"Man, this jerk sleeps like a freight train."
Kazane rolled her eyes, making sure the dressings wrapped around Sea Man's chest were tight, but not too tight.
"Speak for yourself, brat. Well, Kuwabara gave him a pretty big gash but he didn't bleed through the-"
The blonde jolted upwards as his eyes flew open, and whether out of instinct or shock he slapped Kazane's hand away from him, doubling over with a groan. She leaned a few inches back, a frown crossing her lips as the boy's eyes locked onto her figure before widening. Recognition glinted, and her stomach sank even as they passed over to Yusuke.
"...You're Yusuke."
The girls filed into the room, Genkai standing beside Kurama while the other three settled along the back wall. No doubt they had heard him yell and headed in to investigate. Even without Kurama saying the kid's energy was evening out, both Kazane and Yusuke probably would have made themselves comfortable for however long it took for him to wake up. Kuwabara was sleeping peacefully on the floor, snores pouring out of his throat, and it wasn't hard to see that Yusuke was pissed about the whole situation. Original decision to let the two face off notwithstanding.
"Warms my heart that I'm a household name," Yusuke replied. "You're also sleeping in my bed, Goldie, so you're welcome. That human freight train dragged you in," He gestured with a thumb first to Kuwabara, then to Kazane. "And she patched you up."
Blue eyes seemed to grow more confused and downcast with each person they landed on, and Kurama took the opportunity to chime in.
"His companions, your victims, have survived as well. They informed us all of the encounter with you, then we erased their memories of last night so they wouldn't be burdened by the darker truths."
Koenma had absconded from the hotel room to "get some air" pretty much immediately after getting the royal inquisition, and after making sure Kuwabara's friends were going to be okay their memories were wiped by some strange gadget of Botan's. It made sense in a way; humans with more attune spiritual awareness seeing spirits could be chalked up to superstitious nonsense. Anything on a larger scale with more collateral would definitely call for some brain scrambling.
Kazane had asked Genkai why she didn't bother just healing Sea Man and being done with it, promptly rolling her eyes when the old bat responded with the fact it would be a weakness to exploit should the circumstances call for it.
"Kuwabara saved your life after you tried to kill him," Yusuke continued sharply. "You think your psychic pals would've done that? You owe him big, so start talking."
Sea Man took a long look at Kuwabara's prone form, muscles tensing as his fists clenched.
"You don't understand. You haven't seen what I have."
Kazane squatted at Yusuke's side, silently berating herself for not following suit and dragging a chair over. "You mean the Chapter Black tape."
Sea Man hesitated in surprise before anger tinged his cheeks pink. "Yes! And if you'd seen it too then you'd understand why we all need to die. All humans."
Although his words elicited silence from everyone in the room (especially the girls), Kazane sighed softly, fiddling with the gauze roll in her hands. She wasn't smart enough to be a philosopher, and her own set of morals had been pretty fluidly gray for a long time. Thinking back to Yusuke's words on the rooftop, none of them were absolutely "good", and it seemed like a pretty unobtainable thing to claim.
"So many horrifying things marching across that giant screen," Sea Man continued. "You don't know how we really are. What we're capable of. I saw it all, and if you saw it you'd think differently, too."
"And I'm sure before showing it to you Sensui said all the right words, didn't he?" Kazane said. "Maybe that your power was supposed to be used towards a greater purpose?"
"He didn't have to!" Sea Man yelled. "I saw it myself; hundreds of frightened people standing in line to be killed in a camp. Horsemen raid and destroy a village, dance on the bodies of their victims, crushing them as they celebrated victory singing happy songs. Have you ever seen a gigantic bomb wipe away millions who had never even picked up a weapon?! You haven't, because you were lucky enough to have been born in a peaceful time, but war is in our nature. It always comes back."
"So what, that gives you and your freak friends a reason to play judge?!" Yusuke bit back, unfazed.
Out of her peripherals Kazane was aware of Shizuru leading Keiko out of the room, tears in the girl's eyes, and after heaving a loud sigh she slowly moved closer to the bed.
"You're overexerting yourself," She explained, pointing to a blossoming spot of crimson on Sea Man's torso. "I didn't spend an hour wrapping you up so you could undo all my work going into a frenzy."
A tense silence settled over the room, and she didn't have to turn around to know Yusuke was glaring daggers at the boy in front of her. Honestly she was amazed he hadn't already full-on punched him at this point. With two people leaving the room it suddenly felt a little colder, and goosebumps settled over Kazane's skin, gaining Sea Man's attention.
It had taken an extraordinary amount of self-convincing to enter the room donning a flowy tanktop as opposed to her usual long sleeves, but none of the others in the group said a word, and if it helped to drive home a point to the brainwashed kid then so be it. The more revealing top only exposed the lighter, less abundant amount of scarring, but she still felt self conscious as blue eyes took in the pink and purple stripes curved into her flesh.
Instead of her knee-jerk reaction to ask if he 'wanted to know how she got these scars', Kazane gave him a small, rueful smile.
"I'm not going to claim to know what it's like seeing all that shit firsthand, because I don't. What I do know is that after cruel things were done to me, by demons, I met humans that tempered that pain. Kind of like what Kuwabara tried to do for you."
Sea Man looked away, shame crossing his features.
"I doubt Sensui told you this," She continued. "But there's also a Chapter White videotape, and on it are all the kindest acts humankind has done. Everyone has the capacity for good or bad, and if anything Chapter Black is probably a way to study history and hopefully prevent the cycle from repeating itself, the two aren't supposed to be viewed alone. Though why anyone would want to watch it to relax on a Friday night, beats the hell out of me."
Unbeknownst to her, her words caused Kurama to clear his throat softly.
"You know," Yusuke added, softer now. "I asked Kuwabara last night, when he came to for a minute: 'stupid, why the hell did you save that jerk?' And he said 'because, Urameshi, in his eyes he was crying for help'. It seemed like a pretty dumb thing to say at the time, but now that I see how scared you are, I kind of follow. A big oaf like Kuwabara, he's got that bully look you must hate, but he cared about you. Bet you weren't expecting that."
Sea Man was reduced to a sobbing, stuttering mess, leaning forward on the bedsheets as much as he could considering his wound.
"Every night I see them; the victims on that tape. I've always seen myself like them. But then in my nightmares I'm the one holding the weapons, you know? Like all along it's been me who was doing those terrible things, and I feel dirtier and dirtier. Like I need to make up for something, but I don't even know what. Like I'm the bully."
As he continued repeating apologies Kazane waved the others out of the room, giving the excuse of rebandaging his torso once he calmed down. Yusuke hesitated before following behind Kurama, and once the door was shut it was as if her lungs released an insane amount of air being held in. Yeah, she wasn't the best when it came to medical stuff, and yeah maybe she was using the moment as an excuse to not walk out and make Keiko feel even worse. Regardless of that, she had her own questions.
"Do you want me to get you anything after I take a look at that gash again?"
Sea Man looked up in surprise, most of his face red from crying. After a few seconds of stunned silence he sniffled, shaking his head.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" He asked.
Kazane shrugged, tossing the now-bloodied gauze into the trash bin. "Because I don't think you're a bad person, and I think Sensui used whatever shit you have going on to his advantage. What I do wanna know, though, is how both you and Kamiya know who I am when I highly doubt either of you were at the Dark Tournament."
Another shameful look crossed over Sea Man's face, and as she rewound the new bandages the silence felt heavier than lead. Back at Daikyo Hospital she really should have found a moment to grill Kamiya on just why the fuck Sensui thought she was so 'interesting', but after everything that had happened and Sea Man landing on her doorstep she'd just have to make do by asking now.
When the entire gang had been formulating plans, Kazane wanted to slam her head on the table with each minute that passed. Not because planning was exhausting, but because the more she revealed and the more the others tried to extrapolate on, the more she came to terms with the fact that telling everyone the truth from the beginning would have been the most advantageous option. Now, so late in the game, it was like trying to play catch up and find ways to subvert conflicts that could've been easier dealt with ages ago.
"He told us you were Yusuke's right hand," Sea Man said, finally. He inclined his head. "That you were special; knew things. He said figuring out which one of you was the psychic was first priority, and you and Yusuke were second."
Kazane's mind whirred.
She had been right; somehow she'd been branded a target, albeit a smaller one than Kuwabara. Somehow Sensui had found out about her knowledge of canon. It could have been that he'd been at the Dark Tournament and seen everything that'd happened there, which wasn't a stretch, but by that logic anyone attending would know she knew shit. More than likely, it was the result of the elder Toguro getting picked up by his group, and he'd let slip that information, however he knew it.
She wanted to rack her brains, because as far as she could remember the only person she'd confessed to at that point was Genkai, and the bathroom had been soundproof. Even talking about it in the hotel room was vague, and was on par with Kuwabara's psychic dream. Having an emotional upheaval after slaughtering the Ichigaki team wasn't a cause for a conspiracy.
How the fuck did he find out?
Tying off the knot on the dressings, she silently rest a hand on his shoulder as a sign of thanks, slipping out of the room to let him sit in peace for a few more minutes.
The others were standing in the living room, sans Yusuke, and Kazane found him staring out on the balcony towards the rest of the city. She met Genkai's eyes once, the older woman giving a nod before ushering the girls closer to the door. One of the Meiou boys had arrived – Yana – and was heading towards the room Sea Man was in. With everyone else evacuating, the balcony seemed like a welcome, brief reprieve.
The harsh sunlight glinted off Yusuke's gelled hair, and he gave Kazane a small smile as she slid the door closed.
"Our 'good cop bad cop' routine is pretty good, huh?"
Kazane smiled back. "Next time we should switch."
"Nah, I'm too good at being bad. Also, who calls themselves 'Sea Man'? He's gotta know that doesn't sound...well..."
She rolled her eyes, the two stood in silence as the breeze washed over them. Much to her surprise Yusuke produced his jacket from under an arm, and after a second she took it, secretly happy to wear such a garish piece of clothing. Back when he had first began training at the temple she frequently stole clothes from him, much to his displeasure, though none were admittedly as neat as this jacket. Green with red and yellow accents? It was like a goddamn traffic light.
"You didn't have to do that, you know," Yusuke said softly, jerking a thumb towards her tanktop.
"No, I think I did," She sighed. "The kid needed proof that it's not just humans that suck. Besides, the weather's getting too hot for long-sleeved shirts."
It went unsaid that part of the reason for her doing it was trying to overcome her stupid insecurities around everyone, but although Yusuke probably gleaned that subtext he said nothing about it. He frowned.
"This whole case is a royal pain in the ass. First Koenma keeps secrets from me, now there's a videotape that brainwashes humans." He let out a grumble before pounding a fist on the railing. "The whole world is probably at stake! How am I supposed to just..."
He didn't have to continue; the idea of actually killing humans as opposed to demons was probably weighing heavy on his shoulders since everything had started. Even Genkai had acknowledged it was a problem, and a serious moral dilemma. Still, it was kind of touching that he hadn't voiced it aloud until now, with her. Probably because Sea Man's whole spiel increased the anxiety.
Ignoring Yusuke's judgmental glance Kazane withdrew a cigarette from her pack. If she was outside and had to figure out a justifying pep-talk, then one was probably called for.
"I don't have a solid answer for you," She said honestly. "I'm not exactly the model for morals. That Ichigaki match fucked me up, and I'm not going to pretend like I'm still not dealing with it, but the situation then and the situation now is different."
"Yeah, but how could you do it?" He asked, not accusatory, but pleading. "I know you're half-demon now, but didn't some part of you just...like, didn't you want to throw up thinking about it?"
Kazane hummed, inhaling nicotine. "Yeah, dude, I was a fucking wreck. But the only thing going through my mind was: protect my boys. You and Kuwabara probably couldn't have done it, and even if you managed to it probably would have broke you just like Sensui. I don't know, the only thing that's ever really made sense to me is protecting my own."
Yusuke had a complex look on his face, and his iron grip on the rail was slowly causing tiny cracks where he clenched. When he didn't say anything she continued, hoping that she was making some sort of sense.
"Sometimes that's our group, and sometimes it's the whole human race. I don't think there are definitively good or bad people, demon or not. I think that people get dealt a shitty hand, and that kind of propels their actions. If it comes down to the people I care about dying, and then the whole human race on top of that, then I'll kill whoever's trying to make that happen. One person doesn't get to play judge over everyone."
There was a pause before Yusuke chuckled sardonically, rubbing his eyes with one hand.
"You know, I asked Kurama the same question and he gave me a whole damn dissertation on the consequences of action, and whatever the hell before telling me to find the answer for myself. At least you said it in a way I can get."
Kazane smiled, though the action only lasted a second before dropping into a frown once again.
"I'm kind of glad you're out here, because I need to talk to you about something before the ball gets rolling."
Yusuke groaned. "Christ, what now?!"
Swallowing whatever impulse sprang up to keep secrets, she exhaled a cloud of smoke, looking towards the glittering sunlight on building windows. Keeping everything on the down-low wasn't going to help anyone, and even if there were limits to who she wanted to share with better Yusuke than anyone else. She had promised, after all.
"Sensui knows about me. He knows that I know things. Kamiya said something back at the hospital, but I wasn't sure until I talked with Sea Man. I don't know how he knows, but he does."
In an instant Yusuke's face was a mirror of his time back in the hotel room, and he wheeled to face her head on. After realizing she wasn't joking he cast his eyes around frantically.
"What the hell?! First Kuwabara, now you? Where is Hiei-"
Kazane gripped him by the arm, raising her brows. "He knows, I told him this morning. He's doing what he's supposed to do."
"We have to change the whole plan now," He griped, anger growing as Kazane shook her head.
"Kuwabara is still first priority for them, and we don't have time to redo everything. I haven't told Genkai but I'm pretty sure she knows something is up, and honestly..." She avoided his eyes, trying to exhale enough smoke to cover her blush. "If Hiei's around I feel pretty safe. He seems hell-bent on doing that."
Whatever Yusuke's face did in tandem with her words was indescribable, but finally he settled on a defeated sigh, arms crossed. A shadowy blur appeared between both of them, Hiei coming into view and giving her a heavy look.
Sea Man, the oaf, and the women are safe; Genkai and the human psychics are with them. Kurama is in position. How much time do we have left?
Twenty minutes, unless you can feel their energies closer. If I'm right, It's Sensui and Sniper.
In all actuality she had a faint grasp of how much time they had before Sensui decided to make his appearance, and twenty minutes was on the more generous side of her mental calculations.
It was obvious Yusuke felt like a third wheel, and as he groaned in exasperation Hiei expanded their mental link to include him, giving out a firm order to also get into position. With much complaining the three of them nodded, Yusuke giving Kazane one final, solemn look before launching himself off the railing towards where Kurama was no doubt lying in wait. Hiei and her were little more than blurs, panning out a few feet away from each other as close to the building opposite the hotel that they could. She had mentioned it before during the initial planning, but even if it was just Sensui and Sniper then they had a really shitty time on their hands.
Kazane crouched on the concrete tile, Hiei at her side, and repressed her energy as much as she could. When Genkai had first taught her how to do it the whole lesson had taken over two months to get the hang of, and even now, with Hiei's energy also under her skin, it was hard as hell to stifle it without a stupid amount of control. The fire demon gave her a look, indicating that he could feel her trying to wrangle her energy into the tiniest ball possible, and she silently flipped him off.
The normal sounds of the city seemed almost muffled and Kazane focused almost entirely on her efforts, their surroundings, and the empty rooftop closest to them.
Hiei expanded the mental link to include Yusuke and Kurama, and Kazane took the opportunity to give them a nervous reminder.
We need to keep them in one area; they're probably going to try and head into the city to separate us.
She could almost feel Kurama's eyes narrowing. They want to use civilians as a smokescreen.
They're here, Hiei cut in sharply.
Two figures blurred into view on the other rooftop. The most obvious was Sniper with his Akira-like jacket, Sensui a few inches in front of him, the fucking giraffe of a man.
The entire situation was bullshit, mostly because Kuwabara (despite being injured) had protested to leaving with the others, practically kicking and screaming at the idea. Sea Man still had a gigantic gash in his chest. The girls were relocated for obvious reasons, and Kazane really didn't want Shizuru to get hurt by a crumbling building. Not to mention the fact that staying at the hotel, rather than Yusuke's apartment, would prevent his home from being turned into literal rubble.
It was ungodly hard to justify Genkai leaving. In the end it came down to the fact that if the other psychics found out where Kuwabara was hiding then they needed something more than just Kaito, Yana, and Kido to fend them off.
Everything was uncertain, and it was difficult to control the tremble in Kazane's limbs.
Green tendrils began sprouting from the concrete around the two, having been inconspicuously placed there beforehand by Kurama, and it made Kazane's heart jump up into her throat at seeing the unimpressed expression on Sensui's face. Beside him Sniper looked slightly apprehensive.
Be safe, she said gently to Hiei, her arm brushing against his. A nod was his response.
Show time, she thought, before flaring her energy out and whipping up a whirlwind, encircling the two with cutting gusts. A pad of footsteps caught her attention, and at her left was Koenma in all his primary-colored glory.
Sensui dispelled the cyclone in seconds, breaking not only that but the vines wrapped around him and Sniper, and in an instant Kazane took action. She aimed a cut of wind between the two, effectively dividing them apart. Hiei blurred forward in front of Sensui, Yusuke taking place beside him, and Kazane did the same with Sniper, Kurama at her side. Sensui let out a chuckle.
"An ambush, what fun. Perhaps the next Spirit Detective does possess more merit than simply a smart mouth." He took a cursory glance around, eyes landing on Kazane in amusement. "It's a shame Kuwabara couldn't be here, but it matters little."
Yusuke clenched his fists. "As if you dirtbags are laying a hand on him, or anyone."
Giving a minute nod to Sniper, Sensui darted towards the street below, the other two following suit, and Kazane was left on the rooftop with Kurama and Sniper, who looked irritatingly bored.
The guy looked like some weird mix of adult Koenma and Yusuke without his usual shellac-ed hair, except he had a genuine poker face whereas Yusuke was nearly an open book. It was kind of jarring, and as the stare-off continued she placed a hand on her hip, the other twirling a fan. With a start she realized the boy had some very expressive, violet eyes.
"Man, who do I have to shoot to get a jacket like that?"
His poker face remained. "Me, I suppose."
Projectiles darted towards the both of them, and with the flick of a wrist she sent a gust of wind at them, the force great enough to turn the marbles into dust. Kurama's rose whip was at the ready, and he shot her an appreciative glance as he assumed a defensive position.
Honestly she was the most suited for facing off against Sniper; his projectiles would do little against her unless he sent something larger than a semi-truck. Having Kurama at her side was mostly to even out the playing field, but she resisted the urge to send him away to where the other three were locked in a fight. Overconfidence could kill her.
The overpowering feel of territory awashed them, and Kazane glanced down to see that targets had imprinted themselves on her forearms, just below where Yusuke's jacket was rolled up. Another was on her sternum, contrasting strangely with the scarring. Beside her Kurama only had a single showing on his forehead, the outfit he wore effectively covering everything but his head and extremities.
Stones came first, rocketing forwards at nearly blinding speed. The wind made quick work of them, and in seconds her and Kurama were surrounded by the strangest assortment of kitchen utensils, sharp bolts from buildings, and bits of rebar. From behind the screen of items she could see Sniper raising an arm, a gleaming silver pistol in his hand. The guy really knew not to fuck around and underestimate her, huh?
Kazane crouched, unsheathing the second fan as she began to spin, and at the same time the sound of a gunshot registered, a shielding column of wind was erected around her and Kurama.
"Perhaps I would be better suited on the ground with Yusuke," The other redhead yelled, nearly parroting what she had been thinking a few minutes ago.
Kazane grit her teeth before nodding. "Not to sound cocky, but yeah. A rooftop isn't really your best fighting grounds. Just..." After a second of pause she looked him straight in the eyes. "Make sure they don't die. Please."
The protective whirlwind dispelled, and in an instant Kurama descended down towards the street.
Sniper's gun was still trained on her, his grip on it almost white-knuckled. Normally having an opponent so backed into a corner would make her feel giddy, but in this case it just made her somewhat despondent. The kid was what, seventeen? She was a bad tell on ages but he was definitely nearing legal adult stage.
Kazane opened her mouth to speak, but another bullet shot out before she could, and with a groan she rolled out of the line of fire, skirting closer and closer towards him. She'd gotten too used to people blabbering away during a fight, clearly. Despite his continued shooting she ended up millimeters in front of him, deftly kicking out with her legs before pressing a palm to his forehead and slamming him onto the concrete. Not enough to kill, but enough to deter him from getting up again. The pistol rocketed some feet away.
Withdrawing a knife and laying it at the hollow of his throat, she breathed heavily before sighing. His eyes widened, brows knit in confusion, and he glared up at her.
"Why are you being so soft? You're a demon, aren't you? Slit my throat and be done with it."
A twisted smile graced her lips. "Half demon, Kaname. Somehow I don't have it in me to kill a kid who loves kittens." As Sniper's eyes widened in stunned surprise she added: "You would've been spared regardless."
The hilt of her dagger was raised in preparation, but before she could slam it against his skull a jolt shot through her. It was like phantom pain, the insane pressure of the area near her temple nearly crushed. She clutched her head, stumbling like a drunk to the side, and underneath her skin Hiei's energy warped and contrasted in tandem with the pain. What the fuck was happening down there? He never mentioned her feeling his pain. He was alive, but what about Yusuke and Kurama? What happened?!
It didn't take long to find out; Sensui's form climbing over the lip of the building as Sniper moved in tandem. In seconds they took advantage of Kazane's moment of weakness, the taller man wrapping her in a chokehold against his chest as Sniper pressed the cold steel against her forehead. Kazane grit her teeth against the ghostly pain. At point blank range she had no chance against a fucking gun.
"As I said before, it's a shame Kuwabara isn't present, but having you here in such a vulnerable state is a welcome surprise. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance finally, Kazane."
She snarled in response, incisors on full view and ignoring the gun pressing closer against her skin.
"You're full of shit if you think I'm coming with you willingly. You'll have to kill-"
More force was exerted on her windpipe, her words dying off with a choke. Sensui's chest rumbled with a chuckle, the sound hollow and yet triumphant. He extricated something from his pocket, a smirk across his lips as he held the item between two fingers before the redhead.
Right before Kazane's eyes, shimmering in the sunlight, was a Hiruseki stone.
"I think you'll find much incentive to join us," Sensui said softly. Darkly.
Yukina. Yukina, Yukina, Yukina. She hardly dared to breathe.
When had they taken her? How had they found out Genkai's address? Were they scouting for anything that could be used as a weakness, and found the ice apparition reading a medical book in the gardens? And most importantly: who made her fucking cry?
Energy expelled from Kazane unbidden at the same time that she furiously tried to open her mind to Hiei's Jagan. She had barely seconds before they undoubtedly knocked her out, and someone needed to know. He needed to know.
Hiei, they have Yukina!
Kazane should have never let the ice apparition stay; she was in too much danger, and now the redhead had completely neglected to think about protection for her. Fucking idiot, she was so stupid.
The last thing Kazane felt before a pair of fingers jabbed against her temple was the feel of Hiei's turbulent energy, and tears gathered in her ducts as darkness overwhelmed her.
It was jarring to be captive again.
Back in Demon World it was back-breaking labor, red skies, and a new gash on the wood paneling every day. Too many to the point any surface couldn't be marked, and close to Jin's entrance she had started just cutting into the dirt. So many days, so many years, just wishing for death to end whatever hell she had ended up in.
Ironic that now she was in the same sort of situation wishing for a savior.
"No of course not. I don't need anyone to protect me, I'm capable. If anything I want a partner, an-"
A pale blue light radiated near her temple, and as the scenery around Kazane focused she registered small hands near to her head. The scent of evergreen and vanilla filled her nose, and as Yukina's softened ruby eyes came into view she relaxed against her ministrations.
"I'm sorry," The ice apparition said softly. "The wards were up but I did not anticipate an attack."
Kazane flexed her muscles, surprised that nothing was out of socket or bruised. "It's okay, as long as you're fine. Just...please tell me you gave at least one of them a good case of frostbite."
Yukina smiled and blushed, before ducking her head, and that was all it took for Kazane to cackle. At the very least she wasn't taken without a fight.
Ignoring the fact that Yukina was trying to treat whatever bruise Sensui had left, she looked at her thigh holsters, sighting at the empty space where her fans and daggers should have been. Not a huge surprise, but still frustrating. Regardless, air was everywhere and she didn't necessarily need a weapon to guide it.
Yukina finally sat back, a small sigh escaping her lips with a pleased smile. "The bruising on your temple is nothing; within the next day the discoloration and swelling will be gone."
Kazane smiled, running bound hands through her ridiculously mussed hair. "Thanks, Yukina. Now we can focus on getting out of here."
"An outlandish goal, as Mr. Sensui assures me."
The new voice drew Kazane's attention, and in seconds she glared directly at Sniper standing in front of where both women were seated, a nonchalant expression on his face. Kazane laughed bitterly, the sound echoing throughout the chamber they were in.
"Mr. Sensui is also severely mentally ill. He needs help, not a band of psychics trying to destroy the human world. And in your case, annihilate it out of sheer boredom?"
She was lashing out, trying to find a suitable outlet instead of think herself to pieces. There were chains around her arm and legs, yes, but compared to the cruelty dealt in Demon World this wasn't anywhere near. Regardless, Yukina was present, and even if Kazane wanted to try and escape her chains and rage, she realistically couldn't. They weren't in the cave system she had thought she'd wake up in. There was no telling where the fuck they were.
If their surroundings were anything to go by, then they were being held in an empty warehouse of sorts. Steel drums and boxes littered near the walls, and she could smell rust, oil, and an almost overwhelming amount of dust. At the very least there was time before the gang headed to Demon's Door (if they realized Sensui hadn't brought her back there anyway). This...really fucked up whatever vague plan she had in the back of her head if she was caught and taken there.
Sniper's eyes narrowed, and he cast one cursory glance towards an entrance before crouching down in front of her.
"What did you mean when you said I would have been spared regardless?"
Kazane glared back, doing her best to maneuver against the way the manacles cut into her wrists. "Quite frankly I'm not feeling super talkative now. Being taken hostage will do that to you."
Something cylindrical and white met the tip of her nose with enough force to make her hope it wasn't bleeding, and she looked down to see that a cigarette had been flicked at her. When she looked back up Sniper was holding her own pack in his hand. A vice for some answers. Her teeth clenched.
Awkwardly moving both hands forward she snatched the cig up in her hands, brows raised towards the man before her once it was between her lips. With a quick movement a zippo was produced, and she breathed in nicotine as Yukina began protesting at her side.
"K-Kazane, what if it's poisoned?"
"It's not, because Sensui has questions he wants to ask me and he can't do that if I'm dead." She spared a warm glance at the demoness. "Thanks, though."
"As do I," Sniper interjected. "So why don't you answer since I've been accommodating?"
God, this guy. He was exactly like the jerks she knew back in high school with how he carried himself. Though, in her personal experience, any time someone really tried to look like they weren't giving a fuck meant that they really did, and it was a cover. Not to mention what he was asking was personal to him, and based on how empty the warehouse was, Sensui and crew weren't around. Kazane defiantly exhaled smoke in his face.
"You would have gotten shanked pretty bad in the chest, but your vital organs would have been avoided on purpose. And it would've been a full demon that did that, not me."
Sniper looked momentarily about as stunned as he could, which was to say not very. His brows were raised imperceptibly.
"Why?"
Kazane laughed hollowly, breaking the staring contest to look at the cherry of her cigarette. "Who knows? The guy who would've stabbed you has never been what I'd call 'merciful', regardless of what he's shown to me. Maybe he realized killing people willy-nilly isn't the solution."
"No. Why did you?"
Kazane glanced up at Sniper, hoping that the look in her eyes wasn't pitying, because he would probably fucking hate that. Instead she sighed heavily, some of the defiance set into her shoulders relaxing. Hopefully her entire time of captivity wouldn't be like this; playing twenty questions was getting old pretty fast.
"Because you're also a street kid," She said simply. "And shit sucks and you do what you have to, but there are good things out there. You deserve to live to see them."
As faux-relaxed as Kazane was trying to be, the silence was deafening. She couldn't tell whether it was due to shock on Sniper's end, or just disbelief at her answer. Whatever the case, he stood and walked closer towards one of the entrances, his back facing her as she continued taking drags on her cigarette. Maybe it was a small act of mercy, or maybe it was like a last meal of sorts before whatever the fuck Sensui wanted when he returned. The whole situation was weird, and Kazane had no plan. When the last bit of her cigarette was gone she stubbed it out, placing it into the pocket of Yusuke's jacket even though she knew she'd get an earful if he found it eventually. If Sniper was going to be a somewhat decent dude then she'd try her best to make sure he didn't get punished or whatever for letting her smoke.
Aside from the already-watery knowledge that faded with time, she knew that the guy wasn't some unforgivable dickhead. There was a strange understanding between the two of them. Like understood like, and no matter how hard Genkai had drilled lessons into her head or tried to instill courtesy and politeness, Kazane was a street kid through and through.
Fully aware that Yukina was giving her the inquisitive doe eyes, Kazane tried to get a grasp on the kind of chains that had been wrapped around her in an effort to avoid them. Back in Maze Castle the chains Suzaku had placed around her had just been steel, nothing more, but the kind around her body now seemed imbued with something. Despite her shitty sensing it wasn't hard to tell that they weren't ordinary chains, and her suspicions were confirmed when she tried to call up wind to begin carving away the insides, as she'd done before, and was rewarded with a singing pain flowing throughout her entire body.
Well, she should have expected the previous Spirit Detective to have some tricks or tools up his sleeve.
Yukina's energy expounded off her hands, hovered lightly over the slight bruises the manacles and chains provided. Kazane gave her thanks before frowning; the ice apparition's ruby eyes seemed solely fixed on the slightly red skin, almost as though she was avoiding Kazane's gaze. After a few seconds of silence had passed, she spoke:
"I'm sorry that you are here now, with me. I should have been more vigilant..."
"Don't say that," Kazane replied immediately, fighting to keep the frustration out of her voice. "None of this is your fault, and I should have expected you'd be in danger. I thought you'd be safe at the temple, and now you're being used as a bargaining chip for me."
Yukina's lips twisted up at the corners, and she ceased her healing before clasping the redhead's hand. It wasn't much larger than Kazane's, but the act did make goosebumps trail across her skin. Yukina was always cold, whereas Hiei burned.
"I'm truly happy for you. I can feel Hiei's energy under your skin. Marking another demon is an oath, of sorts."
Babbling, incoherent noises escaped Kazane's lips, and even as she tried to reign in her own embarrassment and stem the blush, Yukina continued.
"I know...that he's likely my brother." Her words made the breath in Kazane's chest leave her. "His energy now is tinged with the Dragon's energy. It feels similar to yours. Underneath it all, there's the energy I felt long ago. During the time we've spent together, I've been able to feel it more clearly, especially now it is underneath your skin, despite the...darkness."
Kazane wanted to cry, or maybe puke, because not in a million years had she expected this sort of confession from Yukina. For all that she could remember Hiei had just let her think that her brother was out there without actually saying it was him, and as much as she disagreed with the whole thing it wasn't her place to say so. What the hell was she supposed to do? Lie outright, and laugh it off? Or just come clean and admit it in Hiei's place? This was too much happening too fast, and as Kazane's brows knit with the tension of a growing headache, Yukina entwined their fingers together.
"Thank you for helping to bring us together, and for allowing him some happiness."
Kazane's mind had thoroughly blanked out. Nothing could have prepared her for this, and especially after the bullshit of the previous day. Some sort of wild anxiety rose up, and despite the moisture in her eyes Kazane gripped tightly to Yukina's hand. Word vomit came out before she could really help it.
"I didn't, I mean...i-it wasn't me that brought you two together. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, it just wasn't my secret to tell. Yukina, please, please please don't hate him." She desperately looked into the other girl's eyes. "He's so good, as much as he thinks he isn't, and that's why he didn't tell you. He is one of the best men I have ever met. He's bad at showing it, but you mean so much to him, so please..."
She had no idea what the fuck she was saying. Was she begging on Hiei's behalf for Yukina to not disown him? She wouldn't do that, Kazane knew, but still. Yukina needed to know that for all of Hiei's reputation, for the things he had done over the years, for the thorny way he exerted himself...
A giggle escaped Yukina's lips, and the ice apparition's face was open and warm. She gently squeezed back against Kazane's hand.
"I have seen the two of you together. I know he is not a bad man, and when I'm ready after this I'll speak with him. I just wanted to thank you."
Kazane didn't really need thanks, because honestly she had no clue what the hell she had done to really connect the dots between the two twins. Maybe it would soothe something in Hiei's conscience, though, to know that his sister didn't hate him. Footsteps and the loud sound of metal permeated the comforting space, and Kazane steadied her grip on Yukina's hand. Yusuke's jacket was still around her shoulders, his own scent and hair gel helping to calm her just the smallest bit. Hiei's energy still hummed in her veins; proof that he was alive despite whatever the fuck Sensui did to him. Evergreen and vanilla filled the space where her and Yukina sat.
Sensui's gaze landed on her, gauging and heavy, and Kazane responded just as she had before against younger Toguro and even Hiei, raising her chin in defiance with a glare. Judging by the smirk on his face, though, she wasn't in for an easy time.
For the first time since she had been in Demon World, Kazane's scars itched.
Note:
We've veered off the beaten path of canon and honestly I'm pretty nervous starting this minor bit. It's really hard for me writing author's notes without over-explanation but also trying to explain my reasoning behind current chapters. Obviously Kuwabara's kidnapping has been slightly delayed, and Kazane factors into whatever Sensui has planned (fuck if she knows what that actually is, though).
The Sniper/Kazane fight and how easily she handles it seems almost second nature in my head? Mostly because projectiles would be a piece of cake for her and also in the original fight between him and Hiei, Hiei just basically gutted him in a few seconds due to his speed.
It also actually kind of pains me to have to change this whole chunk because Yusuke chasing after Kuwabara on a bicycle, and the eventual fight between him, Sniper, and finally Hiei are actually the highest points of this arc for me. The Yusuke/Hiei encounter especially. I can't see Hiei, Kurama, and Yusuke facing off against Sensui when he's in the middle of a suburban area pulling dirty tactics, and having them win. I don't want to say that Kazane's cocky, but with how well of an opponent she makes for Sniper, it kind of books the ticket for isolating herself, and in my head Sensui used that to his advantage. She wasn't a primary target but if the timing was right then...bah. I put in the phone call between Kazane and Yukina last chapter as kind of a small foreshadowing to this.
Yukina knows~. I've always pictured her as being way more intelligent and crafty than she's portrayed, and this moment is the first time so far to really showcase it. More on this whole bombshell later.
Next chapter reverts back to the boys immediately after Kazane's kidnapping, and the planning afterwards. This chapter is wordy and next chapter will probably be wordy but I hope y'all enjoy.
Endless love and very belated V-day candy to: Mediocre Dunces, Vienna22, GinaLiz, MissLini, and Riley-Cooper123. As weird as it is rose-chan, it will not let me mention your username verbatim for some dumbfuck reason, but I thank you endlessly!
Title credit goes to Dark Tower by Miniature Tigers.