HE MELTDOWN
PAYBACK!
The icy winter storm continued the blow and beat down on the city. The streets had become no longer passable through the congesting snow. Stores had closed down because workers and customers couldn't move from their residences. Schools had been shut down until further notice.
Because of the heat and electric outage the police and watch committee had arranged a rescue team to recover civilians from their snow beaten prisons and transport them to nearby shelters.
"Come one Keiko! You don't want to get left behind." Her father called back into their restaurant as the rescuers uncovered the doorway and heaved it open.
Dressed in her warmest sweater and pants Keiko raced to her parents. Her bag swinging over her shoulder, "I still haven't contacted Yusuke yet. I'm worried."
Mr. Yukimora turned back to her after helping his wife through, "Now now Keiko I'm sure he's fine. He's probably enjoying himself throwing snowballs at icicles. You know how odd he is."
"I guess you're right."
Her father took her by the shoulder and helped her out to the rescue team. Before he climbed out himself he took a moment to look back into the restaurant and home that his father started. The home that he hoped to leave to his daughter and her husband someday. He wondered grimly if he would ever see it again.
"Is it just me or is it getting colder?!" Yusuke stuttered through chattering teeth.
Hiei squeaked and squirmed in his arms underneath the layers of his wool and cotton blankets. With the power out of commission, and Kurama still yet to be found, the two remaining detectives alternated shifts of expending their energies to keep the infant and themselves warm.
Hiei, who was only slightly better after his warm bath, half slept in Yusuke's arms. The other half of the time he wiggled around between the boy's grasp and their cocoon of blankets.
Meanwhile Yusuke panted underneath his shell as the glowing spirit aura around him faded, "It's your turn Kuwabara. I need to rest."
"Alright.
Hiei cooed curiously as he was passed on yet again from one arms to the other.
Kuwabara held him close to his own body heat, "Do you think he'll walk or talk first?"
"Heh, that's easy. Knowing him he'll walk first."
"Nah. He'll talk. He won't waste a chance to insult me once he can."
Yusuke sneered, "The chill's getting into your brain baka. How else can you explain his incredible speed? He was a walker the first time around and he'll be a walker this time."
"You sure?"
"You wanna bet on it?"
"Sure." The taller teen agreed charging up his own spirit energy into heat. "Two weeks allowance?"
"As much as you wanna loose."
Just then a loud crashing sound erupted outside.
"What's going on?" Kuwabara said with a jump.
"I don't know but better leave him here. At least it's warmer." Yusuke said as he raced out to see what's the matter.
The boys huge their heads down from the railing to see two huge rescue vehicles practically fused together in a mess of ice encrusted burning metal. People were fleeing the crash sight in fear of a gas leak but the snow had caused many to sink hip deep into streets.
Yusuke gasped when he recognized some of the refuges, "Keiko!"
"This storm's getting worse. I've never seen it this bad before."
Suddenly a strong gust of frozen wind blew at the building, causing the boys to fall behind the short wall as a shield. A smaller, yet just as strong breeze winded over them and slammed the door shut. Ice crystals immediately incased the doorway making it impossible to open.
"No! Hiei!"
"He's trapped! This is getting nuts."
Mixture of anger and fear began to pulse through Yusuke's veins and he charged to the door. The moment he grabbed the handle the ice had grown over the metal and quickly started to climb up the detective's arms. The teen gave the numbing chill no mind and kept pulling on the door. "We got to get him out of there!"
Kuwabara shrieked and tried to free his friend, "Now I KNOW this isn't normal. This has got to be some sort of ice attack."
"Gee! What gave that away? Whatever it is, it's after Hiei!"
Inside Hiei wiggled inside the massive nest to see the world around him. Once he poked his head out he quickly retreated back in because the temperature had suddenly became terribly cold. Where were his giant walking furnaces?
Hiei's young innocent eyes looked around desperately. His nest was becoming increasingly colder.
The now helpless baby glanced up to see a woman, with long blue air and pallor skin standing over him.
"Cold little one?" The white witch questioned icily, "Well, we'll see about that." With a snap of her fingers a bitter wind blew within the apartment. Creating a twister over the infant.
The chibi Hiei whimpered and cling onto the blankets to brace himself. He let out a frightened cry for help.
The babe's cries soon reached the boys outside who shivered as they tugged at the door.
"Oh no! Don't tell me he's hungry or his diapers full!" Yusuke, the Spirit Detective moaned against the cold.
Kuwabara on the other hand received a chilling sensation and it wasn't cause of the long relentless storm. "There's something inside. With him."
"What?!"
"And it's attacking Hiei!"
Yusuke's eyes lashed with fear, the recent crash was only a diversion, a trick to lure them outside so that the real intruder would strike from the inside. Most likely a demon thirsting for revenge on Hiei from his adulthood. In the vulnerable state he was in he would be without a doubt an easy prey. "Not on MY watch!" at that moment all his spiritual energy and his devotion to protect his friend collided together and fused into waves of power that shattered the ice around himself and the door.
The two of them thrust themselves through.
The maiden of ice shot a menacing glare at her own intruders.
Yusuke was the first to charge in and see both the witch and the freezing demon child. "Who the he-!"
Immediately Kazuma covered his mouth, "Urameshi! Not in front of the k-i-d."
"Alright…Who the HECK are you?"
The snow sorceries stepped back away from the infant long enough for Kuwabara to rush over and grab him from her chilling wind. "I am Yukiko. Queen of the winter ice and snow. This is of no concern o yours."
"You're trying to kill our friend. Yeah that IS a concern of ours." Yusuke exclaimed back at her while removing his jacket to warm the chibi.
Yukiko's eyes flashed in pale color, "This is proving more difficult to test him then I thought." "You intend on defending him are you? Then defend him against THIS!" She waved her right arm at the trembling group. A huge dust of frozen wind blew upon them, spinning and twisting savagely, carrying bits of sharpened ice from the walls and furniture that cut and pierced their skin.
Hiei watched his friends wide-eyed as they shielded him from the attacked. The scent of hot blood being turned to ice poured over the child.
The boys braced each other against the attack as it swooped over and around them.
Hiei looked around to his friends, shivering under the expanding ice.
"Didididididon't wawawaworry kiddo, you're gagagagoanna be alrrrrright." Yusuke choked out from his freezing lungs.
"Nnnno one'ssss goanna hhhhhurt uuuuyou."
The baby's eyes widened. They were sacrificing themselves for his safety. At the age he had transformed to he didn't understand much of anything, but one thing became clear to his mind. He must protect his friends.
While Yusuke and Kuwabara huddled closer to shield the child Hiei starred straight at the white witch. His eyes soon grew blank and empty, as though his unconscious self had retreated deeper inside to prepare or the ultimate charge.
"So, little one…you will not tap into your power yourself, but will when your friends are in danger."
His black and white bangs were soon blown up in the wind, exposing a thin mark that slowly opened wider. His jagan eye burned with rage and fire.
Yukiko gasped in surprise, "An evil eye?!"
A beam as red a fire erupted from third eye sliced clean through the attack. The ice and wind ceased and evaporated into the air till nothing was left.
"HAAAAAAAaAaaaaaa-" The white witch screamed in fright of the awesome power and vanished.
For several heartbeats Yusuke felt nothing. Had they'd been frozen to death? Possibly. Carefully
With Yukiko gone all of the ice and snow that had fallen in Tokyo had melted away and everything had returned to normal. Well sort of.
"I know I know. I'm just saying that I wish I knew what happened." Kuwabara stated while he mopped up the remaining puddles left in the apartment by the attack, "We were goners for sure and she didn't finish us off?"
"Maybe she lost interest." Yusuke replied holding little Hiei up on his lap with a thermometer. Hiei gave a heavy cooing yawn when the device in his ear beeped and Yusuke pulled it out. "Well… one bit of good news, his temperature's back to normal."
"That's a relief."
The little fire demon yawned again. Content.
Kazuma sat up from his chore to look at the young detective and child, "You know, This isn't quite so bad. Having Hiei like this."
"Yeah," Yusuke sighed relaxed, "He's a good kid."
Hiei the baby curled himself up next to Yusuke and closed his eyes for a long, well deserved, nap.
"It seems you made it without me afterall." A new surprising voice soon sounded in the room.
The two teenagers snapped their heads to the direction of the sound. "KURAMA!?"
The Kitsune demon smiled at the door, "Missed me?"
Kuwabara: "So you even need to ask?"
Yusuke adjusted the chibi in his arms, stood up and went to the telephone when it began to ring. Apparently the power returned as soon as the snow witch disappeared.
The more handsome redhead teem stepped in carefully around the massive puddles, "Sorry I couldn't be here sooner. My family got-"
"Snowed in? So was the rest of down but we're glad you're back."
A few minute later Yusuke had a surprised expression laidened on his face, "Really? I'll be sure to ask him when i see him. Thank you." he hung up, shocked and confused, "Kurama..."
Kurarma looked up from the floor helping Kuwabara clean up, "Yes?"
"That was your mom. She said that you all were in town the whole time and that the last funeral was two years ago..."