First off…Shin-san, the rock was shiny too. ^^ Rein, I'm sorry about all the work you've got piled on you…good luck with it all! And yes…err…crazy stalker of mine, I know who Ilpalazzo is…crazy overlord in Excel Saga! ^^;; And thanks to Lobo-chan, for the nifty poem! I love it! This is from Yuumei's POV to Aiko.
Daughter, daughter of mine
So dear.
You speak to your own,
But you don't know she is near.
She's sitting right in front of you.
As plain as day is clear
But currently, her friend's safety
is her biggest fear
She's on a quest
to stop the witch
Netami who's just
a big bitch
She stole something precious
And Kia wants it back.
And to get she will suffer
through many an attack.
I agree, Netami IS a big bitch. You'll see…thankfully, this chapter is the one I hate the most, so once I'm done, the dark stuff begins…
I feel so loved! More than 100 reviews and I'm only on chapter 9! I remember when I first wrote Densetsu no Kagami and I only wanted 50 reviews by chapter 12…unfortunately, I didn't get it, but still…I feel loveded. ^^;; Thanks, everyone.
Last chapter, Kia got kidnapped, met Touya, and managed to save both of their lives by teaching her captors the Time Warp! Now she and Kurama are still looking for the Mirror Half…but we'll get back to them. First…
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The white-haired man strode through the solemn hall, his boot heels clicking on the black marble and sending out a hollow echo that reverberated down the passageway. The only light was cast by the glowing golden orb grasped in his left hand.
The hall finally ended. The glow illuminated a black door, with rubies pressed into the stone surface and arranged in a complicated design. The man pressed his free hand against one of the larger blood-red stones and pushed. It clicked and the door silently swung open.
"Akumu?" Light fell into the gloomy room and a pale woman sat up in bed, clutching the cover to her throat. "Is that you?"
"Who else would dare enter your bedroom without knocking?" He smirked, walking over and sitting himself down on the bed, taking the blanket from her weak hold and letting it fall back to the bed. "You look much improved, my dear."
"You think so?" Despite her lethargic state, she was stunningly beautiful. Her long black hair fell past her waist (A/N: Yes, I know it reached her ankles in DnK, but she cut it since then) in a mass of perfumed ripples and pooled on the scarlet coverlet. There were no flaws or blemishes on her alabaster skin and her eyes were the exact hue of amethysts, and just as hard. She wore a short black negligee, the straps hanging on her bare arms. Long black nails drew attention to her slender white hands. Now she clenched those same hands, scowling. "Those brats…how could they do this to me?? Unleashing the full force of the Densetsu no Kagami…"
"It wasn't the full force." Akumu handed her the orb. "If it had been, I would have not been able to save you. But I did manage to bring you a present from the future, Netami."
The woman examined the golden sphere, eyes narrowing. "Akumu…this…this is the Mirror Half of Courage! How did you…"
"That is what I would like to know." Another woman glided into the room, garbed in a formal black gown and matching elbow-length gloves. She looked exactly like the other in bed, only about eighteen years younger."
"Milady." Akumu rose, one hand placed on his chest, and bowed deeply to her.
She nodded. "Akumu. I'm sure my older self knows about this, but I myself am curious as to how you achieved this. Understand, I am grateful that you saved her. I would hate to die so young and beautiful."
"As you wish." The man took his place back on the bed. "It was almost three years ago…when the two Mirror Holders attacked your older self. Engaged in other business, I nevertheless felt her distress and pain and quickly cast a spell. It wasn't almost strong enough, but it kept her alive and protected until I could reach her. Satsukiame and Kelsey believed her to be dead. I wanted them to. It would be easier to take the Mirror Halves from them if they didn't suspect anything. But Netami was still near death. I needed to give her energy…life.
"I sought out the guardian of her amulet, Khnum. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, he was gone. Someone else had gotten to it before I had. So I tried something else. I looked into the background of the girls' friends. One, Suzuki, had an interesting past. He had scorned a girl who had fled to some obscure place in Makai. I sent Chuuboku, one of Netami's servants, to her. He preyed off of her loneliness and despair and sent all of that negativity to Netami. She grew stronger. Now all she needed was the Mirror Halves. She came close, but the Mirror Holders thwarted her plans again."
The older Netami grimaced. "Brats…"
"So I ambushed them," Akumu continued. "I had the power capable of extracting the Halves. I tried for the Healing Half first, but the other girl took the hit. I grabbed the half and escaped, but Satsukiame followed me here and now seeks it. As you know, my power is limited."
Both women nodded. "You can only travel to past Makai, and can only go to events that you've been to before."
"Indeed. Therefore, I must watch my step. I could not correct my error in Ningenkai, and if that girl takes the Half here, she'll probably kill me. I shall be careful."
The future Netami shook her head. "My love, you can easily avoid mistakes. There is a way to get rid of the girl without touching her."
"Please enlighten me?" He glanced at her, bushy eyebrows raised.
"As you have told me, her mother is currently pregnant with her. If you kill Aiko, you kill the child, thus killing the Mirror Holder. We can take her Mirror Half without killing her directly, and not have to worry about Aiko's daughter in the future." She smiled at her younger self. "I would not wish those two on you. They cause a great deal of grievance."
"I'm sure," the other female said dryly. "So we attack the mother…brilliant. The grandmother will not be a problem. Shall we arrange to go, then?"
"Can you walk?" Akumu asked, turning to his bedridden lover. She nodded. "Good. We'll have some time to prepare…just in case…we will arrive in four days." He beckoned to the younger Netami. When she came, he pulled her close, kissing her passionately, and then doing the same to the paler one. "That girl won't stand a chance…the Densetsu no Kagami will soon be yours." (A/N: *resisting urge to kill him* Gah…-.-)
***Suzuki's House…somewhat***
"THERE!" Rei shouted, pointing to the blue-haired samurai now running across the street, ignoring the cars that desperately tried to avoid hitting him.
"Shit, that bastard can RUN!" Yusuke panted admiringly. "But we're going to get him!"
Rei, in an amazing burst of speed, hurtled across the road and threw herself at Shishiwakamaru. The two went down, the latter giving a pained gasp as all breath was knocked out of his lungs. "Tranq him, Urameshi! I can't hold him down forever!"
Yusuke quickly caught up, and jabbed the hypodermic needle into the samurai's arm. Shishiwakamaru gave a muffled groan, still feebly struggling until the drug took effect and he slumped down on the sidewalk.
"Whew…" The black-haired Tantei swiped a hand across his sweating brow. "I had no idea he could go so fast…he must've led us through the whole damn city!"
"It was good exercise!" The priestess said cheerfully, hauling the unconscious youkai over her shoulder. "Let's get him back before anyone sees us."
"Sees us?"
"A guy with a needle and some dude who looks dead. You tell me how suspicious that looks, okay?"
"Point taken. Let's go!" Yusuke took off at a run, with Rei easily keeping up, despite her burden of samurai and giant axe.
Meanwhile, in Suzuki's house, Kuwabara, Suzuki, and Chuu had trapped Rinku in the front closet.
"We're not going to let you out until you tell us!" Suzuki told the prisoner. "Where IS she??"
"I'm NOT telling!" The boy tearfully replied. "Leave me alone!"
"LISTEN, SHRIMP, YOU'D BETTER--"
"Shut up."
The three turned to see Hiei. The Jaganshi stood quietly, one bandaged hand placed nonchalantly on the hilt of his katana.
"He's not going to tell you. I'm not going to tell you. So you oafs wait and stop wasting your time." He turned and went back into the girls' room.
For a full two minutes, the mob stood there. Then Kuwabara reacted. "OAF?? ALRIGHT, SHORTY, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"
Kurama watched this, shaking his head. "I don't believe this…"
"She'd better come back soon before the house is destroyed," Touya remarked, only half-joking. Jin could only nod and attempt a small smile.
***Back to Kia and Youko Kurama…***
"I can sense it better now…" Kia lifted her head, blinking.
"How many days do we have left?" Kurama turned to her as they walked through an eerily quiet section of the forest.
"…About five…almost four." The girl sighed quietly. "I hope we can make it in time."
"And whatever happened to that 'I'm going to find that Half and kick ass of anyone in my way' attitude?" The Youko asked, smiling somewhat.
The Mirror Holder chuckled quietly. "I'm just a little worried, that's all. But Kelsey's depending on me, so I'll get it back."
"There we go." He placed a hand casually on her hooded head. "So can I seduce you AFTER you get it back?"
"Not a chance." Kia ducked from under his palm and walked ahead of him. After a long pause, she began to sing softly.
"I've walked this road so many times,
I'll walk it when I'm dead.
But as long as my friends need me,
I'll face what is ahead…" (A/N: Am making this up as I go along…o.o)
To her great surprise, another female voice began to harmonize with her on the next verse.
"The winds are harsh, the path is rough,
The skies cry out in pain.
Although things may well soon get tough,
I'll find my way again…"
Kia stopped singing, listening intently. She could hear nothing. The voice had gone. "…What?"
"Odd things happen in this part of the forest," Kurama commented, not seeming surprised at all. "No doubt one of the spirits of the departed wanted to sing with you."
The brunette blinked, then smiled, curtseying to the air. "Whoever you are, you have a nice singing voice. Thank you for harmonizing with me."
She received no reply, but didn't really expect one. Feeling considerably happier, she and her Youko companion continued on.
Kelsey…while Kia was silent, her mind continued to speak.
I promised I'd get it back…I'm going to.
I swear on my life, I'll return your Mirror Half to you…
*OOC*
Well, I don't like Netami. Nope. Three days til my birthday! *dances* Anyway…please review! NEXT chapter!
* Kia's chasing dinner…but this dinner is smarter than she realizes and soon she's trapped in quicksand! Ugh…
* To make matters worse, guess what? It's that time of month again…thanks to Celebrindae, for helping me come up with another idea to make the Mirror Holder even more miserable…
* To make matters even WORSE, Youko Kurama finally tries to seduce Kia! Behold her righteous wrath and pray for him…
A warning…right after chapter 11, things are going to start getting really dark, reaching a climax by the end of chapter 15! You have been warned.
Daughter, daughter of mine
So dear.
You speak to your own,
But you don't know she is near.
She's sitting right in front of you.
As plain as day is clear
But currently, her friend's safety
is her biggest fear
She's on a quest
to stop the witch
Netami who's just
a big bitch
She stole something precious
And Kia wants it back.
And to get she will suffer
through many an attack.
I agree, Netami IS a big bitch. You'll see…thankfully, this chapter is the one I hate the most, so once I'm done, the dark stuff begins…
I feel so loved! More than 100 reviews and I'm only on chapter 9! I remember when I first wrote Densetsu no Kagami and I only wanted 50 reviews by chapter 12…unfortunately, I didn't get it, but still…I feel loveded. ^^;; Thanks, everyone.
Last chapter, Kia got kidnapped, met Touya, and managed to save both of their lives by teaching her captors the Time Warp! Now she and Kurama are still looking for the Mirror Half…but we'll get back to them. First…
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The white-haired man strode through the solemn hall, his boot heels clicking on the black marble and sending out a hollow echo that reverberated down the passageway. The only light was cast by the glowing golden orb grasped in his left hand.
The hall finally ended. The glow illuminated a black door, with rubies pressed into the stone surface and arranged in a complicated design. The man pressed his free hand against one of the larger blood-red stones and pushed. It clicked and the door silently swung open.
"Akumu?" Light fell into the gloomy room and a pale woman sat up in bed, clutching the cover to her throat. "Is that you?"
"Who else would dare enter your bedroom without knocking?" He smirked, walking over and sitting himself down on the bed, taking the blanket from her weak hold and letting it fall back to the bed. "You look much improved, my dear."
"You think so?" Despite her lethargic state, she was stunningly beautiful. Her long black hair fell past her waist (A/N: Yes, I know it reached her ankles in DnK, but she cut it since then) in a mass of perfumed ripples and pooled on the scarlet coverlet. There were no flaws or blemishes on her alabaster skin and her eyes were the exact hue of amethysts, and just as hard. She wore a short black negligee, the straps hanging on her bare arms. Long black nails drew attention to her slender white hands. Now she clenched those same hands, scowling. "Those brats…how could they do this to me?? Unleashing the full force of the Densetsu no Kagami…"
"It wasn't the full force." Akumu handed her the orb. "If it had been, I would have not been able to save you. But I did manage to bring you a present from the future, Netami."
The woman examined the golden sphere, eyes narrowing. "Akumu…this…this is the Mirror Half of Courage! How did you…"
"That is what I would like to know." Another woman glided into the room, garbed in a formal black gown and matching elbow-length gloves. She looked exactly like the other in bed, only about eighteen years younger."
"Milady." Akumu rose, one hand placed on his chest, and bowed deeply to her.
She nodded. "Akumu. I'm sure my older self knows about this, but I myself am curious as to how you achieved this. Understand, I am grateful that you saved her. I would hate to die so young and beautiful."
"As you wish." The man took his place back on the bed. "It was almost three years ago…when the two Mirror Holders attacked your older self. Engaged in other business, I nevertheless felt her distress and pain and quickly cast a spell. It wasn't almost strong enough, but it kept her alive and protected until I could reach her. Satsukiame and Kelsey believed her to be dead. I wanted them to. It would be easier to take the Mirror Halves from them if they didn't suspect anything. But Netami was still near death. I needed to give her energy…life.
"I sought out the guardian of her amulet, Khnum. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, he was gone. Someone else had gotten to it before I had. So I tried something else. I looked into the background of the girls' friends. One, Suzuki, had an interesting past. He had scorned a girl who had fled to some obscure place in Makai. I sent Chuuboku, one of Netami's servants, to her. He preyed off of her loneliness and despair and sent all of that negativity to Netami. She grew stronger. Now all she needed was the Mirror Halves. She came close, but the Mirror Holders thwarted her plans again."
The older Netami grimaced. "Brats…"
"So I ambushed them," Akumu continued. "I had the power capable of extracting the Halves. I tried for the Healing Half first, but the other girl took the hit. I grabbed the half and escaped, but Satsukiame followed me here and now seeks it. As you know, my power is limited."
Both women nodded. "You can only travel to past Makai, and can only go to events that you've been to before."
"Indeed. Therefore, I must watch my step. I could not correct my error in Ningenkai, and if that girl takes the Half here, she'll probably kill me. I shall be careful."
The future Netami shook her head. "My love, you can easily avoid mistakes. There is a way to get rid of the girl without touching her."
"Please enlighten me?" He glanced at her, bushy eyebrows raised.
"As you have told me, her mother is currently pregnant with her. If you kill Aiko, you kill the child, thus killing the Mirror Holder. We can take her Mirror Half without killing her directly, and not have to worry about Aiko's daughter in the future." She smiled at her younger self. "I would not wish those two on you. They cause a great deal of grievance."
"I'm sure," the other female said dryly. "So we attack the mother…brilliant. The grandmother will not be a problem. Shall we arrange to go, then?"
"Can you walk?" Akumu asked, turning to his bedridden lover. She nodded. "Good. We'll have some time to prepare…just in case…we will arrive in four days." He beckoned to the younger Netami. When she came, he pulled her close, kissing her passionately, and then doing the same to the paler one. "That girl won't stand a chance…the Densetsu no Kagami will soon be yours." (A/N: *resisting urge to kill him* Gah…-.-)
***Suzuki's House…somewhat***
"THERE!" Rei shouted, pointing to the blue-haired samurai now running across the street, ignoring the cars that desperately tried to avoid hitting him.
"Shit, that bastard can RUN!" Yusuke panted admiringly. "But we're going to get him!"
Rei, in an amazing burst of speed, hurtled across the road and threw herself at Shishiwakamaru. The two went down, the latter giving a pained gasp as all breath was knocked out of his lungs. "Tranq him, Urameshi! I can't hold him down forever!"
Yusuke quickly caught up, and jabbed the hypodermic needle into the samurai's arm. Shishiwakamaru gave a muffled groan, still feebly struggling until the drug took effect and he slumped down on the sidewalk.
"Whew…" The black-haired Tantei swiped a hand across his sweating brow. "I had no idea he could go so fast…he must've led us through the whole damn city!"
"It was good exercise!" The priestess said cheerfully, hauling the unconscious youkai over her shoulder. "Let's get him back before anyone sees us."
"Sees us?"
"A guy with a needle and some dude who looks dead. You tell me how suspicious that looks, okay?"
"Point taken. Let's go!" Yusuke took off at a run, with Rei easily keeping up, despite her burden of samurai and giant axe.
Meanwhile, in Suzuki's house, Kuwabara, Suzuki, and Chuu had trapped Rinku in the front closet.
"We're not going to let you out until you tell us!" Suzuki told the prisoner. "Where IS she??"
"I'm NOT telling!" The boy tearfully replied. "Leave me alone!"
"LISTEN, SHRIMP, YOU'D BETTER--"
"Shut up."
The three turned to see Hiei. The Jaganshi stood quietly, one bandaged hand placed nonchalantly on the hilt of his katana.
"He's not going to tell you. I'm not going to tell you. So you oafs wait and stop wasting your time." He turned and went back into the girls' room.
For a full two minutes, the mob stood there. Then Kuwabara reacted. "OAF?? ALRIGHT, SHORTY, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"
Kurama watched this, shaking his head. "I don't believe this…"
"She'd better come back soon before the house is destroyed," Touya remarked, only half-joking. Jin could only nod and attempt a small smile.
***Back to Kia and Youko Kurama…***
"I can sense it better now…" Kia lifted her head, blinking.
"How many days do we have left?" Kurama turned to her as they walked through an eerily quiet section of the forest.
"…About five…almost four." The girl sighed quietly. "I hope we can make it in time."
"And whatever happened to that 'I'm going to find that Half and kick ass of anyone in my way' attitude?" The Youko asked, smiling somewhat.
The Mirror Holder chuckled quietly. "I'm just a little worried, that's all. But Kelsey's depending on me, so I'll get it back."
"There we go." He placed a hand casually on her hooded head. "So can I seduce you AFTER you get it back?"
"Not a chance." Kia ducked from under his palm and walked ahead of him. After a long pause, she began to sing softly.
"I've walked this road so many times,
I'll walk it when I'm dead.
But as long as my friends need me,
I'll face what is ahead…" (A/N: Am making this up as I go along…o.o)
To her great surprise, another female voice began to harmonize with her on the next verse.
"The winds are harsh, the path is rough,
The skies cry out in pain.
Although things may well soon get tough,
I'll find my way again…"
Kia stopped singing, listening intently. She could hear nothing. The voice had gone. "…What?"
"Odd things happen in this part of the forest," Kurama commented, not seeming surprised at all. "No doubt one of the spirits of the departed wanted to sing with you."
The brunette blinked, then smiled, curtseying to the air. "Whoever you are, you have a nice singing voice. Thank you for harmonizing with me."
She received no reply, but didn't really expect one. Feeling considerably happier, she and her Youko companion continued on.
Kelsey…while Kia was silent, her mind continued to speak.
I promised I'd get it back…I'm going to.
I swear on my life, I'll return your Mirror Half to you…
*OOC*
Well, I don't like Netami. Nope. Three days til my birthday! *dances* Anyway…please review! NEXT chapter!
* Kia's chasing dinner…but this dinner is smarter than she realizes and soon she's trapped in quicksand! Ugh…
* To make matters worse, guess what? It's that time of month again…thanks to Celebrindae, for helping me come up with another idea to make the Mirror Holder even more miserable…
* To make matters even WORSE, Youko Kurama finally tries to seduce Kia! Behold her righteous wrath and pray for him…
A warning…right after chapter 11, things are going to start getting really dark, reaching a climax by the end of chapter 15! You have been warned.