Kirei na Kanjou

~ Beautiful Feeling ~

by feifu

01/14/2002

homepage: www.freewebs.com/killersrant

email: domain_of_fire@yahoo.com

Disclaimers: (Can't make a fanfic without putting this) Yuyu Hakusho, and all its characters and plot, is the original creation of Yoshiro Togashi. I do not claim to own any of the characters in this story except for Faith Phillipp and Annette Barton, who are my own creations and are inspired by people I know in real life. Any similarities to real life people/events or if you by chance know anybody whose names are similar to the two characters, I avow that these are mere coincidences. I don't profit from writing this fanfiction so please don't sue.



7

She regarded the black clad figure with mixed wariness and curiosity.

She could sense his strength. He was different compared to those she had just fought with; she sensed that hidden within this one's rather small form was a power greater than even her own. She held herself in check unwilling to do the first move. Somehow, she knew this was how she usually went about fights with those whose abilities she didn't yet know. Ample enough time to strategize later whilst fighting. That had always been the case wasn't it?

She snarled. A part of her was screaming to tear his limbs apart now! Quickly, lest he start the attack! The taste and smell of fresh blood assaulted her with a sudden pang of fresh hunger. The one's blood she took - the one with the thick arms and legs who'd discovered where she was hiding - his blood coursed through her veins, singing. His blood strengthened her. His was blood different from those she had tasted before.

Tasted before? Another part of her was flabbergasted at the very thought of fighting, never mind the idea of eating the heart and brain of those she'd defeated of which all she felt was sheer disgust at herself for doing so! She couldn't believe she was doing this. Where was this place anyway? And who were these people? They weren't humans, that much she could ascertain, for what human being would have bat wings or horns, or fangs, or a scorpion's tail for that matter?!

I should stop this right now, she thought. She didn't stand a chance against the black clad figure anyway. He looked stronger than her, despite being just a few inches smaller than she was. She should just apologize and hope to the high heavens that this person - he looked more like a human being compared to the others - wouldn't feel too keen on avenging his companions.

The first two consciousness immediately shouted out their disapproval for that course of action. And the three separate consciousness warred within, all clamoring to be heard.

The two stronger ones muted the third, refusing to respond to her rising panic when the black clad figure pointed his deadly looking sword at her. Although all three sensed that the third consciousness was the first to be formed inside this body, she was the weakest and therefore did not have a choice in the situation they were in.

The second consciousness sensed that the first knew how to handle things but was too cautious. They needed to act, now! Now! NOW!!!

Caught in the urgency of that voice, she suddenly started her attack.

She veered to the left, seeing that the black clad figure held his sword with his right hand, the first consciousness' instincts telling her that, logically, his left would be his blind spot. If he had one, that is.

She almost did not evade the swift slash of the sword that came her way when she tried raking his left side with her claw. She backed away, more cautious now after having seen his speed.

She waited, the first consciousness asserting its will, as she was the only one of the three with anything resembling a strategy on how they should defeat this foe with as minimal damages as possible. The first didn't think they'd come out of this fight without a scratch as they did before; she reminded them that this foe was exceedingly different than the others.

The first consciousness decided she needed a weapon. Something with a much longer reach than her claws so she wouldn't have to come near that wicked looking sword. Something…

Her sharp eyes caught sight of a tiny seed lying on the ground. Yes, the first consciousness thought, she could use this. She need only remember how. A memory resurfaced from within and a feral gleam came into her eyes as a plan started to form in her head.



Hiei sensed something was amiss.

Then, with barely enough time to dodge, the blades of grass he was standing on suddenly grew to impossible proportions. It tried to capture his feet and pin him to the ground and only his unnatural speed allowed him to evade.

Then, as he was speeding towards the branches of the nearest tree, fallen leaves on the ground came to life and came at him like tiny blades. He blocked each leaf as it came at him, with his sword cutting them into two, but each half rose up again and some actually managed to cut through his skin. They weren't deep cuts but Hiei knew that enough of them could cause him to bleed to death given the chance.

He growled, more irritated than anything, and summoned up his black fire. In mere moments, all the leaves attacking him were nothing but ashes.

He turned, instinct warning him of an oncoming attack, and he was just in time to parry a downward cut from his opponent's plant-made blade.

Hiei almost smiled. Almost.

He knew this fighting style like the back of his own hands. Very similar to that of Kurama's whom he had sparred with several times in the past. He easily parried, blocked, and in turn ventured a slice, cut, and slash of his own which his opponent blocked in much the same way he saw his former comrade do.

The only difference was that his current opponent did not have the same strength and endurance Kurama had. This difference nearly decided the fight; for Hiei, seeing her visibly tiring, delivered a thrust that his opponent was unable to block.

She howled and clutched the bleeding cut at her left side. Hiei's eyes widened in surprise when, instead of retreating, as Kurama would have done, his opponent lunged forward and grabbed his sword hand, twisting it until he lost his grip of his katana.

He was then hard pressed to fend her off as she continued her attack, ravaging his clothes, arms and face, any part of him that she could reach with her claws. The intelligence he spied a few moments before he had cut her was gone. In its place was the sheer animalistic rage and determination to destroy him for having wounded her.

That, and something else.



Inside her mind was chaos.

Her first and foremost thought was that she hurt, badly.

The cut should not pain her this much as it wasn't very deep but she hurt doubly more because an earlier wound had reopened.

She was crying. At least a part of her was. And very terrified. She could die. She could truly well die here.

No!!! A part of her cried out. I will not let that happen.

Who are you?

I am the one who saved you before.

My savior?

…Yes.

Then who am I?

You are I.

Who are we then?

A pause came before the voice answered, I do not know.

A third voice snarled at the first two, showing her disgust at having to share the same space with the two of them. It castigated and urged them to take vengeance on this creature in black that had the effrontery and the damned audacity to injure them. The other two let the angry one dominate for the while, choosing to nurse the wound at their side. Growling her approval of the two's decision, the third consciousness pressed on with her attack with relish.

Foremost in her mind was that she must not let her foe have an opening to call forth the deadly black fire he used before. She drowned out the painful throbbing of her wound and with a single-minded tenacity, she pressed continually forward, adrenaline pumping through her systems.

Her foe's foot suddenly caught on a rock on the ground. He staggered, and started to fall. She howled in triumph, expecting a sure victory. As she was about to rake his throat open with her claws, she caught sight of his eyes and suddenly stopped, her arm trembling.

Stop!! I know him! He's a friend…cried one voice inside her head.

I have no friends!!! Answered a snarling voice, mad at being stopped.

He's MY friend.

I HAVE NO FRIENDS!!! She snarled and pressed her attack. Her opponent used her hesitation by rolling away at the moment he fell. And thus instead of a killing blow to the heart, she missed and only managed to tear at his arm creating a sizable wound but not the fatal kind she had intended.

NOO!!! Seeing her foe wounded enraged the consciousness inside her head that claimed him as a friend. She clamored for control, hammering down with force of will the snarling voice who vainly tried to remain in dominance.



Hiei gritted his teeth together as he felt his flesh being torn open.

He forced himself to continue rolling away from his opponent and to speedily reclaim his fallen katana. When he turned to face his opponent again, he was surprised to find her holding her head between her hands, anguish evident in her face.

He was yet again taken aback when she suddenly ran at him. He shifted his hold on his katana and stepped forward to attack when he felt her pass by him at a run. She ran back the way she came, back to the thick cluster of trees that in mere moments hid her from sight.

Hiei straightened up, frowning in confusion. Not quite believing his ears at having heard her murmur as she ran by. "Gomen… nande?"

No, she couldn't have possibly tried to apologize after she just tried to take his life, but that was what he heard. Scowling in derision at himself for hesitating at attacking her because she looked like his former comrade, he shook his head and realized that he had yet to fulfill his duty of tracking her down and stopping her.

But first he had to do something about his wound…