Hitori sat on the couch next to Hayato, her hands in her lap and her eyes adverted to the ground. The attitude of the girl had changed dramatically, no smiling or laughing. It wasn't hard to miss the girls' change of expression as the man introduced himself to everyone in the room.
Shizuru took a puff of her cigarette, observing the man with narrowed eyes. The man obviously meant something to the little girl, but with the change of her usual playful demeanor meant something was wrong; something didn't sit right with Shizuru. 'So…the guardian thing doesn't mean crap now?'
Hiei's narrowed eyes held a little more hate; the tension in the room was starting to make him itch. This man, after a year and a half, finally shows up on a joyous occasion for the group, and says he wants Hitori back. This man had timing. He also didn't like Hitori's change in mood. He was annoyed by her constant happy babbling and loving nature, but he hated the sadness and fear that washed over her, it didn't flatter her.
"Mr. Tokaji, if I may ask, how did you find this place?" Kurama asked, sitting with his legs crossed on the other side of Hitori, staring at the man with questioning eyes.
"It wasn't easy, but through some connections I was able to locate Hitori's whereabouts. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to find you, but it's not easy to make friends when you find yourself in a different world."
Hitori cringed at the man's voice; it wasn't the same as she remembered. It was nice sounding, and a little eerie to her. This man might have been her father but something was completely different about him.
"How did you get to this world?" Genkai spoke up, sitting at the table next to Yusuke and Kuwabara. The two fools didn't look pleased by the new guy, their eyes full of suspicion. Keiko sat quietly, her eyebrows knitted together in worry, her mind racing.
"Well, when I was trying to get Hitori back into the house the night she disappeared, I followed after her through the, portal as I've learned, and found myself downtown. How she ended up somewhere completely different is beyond me." Hayato sighed and put his hand on the little girls head, patting softly.
This gesture sent a chill through Hitori's body, making her clench her fist and tense up.
Kurama hated the way this man smelled and talked, and the way he touched Hitori. It was as if he was trying to be a loving father, but Kurama knew the truth. The truth was that man gave Hitori those scars on her body, and this situation didn't sit well with him. 'Hiei…this man…' Kurama's thought shot out towards the fire apparition.
'Just give me the word.'
"How have you obtained the information you have, being a new comer and all?" Kurama asked curiously, his voice wasn't the same; it was more weary and accusing.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot release that information to you," Standing up he bowed to everyone in the room. "I hate to just leave, but we need to get back to our own world. It had been too long, and I believe Hitori has burdened you enough." Hayato clutched Hitori's hand, sending her to her feet next to him.
The reality of the situation hit Hitori quickly and she tried to pull her hand out of her father's. "Let me go!" She cried out, her eyes wide with panic.
Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara stood quickly. In the corner, missed by every eye in the room, Hiei had his hand on his katana, ready to act if needed.
"Sit down; there is nothing we can do." Genkai took a sip of her drink. Though her voice was harsh and full of truth, her eyes showed sadness and helplessness. There was nothing they could do, the law was written. After a year of waiting, she had become the guardian of the child, but in less than 24 hours, it was now void.
The three did not move as they watch Hayato smile, pleased by the old woman's words. "Thank you for taking such good care of my little girl, I promise this will be the last time we meet." Hayato bowed and turned towards the door, dragging Hitori along.
Hitori tried to pry the man's hands off of her. She tried to plant her feet in front of her, to stop him from dragging her along, but he was strong compared to her. She turned to look back, a pleading look in her eyes.
Locking eyes with Kurama, she tried one last time to plead with him, "Kurama! Don't let him take me away!"
Kurama couldn't move, though he would love to snatch the girl up into his arms and keep her here himself, in both spirit and living world, his hands were tied.
As the two excited the door, everyone (excluding Hiei) ran to the open door and watched as Hayato dragged Hitori towards the temple steps, ascending down.
"PLEASE!" They all cringed as they heard the little girl's helpless screams, the two disappearing from sight.
Tears ran down Keiko's cheeks as she stared out into the courtyard. "There really is nothing we can do?" she asked, looking up towards Yusuke.
Yusuke had his teeth clenched together, his hands matching the tension in his body. "Damn it! How could we just let him take her like that?" he cried out.
"The only thing we can do is hope for the best." Genkai retorted.
"How can you be so such a heartless bitch?! Did you not hear her crying in fear?!" Yusuke was angry.
"Shut up, you're not the only one hurting right now." She glanced up towards everyone else, her own eyes full of mourning, sending Yusuke's eyes to look at everyone's face. Their faces were glued towards the horizon. The one that gave Yusuke the chills was Kurama's face, who had the face of a killer.
He watched as Kurama turned back to the compound and walked quickly to the living area, "Hiei, if you would please?"
Hiei pushed the window open, sending a cold breeze inside the living room, and flickered out of sight. The rest of the group followed after Kurama, and looked at him questionably.
"What's going on fox boy?" Yusuke asked, crossing his arms.
Kurama didn't respond as he pulled out his compact. The screen was fuzzy but was soon occupied by the Spirit World Prince.
"Oh, Kurama, what can I do for you?" Koenma asked, stopping the stamping of his papers.
"I have no time to explain, but I would like to know what can stop the termination of Genkai's Guardian papers."
"I think Kurama's gone nuts, guys." Kuwabara whispered, though his voice carried.
"Shhhh!" Keiko scolded, listening intently to Kurama for she could not see on the other side of the screen.
"Well, if Hitori's family comes in contact with her, there isn't much you can do." Koenma paused, thinking for a moment. "Unless you can prove that her guardians are unfit to protect and look after her." He looked at Kurama questionably and frowned, "Are you telling me, after all my hard work, that Hitori's parents have arrived?!"
"Yes, her father," Kurama nodded, "and I can already tell you that she will find no protection with him."
"You have 6 hours to appeal Genkai's case, Kurama. If you cannot prove to me that he is an unfit parent, then that document I gave to Genkai will tear itself apart. After that, even if you are right, it could take years for anyone to accept a new document." Koenma sighed, "Hurry." The screen went black and he closed it with a quick snap.
"What happened, without my spirit awareness I couldn't follow anything you were talkin' about." Kuwabara grumbled. After the Dark Tournament he had lost his Spirit Awareness, though he hadn't needed it thus far, he still felt empty without it. Now he was on the same level as Keiko.
He turned to the others a serious look across his face, "I will say this quickly. That man Hayato Tokaji might be Hitori's birth father, but that man shows no love or guidance. When she came to us, her body was covered in scars and bruises. Thanks to Yukina, all that is left is faint white traces of where scars have been. We cannot let Hitori leave this world with him, or she will suffer."
"That's terrible!" Keiko cried out.
Shizuru put an arm around the girl, and smiled a comforting smile, "Don't worry, once we get our hands on him, I'll beat him to a pulp." she clenched her fist in front of her self, emphasizing how serious she was.
Yusuke growled, "Then what are we waiting for, let's go!" Yusuke turned to run out the door but Kurama stopped him.
"Wait," Kurama stuffed a hand in his pants pocket, "keep your calm while approaching this. If we cannot prove to Koenma that this man is a danger to Hitori in 6 hours, we will lose custody over her for a very long time."
"So what if that happens?" Kuwabara asked.
"The living world's government will probably place her in an orphanage if they get their hands on her. So, please, proceed with caution."
"This really pisses me off, I can't believe I can't smash that creeps face in." Yusuke growled as he stomped towards the door.
Kurama looked out the window, hoping Hiei would keep his cool as well.
Hayato dragged Hitori across the street towards a black four door car. Opening the back door, he tossed Hitori inside and slammed the door. Hitori attempted to open the door, but it had a safety lock on it, making it impossible for the girl to escape the confines of the vehicle.
The girl's eyes were full of panic, as she watched Hayato walk around and get inside the driver side door. She curled herself up against the door, watching him intently. "Where are we going?" Her timid voice asked.
Hayato looked back towards her, that grin she had seen before plastered across his face, "For a little drive my dear. You know, I didn't realized how special you really were until I came here. I think I finally found a purpose for you."
What did that mean? Hitori was confused by that statement as she watched him turn around and start the car. The car began to move, and she quickly looked back towards the temple steps, hoping…hoping this was all a dream.
"They couldn't have gone far," Genkai called out as they hurried through the streets. They had quickly descended the stairs and were following Hiei's energy. Hiei had made sure to make his energy noticeable.
"We must hurry; we only have 5 hours left." Kurama's voice was full of worry.
"Don't worry, we will prove that he can't take care of Hitori, and once we do we will kick his ass!" Comforting was obviously not Yusuke's strong point.
Hayato stopped the car in front of a large warehouse. He turned off the car and stepped out, heading to Hitori's door and opening it. Before Hitori could run, he grabbed her arm and dragged her out."Get your hands off me!" She The screamed out, earning a death glare in return.
"Shut up! You're screams are useless here." He growled out, pulling her towards the warehouse.
Walking inside, he shut the open door behind him, and threw the girl forward, making her fall to her knees. "Here you go, I've held up my part of the deal, now it's your turn." Hayato spoke to the darkness, crossing his arms. He didn't look like the man that had been so polite at the compound; he now looked like the drunken father she had remembered.
A dark figure walked forward, making Hitori back up. The man had messy green hair, his eyes a dark purple. He wore a black leather jacket, a red t-shirt underneath, blue jeans, and some tennis shoes. His right ear was pierced with a silver loop from the top of his ear, and a chain moving down to a red gem dangling from his ear lobe. Tattoos of black spirals graced his skin as seen protruding from the top of his t-shirt and up to the base of his chin, extending down to his wrists.
"I think my master will be pleased with the work you have done." The man spoke out, his voice soft and calming, but it only sent shivers down Hitori's spine.
"Well tell your master I've done my share; now give her back to me!" Hayato yelled out, his eyes becoming crazed and concerned.
"You know," The man laughed gently, covering his lips with the tips of his fingers, his eyes soft and dark, "you haven't been in this world long, and before I give you what you wanted, I think you should learn a little something."
Hayato glared at the man, "And what is that, Genso?" his voice deep and full of hate.
The man known as Genso snapped his fingers and a woman walked out of the shadows. She had long, beautiful black hair and light blue eyes, she was short and slender, and wore a beautiful smile on her face.
"Kuni!" Hayato called out to the woman. She did not move, she did not blink, and it didn't even seem as if she were breathing.
"Kuni…my mother?" Hitori asked quietly. She didn't remember her mother well, only pictures that had been strewn around her old home.
Hayato ran to the woman quickly, throwing his arms around the woman as her arms extended out to him. Though, as he went to wrap his arms around her, he fell through, leaving only a flickering hologram behind him. Hayato turned to look at the transparent woman and then over at Genso, "What the hell is this?!"
Genso held up a finger, "Lesson number one when dealing with demons." The man snapped his fingers. Movement from the darkness surrounded Hayato, one coming behind Hitori. "Never trust one."
The darkness revealed sharp fangs and clawed hands, and Genso smirk as he watched the man struggling in the arms of a red furred, long horned, demon. The demon wrapped his jaws around the Hayato's neck, sending blood flying in all directions.
Hitori watched with wide eyes, her body drenched in fear as the blood of her father splashed onto her face.
"Bring her to me." Genso spoke out moments later, satisfied by the human's death.
Hitori could barely hear the man's demands as her heart throbbed into her ears. The smell of blood tainted her nose, and she cringed.
"No!" Tears formed in her eyes as she kicked and flailed, foreign arms plucking her from the ground. She was scared; she didn't know what was going on. She had been taught that demons existed, but she had not seen one herself. Now, she was having her own demon show, and she had front row seats.
The demon sat the girl in a chair, and stood beside her, leaving one hand on her shoulder to make sure she didn't move.
"Hitori, was it? I'm sorry you had to witness all of that, but we had no choice." Genso pulled up a chair and sat in front of her, smiling down at the girls' fearful face.
Hitori's bottom lip started to tremble, the tears falling down her cheeks. Her eyes glared towards the man in front of her.
"You shouldn't cry over your father's death. He wasn't a good man, obviously. Do you want to know why he brought you here?"
Hitori shook her head no, she didn't care right now, and she just wanted to go home to the compound.
Ignoring her he continued, "I found your father groveling for help, trying to return home. Though, wouldn't you know it, he had what I wanted, and he thought I had what he needed. Your father was going to trade your soul for your mothers. If your father had known anything, he would have known that no demon can bring back a human soul." He chuckled lightly. "To bad he's now dead," he faked sadness but smiled, "at least we got what we needed."
Hitori looked back towards the pile of blood and pieces that had been her birth father. Even though he had been the cruelest person to her, he probably didn't deserve something like that. "You're a monster." Hitori whispered out.
Genso only smiled and stood up, moving away from the girl and pulling a phone out of his pocket. He dialed a number and placed the device to his pierced ear. "Yes, we have her." He waited for a response, "Of course, we will be there soon." He hung up the phone and looked over to her. "Let's go."
The demon holding Hitori to her seat pulled her off, dragging her passed her father's' dead body and towards the entrance of the warehouse. "I'm not leaving with you!" Hitori cried, trying to push the demon away.
Two other demons took the front and opened the door, but stopped as soon as they did.
"What are you doing?" The demon holding Hitori growled. Though, as he asked, the two bodies fell forward, pools of purple blood flowing out around them.
"What the-?" The demon holding Hitori jumped back, pulling Hitori along for the ride, and holding her tightly under one of his arms. She pushed desperately, hoping he would release her. She looked up to the entrance, her eyes blurred from the tears that had fallen, but she could still tell who stood there.
A hopeful smile graced her face as she reached out one hand to him, "Hiei!" she cried in desperation.
Hiei stood there, flicking his sword backwards to remove the blood that had graced it. His face held a smirk, and his piercing crimson eyes stared down the demon holding Hitori.
"And who is this?" Genso asked, his face showing that he was not surprised in the slightest about Hiei's appearance. He was just annoyed that his master would have to wait.
Hiei's eyes darted to the floor; the man they had been following was sliced and diced. "That saves us some time," Hiei spoke out, looking back up, his eyes directed onto Genso. He brought his sword up quickly and flicked out of sight, appearing in front of the green haired man.
The smirk that graced Genso's face didn't falter, and that unnerved Hiei. After swinging his sword across the man's body, Hiei jumped back and watched as the man's body flickered, becoming transparent.
Hitori continued to wiggle as she watched, her mouth hung open wide, and her thoughts scrambled, "That should of hit!" She called out, pointing out the obvious.
Hiei ignored the girl and glared daggers at Genso, the man becoming solid and unmoving once more. The man frowned at Hiei and crossed his arms, "I don't have time for this." He moved one hand up and snapped his finger, a group of 5 demons surrounded Hiei. Genso snapped his fingers again and the demons leaped towards the fire apparition, the man starting his leave of the building.
Hiei's sword moved quickly, the demons around him moving in slow motion as he sliced all of them open. They all fell to the ground, their bodies limp as they breathed their last breaths. "Pathetic." Hiei glared up at the man in control, still in his fighting stance. He was ready to take this man down quickly.
Genso stopped and sighed, looking towards the demon holding Hitori, "Take the girl to the master, I'll be there shortly. Please apologize for me."
The demon nodded and ran towards the door. "Hiei!" Hitori's cries echoed, making Hiei growl.
Hiei turned and went to follow the demon, but was stopped when Genso appeared in front of him, his tattoos were glowing red, and he was holding out a hand towards Hiei. "I'm sorry, but that girls mine."
OH NO! Hitori's in trouble! Where is the rest of the crew?! What's with this Genso guy, and who is his master? Why do they want Hitori in the first place?
Stay tuned to find out, and please leave a review to tell me how I'm doing. I'm not good with action scenes but I'm going to try my best for you guys!
Happy reading! :3