Forlorn Labyrinth
Chapter XXI
IY/YYH Crossover
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Yoshihiro Togashi and Rumiko Takahashi. I do not own Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho. This was supposed to be a contest entry for The Deadliestsin but I failed to finish it on time due to my licensure examination. I guess I'll just post this story here. Hope you like it and THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS! I really appreciate it^_^
This girl, the one he had been desperately trying to take back, was there beside him, begging for his attention
"Hiei?" she froze at the sight of him
Both looked at each other with shock in their eyes
He finds the situation hard to swallow, has he already finished his ordeal?
He saw her eyes glistening in tears, a smile formed in her lips "I can't believe it…It is you…"she spoke filled with bliss "You came for me"
No words could explain how much joy he felt upon seeing her once again, a feeling of happiness he never knew he had.
He walked a bit closer, reaching out for her, convincing himself that this isn't a dream anymore.
He wanted to hold her and feel her warmth once again yet his body soon froze upon feeling a sense of impending doom hindering him on his tracks.
'Wait, this had been too easy…' he couldn't find the essence of comfort of the current state 'This could be another mind trick'
She never said a word but only walked towards him as well
He studied her every movement, searching for a flaw that may confirm his doubts.
He had suffered enough from the decadence of his sins already
Many times he already fell for those traps, why is this any different? It might be another trap waiting to be triggered by his impatience and his obsession to get her back.
Still his conscience eats away his doubts. The more he looks into those eyes, the more his doubts are neglected
His frustrations began to rise, desperate to grab her hand and take her away from there
It only drove his doubts away even more but he endured his temptations and stood firmly on the ground without saying a word
'That can't be her'
She was getting closer
"Hiei, I knew you would come" she stretched her hand out to reach for him
Fearing the outcomes, he quickly made a step backward without leaving his eyes on hers.
His abrupt movement sent her on her knees
Seeing her fallen form made his mind blurry once again
"No…Hiei don't go yet…tell me you'd be back" her voice reverberated in his head, remembering the day he wished he never left.
His eyes shot wide as he shook his head to get rid of his horrid thoughts
It was playing once again before him, bathing him with all the guilt that he disregarded, back where he left her three years ago.
"Why?" her sorrowful eyes merged with his' again "Didn't you come here for me?" she asked
He was speechless, he never knew what to say. He just stood and stared at her fallen form with nothing on his eyes. His mind has been deceived for so many times, has he learned his lesson already or is he ready to be disappointed once again?
"I've waited for you…."
He wanted to believe her, he forced himself to, even if it were all just a lie, for it was a beautiful one that he could never take his mind off. He wanted her back so bad.
But his mind opposed for it has learned to see beyond the art of deception
'You're not real…' he thought, screaming it over and over again, reminding him not to fall once again
"Waiting for you to come back…but you never did…"
He gasped at the thought but tried to ignore it as much as he could
'No…don't give into it…None of these are real'
"But I never gave up, because I knew you would come"
Soft murmuring sobs met his ears "Take me away from here. I want to be with you"
He only turned his back and walked away from her, resisting the urge to look at her
The same vicious image that he wanted to forget, was there haunting him
"Hiei?" she weakly called out
"Please, don't leave me here" she softly spoke then she stood up and yelled "Don't leave me again!"
Upon hearing that he stopped and enjoyed the ambiance of silence once again, hearing nothing but her sobs of plea, convincing him, calling out to him.
He already left her once, why is he leaving her again?
"I don't want to be alone anymore, I'm scared" she trembled "Take me away from here" she pleaded
Seeing the sincerity of her voice, he went to her, kneeling down to stare intently at her as he stretched out a hand
She pulled him towards her
"I'm sorry" she whispered
Not a minute to spare he felt something sharp stabbing through his chest, he quickly shot a glance at her just to see a sorrowful look on her face.
She held a broken arrow tainted with his blood, a pinkish glow emanated from her hands
Blood smeared around his chest, bathing him with her agony, his breathing became labored.
Feeling something agitating his throat he began bursting out a bloody cough
He stared at her with shock in his eyes.
A pink aura surrounded her form
"Now…you'll never have to leave me again" she said, her voice somewhat disturbingly happy yet her eyes drenched in tears
He weakly stood, using his remaining strength
"We can be together now…" she stated, her hands began to glow "Just you and me"
White serpent-like figures wrapped around her bare form as she took a step forward, walking towards him
He took a step backwards as he struggled to keep himself awake, his hand clutched tightly on his chest so as to prevent more blood from oozing out.
His lids slowly became heavier
"…What…" he burst into another coughing fit "…are you saying?"
"You left me to die" she added, tears fell endlessly from her eyes "I waited…and you never came…Now you know how it felt. How my heart felt when it was torn twice…"
"No…you're not making any sense…" he weakly remarked
"You left us…Both of us…"
He sank into his knees
"I did it…for you" his eyes never left her, his lids now starting to give up on him
She walked towards him and touched his cheek gently "Shh..." she hushed, a smile formed in her lips yet her eyes bathed in tears "Everything's going to be all right"
Before he could even speak his world started to sink into him, wrapping him in an endless darkness. He fell into the ground without knowing where the darkness would lead him next.
A loud gasp escaped from him as he struggled to catch his breath.
He woke up to find himself resting underneath the sacred tree that rests within the sacred grounds of the HIgurashi shrine.
Snow drizzled along the barren fields that once drew life
'I'm back here again…' he thought
Recalling what happened earlier he frantically stared at his chest that was once stabbed. The blood was still there yet it was already dried up.
He was surprised to be alive yet recalling the incident only made him wish that he should've died already on that misty field, that way, he never would have seen her do this to him.
"Has my mind been…deceived again?" he wondered
He closed his eyes, his mind meditated into silence until he felt a presence before him.
He opened his eyes just to see a little girl with ebony hair that reached her shoulders held back neatly with a light blue headband. She wore a blue trench coat that reached her knees accompanied by a pair of brown boots, blue gloves and a blue scarf.
Noticing the blue headband she wore he can't help but conclude 'Kagome?' he wondered, she also bore a resemblance to the woman he used to know. Her spirit energy is weak yet it resembled hers as well, with a slight difference on its flow.
The girl stared at him through narrowed eyes curiously and knelt beside him
'No…that can't be right' he contradicted 'Unless…I went back in time'
"What?" his weak voice filled with pointy daggers, hating the attention she's giving him
She just stared at him filled with curiosity
"Mister?" she asked "You have paint all over you" she pointed out, seeing the dried blood on his forehead and his shirt.
'Paint?' he was bewildered thinking that this girl actually misjudged blood for paint
"Do you love to paint, mister?" she asked happily
That time, he really wanted to smack himself yet he did his best to control himself. After all, she was just a child, not some grown up idiot who's still acting like one.
"No, I don't" he snapped
"Then why do you have paint in your face and shirt?" she asked
"I don't know" he said sternly
"How come?" she asked him filled with innocence
"I told you, I don't know, just go run along and leave me be" his voice heightened
She shook her head out of disagreement and pouted in response, a pout he knew he's familiar with
"No" she said, crossing her arms "I won't"
'Hn…don't tell me…' he thought, anticipating another argument 'Who does she think she is, challenging me on a time like this?'
Then a bird suddenly flew weakly in front of them
Slowly landing in the ground, slowly becoming lifeless
She quickly went to the bird and held it delicately
'Hn, finally, saved by a dying bird' he felt relieved
Curiosity filled her eyes as she studied the bird with keen eyes, poking at it, shaking it gently, but there was no response.
"Birdie?" she called out then she stared back at him "Birdie fall from sky" she told him
"I know, I saw it" he said in a matter-of-fact tone
He wanted to shove into her face that it's dead, gone, no longer existing
Just like her, just like Kagome.
The sight of death is starting to burn him alive, so much that he could no longer feel his flesh and bones anymore.
His temper rose but he controlled it realizing that reasoning with a child isn't worth it.
'She wouldn't understand' he thought. If only he could use his evil eye right now, to make her forget everything she saw, including him.
She showed the bird to him "Look" she said, her eyes now glistening "Birdie not moving"
He never spoke a word
'It's because it's dead' he said in his mind
"Why not moving?" she asked
He was about to speak to knock some sense out of her when a familiar young, dark-haired teenage boy approached, he knew that boy very well.
His whole body froze, thinking that the boy would notice him
'Sota' he thought, it was Kagome's younger brother.
"Then who's this?" he said to himself trying to recognize the little girl that bothered him indeed
He studied her features carefully but she immediately ran to Sota much to his disappointment
"There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you. Where have you been running off to?" the teenage boy he claimed as Sota asked and knelt to meet the girl's gaze "Why are you crying? Did you hurt yourself?" he frantically searched for injuries on her hands, knees and face, his voice filled with apprehension
She just pouted her lips and groaned in frustration
"If you tell me what's wrong then I might be able to…." He trailed when he saw her carrying a small dead bird "Oh…You know I can't do anything about it, now take it back from where it came from"
"No" she said, shaking her head in disagreement
"Take it back" he replied
Still, she disagreed
"But…but" she reasoned
He gave a glare
"No 'buts'. Now, take it back" he said sternly
The girl droop her head in defeat and obeyed. She went to a bench just in front of the tree and took off her glove, placing it in the middle. With one last look, she slowly drew the bird close to her and kissed its head before wrapping it with her glove so it wouldn't get cold.
She then ran towards the teenage boy once again, tugging at his pants, calling his attention
Tears started falling endlessly on her eyes, her sobs becoming louder, like a little girl protesting for gratification, like a lost child in the wilderness.
He pulled the crying little girl in his arms and held her tightly "Shh…don't cry" he hushed, his throat tightened
"B-birdie …" she stuttered in between her tears "Why birdie n-no move?"
"It's just asleep…it will wake up soon" the little girl gasped in surprise and pulled herself away to look at him
Hiei raised an eyebrow 'What a fool…taking advantage of a child's innocence'
"Just sleeping?" she asked, a faint smile started to form on her lips, He just nodded in return.
"Oh so birdie must be tired so it fall from sky" she said wiping her tears with the back of her gloved hand then she remembered what he said
"Oh…Shh" she said placing a finger on her lips "I might wake birdie up"
Then she walked towards Hiei, his eyes widened in surprise when she smiled at him
"Protect birdie while I'm gone" she said "Pinky promise?" she held out her tiny finger at him
Hiei staggered, he didn't knew what to do, he just stared at her finger with a questioned look
"Mister?" she said "Hold your hand like this"
He didn't move a muscle 'This is way too childish to tolerate' he thought uneasily
Hiei took a glance at her once more giving him an opportunity to look at her bright red eyes that gleamed energetically. Seeing the look on her face made him realize she was more than what he thought she was.
A sight of her reminded him so much of Kagome, yet something felt different, and he's not sure why, what made it different.
Still, that difference made him feel at ease at the sight of her, he could feel a sense of innate trust emanating from it. Like they already knew each other right from the start.
"What are you doing?" Sota asked as he chuckled
"Asking mister to pinky promise" she replied
Hiei was speechless, he didn't know if he would flee or not yet was startled when Sota started to chuckle
"Oh, I see" he said as he went to her, patting her head gently "I'm sure this invisible mister will keep your promise"
"Mister real and he has red paint!" she protested
"Right" said Sota as he chuckled
Hiei's eyebrows rose then his eyes went to the boy that only stared at the girl in amusement
'Sota….can't see me?' he tried to stand
The girl's eyes followed him as he went to Sota and waved his hand at him
She just laughed in response "You're funny" she giggled
"What's funny?" Sota wondered
"Mister" she said pointing her finger at Hiei
'Then why can she?' he wondered, his eyes went back to her
"Okay…Now you're starting to creep me out" Sota's voice tinted an essence of uneasiness in them "Oh would you look at that, It's getting cold, let's go inside" he interrupted as he lifted up the little girl and carried her into his arms.
"Don't go running off like that again, okay? Or else, you'll get lost and no one might find you" he said as he laughed "Besides, Buyo isn't getting any younger. That lazy cat"
"Buyo can find me!" she energetically said "Buyo know Hikari-chan well"
'HIkari?' Hiei thought, finding it familiar. He almost bit his tongue at the thought yet he's now beginning to understand
He closed his eyes and concentrated on her pattern of energy once more
It was the same weak energy he once traced at the demon world forest
'How could I not notice the difference before?' he thought
Then something surprised him, he traced one similar to his'
The dormant one, the one he failed to notice
He could feel his lungs being deprived of air
'Hikari? The star that Kagome once named, could this be the one she's referring to all this time three years ago? The one she tried so many times to tell me?' He took another glance at the little girl in Sota's arms, he clenched his fists
'Why? Why the hell am I so foolish? Damn it, why?' he cursed inside him
"Hikari…I never knew" he softly called out, he was surprised when the little girl stared at Hiei's direction and waved at him as Sota takes her away from that place.
"Bye Mister Painted man!" she yelled
He chuckled at the silly nickname she made up yet he could feel his heart becoming heavy.
He bit his lower lip to hide his frustration and looked away from them and stared into the clouds instead, silently hoping to feel relieved.
He went to the bench, picking up the tiny blue glove she left for the bird, holding the glove tightly
"Kagome…Hikari…" said Hiei in his mind "I swear I'll get everything back…I promise"
Upon feeling the soft, cold ground mingling with her feet, her hopes of him coming for her grew wispy. She's close, so close she could almost feel her existence slowly disappearing from the world.
"You're right…" she softly said, staring at the ferryman she knew she couldn't stand to see "No one has ever gone back once boarded" with that she took a couple of steps away from the dock.
She clenched her fists and held back her tears for she knew she won't be able to wait for him anymore.
'He definitely won't come anymore…there's no need to wait. I'm ready' her mind insinuated
A sudden sharp pain pinched through her chest, as if her heart was reminding her that she need not to lose hope but as she walked further, memories of him were soon left behind, blurring it from her mind until she could no longer remember, that way, she won't have to look back all the time.
A step forward sends memories of him away yet as she walked on those empty desolated grounds, she could feel it changing gradually.
Before she knew it, she was already facing a huge tree with sacred ornaments.
'This place…' she thought 'The sacred tree'
No one is in sight except that barren field bathing in the snowy grounds
She walked around and stared at the surroundings then she saw the same bench she used to sit on, just like the one she saw in her memories.
She sat on it to satisfy her building curiosity. She wanted to feel it once again, to feel what it's like to live again, on that place, the place she grew to love.
'The same place…I first felt his warmth' she thought then she shook her head upon realizing what her mind just told her 'now what am I thinking all of a sudden'
The same nauseating feeling haunted her once again
'Oh no, not this again' she tightly shut her eyes
Then she felt her knees on the ground as tears drenched her face
'What's going on?' she was surprised to see herself crying once again
She opened her eyes just to see a dark figure in front of her
Recognizing it, her eyes widened
'Hiei?' she thought, she wanted to call out for him yet she couldn't
"No…Hiei don't go yet…tell me you'd be back" she grabbed onto him, pulling him, begging him to stay
'Why? What's wrong? Where is he going?' she wondered then she remembered what the brown-haired young man said
"Listen, I know how you feel and it wasn't easy for me to send them to that task too knowing how dangerous it is" his voice echoed in her head
'Oh…that means…No, I can't…I can't let him go' her mind screamed at her memories
"I…have to go now" his voice tightened, slightly pushing her hands away from him
'No…don't push me away…why Hiei? Why are you doing this? Don't leave me' she pleaded 'Please stay…'
"But I…I…" she spoke, she could feel her words drifting away from her
The same nauseating feeling bothered her once more but her desire to make him stay prevailed, giving her enough strength to make him stay
'What? What's going on?' she wanted answers, she wanted it now
'What?' she was getting impatient
"I'm sorry if I can't be with you" he directly stated as he took off using his gifted speed without looking back, leaving her behind on her knees, grieving.
She felt herself slowly being killed deep within
'He…really left me…' her mind couldn't believe what just happened
The cold breeze strangled her fragile form yet she just knelt there, hoping for him to turn back and pick her up once again, yet he never did.
She stared into space as the tears fell endlessly from her eyes then her hands lightly brushed her belly
"I…I wanted you to meet her…before you go"
Author's Notes:
Jaganshing: Finally! Chapter finished! ^_^Thanks so much for the reviews! I really appreciate it. It's nice to hear from you guys despite being away for a long time.
Mini fact:
~chan is a Japanese honorific commonly used to address children or someone younger and is usually feminine.
-Toddlers perceive death as reversible and not permanent. They also perceive it as a form of punishment.
KagomeHiei: I'm studying Japanese ^_^