by: Kawaii Kitsune
Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho and all the characters in the wonderful show do not belong to me, blah, blah, blah. You get the point. No money, don't sue, blah, blah, blah. Moving on.
Note: italics indicate thoughts.
Hiei raced towards the base of the mountain, a black blur darting through the forest. He met up with a few soldiers on the way but they either didn't see him or were not fast enough to raise the alarm before Hiei killed them. Regardless, the fire demon arrived at the base of Mt. Hiei within an hour. He knew he couldn't see the fortress with his eyes alone and he was right. All he saw was a large clearing at the foot of the mountain, empty and void. Hn, I suppose I'll have to take the risk. Hiei took off his headband and opened his Jagan, taking the chance of being discovered to find the exact location of the building. He started to emit a low level of youki and concentrated on his third eye. The scan resulted in nothing so Hiei increased the level of ki and tried again. Hikoku's gotten smarter; this isn't just some half-assed kekkai.
"Hiei-san, long time no see."
The voice came from behind him. Hiei whirred around and crouched into a fighting stance, his eyes alert and his hands fingering his katana. There stood Evangeline, wearing black form-fitting leggings and a dark red halter-top, accompanied by flexible black leather boots. How did I not sense her?!? "Yes," answered Hiei, trying not to let his voice show any alarm, "so we meet again, Evangeline."
"Ah, I see that you know my name already. If you so wish, you may call me Angel." She then cracked a small smile. "May I call you Father?"
Hiei paid no attention to the little tease. "For the brief time you have left in your life, you may call me whatever you want," Hiei replied, "Now, take me to Kurama."
"As you wish, Father." The fire demon was caught off-guard for the second time that day. Of course, this is all a trap, and Kurama was the bait.
"If you'll please follow me."
Evangeline calmly walked past Hiei and stepped forwards fifteen feet. The fire demon had no choice but to follow, albeit with great caution. The girl, with closed eyes, held her hands together as if in a prayer and mumbled a short chant. She then opened her eyes, waving one her hands in front of her. The kekkai immediately dropped, revealing the black fortress. Evangeline did not even look back to see if Hiei followed as she walked towards the dark castle. The normal dark glow emitted from her body and a doorway appeared on the side of the building. She walked through the doorway, leading the way for the fire demon.
They walked in silence down the dark hallways, Evangeline in front and Hiei following closely behind, sword drawn and held tightly in his hand. The halls were barren and lowly lit, making the atmosphere very dismal. Their steps clicked and echoed down the corridor. Not a word was spoken as the two demons reached their destination: the exact same room Kurama was brought to upon his arrival.
Hikoku was once again reclining on the bed in the center of the room, and as soon as they entered the room, Evangeline walked to her master's right side. He smiled, holding a glass of champagne with his left hand. "Welcome to my stronghold, Hiei," said Hikoku, "It has been far too long since our last meeting." He shifted slightly on the bed, unveiling a mechanical arm where there should be nothing. "How things have changed since then." He then turned to his left.
"Wouldn't you agree, Kurama?"
"Hiei! Get out of here now!" screamed a familiar voice.
Hiei's eyes broadened. From the shadows came the redheaded fox, bound in chains and his powers smothered by a ki ward. He wanted to rush to the kitsune right there and then, but Hikoku's hand around Kurama's neck stopped the fire demon in his tracks. "Let him go, you bastard."
"Bastard? I would rethink your choice of words if I were you, Forbidden Child."
Hiei growled low in his throat and fought to control his anger, and his tongue. I can't risk any danger to Kurama at this point. He bit down on his pride and remained silent and still. "What do you want?"
"I want to see you suffer and then I want to see you die." Hikoku moved himself closer to Kurama. Hiei watched his every move and fingered his katana, hoping for an opening. The demon lord caressed the redhead's cheek. Kurama fought it with every ounce of him but he could not escape the touches. Hikoku then grabbed a handful of red hair and roughly forced his tongue down the human-youko's throat.
Hiei saw red. "How dare you touch my fox?!?!?!" He rushed forward, sword in hand, aiming for Hikoku's throat. He moved so quickly that there was no way Hikoku could have dodged the hit.
The attack never hit its mark. Metal met metal in a loud clang as Hiei sword was defected to the side, barely two feet away from the still kissing pair. Evangeline stood between Hikoku and Hiei, with a sword of her own unsheathed and ready at hand. She had a blank look on her face, not fazed at all by the sudden attack. The girl pushed up with her blade, forcing Hiei's sword to disengage and back off. She then lowered her own sword but still keeping it unsheathed, ready to attack or defend at a moment's notice.
"As you see, Hiei," retorted Hikoku, "there's no way you can get near me. Not with Evangeline under my complete control." He laughed while running his hands up and down Kurama's helpless body.
Hiei moved again, this time faster and with more of a plan. It met with the same fate as the last attack: it was blocked long before it reached its target. Again and again, the swords clashed, met evenly with each stroke. Hiei was purely on the offensive but he wasn't landing a single hit. It was no use. After several attempts, the fire demon finally halted, not want to spend so much energy fighting a futile battle. As soon as Hiei sheathed his sword, so did Evangeline. She walked once again to Hikoku's side.
"Giving up already, Koorime?" taunted Hikoku.
"Hardly," replied Hiei. He summoned his ki, which up until then was suppressed, and called forth a fireball the size of a human head. He launched the ball of fire towards Hikoku and Evangeline, carefully avoiding Kurama.
A wall of water erupted from the floor, dousing the fireball as soon as the two elements met.
"Water?" Hiei gasped in surprise. He spun around quickly, searching for any other demons hiding somewhere. His surveillance concluded that the four of them were the only ones in the room. The fire demon turned back towards Hikoku and the girl just as the wall collapsed and the water disappeared, leaving no visible trace behind.
"You know, Hiei, it's truly amazing what genetics can do. Did you know that by changing one part of the genetic code, you can make a person stronger, faster, or even transform their ice aspects into water ones?" The demon lord smirked, quite proud of himself. Evangeline remained silent but alert next to him.
"You messed with her Koorime powers," Hiei stated simply.
"What was once a weakness is now a strength. Face it, I've created the perfect weapon again the two of you."
"Hn, you assume too much."
Hiei sprang into action again, this time consuming his sword with black fire, making it an even deadlier weapon. He blurred forwards, deliberately aiming for Evangeline. When their blades met, Hiei's superior weapon sliced through the girl's, rendering it useless. Evangeline barely jumped out of the way in time, receiving a nasty wound across her midriff. No blood flowed from the wound since the intense heat from the flames burned the laceration closed upon contact. The pain, however, was still present. The girl panted and backed up, tossing aside her useless hilt and clutching at her wound.
"Evangeline! What are you doing?!?!"
"I'm sorry, Master," she finally spoke as she worked to dodge from Hiei's deadly attacks, "I underestimated his powers. It won't happen again."
Kurama looked at the scene with turmoil. He could never wish for any harm to come to Hiei, but with the time he had spent with Evangeline, he had learned to like the gentle side of her, the side that was usually hidden by that expressionless façade. She was their child, their blood-born. Kurama could not find it in his heart to wish for her death. But would I be betraying my love by wanting her to live?
The fight raged on, Hiei on the offensive and Evangeline on the defensive. She was visibly tiring from the evasions; it was only a matter of time before Hiei lands another attack. Hiei knew it and pushed himself even harder. The next attack hit and Evangeline fell, fingering the wound on her right calf.
"You're done for, Angel." Hiei brought his sword up for a final attack.
Evangeline, still in shock from the previous blow, reacted just fast enough to catch the blade between her hands. The fire burned hotter than normal so she called upon her water elements to counter it. The combination of water and fire turned into steam, rising up from the point of contact. Evangeline concentrated all of her powers into her hands as Hiei put all his strength to push down his blade. The point of the sword edged nearer and nearer Evangeline's throat. Her eyes teared from the searing pain as the result of conflicting elements, but she did not give up. Her powers, however, were about to and Hiei could sense it.
"Hiei, don't!" Kurama's cry surprised everyone, including himself. But he couldn't stand it anymore; it was killing him inside. "Don't kill her."
"Give me one good reason not to," Hiei retorted, but he did lessen his push on the sword.
"She's our daughter."
"She's trying to kill us."
"Only because she's under Hikoku's control."
"How do you know? How do you know that she's not enjoying all the pain she's causing?"
"Because I've seen it in her eyes, Hiei. She's lost and lonely. And if we can release her from her bonds, we can help her, together."
"Enough of this!" Hikoku erupted, "Evangeline is mine! She'll never be free." He turned his attention onto his creation. "And you, you worthless bitch, don't just lie there looking defeated. Finish him!"
Evangeline took advantage of the momentary distraction and wrapped her hands around the blade. Blood mixed with the water just before it evaporated. She jerked the sword out of Hiei's grasp and snapped it in two. The pieces were tossed aside and Evangeline stood up. The two fire demons looked at each other in a moment of silence...and then they disappeared in a blur.
The two zoomed across the room, rebounding off walls and colliding in midair. Balls of water and fire flew everywhere, some missing their mark but some not. Kurama and Hikoku tried to follow the fight but all they could distinguish was two black blurs. The two eventually slowed and stopped, facing each other with a twenty-foot distance separating them. And as if on cue, the two called upon their powers, one fire and one water, and concentrated them into one last attack. The bandage on Hiei's right arm began to burn away as droplets of water started collecting around Evangeline's still form.
"Inari-sama..." Kurama prayed in a whisper, "He's not going to, is he?"
"Jaou Ensatsu Kokuryuha!" A dragon of black flames exploded from Hiei's arm and flew towards Evangeline.
"Mizu no Hiryu!" A dragon made of pure crystalline water appeared above Evangeline and raced towards Hiei.
The two dragons clashed ten feet above the ground, rumbling the entire fortress. The Kokuryuha roared and bit down on the Hiryu, who screamed in pain. The sound was deafening. Pieces of the ceiling started to fall. The two dragons battled on, oblivious of what was happening around them, following only their instincts to kill and destroy. Each delivered and received a few blows; it seemed like a draw, a never-ending battle.
Evangeline fell to her knees. The combination of the dragon, the ki ward and the loss of blood was draining her far too quickly. She was weakening, and fast. The girl tried her hardest to sustain the water dragon but to continue would be suicide. The dragon began to lose its shape and power, raining down on the figures below. At the same time, the ward placed on Kurama began to disintegrate. The redhead, taking advantage of Hikoku's distracted state, burned away his chains with some acid from one of his deadly plants.
With the water dragon no longer there to hinder it, the Kokuryuha roared forwards, jaws opening wide, ready to devour the female youkai. Evangeline sat motionless and stared at the dragon, not with fear but with indifference. She almost looked like she was smiling, as if she welcomed the pain and death. She turned her gaze to Hiei and she did smile. The mouth was closing in and she could feel the heat of the flames. Evangeline closed her eyes, ready to embrace it all.
At the last possible second, the dragon veered away, missing the girl by mere inches. The Kokuryuha burst through the ceiling and disappeared from sight. She opened her eyes wide and looked at Hiei with a surprised and puzzled expression. Then, there was a clank. Evangeline looked down and saw the remains of her circlet on the floor, melted at places, the jewel completely destroyed. She whipped her head up again to stare at the fire demon. He simply turned away from her and mumbled something, but Evangeline heard it clear as a bell. "Now you're free."
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" To say Hikoku was enraged was an understatement. He just watched as his entire revenge go down, literally, in flames. The demon looked over to where Kurama was supposed to be and saw the burned away chains. He went hysterical. "If I can't make it out alive, none of you will!" He pressed a series of buttons on his mechanical arm as he laughed insanely. The building began to crumble and fall. "You will die and I will have my revenge!"
"Hiei," cried Kurama as he wove through the falling fortress, "we have to get out of here now! And you, too, Evangeline."
Just then, a slab of cement the size of a car fell on top of Kurama, trapping him below its heavy weight. The fox cried out in agony as he felt his ribs shatter from the impact. He tried to lift the slab in vain; it was just too heavy.
"KURAMA!" The fire demon rushed quickly to Kurama's side, attempting to remove the heavy slab of rock. Inch by inch, the slab rose, lifting off of the redhead.
Hikoku watched the scene with a demented smile on his face. I'll get the two of you with one hit. He gathered all of his ki together into one final attack. To collect a soul from a dying or dead body was no big task, but to collect a soul from a living body was dangerous, almost deadly, for the collector. At this point, Hikoku hardly cared. The ball of energy grew slowly but surely, draining power away from its creator. "You'll all mine in death!"
"Hiei, go, forget about me. Take Evangeline and run."
"I will not leave without you!"
"Hiei, I love you too much to let you die here."
Hiei visibly stiffened when he heard the words. He said it. He loves me. "I refuse to leave you here." The slab rose another few inches.
The ball of energy grew larger and larger, reaching a diameter of ten feet. "Now, your souls are mine." Hikoku released the ball with the last of his strength and collapsed, panting and gasping.
The ball flew towards the couple.
"I love you, Hiei."
Say it before it's too late. "I...I love you, too, Kurama."
Kurama sighed contently and smiled, clutching to Hiei as much as he could. They looked at each other one last time and closed their eyes in unison, awaiting the final blow.
Evangeline's scream caused them both to open up their eyes. There she was, standing between the ball of energy and the couple on the ground, taking the hit herself. She was sacrificing herself to save them.
"Evangeline!" cried out Kurama.
"Hiei-otousan," Evangeline strained to say, "I hope this is enough time for you and Kurama-otousan to escape."
Hiei stared at her with eyes wide open. All he could do at the moment was nod. "Hai...arigatou," he finally managed to reply.
"It was the l-l-least I could do." Her words came in gasps now. "Pl-please hurry."
The fire demon did the only thing he could do: he gave one final burst of strength and lifted the slab off of Kurama. He then quickly but gently picked up the injured fox and ran out of the collapsing building.
"Thank you for freeing me." Those were Evangeline's last words before the entire fortress caved in, burying everything and everyone underneath.
It started to rain.
Last actual chapter! I'm done with the main story! OH YEAH!!!! And it only took me a year... Anyway, there will be an epilogue following this chapter if anyone's interested. Thanks for reading! Please review. ^_^
