusuke's neck.
He dropped the knife, latched onto the cut, and started sucking, his fangs sinking in for additional attachment. He saw Kurama fall backwards, the chain gone, his throat cut, and Hiei drinking his blood. Eventually, both vampires pulled away, their victims dead.
Kuwabara licked his lips and then the blood off his blade before wiping it on Yusuke's shirt and sheathing it. "That was very satisfying."
"Indeed and thanks to you, we have a lair to live in without worry of being killed in our sleep."
"Then, let us return there." Hiei nodded and they left the scene of their latest murder.
