This chapter is pretty unusual for a number of reasons. First, I quickly realized that the previous chapter would end up being WAY TOO long. The first 4000 words of this chapter are basically the second half of chapter 10. I did this when the total length passed 7000 words. As a result, I decided to split it in half.

It was just a case of the difference between animation and writing. In my mind, it played out a single episode, but when it came to the writing- it ended up much longer then I planned. I'm not really bothered by this... just sort of at a loss. This particular arc would have worked well as a long one-off, but not as a chapter in an ongoing storyline.

.o.o.o.

YU YU HAKUSHO: DARK SEASON

Episode 11: "Eulogy of the Innocent"

.o.o.o.

Kuwabara looked up and watched as the flames rose up towards the ceiling. Soon, the whole place would become a raging inferno... And he'd be be trapped in the heart of it.

He thought silently to himself. "...I wonder if this what Virgil was thinking about when he wrote the Divine Comedy?"

Kuwabara turned back to face his assailant- meeting her piercing gaze with his own. He formed his spirit sword once again and charged Kugutsuko. The 'puppet' merely help up her left hand and formed an energy shield to deflect his attack. She then retaliated by firing at him with the weapon that appeared to be part of her other arm. Kuwabara ducked down as the shot passed over him. He then rose to his feet and lashed out at her again.

This time, she jumped back and held out her left arm. The outer paneling covering her forearm opened up like the petals of a flower and began gathering energy. Her hand went rigid and a massive energy blast came forth from it and hit Kuwbara head on! He crashed against the wall and slid back down. His arms were crossed defensively in front of his face- the lower halves of his jacket sleeves were almost completely burned away, as well as his the skin on his arms being singed.

"What the hell was that?!" The young man exclaimed as he rose to his feet (bracing himself against the wall). His hands and forearms still felt numb from the attack.

Kugutsuko held her right hand out, palm upward. Hatches opened up in her forearm as she channeled energy into a small glowing red orb- about the size of a cricket ball. She looked at him and hurled the energy straight at him. Kuwbara dove out of the way just in time as the section of wall where he'd just been was blown away by the attack.

Kugutsuko suddenly vanished... only to reappear in front of him. The doll-like being struck him in the solar plexus with a palm strike and launched him several feet onto his back. As he struggled to his feet, she landed in front of him, where she delivered a swinging kick to his right side that knocked him to the ground. Kuwabara clutched his side as he scooted back from her.

Shizuru struggled to her feet. "You don't have to do this!" She cried out, prompting the Puppet Master to turn around- a puzzled look on his face as she continued. "I know what he did to you... I know that you weren't always like this!" She exclaimed as fresh tears started to form. Kugutsuko stopped abruptly and Kuwabara turned to look up at his sister.

"I understand that he did something horrible to you... he sealed away everything that ever made you special and turned you into what you are now!" She continued in an forlorn voice as tears streamed down her face. "Still... despite what he did to you... despite everything that's happened- I don't blame you..." She managed to continue. "...It's not your fault! He may have turned you into what you are now... but I know that you're still there... you have the power to chose for yourself- no matter what he says, Emelia!"

Shizuru turned to her brother. "Kazuma... this whole mess is my fault- you're here fighting for your life now because I'm such a weakling..." She added. "...I know that I haven't been much of sister to you... and I'm so sorry." She paused, struggling with her emotions. "Also... I realize that I have no right to ask for anything, but in spite of that- please promise me something..." She continued. "No matter what happens to me... please save her... save Emelia!" She added, falling down to her knees and sobbing.

For as far back as Kuwabara could remember, she'd always seemed so harsh and cold to him. Still, he also knew that she was human- she'd cried when their dad died... almost more then he had. Then of course, she had belittled and insulted him on countless occasion, all the while maintaining an air of disinterest. Yet the more he thought about it, the more he realized that in her own way- she'd been toughening him up to prepare him for the harsh reality of life. "...Big Sis...." He murmured softly.

The Puppet Master watched the entire time- seemingly enthralled by the exchange. He advanced towards Shizuru, stopping just a few feet from where she was kneeling. He rested his hand on the railing and smiled, the flames casting an eerie glow around him. "Amazing," The Demon began as he looked down at the girl. "You're just like your brother in every way, did you know that?" He added, turning to look down at Kuwabara.

"Your file warned me about this... but it never mentioned that pointless sentimentalism was a family trait." He mused calmly. "Still, I really shouldn't be too surprised to hear the same load of bleeding-heart twaddle from her... She is your sister after all, so it shouldn't be surprising that you both share such simplistic ideals." He added, casting a glance down at Shizuru as he turned to face her.

"Did you honestly think that you could turn my own creation against me?" He looked down and narrowed his eyes. "I built her!"

"...Perhaps you somehow thought that your meager powers were enough to influence her?" He continued in a mocking tone. "Let me explain something to you... That thing that you're talking about is an instrument- a tool that I designed to perform tasks." The Demon explained, cupping her chin and turning her face to the side. "You think you know what she is, don't you? ...Well, I'm sorry, but the truth is much more complex then you realize." He added, stepping back and gesturing to himself. "Mind you, it was no small feat- creating the most complex mechanized fighter in all of the three worlds." He added in a grandiose tone.

The so-called "instrument" looked down at her hands, as if seeing them for the first time. Her red eyes narrowed as she opened and closed her hands. She looked up at Shizuru as she cried- somehow, the sight caused a sensation to run through her. She opened her lips as if to speak, but then looked away- casting her eyes downward.

"...That was my name." She thought silently to herself. "...I used to be called Emelia... before he did this to me... now I'm just his puppet." She thought bitterly.

The demon continued his ranting. "Kugutsuko is the result of years of work. The systems alone are decades ahead of their time!" He continued in an almost frantic tone. "The body was built to perfectly reproduce every single function of a humanoid body. I custom built every component that went into her and specially designed weaponry just for her!" He continued. "And of course, as you can see- not only is she a stunning example of technical innovation... she's a work of art!"

He paused. "Still... power was the problem. There simply wasn't a power source capable of making her work..." He reached over and lifted Shizuru up to her feet by the arm. "After years of study, I discovers a way of bypassing the countless limitations of conventional mechanical fighters." He explained. "As simple machines, they lacked both an essential life force and the cunning of a living being... So the next step was finding a suitable 'donor' who was strong enough to power the doll." He added with a smile.

"It wasn't easy finding a suitable source- I had to endure a number of rather messy setbacks." He explained graphically. "When I finally secured an ideal subject, I was able to successfully extract an exceptionally powerful soul- which I adapted it into the body's system. And as you can see- the trapped soul not only acts as a virtually limitless supply of power... it also supplements any deficiencies within the neural network."

He then let go of Shizuru and stepped back from her. "So you see... no matter how hard you try, you won't get through to her." He explained in a low tone. "And I'll tell you why... there's nothing left of her in there!" He added. "I not only confined and integrated the soul into the machinery- I also purged all the tiresome little things that would of held her back... like conscience and free will." He added, his tone dark.

Shizuru watched as the Puppet Master continued. "I built her to be my ultimate weapon- a tool that kills without hesitation or remorse." He added. "She doesn't kill for me because I'm forcing her- she does it because it's all she knows... and if you ask me, I think she's grown to like it."

The being in question remained silent for a moment. Kugutsuko then looked over at Kuwabara and shook her head slowly. "...He's wrong- I don't enjoy hurting and killing others." She spoke in a slightly distorted female voice. "I don't even really know what it means to 'enjoy' something anymore..." She added. "But I realize one thing now... I hate him."

"What on Earth?!" The Puppet Master exclaimed. When she'd spoken, she'd openly defied him. It was brief, but the significance of the gesture troubled him. He looked at Shizuru, feeling a sudden chill. "No... it can't be... it's just not possible that she could actually affect her like that... And yet..." He stopped, unwilling to consider the possible implications.

He turned back to Kugutsuko. "Enough of this- I'm ordering you to destroy him!" Puppet Master exclaimed. "No more delays- finish him off!" He ordered.

The young man began backing away from the puppet. "You heard all he said, didn't you?" He asked her as he continued backing up. "I know now... the truth... about what happened to you." He added. "It doesn't have to be like this... we don't have to fight!" He exclaimed, bumping into a pipe that ran up along the wall.

Kuwabara looked at her as she closed in on him and noted the hopeless expression in on her face. "It must horrible- being trapped like that?" He commented, shaking his head as she drew closer. "So... that's how it has to be?" A small smile graced his lips as he felt a grim sense of finality.

He sighed. "...I guess you really don't dream about anything anymore... I'm so sorry."

She continued advancing towards him and he stepped back. "...I hate him for what he's made me do... almost as much as I hate myself." She added. "But in the end... I'm just not strong enough to resist him- the conditioning is just too powerful. So, in the end... I really am just his weapon after all." She said, her voice trembling as she spoke. She readied herself and lunged at him.

The young man stepped out of the way at the last moment and the Puppet punched a hole in a steam pipe. This resulted in a jet of super-heated steam blasting her in the face- her black hair fluttering as the steam hit her. Seeing that she'd been momentarily staggered by this, Kuwabara tackled her to the ground and punched her in the face.

While the blow did knock her head to the side- his hand merely slid across her smooth cheek upon impact. He reached down and grabbed hold of her by the head and then smashed it back down. The floor underneath buckled and fractured from the impact- yet nothing fazed her. He paused suddenly- caught off guard by the image of her glassy red eyes staring up at him dispassionately. In that moment, she reached up and took hold of him- throwing him off of her.

He got to his feet and watched as she rose up to her feet. "Nothing... she feels nothing." He thought as she lashed out him, striking him down again. He managed to get to his feet once again as she stood before him- only a few meters distance between them. He had to come up with something fast because his current tactics just weren't cutting it. It was at that moment, that he got an idea. He picked up a fairly heavy fuel drum and threw it at her- which she caught with little effort.

He cast out his arm and fired his spirit shurikens at her- causing the drum in her hands to explode in a spray of fire and charred metal!

Kugutsuko was staggered by the blast... She ended up with her back against one of giant fuel tanks, it was hull had been punctured and it was now leaking. She looked up at him... her entire body was scratched and cracked, and some of her circuitry was now partly exposed. She held up her right arm to fire, but damage to the blaster caused it to malfunction... A mechanism overheated and it exploded, taking most of her arm off in the process!

Kuwabara stepped back as the bits of her arm hit the floor. He paused and covered his mouth at what happened next... When her arm exploded, she glanced down at the remains, as if is in a state of shock. Her lip started to tremble slightly as the watched the exposed circuits of the damaged limb spark and crackle. Then... she screamed- an all too human mix of anger, fear, and sadness in her cries. The damaged tank she was up against exploded- engulfing her in a huge fireball.

"...how horrible." Kuwabara muttered, before being staggered by the warm blast. He turned around and looked up at the Puppet Master and narrowed his eyes. He quickly made his way towards a nearby latter as the roof finally went up in flames. Ash and burning rubble started falling down around him as he ran. He stopped and pulled off his jacket to frantically beat away the flames surrounding the base of the latter.

He gripped the rungs and started climbing up the latter. The wall was now burning around him, and the flames were making the metal hot to the touch. He cringed as he moved- the rungs burning his hands as he ascended the latter to the upper levels.

.o.o.o.

The Puppet Master grabbed hold of Shizuru and twisted her arm behind her back as Kuwabara climbed up onto the catwalk.

He held on to her tightly as the building continued to burn. "Get back, damn you!" He exclaimed- halting the young man's advance. "You fool, you unthinking primitive! You've ruined everything- Years of work destroyed in the blink of an eye!" He declared, moving back with the struggling woman in hand. He twisted her arm and held her in front of him like a shield. "You'll pay for what you've done!"

The young man hesitated- even as their surroundings transformed into a raging inferno. Then, at that moment, he met his sisters gaze. Shizuru looked at him with a serious expression and nodded. "It's time for you to man up and do what needs to be done..." She explained to him a calm voice. "No matter what the cost, you have to kill this guy for what he's done... Not just to us, but for her as well."

The implication of her words donned on him, causing him to turn pale in the process. There was a way to get at the Puppet Master... It was fool-proof and demon would never expect it... through his sister!

"You can't be serious!" Kuwabara cried out. "After all this- after everything we've been through... how can you expect me to do that?!" His older sister closed her eyes and focused her thoughts...

"You and I both know this is the only way to end this... he has to be stopped. I finally understand now... I- I have faith in you... No matter what happens... you're my little brother and I'll always love you."

Kuwbara watched as tears ran down his older sister's face. He wanted to cry, but kept up a brave face for her. He was out of options now, and if he didn't act fast- they'd both be killed by the fire. Still, like she said... he owed it to a lot of people to make sure that the Demon didn't get away with what he had done.

It was at that moment that he realized that he was going to have to do the hardest thing he'd ever had to do in his whole life... he was going to take his sister's life to kill the enemy... He nodded and looked up at her. "I'm so sorry Shizuru... just... well, I love you too, sis." He thought, causing her to nod and smile back sadly.

He then looked at the man holding her and narrowed his eyes. "I realized a long time ago that it's not what we are, but who we are..." He spoke in a dark tone. "I've learned that Humans can be evil... but I also know that demons can be good." Kuwabara then focused his spirit energy and manifested his spirit sword once more.

The demon had enough experience to know the look in the human's eyes was for real- he could see the killer instinct in his eyes and in his body language. Kuwabara stepped forward. "...Monsters like you shouldn't even exist!" He exclaimed as he raised his sword. "All you've done is ruin peoples lives for your own gain..."

The demon grinned at the accusation. "One man's sinner is another man's saint." The Puppet Master replied. He glanced down briefly and saw something amidst the flames. He quickly looked back up at Kuwabara. "...Everyone's a critic, but I won't be denied recognition." He replied smugly.

"And as far as you're concerned- I'm not scared by your tough guy act!" He declared confidently. "I know your kind well enough... you don't have it in you!" He added in a mocking tone. He wrapped threads of spirit energy around Shizuru's neck and tugged at them. She gasped for air as the strands constricted around her neck.

Kuwabara heard something behind him and turned around to see Kugutsuko pull herself up onto the catwalk. She landed on her knees, but got back onto her feet. She was pretty heavily damaged from the look of things- cracks and gashes covered her body and her insides were visible in places. Half of her right arm was gone, a large crack ran across her chest- partially revealing a small round object that glowed a faint red color. There also seemed to be damage to her left knee and leg, so her stance was off as well. Her hair was singed and a gash ran down across her left eye, leaving only the ruined remains.

She took few labored steps towards Kuwabara as he turned around to face the Puppet Master and Shizuru. The tall demon pulled tighter on the threads wrapped around her throat. "It was a good try kid, but I'm afraid you're not going to get your storybook ending after all." Kugutsuko began advancing towards Kuwabara...

Shizuru looked at her brother and nodded. "Do it now!"

The words echoed in his mind. He steadied himself and struggled to clear his thoughts. In his heart of hearts, he knew what had to be done- to stop this man, he would have to kill his own sister... He doubted if he could live with it, but he also knew that he no longer had any choice. Finally, he looked up at the demon and narrowed his eyes. He powered up his spirit sword- which had begun to pulsate and glow white- and charged toward him...

...Fore a split second, time seemed to stand still. Kuwabara had charged forward, both his and his sister's eyes tearing up as they resigned themselves to what had to be done, and thrust his spirit sword forward. The Puppet Master had not accounted for this!

After what felt like eternity, Kuwabara opened his eyes and looked up on in shock at the sight before him. His spirit sword- now resembling a longsword and glowing white- had passed through his sister and struck the Demon.

However, even more shocking was that Shizuru appeared to be completely unharmed... Somehow the blade had harmlessly passed through her and into the Puppet Master. For the demon however, the result was far more dire. The blade had gone right through her chest and pierced him through the base of his neck!

Kuwabara leapt forward and caught his sister as she fell out of the Demon's grip. The Puppet Master frantically clutched his throat- dark blood pouring out of his mouth and from the wound. He frantically staggered past the two of them, over to Kugutsuko. "K-Kugutsuko! Quickly, y-you stupid m-machine! Kill both of them now!!!" He exclaimed as blood ran from his mouth.

She formed the ball of energy in her left hand- but then grabbed hold of the demon by the shoulder and struck him in the midsection with it- blasting a whole through him. She looked down at him, their eyes meeting for a moment... He slumped down onto his knees.

"No, my name... is Emelia." she replied, her voice damaged and distorted. The final act of defiance now finished, the Puppet Master became slack and collapsed- dead in a large pool of his own dark red blood. She looked over at Kuwabara and Shizuru as the roof began caving in.

She focused her gaze on the young man. "Kazuma... you asked if I ever dreamed anymore?" she began in a soft tone as she looked at her blood-stained hand. "The truth is... I've dreamed about something for a long time now..."

She paused as her good eye flickered out. "...I dreamed... of freedom." She said before she staggered and fell backward onto the steel walkway. A section of the roof crashed down on her- plunging through the walkway in the process.

Shizuru broke into tears as her brother dragged her away. The entire building was falling apart around them and they didn't have much time to get out before the entire place went up in flames.

As the two of them neared the door, Shizuru saw something shiny lying on the ground. She broke loose from her brother and rushed over to pick up the small red orb just before a section of the wall fell down in front of her. Kuwabara took her by the wrist and ran for the door. The two of them narrowly escaping through the doorway- diving to the ground as fire shot out of the door and the remains of the building caved in on itself amidst the fire and flames.

.o.o.o.

The brother and sister sat on the curb, watching as the building transformed into a blazing inferno across the street.

Kuwabara sat with his legs sticking forward- bent slightly at the knees- and his arms resting on his lap. His white t-shirt was singed in several places and his arms and face were sooty and the palms of his hands were red and burned. His pants were singed as well, and his shoes were scuffed and blackened.

He sighed and looked up at the night sky for a moment, taking note of the various stars. "The caged bird sings because it dreams of freedom..." He mused quietly.

Shizuru looked over at her brother for a moment and then back down at herself. She glanced down at her coat and frowned at how badly charred and blackened it was. She slipped it it off and dropped it onto the pavement beside her.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her pack of cigarettes. She paused and stared at it intensely for a moment before getting to her feet and hurling the pack into the fire. She sat back down and looked over at her brother. "You know, I don't think I'll be able to enjoy those things anymore after all this." She offered in a dull voice.

Kuwabara turned around and looked over at her, noting how her hands and face were all sooty. The fringe of her skirt was burned and her leggings were torn in several places. He watched as she took a round object about the size of baseball with a glassy surface that picked up the flickering light from the nearby fire. "Is that... her?" He asked, scooting over to get a better look at it.

She nodded as he leaned in to get a better view. "Yeah, it's her... it's Emelia." She replied gently as he pulled back and sat down right next to her. "Somehow... I just couldn't let it be destroyed in the fire." She explained. She exhaled noisily. "Oh man... I have no idea what the hell to do with this thing... maybe Botan or Genkai or someone in spirit world might know something." She admitted, turning to him and giving a goofy smile.

He nodded and glanced off to the side for a moment, before turned to face her. "Hey Shizuru," He began in fairly serious tone. "Back there... when I was fighting those guys..." He began, crossing his legs. "...I felt it, all your feelings- the fear and the heartache and the sadness. I know you were suffering the whole time." He explained. "I want you to know that this wasn't your fault- I don't blame you." He added. "So... quite beating yourself up over what happened."

She sighed and got to her feet. "I'm the older sibling- I'm supposed to be the dependable one... the one you can rely on." She remarked bitterly, turning to face him. "But instead, I end up getting kidnapped and you have come rescue me." She paused for as he got to his feet. She smiled at him, blushing faintly. "Kazuma... I just want to say that you're an amazing brother... and I love you." She added, her blush darkening as she said the last part.

Kuwabara was quiet for a moment as Shizuru stood before him. "There was never any question about it- you're my sister and I'll always be there when you need me." He explained, placing a hand on shoulder. "Back inside there- you were a hell of a lot braver then you think... When I felt like I was about to falter, it was your conviction that kept me fighting."

He stepped back and brushed a hand through his hair and smiled. "And as for being my sister- you're great... and well, I love you too, sis." He admitted, looking off to the side as he blushed.

Her blush darkened at the comment. She looked at the red orb in her hand for a moment and then tucked it into her skirt pocket. She was silent for a moment. "Kuzuma, there is one thing I'm still confused about." She began. "Back there, when you stabbed the Puppet Master with your spirit sword... well, it should have killed both of us- yet I'm completely unharmed... How did you do that?"

He rubbed the side of his head. "That's the odd thing about it, I don't really understand it either." He began. "...You told me that he had to die, no matter what. I didn't want to even consider killing you as well... but there finally came a point where the situation was so drastic that I had no choice." He explained. "...It didn't occur to me then, even as it happened... but it was almost like my spirit spirit sword reacted to the situation and somehow changed it's nature."

She looked at him for a moment, then nodded sympathetically. "Even though my powers aren't anywhere near as strong as yours... I was able to sense what you were going through." She replied. "...So in a way, I sort of know what you were going through. Somehow the emotional strain must have pushed your spirit energy to take on a new form... one that would only harm someone evil."

"You mean something a 'Holy Sword'?" Kuwabara asked in astonishment.

Shizuru nodded. "Well, that's just my theory..." She replied with a smile. The strain of the ordeal was catching up her and she felt exhausted. "Anyway, I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get the hell out of here."

He nodded. "Sounds good to me." He replied as they started heading out. As the two of them were walking back down along the street, Kuwabara looked up at the changing skyline as it slowly grew lighter. "Wow," He mused, tucking his hands into his pockets as they walked along. "Hard to believe it, but it's a new day..."

(- End of Episode 11 -)

.o.o.o.

As I previously mention, this chapter was essentially the second half of the previous chapter, making the overall length over 10,000 words and 17 pages long. There was a hell of lot of storytelling in just this one story arc.

The irony of all this was that it all grew out of the fact that I decided to give the Puppet Master an assistant to add a greater element of danger to him. When I began writing the chapters covering Kuwabara's clash with the Puppet Master, I realized that there wasn't really anything in it that would allow for scene variation. When it comes to storytelling, I like to have an 'A' and 'B' plot to prevent scenes from dragging on. This resulted in the side story between Shizuru and Kugutsuko... which ironically something of became a story in it's own right.

In the end, what had started out a straight forward fight between Kuwabara and the Puppet Master ended up turning into an extremely complex character-driven story revolving around the four principle players. I don't regret it though- in fact, I think it's some of my best writing. Anyway, thanks for reading this and I hope you enjoyed it.

-Bojack727