An Eternity of Lies Ch. 9
Thanks to Roses-of-Envy, SakiHanajima1, and lilnightmare17 for the reviews! :D I'm still trying to work out Emi's powers but the barrier will definitely have offensive uses as well. She knows Hiei after all, and he's all about attacking haha XD Well onwards! Enjoy!
"Of course, even fools get lucky." - Hiei
Yusuke hated silence. Sure he liked quiet places, and being alone on the school roof, but this was different. There was no noise other than the footsteps belonging to him and Kuwabara. And this told him one thing. That they had walked into something dangerous. True, the entire labyrinth was dangerous, but no matter where they had traveled, they could hear the silent rustles of the tentacle like shadows as they shifted and moved around throughout the structure. Now though, they had made it into a corridor that emitted no sound at all. The shadowy tendrils were only here to drag off souls and devour them, if even they didn't make it down this corridor it either meant there were no souls or something was destroying any souls and tendrils that made their way here. Yusuke was usually a lucky guy, but today he wasn't feeling it one bit. They were definitely walking towards something dangerous, something strong enough to destroy the one native residence of the maze. The hairs on his arms rose, and he tensed in anticipation. He could feel something in the darkness before him now. It's energy felt like electricity, and he could feel jolts traveling up his arm. He smiled in anticipation. Besides him, Kuwabara stood apprehensively, sweating from the dangerous aura only he could sense. His sword was out already. He wasn't taking any chances. Whatever was in front of them was by far the strongest opponent they had faced since entering the labyrinth.
Kurama stopped mid step. Someone from the other pair had activated their bracelet. Hiei stood next to him, his gaze trained curiously on the fox.
"Someone has activated the bracelet," Kurama said," Perhaps they have found her already."
"Then where are they?" Hiei asked.
"I can faintly sense them somewhere towards the east" Kurama said thoughtfully, "Can you see them with your Jagan?"
"If I could, don't you think I would have found the girl by now," Hiei growled.
"So you did try," Kurama replied amusedly," Must be terrible to have your main advantage blinded."
"You think you're so clever, just lead the way fox," Hiei demanded nastily.
"Of course," Kurama said serenely," No need to get so angry, it was merely an observation."
Hiei gave Kurama an unimpressed look. Kurama continued to smile serenely, before he knelt down. He reached into his hair and pulled out the same type of plant he had used to construct the bracelets. With a bit of energy the plant sprouted the same leaves and vines that circled the other two boys' wrists. Kurama didn't stop there though, he continued the flow of energy, and soon a glowing orange flower could be seen blooming from the middle of the vines. Kurama placed the plant gently on the floor. It sat there in a heap of vines, the pulsing flower situated innocently in the middle.
"How lovely, the fox decided to decorate," Hiei said sarcastically.
"Wait for it," Kurama said petting the leaves," they're usually a little shy."
Hiei rolled his eyes. Only the fox would treat a plant like a prized dog and pamper it. He turned to look around the corridor for any danger. Something shifted in his peripheral and he turned to see it as it approached. He looked down, and watched bemused as a ball of vines the size of his head rolled by. The flower's pulsing glow could be seen through the leaves. Two vines were unraveled from the ball and swaying around in the air. They acted almost like antennas he mused.
"It took a bit of coaxing, but he'll lead us to the others," Kurama said smugly.
"You gave it a gender?" Hiei asked incredulously.
"No, it's always been a boy," Kurama explained as if it were obvious," the vines around the boys' wrists are female. The male plants uproot and travel to find the females when they are ready for mating. They follow a scent the females give off when their leaves fall. It's quite amazing. I just raised him to the point of maturity. He's quite handsome if I do say so myself."
Kurama happily walked off after the plant as it turned a corner. Hiei followed, his eyebrows raised. Maybe the fox had gone insane during his years in the human world. Or maybe he was just lonely; after all, he was treating the plant like his own offspring. Hiei muttered under his breath. No matter how many years he lived, he still had to suffer the antics of idiots. In front of him, Kurama grinned. It was so fun to mess with the fire demon.
A small hooded figure sat hunched over and crossed legged in the very center of the fog. Around them was a tiny dome of yellow light, just big enough to surround them comfortably and protect them. If one were to look closer, they would notice that the yellow dome was in fact a barrier. This barrier was so densely packed with layers of stringy energy that no one would be able to see in or out of it. There were also hundreds of hair-like strands of energy connected to the figure from the surrounding barrier. Periodically, the barrier would pulse faintly and in turn a thin strands would pulse with electricity. The pulses would then traveled down the string until they reached the figure. The figure didn't move. If it weren't for the slight movement of their breathing, one might have mistaken them for dead. Another pulse of energy traveled down a string, this one larger and stronger than the others. The fingers on the figure's right hand twitched, and a beam of electricity was sent back up the string. Someone was messing with the barrier, but too bad for them. They were in for a surprise.
Kuwabara seriously wondered why he still associated with the people he did. He should have stopped tagging along on these missions a long time ago. Don't get him wrong, he would do anything for his friends, but this whole situation was just ridiculous.
"Hey Kuwabara," Yusuke yelled in-between laughs," How's it hanging?"
"You're not funny Urameshi," Kuwabara yelled back," Get me down from here."
"But you make such a nice piñata," Urameshi said in amusement.
Kuwabara glared at Yusuke from his position in the air.
When they had made it down the corridor they were met with a gigantic barrier in the shape of a dome. The barrier was quite similar to the barrier separating the human and demon world, so Kuwabara had thought it would be perfectly fine to cut the barrier with his sword. Unfortunately, this barrier was completely different compared to the demon barrier. Why, you may ask? Because this barrier was still connected to its maker, and so remained malleable to the creator's will. Kuwabara had cut through the barrier easily, but what he wasn't expecting was for the broken netting to stitch back together. In confusion, he went to cut the barrier again, but was met with a face full of yellow strands of energy. The yellow ropes coiled around him and held him up into the air. He had cut as many as he could, but they would just grow back and attack with a vengeance. The strands were able to snag his limbs and restrain him, to Yusuke's amusement. This is what led to the current situation in which Kuwabara hung suspended about 20 feet in the air like an upside down starfish.
"Just get me down from here already," Kuwabara whined," I'm not into this kind of stuff."
"You sure?" Yusuke snickered," This happened in the dark tournament too. Is there something you aren't telling me?"
"Urameshi," Kuwabara yelled scandalized," I'm not like that."
"Okay, okay," Yusuke humored," I get it. I was just joking."
His face turned serious and he looked back towards the barrier. While his attacks were powerful, he knew only Kuwabara's sword could make a cut through the netting. With measured steps, Yusuke walked around the barrier, looking for any weak points or openings. As expected, he found none. Above him, Kuwabara let out a small gasp.
"Hey!" Kuwabara yelled," Didn't Koenma say his mom could make barriers or something."
"Now that you say it," Yusuke shouted back, " he did. You think this is hers?"
"Maybe, I mean, I'm not sure," Kuwabara loudly replied.
"Who else could it be?" Yusuke asked confused," It looks exactly like the Kekkai Barrier."
"Yeah, but whatever is behind it is pure evil," Kuwabara said," I can feel a really strong demonic energy behind the barrier."
"If it's a trick then we just have to kick some demon butt," Yusuke replied confidently.
"Yeah," Kuwabara agreed," But first, get me down!"
"How am I supposed to do that?" Yusuke wondered.
He reached towards his bracelet and pulled at the leaves. The vine grew darker as each leaf fell.
"Maybe we can ask Kurama or Hiei," Yusuke muttered as he continued removing the leaves.
As if Yusuke had said the magic word, the barrier suddenly pulsed, and Kuwabara's limbs were released. All Yusuke heard was a surprised shout before a crushing weight fell on him and plastered him to the ground. A groan could be heard above him. He turned his head with difficulty and looked over his shoulder. Kuwabara had fallen on top of him, and was now pushing himself off the flattened half-demon.
"Whoa, Urameshi," Kuwabara said amazed," how'd you do that?"
"I don't know," Urameshi replied slowly.
They both turned to see the barrier was now pulsing, and the electricity traveling through it had picked up speed. Yusuke reached out a hand, but quickly pulled it back. The little lightning bolts weren't just for show. His fingers twitched, and his arm tingled. If he had been a weaker demon, the electricity would have knocked him out cold.
Strings of energy suddenly lashed out at the two boys. They leaped back in surprise, and backed up until the strands could no longer reach them. Once the boys were out of reach, the strands retreated back into the barrier, as if they were never there.
"What do we do now?" Kuwabara asked.
"I already called the others," Yusuke replied," so I guess we wait."
Both boys got comfortable on the floor. They eyed the barrier apprehensively. Looks like they would be waiting a while.
The rolling ball of foliage came to a stop. The two tentacles above it swayed back and forth, as if looking for a signal. They paused once they were both pointing to the right, and with a little bounce, it was rolling down the corridor once more.
Hiei and Kurama followed the ball closely. Not only did they need to keep it in sight, but they also needed to protect the plant. It was the only way they would find the other boys after all.
Hiei's sword was unsheathed, and in less than a second the sliced up body of a large spider demon rained down around him. Kurama walked onwards as if there hadn't been an interruption, and Hiei fell into step next to him. The ball continued rolling, the light from it pulsing faintly.
Kurama was pretty sure they had been walking for at least 2 hours before the ball came to a sudden halt and curled its tentacles around itself. He looked around and saw no one nearby. In front of him was a long corridor that seemed to go on forever. He couldn't see the end, but he could sense a dangerous aura emitting from the distance.
"It's broken," Hiei said emotionlessly.
The ball trembled and flailed its tentacles angrily in his direction. Kurama chuckled at the spectacle. Hiei's eyes narrowed towards him. He wouldn't be surprised if Kurama's energy had enhanced the plant enough to give it emotions.
"He," Kurama emphasized as he bent down," is just fine the aura coming from the hallway is scaring him."
"Well, it better snap out of it quick," Hiei mumbled.
"With that attitude, he won't do anything for you," Kurama said impishly.
He then proceeded to turn away and give the plant his undivided attention.
"It's alright," Kurama said gently," We won't let anything happen to you."
Hiei's eye twitched. Was Kurama seriously comforting a plant right now? With an eye roll he walked past them both.
"If it's too much of a coward, we can take it from here," Hiei said annoyed.
The plant seized up and slowly turned. The tentacles that were once held close to its body now stretched out into the air. The whole ball itself was trembling in fear, but with resolve it rolled forward. Hiei smirked as the ball stopped in front of him and flailed angrily, before continuing on down the hallway. Hiei followed at an easy pace. Kurama chuckled. The plant may have been grown enough to be able to mate, but he never said anything about it having a mature personality. Without a sound he stood back up and followed the two down the hall.
Several minutes later, he could pick up the scents of Kuwabara and Yusuke. He looked over at Hiei and received a nod. They were getting closer. The ball in front of them sped up with excitement. It was approaching a dangerous aura, but there were female plants ahead. Kurama reached down quickly and scooped up the plant. It thrashed indignantly, so close to its goal. The fox almost felt sorry for it as he used his energy to force the plant to regress into a seed. Both boys continued walking once the seed was stored back into Kurama's hair. One minute later, they saw the barrier, and the two figures sitting against the wall glaring at it.
"Looks like we're all here," Yusuke grinned as he stood up.
"So she is behind this barrier?" Kurama asked while rubbing his chin.
"We don't know, there's something dangerous behind there though," Kuwabara said.
"It's her," Hiei said.
"How are you so sure?" Kurama asked suspiciously.
"Hn, I already told you I was acquainted with her fox, don't push it," Hiei grumbled.
"Wait, you knew her?" Yusuke exclaimed," Why weren't we told this."
"It's not important," Hiei mumbled before walking forward.
"Wait! Don't touch it!" Yusuke said urgently.
Hiei rolled his eyes and continued forward. The other three boys watched in shock and confusion as Hiei walked right through the barrier, to the other side.
"Stop catching flies and hurry up," Hiei demanded," I haven't got all day."
"Not everyone has an extra eye that can do magic voodoo," Yusuke retorted.
"I don't think it's the eye," Kurama said contemplatively.
Hiei rolled his eyes and held out his unsheathed sword. He motioned for them to take it, but none of them budged. He glared at them and grit his teeth.
"If you don't want to resemble a fly in a bug zapper I suggest you grab the sword," Hiei growled," I can bring you in if we are in contact."
"You want us to hold onto a shard blade," Kuwabara asked incredulously," are you crazy?"
"Hn, do you have a better idea?" Hiei snarled," Because I refuse to hold your hands."
"Not like I would want that either," Kuwabara mumbled.
Kurama stepped forward and placed his fingers gently against the blade. He walked forward, making sure to keep constant contact with the metal. With a surprised blink, he found himself within the barrier, completely intact. Yusuke quickly followed his example, and was followed by Kuwabara.
"Wow, that was anticlimactic. That's a pretty nifty trick," Yusuke commented," How'd you do that?"
"I'm surprised you know what anticlimactic means," Hiei said dodging the question.
He then proceeded to sheath his sword and start walking into the fog that was trapped within the barrier.
"Okay, fine. Don't answer me," Yusuke said with a pout before stalking after the fire demon.
A large pulse traveled urgently through the network of strings, and with one final pulse, it forced it way through the dense barrier in the center and down the hair-like strands to its master. The figure in the middle jolted. Slowly their head rose, and a slow grin formed on their face. Their hood shadowed their face as they opened their eyes, so all that could be seen were the whites of their eyes, gleaming in the darkness. A few snaps were heard as three of the thin strands attached to the figure broke and dissipated.
Far in the distance, an angry roar was heard. A large Minotaur stomped out from a large cage of energy. It had been trapped in that cage for so long, and now it was suddenly open. It wasn't going to take that for granted. With a deep breath, it reveled in being free to roam once more. It grunted, and looked back as the cage faded from existence. Just seeing the cage again made it angry. With another roar, it stomped off. It would find the source of the barrier that had trapped him, if it was the last thing he did. Anyone who got in its way was as good as dead.
A few feet away, similar cages opened and freed their occupants. Usually demons were territorial beings and would slaughter each other at such close proximity, but for once they would unite. They had all been trapped in these cages, and electrocuted if they tried to escape. In a way, they were comrades, because they all wanted to slaughter the person responsible for putting them in their confinement. As one, they followed the Minotaur and marched forward through the fog not knowing that their cages were placed in the largest layer of the dome. They would have to get through seven other layers to even make contact with the figure's last wall of defense. But, they would never know that, because they were marching a straight path towards the four intruders, who had a goal of their own, and were willing to do anything to accomplish it.
The figure in the middle of the structure continued to grin. The intruders may have gotten past the first wall somehow, but a hoard of angry and bloodthirsty demons were approaching them. With a bit of shuffling the figure shifted into a more comfortable position, the thin strands that connected them to the barrier, stretching and shrinking with the movement. All there was to do was wait for now. And the figure did with baited breath. Nothing exciting happened in the labyrinth anymore, until now that is.
"Are you the one that caged me?" the Minotaur demanded to know.
"Uh, what?" Yusuke asked confused as he turned to the others," What the hell is the giant cow talking about?"
"I don't know Urameshi," Kuwabara answered hesitantly," But he looks mad."
"Perhaps, he has mistaken us for someone else," Kurama suggested.
"Hn, who cares, the weakling is in the way," Hiei cut in," Just dispose of him and keep walking."
"Gee shorty, you seriously need some new hobbies," Kuwabara answered eyeing the fire demon carefully.
Hiei rolled his eyes. Let the buffoon think what he wanted. The Minotaur snorted angrily. How dare they ignore him, and insult him. At first he had been planning to find his jailer, but now he was angry. Maybe, he would use them as a warm-up. He slid one leg back and then charged at the boys. His giant axe raised high above his head.
"Do not insult me you puny insects," the Minotaur screamed as he brought his axe down.
"Hn, all brawn and no brain," Hiei muttered," Someone else take him, his blood will just rust my blade."
"A Minotaur in a labyrinth, how amusing," Kurama chuckled to himself.
He took out his rose whip, and with a few decisive flicks, the Minotaur fell to the ground, bleeding profusedly. The axe he held fell to the floor with a loud clang.
"Dang, Kurama," Kuwabara exclaimed," You didn't show him any mercy at all."
"We don't have time to waste," Hiei retorted.
"Uh guys?" Yusuke interrupted," We have company. And they don't look very happy we killed the bull."
Hiei and Kuwabara turned away from each other and followed Yusuke's gaze. In front of them was a large group of at least thirty demons of all species. They all had their fangs bared and their weapons and claws raised. A panther demon stepped forward.
"We have never seen you around here, so you must be our jailer," it growled," We will get our revenge."
Without warning, the demons charged forward. The four boys tensed up, weapons drawn and ready for a fight.
"I don't know what you're accusing us of," Yusuke said as he punched a tree demon," but if it's a fight you want I won't turn you down."
Kuwabara grunted an agreement as he hacked at the swarm of crow demons trying to claw off his face. Hiei merely flitted through the group of demons, slicing them as he went. Kurama stood calmly behind the carnage, pondering over the demons' words. He flicked his wrist absentmindedly to take down the centipede demon attacking from behind, but his mind was still elsewhere.
A few moments later, the four boys were surrounded with various pieces of the demons. They waited, but no shadow tendrils came to take away the bodies.
"Whoever controls this barrier has either scared away or destroyed the tendrils in the area," Kurama mused.
"Isn't that a good thing," Kuwabara asked," they were kind of creepy."
"Yes and no," Kurama replied," It's good that we don't have to deal with them, but that means whatever is in this barrier is strong."
"Who cares," Yusuke grumbled," what I want to know is why all those demons kept calling us jailers. And why so many different kinds were working together. "
"Yes, I was wondering that too," Kurama said," What do you think Hiei?"
Hiei's eyes flashed towards Kurama before they once again faced straight ahead of him.
"You know what I think," Hiei growled," stop trying to extract information you won't get."
"If it meant nothing, then why be so defensive?" Kurama asked.
"I don't have to explain anything to you," Hiei snarled before he walked off.
"What's got his panties in a twist," Yusuke asked.
"Who knows," Kurama answered mysteriously as he followed the fire demon.
Kuwabara and Yusuke exchanged glances and followed with confused expression. With a start Yusuke went over the conversation in his head.
"Wait," Yusuke exclaimed," so why did they call us jailers."
"Something trapped them in the barrier," Hiei explained emotionlessly," they were probably recently set free. And like idiots, they assumed the first people they found were responsible. "
"It's quite genius really," Kurama commented," The demons are agitated and angry enough to work together. Since they are being led to us, they will assume we have something to do with the imprisonment because they have never seen us before. Whoever created this barrier has full control of their movement."
"So it's like one of Kaito's territory things?" Yusuke asked.
"In a sense, yes, except if the creator really wanted to, they could separate from the barrier and it would still stand," Kurama replied," a territory would just collapse."
"Then how do we know our guy is still here?" Kuwabara asked.
"The demons that attacked us," Hiei replied sinisterly," they were released recently."
"Yes," Kurama agreed," If the barrier maker had left, the demons would have either been trapped for good, or would have killed each other long before. Demons of their level can only work together for so long, before they grow power hungry and battle for dominance."
Hiei rolled his eyes at the thought. He looked forward and could see a slight yellow glow through the fog. They were approaching the second layer of the barriers. He didn't know how many there were, but it didn't matter. There were sure to be demons in each one. His hand inched towards his sword. He was getting pissed off. The barriers had recognized him, so he knew Emi was here, but she was sending demons after them. She better he thought cynically, because when he got his hands on her she would be wishing she had run instead of messing with him. He reached out and let his hand sink slightly into the second layer of the barrier.
"You know I hate liars. So keep the trash coming Emi, maybe I'll be entertained enough to show you mercy," Hiei whispered ominously before crossing the barrier. Only one other person heard the warning. Kurama's eyebrows rose to his hairline when he heard the fire demon's words. He shook his head, and sighed. He had pretty much figured out the two had been a couple at some point, but wasn't Hiei being a little too bitter? But then again, Hiei had been abandoned multiple times in his life. Her disappearance must have been deeply scarring for him. He absentmindedly touched Hiei's sword and walked through the second barrier after the others. He watched as the fire demon turned and continued walking without a word. The sword was still in his hands, meaning he was revving for a fight. There was no point thinking about it now, but Kurama hoped Emi knew what she was doing. Because angering Hiei was just not something people did, if they wanted to live.
Two large pulses went through the barrier. The first carrying the message of the first wave of demons' defeat. The second, carrying the whispered warning. The figure had moved a while back, and was now lying on their stomach with their head on their folded arms, legs kicking in the air. The first pulse was the first to reach the central barrier. The figure didn't react at all to the news. It was expected, the four intruders had to be strong to get past the first layer so easily.
A few moments later, the second pulse made it to the barrier and slid down one of the hair thin threads. It made contact with the figure, and a few seconds later, the figure's legs froze in mid movement. The figure, now confirmed to be Emi, slowly lifted her head and braced her palms against the floor. She pushed herself up and leaned her back against the barrier's wall. The hood fell from her head, and her lavender hair fell out to pool around her. She leaned her head back against the wall. A small scar could be seen on her neck. With a shaking hand, she reached up and touched her fingers to it.
This had to be a trick. She wouldn't put it past Enma to send an illusion down to torment her. Hiei was dead. But his voice, traveled through the barrier, like it had so long ago. Enma would never send his soul to the labyrinth with her; she knew this. There were four people, and Hiei was a loner anyways. Still, she couldn't stop the hope rising in her chest. She took a deep calming breath, and with steady hands she reached out and snapped another set of strings. If it was Hiei, then the next demons shouldn't be a problem. Besides, she would never back down from a challenge, especially from him. With a small smile, she closed her eyes and let her mind travel through the strings until she had her focus on the four boys. While she couldn't actually see them, her barrier would narrate the events just fine. She sat back and relaxed. The demons she had released still had not reached the boys. Waiting patiently, she let her mind wander back to the past.
Hey guys! They are going to meet for reals soon! I hope you're all as excited as I am! I've been kind of busy with getting ready for the second round of midterms, and writing my speeches for speech class. Not to mention the final projects coming up. (So time consuming TOT) Busy busy busy! I'll still be writing, but I might cut it close. So please be a bit lenient. Thanks and please review! :)