Her head tilted back completely, her mouth wide with the laughter that was spilling out. Black hair shimmered in the sunlight as it swayed with her random glee. This wasn't the sound she'd made during their last meeting. No, that had been bitter almost mental laughter. This was the sound someone made when reacting to a good joke. He didn't see what was so damned funny. Glancing at her friends he noticed looks of equal shock on all their face. Finally she swung her head around and leveled a comical look on him, pointing with a straight arm.
"See there you go, catching me off guard again," she smiled, shaking her head to dislodge the happiness. "Damn Hiro, once upon a time we'd have had a nice drink to a comment like that, but now, I guess I get to drink with these guys."
She pointed her thumb over her shoulder towards Yusuke and the others, making them gape in shock. Was she being…friendly towards them? Openly?
"Have you lost your mind?" Hiro yelled at her.
The look she gave him wasn't exactly welcoming anymore, but a content hatred that made her dark blue eyes glisten with delight at her thoughts. Her bangs fell over her eyes, allowing her to peek through them with a slight air of carelessness. "Of course I have."
She phased away, fractions of images alerting him to where she'd just been. Spinning he expected her to come up behind him, where she always had before. So she appeared where he'd previously been staring and called enough energy into her palm to send him hurtling through the air with a single punch. She caught him again before he hit the ground, smiling as she brought her knee up under his back then slammed both her fists into his gut in a separate motion.
"Wow, she's really kicking his ass," Kuwabara said with awe. "I've never seen her so into a fight."
"Well she did train him, and he did kill her," Genkai snapped at him. "What do you expect? Her to throw him a welcome back party?"
Hiro lifted himself off the grass as his small opponent bounced on her toes, her fist ready to box. Looking at her he was reminded of how many demons had found their deaths cradled in those tiny hands, how many faces had looked into those eyes as their last image. As a human she seemed hardly significant, doing a good job of only calling the power forth that she needed to use. Even if there was almost one hundred years separating their partnership he knew the look on her face well enough now. It was infuriating.
"Stop playing with me and fight like a man Amon-Shinpi," he growled throwing a series of balls of lightning at her.
"I taught you that one, I distinctly remember forcing you to form the energy into spheres. That must be painful," she was standing in a tree behind him, looking down. "I mean, fighting your master when you never even completed your training, it must be difficult."
"I've managed." He blew a slight blast drawing her out of the tree then hit her with a barrage after she fell for the diversion. The slight body took every hit, throwing her backwards many feet. "I finished my training under a different master, someone who actually could use electricity."
Smoke covered the spot she'd been. A heavy gust swept passed them all, seeming to come from all directions. Mingling with the smoke it created a sort of screen, impenetrable by sight.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Yusuke yelled. "You're a wind user? Really?"
"You haven't told them," Hiro prepared himself for the inevitable return for his damages. They came in the form of gale force winds angled to swallow him, Iruni standing on the back side of the funnel.
"It wasn't important," she shrugged, bending down. Her fist clenched a handful of grass.
"What are you doing?" Hiro demanded over the mini twister, his voice increasingly desperate. She didn't answer, instead she ripped the blades from their roots and tossed the handful into the mix, allowing the green to swirl dangerously around the violent flow. With wide eyes he received the first blow, a sharp cut as the small piece of grass grazed his skin. A small film of blood trickled down his cheek as his eyes widened in shock.
"The thing about wind is, at this speed, anything is an effective weapon. It's just a stroke of luck I don't have to be touching the damn thing physically. Proximity does just fine." She explained unsmiling. "Did you honestly believe I'd be so idle for this long? You seem shocked that I have a new trick."
"I still can't believe we didn't pick up on that," Yusuke was scratching his head. Kurama rolled his eyes to his friend, a little befuddled at the boy's easy going belief system. It was obvious that there was much more to be told about Amon-Shinpi's mysterious powers.
A large wave of electricity came through the barrier of the wind, breaking Iruni's concentration as she flew backwards, bouncing off the ground repeatedly until finally her rolling body lost momentum. As the small funnel of wind faded, Hiro was left standing. He was bleeding heavily from the many cuts he'd received courtesy of the grass blades, some of which were still sticking out of his skin.
"You're one clever girl, I'll credit you that," he gasped between the words, clutching his midsection tightly. Good, that's where she'd aimed for the most damage.
"Don't you dare plan on running away you oaf," she threatened reaching her full height again. The position had her swaying a little, her breathing just as ragged as his. "I'm going to kill you!"
She ran forward calling on amounts of energy he didn't realize she had. That was a point well made to her, proving that letting someone see all of you was a mistake. She trusted no one that much.
"Is that what you think of me?" he yelled and she saw the slight angle change of his body, moving away from her. It took only a second but it was enough. His arm shot out and cast an array of blasts at the team on the rubble, stopping her short of her attack. There was impact, then smoke.
"You must think I'm a fool," she laughed angrily, a dark chuckle complete with matching smile as she appeared before his eyes, starting her barrage of hits. The smoke was thick around the spot , hovering as Hiro tried to deflect her attacks, and attempting to land some of his own. He brought his power into the barrage, guarding himself with a small wrap of shocking binds. She'd had the displeasure of tangling with that particular defense once before.
Not a mistake she'd commit again.
Jumping into the air she grinned, her hand already pulling the sword from its home. A surge of energy had her arm engulfed in the comforting red flames, the blade swinging at her enemy. Hiro jumped back dodging as fast as he could. The whole issue was that she was faster than he could dream of being. He was a much larger target too. Rushing forward she shoved the tip into his solar plexus before she was forced to stop.
The current that ran up her legs from the ground paralyzed her, as it had before in Makai. Heaving she wanted to scream her rage, but with her body nearly useless the best she could do was twist her blade the tiniest bit before he stepped away from the smoldering weapon, his wound cauterized. Taking advantage of her stunned stillness he raised a leg and sent her flying to the edge of the rubble, which revealed what he'd missed before. The sound of her ribs cracking seemed to have bring him back to reality as golden eyes studied the scene.
There was a large green bubble around the entire team, thick with her energy. Her head stopped just on the outer edge where she landed, coughing and sputtering. Then she let loose that grating laugh of victory that he hated more than anything else about her. She gave it at the end of a conflict when her ace in the hole was about to be revealed. It was a simple tell, but he never knew what to expect. She always changed the fight winning attack to suit her competitor. He could only guess at what it might be.
"Neapolitan," she laughed before a rack of coughing shook her body. Without grace she rose, straightening as best she could under the weight of the pain. "Yes, that's right. A mix."
"You should be out for the count!" he yelled at her. "With the energy you're expending on that precious force field and after that hit-"
"You didn't hurt anything important. Just my ribs. They'll heal,'' she waved off his attack with groan. She was in a lot of pain. Planting the tip of her sword into the ground she used it to hold herself up, leaning on the blade for support.
"Damn it Iruni, don't be stupid!" Yusuke yelled shoving against the confinement of her shield. He couldn't stand watching her kill herself when he could help. He was so close and still unable to do anything. "Let us out!"
"Shut up Urameshi," she sighed, a little put out.
"Aren't you going to fight?" Hiro screamed.
"I already am," she brightened up, a smug smile dominating everything else about her face. For a moment it even clouded the agonizing pain showing in her eyes. The glint to her eyes had him looking around. Then he felt it, the first rumble under the earth's crust, just below his feet. For a moment he was taken back to a battle over a hundred years before, when someone had truly gotten the best of the girl's temper. But this felt different somehow. "That's the thing about mixes Hiro. You always get something you want."
"What are you talking about?" he demanded. The ground exploded in a gushing surge of water, surrounding him like a cyclone. There were gurgling sounds as she stared, watching him. If he tried to electrocute her now he'd get himself twice as bad and she knew he couldn't handle that sort of pain. Expanding her aura she felt for him, sense she could no longer smell him, and dropped the attack. Hiro fell to the ground as she walked over slowly. Her sword's point met the base of his throat, her hair shadowing half her face.
Without a word she shoved forward penetrating his neck all the way through without the flame. She simply didn't have the energy to spare. When she pulled out to sever his head completely he rolled away.
"This isn't over, I'll get what I need," he warned before disappearing. It took a few minutes for her to grasp what he'd just done.
"He ran away," she blinked. "Ah!"
Falling to her knees she released her team from the barrier containing them. Planting her sword in the sodden ground she kept herself from doubling over by holding the hilt tightly, eyes pinched shut. The pain was awful, and it was her whole body. Her ribs were broken, that was for sure. And then there were the stab wounds from his Lightning Daggers. And the partial paralysis had left her with some nerve damage that would take days to mend. She was in bad shape and she knew it.
"Iruni!" Yusuke grabbed her shoulder, making her wince. Oh yeah, she'd forgotten about that one. "Are you alright?"
She stared up at him while the others crowded around. "I couldn't find Botan."
"What?" he blinked down at her.
"Botan. I couldn't find her in the rubble. I," she tried to stand and screamed in pain, then tried again to the same end. "I have to find her. She wasn't supposed to be hurt."
"She's in Spirit World, working for Koenma today," he told her softly, shaking his head. With a grin he added loudly, "Man, after that sort of fight the first thing you worry about is Botan. That's great!"
"Yusuke," she breathed out with a heavy sigh, her eyes closed and her eyebrow ticking. "You're grabbing my broken shoulder."
"Oh, sorry," he laughed again a bit forced this time. Iruni was thankful her face was already down and shrouded in shadow, that way they couldn't see the smile she was wearing, thankful they were all alive.
Steam filled the small bathroom, fogging up any surface it collided with, including her mind. The shower was exactly what she wanted, a nice cleansing ritual. Blood had stopped running down the drain ten minutes earlier, about the time she'd finally collapsed and taken to sitting down under the cascade of soft hot water. It bit at her wounds hungrily, but this type of pain was easy to ignore. The more she felt it, the longer it lasted, the more adapted she became to it.
It had taken some convincing to get the group to allow her this small reprieve. Just twenty minutes alone to contemplate. Thinking was less strenuous when she wasn't preoccupied with the smell of her own blood clogging her breath. No one had gotten a chance to inspect her condition yet, something she was thankful for. If they realized how bad off she was they would never have let her do this.
"How did you find me?" she turned her face up to the water, feeling it against her closed eye lids. Hiro hadn't been any different from their last encounter. He looked, smelled and fought the same. Why had she been so afraid of him finding her then? Besides the physical toll she'd taken the fight had gone in her favor. That should have made her smile with the sense of victory that used to wash over her. Now though, she wasn't sure. Part of her suspected he'd been holding back for some reason. She couldn't fathom what would make him do that.
Standing with a wince she turned the shower off. The first bits of cold had started to taint the scalding water, and she did not enjoy icey showers. Twisting her hair she let most of the excess water drain from it before stepping out of the enclosure all together. Grabbing a towel she wound it around her frame, then headed to her room.
The doorway made a good leaning post as she peered inside, a specific red head sitting on her bed. He was looking out her window.
"I thought you'd like looser clothing, so that you don't chafe your wounds," he explained turning those emerald eyes to her face. She appreciated those gems not wandering down her towel clad body. Despite the squeeze dry her black hair was dripping small spots of water onto the floor.
"Thank you, I'd bow, but I might embarrass myself," she saw him smile at her joke as he stood, leaving a bundle of clothing on the bed.
"Genkai still wants to look you over," he warned her as he passed.
"I figured as much," she nodded.
"And we all want to ask you some things," he stopped just as his shoulder passed her own, their faces in two different directions. "About the fight. About you. About Hiro."
"I understand Kurama, I'm not inane," she smiled despite herself. "Is Yukina alright?"
"Good as new," he told her, making her relax some. "Get dressed and come out to the lobby. Take your time though, there's no rush."
She stepped completely into the room as an end to the conversation, closing the door behind her. Studying the clothes on the bed she had to smile again. Shaking her head she dropped the towel and took the garments in hand to start getting ready to face the crowd.
"What exactly did you lend her?" Kuwabara asked the fox as he reentered the room, a soft breeze passing through from the gaping hole in the structure. Kurama had gone to his house a short while before and brought back a small bag of clothes for Iruni.
"My old school uniform," Kurama grinned with good humor. "She'll appreciate the joke. She was once sent home for wearing a boy's uniform instead of a girl's because it was more comfortable."
"Man, that much fabric is going to swallow her up," Yusuke shook his head with a laugh. "That pip squeak is almost as small as Genkai. We should've just jacked one of her outfits. If she had any different ones."
"You know, on top of being full of surprises Yusuke, I'm also the proud user of super sensitive senses," the tired voice accompanied Iruni as she walked into the room, her good hand deep in her pocket. Her head was down a little bit, her shoulders hunched. Her left arm hung limply at her side.
"You look like hell," he mumbled to her.
"Is that so?" they watched as she lifted her head stubbornly, pushing her shoulders back and down. "Well I feel just dandy."
"You look like a five year old in her parent's clothes," Kuwabara snickered. She'd rolled up the sleeves and the pant legs on the old pink uniform to make it fit. Her long hair just seemed to daunt her small stature even more, still wet as it swung around her hips. "Like a baby."
He yelped as she appeared behind him, her fist raised from the strike she'd placed on the back of his head. From the upward tilt of her head two things were discernable, her eyes were closed with a pinched brow and she'd donned a small smile. Pain quickly corrected the slight of happiness as her good arm wrapped around her front to grasp the other as she involuntarily doubled over, giving a slight bout of coughs.
"You're weak, you shouldn't be running around like that," Genkai stepped forward, beckoning the demon girl over to the gusty seating area.
"I am not weak," Iruni ground out not bothering to obscure her offense.
"Just get over here so I can heal you," the grey headed psychic snapped. Growling the demon did as she was told, grumbling under her breath about people not respecting their elders. "And stop that mumbling. The way I see it you owe me for destroying half of my home."
"I didn't destroy anything," she muttered.
"It was your enemy," Genkai pointed out as Iruni sat cross legged on the floor. "Uh, I'm going to need to see your back."
"Alright, give me a minute," Iruni got back up and left the room to return with the towel wrapper around her chest again, the opening in the back, and the uniform top slung over her shoulder. When she came in her eyes narrowed on the two boys claiming the couch, Yusuke and Kurama. "Move please."
"Sure thing," Yusuke watched the girl carefully. From what he'd seen she'd taken quite the beating, the fact she was walking around at all was miraculous. But then Yukina and Genkai had explained the beginning of the fight too. Yeah, she was definitely one tough chick to keep putting on a brave face after that. He'd have passed out once he realized everyone was safe.
But she seemed to be wary about showing any weakness still, like she wasn't sure she could trust them. Groaning inwardly he studied her as she lay down on the couch, releasing the towel so that her back was bare and her front protected.
"Oh man," Kuwabara leaned forward over the back of the sofa to get a better look at her back, just as Kurama, Yukina, Genkai and Yusuke came closer too. "How are you not screaming in pain Iruni?"
"Five hundred years of practice," she sighed. She hated being gawked at.
"I can honestly say I'm surprised," Kurama told her softly, shaking his head. "For you to walk around with those alone would be a feat but you've done it mostly straight faced. And you took a shower without assistance."
"Yeah, well, when you fight everything in sight and rule a territory you tend to learn to hide pain and how to function with it." She snorted, staring vacantly through half closed eyes. Her hair was away from her back now, covering most of her face.
"You look like you lost to a porcupine," Yusuke remarked.
"Lightning Daggers, it's a nasty little attack of electricity solidified into a flying, shocking weapon able to permeate solid objects like people. I do a similar attack with air," she explained, tiredly. Genkai was already starting her pneumatherapy, which made her skin tingle pleasantly. "So, Kurama, if you have questions you might want to start asking while I'm in a lenient mood. When the ability to feel come back to my soul I might not be so giving with this information."
"Understandable," he nodded looking to Yusuke. "Would you like to start?"
"Yeah, how the hell did you hide being an air user from us?" he demanded. "I'm still trying to figure that out. Jin flies around all the time and here you are, steady on the ground. I don't get it."
"Maybe I should explain to you more about my genealogy?" she offered, peeking upwards with her heavy lidded eyes. She looked like she was stuck in a trance, except maybe a little bit more alert. They shrugged and she went on. "I'm pretty much a mutt, when you think about it." She chuckled a bit at the irony in her word choice. "You see, demons don't necessarily mate within their own species in the Makai."
"So what, you're like a mix or something?" he guessed and she looked at the red head for some desperate assistance. Dealing with dense teenagers was not something she had the energy to endure.
"That's exactly what she's saying. I'm sure there's a reason that's important," the fox looked down at the girl who grunted as her teacher healed a particularly deep wound.
"My great-grandfather was a fire demon, that's my sword wield a flame and I do not," she explained reaching her good arm down to finger the hilt of the blade that was tucked into the leg and waistband of her pants. She was never leaving her favorite weapon behind again. "My father however, was a wolf demon. He specialized in water."
"So what? I wasn't asking about your dad," Yusuke grumbled.
"Shut up and pay attention Spirit Detective, I'm not going to repeat and explain every detail if you interrupt me," she growled. He swallowed a little loudly and she took that as silence and went on. "My mother came from a long line wind users. So when they got together something strange happened. I don't know why, but instead of taking after one or the other parent like most demon spawn I was lucky enough to inherit both traits."
"So you're a wolf demon who can wield water and air, wow," Kuwabara blinked, tapping a finger to his chin.
"Uh," she blinked herself and then covered her face.
"Are you blushing?" Yusuke asked laughing at her. Glowering she sat up, clutching the white towel to her chest.
"Stop moving damn it, this is taking enough energy as it is," Genkai smacked the demon in the head, making her wince.
"Sorry Master Genkai," the response was both sincere and aggravated. "Well you see Yusuke, that's not really the case. I mean, it is, but it isn't. If that were all, then I'd be a master at both elements by now and even more dangerous."
"So what are you?" Kurama asked seriously. She closed her eyes, chewing on her bottom lip in unease. It was a cute gesture with her tinted cheeks and disheveled hair he noticed, almost innocent. But not quite.
"I'm definitely a wolf demon," she acknowledged slowly. "But other than that I have no idea. I never really specialized in any one way."
The whole team fell over at that comment, darkening her blush from rosy pink to scarlet. Each boy looked liked they'd just heard the most unexpected news in the world. Finding the Loch Ness monster hovering above them might've shocked them less actually. Large sweat drops appeared on each of their heads, as they nervously rubbed their necks.
"I know, it's always been sort of a tightly locked secret," she sighed. "I mean who'd fear Amon-Shinpi, Demon Lord, Master of Nothing?"
"That's a good point," Kurama nodded. "So instead you created an air of mystery and just played it up."
"Yeah pretty much. Don't mistake that for safety though," she warned. "I may not have mastered any one element but I'm proficient in two, and I've been known to call on earth once before."
"Like plant boy?" Yusuke looked at Kurama who narrowed his eyes.
"No, more like earthquake and chasms," she told him. "I literally meant earth, not plants. Though I do feel most comfortable near wildlife and trees, I cannot make them into weapons. That's a specialty all to Youko's name."
"So, why didn't you kill Hiro?" Yusuke asked this, and he saw the dark shadow cover her face as she tilted her head down, her hair blocked the light.
"I was about to when he ran." Her hands both clenched when she spoke, the distress obvious. "I have one question for you now."
"Shoot," he shrugged.
"How the hell did he find me when your team was the only group who knew my whereabouts?" she demanded jerking her head up. The room fell silent, even the wind had stopped moving at the look of severe distrust in her eyes.
"I don't know," he sighed, looking her in the eyes as he explained. "Look, if I were in your shoes I'd be pissed off too. Wouldn't trust a damn soul in this place. But," he looked at her seriously. "we didn't tell anyone who you were. You don't have to believe us but it's the truth. You're one of the team and we don't betray each other."
For a long moment she stared at him, and he stared back. As Kurama looked between him he thought it was like they were having a silent conversation. Finally blue eyes flicked away, landing on the gaping hole that was now the entrance to the back lawn.
"I believe you," she finally told him. "If you weren't trust worthy I'd have felt something by now, but damn you Yusuke Urameshi, all you're revealing is kindness and good intent. I'd really been expecting some more aggressive, arrogant fools than what I was stuck with."
"Then you've never seen me fight," he laughed.
"Someone told him where to find me and it almost cost Yukina her life, I don't like that." She stated firmly her eyes roving back over the room to land on him.
"May I ask something Iruni?" the small green haired girl stepped forward, away from Kuwabara's side. "Why did you save me?"
"I owed you," she gave a small shrug noticing Genkai had stopped pouring energy into her. "Thank you Master Genkai. I appreciate your help."
"You should rest," the old woman suggested gruffly. "I only mostly healed your wounds but I didn't get to all of them. And we won't even start about the holes in your chest."
"I'll be fine, it could've gone much worse really," Iruni tied the towel back around herself then pulled the pink shirt on over it. With a swift tug the towel fell away, leaving her completely dressed. "His hand didn't ram through my sternum, so I count that as a plus."
"You've got quite the impressive array of skills," Kurama complimented kindly sitting back on the couch now that she was done being healed. He was positive that once she got the chance she'd wrap her chest herself, to prevent the torn flesh underneath from reopening. "I've never seen anyone hold a shield that heavy in place while still being able to attack."
"I'm a great at defensive-offensive combinations. There's a soft spot in my heart for watching people's faces while they realize I can focus my energy in two different places at once. It took so long to develop that ability," she smiled. "It's well worth the effort though."
"I bet it is," he nodded. "Your defensive techniques don't necessarily have anything to do with wind or water."
"Nope, just good old energy," she shrugged. "You know, speaking of demons I don't trust, has anyone seen Hiei today?"
"Actually no," Yusuke blinked. "I mean, I haven't seen him since your attack."
"I saw him last night, and I have to say, I'm sort of disappointed the little hell raiser wasn't here to see the fight. He called me a coward for hiding from Hiro and for not exposing my abilities. Fate is funny isn't it? The one demon to ride me about being true to myself is the one who misses the show," she laughed. "Serves him right."
"Where did you see Hiei last night?" Kurama asked, curiously. He hadn't seen his friend since the fight either.
"In the trees," she leaned back into the cushions, closing her eyes. "He's always hovering around here somewhere."
"If he's not around he's probably in Makai," Kuwabara stated. Yukina seconded this with a short nod before disappearing into the kitchen, saying something about tea. "The runt loves to just up and disappear, especially when trouble starts brewing."
"So Iruni," Yusuke plopped down beside her, smiling as if he were about to do something entertaining. When he looked over to the girl though he stopped. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing through her slightly open mouth, the even breaths and lack of response cluing him in.
"You know, all that girl seems to do anymore is sleep," Genkai shook her head with a smile. Kazuma, Kurama and Yusuke all grinned and chuckled at that, making the demoness twitch in her sleep. She didn't wake up, in spite of the laughter growing louder as Kuwabara started imitating the small being on the couch, rather accurately portraying her tough guy act and soft heart. It had them all rolling on the floor, even Yukina and Genkai were letting loose some laughter at her expense, all in the good spirits of a hard fight won.
"Ow!" Kuwabara complained, holding his cheek as Iruni angrily glared at him. Hours had passed since Iruni had fallen asleep on the couch and he'd lost a game of rock paper scissors to wake her up.
"Do not wake me up like that!" she snapped at him. "I hate being shaken awake. It makes me nervous, I always think I'm under attack."
"I just wanted to tell you it's dinner time, so we're going over to Yusuke's," he rubbed his jaw with a pout.
"Yusuke's huh? I just have one question," she stood up, stretching her stiff and sore muscles. She'd have to change first, just because she wasn't sure she could walk in these pants without them unraveling and she wouldn't suffer through that humiliation right now.
"What is it?" the half demon in question walked out towards them. She flashed him a stern look.
"I just need to know," she went on seriously, her grave tone making him stiffen. He missed the slight upward tilt of her lips as she continued. "Do you have sake? Because I could really use a good drink my friend."