Vertical(ly) Challenge
By Tagalog
Chapter 2: To Hunt And Be Hunted
" Such a comely facility. I can comprehend why she enjoys coming here." Kurama gaped at the illuminated room, fascinated by the vicinity bursting of invigoration.
" If she enjoys this interminable congestion, she probably is around here." Hiei grumbled as he tried to evade the accidental jostles by surrounding people.
" Now what Urameshi?! We're here, but how are we going to find her among all these people?" Yusuke tapped his foot in rhythm with the bass, thinking at the same time.
" Well, I really don't know. Maybe we can ask around to find more leads."
" I say we split up." Kuwabara took charge. " I'll go with Urameshi and Kurama can go… Hey! Where's Hiei?!"
" It doesn't sound like him; trying to avoid such serious business." Frantically, Kurama and the others searched for their absent teammate.
"I don't think we have to worry. He's intelligent enough to be on his own and I know he won't admonish the target."
" I say we inquire the bartender; see if he's familiar with Naomie." The remaining three meandered to the bar and sat in vacant seats, attempting to look professional.
He was a middle-sized man, but he appeared very much stronger than Kuwabara. He was clad in black pants and a white chemise resembling a black penguin.
" What can I get for you?" He asked politely, his brown bangs seemed to swerve as he turned his head.
" Ahem…" Yusuke cleared his throat, preparing to derive information from on their mission. " Would you happen to be acquainted with anyone named Naomie?" Partially dreading the bartender's countenance, he opened one eye to the man. As if he didn't hear a word Yusuke uttered, the bartender went back to polishing his shot glasses.
" I refuse to help you find her. I am a common bartender, but I know my job is clear: serve beverages, not give out other customers' personal information. So what'll it be?"
" I'll have a Naomie," Yusuke pondered, " A Naomie special with blue highlights and what else… I was wondering if you had this in supply?" His satirical tone and comment ignited a temper within in the bartender.
" Listen!" He grabbed Yusuke's collar, " Get out of my bar or I'll throw you out myself!"
" Great choices." Kuwabara answered in an apprehensive voice.
" Look Mr." Kurama tried persuasion, " We aren't here to endanger or harm Naomie and…" He was abruptly cut off.
" I don't want to here anymore of this bull! Go away!" Yusuke, half balanced, stared at the bartender.
" A last question, have you seen a short guy, about yay high, with spiky hair and a major attitude problem?" The bartender looked at him warily before giving a composed answer.
" No."
CRASH!! BANG!! SHATTER!! CRASH!! BANG!! SHATTER!!
Beside the bartender, a small body lay straddled amongst shards of broken glass. The fallen figure raised his head towards his on looking comrades. Hiei uttered a small warning to his team and staggered to his feet. The club was in a dead silence; bystanders were gazing at the scene unfurling at the bar. The bartender stood in a stupor: half taken aback and half angered by the vandalism of his bar.
" Sorry…" Yusuke nervously straightened the bartender's tie, " We'll pay later."
" No, you'll pay now or…" Hiei unsheathed his katana and pointed it in the bartender's face. His face changed, instantly, into alarm. Hiei stared him down, ignoring the simultaneous gasps and shrieks. The sword was drawing closer to the horrified man; he squinted his eyes shut.
" THERE!" Hiei turned and hurled his katana at the back door. Various screams echoed throughout the facility and a small figure darted out the door.
" Damn!" Hiei leaped towards the door and recovered his weapon. As if the people were the Red Sea, they parted at Hiei's presence.
" Dammit Hiei!" Yusuke punched aside the bartender and the remaining gang followed Hiei's pursuit.
" Darn! Urameshi, I think they must be a mile ahead of the rest of the rest of us!"
" Just shut up and run or we'll never be sure!" Yusuke strained through the alleys' obstacle course. They followed Hiei's trail of skewed trashcans and spoiled puddles of sewage. Each pursuer continued running, despite their exhaustion.
" How do we know that Hiei's following a person who'll help in this mission? How do we know he didn't start a bar fight with the first human he saw?"
" Hiei's ruthless," Kurama panted, " Not ignorant. He's leading us to Naomie. I'm positive." They continued to sprint through the polluted debris that lined the streets: the smell was of foul, rotting food. Yusuke continued to lead them into more filthy territory.
" Ah hell… how are we supposed to climb that fence?" A screen blocked any further passage with electricity flowing through its veins.
" That's quite a barrier. I wonder how they scaled it so quickly?" Yusuke only grinned at the challenge.
" Like they say: Anything you can do I can do better." The Spirit Detective raised his hand and formed his Spirit Gun. A blue wave of light exploded from his index finger and eradicated the fence. " I can do anything better than you." He smirked and began sprinting again; leaving a devastated gate with licks of sparks being spurted from the wreckage.
" Yusuke! Kuwabara!" The two stopped and looked back at Kurama's stupefied face.
" What?!"
" They've halted. I can smell their scents now; they're even stronger. I'm also certain Hiei's prey is a female."
" Why've they stopped?" Kurama motioned them to trail as they rounded a corner and spotted a standoff between Hiei and a young woman.
" Wow, she's kinda cute!" Kuwabara blushed.
" How can you tell from fifty feet away?" Hiei's back faced them, as he stood motionless. Neither of the opponents looked short of breath. Naomie was parked across from Hiei and she had no expression of fear or surprise. Kurama seemed to notice this.
" How calm she appears. It's as if she knew we were coming." The profile on Naomie stood correct: her eyes shined a dark sapphire blue, and matched her highlighted hair. If you didn't know either, Hiei and Naomie, one might mistake them as siblings. Both of them were clad in black: Hiei with his cloak and Naomie in jeans and a black tank top. Naomie changed her glance and focused on the arriving Yusuke, Kurama and Kuwabara. She looked back into Hiei's agile eyes.
" Don't think there's safety in numbers."
" I don't think you have to worry about them. They're not going to interfere." She smirked and raised her right hand until it was parallel to the ground.
" BE CAREDUL!!!!" Yusuke yelled, " SHE USEs AIr As a… medium…" He trailed off as he realized that he still didn't know what that meant and the fact that Hiei wasn't listening.
" I can fight myself. One weak human won't stop me." Yusuke's eyes averted to a crate that began to levitate behind Hiei. In a matter of seconds, it was invisibly hurled at the determined fire demon.
" HEY!!!!" Hiei managed to dodge the projectile.
" Fool! You fell for my artifice!" She raised her left hand and began a soft chant. Hiei was still astir when a great force impelled him into a brick wall, knocking the wind out of him. His lungs seemed to be ablaze as he staggered to his feet. Naomie launched a frontal assault, only to be mauled by an enraged fire demon. Hiei unsheathed his weapon and prepared to massacre his foe.
" Wait!" Kurama screeched as pairs of arms tethered Hiei and Naomie.
" Why do I have to restrain Naomie?! She's your apprentice!" Kuwabara contended with Naomie's floundering, desperately fearful that she was going to bite him or even worse.
" You're the one who thought she was attractive, remember?! So just shut up and hold her down!" Hiei was infuriated how Yusuke made him look so absurd. He wriggled an arm free and punched Yusuke square in the face.
" Why Detective?! " Hiei shouted with an acrid tone, " I was about to get her!"
" Hiei, we don't need to 'get her'. We're supposed to take her back to Spirit World in one piece and have her willing to cooperate." Kurama attempted to assure his malevolent friend.
" Hey guys! She's gonna kick me!"
" Guess we'll have to bring Kuwabara back in one piece too."
" Let go asshole!" Naomie fussed and flailed Kuwabara to the bedraggled ground. She flitted away past the others and the hunt began again.
" See what I'm saying? If we alienate her because of our first impression I don't blame her for running away."
" Yah Hiei! Why did you screw up the mission for us huh? We were doing fine until you found her."
" Oh, I'm sure you were having lots of information from that bartender. He's probably so enthused to assist, that he grabbed Yusuke as a friendly gesture."
" Enough you two! Hiei run up ahead to see where she went."
"Hhn." Hiei nimbly left his sluggish comrades to track down Naomie.
" Shit! I can sense they're on my tail!" Naomie took a chance and detoured to a road that led to her home. " They will find out where I live, but I know I'll have an advantage if I have my weapons stored at home." She leaped into a crowded intersection and hitchhiked onto a semi. Hiei happened to see her cunning move and he too, latched onto a truck, leaving his teammates in the dust.
" Did you see that?! He ditch us, both of them!" Yusuke kicked the ground in frustration.
" All hope is not lost. She's headed for Pacifist Lake, where she resides. Naomie must be trying to stall Hiei until she has a plan in mind. Let us surprise her and go to her house; it'll be quicker if we continue running."
" No more," Kuwabara wheezed, " I can't run anymore. My legs feel like jello." His complaints fell upon the bustle of traffic, for his colleagues had already deserted him. Kurama and Yusuke crossed the street and continued dashing towards Naomie's home.
" Slowpoke! I'll be in Africa by the time you catch up to me!" Naomie was having her fun mocking Hiei as she rode ahead of him. Hiei was getting exceedingly aggravated by having to be succumbed to such corny insults. He couldn't wait until he could pound her.
" Stupid little…" He whispered under his breath. In a daredevil move, Hiei leaped onto the hood of the compact car in front of him. The driver, completely surprised by the unexpected thud on his car, swerved. This sudden action allowed Hiei to approach closer to the semi and with a final jump; he landed on the top of the vehicle. Naomie's childish sneer vanished and she gawked at her formidable adversary.
" Africa huh?!" Hiei leered at his submissive prey and drew out his katana. She looked down at the blinding sights they flew past.
" Don't even think about jumping. You may think you can survive the drop, but the oncoming traffic will definitely run you over." She looked back into Hiei's unwavering face, stunned by how he was able to interpret her thoughts.
" Who said I was jumping?"
She released a pill-like capsule, which freed a smoke screen. The gas flooded the intersection they approached: cars slammed on their brakes, while others attempted to veer out of the way. Amongst this catastrophic event, Hiei lost his balance and had it not been for him digging his blade into the truck; he would have been slaughtered. Naomie's Houdini act proved useful to her escape, but also left her injured from the tumble.
" That's the last time I try a stunt like that without a helmet." Half dazed, she proceeded home in hopes of a well-deserved rest.
" Wow, nice wardrobe. Do you think she knows there's other colors besides white, black and blue?" Yusuke rummaged through her drawers.
" Apparently not, but why are we searching through her closet? What do you hope to find there?" Kurama refused to join the search party; he didn't see a reason to invade someone's privacy for a mission.
" Well, we're bored and she might have hid some weapons in her drawers. That's what I'm looking for. Kuwabara, on the other hand, is just being a pervert."
" Shut up Urameshi! I'm searching for the same stuff you are! Hey, do you think she has anything to eat here?" The other two shook their heads in dismay.
" Yusuke, what are we supposed to tell her when she arrives? I'm sure she isn't going to cooperate with us if her entire house is in shambles."
" Okay, okay, you're right. I just wouldn't know what to say. How are we supposed to convince her to come with us? She seems very…ah… uptight."
" Well I'm sure it's not everyday people try to chase her. Maybe we frightened her a bit. Even so, it's possible Hiei said something to Naomie that might have angered her as well."
" It's possible, I guess." He packed the remaining clothes into the drawers and closed them. All three were now sitting on the floor, contemplating what words would convince such a hot head to join their clan. The door creaked ajar; they all stood up waiting for Naomie to pounce on them for their delving through her house.
" Relax," Hiei's gruff voice addressed them, " I have her. Now let's get her to Spirit World before she awakes." Hiei stood in the doorway, impatiently strapping his sword back into its case. A trickle of crimson liquid ran down Naomie's face and dripped onto the dry, wooden floor.
" Hiei, you dolt!" Kuwabara screeched, " We're supposed to bring her back unharmed! What the hell did you do to her!" He lurched forward in an attempt to wretch Naomie from Hiei.
" You idiot! I found her like this! Don't blame me for her well-being! It's not my responsibility!" Hiei yelled back. Kurama and Yusuke placed their hands over Hiei and Kuwabara's mouth to silence their voices.
" Quiet now. You'll wake her."
" Hiei, what happened to her if you didn't attack her?" Kurama realized Hiei told the truth and expected an honest reply.
" I said I found her that way." He removed Yusuke's palm, " A few humans were beating her and plus, she still sustained injuries from when she leaped off the truck."
" Let's get back to Spirit World so she can rest. I still don't know what to say to persuade her to join us." Yusuke scratched his scalp as they were led outside.
" Let me hold her Hiei! You've done enough damage already!" Kuwabara tried to regain Naomie from Hiei's grasp.
" She'd be a lot better off if I held her. What good will occur if we were to trust you in holding her? You're so irresponsible, you'd likely drop her." Kuwabara's face flushed as he listened to Hiei. The offensive fire demon turned away and proceeded after the rest of the group. He ignored the slurs, being cursed at him, and also the small body that curled up tighter to his chest.
* How sweet! Maybe I'll change the genre in the future to romance! Review and help me with ideas for the next chapter!
Tag! You're It! ;)