"He's just sitting there...How is he gonna find Kari if he's just sitting there?"
Hiei tensed at Kuwabara's obnoxious whispers. Even though the teen was several yards away, sitting on the walkway, Kuwabara's voice could still carry across the yard and to his ears.
"He's meditating, stupid. So you have to be quiet." Yusuke's whispers were no more quiet that Kuwabara's and it grated on Hiei's nerves just as badly.
Breath. Block them out, Hiei told himself and tried to concentrate again, jagan eye open but his ruby eyes closed.
Come out, dragon, he ordered into the depths of his mind; there was no response. There had been no response for hours but Hiei was not giving up.
"You think Hiei's gotta use the bathroom by now?"
Oh, he was gonna kill those two morons.
Keiko sighed and turned off the T.V. It had been five days since Kari was kidnapped and she couldn't drown out her coursing thoughts with mindless sitcoms and talk shows anymore. She had stopped crying on the second day; she had actually told Yukina she was hungry and had a plate of dinner on the fourth day.
Yusuke and the others will find Kari, she told herself for the billionth time and she even kind of believed it.
'Hiei and I are so much more than just friends.'
Keiko stiffened and even blushed a bit as Kari's words rang in her head. She had forgotten most of the massive fight they had had but now it was all coming back.
If Hiei cares about Kari as much as she does him… he must be devastated. Keiko shook the notion away. She couldn't carry on thinking about Kari's love life at a time like this! However, as soon as the girl came home…; oh, there would be questions.
Keiko pushed those thoughts away and decided that if she couldn't watch anymore T.V., she could at least be productive. She trotted to her room, intent on grabbing her school books and studying. If thoughts of Kari weren't going to just disappear from her head, she would force them out with cold hard facts.
Marching into the room, Keiko snatched up her backpack and began shuffling through it. No books, though; just clothes and her travel toiletries. Sighing, Keiko remembered that she had let Yusuke pack up her school books.
"Ugh! My papers are going to be all out of order," Keiko griped and began to dig through the pile of luggage. Tossing aside her make up bag and her overnight bag, which were too small for all her books anyway, she finally came across another backpack; Kari's backpack. Keiko tensed and put a hand on the satchel.
"Yusuke must have thought it was mine," she croaked out. She could feel the hard surfaces of the books inside so, taking a deep breath, she quickly upturned the bag. Papers and books spilled out across the bed, making a mess. Lastly, a thick, leather bound book dropped from the bag and Keiko eyed it suspiciously. That wasn't one of hers. Keiko picked up the book and flipped it over, eyes going wide when she saw the circling dragons on the cover. This was Kari's weird notebook that she had gotten all defensive over.
"There….there wasn't writing on this last time," Keiko reasoned as she read the title over and over. "I wonder…" she flipped the tome open to the first page and read:
This volume belongs to the soul whom has revealed its sacred words through the admittance of a long hidden truth and the spilling of chosen blood. They are of the Dragonborn and, as such, hold the power of dragons themselves. All the strength, all the magic, and all the responsibility of those powers now rest on their shoulders.
Treat this grimmerie with reverence and respect.
Shaking, Keiko flipped to the next page...and the next page. She skimmed passages and passages, letting the words fly past her eyes in a steady rush. Finally, she slammed the book shut and bolted from her room.
"Yusuke!" she cried as she skidded around the corner, holding the book tight against her chest. She barreled back through the living room, panting. "Yusuke!" Keiko jolted out of the door and almost ran smack dab into her boyfriend.
"Keiko, what's wrong?" Yusuke asked, checking her for injuries, but Keiko shook him off.
"Where's Hiei?!" Keiko didn't wait for his answer. She could see Hiei over Yusuke's shoulder, sitting on the ground with his back to them only a few yards from the temple.
"Hiei!" she called and shot past Yusuke, running towards the demon. It was only as she stopped next to him and Hiei turned a fearful red eyed glare on her, that Keiko remembered just how much he really scared her. Bowing her head low, she thrust the book out at him with both hands.
"What's this?" Keiko felt the book being tugged from her grasp and she let it go, still not looking at Hiei.
"It's Kari's. She had it at my house. But there wasn't writing in it before!" Keiko finally managed a glance at Hiei. His eyes were wide as he flipped through the book himself, much like she had only a few moments before.
"Does this help?" Hiei stood, not taking his eyes from the pages, and began to walk into the forest.
"Maybe," was all he said in reply.
"Kari really cares about you," Keiko blurted out at Hiei's retreating back. The demon tensed, his head picking up and stopping his advancement into the woods. "And...I think you care about her, too. So, make sure you bring her home."
Hiei cast a glance back at Keiko's determined face. With a soft grunt of understanding, Hiei faced back to the front and blinked out of sight. A wind picked up, ruffling Keiko's hair as she looked out to the trees beyond.
She believed that if anyone could find Kari, it was Hiei.
It was over. For now.
Kari dared a sigh of relief as the demoness, Rukia, slammed the door behind her and left the girl alone. Flaring the least amount of energy she could, Kari set the largest of the sharp thorns in her skin ablaze. The foliage fell away in puffs of ash, leaving only their bleeding wounds behind.
I can't keep this up much longer, Kari thought as her vision swam before her. She didn't know how long she had been here, much less the last time she had showered or eaten something besides the stale bread and water they fed to her every once in a while. Glancing up at her shackled wrists, Kari gave them a testing tug. The chainlinks clinked, sturdy as ever. Even if she had enough energy, she didn't know if she could melt them. If only she had a saw or a blowtorch.
Check your pocket.
Kari shook her head weakly. She was so tired she was hearing voices. She had to be going mad with pain or exhaustion or hunger. How else could she explain this weird voice popping in her head or the bizarre white ghost thing she kept seeing? Kari couldn't care right now about voices and blurry white figures. Her eyelids were getting heavy and she was ready to surrender to the pain-free darkness.
Check your pocket, the voice protested. Kari groaned and glared at the floor before her.
"If it will shut you up," she ground out and twisted her lower body, letting her shredded school skirt twirl for a brief moment. Kari perked up as she felt something tap against her thigh from inside her pocket. Twisting again, she tried to jimmy the object out with her movements. Finally, the pink super pen slipped out and clattered to the tiled floor noisily.
Kari stared down at the item, amazed that no one had thought to check her pockets when they had taken her. A wicked grin spread across her face and she made to reach for the pen...only for her arm to stop way too short. Growling, Kari glared up at the chains with distaste. How was she supposed to use the pen if she couldn't reach the damn thing?!
Blinking with another brilliant plan, Kari slipped off a shoe and let her blood soaked sock evaporate with a flare of energy. Maneuvering as carefully as possible, Kari shifted until her toes tapped against the side of the pen. Dragging it over, she thought about what would help her the most. She gave the pen a click with her big toe and it 'poofed' into a very sharp looking dagger.
I've got one shot at this, Kari thought and wedged the handle of the dagger between her toes. Looking up at the chains on her right hand, Kari gave herself a silent countdown before jerking her leg up and sending the dagger flying above her and straight at the chains. The dagger made contact, severing two links and letting Kari's arm fall free.
"Oh yeah! Who is the coolest?!," Kari gloated and picked herself up, fighting away her dizziness. Prying the dagger from the wall, she hacked away the other chains and re-clicked the pen. The dagger elongated into her sword and Kari smirked. She was getting out.
Kari prowled down the corridor, keeping her energy low and silently thanking the gods that the demons had not been cautious enough to lock the door behind them. Now, all she had to do was find the exit and get mov-
"Hey! Stop, you!" Kari groaned and jerked around. Three demons were charging towards her; obviously, they were intent on taking her back to that crazy torture cell.
"Not today, boys." Kari leapt forward with her sword raised and stabbed clean through the first demon, a spray of blood coming from between its lips. Jerking her sword back, she turned on the other two and made mincemeat out of them quickly. Kari was just starting to realize how much stronger she felt than usual when an alarm began to blare overhead.
Deciding she could worry about it later, she began to sprint down the hall; hacking at demons as they came at her. Kari was starting to wear down, her sword getting heavy in her hands, as she turned a corner. She didn't have a chance to react as a massive fist collided with her gut and sent her flying back into the wall behind her, sword clattering to the floor. Gasping for air, Kari squeaked in surprise as two paws grabbed her by the throat and hoisted her off the floor.
"Going somewhere?" Raisho growled into her face, his sick grin showing off his rows of sharp teeth. He squeezed on Kari's throat, choking the girl and watching as he eyes started to bulge from the pressure.
"Raisho! Drop her!" a voice barked from behind. Raisho sighed and obeyed, letting Kari drop to the floor, gasping and coughing for air. The demon turned to face Minoru and Kichiro, who had shouted the command. Raisho noted that his master did not seem pleased.
"The little bitch was trying to escape. She killed several of my men and-" Minoru held up a hand, silencing the demon's argument. Kari glanced up, her left golden eye glinting in the light, and scowled at the trio.
"It seems my little doll merely wanted to walk about and stretch her legs. No doubt your men were too rough on her," Minoru replied with a smirk. Kari growled low, glaring at the pale creature. Minoru bent over at the waist and retrieved Kari's fallen sword, clicking the pen top experimentally and watching as it poofed back to normal.
"An interesting choice of weapon. Certainly spirit world technology." Minoru took the pen in both hands and snapped it deftly, letting the pieces and the last bit of Kari's chances to escape fall to the floor. "Come along, pet. It is time I show you something."
Minoru turned back and began walking away. Raisho moved to drag Kari up by her arm but the girl knocked his hand away and pulled herself up. She moved to follow Minoru, limping a bit, and Raisho and Kichiro fell in behind her.
They turned left down a long corridor with ceiling high windows on one side, showing the desolate land beyond and the red sky of demon world. Kari noted every twist and turn they took off of that corridor, just in case she could somehow escape again. She didn't really think she would last long in demon world at her present levels but better safe than sorry.
Minoru finally halted in front of two massive doors, dark blue against the pale gray walls. He cast a grin back at the girl, his gray eyes glinting madly, and shoved open one of the doors. Kari gingerly stepped in behind him and balked.
"This," Minoru swept his hand out to show off the room " is our army."
The room was like an airline hanger; it went on what seemed forever and every few feet were large glowing pods, standing over ten feet and attached by a series of what looked like roots. Kari inched towards the closest pod and peered through the semi-transparent membrane. Something inside wriggled and the girl flinched back.
"They still need a little more time to grow, much like yourself," Minoru said, stroking a pod lovingly. "But soon, they will hatch and we will finally be able to take what is rightfully ours."
"And that would be…?" Kari asked irritably. The way Minoru kept saying 'we' and 'ours' was annoying her.
"Why, to carve out our kingdom so we can rule, side-by-side. King and Queen," Minoru extended his hand to her reverently, as if he expected her to take hold of it.
"Uh huh. And where exactly you planning on doing that?" Kari ignored the outstretched hand, only just barely fighting back the urge to grasp it just so she could burn the crap out of this wacko.
"Oh, I thought of many places. However, I have found some gorgeous rolling hills, perfect for us," Minoru smiled. "In the human world." Kari scoffed and looked back to the pods.
"Oh, sure. Cause spirit world is just gonna let you do that," Kari laughed and knocked against the pod, watching it quiver. "How many of these little cabbage patch kids you got?"
"More than one hundred thousand." Kari grinned and looked back to the demon.
"I really hope you got another plan 'cause your little green house band here ain't gonna cut it." Minoru merely smiled wider and stepped closer to her. Kari jerked away as he tried to smooth away a lock of hair from her shoulder.
"Oh, my dearest one. Spirit world will pose no threat once you take them out."
"What makes you think I'm capable of or even want to do something like that?" Kari bit back. Minoru moved behind her, still smiling and eyeing her form.
"Because I've grown up with legends of the white dragon. I know what you are truly capable of," Minoru laid his hands on her shoulders and leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "and I have ways of making you obey."
Kari gulped, feeling fear claw into her chest at the feel of his cold hands on her. Oh, this was not good. She was in trouble. The world was in trouble.
Hiei, you better get here soon.
Deep in Genkai's forest, Hiei was still flipping angrily through the book. It was insane what all this book contained. Stories of founding of Arai, the first dragons, incantations and spells for just about anything. Well, anything except tracking Kari or bonding to his dragon like Hinata had told him to do.
Hiei growled and skimmed back through, sure he was missing something. He came upon the first page and read it again.
"Long hidden truth?" Hiei questioned. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Hiei thought back to Hinata and what the old woman had said. "Accept your...what the hell?!" he growled and chucked the book away. Meditating and reading was getting him no where.
Hiei glared down at his right arm and swiftly began undoing the bandages. If the dragon wouldn't talk to him then he was just going to summon it. Black flames flared to life in his hand and Hiei could feel the pull on his spirit energy.
"Come...out…" he grunted as the flames grew and the sky began to darken. The ground shifted and broke at his feet, his power too great for this world. Hiei yelled as it all became too much and the dragon erupted from his arm into the sky. Hiei panted as the beast shrieked and roared, watching it twist and writhe in the air. Finally, the beast caught sight of him and bolted at the demon. Hiei was ready. Just as the dragon came at him, the demon put out his hands and grabbed hold of it's flaming horns. The beast roared again and pushed, causing Hiei to slid backwards; his grip never lessened.
"What is it you want, Hiei?!" the dragon screamed, it's golden eyes shifting and flaring in its blazing face. "Why do you fight?!"
"I...have to...find Kari," Hiei ground out as he struggled against the dragon.
"She is but a human. She is expendable. She is worthless!" the dragon retorted, snarling and snapping, but Hiei held tight.
"That's not true!" the demon argued. His mind flashed with images of Kari. Training, running, laughing, kissing; the way she felt in his arms and the way her smile lit up her face. Her power and her fragility; the way she smelled or spoke. It all came to him in one huge wave.
"What is that human to you? Why is she worth saving?" the dragon's voice penetrated Hiei's mind. "What is she?!"
"Kari is everything!" Hiei shouted. He felt a surge of power course through him and he jerked the dragon roughly to the side, making the beast's head collide with the earth and send up a cloud of dust. The dragon's black flames roared up Hiei's arms, throwing the demon off the beast and onto his back. The fire licked and seared across his skin, all the way to his shoulders, his collarbone, and finally, and down his chest. His shirt went up in smokes as the fire devoured him. A moment later, it was over. The fire was gone and Hiei was left staring up at the blue sky above, panting and a tingly feeling all over.
"You are a very stubborn demon." Hiei grunted and sat up. The dragon was no longer a beast of fiery destruction, nor was it merely a translucent wisp of energy. The black dragon was very real and solid, the sunshine glinted off its scales and black flames flared from its nostrils as it huffed.
"Never have I had a host who took so long to bond with me." The dragon appraised Hiei with one golden eye and seemed pleased. "At least you are a full fledged Guardian now."
Hiei looked down to examine his right arm and his eyes widened. The dragon mark he had had for so many years now was still there, but many other strange tattoos had appeared as well. Hiei followed the twisting and turning marks, sharp like spikes, up his arm and noticed they continued across his chest and down his other arm. The only spot that remained bare was a small circle of flesh on the inside of his left wrist.
The dragon nudged Hiei's shoulder, garnering his attention. Hiei turned his head to the beast and laid his palm on its nose, the two creatures looking the other in the eyes.
"Let's go get Kari," Hiei said, smirking as he felt his new strength taking root in his core. The dragon revealed its teeth in a toothy grin and glowed for a moment under Hiei's hand. The glow shifted and wavered before being absorbed into Hiei's arm, leaving no trace of the beast.
I will show you the way, the dragon's voice, clear as ever, bounced in his head.
Hiei stood, grabbed up the dragon book, and made his way back to the temple. As he walked, Hiei realized he had one question.
"What is your name?" he asked aloud, knowing that the dragon could hear him. He heard the beast scoff in his head.
I...am Cetus.
Author's note: A little longer, this chapter is. Close to the ending...we are. ;) News this big could only be said with a Yoda voice. Haha! Next chapter coming at ya soon! Please R&R (read and REVIEW!) Ta-ta!