Chapter III
"You thought you'd found a friend, to take you out of this place. Someone you could lend a hand in return for grace." -Beautiful Day by U2
* * *
Back at the temple Yusuke sat unhappily on the steps. He was obviously mauling over what to do and hadn't come up with anything yet. As Kurama and Yukina walked back in, he look at them unhappily. "Hey Kurama, Yukina."
"Hi Yusuke-kun!" Yukina smiled cheerfully at him, "I'm going to go see if Genkai-san needs helps with anything!" She headed out of the immediate area, and Kurama admired her swift extraction from the situation, recognizing that they needed to talk. She'd done it so effortlessly and smoothly, feigning innocence and ignorance of the situation while actually being aware.. Kurama wondered how much she really knew, but just didn't let on?
The girl could be absolutely dangerous if she wanted to. No one would be able to tell until it was too late.
"Hey, Yusuke. You look troubled," Kurama put his hands in the pockets of his uniforms, studying the half demon carefully.
"I can't figure out how we're going to rescue Hiei," Yusuke looked up at Kurama, his face worried. Kurama eased into a sitting position beside him. "When one of us is being held hostage or has been attacked, it's easy retaliating. We just go to wherever they are and beat them up. But how do we attack someone who's dead? How can we get Hiei's soul back? We don't even know where it is..." Yusuke trailed off, and Kurama was surprised by his slump. He was usually headstrong and gung-ho, almost to a fault.
"Koenma'll help us with some information. But we can't go on anything if we don't have any leads."
Yusuke held his hands out in front of him in a bewildered expression, "We don't even have a video tape with any news! We just know Karasu has his soul and-" He stopped suddenly, eyes widening as a video tape dropped into his outstretched arms. He looked up, and Botan floated happily above him, coasting in for a landing. She dropped next to the two.
"Let's check out the tape," she told them.
* * *
"Your move," Karasu told his opponent. The two sat opposite each other, between them was a chess board. The pieces were ivory, and the board itself was made of interchanging black and white marble tiles. Hiei studied the board, head resting in his right hand. Slowly he reached his hand out and moved it forward. Karasu snaked his hand out quickly and brought his own piece forward. Smiling slightly, Hiei brought his rook forward, capturing Karasu's queen. The masked demon looked up, eyes slightly narrowed, "You'd said you'd never played this before."
"I don't waste my time with stupid human games," Hiei responded.
"You're beating me," Karasu told him.
"Hn," Hiei shrugged. The game had been going on for at least an hour, neither of them completely certain of what they were doing. Karasu had explained the basic rules to him, and even though it was his purgatory, he'd never had anyone to actually play against.
"Well, just as well," Karasu sighed, "The second part of my plan will be going into action soon anyway. It's okay if I lose."
"What?" At this, Hiei looked up at the demon opposite him, crimson eyes immediately narrowed, his expression tight.
"Well, I'm probably doing to delay it a little bit. I'm enjoying myself with you," Karasu smiled, is eyes crinkling at the edges. Hiei made a face of disgust. "I know you're wondering what the next part is," Karasu continued, "I'm going to have the team fight."
"..."
"Kurama is so...desirable when he fights.it's go graceful. Like a dance, a ballet. It seems so perfect. The way the blood rushes to his cheeks." Karasu chuckled quietly. His facial expression had darkened and seemed to have grown evil. . Hiei stared evenly at the crow, his own expression one of disgust. "Now now, don't look at me like that. It's simply what I think. We all have desires and things we like, some of them perverse. I don't hide what I feel, though. Why pretend to be someone I'm not? To be civilized? We both know that's largely a human thing. All those people milling around telling lies all the time, disguising what they feel. Everyone trying to be someone else. All of them doing the same thing for fear of being laughed at. It's so sad to watch some of them. They want so BADLY to break away from the chains of society, but they don't know where to begin, and they're afraid of the consequences and what others think. It's pathetic, really."
"That is unrelated," Hiei scowled.
"I don't think so."
"We're not human. I don't care what you think about me. I certainly don't think anything about you-except that you better leave Kurama alone. Demons don't have to worry about what others think."
"Not entirely true, Hiei. Every creature has something in them that makes them want to be accepted. Humans more then us, naturally."
"Why do you keep on bringing up humans? They have nothing to do with us or this situation!" Hiei pushed forward a small pawn, "It's your move."
"Shuuichi Minamino is human," Karasu eyed the board carefully before finally pushing one of his pieces forward.
"What does that matter?" Hiei looked at the masked demon closely. Karasu shrugged. "Karasu..."
"You've used my name!" Eyes crinkling in amusement, he looked up.
"You're ridiculous," Hiei shook his head. Karasu chuckled slightly.
"Really, though, Hiei. Shuuichi Minamino is different from our dear Youko Kurama because he is human. Even if he has the soul of a Youko, his human brain still affects him. It fires off it's synapses, makes it's assumptions. He's going through puberty, again. Imagine how that must affect him! He's grown up again, has loving human parents who babied him. Still, through out it all, he's managed to incorporate the grace of his demon self into the way he moves.
Also, you have to admit he's learned patience. More than one boy has had to have teased him on his looks. Youko Kurama would never have stood for that. The child would have been toast. He's become more responsible, too..
"Well, let's go watch our Kurama, shall we?" Karasu, smiling, grabbed a hold of Hiei's wrist, and before he could react, the two of them quickly faded from the dark cavern.
* * * *
Kurama whipped around, and ducked quickly, more out of instinct then actual knowledge of something coming at him. However, his timing was good, and the axe whistled harmlessly over his head. Reaching into his hair, he touched the rose seed which immediately erupted into a flower as he whipped it out. Behind him, Yusuke was attacking and defending against his own aggressor while Kuwabara slashed and struck without any form nearby. Kurama glanced around, trying to catch a glimpse of Yukina. The last thing he wanted was for her to get hurt.
"What are these things attacking for?!" Yusuke cried out, aggravated.
"Who cares?" Kuwabara cried gleefully, happy for some action.
"Don't be so overconfident," Kurama reminded Kuwabara, while also surprised at the easiness of defeat as he sliced through another attacking demon. Above them, another conversation was going on.
"All of them are above this," Hiei waved his hand disgustingly at the minor demons attacking mindlessly at his friends.
"I know," Karasu looked down at the three of them, smiling under his mask. He knew the group was so much stronger then the few weak demons he'd set in front of them. In fact, he felt that any one of them could handle the enemies by their self.
"Hn. Stupid."
"Maybe," Karasu shrugged. "But I'm having fun. Kurama is so...graceful. He's so beautiful and handles each demon perfectly. It's amazing how he makes killing an art, which is what it should be."
"..."
"It's almost like he relishes in dealing death...like me..." Karasu paused for a moment, considering this revelation before glancing at Hiei out of the corner of his eyes. "You just get the job done. No where near as drawn out. Do you enjoy killing?"
"I get what needs to be done," Hiei said stiffly.
"Indeed. So anyway, how do you like being dead?" Karasu turned to give his full attention to the smaller demon, curious at what his reaction would be. He was somewhat satisfied when he saw Hiei's eyes open slightly in surprise at the sudden change of subject. There was a pause before he answered.
"I'm not dead," He finally said, his crimson eyes carefully following the slaughtering on the temple grounds by the Urameshi team.
"It's close enough. How do you like watching your friends, being able to see what's happening and not able to do anything? You're in a limbo, and without my help, you can't get out. Sort of like a one way glass, isn't it? You can see them, but they can't see you. They're heartaches, they're good times and bad. You can't do anything for them, and they can't do anything for you. A lonely world to live in," Karasu's face took on an unreadable emotion as Hiei glanced at him. He almost looked truly sad. "But, I don't think it's so different even when you're living. It's just more defined now."
"What?"
"Nothing..." Karasu looked back at Kurama and the many dead bodies surrounding him. "I've had enough for today. We can see them again soon," Without saying anything else, he grabbed onto Hiei's wrist again and their surroundings blurred and then faded. Seconds later, the world swirled again, but this time it became defined, and Hiei noted with some dismay that he was back in the cavern. "Beginning to dislike it here, Hiei?" Karasu looked expectedly at the fire demon. He grinned when the fire demon just shrugged.
"Things will be better once Kurama gets here," Karasu sighed happily, "He makes everything better." At this, Hiei growled slightly, and Karasu looked at him surprised.
"He would hate it here. I won't let you bring him."
"Such a protective little demon," Karasu's smile took on a feral look that Hiei was unable to see, "It's really sweet," Karasu took a step towards the smaller demon, bending down to his level and gently grasping the flawless face in his hands, "But Kurama is mine. He'll realize it, and then you'll be nothing more then refuse, and I can be done with you. Mukuro can keep your body in all the perfect condition she wants, but without your soul, it's just an empty shell. I'll keep you here forever," his tone had suddenly became evil.
"You can't keep a soul contained..." Hiei began a bit uncertainly, his face a mixture of confusion and disguised fear. He'd heard of demons who had the power to put wards over the actual movement of the soul and he'd heard of soul eaters, but he'd never expected to run into anyone who would do this. In fact, he hadn't been afraid of death because he knew that it was just a release, and his soul would still be free. But this...this was an unimaginable horror. "Kurama wouldn't let you...Koenma will stop you. I'll get out," Hiei spoke with more confidence, his face falling back into it's original scowl.
"I'm really just putting the idea up. I did promise Mukuro to return you... and who am I to break a promise?" Karasu chuckled, settling back down at the chess table. Hiei moved away from him, into the darker corners. "If you want to go somewhere else, just imagine the place, or the person you want to see, and you'll be there. It's really elementary, almost surprising by the simpleness," Karasu spoke after a long pause, looking at the chess pieces. "Anyway, it's your move."
"I won't be coming back," Hiei growled, almost simultaneously fading away. Karasu watched him go, a smirk on his face. He had plans, too.
-End Chapter- Hmm. I don't have much to say here. This fic has been in limbo so long that I wasn't sure if I was ever going to finish it. However! My muses are back after an unannounced and unauthorized vacation, so I'll start writing again! Also, I really like this story.
"You thought you'd found a friend, to take you out of this place. Someone you could lend a hand in return for grace." -Beautiful Day by U2
* * *
Back at the temple Yusuke sat unhappily on the steps. He was obviously mauling over what to do and hadn't come up with anything yet. As Kurama and Yukina walked back in, he look at them unhappily. "Hey Kurama, Yukina."
"Hi Yusuke-kun!" Yukina smiled cheerfully at him, "I'm going to go see if Genkai-san needs helps with anything!" She headed out of the immediate area, and Kurama admired her swift extraction from the situation, recognizing that they needed to talk. She'd done it so effortlessly and smoothly, feigning innocence and ignorance of the situation while actually being aware.. Kurama wondered how much she really knew, but just didn't let on?
The girl could be absolutely dangerous if she wanted to. No one would be able to tell until it was too late.
"Hey, Yusuke. You look troubled," Kurama put his hands in the pockets of his uniforms, studying the half demon carefully.
"I can't figure out how we're going to rescue Hiei," Yusuke looked up at Kurama, his face worried. Kurama eased into a sitting position beside him. "When one of us is being held hostage or has been attacked, it's easy retaliating. We just go to wherever they are and beat them up. But how do we attack someone who's dead? How can we get Hiei's soul back? We don't even know where it is..." Yusuke trailed off, and Kurama was surprised by his slump. He was usually headstrong and gung-ho, almost to a fault.
"Koenma'll help us with some information. But we can't go on anything if we don't have any leads."
Yusuke held his hands out in front of him in a bewildered expression, "We don't even have a video tape with any news! We just know Karasu has his soul and-" He stopped suddenly, eyes widening as a video tape dropped into his outstretched arms. He looked up, and Botan floated happily above him, coasting in for a landing. She dropped next to the two.
"Let's check out the tape," she told them.
* * *
"Your move," Karasu told his opponent. The two sat opposite each other, between them was a chess board. The pieces were ivory, and the board itself was made of interchanging black and white marble tiles. Hiei studied the board, head resting in his right hand. Slowly he reached his hand out and moved it forward. Karasu snaked his hand out quickly and brought his own piece forward. Smiling slightly, Hiei brought his rook forward, capturing Karasu's queen. The masked demon looked up, eyes slightly narrowed, "You'd said you'd never played this before."
"I don't waste my time with stupid human games," Hiei responded.
"You're beating me," Karasu told him.
"Hn," Hiei shrugged. The game had been going on for at least an hour, neither of them completely certain of what they were doing. Karasu had explained the basic rules to him, and even though it was his purgatory, he'd never had anyone to actually play against.
"Well, just as well," Karasu sighed, "The second part of my plan will be going into action soon anyway. It's okay if I lose."
"What?" At this, Hiei looked up at the demon opposite him, crimson eyes immediately narrowed, his expression tight.
"Well, I'm probably doing to delay it a little bit. I'm enjoying myself with you," Karasu smiled, is eyes crinkling at the edges. Hiei made a face of disgust. "I know you're wondering what the next part is," Karasu continued, "I'm going to have the team fight."
"..."
"Kurama is so...desirable when he fights.it's go graceful. Like a dance, a ballet. It seems so perfect. The way the blood rushes to his cheeks." Karasu chuckled quietly. His facial expression had darkened and seemed to have grown evil. . Hiei stared evenly at the crow, his own expression one of disgust. "Now now, don't look at me like that. It's simply what I think. We all have desires and things we like, some of them perverse. I don't hide what I feel, though. Why pretend to be someone I'm not? To be civilized? We both know that's largely a human thing. All those people milling around telling lies all the time, disguising what they feel. Everyone trying to be someone else. All of them doing the same thing for fear of being laughed at. It's so sad to watch some of them. They want so BADLY to break away from the chains of society, but they don't know where to begin, and they're afraid of the consequences and what others think. It's pathetic, really."
"That is unrelated," Hiei scowled.
"I don't think so."
"We're not human. I don't care what you think about me. I certainly don't think anything about you-except that you better leave Kurama alone. Demons don't have to worry about what others think."
"Not entirely true, Hiei. Every creature has something in them that makes them want to be accepted. Humans more then us, naturally."
"Why do you keep on bringing up humans? They have nothing to do with us or this situation!" Hiei pushed forward a small pawn, "It's your move."
"Shuuichi Minamino is human," Karasu eyed the board carefully before finally pushing one of his pieces forward.
"What does that matter?" Hiei looked at the masked demon closely. Karasu shrugged. "Karasu..."
"You've used my name!" Eyes crinkling in amusement, he looked up.
"You're ridiculous," Hiei shook his head. Karasu chuckled slightly.
"Really, though, Hiei. Shuuichi Minamino is different from our dear Youko Kurama because he is human. Even if he has the soul of a Youko, his human brain still affects him. It fires off it's synapses, makes it's assumptions. He's going through puberty, again. Imagine how that must affect him! He's grown up again, has loving human parents who babied him. Still, through out it all, he's managed to incorporate the grace of his demon self into the way he moves.
Also, you have to admit he's learned patience. More than one boy has had to have teased him on his looks. Youko Kurama would never have stood for that. The child would have been toast. He's become more responsible, too..
"Well, let's go watch our Kurama, shall we?" Karasu, smiling, grabbed a hold of Hiei's wrist, and before he could react, the two of them quickly faded from the dark cavern.
* * * *
Kurama whipped around, and ducked quickly, more out of instinct then actual knowledge of something coming at him. However, his timing was good, and the axe whistled harmlessly over his head. Reaching into his hair, he touched the rose seed which immediately erupted into a flower as he whipped it out. Behind him, Yusuke was attacking and defending against his own aggressor while Kuwabara slashed and struck without any form nearby. Kurama glanced around, trying to catch a glimpse of Yukina. The last thing he wanted was for her to get hurt.
"What are these things attacking for?!" Yusuke cried out, aggravated.
"Who cares?" Kuwabara cried gleefully, happy for some action.
"Don't be so overconfident," Kurama reminded Kuwabara, while also surprised at the easiness of defeat as he sliced through another attacking demon. Above them, another conversation was going on.
"All of them are above this," Hiei waved his hand disgustingly at the minor demons attacking mindlessly at his friends.
"I know," Karasu looked down at the three of them, smiling under his mask. He knew the group was so much stronger then the few weak demons he'd set in front of them. In fact, he felt that any one of them could handle the enemies by their self.
"Hn. Stupid."
"Maybe," Karasu shrugged. "But I'm having fun. Kurama is so...graceful. He's so beautiful and handles each demon perfectly. It's amazing how he makes killing an art, which is what it should be."
"..."
"It's almost like he relishes in dealing death...like me..." Karasu paused for a moment, considering this revelation before glancing at Hiei out of the corner of his eyes. "You just get the job done. No where near as drawn out. Do you enjoy killing?"
"I get what needs to be done," Hiei said stiffly.
"Indeed. So anyway, how do you like being dead?" Karasu turned to give his full attention to the smaller demon, curious at what his reaction would be. He was somewhat satisfied when he saw Hiei's eyes open slightly in surprise at the sudden change of subject. There was a pause before he answered.
"I'm not dead," He finally said, his crimson eyes carefully following the slaughtering on the temple grounds by the Urameshi team.
"It's close enough. How do you like watching your friends, being able to see what's happening and not able to do anything? You're in a limbo, and without my help, you can't get out. Sort of like a one way glass, isn't it? You can see them, but they can't see you. They're heartaches, they're good times and bad. You can't do anything for them, and they can't do anything for you. A lonely world to live in," Karasu's face took on an unreadable emotion as Hiei glanced at him. He almost looked truly sad. "But, I don't think it's so different even when you're living. It's just more defined now."
"What?"
"Nothing..." Karasu looked back at Kurama and the many dead bodies surrounding him. "I've had enough for today. We can see them again soon," Without saying anything else, he grabbed onto Hiei's wrist again and their surroundings blurred and then faded. Seconds later, the world swirled again, but this time it became defined, and Hiei noted with some dismay that he was back in the cavern. "Beginning to dislike it here, Hiei?" Karasu looked expectedly at the fire demon. He grinned when the fire demon just shrugged.
"Things will be better once Kurama gets here," Karasu sighed happily, "He makes everything better." At this, Hiei growled slightly, and Karasu looked at him surprised.
"He would hate it here. I won't let you bring him."
"Such a protective little demon," Karasu's smile took on a feral look that Hiei was unable to see, "It's really sweet," Karasu took a step towards the smaller demon, bending down to his level and gently grasping the flawless face in his hands, "But Kurama is mine. He'll realize it, and then you'll be nothing more then refuse, and I can be done with you. Mukuro can keep your body in all the perfect condition she wants, but without your soul, it's just an empty shell. I'll keep you here forever," his tone had suddenly became evil.
"You can't keep a soul contained..." Hiei began a bit uncertainly, his face a mixture of confusion and disguised fear. He'd heard of demons who had the power to put wards over the actual movement of the soul and he'd heard of soul eaters, but he'd never expected to run into anyone who would do this. In fact, he hadn't been afraid of death because he knew that it was just a release, and his soul would still be free. But this...this was an unimaginable horror. "Kurama wouldn't let you...Koenma will stop you. I'll get out," Hiei spoke with more confidence, his face falling back into it's original scowl.
"I'm really just putting the idea up. I did promise Mukuro to return you... and who am I to break a promise?" Karasu chuckled, settling back down at the chess table. Hiei moved away from him, into the darker corners. "If you want to go somewhere else, just imagine the place, or the person you want to see, and you'll be there. It's really elementary, almost surprising by the simpleness," Karasu spoke after a long pause, looking at the chess pieces. "Anyway, it's your move."
"I won't be coming back," Hiei growled, almost simultaneously fading away. Karasu watched him go, a smirk on his face. He had plans, too.
-End Chapter- Hmm. I don't have much to say here. This fic has been in limbo so long that I wasn't sure if I was ever going to finish it. However! My muses are back after an unannounced and unauthorized vacation, so I'll start writing again! Also, I really like this story.