Chapter 47 – End of Our Days
"When the snow falls gently on leaves of green, what has been seen cannot be forgotten, and joining the darkness of bonds of blood, to try to topple a king from his throne," Kurama said. "It's not really clear who this is referring to."
Hiei focused on keeping his face straight: after all, it was painfully clear who the second passage of the Dark Force's riddle was referring to. It was, he reluctantly and bitterly thought to himself, actually quite subtle and clever, but now plainly obvious what it meant. The name Yukina meant snow cabbage – which could be interpretted as leaves of green in snow – and also green leaves could be a reference to someone who was naïve. It was perfectly appropriate to refer to Yukina that way, and clearly showed that, even though Hiei and surely countless others present, had not suspected Yukina of gaining power over the last four years, the Dark Force had known about her activities before it had even fully broken free of its prison. It had obviously been watching as it worked its way out, picking out who it would target.
"Maybe you should just tell us all of them now," Fubuki suggested. "Maybe if we get them all written down and look at them altogether, they'll make more sense."
"Right, that's probably a good idea," Yusuke agreed. "So after that weird one, what came next?"
"The mulberry bush that blooms in the light, and stands tall for the sake of his honour, has lived for too long in an assumed role, but will not bend to the mighty acer," Hiei offered.
Yusuke gave him a strange look, but Hiei was beyond caring why. He had warned the mazoku from the beginning that it was crucial to pay attention to the sneaky little things the Dark Force did, and his inability to remember even a single word of any of the riddles was, in Hiei's mind, merely proof that Yusuke had not taken heed of that advice.
"So Hiei, what was the fourth one?" Yusuke asked, semi-sarcastically.
"Fulfilling the promise hastily made," Hiei flatly replied. "And overcome by inexperience, untruths told with surface and break apart, the tree will grow in darkness eternal."
"Hmm," Yusuke grunted.
"Brash and bold and never outspoken son, of the mighty king on a throne of light, simple and good intentions just like he, can stand strong before the red-eyed monster."
The entire room turned to Akira, but she remained expressionless. Hiei was relucantly impressed with the way she had articulated the verse so smoothly and perfectly: but he would, of course, never admit as much out loud.
"She who was born of shadows and darkness," Akira continued. "A trinity of life force into one, the ruler's tool and the captain's delight, will fall before the ancestral son."
"He ran in shadows on four feet so long," Botan said, drawing all the attention to herself then. "Stepping into the light now on just two feet, to cast aside the binding ties of old, and be born again as he was before."
"Always searching for something never lost," Hiei finished. "Living in shadow's darkness for so long, but soon must face the truth and decide, between bonds of choice and obligation."
"Okay, so what do we have now?" Yusuke asked Koto.
"The ramblings of a disturbed mind?" she replied, eying over the page of her flip-pad.
"One thing that is clear is that the overall riddle makes reference to the each of the four Ancients," Touya said.
"Really?" Yusuke asked.
"Yes," Touya confirmed. "The Winter Guardian is mentioned directly by name, "the mighty Acer" is the form the Shadow Wood took when it retired to Spirit World, the "trinity of life force", I believe, is a reference to the mastery of all three energy forms, which is the trademark of the Sacred Darkness, and "living in shadow's darkness", is a reference to the lair the Dragon of the Darkness Flame resides in when free."
Yukina, Botan, Akira and himself, Hiei silently concluded. Just as he had expected, the four of them were a part of the Dark Force's final plans.
"Also, the even number passages of the riddle all mention "darkness" or "shadow"," Kurama added.
"And the odd number passages all mention "light"," Koenma pointed out.
"Like the four pillars of light?" Koto asked.
Koto was proving to be something of a double-edged sword, in Hiei's opinion. She was surprisingly knowledgeable about some equally surprisingly useful information: but the advantage she presented was also a disadvantage. She was helping, but she was also making the situation worse, because she was confirming all of Hiei's most pessimistic predictions.
"What do you know of the four pillars of light?" Touya asked her.
"Well, the story goes that, after stage four of the Dark Age is complete, after the ultimate showdown has taken place and the Dark Force has prevailed, it would initiate stage five of the Dark Age by sacrificing the four pillars of light in order to bring itself back, in order to return to its mortal form."
"...Did you just say stage five?" Fubuki asked.
"Yes," Koto casually replied, seemingly oblivious to the horrified faces around her. "There are six stages in the Dark Age. Well, theoretically there are six stages in a Dark Age, but this is the first time a Dark Age has ever got so far into stage four, right?"
She looked around the room as though she expected everyone to casually agree with her so casually issued question.
"There are four stages in a Dark Age," Oho said quietly.
"Well, theoretically, there may be five," Ryuhi corrected her.
"I thought we all agreed there were only four stages!" Kaisei cried. "When the hell did we decide to add in two more?"
"Hey, I don't make the rules, I just call it as it is," Koto answered.
"I'm getting sick of listening to you say that," Hiei growled at her.
"Nobody else believes there are more than four stages to a Dark Age," Botan said. "So, Miss Flip-Pad, since you're the expert, why don't you enlighten us all: what are stage five and six? Because considering that stage four is the collapse of the living world and the Dark Force having complete control over all three worlds, I can't really see how there could be two more stages to what is effectively the end of everything!"
"Again, I don't make the rules, so don't yell at me!" Koto grumbled. "And if none of you know that there are six stages in a Dark Age, then you're all stupid!"
"Perhaps you could be kind enough to enlighten the uninformed, Koto," Kurama suggested.
"Fine," she replied with a shrug. "After the Dark Force has sent all three worlds into chaos and after it's orchestrated a showdown between the army of evil fighting for it against the army of normal-thinking folks who are fighting against it, and it has achieved a victory, the Dark Force then goes about cementing its return. In order to do that, it needs to sacrifice the four pillars of light – which I would guess would be the four key figures who opposed it – and feed off their souls to break the bond that forces it back to its prison once and for all. This would free it, but this also makes it mortal. So then stage six begins: the Dark Force assembles the other Ancients – its four children – and they help the Dark Force become immortal once more."
From the corners of his eyes, Hiei saw Botan, Yukina and Akira exchange nervous glances that were almost incriminating, and only really unnoticed by anyone else because of the mass confusion around them in light of Koto's revelations.
"Now I'm not really sure how stage six plays out exactly, but it's all theoretical and it's not like any Dark Age has ever come close to getting there," Koto continued.
"Except this one," Koenma solemnly pointed out. "This Dark Age is getting close to getting there."
"It's vital that we don't panic," Kurama said. "And it's clear that none of us are thinking straight and perhaps all of us are too close to this to give it the critical attention it rightly deserves."
"What are you getting at, fox boy?" Yusuke asked. "You know I don't like it when you start getting vague on me: cut to the chase."
"We need someone who is an expert on analysing poetry to take this away and study it," Kurama said, taking Koto's flip-pad from her.
"Hey, I need that!" Koto complained, reaching to retrieve her notes.
"We need this," Kurama flatly told her.
To Hiei's – and perhaps also everyone else's present – surprise, Botan snatched the flip-pad from Kurama's hand, tore off the page Koto had been writing on and gave Kurama the single page, returning the flip-pad to Koto.
"Thanks…" Koto said quietly.
"I understand the importance of a notebook," Botan told her.
Koto nodded, clutching her precious notes to her chest.
"Nevertheless, the fact remains that someone should study this, free of interference from the rest of us," Kurama continued, holding up the single page he had been left with. "Someone who is an expert on this subject. Someone is not so closely involved."
"Aren't you supposed to be the intellectual colossus around here?" Hiei sneered.
Kurama glanced at him with a slightly cold, slightly stern look, before turning away again.
"I think it's obvious what I'm suggesting," he said.
"Sure," Shizuru agreed. "You want Keiko to work on it. This is her thing after all, right? She teaches analysing poetry and she's the best there is."
Hiei could tell by the look on Kurama's face that Shizuru's answer was incorrect, but apparently, despite being usually quite intuitive, Shizuru was not so keen at reading Kurama's subtle facial clues.
"No, actually, that's not what I meant," Kurama corrected her when it became clear that he had to do so. "I was referring to Kaito. He's an expert at literary analyses and he's an excellent problem solver and puzzle enthusiast. And he is suitably removed from our situation: he has had very little involvement with us from the very beginning."
"Right, that sounds like a good idea," Yusuke began slowly. "But didn't we just say we need to all stick together and we can't trust anyone we haven't seen lately? How do you suggest we get Kaito on board? Have you even spoken to him since this whole mess started?"
"I suggest phoning him and arranging for him to come to us," Kurama replied. "He is at risk when he is on the move, but it's the safest option for us. The enemy already knows where we are, so we lose nothing by telling Kaito. We arrange for him to come to the bus stop at the road on the other side of the forest, and a team will go out to meet with him."
"Are you part of that team?" Yusuke asked.
"Yes, I will be," Kurama confirmed. "I'd like you to join me, Yusuke. And you too, Kuwabara."
"I'll come with you too," Koenma offered.
"Well don't slow us down…" Yusuke muttered.
"I'm certain that first passage is a reference to me," Koenma replied. "And it's reminded me that, with the fate of Spirit World as it is, I am the leader of what remains, and I need to step up and take responsibility here."
"That's fine by me," Kurama said. "The four of us will meet with Kaito tomorrow morning. Until then, I suggest everybody rests and ensures that we have sufficient supplies stored here: food and medical equipment. If not, we may need to address that issue too."
The others nodded and all began to disperse. Hiei shuffled out the room in the opposite direction to everyone else, and, as though they really were all thinking from the same mind, Botan, Yukina and Akira followed him. They moved down the hallway in silence until they had reached the very back of the building, whereupon Hiei stopped and turned face the others.
"I know I don't need to ask you about this, so I'm directing this question to Botan and Yukina," Hiei told Akira.
She gave him one of the snippy looks she almost always gave him, but said nothing.
"How versed are you are at tracking?" he asked Botan and Yukina.
"I learned from the same teacher Akira had," Botan calmly replied.
"I can suppress my aura," Yukina added. "I've had to keep myself hidden in order to complete my training."
"Good," Hiei said, hoping that their confidence was justified. "Tomorrow morning we follow Yusuke's group and monitor what happens. Depending on how their meeting goes, we may need to leave the group immediately afterwards, so if there is anything here you think you might need, take it with you when we go."
"Why would we need to leave the group after Kaito looks at the riddles?" Botan asked.
"Because they clearly implicate the four of us," Hiei replied. "It wasn't clear before, but now it painfully is. The second passage is a reference to Yukina and her control of the Winter Guardian, the fourth passage is about how you have gained the power of the Shadow Wood, the sixth passage is about Akira channelling the Sacred Darkness and the final passage is about me regaining control of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame."
"What do you think the other four passages are about?" Yukina asked.
"The first one is about Koenma," Botan said. "I can see that, and that scares me."
"The third passage seemed like it was about Kazuma," Yukina added.
"The fifth passage is about Yusuke," Hiei said.
"And the seventh passage is about Kurama," Akira said.
Hiei paused, considering what he had just heard.
"So that's it?" Botan asked. "We're the chosen eight? The four of us and…"
"The four going to meet with Kaito?" Akira offered.
"I don't like this," Yukina said softly.
"You knew this might happen," Botan reminded her.
"That doesn't mean I'm happy about it," Yukina replied.
"It can't make us fight if we don't want to," Akira said.
"As long as you fail to control what happens to you, the Sacred Darkness can make you do whatever it wants," Hiei reminded her. "It could make you kill your own mother."
"How dare you say that?"
Hiei turned to Yukina, finding her glaring at him angrily.
"It's the truth," he told her. "After we know our position tomorrow, I suggest the three of us focus on teaching this kid how to control what happens to her."
Akira started to say something but Botan grabbed her shoulders from behind and she fell silent at the contact.
"That's fine," Botan said. "Let's all get some rest and… Prepare ourselves for tomorrow."
Hiei nodded and started to move away. As he went, he could not help but think that even a mind as optimistic as Botan's had to know that their time was limited: and their future looked quite bleak.
"Hey girl, can I see your notebook there?"
Koto paused, casting Shizuru a wary look. Shizuru tried to look casual as she finished her tea and rose from the breakfast table – she had been one of the few residents of the safe house to actually sit down and eat a proper breakfast that morning – and she started towards Koto.
"I just wanted to check something," she said.
"Like what?" Koto asked suspiciously. "This is my private notebook."
"I just need to see the part where Botan ripped out a page last night," Shizuru assured her.
Koto eyed Shizuru over, but did finally relinquish her flip-pad. Shizuru took it and offered the fox demon a small smile before moving out into the hallway and placing the flip-pad down on a small table by a telephone. She then quickly located the small, blunt pencil resting on top of the wall-mounted telephone.
"I just wanted to try something," she said to Koto as she began lightly shading the page of the flip-pad with the edge of the pencil. "Just something to kill a little time while we're boxed up here waiting for the boys to come back with their report."
Koto stretched up onto her tiptoes to peer over Shizuru's shoulder, watching on curiously. Shizuru pressed on, only stopping once she had shaded every part of the page. She then picked up the flip-pad, holding it towards the light, and she returned the pencil to its usual place.
"Can I borrow your pen?" she asked, holding out her free hand expectantly.
"What are you doing?" Koto asked, passing her pen to Shizuru.
"I'm doing something I don't think anyone else has realised we ought to do," Shizuru replied as she began painstakingly tracing over the impressions visible through the pencil shading. "I'm getting a second opinion."
Koto tilted her head as though still confused, but Shizuru ignored her, continuing until she had managed to write out the entirety of the Dark Force's riddles from the impression left on the page beneath the one Koto had originally written them on. She then tore loose her findings, returned the flip-pad to Koto and briskly strode through the house until she located Keiko.
"Hey Princess, how you feeling?" she asked as she moved into the bedroom Keiko was hiding in on her own.
"Scared," Keiko replied. "Confused. Worried. Just the usual, I suppose."
"Well I've got something that might help take your mind off of things for a little bit," Shizuru said, sitting onto the edge of the bed at Keiko's side. "I've got a poem I want you to decode for me."
Keiko smiled, accepting the piece of paper from Shizuru.
"Shizuru, you don't "decode" poetry, you interpret it!" she said.
"Oh yeah, right," Shizuru replied, feigning amusement.
Keiko looked down at the page in her hands, her smile slowly fading.
"Shizuru, what is this?" she asked as she scanned over the verses.
"It's the answer to what the Big Bad intends to do next," Shizuru honestly replied. "And Yusuke, my brother, Kurama and Koenma are taking it to that pock-faced geek Kaito to interpret it, but I don't think he's the best man for the job. I want to know what you think it means."
Keiko looked terrified.
"Just between you and me, sweetheart," Shizuru assured her. "What do you think it means?"
"I don't know if we should even be looking at this, Shizuru!" Keiko replied.
"It's fine," Shizuru insisted. "Come on. Everybody has to chip in, remember? And this is what you're good at. So what does it mean?"
Keiko sighed and looked down at the writings again, studying the words for a long moment before making a few noises of thought.
"Anything?" Shizuru prompted her.
"Well, my first impression is that it's about eight people who will decide the fate of light and dark," Keiko replied. "But I don't really understand what the light and dark refers to. I feel like something's missing. Was there another verse?"
"Just the opening one, which said there was gonna be eight chosen ones," Shizuru replied. "I can't really remember how it went. Do you think you need it?"
"Did it explain anything about the dark and light?" Keiko asked.
"I don't think so."
"Then there's something else missing."
"Isn't the dark and light just the Dark Force and anyone who fights against it?"
Keiko bit at her lip and looked down at the page again.
"You only think that because you know this was written by something called the "Dark" Force," she said. "But I think it's more complicated than just that."
"What else do you need to figure it out?" Shizuru asked.
Keiko lifted her head and her face brightened as though an idea had occurred to her: but the moment was brief, as her face then warped into a look of disgust.
"What is it?" Shizuru asked her.
"I guess we could wait until Yusuke gets back," Keiko replied with a shrug.
Shizuru turned her head to look over at a mirror on the wall. She watched Keiko's reflection as she began critically eying over the quality of the piece of paper she had been given: and seeing her fuss over something so trivial made it all the more difficult for Shizuru to say what she needed to next.
"You know, Yusuke's gone to get that thing looked at by Kaito," she began, turning back to face Keiko. "And you know how Kaito is. I don't think he'd like it if he found out anyone else thought his interpretation of that thing was wrong."
"I guess not," Keiko cheerfully replied. "He's pretty proud, huh?"
"Yeah… So let's just keep this between you and me, right sweetheart?" Shizuru responded.
"Okay," Keiko agreed. "But I don't really like keeping this around."
She held out the piece of paper, pinched at one corner between her thumb and forefinger.
"I'll keep it," Shizuru said, taking it from her and folding it up. "Is that why you looked so freaked out a moment ago? You worried about having this dumb poem around because it came from the mind of the Dark Force?"
"No."
Shizuru stood up and slipped the folded up note into her pants' pocket.
"So then what was it?" she asked.
"I was just thinking that maybe there was a clue with the original poem," Keiko explained. "And only someone who's actually seen the original writing would know what it was: and since Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara and Koenma are out right now, that only leaves Hiei, Akira, Fubuki or Kaisei."
"Right, and you didn't want to have to ask Kaisei."
"Heh… Not really… And Hiei isn't likely to be helpful, Fubuki is so flippant she won't have cared enough to have noticed anything and Akira hates me."
Shizuru nodded.
"You're supposed to deny the part about Akira hating me, Shizuru," Keiko said.
"She's a complicated kid," Shizuru replied. "But you've given me something to think about… Wasn't one of the passages of that dumb poem written on the exterior wall of this house?"
Keiko raised her eyebrows.
"Hey yeah, you're right!" she brightened. "Maybe we could find something out there if we looked!"
Keiko stood up and started for the door but Shizuru quickly stepped into her path to block her exit.
"Not right now, sweetheart," she said when Keiko looked up at her questioningly. "Let's just wait a little while and go check on it later on."
Keiko looked confused and mildly suspicious, but Shizuru was not about to burden her with the truth: she suspected there were still traces of the Dark Force in the safe house and she was concerned about certain people there seeing what she was doing. She was not completely sure, but she had a nagging suspicion about some people in the safe house – a suspicion that had spiked the day before when they had all gathered in the living room to discuss the Dark Force's riddles. Certain looks she had observed on others and certain things some of them had said had left her concerned that what they had been talking about the night before – about the army the Dark Force would gather to fight for it – was perhaps mostly already present in the safe house, right alongside the army that would fight against the enemy.
Which meant that potentially the final showdown would take place within the walls of the supposed safe house.
Shizuru made an excuse and left Keiko. She was sure that, somewhere within the house, there was a sort of panic room and underground tunnel that led out to a cave in the hillside deep in the forest: or maybe that had just been a story Yusuke had told her brother to wind him up. But right then, she hoped that it was true, and she set out to find it, with the thought that it might soon be needed.
"I assume things haven't been going so well. You look a lot less confident than when we last met, Kuwabara."
"How are things in Mushiyori City?"
Kaito turned to Kurama, the look on his face seeming to be answer enough. Even from the distance he was watching them from, perched up on a tree branch, Hiei could see the wariness about the human.
"Bad," Kaito admitted. "Kido, Yanagisawa and I have had a few run-ins with demons, but the biggest problem is the human population. There has been a huge crime spree: and some of what has happened has been quite graphically violent. And I haven't heard from you in a while, and I continue to see news reports of demon creatures wreaking havoc in other cities all around the world. I'm guessing you've all stopped responding to those problems for a good reason?"
"We've been a little busy," Yusuke answered him. "With this."
Yusuke passed the page from Koto's notebook to Kaito.
"What is this?" Kaito asked as he scanned it over.
"A message from the Dark Force," Kurama replied. "As an expert in deciphering hidden messages in the written word, we were hoping you could explain to us what you think it means."
"Well, at a first glance, it appears to be about the struggle between good and evil," Kaito commented. "Every passage contains either the word "light" or "darkness"."
"We thought that too," Koenma said.
"I would assume the passages about the "light" are about your team," Kaito continued. "And the "darkness" will be about the enemy you face."
"We already figured that much out too," Kuwabara said.
"Okay, let's look at it on a passage by passage basis then," Kaito said. "The first verse appears to be referring to someone maturing and taking on an inherited role. I suppose this could be a reference to Yusuke or to you, Koenma."
"I feel it's a reference to me," Koenma replied. "I'm carrying the burden of how I will repair and rebuild Spirit World at the end of this, and, at the end of this, I will need to step into my father's shoes."
"Which is indeed a great destiny," Kaito agreed. "But this last part about you surpassing the "Winter Guardian's might" isn't really clear to me. It could be that "winter" is a reference to old age–"
"No, it's a reference to one of the Ancients of Demon World, known as the Winter Guardian," Kurama cut him off.
"Well it looks as though Koenma faces a battle against this Winter Guardian, whoever or whatever it is."
"Well…" Yusuke said, looking around the others. "That's Touya, isn't it?"
Hiei turned to look at Yukina. She was sitting on the branch at his side, leaning against the trunk of the tree. She looked unaffected by the conversation they were listening to, but he was sure that could not be the case.
"Touya has defected to join the enemy?" Kaito asked.
"Well, we thought him being the Winter Guardian was a good thing," Yusuke replied.
"It makes him immune to falling victim to the Dark Force," Kurama added.
"But here you have it from the Dark Force itself that the Winter Guardian is your enemy," Kaito pointed out.
Koenma nodded.
"Okay, continue," he said.
"Well it seems like the winter theme is continuing," Kaito said, returning his attention to the note. "The leaves of green could again be a reference to youth or naivety, and the snow fall could be a reference to this Winter Guardian you speak of raining down its wrath upon someone young and naïve – which again, I suppose, could be a reference to you, Koenma."
"Continue," Koenma insisted.
"The next three lines appear to be about a vengeful, dark being, motivated by "bonds of blood", which likely means a family connection, trying to take a throne – that appears to be the Winter Guardian trying to take your throne, Koenma. Does the Winter Guardian have blood relatives?"
"Yes, it does," Kurama replied. "In a sense, anyway. It is the child of the Dark Force and its siblings are the three other Ancients."
"Interesting," Kaito commented.
"Continue," Koenma said again.
"Well next up we have an obvious reference to Kuwabara," Kaito said. "Being that the name "Kuwabara" can also meanmulberry bush."
"Oh no…" Kuwabara groaned.
"Maybe it's a reference to your sister, buddy," Yusuke said with a smirk. "Maybe she's the one who'll "bloom in the light" in all of this."
"That's not funny, Urameshi!" Kuwabara complained.
"Though it is possible," Kaito said.
"What?" Kuwabara yelped.
"It merely appears to be a reference to the name Kuwabara," Kaito replied. "Which could mean you, but likewise, it could mean any other member of your family."
"Let's assume it means Kuwabara," Koenma said. "Kazuma Kuwabara. Now continue."
"Standing tall for "his" honour suggests that this is a reference to this Kuwabara," Kaito said, indicating Kuwabara with a wave of his hand. "Living in an assumed role is probably a reference to the years you have passed living a relatively "normal" life here in the living world. But then it mentions that you are standing up to a "mighty Acer"?"
"That's a reference to the Shadow Wood, one of the Ancients," Kurama explained.
"Right," Kaito said with a nod of his head. "Don't tell me Touya is also the Shadow Wood?"
"No," Kurama replied.
"Thank goodness for that," Kaito said.
"Botan's the Shadow Wood," Yusuke said.
Hiei heard Botan's breathing hitch slightly at the mention of her name. It was an almost imperceptible reaction, but as she was sitting closely at his side, he had not missed it. On his other side, Yukina appeared not to have noticed Botan's reaction, but she seemed so intent on listening to what was happening that Hiei doubted she would have noticed even a loud reaction from Botan at that time.
"Well if that's how it is, I definitely don't want to get any closer to your base of operations…" Kaito muttered.
"Please just continue," Koenma said.
"Alright, well, the next passage again is referencing naivety and inexperience," Kaito continued. "Someone made a promise hastily, without thinking it through and now it seems they will be forced to reveal some sort of lie or secret that will basically break them. And I guess that final line about a tree growing darkness is again a reference to the Shadow Wood."
"Botan's naïve," Yusuke offered.
"And she implied she took on her powers without understanding or thinking about what she was doing," Kurama added. "This appears to be a reference to her."
"This just gets better and better," Yusuke said. "Who's next?"
"You, I'd say," Kaito replied.
"Oh great!" Yusuke drawled sarcastically. "And what does the Dork Force say is in my shiny future?"
"The first two lines could be about Koenma, but I'm choosing you because of the next line that says your intentions are simple and so are you."
"Hey!"
"And apparently you are up against the red-eyed monster."
"Which could mean anything…"
"Well I think the next verse covers it: you're looking for a woman, with three powers she wields as one – though I'm not really sure about "ruler's tool and captain's delight part"."
"The ruler is my father and the captain is the leader of the SDF," Koenma quietly interjected. "And the red-eyed monster is Akira. She was a tool in my father's eyes and a delightful secret weapon to Captain Ootake. They planned to exploit her power and sacrifice her to find the energy needed to return the Dark Force to its prison. Akira is a volatile, loose cannon. For a time I thought she could be controlled – through her mother, who she is so strongly attached to – but it's hard to know what might happen in a battle situation."
Akira gripped onto the tree branch, her fingertips biting into the bark, but otherwise she remained still and silent, sat on the far edge of the branch at Botan's side.
"This next verse seems to be a reference to Kurama," Kaito continued. "On four feet as a fox and then evolving to stand on two feet. Casting aside binding ties and being born again as he was before implies that Kurama will return to his full demon form for the battle he faces."
"That makes sense," Yusuke agreed.
"I have no idea who the last passage might be about," Kaito said. "Someone looking for something that was never lost? Facing truths and making decisions between their own free choice and their obligations?"
"We were stumped by that one too," Kurama said. "We were hoping you might be able to shed some light on it."
"Was that an attempt at a pun, Kurama?" Kaito asked, smiling ironically.
"No, just an unfortunate choice of words," Kurama replied.
"But we know that last passage refers to the eighth person the Dark Force considers to be of special interest," Koenma added.
"We think we know who it could be," Yusuke said.
"We thought it might be Hiei," Kurama said. "But there is nothing to suggest that it definitely is. There's also no obvious reference to the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, other than the one Touya thought was in there: though as Hiei no longer has control over that Ancient, perhaps it will not factor into this."
"It's probably just as well that Hiei lost the Dragon of the Darkness Flame," Koenma added. "If he had it, then between him, Touya, Botan and Akira, all four of the Ancients would be present, and I'd be far more concerned about those fifth and sixth stages Koto told us about last night."
Hiei was at least pleased that nobody suspected he had started to regain control of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame and that nobody – other than Botan, Akira and he did – knew that Yukina was really the one controlling the Winter Guardian. But it was only a matter of time before the truth came out, and, as the others already firmly suspected Botan and Akira for their involvement with the Ancients, Hiei knew that the situation had already degraded beyond logical reasoning.
"Why do you think the last passage is about Hiei?" Kaito asked. "Do you think maybe the search for "something that was never lost" is a reference to the Dragon of the Darkness Flame?"
Hiei stiffened. That made a lot of sense. Damn that human and his unreasonably high level of understanding of stupid word puzzles.
"I just hope you can work this out," Kaito said, passing the note back to Kurama. "And soon. Because things are only getting worse."
Kurama nodded, accepting the note back. The group then began discussing exactly what sort of trouble there had been in the human world, and, just as Hiei had completely lost interest, he felt a hand lightly tapping him on his shoulder. He looked back to see that Botan was on her oar with Akira and Yukina, and Yukina was holding a hand out towards him. He nodded and took her hand, leaping on at her side, sitting on the wide triangular blade of Botan's odd new oar. Botan then silently took off, flying incredibly fast without any warning: though none was apparently needed, as even Yukina had braced herself to hold on. Botan flew clear of the forest and over the mountains to a barren valley several miles from the temple before she finally slowed and brought them down to the ground.
"Do you think anyone back at the safe house would be able to sense any activity out here?" Yukina asked.
"Not unless you're planning to blow something up," Hiei replied: mostly because he had thought about doing exactly that as a means to vent his frustration.
Yukina nodded and turned, holding her hands in a strange pose. Hiei winced and Akira and Botan both yelped as the air around them fogged and the temperature plummeted. Hiei watched in horrified fascination as patches of white fog thickened and swirled into distinct shapes before finally, with a small pop, each of the Winter Wolves appeared in turn. And, once they had all arrived, two blue lights appeared in the heart of the fog. As Yukina relaxed her stance and the fog cleared a little, the Winter Guardian finally appeared clearly, standing a few feet in front of her.
"You said you would do whatever I asked of you," Yukina said to it.
"That is correct, Master," the Winter Guardian replied.
"It talks?" Botan squeaked.
"Then you will tell me if what the poem says is true," Yukina insisted. "And what Koto said about there being six stages in a Dark Age, is that true?"
The Winter Guardian remained silent.
"Is it true?" Yukina pressed. "Is it your intention to team up with the Shadow Wood, the Sacred Darkness and the Dragon of the Darkness Flame and resurrect the Dark Force? Are you on the Dark Force's side?"
"I answer only to Master," the Winter Guardian replied.
"I order you not to help the Dark Force," Yukina said.
"Such orders may be beyond your ability, Master."
"What?" Hiei echoed.
"I don't want to help the Dark Force!" Yukina insisted. "It is our enemy!"
"For summoning me, I will do as you bid, Master," the Winter Guardian replied. "But I can only do what you ask of me when you ask it and when you desire it."
"What does that mean?" Botan demanded.
When her question was met with silence, she turned to Hiei.
"The Winter Guardian will only speak when it is addressed by its master or else it has permission from its master to speak," he explained.
"Oh," Botan said, nodding her head.
"Does this mean what the Dark Force said before is true?" Yukina asked faintly. "That we won't be able to use our powers in its presence?"
"I cannot answer that," the Winter Guardian replied. "But if you call for me and give me an order, I will oblige your wishes, Master."
Yukina turned to look at Botan, who held her gaze for a moment before turning to Hiei.
"Yukina and I met the Dark Force – in Shogo Sato's body – and when we got close to him, we found that we couldn't use our powers within a certain area around him," she explained. "Yukina managed to move away and summon the Winter Wolves beyond the area we were in – it was like it was his territory – but we couldn't turn our powers against him. If that happens again, we won't be able to fight him. And if we can't fight him because we can't summon our powers, does that mean our powers don't want to be summoned, because they are already sided with the Dark Force?"
Hiei looked over at the Winter Guardian, who remained frustratingly still and silent.
"I don't know," he concluded. "But that is just another reason why we should continue to distance ourselves from the safe house."
"Are we going to die?"
Hiei turned to Akira, who had asked the question.
"Is that what that riddle really meant?" she continued. "When it said Yusuke would overcome the red-eyed monster – which is me – does that mean Yusuke has to kill me to end this?"
"Don't talk like that, Akira!" Botan scolded her.
"She might be right," Hiei said.
"Hiei!" Botan wailed.
"I'd rather you were honest about it," Akira said to her.
"We don't know what it means!" Botan said. "And it doesn't even have to mean anything: it's just a silly little poem the Dark Force wrote about what it wants to happen, not what actually will happen. We are the ones who will decide what we do and what will happen. And, as long as we don't lose sight of that, then we will be just fine!"
"You and I will be just fine," Hiei said to her. "But Akira can't control what the Sacred Darkness does through her and the Winter Guardian here perhaps considers the Dark Force to rank higher than Yukina and may defect to take orders only from the Dark Force if we face it."
"Hiei…" Botan whimpered.
"No, it's better this way," Akira insisted. "We have to all be honest about this."
Botan twitched visibly, but neither Yukina nor Akira seemed to find it as suspicious and strange as Hiei did, and so he did not remark on it.
"We should move on and try to find somewhere to camp for the night," Hiei suggested.
"With you?" Akira asked.
Botan and Yukina both looked a little panicky, but Akira maintained a look that matched the disgusted tone she had used to ask her question.
"We need to stay together," Hiei told her. "I'm as pleased about the arrangement as you are, believe me."
"I hated you first," she spat back.
"Outbursts like that are the reason why you can't control the Sacred Darkness," Hiei flatly replied. "I suggest we continue on foot."
Yukina began dismissing the wolves and Botan banished her oar. Hiei started on ahead at an easy walking pace: but he was already dreading every moment that lay ahead of him.
"Ew!" Keiko squealed. "It's gone all tacky!"
"But it's pretty much still as it was," Shizuru added.
Together they had shifted some debris outside the safe house and found the passage of the Dark Force's message that it had left there.
"So, do you see what you were looking for?" Shizuru asked, before lighting up a cigarette.
"Well I haven't seen handwriting that psychotic since the time one of my students did a presentation on hand written manifestos of serial killers," Keiko replied. "But I was hoping for something else, something more… I don't know…"
"What are you two up to?"
Shizuru inadvertently dropped her cigarette and Keiko shrieked as Koto pounced down from the roof and landed beside them.
"You've been sneaking around ever since you poked your nose in my notebook!" Koto said to Shizuru accusingly.
"It's nothing," Keiko told her.
"Not unless you can see anything here that anyone else might have missed," Shizuru said, holding a hand out towards the message stained in the wall.
Koto edged closer and peered down at the errantic lettering before shrugging.
"She who was born of shadows and darkness, a trinity of life force into one, the ruler's tool and the captain's delight, will fall before the ancestral son, the soul of darkness," she concluded.
"Wait, what?" Keiko echoed.
Shizuru scanned over the words on the wall before turning to Koto again.
"I don't see "the soul of darkness" on there anywhere," she said. "Why did you add that on?"
"It is on there!" Koto protested.
"Where?" Keiko asked.
"Right there, idiot!"
Koto hopped over a fallen roof tile and pointed at a squiggly shape at the end of the message.
"I thought that was just a blob of stray viscera!" Keiko said.
"No, it's from the old language in Demon World," Koto replied. "It's the symbol for the soul of darkness."
"The soul of darkness…" Keiko muttered.
"You think it means something?" Shizuru asked her.
"Of course it does!" Koto said. "Wow, this dumb poem actually makes a lot more sense now. Was there symbols on all the other passages too?"
Shizuru and Keiko exchanged confused looks: neither of them knew.
"What exactly is the soul of darkness?" Keiko asked Koto.
"It's the Ancient born from the representation of the Dark Force's soul: it's the Sacred Darkness."
Shizuru turned from Keiko as a look of realisation appeared on her face: apparently it was just as she had feared.
The chosen eight were comprised of four elements of good, opposing the Dark Force, and four elements of bad, defending the Dark Force.
And all eight of them were living in the safe house.
Next Chapter: When Yusuke returns to the safe house and discovers Hiei, Botan, Yukina and Akira have vanished, he refuses to take it lying down, and he gathers a team and sets out to confront them: though in his mind he had already determined why they left. Meanwhile Hiei, Botan, Yukina and Akira find a campsite for the night only to find themselves ambushed by Shogo and a small collection of his associates. As the Dark Force calls on his "children" to accept their role in the Dark Age and sets up a fight between the two apparent factions, Hiei bears witness to Akira's other side for the first time: and it has a very striking effect on him. Chapter 48 – Total Recall
A/N: The next chapter is an absolute monster (I have a first draft done, and it's about 10k words already, and I couldn't even get everything into it that I wanted to, so it spreads on into the next chapter). It probably goes without saying that "Total Recall" is because Hiei's about to gets his memories back: and writing that has been quite emotionally exhausting for me...