Damn, am I slow or what? Family issues, end of discussion. D;
Well… I do believe that was the longest blank yet. Again, family was involved, and a major wall known as writer's block. But the family is getting better (in a sense)… Not so much the writer's block. -smacks random table with paper fan- Open now for suggestions! Fill in your ballets and send it off with your review!
Everyone, you'd better thank CrystalTwilight and Yoko-cw for this chapter. If not for their latest kick in the ass to me, this wouldn't be out for a lot longer.
Oh, my, we're almost in the double digits, chapter-wise!
Warning: I'm not entirely savvy on pistol parts, so if there is an error and you notice, please tell me and I shall fix it. Thank you.
Anyway, read, review, don't kill me, and enjoy.
Slave or Save?
Chapter IX – Confrontation!
Yusuke peeked around the corner once more, before motioning to the others. The coast was clear. They tip-toed up the stairs as quietly as they could for them. It was fairly quiet, but Yusuke and Shiori weren't too surprised. Karasu liked things to be hush-hush for the most part.
Once they reached the top, Yusuke looked around again. All was clear. They headed down the hall, thankful for the carpet blanketing the floor. It muffled even Kuwabara's clumsy steps. Only problem was, it did the same for anyone around the corner…
"Who the heck are you guys?!" a young man practically shrieked, pointing at them with a shaking finger. Yusuke rolled his eyes.
"That's none of—" he began, but was cut off by Shiori.
"Julian?" she asked, surprised and shocked.
The boy blinked at her for a moment, and then recognition dawned on his features. "Shiori?!" He seemed as shocked as she had been. He looked around quickly before running towards them, almost tripping over his own feet. When he reached them, Ayaka had to jump out of the way for fear of being shoved down. Julian grasped her hands the elder woman's hands, "What are you doing back here?!" he said, looking to be a mix of happy and afraid at the same time.
"I'm here for my son, of course! I told you about him." She clutched to his hands as well, "Have you seen him? Is he alright?"
"Kurama, you mean?" he asked. She nodded, causing him to let a nervous smile out. "Yes, yes, I've seen him! He's so nice, too! Oh… well, last I saw him he was alright. That was this morning, though. He was being summoned by Lord Karasu." He looked at her with teary eyes, about ready to weep. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't do anything! Forgive me, Shiori!" he bawled.
Yusuke and Kuwabara shared a look of disgust; what a baby! But, Shiori knew him, and seemed to like him, so he couldn't be all bad. But jeez… wussy-much. "Sorry to break this up, Jewels, but do you know where Kurama is now?"
Julian looked miffed at the name, but just sniffled and wiped his eyes, too timid to retort. "W-well… he might be heading to his room. He usually stays there or in the gardens during the day."
"Fantastic! Julian, please take us to him!" Ayaka cried, clutching to his leg with tears of her own. Julian's tears came up again, and he kneeled down to hug her.
"Of course I will, young lady!"
"Oh brother," Yusuke and Kuwabara muttered simultaneously.
"Jingle bells, Jingle bells… uhm… I don't know this song!" – my little cousin
Smelling the aromas of chicken and other fine dishes, Hiei walked slowly towards the swinging galley doors. He crouched low, pushing the door open a little ways and peeking inside.
Surprisingly, there were only two people in the room. One was—which is not surprising, because they work in there—a chef of the household. The second, however, had Hiei leaning closer against the wall. Karasu.
As quietly as possible, Hiei pushed open the swinging door and slid into the room, holding the frame and door so it shut quietly behind him. He crawled over to a place that was concealed by anyone who would either walk into the room or who was where Karasu and the chef were now.
Without a flinch, the chef ladled some of the soup he was making and handed it to his owner. Karasu tasted it, but for awhile made no comment. He finally just smacked the young man over the head with the spoon.
"Unsatisfactory." He plopped the spoon back into the concoction. "Make it again, right this time." He then left.
Glaring at his master's back until gone, the young chef sighed irritably. "Bastard," he hissed.
Suddenly, he felt something cool touch the back of his blond-haired head. Instantly, he stilled, knowing exactly what it was.
"Move, or make any noise for help, and you die," Hiei said coldly, holding the pistol tightly in his hand. "Understood?"
"Yes, Sir." Hiei removed the pistol from his head, but still held it well in range to shoot him. Turning his head slightly, the chef's eye's widened a bit. "Lord Hiei? Why are you here?" he asked quietly.
"That is none of your business," he growled. Holding up the weapon a little higher, the lord gestured to the galley door with it. "You're going to lead me out of here. If anyone asks, you're taking me to Karasu for a meeting. Got it?" He nodded. "Then get going."
"Oh-kay… this is the part where we run like chicken shits. Riiight… NOW!!"
Julian led the group quickly through the halls of the mansion. For a sissy, Yusuke and Kuwabara both thought, he's pretty quick (but then, if you're a sissy, you'd need to be, so you can run away). They quickly came up to the floor where Kurama's room supposedly was with, thankfully, no more run-ins with any of Karasu's slaves or guards.
"Here's his room," Julian said suddenly, stopping in front of a very average door. Yusuke found himself slightly shocked. But whatever.
Julian knocked on the door. There was a pause, before a muffled voice called 'come in'. The sissy-boy opened the door.
The inside of the room was also rather plain, for a nobleman's standards, but for a slave, it was lavish. The furniture was all wood, and it included dressers, a vanity, a desk, and a four-poster bed. On said bed was a pair of legs hanging over the edge.
Yusuke walked around the other side of the bed to see Kurama lying on his back on the floor, his upper legs resting against the side of the bed, lower legs on top (the part they had seen). His eyes were closed, so he couldn't see the young man standing near him.
Shiori followed Yusuke over, and gasped. "Shuichi, what happened to your face?!"
The redhead's eyes snapped open at her voice, and he turned toward them. "Mother? Yusuke? What are you doing here?!"
Yusuke, also wide-eyed at his wound, pointed at Shiori. "She asked first," he said lamely.
"Kurama!" Ayaka squealed happily, running to his side and hugging him. She looked up at his face as well. "Ow! What happened to you?"
"Its nothing," he said quickly, standing with Ayaka in his arms. "Why are you here?" he asked again, looking at them all anxiously.
"We're your escorts outta this Hell hole," Kuwabara said, puffing his chest out as if he had just done something commendable. "So get yer stuff and let's go!"
"I cannot," he replied, shaking his head. "Karasu will—"
"Karasu-shmarasu. Hiei's got him taken care of. Or, he will, anyway." Yusuke scratched the back of his head and shrugged. "No gunfire yet, so it must not be too bad."
Suddenly, a loud bang was heard from the other side of the mansion. Yusuke sighed. "Guess I spoke too soon, huh?"
He was speaking to an empty room, though. Turning, he saw the door was ajar. "Hey!! Wait for me, damn it!"
"But why's the rum gone?" – Jack Sparrow
Shoving the blonde-haired boy behind him, Hiei suddenly fired his pistol at seemingly nothing. But then the boy saw his master further down the hall. His eyes widened. Where did he come from?! The hall was completely empty…
"Ahh, Hiei. I was wondering when you would show yourself." Karasu chuckled darkly, sliding a foot behind him. "And taking a hostage as well? My, how low you've sunken."
"Be quiet," Hiei growled, aiming the gun at the crow-like man's head. "I'm here to take back what is mine, and to kill you once and for all. Stand aside now and I may spare your life… for awhile longer."
"Mm. I think not." The boy's eyes grew again; he knew what was coming next.
"Move!" he shouted. Shoving the smaller man out of harms way, the wall to their left suddenly exploded, throwing them both off of their feet. Gasping in pain as he landed, the blonde clutched his now bleeding arm. He glanced in Hiei's general direction, looking for any sign of the lord. "Hiei, Sir?" he asked.
A clang! sounded, and he turned to look where the noise had come from. Another clang and sparks were thrown. The dust cleared, and he could see his master fighting with the small man, Hiei's gun now in his hand, while Hiei himself now had his katana.
"So slow, Hiei," Karasu scolded, pushing down harder with the pistol in his possession. "I expected better of you."
Grunting, Hiei slashed away from the hold, swinging again at his enemy's unguarded middle. Another small explosion flung him away, but he landed on his feet this time. How is he making these damned explosions?! Hiei mentally raged.
A laugh drew his attention to his back, but before he could turn, he was being held in a chokehold.
"I am very well versed in the art of making bombs, little one," Karasu chortled, holding tighter to Hiei's neck. "Hmm, death by asphyxiation. Not quite the way I wanted to kill you, but—" he was interrupted by a rock from the debris hitting his head. "—AUGH!" Releasing Hiei, he clutched his head.
Falling, Hiei landed hard on the debris strewn carpet, holding his neck and wheezing.
"Edward—" Karasu began, turning toward the blonde boy sitting on the floor. Behind him was the offender who had thrown the rock at him. "You!"
"Heh, long time no see, freak," Yusuke laughed, juggling another chunk of wall in his hands.
Hiei looked up from the floor, his eyes narrowed. Damn Yusuke, just when he was about to—
The red eyes immediately widened at the sight of the redhead, as did Kurama's. Hiei's because it had been awhile since they had seen each other, and, he would admit it now, to himself, that he had missed the redhead, and also because of the scratches on his… love's face. (Hiei thought it odd that he would think of Kurama this way, but he excused it for the 'heat of the moment'.)
Kurama was struck dumb for the same reasons as Hiei; he had dearly missed the little man—and he had no shame or qualms of admitting it, to himself or aloud—and also because of the numerous marks already marring his body from the small bombs.
"Edward!" Julian cried, rushing to now-known-as-Edward's side. The blonde boy smiled up at the brunette, sighing in relief that he was alright. Julian let more tears fall from his bright green eyes, seeing the blood rushing down Edward's arm. Ed's own blue eyes were softened at the sight of his lover. "Oh my, you're hurt! I'm so sorry!" he bawled.
"Quit blubbering, I'm fine," he mumbled, secretly loving the attention. "It's not your fault, anyway."
Julian smiled wearily and hugged him.
Hiei stood, all of this being background noise to him, at the sight of Kurama. But he also kept one eye on Karasu as he slowly inched toward them. Standing his ground now at his love's side, Hiei turned toward Karasu once more.
"So, are you ready for all of us, now?"
"'To be continued' is simply another way to say 'hold your damn horses and be fucking patient'." – Me
Yess, I finally finished it! As I promised, it was out by this evening! I sure do hope you all are still there, but I shan't be mad (or blame you) for not being there.
I do so hope you enjoyed it, and please do review!
I also hope you liked the added EdJu in there. I couldn't help myself. ;D