Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, it's characters, or anything affiliated with it. I use the characters and locations for my own personal enjoyment and yours. I own Kitanoe Jyoni. I do use Wikia for information on locations and characters that I may need later. Rating is for language, violence, drug references, and intimacy scenes in future chapters. Please Review! Good and bad are accepted, as I value the opinions of my readers.
Chapter 20
Kitanoe had a scowl on her face as she was grinding her teeth. Kuwabara and Yusuke had been bickering the entire way to the Dragon cave. Kurama was silent and his eyes scanned the landscapes for any dangers. Hiei was ahead of the group keeping his eye out for the land marks or potential enemies. Kitanoe looked back at Yusuke and Kuwabara and glared.
"I am only going to ask one more time. Could you keep it down? I would rather be the one to ambush the dragon, not the other way around."Kitanoe tried to speak calmly.
"Yeah, sure, no problem."Kuwabara mumbled and shoved his hands in his pockets.
"You said that last time."Yusuke complained.
"Yusuke stop instigating the problem!" Kitanoe hissed. "Next time I get assigned a mission remind me not to invite you two!"
The silence lasted mere minutes. Kurama looked on edge as Hiei leaped down from the tree's and onto the ground in front of them. He was also looking quite agitated. "We need to find somewhere to stay for the next few hours." Hiei's voice was stressed and sounded all wrong.
"There is a cave nearby with internal tunnels. When I was Yoko I used the cave often in my travels." Kurama immediately took charge and led the way. Yusuke and Kuwabara followed, trying to sense what ever it was that had Hiei and Kurama on edge.
Kitanoe frowned as she looked at Hiei. "What's wrong?"
"Follow Kurama." His voice was stern as he vanished, the lightning fast reflexes of his speed showing in this moment.
Kitanoe hurried after Kurama, and it didn't take her long to catch up. She looked up at the taller red-head and nearly jumped back as she was startled. His green eyes were dark and brooding. He looked angry, and lethal. "Kurama?"
"I don't think I need to remind you what happened last time we ran into Tunnelers." Kurama's voice was soft, although his eyes told a different story.
Kitanoe paled. She had lived with Hiei in Demon World for six months and not once did she see a Tunneler Demon, and now that she was on a mission for King Enma the Demons show up again? Her mind flashed into a horrible post traumatic stress induced memory of the ground collapsing.
Hiei and Kurama were unconscious and she was alone.
The Demon who raped her flashed in her memory. She could remember his smell. His touch. His voice. The pain was the worst, next to the feeling helpless.
Kitanoe jolted as she felt Kurama's hand on her arm. "That won't happen again. Hiei is just taking precaution and I agree with him. The cave will shelter us for the evening and give the Tunnelers enough time to pass through the area."
"Where did Hiei go?" Kitanoe asked as she rubbed the tears pricking the edges of her eyes.
"He'll be right outside the cave. He will let us know when it's safe to travel."
Kitanoe followed Kurama into the cave where Yusuke and Kuwabara had already made themselves at home. They both had their feet kicked up on a rock and were drinking sodas. Kurama conjured a few plants that would burn a long time and Kitanoe grinned as she set them ablaze, getting a fire going. She was also smart enough to use a minuscule amount of energy so that she wouldn't attract the Tunnelers.
"Are we going to just sit here in th cave all night? Why don't we just kill those tunnel demons and go slay a dragon." Kuwabara complained.
Before Kitanoe could answer, Kurama spoke. " You have obviously never met Demons of this magnitude. Tunnelers may look prehistoric and brainless but they are far from it. They are more intelligent than they are given credit for, and they can be strategic by using telepathy, something we didn't discover until recently. And we agreed before we left, we weren't going to slay the Dragon but work around it."
"So, tell me more about this Dragon." Yusuke changed the subject, detecting the subtle hint Kurama was giving off.
"I actually don't know very much about the Dragon." Kitanoe confessed. "I just know that I am to retrieve the vile containing the Demon X virus, and I am to destroy it. We must be very careful around the vile; if for any reason it is opened and you, Kurama, Hiei, or I come into contact with it, it can kill us."
Yusuke nodded, although wide-eyed. "Sounds like fun..."
"So if I touch it, I'll be okay?" Kuwabara questioned.
"In theory." Kitanoe nodded. "You're not a Demon, it should only kill Demon's."
"How come Hiei is still outside? Don't you guys cuddle and stuff? If Yukina was here we'd definitely be cuddling." Kuwabara changed the subject.
Kitanoe was caught off guard by the question. In truth, Hiei and herself hadn't slept in the same bed in 2 weeks. She felt a blasting heat next to her as Hiei entered the cave and sat beside her. She wrapped her arms around his left arm and leaned her head on his shoulder with a smile. Hiei was not a "PDA" kind of person, but once in a while he would indulge her.
"Are they leaving?" Kurama looked at Hiei.
The fire Koorime nodded. "They are headed in the opposite direction."
"Now that we're all here, let's eat!" Yusuke brought out a bag that was well insulated and started bringing all sorts of food out. Kuwabara grabbed a pan and placed it on the fire and began layering fish onto the sizzling skillet. A wave of exhaustion came over Kitanoe and she closed her eyes. Between the long hike they had that day and the added stress from the Tunnelers, she was ready to sleep. Hiei woke her up forty-five minutes later to eat, and once she had eaten her share she had fallen asleep again.
It was dark when Kitanoe woke up. She laid there for a moment, taking in her surroundings. The fire was dim but still going. Kuwabara and Yusuke were snoring away deeper into the cave. Kurama appeared to be sleeping peacefully, and in fact, so did Hiei. They were all asleep except her. Kitanoe stared at the rocky cave ceiling and sighed deeply. Her legs ached and she felt restless.
'Bane?'
'Master?'
'How far off is the Dragon's lair? Think I could make it there and back before dawn?'
'That it not wise.'
'That's not what I asked.'
'The lair is five miles South of here. You will know when you see it.'
'Any chance you know of this Dragon? What am I up against?'
'Need I remind you that you're pregnant? If they wake up and find you missing-'
'Hiei will find me. I'm headstrong, not stupid. If I think for even one second I can't do this I will come right back. Deal?'
'Deal. The Dragon is centuries old and goes by the name of Scorch. She is gray like the ashes after a fire. Ruthless, she can incinerate enemies with one breath. Unlike most Dragons who hoard treasures and gold, she is most found of rare and unique items.'
'Do I have to kill her or can I sneak in and sneak out?'
'You missive does not say. Simply, "Retrieve", was all I remember.'
Kitanoe sat up slowly and looked around. Everyone was still sound asleep. She escaped into the cold early morning air and made a mad dash South. It had to be two in the morning at least, judging by the moon. Her heart was racing from the adrenaline as she sprinted along the grass and dry patches of ground. She panted as she stopped on a ledge over looking what appeared to be a volcano, but with an entrance at the bottom. The sky was red around it and the surroundings were barren. Tree's were bare and the ground was ashes. Kitanoe hesitated for a moment before she leaped down, landing and jumping from rock to rock to get to the ground.
'You hesitated. Go back.' Bane's voice resonated in her mind.
'Something isn't right. I can sense Scorch, but...it's like she is dying.' Kitanoe thought.
'She may have weakened with age. Do not underestimate her. Get in and get out.' Bane warned.
Kitanoe mentally nodded as she ran all the way to the volcano, clouds of dust left behind on her trail. The closer she got to the entrance, the more her intuition told her something was off. 'Bane? Can you make contact with other Dragons?'
'You're asking me to make contact with your current enemy? For what purpose?'
'I don't think she is dying from old age. Something is wrong.'
'With all due respect, we need to see with our own eyes. This could be a trap.'
Kitanoe growled and ran faster, wishing she was as fast as her mate at this moment. She skidded to a halt as she approached the entrance. She didn't waste any time catching her breath and entered the volcano recklessly. She heard a deep roar followed by the rustle of chains. Kitanoe could smell smoldering fire, ash, and blood. She gagged from the smell and covered her nose as she made her way into the deep cavern.
She hid behind a large volcanic rock and peered over, her eyes widened in horror and shock.
The Dragon named Scorch was massive! Kitanoe was only as tall as the Dragons large fang. She was suffering and in a great deal of pain. Her body was marked with deep wounds and blood poured from them. Chains rattled as the weakened Dragon fought against them.
'This is monstrous!' Bane growled.
'What do we do? What happened to her?' Kitanoe stared in wonder. 'I still have a mission to do, Bane, but we need to help her first.'
'Agreed. I will have Zorath send for Master Hiei. You shouldn't do this alone in case she is wary and hostile.'
Kitanoe felt Bane leave her mind. She felt entirely alone as she stared at the Dragon, and she also felt nervous. Hiei would know she left the cave without them. She sighed, and decided she would focus on that later; Scorch was suffering, and she was going to save her. She couldn't sense anyone else in the volcano and spoke to Scorch from a distance.
"Scorch! My name is Kitanoe, I work with Spirit World! Please, let me help you!" Kitanoe's voice cracked in fear and from pity.
Scorch roared. Kitanoe could hear flesh tearing as it strained to break free from the chains. The sounds and fresh blood made her sick. Kitanoe looked over the volcanic rock again and decided to be incredibly brave...or stupid. She ran towards the Dragon and stopped mere feet in front of her with her arms spread wide.
"Look! I won't hurt you! You're a proud and beautiful creature! Tell me who did this to you!" Kitanoe yelled over the roaring.
"End...this miserable existence!" The Dragon collapsed. The force of the wind and dust from Scorch's fall caused Kitanoe to fall backwards. Kitanoe stared at the ceiling, her heart having stopped from the horror of the creatures words, and they continued. "I can no longer live this life...This way...Free me from my mortal body and release me!" Her words were strained, falling into heavy panting.
Kitanoe sat up quickly and scooted closer to Scorch. "No...No I can't do that. Let me get rid of these chains, you'll be free and-"
"NO!" Scorch roared, startling Kitanoe. "Kill me or leave, peasant!"
"You're in no shape to be making demands! Let me help you!" Kitanoe glared.
'Master Hiei is on his way, and he is, how would you say this...Pissed off.' Bane returned.
"What were you thinking!?" Hiei snapped at his mate. Kitanoe didn't answer, and Hiei's returned silence meant he had noticed Scorch. "What the hell happened?" Hiei hissed, angry that someone would do such a thing to a proud and majestic creature such as a Dragon.
Scorch stood and roared again, expanding her wings in an attempt to fly. Instead her horribly battered wings flapped twice and impressively sent Kitanoe flying into Hiei, both of them soaring across the cave and into the nearest wall. Hiei glanced down at his mate and made sure she was alright before standing up and removing the cloth around his Jagan eye.
"Wait! You can't hurt her!" Kitanoe stood and grabbed Hiei's arm.
"Quiet." Hiei glared at her, before closing all 3 of his eyes.
'He is reading Scorch's mind. He is trying to sooth her with telepathy and get our answers. You need to be finding that Vile.' Bane's voice echoed.
Kitanoe nodded and left Hiei's side. She managed to make her way around Scorch and into a narrow tunnel, most likely created by flowing lava over the years. She soon found herself in a treasure room, and it was twice the size of Scorch. "How am I going to find a vile in this place?" She said out loud. She heard Scorch roar again and the walls vibrated.
'Hiei is fine, focus on the vile.'
"Right..." Kitanoe sighed with a frown and began looking through the various treasures; gold coins, silver coins, pearls and gems. She also found swords and ancient armors, spell books and enchanted items; both Human and Demon. Scorch roared again and Kitanoe could feel an anxiety attack brewing. "Bane..."
'It's close. I can sense it.'
"How do you know?" Kitanoe continued to search through the Dragon hoard.
'Your blood is drawn to it. From your memories, this virus almost killed you once. It's as if your body is preparing itself to fight it off again.'
"Okay that doesn't help me find a vile-" Kitanoe began when the volcano shook in anger from the mighty Dragon it sheltered. She heard a glass bottle roll across the rough ground with a fluorescent green liquid inside. "Is that it!?"
'Yes. I can smell the poison. Hurry destroy it!'
"Shouldn't I destroy it outside?!" Kitanoe worried.
'There's no time. Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara have arrived, and Scorch is about to ignite the Volcano into a massive eruption!'
"But I thought Hiei was helping her! I have to go out there, this is more important!" Kitanoe pocketed the vile, ignoring Bane's plea's. She found her way back to Scorch and was nearly splattered by a nearby lava pool.
'The chains are too heavy, the metal is the strongest of all Demon world. You'll need to melt off the chains to free her.' Bane explained.
"Tell Hiei." Kitanoe ordered, and ran to the nearest grabbed it, ignoring the pain she felt; the lava had heated the chains to such a high temperature that it was melting the flesh off of her hands. Together with Bane, the chain was liquefying onto the ground. A loud metal clang echoed in the volcano as the first chain was removed. Scorch silenced at the sound and looked behind her.
"What are you doing!?"Scorch glared.
"Shut up, I'm freeing you!" Kitanoe winced as she ran to the next chain, repeating the process. Another metal clang sounded, telling Kitanoe that Hiei was in on the plan. The third chain dropped as a geyser of steam and liquid fire burst to the ceiling.
"This things gonna blow!" Yusuke worried.
"Leave!" Scorch hissed and flailed wildly. Her long resounding tail hit both Hiei and Kitanoe, nearly knocking them into the Lava. Hiei quickly recovered and ran to Kitanoe.
"I'm okay! Get the last chain!" Kitanoe winced, positive her ribs were broken. She watched Hiei run to the last chain and melt it into nothing. She tried to stand up and felt a sharp pain in her hip that had her falling back onto the ground.
'The Vile!' Bane hissed.
Kitanoe paled, ignoring her surroundings and her hearing went out. She looked down to her pocket and saw the blood staining her pants. The vile was in pieces in her pocket, the shards of glass stabbing and ripping her skin allowing the Demon X virus to enter her blood stream.
Scorch soared high into the Volcano, breaking the ceiling loose as she burst into the morning sky, boulders and heavy stones were falling down and crashing into the lava pools.
Kitanoe felt herself being lifted and panicked until she saw Kuwabara. "That stuff can't hurt Humans, but someone has to get you out of here! Hiei is about to go all kinds of crazy, so I have to hurry!" The orange haired moron actually managed to save her, and keep Hiei from touching the Virus. Kitanoe teared up from the gesture and watched as Kuwabara ran, carrying her a long distance away from the erupting volcano and back into the tree line.
Yusuke was holding Hiei back when they arrived. Kitanoe looked sickly when Kuwabara set her down. "Bastard! I will rip off your arms if you don't let me go!" Hiei growled.
"Hiei, if you come into contact at all with the glass you will become infected." Kurama reasoned.
"How the hell are you going to help her!?" Hiei glared. "She's dying, I can sense it! What about the child she's carrying!?"
"In my Human state, I am a lesser risk if the glass were to cut me. You and Yusuke will need to gather what I need to cure the Virus like last time, remember? She was fine before, she will be alright now." Kurama gave the two a small but complicated list of things he needed and watched them take off in a hurry. "Kuwabara, I will hold her down, but I need you to rip the side of her pants. About 6 inches or so, so I can remove the glass."
"I'll do you one better. I learned this in med school." Kuwabara said confidently. Kurama looked stunned, he had forgotten Kuwabara had gone to med school after High school. He watched Kuwabara create a small spirit sword, or what looked like scissors, and cut down and around, removing the entire pocket with the class inside. Kitanoe squirmed and whimpered as some of the fabric tugged due to glass being in her skin. The "Spirit Scissors" turned into tweezers that were able to remove any shards of glass left over in her skin, effectively eliminating the chances of Kurama contracting the virus.
"Kuwabara, that was excellent!" Kurama praised in shock.
"I'm not always an idiot." Kuwabara grinned from the compliment.
Kurama wasted no time cleaning the wound, bandaging up with medicinal leaves. The risk to others was now fixed, however the virus was still killing her, and the unborn child.
'Yusuke and Hiei, hurry.' Bane winced.
A/N: Not going to lie guys, I am going to find a way to end this story within the next 5-10 chapters. I am just not feeling it like I used to. I may change my mind, but for now this is my decision.