Good evening beauties. I am so sorry for the late posts. Hoping to see some more reviews soon. I have decided to push forward with the story but with some reviews I now know what the story plot will be and I will be following the wonderful advice given to me. I do not own any YU YU Hakusho characters, just Aiko, Lady Shino, Madame Red, Shin and Hiro.
Kurama P.O.V:
The stairs below us trembled as lightning flashed once more. "The biggest Lightning eruption by far. Suzaku is getting desperate." I commented looking further up the rounded flight of stairs. Does this mean Yusuke is winning? It wouldn't be the first time the odds twisted into the detectives favor.
"The attack will almost surely kill one of them, and that included Aiko." Hiei added. I cringed inwardly. If anything happened to her, Kuronue would not be pleased. That did not bode well for his wellbeing. He'd place the blame on the detective and Spirit world and after our fiasco with artifacts, there would be no second chances if he exacted revenge on Urameshi.
"Don't say that!" Kuwabara snapped clearly not amused at the statement. He began to continue forward with renewed vigor but came to an immediate halt as the stars before us began to crackle before crumbling before us replaced with a now large gap as the tower shook once more. "No." Kuwabara cried in disbelief. I stiffened as the same deafening crumbling sound appeared behind us looking over my shoulder to see the stairs behind us had also disappeared into the vast emptiness below us.
"The stairs…" I said lowly, cursing our luck. We were trapped no way to go back and no way to move forward. That wouldn't do at all.
"Now what are we going to do?" Kuwabara asked looking in Hiei and my direction. I saw the look of panic in his face and knew he felt the energy increase and just who it was coming from. Hiei grunted as the tower once again began rumbling signaling the final attack had begun. I looked to the closet set of steps and calculated how far we'd have to jump. It wasn't possible, perhaps if we had a running start, but without the stairs or the space it wasn't at all doable. Then it hit me. Kuronue and I often fell into tight spaces such as this when we were thieves. We'd interlock my rose whip and his Kusarigama using them as a makeshift grappling hook. He wasn't here but Hiei's sword.
"Hiei." I called softly. He turned to me eyes narrowed. "I'll require your sword." I told him before explaining the plan carefully gauging their expressions. Kuwabara however looked as if he doubted me. But he didn't have a better plan.
"Needless to say hold on tight." I warned the both of them tugging on my whip to ensure it would hold steady. It didn't budge. We slowly ascended with no issue till the tower started to rumble once more and the familiar crack sounded. I looked up eyes wide to see the stairs we were connected to start to crumble. We were going to fall. The instability of the tower was working the stairs and I watched as a single crack made it to Hiei's sword before spreading out. We weren't going to make it to it in time. The stairs crumbled and the sword shook loose and time seemed to slow down as gravity slowly caught us, stomachs rising as we fell, Kuwabara yelling as we did.
However, we jerked to a stop in midair, causing me to look up to see what we had snagged on. I winced as something wet hit my cheek and I let out a breath I had been holding. "Aiko." I said barely above a whisper. She wasn't in her beast form nor was she fully ningen. Her teeth were bared as she gripped the rose whip in one hand at the base of where it connected with the sword. Blood dripped from said hand onto my face, but none the less I was happy to see her. She looked at me with alien eyes, the whites barely showing. Her nose was scrunched in a snarl and I watched her skin ripple. She was mid change. A jacket hung to her body torn and dirtied, I noticed as I continued climbing upward. "Don't let go Aiko. Just relax." I spoke to her, calming her. I saw her face. It was a cross between panic, hunger, pain and rage. The perfect cocktail for her change. But my words must've sunk in. The skin slowly stopped and her features softened.
"Hurry Shuichi." She called. There was no strain in her voice though she held us all from falling to early deaths. When we finally made it to the top, I gave her a quick glance over. She clutched her side and before I could ask if she was injured she gasped eyes widening. "Yusuke." She muttered before tearing off back to the top. Even as she ran I noticed her still gripping her side, she had been hurt. The feeling of dread rose in my chest again, tinted briefly with anger. I had caught the scent of the saint beast on her and clenched my fist. I shook it off, we'd cross that bridge if we get to it. For now, we needed to get to Yusuke.
Aiko P.o.V:
"YUSUKE!" I screamed as a bright light engulfed the room. His energy was there and then it was gone. Barely a blip. The light finally dissipated and I looked at Yusuke's lifeless body then to Suzaku who slowly got up though visibly injured.
"I was wrong about you once again Yusuke. It wasn't because you weren't human that I lost, I lost because you were. Feelings are your power. Touché human, at last I understand." He said slowly beginning to stand up. Something in me built up as I looked at Yusuke's body then to the demon. The one who lived and was standing. The image of the car hit me again, when Yusuke had first died. How I had been helpless once again in keeping him safe. I moved briefly hearing Shuichi call my name out in surprise. Suzaku stared at me wide eyed as I collided with him throwing him off balance and landing on top of him. His violet eyes stared at me surprised. "You should be dead, with your master." He said in shock. My eyes burned and I sneered. "Guess that part of the legend isn't true. But even now, you want to-" he began before I wrapped my hand around his throat cutting off his circulation.
"I am going to kill you." I snarled leaning down close to his ear feeling him shudder beneath me. I bared my teeth slowly removing my hand from his throat.
"Even now Hound… Aiko. You are beautiful." He whispered with a smirk on his face. I glanced to Yusuke once again then back to Suzaku before sinking my teeth into his throat hearing him sputter and feeling the warm spurt of blood in my mouth and splashing the underside of my jaw. A guttural sound left my mouth as I drew back mouth full of meat before gulping. His face was coated and blood but he raised his hand weakly running a finger across my cheek smearing it with blood before it fell limply to his sides. I stared at him bewildered his eyes becoming unfocused. Guilt wracked me for that brief moment before I knelt back down and tore into him once more relishing in the taste of blood and flesh. He killed Yusuke, he tried to kill Takeshi and he made me feel helpless. I lost myself to my hunger before a hand yanked me back. I turned with a snarl as I met emerald eyes slowly coming back down to the present.
"Enough Aiko." Shuichi said lowly. My eyes lowered to the clawed hand at his throat. My clawed hand at his throat. I drew back immediately stumbling into the mess that was Suzaku. His lifeless eyes had rolled back and his mouth was set in a permanent smile. "Aiko." Shuichi called eyes calm as he slowly made his way towards me. I flinched as he pressed a hand against my cheek pushing it away.
"You'll get dirty." I told him making up any reason for him not to touch me. I felt filthy, I felt useless. I gasped as he pulled me close fingers locked in my hair. I sucked in a breath and realized I was crying before I clutched onto him fingers digging into his shirt.
"He is dead." I cried voice muffled in his shoulder. He chuckled then and I looked at him in shock. What was funny about that?
"Aiko, while you were… feeding, Kuwabara shared his energy with Yusuke. He is alive." He said with a smile. I jerked away from him and stared at Yusuke and a now unconscious Kuwabara. I stumbled up and away from Shuichi over to Yusuke dropping to my knees and pushing Kuwabara off of him. I rested my head on his chest and waited- there it was. Faint but it was a heartbeat. The idiot was alive. I yanked him up into my arms and hugged his unconscious form.
"You idiot boy." I managed through tears.
"Aiko, let's go home." Shuichi said patting my head. I turned to him and nodded. I needed to get out of here. I needed Takeshi.