Let me just say beforehand, I regret nothing. I regret absolutely nothing I have done below, and I enjoyed every second of it. In fact, this was very fun, and I'm proud of it.
*Evil smirk* Enjoy the "sho".
I've lived a lot of different lives.
Been different people many times.
I live my life in bitterness,
and fill my heart with emptiness.
And now I see, I see it for the first time.
There is no crime, in being kind.
Not everyone is out to screw you over.
Maybe, oh, just maybe, they just wanna get to know you.
- Fear and Loathing - Marina Diamandis
Autonomy
The human child sat in a corner, her small body propped up against the wall with her head lolling to the front. Her appalling uniform shirt was loose at the collar, missing the yellow scarf she had so brilliantly used as a weapon.
Hiei crouched in the shadow of a crate, elbows resting on his knees, sword laid across his thighs. He watched the girl as she slept, counting the shallow breaths she took.
Slept was perhaps the wrong word. She'd passed out from the strain. Hiei was surprised she had withstood the assault on her mind so well, even managing to be awake for a short time after they came back to their bodies. He hadn't been gentle when forcing her memories to come to light, and it was evident he had scarred her psyche by the pain he felt from her. Of course, he doubted it would make much of a difference, seeing as her mind was already a mess of scars.
The first time he'd seen her, he knew there was something… off about her eyes. They were too deep and empty for a child her age. A human child, at any rate. Blue stones set into her face, jagged and hard, the color of ice. It was an offensive, unforgiving color, one that did not belong in the face of someone so safe and sheltered.
She hadn't been afraid. He could feel nothing from her, like she was a walking void. She almost drowned out Urameshi's presence with her emptiness. Yet, as she looked at them all, passively taunted them, there was an underlying excitement. Now, he knew for sure those eyes belonged to her.
The imagery he had found, the contents of her memories, it was enough to send chills down his spine, and he'd been murdering all his life. Yet there was something about the dispassionate way she did it, despite such an altruistic reason, that unnerved him. He was certain those with honorable goals would act in accordance. That was what experience with these hero-types taught him.
He'd never met a hero before who wasn't afraid of the monster within. Too self-righteous they always were, too wrapped up in their higher purpose and morality to actually do what needed to be done by any means necessary.
What she will do is try to stop us.
Not if he could convince her otherwise.
Perhaps she had been a bit excessive. To him, those people were nothing. To her, they were humans, like her, no more weak or powerful. They were equal in their worthlessness, or so he would normally think. But this child was anything but worthless. A human, yes. Beneath him, also yes. But she was something he had never encountered before, in neither demons nor humans.
Honest.
She is false!
Of course, as he had been observing them both, he had seen her tell countless lies, and act a part that was not truly her own. Neither of them were typical humans, or even typical children, but she certainly took the cake. The boy still thought he was doing the right things. But she understood.
There is no right or wrong answer, only answers, unaffiliated. There were no selfish desires in her mind, no contradicting ideals of should and should not, want and want not. She did not lie to herself like the others did, humans and demons alike. She knew what she was. She didn't make excuses for it, didn't try to rationalize her actions. They simply were. A mind like that would be a terrible thing to waste, even if her body would make for an excellent drone in his army.
Besides, he was too curious, somewhat about her, but mostly about that wretched banshee of a woman living in her head. That being, neither demon nor human, that had cast him out with no more than her pure willpower.
They are poison. They are not natural.
That woman frightened Hiei, more than he had known was possible. It was a pureness of emotion, unclouded by extraneous thoughts, allowed to be as intense and focused as she wanted it to be. He had felt her power, the pink aura that spread from her skin, oozing out like pheromones. They drew him in as easily as they had banished him.
He couldn't kill her. Not the child, and not the woman. The girl was too useful to him, and the wench far too powerful.
He'd seen inside the child's mind more than just her dearest, bloodiest memories. He'd seen her heart, feeble as it was, and who it belonged to. That brother of hers. He could understand that, maybe even respect it.
What's to respect? They're humans, filthy, pathetic little deceivers!
She wasn't. She was different, and he could use that to his advantage. She placed so little value on feelings, and even less on life. It was all but meaningless to her, as it should be. She thought clearly, unhindered, save for one. That was acceptable.
It is weakness! Weakness must be purged!
One weakness, if kept carefully concealed, was admissible. He too had his very own weakness, one he needed to find before it was too late.
Your weakness must be purged. You know it is true.
Hiei closed his eyes, bowing his head with a grimace of pain, though he was uninjured. He tried in vain to block out the voice. Was it his own, or the sword's? Who knew anymore? Certainly not the demon.
When the sword first spoke to him, and to him alone, it drew him away from the item he had truly sought, the Forlorn Hope. Such great power it had promised him, to create his own army, loyal only to him. An army that none could surpass. An army worthy of protecting Yukina when he could not. And to create this army, he would only be obliterating all humans. It was the perfect ending.
But he couldn't do it alone. Gouki was weak, dying at the hands of two human children, and Kurama… the traitor, was too blinded by his love for a human. He was just as pathetic as the creature that spawned him. Such a great and powerful demon, reduced to a groveling mother's son.
This girl, Kuwabara Hotaru, did not love her brother. For all he had seen of what she did, the acts she carried out in his name, for his sake, she held no love for him. No, he was only a pretext to her, a means to an end. He gave her a reason to be herself, to kill to her heart's content. He was a logical choice, being a fighter and engaging in more conflict than he could handle. It was so easy for her to latch onto him as her reason to live. She was, after all, just a child. Despite her honesty, she lived in a world with rules. Rules she could not break for fear of retaliation. Rather, rules she would not break… without reason.
And he was her reason.
Oh yes, Hiei hadn't stopped at just her violent memories. He'd tread more carefully as not to alert the woman within, sifting as gently as he could through her mind. It was a fascinating place. He could get lost there for hours reliving and experiencing her horrors. She would provide endless entertainment, of that he was sure.
Hiei smirked, looking back up at the girl. She seemed helpless now, but he'd be lying if he said her first hit hadn't been extremely painful. He'd felt his cheek fracture. She had broken a bone, with just an elbow! If she had struck a normal human, he would understand. But he was stronger, better, sturdier. She should not have damaged him the way she did.
More mysteries, he supposed.
We do not like this! She is an unknown. Kill her now!
Hiei growled, dipping his head once more to banish the voice. But a moment later, a quiet noise like one breath slightly longer than the others drew his attention. He stared, eyeing the girl sharply. Slowly, she lifted her head.
I didn't need to look around, I knew where the demon was. He crouched like an animal not ten paces away from me, watching me with predatory intensity, yet he made no move. He said nothing, only the narrowing of his eyes and the tension in his legs making it clear he was ready for my next move.
I looked up, to the left and right, and deduced we were in a warehouse at the docks. The sounds of the ocean were distant, so we were further inland. The lighting was dim, and none of it artificial. The color of the light was dark yellow. It was still afternoon.
I looked down to my left, then my right, finding only crates to either side, boxing me in so to speak. No one else inhabited the space with us. Finally, after a thorough scan, I looked back at Hiei, my mouth drawn down slightly.
"Yukimura would have made a much better hostage," I pointed out, and he seemed to be appraising me. "You must have anticipated I would try to kill you."
He gave a short laugh, closing his eyes and standing. He looked down at me with a cruel smirk. The sword in his hand glinted menacingly, but he made no indication that he would use it.
"You can try, but I doubt you'll get very far." His smile widened. "See, I've taken some precautions while you were asleep. We wouldn't want anything to happen to your precious Kazuma, would we?"
My vision flashed red for a second before I grabbed control of my thoughts once more.
"Was your intrusion of my mind simply a fear tactic, or did you even bother to pay attention to what happened to those who have threatened him before?" He turned away, looking out one of the distant windows. He seemed focused, and his voice held a quality of distance when he eventually spoke.
"Oh, I definitely remember. You've got quite a history, don't you?" Then he glanced at me from the corner of his eye, seeming to refocus on me. "You would make an excellent demon. It's really a pity you were born human."
"If you're proposing that we could have been friends in another life, I'm afraid I'll have to disagree." The obvious questions danced on the tip of my tongue, but I refrained from asking them. I could infer the answers easily enough.
"No, not in another life," He turned to me with a smirk undaunted by my unvoiced threat. "This one."
I paused, my head slowly listing to one side.
"I beg your pardon?"
Yusuke didn't like running.
He was athletic enough that it didn't bother his lungs, and it didn't even really strain his muscles. He was just lazy by nature, and running, above all else, was the most annoying thing in the w orld. Why rush to get somewhere? It would all still be the same no matter when you arrived, and it wasn't like anything was ever important enough for him to want to hurry anyways. It was better to take your time, and you'd get there when you get there.
It always tired him out just looking at other people running. Where were they going? Why did they need to get there so fast? Can't they just slow down for once and stop worrying about stupid stuff all the time? Hell, just thinking about running was exhausting! So you know when you see the lazy-ass punk Urameshi running, you should probably run too.
An unfamiliar fear sat deep in his gut, spurring him on to chase after the ferry girl as she zipped through the sky on her oar, disappearing beyond his view. She had taken to the sky almost immediately after she nearly took a swan-dive off the roof. She screamed in his head, her shrill voice less painful than what she had to say. Little Kuwabara was in trouble.
With his new detective tools in hand and a healthy dose of anxiety, Yusuke tore from the classroom and burst forth onto the near-empty streets, a single-minded determination he'd never known before possessing his every move.
"Yusuke! Here!" Botan's shout made the boy's legs work even harder, rounding the corner to see the blue-haired Spirit hunched over a prone form. Fearfully, a single name jumped to his mind as he stared, frozen. But the body was male, and much larger than the red-haired girl. He forced his limbs to move again, jogging the rest of the way and dropping down beside Botan.
"What… what happened to him?"
The body itself was relatively intact. The face was disturbingly blank, however, and there was blood pooling on the ground from a wound the young detective could not see.
Then, Botan rolled the body over, and Yusuke reared back in horror. A gaping hole occupied the man's stomach, far too large to have been caused by a sword. The sword probably would have left a long wound anyways. This looked like someone had put their whole arm through.
"I know him, he's a teacher in my grade," Yusuke said, swallowing to stop the bile from rising in his throat. He felt sick. The ashen face and empty, listless eyes put forth a haunting image, with frightening implications. Yusuke wasn't even sure the man knew he had died. His hands were clean, not like he had been clutching at the wound to try and save himself, and it didn't look like he had moved an inch since he was struck, no smeared blood or drag marks. It would have taken him some time to bleed out, but there was no sign that he even knew about the wound.
"Oh dear," Botan mumbled. She looked a little green, and it struck Yusuke as weird that the Grim Reaper would be so unsettled by a death, even one this gruesome. If he tried, the teen could count the bones of the cadaver's rib cage.
"Can you tell what happened?" he asked, slapping her arm when she didn't respond. She looked shaken, staring at him with vacant eyes that only added fuel to his rising anger. "Botan, focus! Come on, you're a literal death god, don't you crack on me now!" She blinked a few times, seeming to snap out of whatever weird funk had taken hold.
"I... I can see the energies, where they fought," she began, tearing her eyes off the body below her and staring straight ahead.
"Even when they're not here?" he asked, then his eyes widened. "Wait, are you saying they're around here somewhere?"
She shook her head, seeming to draw herself a little taller.
"No, no," she said forcefully, steeling her resolve. "It's like footprints on the beach. Every time a wave goes over them, they become fainter. The energies are almost gone now, but they're still fresh. Hotaru's, and a few others, they're all mixed up. They fought, I think." Yusuke had to take her word for it, unable to see whatever it was her Spirit eyes could detect.
"So how does that help? Can you see where they went?" Again, Botan shook her head, and he let out a growl of frustration. She glared at him with watery eyes.
"I'm sorry, but I just can't! The energies stop here and don't go anywhere else! Maybe I could find whoever took this man's soul, see what he knows, but there's no-"
She stopped short, cutting off with a strangled gasp. Yusuke's eyes widened in alarm, staring at the woman as she gazed, petrified, into space. He said her name, grabbing her arm to break the trance, but she didn't react to him. She flinched, her eyes bugging out of her skull. She didn't seem aware of her body as she let out a soft yelp, jumping and bringing her hands in front of her chest defensively.
"Hey! Botan!" Yusuke grabbed both her shoulders to shake her, but the moment he touched her, her head whipped around with speed to rival a bullet.
"Oh, Yusuke," she sounded even closer to tears, her voice trembling in fear. "It's Hiei- he's told me terrible things through telepathy! He has Hotaru and Keiko and he won't give them back unless we bring him the other two artifacts. He's- he's threatening to kill them!"
Keiko!?
"He what?" Yusuke snarled, and tears finally began to spill down the ferry girls pale cheeks. Hotaru must have been trying to protect Keiko. Dammit, it was so obvious! Of course that was Hiei's plan! With a growl, Yusuke ripped the new Demon Compass from his pocket and secured it on his wrist. His unsteady hands fiddled with the ridiculously tiny controls until the thing began to beep, arrow spinning slowly and sporadically.
The beeping increased, and he leaned closer to the compass expectatly, but all movement suddenly died, the device going completely still. He growled, shoving his wrist under Botan's nose.
"It's not working!" She tried hastily, her own dainty finger shaking, but the results were the same.
"He must be too far away," she explained. "Even I can't feel them anywhere!"
Yusuke gritted his teeth, seething inside as several curses clawed and chewed behind his pursed lips. Breathing in through his nose, he sat back on his heels and crossed his arms.
This has to work!
He did as Hotaru had instructed not three days ago, looking inside for that pool of energy. It was easier to find this time, the warmth more familiar the longer he had access to it. It seemed... bigger? he couldn't put his finger on it, but there seemed to be more there than before. He could think about that later though.
Recalling her instructions, he took hold of the energy, warm and alluring, and moved it up into his mind. Everything in his skull tingled with a comfortable warmth as the power complied, and he shifted the direction, imagining his senses and gave the instructions. It wasn't a fast process by any means, and more than once, he felt his control slipping. How the hell did Hotaru do this naturally!? He closed his eyes tight, the body and Botan's constant worrying movements a distraction.
Now, without his vision, he could see.
Around him in a vast expanse of black was an interwoven pattern of colors, fading quickly, but easily discernible still. There was Hotaru's signature violet, a specific shade and depth of color that was ingrained into his memory for the rest of his life. Twisting and dancing around it, a sparking string of gold, and an ever-present overlayment of deep red.
A single splash of pink stained the air somewhere behind him, but it was focused in that one area, and hardly mattered in the end. Now that he knew what he was looking for, he fed more and more energy to his senses, his mind reaching out with many hands to scour the city. The radius of his search widened gradually, and the entire city seemed at his disposal. He could see everything, though the specifics blinked out of his memory the moment he moved on.
A lot of good that was doing him! Just tell me where she is, dammit!
!
Then a spark of gold in a corner, somewhere just at the limit of his search, blinked into existence. His eyes snapped open and he shot to his feet, turning to face the direction. It wasn't her, but she had to be close by. That was good enough for him.
"That way," he said to the woman staring up at him in shock. What was in that direction again? Water, maybe. "By the docks, it has to be."
"Y-you're sure? How do you know?" Botan asked in awe, and Yusuke fished his second new toy from his pocket, staring down at it with narrowed eyes.
"Something Hotaru taught me." When he got her back, he was going to buy her something nice. Or steal it. Or maybe he would let her win a fight for once.
Watch your back, Hiei, Yusuke thought to himself, slipping the Concentration Ring over his right index finger and watching it shrink to size, the ring of teeth digging into the sensitive skin. The pain was a focus point, and he looked toward the horizon. Toward his target.
"I'm coming for you, you bastard."
"Would you like to know what I saw in my little trip through your mind?" Hiei asked me, his smile never fading. I raised both brows as condescendingly as I could manage.
"I imagine you saw exactly the same things I did, seeing as we were together. And I consider it more of an invasion than a trip. Just so you're aware."
He chuckled, crossing his arms to mirror my stance. He didn't seem bothered by the irritation in my tone. He was more amused by it than anything.
"I saw someone trapped by their own body, and by those around them. I saw you dealing out justice, yet hiding your true nature from those who claim to love you. But I think you know, if they had any idea what you are, they would turn on you in an instant."
I nodded.
"I don't deny that, hence why I act covertly."
"But are you satisfied with that?" he pressed, and my immediate answer was Yes. Of course I was satisfied. Thanks to me, Kazuma has always been kept safe. "And thanks to him, you can act on your desires, right?"
I know I was glaring at him. I felt my face tighten and my vision grew just the smallest bit darker.
"Kindly stay out of my head," I ordered, and he gave a full-blown laugh, jeering and patronizing in its raucous tone.
"I don't take orders from humans. Especially not Spirit World's pets," he sneered derisively. I didn't respond, waiting for him to make his point. "But you don't like that now, do you? Being their good little dog, sniffing out the evil demons for them."
I could see what he was doing. Then again, he wasn't exactly trying to be coy about it, and that didn't change the way it appealed to a small part of me. He would offer me freedom, in exchange for loyalty. He must truly think me to be a fool, or his glimpse into my psyche has given him an even greater insight to me than my self reflection ever could.
"I don't have to hear your thoughts, I can see it in your eyes. You know what I can offer you." His smirk held a hard, victorious edge. "You're bound by rules you follow by default. You're a prisoner in this life, thanks to that brother of yours."
My eyes snapped to his. I hadn't realized I had looked away. Somehow though, I couldn't find it within me to punish him for his consistent threats against Kazuma. They were casual in a way that I took to mean he wasn't entirely serious. Poking a sleeping bear, probably, but not willing to stab it outright.
"He is holding you back. Think of what you could accomplish by letting him go. With the power of the three artifacts, you would hold dominion over all of Human World. The rules would be yours to change as you see fit, yours to break. Your justice would be law."
"I can't help but notice how conveniently absent you are from your own offer," I pointed out. "My freedom comes at the price of loyalty to you, does it not? Tell me why I would trade one supposed captor for another."
His sneer grew tenfold, disturbingly wide, almost cartoonish in the most menacing way. Triumph overpowered his wariness, leading him to approach me without caution. I stood impassively, watching him, wearing my best impression of boredom.
"Because I know you, Firefly, in ways he never could." The English word with its perfect pronunciation caught me slightly off-guard. It was uttered in such a fond tone, yet I knew it to be deception. "I understand you. Imagine living in the light, never having to bother with hiding your nature again. You don't need to hide from me."
I clenched my teeth, trying to force my body to relax. My heart refused to cooperate, thumping like its own small voice infecting every square inch of me. It was almost like The Rush, goading me on, willing me to accept the tempting offer.
Freedom. I was a private, covert person by nature. Yet I had always held myself back, even when I had desired something, and my wants always seemed too few and far between to give much attention. If it was not for Kazuma, it was not worth bothering with. That was my mentality. That was what kept me from acting on every impulse. It was a thin string that held back my hands. Why had I let it, I wonder. Why did I let myself stay silent for so long?
Why, despite my misgivings, was I listening to Hiei? I cared about Kazuma… didn't I? Yet Hiei… he was right.
"You hardly have a good track record when it comes to cohorts," I told him casually, though I was aware it was the last thing on my mind. "One has to wonder if any form of alliance with you is really a safe bet."
At this, he scoffed, tossing his head to the side and stalking away, his gait just one furious step away from manic.
"Gouki was weak and an imbecile, neither of which, despite being human, you are. And Kurama… his greatest failing was love, something neither you nor I know anything about." He turned to me, his glare surprising to me. It wasn't necessarily dark, but it was intense, and carried more depth than his words conveyed.
"I won't pretend to like you. All I can do is be honest with you, just as you are with me. Creatures like us do not need feelings to get in the way of success." He then grimaced, brow twitching in agitation as he spun on his heel, his frenetic pacing resuming as though he didn't miss a beat. "We do not need weaknesses!"
The vehemence in his tone was startling, yet somehow, I got the feeling he wasn't speaking to me. Himself, perhaps? Was there a weakness of his own he was not disclosing? He prowled back and forth for a time, hand clenching and relaxing on the hilt of the Shadow Sword. He seemed thoughtful, but in a restless way. When he finally reached a decision, upon his tenth cycle, he stopped and faced me, a strange look in his eye.
"If you truly wish it, you may keep your brother. I will allow only that. In all of this, I can guarantee he will be protected."
His wild about-face in philosophy threw me for a loop. Had he not just accused Kazuma of being a weakness that must be purged? Yet he will protect him. Why? He must have known he had already convinced me, so why should he contradict himself so suddenly? Perhaps it was a reward for my loyalty, should I choose to give it.
I opened my mouth, perhaps to give him an affirmative. I cannot say what I was about to do, because at that moment, the squealing of metal hinges split the near-silence, piercing the dusty afternoon air. Hiei's head jerked up at the noise and he made a sound of displeasure, face wrinkling in displeasure.
"Your detective friend got here sooner than I expected. How unlucky for him." He gave me a last long look, garnet eyes narrowed. "You'd better make your choice quickly, Firefly. Patience may be a virtue, but it's certainly not mine." With the unspoken threat hanging in the air between us, he rose to the balls of his feet, then promptly vanished from sight.
I could feel his energy signature moving away, and I once again marveled at his immense speed. It was then that I heard the voice, loud and rough, fury echoing in every syllable as the young man raged at the demon.
Yusuke.
I took a step, starting to run, then slowed to a stop.
Why?
Why bother with him now? Did he really mean so much to me?
He was pleasant, yes, a companion I would willingly spend time with. He was understanding in ways few had ever been before. He had a way about him that brought me that much-needed light in an otherwise dark, dreary world. Urameshi was like Kazuma, in that regard. And like Kazuma, I would do things for him that I wouldn't even consider doing for anyone else.
I put myself in danger for him. Battling Gouki, he gave me the choice to run, did he not? But I hesitated. I stayed, and because of that, Gouki was now dead. Before, I had thought it a valuable lesson to me on the value of a team. But now... I could see it for what it was.
I was the one to remind Yukimura to save Urameshi's soul before it was too late. If I hadn't, there was no telling if she ever would have remembered. It was by my design that Gouki had been destroyed. Urameshi and Botan would have died without me there, that much I was certain of. Then, it was I who spoke to Kurama, and handled the situation peacefully. It was a pattern, I was realizing. He surely understood it too. Humans notice patterns, after all. It was me, swooping in to save the day at the last minute. Could the imbecile do nothing by himself? Would I forever be relegated to the role of deus ex machina for that idiot, who couldn't even solve his own personal problems without me?
And Kazuma... oh, he had never outright asked for my help. I had offered it freely, though not with words. Hiei was right about one thing: I was severely limited, and my limitations were self-imposed. Kazuma was my reason, my excuse. He stood tall as my shining justification for my sins, the vindication for murder, while simultaneously being the barrier that held me back. Oh, I was so very careful, wasn't I? Careful to make sure he never knew, cautious around everyone, because no one must know.
But in a world without these laws and rules to follow, in a world where my reputation didn't matter... what could I be?
I spent so long focusing on those three questions. Do I need it? Will it help my image? Will it benefit Kazuma? A little self indulgence every now and then was what my mind and body craved, and it was easy to choose my Reason. Kazuma was always in trouble, always leaping into conflict. True, he loved me deeply, and true, I did have a softness for him. A softness...
A weakness.
...
I looked down to the tingling on my little finger, clenching my hand into a fist to hide that thing from my sight.
And weaknesses… must be purged.
I squared my shoulders, my face lax and blank as it always was and took the path Hiei had. Each silent step was more resolute than the last, until I knew with absolute certainty where I stood.
The woman took a deep breath, the closest she could manage to a gasp at this point in her life, and watched the childs soul nearly disappear behind the sakura-pink aura. From sixteen down to eight percent now.
"Hotaru, you stupid child."
Her teeth clenched and her fingers dug into the bedframe, the most emotion she had shown in some time, yet there was no one around to bear witness to it. The wood creaked and groaned in protest against her grip, but she paid it no mind. What she broke would be replaced anyways. All of her focus was on the girl, who was coming dangerously close to signing her own death sentence. The boy was her only hope now.
I stepped out onto the scene, this part of the warehouse conveniently barren. Crates were stacked in imitations of walls and mountains, clearing a space large enough for the small gathering that was now in progress. Urameshi's form was the first I recognized, the bright green striking against the dim brown of the wooden cartons. He glared at something on the very top of a tower of boxes, and I followed his gaze to find the black clad figure of Hiei grinning down at him with unbridled evil.
A flash of blue in two shades caught my attention to the left, and a quick glance told me Botan was there, knelt on the ground as she hunched over a third form clad in pale blue. Though the face wasn't visible, it was very clearly-
"Yukimura."
All heads whipped around, and I immediately felt the stares of three sets of eyes.
"Hotaru!"
"Little Kuwabara!"
I didn't dignify their excitement with any attention, looking up at Hiei with a raised brow.
"You took her after all," I remarked, and Hiei smirked.
"Well, I thought two heads were better than one, wouldn't you agree? One for each artifact. Of course I also needed extra insurance in case you decided to decline my generous offer."
"Ah," I nodded in understanding. That was logical. "Well you wont have to worry about that, I've decided to accept."
Movement drew my attention away halfway through speaking, and I found Urameshi facing me mere paces away with mingled confusion and adrenalized anger. I tilted my head, observing his unprepared stance with intention and picking out the first areas I would strike.
"What is he talking about, some crazy bullshit deal? Keiko's gonna be just fine, soon as we beat this guy's ass and get that sword." I raised my brows in surprise, leaning away slightly as he took an audacious step forward.
"You don't seem to understand. I don't care for Yukimura's well being." He recoiled, face tightening painfully.
"What's going on, what did you accept?"
The tension only amplified when Hiei suddenly burst into raucous laughter, clutching at his sides as he howled with unrestrained mirth. It looked as though the sword might slip from his grip. He turned crazed eyes upon Urameshi, impossibly wide grin firmly in place.
"Oh you poor fool, can't you see? She's betraying you, for me!" He lifted the blade, pointing it straight towards Urameshi in a visual declaration of war. "See unlike you, we know exactly what we are, and we don't need to-"
I rolled my eyes at the demons dramatics, focusing instead on Urameshi's rapidly deflating form The teens face slowly drained of hope, his features falling into a fascinating despair until he turned utterly undone doe-brown orbs to me. The transformation was something magical, though the remaining spark of determination indicated he had yet to accept the truth. Desperation reigned in his eyes as he refused to acknowledge the evidence, taking a somewhat threatening step forward. My lips twitched in amusement.
"No way that's true, you can't! It's that creepy eye- he's controlling you!"
I shook my head with an indulgent smile, crossing my arms and starting to circle him. His eyes followed my path, head turning while I examined him.
"He really isn't. All he's done is show me the error of my ways." I cupped my chin, a faux expression of speculation adorning my features. "Well, perhaps not what you might call errors. I believe you and the little prince of Spirit World would call it progress. Progress towards self-denial."
I let out a bark of laughter and he jolted, whipping around to keep me in his sights and taking another step away. His fear was like blood in the water and my senses sharpened, latching onto the emotion with jagged fangs.
"Did you know, the only reason I even agreed to work for Spirit World was because Koenma told me he could fix me?" I shrugged. "I thought it would be beneficial, that it might be the best thing for Kazuma. I never even stopped to think about what might be best for me. What a disgustingly selfless thing that was!"
"Stop it!" My brows lifted into my hairline, a sardonic smile in place. Urameshi growled, raising a hand to point in my face, so rudely. Why did I put up with his impropriety for so long? "You have to snap out of it! This isn't you, I know you. You're cray, but not this crazy!"
Botan called out frantically: "Hotaru, please! You have to fight him!" I giggled, lifting my hand to my face. My cheeks burned and my eyes squinted from the width of my smile.
"You're funny, Urameshi. You know me? You know ME?" The laughter was gone, but the comfortably uncomfortable sneer remained. "You don't know the first thing about me, you moron! You really do reach new levels of idiocy every day. Thinking you know me..." and I pushed down a snicker of fondness. I was going to miss him.
"Cut it out! I won't warn you again. If you don't wake up right now, I'll snap you out of it myself!" I hummed, halting my pacing and regarding him with a blank, curious look.
"You don't seem convinced... Ah!" I snapped, a thought coming to me. "You must have found the place where Hiei and I fought, right? Yes, I can see you did if that blue tint to your skin is any indication. You found that teacher, didn't you? The one with the hole in his gut? Would you like to know how that got there?"
Urameshi snarled, moving to gesture at the silently gloating Hiei, but I wagged my finger, resuming my path around his trembling form.
"Ah-ah, not Hiei. See, our demon friend here was trying to use the dear sensei as a shield. A pitiful shield, so very fragile. Yukimura would have made a better deterrent, if only slightly. That man provided no protection from my energy blade. You remember I showed you, just the other day, what my energy could do? So I lit up my arm and ran it clean through to the other side." I blinked fondly at the memory, at the look of utter mortification that had appeared on Hiei's face. It looked rather like Urameshi's did right now, and both were memories I would treasure for the days to come.
"I killed him, and even then- and that was all before my revelation, mind you- I had no remorse. There was just... nothing! He was collateral damage, no more significant than stepping on an ant on the sidewalk. Did you know all of that, Urameshi? Did you know what I was capable of?" His head bowed, fists shaking at his sides. Almost there. This would be a beautiful thing to see! The tips of my fingers tingled in anticipation, my energy begging to be set free.
"Do you remember Akashi-Sensei? That rat-faced inferior who tried to have my brother expelled. Do you know how they discovered his body, or did you even know he was dead? He washed up on a beach, you know. The autopsy report showed seven broken ribs, five teeth remaining, multiple fractures, and missing several small extremities thanks to my lovely aquatic friends. They do a marvelous job getting rid of evidence, most especially when they get a free meal out of it.
"Tell me now, did you know all of that? Do you know about the rest? There's more, if you'd like to hear about it."
His shoulders sagged in defeat, wide eyes staring unseeing at the ground. I shook my head, clicking my tongue sadly. I was really going to miss him.
"You really didn't know me after all, I suppose," I told him gently.
"He didn't." I blinked, freezing where I stood. "But I did."
My head turned slowly of its own accord, my eyes locking onto a quivering Botan. She glared at me furiously, still one step away from a blubbering mess judging from the watery state of her eyes. Although I had to give her credit, she was standing well enough on her own with only a near-corpse beside her. Was Yukimura putting off energy? It wasn't human, that's for certain. I wonder-
"I knew everything about you. I've read your files," Botan continued, startling me. She was still here? "I had to know. After you agreed to help us, Koenma told me to keep an eye on you for suspicious activity. I was curious. I wish I hadn't looked, but I did. And it scared me." She clutched her hands to her chest at the admission, curling in on herself. "But despite all that, I know you're not evil! I know this isn't you. I've seen the real you, Hotaru. You are kind, and selfless, and smart, and you care about your brother so much that it hurts! So you have to listen to us. You're in there, somewhere."
She stopped, suddenly, her head jerking up to gaze at me with wide, hopeful eyes as I stalked towards her. My eyes gentle, I stood before her, a hand resting on her shoulder comfortingly. She blinked, a watery smile forming on her lips.
I grinned. I was not going to miss her.
"Botan, watch out!"
His warning came too late. My hand suddenly erupted in violet energy. I grasped her throat, a clawed hand of light wrapping luminescent fingers around her entire neck. With a grunt of effort, and a laugh at her horrified eyes, I dragged her body around and through the air, tossing her surprisingly light body straight into the oncoming Urameshi. He tripped as they collided, falling over himself and landing on top of her in a heap of limbs, comically splayed at different awkward angles. I couldn't help the bubbling laughter at their predicament, and Hiei seemed to share my enjoyment, appearing just behind me with the sword propped up on his shoulder.
"That was easily the most beautiful thing I've seen since I came to this wretched world," he complimented, and I tossed my hair with a gracious smile.
"Of course," I returned, watching as Urameshi picked himself up from the dog pile. The rage in his face was palpable, and I covered my mouth to hide my surprise.
"That's IT," he screamed, raising both fists in preparation for our final battle. However, he made no move to strike.
"I've had just about enough of this crap! So what if you killed that guy? He got in the way, right? You were just trying to protect Keiko!"
I blinked.
What?
"And I get it, you've got issues. We've all got issues, you're nothing special! So maybe you went murder-crazy and whacked a few assholes. If you ask me, maybe the world's better off without 'em!"
My eyes grew wide.
Huh!?
"You wanted to make it right, you were trying! You can't tell me it was all a lie. You wanted to get better!"
No. No, no no no NO! What was he doing?
"Don't you dare throw all that away because some jerk thinks he can mess around with your head."
"I'm a monster," I finally informed him, shaking my head in casual disbelief. "After all I've done, all I want to do, there's no hope for me." Why couldn't he see that? I was so certain I had broken him. What was this? Where the hell was this coming from?
Get out of there!
"So what do you want, a medal? Good job, you're an irredeemable monster, and no one can forgive you! Well that's too fucking bad, because I'm not going anywhere!" He straightened, pointing at with an authoritative glare. "Guess what dumbass, I forgive you!"
Wait...
"You've got to snap out of it, right now!"
No, this wasn't right. He was lying. He had to be. This isn't how this was supposed to go. This wasn't how you acted when you were good, and he was insufferably good.
I forgive you.
"Are you even listening!?"
I. Forgive. You.
He forgave me. For what? For being what I am? For something I can't control? That brat! How dare he think he can have any power to say what I can and cannot do? How dare he presume that I want his pitiful forgiveness? Hiei understands. Hiei would never forgive me, because Hiei doesn't expect me to betray myself. Hiei doesn't demand a side of me that doesn't exist. Hiei would laugh, because there is nothing to forgive.
That's it, focus on Hiei! Think of the freedom, its what you want! It's all you need, and he can give it to you. Don't listen, don't wake-
"WAKE UP!"
His fist collided with my face before I even had a chance to register that he had invaded my personal space. There was something hard on one of his fingers, a golden ring with teeth that I had failed to notice before, and it dug into my skin painfully. I reached for his throat, my only intention to squeeze the light from his eyes, but my hands never made it past his elbows.
I saw color.
Pale blue, easily recognizable as his Spirit Energy, erupted from his knuckles like a grand wave from the sea. It lit a fire on my skin, drawing out my own power like sucking poison from a wound. It surged to the surface, meeting his in a fluorescent display that would put the northern lights to shame. I was sent staggering back, the contact lasting for only a brief moment before I could get away. His energy latched onto me still, embracing my own for a few blissful seconds and sending waves of contented warmth surging through me.
Just as quickly, it was gone, and I was left standing there, staring off to the side. I couldn't move, my head snapped back as though it were my new permanent form.
What happened?
"Yusuke," I muttered, and a deep chuckle echoed unpleasantly in my ears. A hand fell to my shoulder and gave me a light push.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of the fool. I imagine you'll have fun cleaning up here."
That voice... Did I know him? Were we friends? Why did he think he could touch me so casually? I turned to see him disappearing into thin air, but a flash in my vision of spiky black hair confirmed that it was Hiei, the demon. My target.
What?
"HOTARU!"
Yusuke glared at me before Hiei suddenly engaged him. They moved in a blur of colors, green chasing black out of my sight and further into the warehouse. Warehouse? What were we doing here again?
Urameshi... Yusuke was angry... with me. What did I do this time?
I blinked, my periphery catching sight of a mass of pale blue. Looking to the right, I discovered the two feminine forms, one lying on the floor with the other huddled over it. Botan, her obnoxious blue hair in an alarming state of disarray, had thrust her hand over Yukimura's forehead, emitting a soft glow that bathed the young girl's face in warm, baby-blue light.
Botan, and Yukimura? What...
And in the blink of an eye, everything came crashing back down onto my shoulders. Every cold, misanthropic remark, every sadistic laugh and wild, unchecked emotion, every action I had taken against my... my friends, it all came back in a painful rush of feeling. Each word speared into my brain with the force of a thousand harpoons, sinking in hooks at every opportunity and infecting me with a fierce, burning guilt.
I reached out blindly and placed my hand against a stack of boxes. Balancing was suddenly very difficult now.
My head jerked around to focus on the sounds of battle, wood creaking and shattering and voices raised in martial anger. Yusuke was there. He was fighting, without me. He needed me. I took a step in that direction on shaky legs, still leaning on the crates for support.
"Ah!"
I stopped, whipping my head back around. Botan, yes, she was still here. And she was struggling. Casting out my sense, I could feel her power draining, and judging by the look of great discomfort on her face, it wouldn't be long until she was completely empty. Time to prioritize.
"Botan," I called, and was surprised when she let out a yelp of... fear? She turned to me with wide, teary magenta eyes, curling in on herself.
"H-Hotaru, please don't-"
"Botan, what's happening?" I interrupted, and she let out a small noise of surprise. Her eyes grew impossibly wider, and I worried they may fall out if she wasn't careful.
I pushed away from my supportive wall, just barely managing to stay on my feet as I stumbled the expanse between the two girls and myself. Botan recoiled (I remembered why, now), but I only dropped down beside her with a sigh of relief. No time to rest, however. I leaned over Yukimura, blinking the haze from my eyes as I struggled to stay upright. There was a line on her forehead, an though it appeared to be a normal cut the lack of any blood and the excess of demonic red energy told me it was something more.
"What happened to Yukimura?" I asked, looking at Botan expectantly. She only stared at me in bewilderment, finally finding her voice a second later.
"Y-you're... worried?" I gritted my teeth, but struggled to remain calm. Understanding, that was key. She had just witnessed... something inexplicable, and the complete reversal had to be jarring for her.
"I am myself again. I promise you, this is me," I said urgently, careful not to touch her as I reached forward, as though to calm a frightened animal. "Tell me what's going on, what has Hiei done to her?"
She looked hesitant, and I only just managed to keep the snarl from my voice. We didn't have time for this sensitivity! As though sensing the urgency of the situation, she nodded resolutely.
"I- He cut her with the Shadow Sword. She's going to turn into a demon unless we get the antidote from the sword's hilt." The ferry girl looked down, her lips drawing into a thin line of pain. "I'm trying to slow the process, but I can only do so much! Hiei is too strong, and the eye is already opening!"
True to her words, the line which I had thought a cut was now widening. The formation of two separate lids was easily visible, as was the oblong purple iris just now peeking out from under her skin. Botan was right, the eye was emitting its own energy, something that felt much like Hiei's. Said demon and detective caused yet another loud crash, and I could vaguely hear insults being traded. That left little time.
"Here, move for a moment." She gave me a confused look, but shifted aside to give me access to Yukimura. I reached into my skirt pocket, producing the smooth pink pen and booklet that Hiei had so foolishly left on my person. Thanking his momentary incompetence, I uncapped the pen, thumbing through the runes with one hand.
Healing would do no good, I had a feeling this didn't qualify as an injury. In any case, I could feel the power of the eye growing steadily stronger. It would eradicate the rune in seconds if the marking was targeted directly at the demonic energy. A banishing rune might just dispel her entire body. Protection was all I could think of that applied. The only problem was the different possible outcomes. It might protect Yukimura from the eye, but it might also take the magic to mean it should protect the eye from Botan.
"Your curse pen," Botan exclaimed as I lowered the tip to Yukimura's cheek.
"Do you know how it works?" I queried, and she nodded an affirmative. I frowned, glancing between the page and the girl's skin to make sure I copied the symbol correctly. In a few black lines and loops, it was completed. I watched, ready with the rune to stop the magic if there was any ill effect. However, Botan's look of shock assuaged my anxiety.
"The eye, it's not in contact with her spirit anymore," she said in wonder.
"You need to focus your energy on the rune. It won't stay forever, but if you feed it your energy, it will be able to protect her longer, and at a lesser cost to you." She turned a grateful smile to me, shifting to move her body, when she suddenly screamed. A particularly loud jolt of electric energy struck her hand from the eye, which slowly began to open.
The rune disappeared. I cursed, leaning down once more to apply the mark.
"Get ready, start as soon as I move away," I commanded.
"Roger," she replied, and the second I had leaned back, her hands were hovering over the area. Her blue light covered Yukimura's face, and though the lightning remained, the rune stayed put. Botan gave a small yelp as the skin of her hands began to split, red beads running down her palm and dripping onto the blue uniform the student wore.
"Botan?" It was many questions in one, but she shook her head to all of them.
"I'll be fine. Go help Yusuke." I nodded, then, as I pushed myself to my feet, promptly fell right back down.
Botan worriedly called my name, but I ignored her entirely, forcing my energy into my legs and shoved myself back up off the ground. I did not endure those nights sparring and fighting with Urameshi for nothing, and I would not allow this mysterious and inconvenient exhaustion to stop me. With my veins now pumped full of spirit energy, the unsteadiness of my legs was a thing of the past. I dashed in the direction I had last heard the sounds of the fight, but it was eerily quiet now, save for a single voice, taunting and cruel. Hiei.
I rounded the corner in time to see the demon, lunging towards a kneeling Yusuke with the sword. ... Was that even Hiei?
His skin was a sickly green, toned, muscular body adorned with a multitude of eyes that matched the Jagan in color and intensity. His hair, formerly a single flame, now split into two, like massive horns branching out from the top of his head. However, there was no mistaking the face, sharp and grinning madly. That grin dropped a moment later as the sword plunged into something that was not his intended target.
The new arrival had taken the attack in Yusuke's stead, the blade now lodged deep in his gut. Blood spread from the wound in a dramatic imitation of a flower opening its petals to greet the sun, yet the figure stood there, a smirk reaching his emerald eyes as he gazed defiantly at a now shocked Hiei.
"Kurama, what the hell are you doing!?"
The demon, for it was indeed the crimson-haired fox, only reached forward, gripping the blade and sliding his hand down towards himself, leaving a trail of blood dripping down the cool silver. I watched in fascination as he then flung the blood pooling in his palm straight into Hiei's face. More specifically-
"My eye! My Jagan eye!"
Hiei scrambled backwards with a shriek, furiously rubbing at the redness that now smothered his jagan. The sword fell from his grip, clattering to the floor off to the side of the scene. My eyes narrowed, focusing on that cursed weapon, and my feet carried me immediately there.
"Hey, I've come untied!" Where Yusuke's body had been bound by glowing red ropes, he was now free with nary a red thread to be seen, with exception to... well, anyhow. I stooped to grab the sword, my fingers curling around the gnarled hilt. It was as heavy as it looked, and I looked down to find my eyes reflected back at me in the blade. They narrowed in disgust the longer they looked back at me, and I eventually had to look away, my arm falling to my side.
"Hotaru?" I glanced back, finding Yusuke regarding me with a wary frown. I ran my gaze over him once, twice to assess his injuries.
"Are you alright?" I queried quietly, and he gaped, blinking wide eyes at my question.
"Uh, yeah. Are you?" I nodded, ignoring his look of skepticism.
"I am myself. Kurama, that looks bad," I said, turning my attention to the newcomer. He tried to give me a reassuring smile, but it came across as a pained grimace.
"I'll be fine," he replied, pressing a hand to the gaping wound. "Just a minor hole in my stomach." The corners of my lips twitched.
"Kurama, why?" Yusuke took a step towards the ginger demon, his face pinched in concern. "You didn't have to do this- any of it."
The boy smiled kindly, his smile now much softer, said: "I am only alive because of the two of you. At the very least, I must repay that debt, and at most, I must assist my allies." The brief glance in my direction was the only indication that his comment was for me. I withheld a smile at my success.
"I will use my power to help the girl," he continued. "Now you two must deal with Hiei."
"Kurama..." All three of our heads turned to the growling demon, whose enraged garnet eyes burned bright as dying stars, and with all of their heat. His teeth gnashed, bared in a primal display of aggression. His gaze flickered to my position at the halfway point between him and my allies. He eventually noticed the sword, his eyes lighting instantly.
"Firefly, my sword! Give it to me," he demanded. I hesitated for a moment, lifting the blade once more to ponder those icy blue pits that stared back up at me. What had possessed them to make them so empty, I wondered. What did Yusuke see when he looked at me now? Was he afraid? Was he lying before when he claimed to forgive me? "Now, girl!"
I raised a brow, giving Hiei a look full of disdain. I spun the blade in my grip so that the sharp end pointed down, then held it out for Kurama to take. I kept my eyes locked on Hiei's face as I spoke, and I was pleased to find watching it fall in astonishment was just as priceless as it sounds.
"The antidote is in the hilt," I explained shortly, not bothering to look at the fox. "Take it, and don't mess it up."
Hiei's face twisted thunderously as the weight of the sword disappeared from my grip, and blood-red eyes tracked Kurama's movements all the way back through the way I had come. The smaller demon took a step as if to pursue, but Yusuke and I both moved to intercept, placing ourselves directly in his path.
"How about you take your problems up with us," Yusuke growled, and I crossed my arms defiantly. "Good to have you back, crazy," he added, and I gave a short laugh.
"Of course."
"You." Hiei's blazing orbs never strayed from me, staring me down with the intensity of a thousand suns. If looks could kill, I'd be dead several times over. "We had a deal. What the hell do you thing you're doing!?"
"Coming to my senses," I replied in an even tone. "As difficult as it may be to understand, I'm making the right choice this time."
He let out a mix between a feral howl and a barking laugh, mania corrupting his features further into a picture of utter madness.
"You absolute imbecile! There are no wrong or right choices, only those that benefit you!" He shook his head, looking my frame up and down with pure disgust written on every facet of his face. "You were not this weak before. What happened to all that self-acceptance, your little epiphany? Was that all just a ruse? I think not! That monster is still in there, somewhere."
"Oh give it up, Three-Eyes," Yusuke barked. "She's not gonna fall for your crap again!"
"No, Yusuke. He's right," I conceded with a smile, and regarded Hiei with a scolding look. "It's there, and it has made its case. Unfortunately for the monster, and you, it wasn't enough."
He sneered derisively.
"Fool! You've chosen their feelings over your own power, their weakness!" He started towards me, and I lit my arm in a violet aura, charging the weapon over my skin and through my veins until it bent to the shape I desired: a simple double-edged blade, wickedly curved at the end. Hiei stopped, glowering at the energy weapon as it lifted, pointing in his direction.
"No, I have chosen their strength. You underestimate the power of their emotion, how integral it is to their persistence. They have a certain... tenacity," I glanced at Yusuke, who fixed me with a look akin to pride. "A vitality to them that you and I have dismissed as weakness simply because we could not understand those feelings. And it is that ignorance which will be your undoing."
"Well, Hiei?" Yusuke grinned in positively vicious manner. "You heard the crazy lady!"
With a bestial roar, Hiei advanced, lashing out at me first. I jumped back, giving Yusuke room to throw his own punch. It connected solidly with Hiei's face, but he didn't seem to feel it. The rage in his eyes darkening them to almost black.
He lunged for me again, ducking around Yusuke in his pursuit. I leaned away to avoid his second strike, spinning my body to send my left hand straight into his gut, already forming another curved blade. The demon deflected with a hiss as his hands came into contact with my energy, whirling in place like a mad dog, teeth bared in a snarl.
The mauve light flickered, and I could feel the mild first notes of panic begin to creep into my mind. All my power was going towards keeping me upright and moving, there was barely any left to use as a weapon. I shouldn't have charged it until I was ready to strike!
His knee caught my side, sending me crashing into a nearby crate, and the energy disippated entirely. I heard a scuffle before Yusuke's cry of alarm, and he too was sent through the air. I blinked rapidly, pushing myself to my feet and rushing Hiei, whose back was to me. I made to stab between his back ribs, but he vanished, reappearing just to my left. Again, the purple light faded from existence.
I dodged a kick and Yusuke rejoined the fight, attempting to corner him. Hiei was too fast, disappearing every time we made a move, but always just slow enough for us to dodge his attacks. It must have been difficult keeping up with two opponents, and his aura grew more and more enraged. When his back turned to me for a split second, I once more charged a final point around my hand, striking at his spine.
He jumped straight up into the air before I came even close, and I just barely managed to call back my energy before impaling Yusuke. The two of us stumbled against each other in our haste to stop our respective attacks, and it was enough of a mistake for Hiei to take immediate advantage.
He landed just behind Yusuke, grabbing the back of his green jumpsuit and hauling him off his feet. Yusuke sailed through the air, Hiei following closely behind. The demon joined the boy in the air, thrusting his knee into his opponent's spine. Yusuke let out a yelp, and I ran toward them just as Hiei slammed an elbow straight down, Yusuke's body responding immediately as it crashed onto the concrete.
He was upon me in an instant, his fist crunching into my cheek with enough force to knock me off my feet. I spat out a glob of mixed blood and saliva when I hit the floor, warmth blooming over my face uncomfortably. I met his raging eyes, pushing myself up to a stand. A quick glance behind the demon had me concerned. Yusuke lay there unmoving.
"You made the wrong choice, Firefly," Hiei growled, a predatory grin spreading over his face. "You could have been something great. Now you, and all your pathetic friends will die." I zeroed in on his throat and lunged with weak, violet claws, but he caught my wrist, twisting roughly and jerking my body closer. His other hand grabbed my neck, sharp nails digging into my skin as he wrenched me down to the floor.
Both my wrists were captured in his hands, and I found my airway being mercilessly crushed by a knee pressing down on my throat. The effect was immediate. I could hardly breathe, my head pounding with every slow heartbeat, each taking longer than the last. My vision darkened, the smallest tunnel allowing me to see Hiei, cruel smile staring into my eyes as he waited to watch the light dim.
I tried to say something to Yusuke, anything, but as the seconds passed and my stuttering noises grew softer, all I knew was the burning of my lungs, and the steadily declining Rush. My eyes rolled into the back of my head. Above me, Hiei shook with laughter unheard.
In the distance, a voice bellowed something, and a bright light overtook what was left of my vision. The pressure vanished, and with a painful gulp, air rushed back into my lunge, stinging the sensitive flesh of my throat. I gasped, coughing as the blackness dissipated. I rolled over to one side, forcing myself to sit up. Hiei couldn't have moved very far, he had to be nearby still. I hazily searched for him, then looked to my left, and froze.
The basketball-sized orb of blue energy hurtled towards me on a warpath. Beyond it, Yusuke's horrified scream chased the tail end of the bullet as it barreled through the air at full speed. In the moment that was left for me to react, all I could do was raise a hand to shield my face, and hope that the attack wouldn't remove the appendage completely. I flinched, shamefully, when the Spirit Gun finally connected, a blinding flash of light overtaking me and a heat enveloping my palm. I clenched my teeth, willing the pain to pass swiftly...
But there was no pain. I cracked open one eye, wondering if perhaps a mysterious savior had somehow taken the blow for me as they did Yusuke. My throat constricted mid-gasp as my eyes fell upon the orb of spirit energy, hovering just beyond my fingertips. It spun in place, blanketed by a thin layer of violet that seemed to be frozen in time, splashing out from the sides of my hand. Steady warmth radiated comfortably from the small star, its light not so blinding now as it had been. Only a whisper of a thought ran through my mind.
I had caught Yusuke's Spirit Gun.
Before I could even begin to process this, or the implications that came with it, a shadow passed over me, tearing my attention away from my monumental achievement. Hiei touched down in a flourish of mossy green and black, and a choice that I could not even begin to put into words was made, instinct overriding logic in a single moment. I pushed back.
The demon turned, garnet eyes flashing in disbelief, then horror. He was hit by the orb in an explosion of light and sound, his scream lost to the overwhelming power that enveloped him. I retracted my arm to cover my eyes, but the blast only held out for a few moments before the energy was spent. Hiei, his body reverting to its natural form, fell to the ground, his chest scorched black and his face twisted in permanent agony.
A beat passed in silence, the only sound registering to me being my labored breathing. Then, after several seconds, I lifted my gaze to meet Yusuke's across the room.
He was grinning madly, looking at me with enough concentrated glee to eclipse the sun. Against all odds...
we had won.
This may be my longest chapter yet...
I can hear you now. "What? No canon divergence? What was all the buildup for?" Guys and gals, I'm playing the long game here. Besides, we got a little taste of Evil Hotaru in this, and my god was it fun! Fun for me, I don't know if you liked it. But I liked it, it was different. And there was a little bit of canon divergence, just not enough to throw the whole story off. Maybe something seemingly innocuous is actually really important. Who knows?
...
...
It's me. I know.
This really makes me want to write an AU for this story now, where she and Hiei kill Yusuke and Botan and Hotaru keeps Keiko as a sort of pet or slave, kinda like payback for being so irritating. The way things would progress though, it would not have a happy ending. Kurama would probably be dead too, come to think of it. I don't really have the time to write it at the moment, but it's something fun to consider for later.
Meow for now!