Chapter 21: Death
"So, you beat the shape shifter. I'm not too surprised but that you are nearly unscathed," came the deep voice from the darkness.
"A night's rest will do wonders for anyone," Ayamae snarled, her teeth tight together, fighting off the ten-year-old images of this demon and his fortress.
Hiroyuki emerged from the deep shadows, a small smirk on his face. His eyes passed over Suri, however, and the smirk disappeared. "Why are you here? If they are alive, you should be dead," he snapped.
A confused look crossed over her face. "What? I don't know what you mean."
"I hired you to kill these two as well as any that got in your way! You have failed me twice now! I will overlook when they were children, but not now!" he threw his arm out and a blast of heated air rushed toward Suri and she flew into the wall, crumbling to the floor.
"Suri!" Yusuke cried out. He looked toward Hiroyuki, a look of deep loathing across his face, his eyes steely. "You will not touch her again."
Somebody's got a little crush, Faith laughed in Ayamae's head.
Little? That's an understatement…By now, Suri had risen from the floor, holding her head in her hand slightly. "Are you so sure of that?" Hiroyuki asked, sending another wave at her, this time leaving her sitting in the semi-collapsed wall.
Yusuke screamed and raced at Hiroyuki, the rage obvious in his movement.
"I grow tired of you," Hiroyuki sighed, sending a blast at Yusuke this time, smashing him through the already-weakened wall Suri was crumpled under.
A whimper was heard from Kuwabara as he backed away slowly, fearing the demon greatly. Hiroyuki's gaze centered on the girls' hands still clinging tightly to that of Hiei and Kurama's. His rage increased slightly at the sight and he sent a wave toward them.
Faith yelled at the last possible moment, self-preservation rising above her fear. "Night Shield!"
The blast hit the shield, and the ground shuddered at the impact. Faith tensed, concentrating on keeping the shield up. Hiroyuki's rage was full-blown now. He fired in continuous blasts at the shield, resolve to break it clear on his face. The blast hit the shield once again, and Faith struggled to maintain it. She managed to do so for a minute or so before the effort to keep the shield up drove her to her knees, her breathing heavy with the effort to maintain their last defense.
"I can't… hold it…" Faith managed to whisper, only Kurama, Hiei, and Ayamae hearing her.
Ayamae stood alongside her friend and held her arms out at her sides. "Fire Wall," she said, placing it around Faith's barrier. "Let it go, Faith. I've got it."
Faith couldn't get enough air to speak and let her best friend know she was letting go, so she just dropped the shield and collapsed to the floor. Kurama knelt beside her and cradled her in his arms.
"Are you okay?" he asked worry, concern, admiration, and love lining his voice.
Faith smiled, "I'll be fine. You look so cute when you worry about me."
She laughed slightly as he returned her smile.
Ayamae's arms grew stiff quickly in the effort of fighting off the attacks. She watched the flames flicker in the blazing winds that held no oxygen, no fuel, to help her. She felt Hiei's hands close with her own; his body pressed to hers from behind. Though he offered no help in holding the wall, he was a support she had needed. Her resolve solidified as she saw Faith in Kurama's arms, finally with the love she had always wanted and deserved. Also, Ayamae's own love that she had never felt would be capable of her again after that first broken heart from a human.
She closed out the memories of Kioshi and focused on the solid body behind hers, offering physical and emotional support so she could focus spiritually on her wall and the defense needed.
She put all her focus on her powers and holding the wall strong and hot. She did not see the wall thicken itself outward and split in half. The large, outer half moved out, expanding its radius. Hiroyuki paused in the middle of throwing another blast as he noticed the flames growing closer. Soon they passed over him, burning and scalding.
"Ayamae, look up. You can stop now," Hiei whispered in her ear.
She lowered the level of power as she opened her eyes and sighted Hiroyuki on the ground, his hair singed and soot smudges covering his skin. "I never knew I could do that…" Ayamae wondered aloud.
Hiei reluctantly moved to let her stand on her own, which didn't happen. He caught her as she started to fall, and lowered her gently to the floor.
"I've never seen a move like that one, girl. A nice mistake that helped you. Feel lucky," Hiroyuki said.
"Let's not start the monologues, we don't have time for that. We want you dead, you want us dead. It's been that way for ten years. Let's see how this story ends," Ayamae said, rising to her feet. Faith joined her at the head of the remaining four. (Kuwabara had left them, mumbling something about getting Yusuke and Suri.)
Kurama and Hiei went to the sides, the girls moving as well, but at a slower pace. They moved well together, almost as though practiced, though that could not have been further from the truth.
Kurama pulled the rose from his hair as he moved swiftly, forming the Rose Whip, while Hiei pulled his blade from its sheath.
Hiroyuki's anger slipped away to be replaced with a smirk, inwardly laughing at their attempt at a strategy. His eyes shifted first to Kurama then Hiei, sizing up their threats. He moved toward Kurama, gesturing his hand, beckoning something unseen. "Come to me," he whispered. Kurama started slightly as his rose whip dematerialized from his hand only to reappear in Hiroyuki's open palm.
A sadistic smile crossed his face as he lashed the weapon out at its creator. The whip snapped out, wrapping itself around Kurama. Hiroyuki smirked, throwing Kurama into the wall behind him, releasing his hold on the whip. This caused the thorns of the whip to dig into Kurama's flesh. The tip of the whip then swung around and drove itself through the center of his chest. A look of surprise crossed his face as he slid down the wall onto his knees. He looked down at his chest and then at Faith. A look of horror and shock crossed her face as he fell onto his side.
Hiroyuki took a moment to enjoy the look on Faith's face before he turned his attentions to Hiei.
Hiei held his katana behind him, increasing his aerodynamics. Hiroyuki repeated the motion and the katana moved to his hold. Hiei was unable to stop his advance in time, though he saw his own blade turned on him and felt it sliding into his own stomach to the hilt.
Ayamae halted mid-step as she watched the blade slide home in the stomach of her love. She watched in shock as he flew across the room, his back hitting wall solidly. The blade was forced from his body and fell to the floor with a loud clattering that resounded in her head.