YU YU HAKUSHO: CLUB-S
Part Ten: Terrible Truths
.o.o.o.
It felt like falling. That was the sensation he felt the day she walked away… Perhaps it really was for the best… But that didn't make it any better for him and it killed him to think that after all the years they had been together, that it ended so quickly.
Too quickly for him… He'd made a promise once, when they were younger. Back then, he always thought they'd be together. But then it ended and reality set it. He'd become so accustomed to her being at his side that he wasn't sure what to do without her.
Of course, given his current situation, he had more important things to worry about at the moment. Not the least of which being the sadistic demoness that was torturing him. Or the fact that if he failed in this mission, then things would really get bad in all the three worlds.
Yet fate had brought him a revelation and the appearance of the strange masked woman before him was harbinger of a piece of information that would ultimately prove both vital and fatal at the same time.
.o.o.o.
"That man is the devil."
That was what she has told him and he could do little more then simply lay there and take in the new information. A single red eye looked down at him through the opening in the strange leather mask. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
"My sister doesn't know that I'm here." She told him as she held up one of her gloved hands and formed a glowing orb in her hand as she whispered something softly. "But I have to tell you the truth- there are things that you have to understand." She added as she released the floating point of light- letting it levitate upwards- and leaned forward to help him up into a sitting position.
Yusuke hissed as her hand touched a sore spot on his side as she moved him. She paused and noticed the marks and bruises on his back sides. "She hurt you? I'm sorry about that." She spoke as she looked into his eyes.
"W-why are you talking to me, let alone helping me?" He asked, his words coming forth amidst grunts of pain.
She joined him on the floor and rested her hands in her lap. "Because we're all victims of the same person." She began. "The man you know as 'Shiotori Matsui' is not who you think he is… he hides behind a mask of benevolence and humanitarianism… but that is just a deception."
Yusuke groaned, but maintained eye-contact with her. "I don't understand… what do you mean?" He asked while holding his side. "…Explain."
She nodded. "Everything about him is a lie- his entire life and career is built on lies and deception." She told him. "Matsui came to our world with an agenda- it was a plan that would change the way our world works… and it was something he could do effortlessly under the noses of the Three Lords."
"What?!" Yusuke exclaimed, but lowered his tone when she glared at him. "What do you mean, how could he manipulate Demon World without Mukuro and Yomi… or even Raizen from knowing?" He asked her.
"His ambitions were simple by comparison to what you must have come to expect…" Verina told him. "There were a lot of low-level demons all over the realm… and the local Regents were tired of the clan violence." She explained. "Matsui worked out a scheme with the local lords to put the lesser demons to use- in various ways."
.o.o.o.
"Explain to me again how we're going to just waltz into the makai and not get noticed?" Kuwabara asked in bewilderment as he stood next to a closed door with a sign that read 'Wardrobe' on it.
"It's all rather simple really," Botan's voice replied from behind the door while the sound of rustling fabric could be heard. "We're going undercover… in 'cognito' you might say." A chipper voice told the tall young man.
Kuwabara shook his head. "Yeah, but our power levels would set them off like the smell of old garbage." He replied. "Kurama is an A-Class demon and you said that Spirit Word lists me as on the same level as an A-Class too."
There were a few more muffled sounds and then a click from the other side, signaling that the door was unlocked. "We've got that covered." Came the answer as the door swung open and Botan appeared…
.o.o.o.
The word was close to escaping his lips as he listened to the demoness talking to him. The unspoken word sickened him as he thought about it and how it would change things. The sickening word…
"…Slavery." She told him in a chilling tone. "He found a use for all of them… all of us." She added as she looked at Yusuke
"The ones with some brains were used as bodyguards and some were sold into bondage… like us." She added darkly.
"What are you saying?" Yusuke asked. His voice radiating unease and panic in his mind as he sat there, battered and silent.
"Demons like us… when we're pretty and humanoid… there's only really one thing they want to use us for…" Verina told him. "My sister and I were sold as sex slaves to a local lord of this region." She told him.
"Oh god…" Yusuke thought as his stomach churned. Tears stung his eyes as he listened.
"We were young… I was barely a teen… when," She paused and reached up to her mask and began working with the snaps and buttons on it. "When that thing raped me… we were just objects to them…" She explained in a quavering tone of voice as she continued loosening the ties on her mask while he looked at her.
"We were used and tossed aside so often… like objects, but it was worse then that." She paused for a moment. "They did things to us to break our spirits and make sure that we never forgot that we were just objects for them do with as they pleased. We were beaten and scarred."
Yusuke gulped as he mulled over what she said. "Your sister's eye… your old owner did that to her?" He asked as his hands trembled uncontrollably.
She nodded. "A quick swipe of a sharp blade and her eye was destroyed… she was mutilated because she kept resisting." The demoness told him softly. "I'd been broken long before that…" She became quiet as she finished undoing the ties on her mask and reached up, gripping the sides of it.
Yusuke gasped as she peeled the mask off and looked down at him. A chill went down his spine as he looked at her. The left eye was a blank murky color and the skin around it was heavily scarred- rough, blistered flesh covered the face around her left eye and up her forehead and down her left cheek. The skin was scorched and scoured by lines of scar tissue across the damaged area. The rest of the face was fair with soft skin and her right eye was a brilliant blue color.
He looked at her in utter silence. He didn't feel disgust or revulsions, or pity. He felt a great sadness within as he looked up at her. "Why?" He asked.
She smiled bitterly, her good eye watering slightly as she started to speak. "Because you don't have to look at someone's face to be able to fuck them- they destroyed my face to make sure that I never forgot that I was just a piece of meat to them." She finished. She leaned down, towards him and brushed her lips against his.
He flinched at the contact and she looked at him. "Don't be scared- I won't hurt you… I just," She paused. "I just want to feel something… please?" She told him softly and brought her lips back to his.
This time, Yusuke didn't resist. He felt his muscles relax as they kissed- savoring the feeling of her soft lips against his. "You've been wounded too, I can feel it." She said in a soft tone. "But the pain doesn't have to be so bad…" She told him soothingly as she snaked an arm behind him and held him against her body.
His eyes were shut, but he found the words he was looking for. "I don't know what to do…" He said, trying to keep himself composed as he spoke. "…Everything you've told me- so much suffering… so much darkness." He mumbled. "Oh god… I'm scared." He told her.
Verina ran a hand down his back, trying to calm him. "I know it's hard for you to accept, but in the end- things will be better." She told him. "…Somehow, I won't let anything else happen to you." She told him comfortingly. "It'll be over soon and the pain can end then…"
He exhaled as he rested against, his head nestled on her shoulder. "I don't understand; why are you doing this for me- why are you helping me?" He asked in a strained tone.
She moved her hand across his back, feeling the wounds that the whip had inflicted on him. The streaks of seared skin contrasted with his normal flesh. She nodded, listening to his question. "Because, Yusuke," She paused. "When I suffer, it's not so bad when I have someone beside me… someone like you." She told him. She repositioned him so that their eyes met.
Yusuke leaned forward, straining to touch his lips to hers. She held him, accepting the gesture and parting her lips for him.
.o.o.o.
Matsui looked out onto spirit world from the balcony of the castle. "Of all the times, they picked this moment to come after me." He remarked. "Filthy animals! How can they understand the magnitude of what I'm trying to do?" He asked himself. He rubbed his temples with his hands and turned around to face back into his chambers.
"I've worked to hard to have everything fall apart- can't they see it?" He murmured as he walked back inside. He stood silently in the dark room, rigid and motionless. "No!" He screamed. "No matter what it takes, I will see this through- I'll make them all see that I'm the only one who can save this world from chaos while they clamor at the very gates, hungry for my blood." He rambled as he walked over to a large chair and plopped down into it.
There was a knock at the door. Slowly, he looked over and called out. The door swung open and an attendant walked into the room. "Sir, please excuse the intrusion, but I thought you would like to know that Toshiro is now in the Makai."
Matsui nodded, smiling as he looked into the darkness while the other apparition stood off to the side. "Excellent…" He spoke. "Soon, I'll be rid of these meddling little pests once and for all." He continued. "Once I'm rid of this 'Red Claw', then I can at last go forth and carry out the role that I was destined for." He finished, motioning to the attendant. "You may leave now- keep me informed of any new developments."
"Yes, of course my lord." He answered and bowed, before turning around and leaving the room, leaving Matsui alone once again.
.o.o.o.
Koenma looked at the information scrolling down the computer screen and occasionally made 'hmm' noise as he read over it. He clicked on the mouse button and made the display move downward, showing more information. The information referenced a wide range of topics, every once and a while, he perked up a bit at a certain bit of info.
"Come on…" He muttered softly, leering at the screen with squinted eyes. He then leaned back in his giant chair and crossed his arms. He was currently in his grown-up form; he'd been spending most of his time like that now…
"Why is it that there are so many secrets?" He asked to no one in particular. "So much at stake and I can't bring anything up on it…" He mused. He then reached over and pressed a button on the com-system. "Contact one of my researchers- tell him I need any information on a psychotropic drug called 'Eden'." He finished.
The voice on the other end replied in understanding and informed the young emperor that the subject would be looked into. Koenma nodded. "Right, let me know when you find out anything." He finished, and then turned the com-system back off and turned the large chair around so that it's back faced the door.
"Why now, of all times?" He mused. "Not only is the future successor to the head of the council in danger, but now I have to contend with St. John assassination and on top of that…" He paused, rubbing his temples. "My operatives can't do anything about this mystery drug that's trickling out onto the human market." He added. "A mess to be sure…"
.o.o.o.
Matsui stepped into the busy hall, straitening out his collar and stepped forward. He began moving, when there was a commotion and he heard someone call out something. He turned around in time to see a pale looking apparition with dark hair push his way past the others in the crowd. "Monster!" He cried out and pulled a knife out from his coat and advanced towards Matsui.
He stumbled back as the apparition advanced towards him, brandishing the blade in his hand. Suddenly, a spirit in a security uniform- a red one with white hair- grabbed his arm and pulled it back, trying to wrench the knife out of his hand. "Drop the fucking thing!" He called out to the attacker.
The assassin knocked him aside, only to have another person- this one was blue skinned and had green hair, and taller- grab onto him from behind. The attacker took a wild swipe at Matsui, but missed him due to the other spirit holding him back. Matsui swore as he staggered backwards from the struggle. "I have to make him pay for what he's done!"
The first uniformed agent got to his feet and rushed over to the attacker- who'd just thrown off the other one- and tackled him to the ground. "Oh no you don't!" He yelled at him. The dark-haired spirit struggled wildly and managed to partially shake the agent loose. But by this point the other had gotten to his feet and descended on him, holding him down along with the other.
"Quick, move in on him!"
A gray apparition with reddish-brown hair, dressed in a black uniform, appeared and called for others to help. He pulled out a heavy looking baton and kneeled down over him. He swiftly bashed the club across his head. "Damned animal!" He swore.
Matsui frantically stumbled backward and turned around to come fact-to-face with Koenma. He gasped in surprise and jumped back a bit. "My lord- I didn't see you coming." He added nervously.
Koenma didn't reply right away- instead, he looked over at the scene unfolding before him. "Oh don't mind me- I was just passing through…" He began. "Still, what was it that he called you?" He asked while not making eye contact. "That's right- he called you a 'monster'. I wonder why?" He added and then looked over at Matsui silently.
He straightened out his coat and glanced at Koenma. "Yes, it is strange, isn't it?" He asked. "But this sort of intrigue is to be expected as I am the target of a terrorist organization." He finished coolly.
Koenma looked back at the unconscious apparition under the restraint of numerous guards. He walked over to the attacker and kneeled down beside him and glanced down. He looked at the blade laying discarded on the ground and then back over his shoulder at Matsui. "Yes… I suppose so; we do live in uncertain time don't we…?" He added in a strange tone.
(- End of Part 10 -)
.o.o.o.
After a very long time, I finally got around to finishing this chapter. The delay is hard to explain- the thing was mostly finished, but I really didn't know how to end it. The way this chapter finished up wasn't the best in my opinion, but I just wanted to get it done and start on the next one.
-Bojack727