Learning to Live Again
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, universe, or any of that.
Notes: Possibly some pairings later on. Also, there are additions of characters of my own creation; I do own those. :) Comments, reviews, suggestions, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged! :)
Thanks and enjoy...
Chapter Ten: Reliving Death
Kurama bared his teeth, "I swear, Koenma, if Yusuke's merely sleeping, I may be forced to teach you the difference." Anger rolled off his body as he stalked back inside and towards Yusuke's room.
Koenma turned to Aurora, "You aren't going to follow him?"
She scoffed, "Get out of my sight before I force you to, princeling." And with that, she swept away, too. Koenma was left standing in the middle of the empty (except for a dead demon) patch of dirt, a look disbelief painted on his face.
"Demons are unbelievable!"
Kurama moved through the halls quickly until he came to the young toushin lord's room. "Yusuke?" he called at the door with a knock. There was no response, so he let himself in. "Yusuke," he said as he approached the bed. It looked as though he was only sleeping, but then-
"No, Detective!" Yusuke cried. Kurama raised a brow.
The fox knelt beside the bed and touched the boy's face. "Yusuke..." The dark-haired boy flinched away from his touch but did not wake. "What is going on?" Yusuke was trembling and pale. His face was too-warm and coated in a sheen of sweat.
"Urameshi!" Yusuke exclaimed again. "Get out of the way!" He was panting now.
That sentence sparked a memory within Kurama. The day Yusuke died...
:-:-:-:-:
This damned demon has us trapped. It's some sort of multi-dimensional creature. If I wasn't completely sure it would do no good, I'd have called my dragon by now to get us out. Yusuke is down there, fighting. We should be there with him. Kurama is looking more nervous than I've ever seen him... "Detective..." I hiss under my breath. We need to get out of here. "Lover-boy," I call to Itsuki as I turn around. "Let us out of here, and you'll keep the ability to breed."
He laughs. I knew he wouldn't listen, but it was worth a chance. I turn my eyes back to Yusuke. Sensui has sprouted a gun for a hand... And he's letting Yusuke have it. The detective's screams of pain are getting even to me. The fool is over there crying in the corner, trying to get his sword to work. I almost roll my eyes. We're completely fucked if we have to rely on that idiot...
I think this may very well be the end... Yusuke is a human, and as such, he cannot take many more bullet wounds. Do something! And, just when I'm sure there is no hope, who decides to grace us with his presence? That damned Prince. And here I was thinking this day couldn't possibly go any further downhill. Damn.
There's nothing else for it. If Kuwabara can't his sword to work in a matter of the next few minutes, I'm releasing the Dragon. I'll be damned if I let these creeps get away with this unscathed. I do not even care if the Dragon kills us, which is quite plausible at this range. It would be worth it if we took this Itsuki bastard with us. I turn my attention grudgingly back to the fight.
I know what Yusuke is planning now... He's going to allow himself be killed. No, goddammit, Yusuke. I will not have you die this day. You are still needed. You are still a part of this team. You are still my... my friend. "Come on, you fool. Get us out of here," I mutter to Kuwabara. He's trying, it seems, but he isn't doing it fast enough. I hate being unable to change anything.
There! Finally! Kuwabara raises that sword we've all been waiting for. Ituski is yelling something, "I've done all I can! Finish him, Sensui!" Kuwabara swings. It works, and we fall from that damned beast. However... we're too late... Yusuke isn't going to move in time to miss that attack. Sensui is going to... "No, Detective!" He looks over at us. There is grim acceptance in his eyes.
"Urameshi! Get out of the way!" Yusuke's mouth tilts up into that grin, the grin that only he has, just as Sensui gets to him. I know plenty about mortal wounds to know one what I see it. Sensui has pierced at his heart, effectively ceasing its beating; ceasing his life...
No... You fool! I knew we would never make it to him in time. He had meant for this to happen for some time now. He had meant to give his life for this, for us. I can only hope we're strong enough to make any difference. I am fairly sure his death is be a complete waste...
When we hit the ground, Kuwabara stumbles toward the detective. "He can't... He can't..."
"Trial of humanity; defense rests." His very voice makes me want to gouge his heart out. Slowly. How dare he speak of Yusuke that way?
"Come on, stop clowning around," Kuwabara says as he forces a laugh, "prankster. I get it; it's payback for me tricking you with Toguro. Good one." He kneels beside Yusuke. "Too bad I'm not as gullible as you, big lame-o." He starts to shake the detective. I haven't the faintest idea as to what he is trying to accomplish with this; the dead do not respond. "I mean, I'll just cover up your mouth and nose. You can't complain, right? I mean, dead guys don't gotta breath." There is, obviously, no reply nor reaction from Yusuke. "Look! You're plan to motivate us worked. I broke us out. Now, let's beat Sensui together and go home. Come on, I'm not dumb." You're certainly acting like it right now... "See, you can't hide your heartbea-... Urameshi..." Ah, and finally, he gets it. Gods, he is an idiot. He apparently has a large amount of spiritual awareness. Even a fool such as him should have been able to feel the total absence of what was Yusuke Urameshi...
I'm not sure which emotion is consuming me more completely; anger or grief. I have never felt anything close to what I'm feeling in this moment. All I can do is bow my head beside my two comrades in a short moment of silence for our fallen leader. Sensui dares speak of his death, as though he could give a fuck less. My blood is boiling, and yet, my heart is breaking. I never thought I would be able to even think those words, but it's the truth. Yusuke was... my friend. But more than that, he, in our short time together, gained my trust and my respect. I could count on one hand those who have earned that and still have fingers to spare. How can I not mourn the loss of something so significant?
I can hear Kurama's agonized thoughts trembling through our bond. Hiei, he's... Yusuke is... No... I know already. He is dead, yes... I swallow with some difficulty around the knot that is tightening in my throat. I realize I'm not too far from allowing a few tears to fall in honor of my favorite Spirit Detective, my friend. This realization is what spurs me into action. Sensui will pay for what he's done. I find my feet and rush him. Raising my arm, I cry out, "Here's a one-way ticket for you straight to Hell, you BASTARD!"
:-:-:-:-:
"Here's a one-way ticket for you straight to Hell, you BASTARD!" Yusuke screamed, body tense, arms thrown to the sides. His energy was threatening to break free from him.
"Oh, for the love of..." Kurama knew suddenly what was wrong with Yusuke. He stalked to the hall, where Aurora was leaning patiently against the opposite wall. "Go get Hiei. Wake him, no matter what you have to do to accomplish it."
She nodded, shrugged off the wall and swept down the hallway towards the fire demon's room. Kurama turned back to the boy. Frowning, he filled a bowl with water from the adjacent bathroom and grabbed a few wash cloths. Carefully, he wiped the sweat from the other's brow and hoped the cool towels would help lower the fever.
While Kurama tended to their lord, Aurora stepped into Hiei's room, not bothering to knock. "Jaganshi?" she called from the door-way. There was no response. She sighed, "Hiei?" Her eyes swept the room carefully before they fell on a sleeping figure dressed in black clothing balled up on the bed. Moving to his side, she murmured, "Wake up. You're harming your young link-partner." Hiei's form shifted, but he didn't wake. "Wake up, Jaganshi," she repeated sharply.
He jerked away from her voice, and his eyes snapped open. "What the hell do you want?"
She smirked faintly, "You're memories are harming the young lord. He is clearly new to his link and is unaware of how to block your emotions yet. You're hurting him."
"Fuck," he muttered, jumping from the bed.
"He's in his bed," she told him as she watched him move briskly from the room.
Hiei blurred to Yusuke's room. "Kurama, what's wrong with him?" Hiei asked as he slipped into the room.
The youko rounded on him immediately, "Tell me, Hiei, did you not think it was necessary to explain to him what might happen if you became overwhelmed in your memories? Did you not think it was necessary to teach him how to protect himself from being lost within them, as well?" The fox was seething. Hiei doubted he could remember a time when he'd seen the fox this angry with him.
"Hn," Hiei stepped beside the troubling from of the ex-detective. "Hold his arms, Kurama." As the angry kitsune came to do as he was told, Hiei removed the ward from his Jagan. Opening his third eye, he plunged into Yusuke's mind to find him.
:-:-:-:-:
The dragon burst forth from me. I'll kill you, Sensui, I thought. Yusuke is dead... I'd done nothing to help him. I couldn't save him. I- "Detective!" -something. Damn, these human feelings. Damn Yusuke for causing me to fell them. Damn- "Detective!" -not being strong enough.
Sensui is evading my dragon, but I won't going to give up so easily. I can feel Kurama change forms behind me and take up the chase- "Yusuke!" The orange-haired idiot stands still for a few more seconds before he, too, starts to run- "Yusuke, snap out of it! Push these memories away from you!"
"I... I can't... They're everywhere, Hiei."
We burst through the hole towards Demon World. I try to steer my thoughts away from Yusuke and onto this fight. Now is not- "Yes, you can! Wake up! Open your eyes!"
:-:-:-:-:
Yusuke cried out and gasped for air, like someone surfacing from water after nearly drowning. "What the..." he rasped, "hell just happened?"
"Hiei," Kurama shot the fire demon a sharp look, which he pointedly ignored, "failed to mention a slightly significant detail of your shared link. While both you and he are asleep, your minds will open more thoroughly to one another. You haven't been linked long enough to have figured out how to subconsciously block these memories and thus, you became lost within it. Hiei had to bring you out of it with the Jagan," Kurama tone still carried an edge of irritation. He continued to wipe Yusuke's forehead with a damp cloth. "While we're on the subject, that particular memory was of the day Sensui killed you, wasn't it?"
Yusuke nodded, closing his eyes while he tried to catch his breath. He was still reeling from reliving that memory. He had wanted to see it, but it was so... overwhelmingly emotion-filled he was shocked. "Will that happen all the time?" he asked breathlessly.
"No," Hiei replied. "I'll be sure that it doesn't. When there is not so much going on, I'll teach you how to block it the same way I taught Kurama."
Yusuke nodded, eyes still shut. "Let's let him sleep, Hiei," Kurama murmured, following that statement with a meaningful look.
"Hn," and the two friends walked from the room.
Kurama gazed at Hiei. The previous anger he had felt had been completely consumed by a nagging curiosity. "Why that particular memory, Hiei?"
"I was hoping you wouldn't ask me that yet, but I suppose there isn't any point in denying it further." Kurama waited patiently. "The Jagan..." He turned to face Kurama. "It can sometimes predict future events, as you know."
The puzzle pieces were coming together in Kurama's mind, but he did not like the picture they were forming. "And I'm going to assume that prediction had something to do with that particular memory." The fire demon nodded slowly. "And so Yusuke will..." Kurama trailed off, inwardly alarmed.
"Yes."
Kurama closed his eyes for a moment. "Well, Hiei, you know what we must do then."
"Assure that does not happen."
"Precisely."
As the two continued their walk down the hall, they missed the golden eyes that glinted in the shadows. So Hiei's Jagan is foretelling the boy's death in the near future... Interesting...