*Anemone's room...All three sit by the computer, Anemone playing a
shooting game, the boys rooting her on.
Hiei: GO GO GO!!
Kurama: c'mon Anemone! You can-*notices readers* oh, hello there...
Anemone: talking to yourself, Fox?
Hiei: lol...*smirks slightly at the readers, resuming his watch on the game...Anemone closes it down, he gapes in complaint*
Anemone: hey guys! I apologize for the story being so long running...a lot has to happen before violence...but, the fighting starts in this chapter, my loyal fans! yes, violence! not much, mind you, cuz a lot has to happen first, but I swear! Something bloody will occur by the end, and then, next chapter, PURE VIOLENCE!
Hiei: YES!!
Kurama: yay!
Anemone: and thanks again, reviewers...I got confidence from you all, and one cool idea from this one reviewer, thanks! I think I might just have our favorite little fox change into Yoko Kurama...that was a cool idea...now I just gotta figure out how to do it...
Hiei: cut the chit-chat, bring on the blood!
Kurama: Chapter 13, enjoy.
Chapter 13: The First Strike
"Hm..." Koenma studied his map intently.
"Hurry up, will ya toddler?!" Yusuke wailed at the young-looking lord. Koenma eyed him threateningly.
"What have I told you about the toddler thing?"
"Please, sir," Kurama stepped up calmly, pushing Yusuke aside. "We need to find Mount Shiverku as soon as possible!"
"Okay, okay, Kurama..." the prince rolled his eyes at the impatient fox. The four warriors, Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke, and Kuwabara had immediately after their talk with Hinegeshi traveled for the Spirit World to seek Koenma, and in turn to find the Kyorgin Caves of Mount Shiverku.
"Oh!" Koenma squealed happily. "There they are...they're located two- hundred-and-seventy-three miles south-east from here."
"WHAT?!" Kuwabara failed frantically, desperation leaking into his eyes. "That's too far! Yukina..."
Yusuke bowed his head slightly in anger. "Keiko..." he stuttered, fists clenched so tight his knuckles whitened and crimson leaked into the life-line cracks of his hands.
Hiei shifted in a soft sigh, his eyes quivering in fear. "Yukina..."
Kurama, cheeks stinging red, shook himself from his consuming thoughts about...Botan. The fox-wolf snarled viciously and walked slowly towards a wide-spanning white marble door behind Koenma's desk...the door that lead into the depths of Spirit World.
"Kitsune?" Hiei eyed him curiously.
"Hiei..." Kurama breathed softly. "when was the last time your Katana stained something?"
Hiei pricked in shock, an excited smirk staining his face. "Quite a while!" he chirped.
"We'd best get going then, ne?" Kurama tilted his head slyly towards his shoulder, a michievous smirk tainting his usually humane features.
"Let's," the fire smirked to rival Kurama's, his motivation the safety of his sister...and the thrill of killing something.
Kurama pulsed in a soft chuckle, gripping tight upon the brass handles of the massive marble door gating him from the Spirit World.
"Kurama, wait," Koenma piped in a stern, domineering tone. The fox pricked slightly, but slowly turned his head towards the little toddler.
"yes, Koenma sir?"
"I've something you may need."
"Truly?" the fox half-asked, half-stated, drawing his loose grip from the brass handle.
"Yes, follow me, Kurama."
Kurama obeyed as the prince leapt from his velvet throne to the marble floor, stepping lightly towards a room for the far left. The fox's emerald eyes flashed in confusion and wonder as his form followed the toddler's through a small, doorless frame into another room, a room of massive size and magnificence.
Gold and silver stained the walls in swirling mixes, and green marble, a shade to rival Kurama's eyes, layered the floor. The ceiling spanned high above the fox's sights, and seemed to swallow storms in it's shadowed darkness.
Set in the dead center of the room, upon a platinum podium, lay a stone. It shone a brilliant ruby, a shade that violently clashed with the fox's eyes. A silver chain coiled about the smooth-surface ruby, glints of vicious red caught in the facets of the diamond-cut chain. The chain looped outward a decent amount, enough to slip easily over one's head to sting about the neck. Kurama stared transfixed upon the gem, it was truly a marvel to spy upon.
"This," Koenma slowly coiled his swollen, child-like fingers about the delicate chain, letting the magnificent jewel dangle loosely in the air. "this can bring out anyone's most inner strengths...in your case, your strongest form is as Yoko Kurama...in the most dire of situations, and only then, will this jewel transform you into the form of your most powerful self."
Kurama drew a sharp, quick gasp, blinking shocked emerald eyes at the beautiful stone. "Mind you, Kurama," the toddler continued. "once you use this once, and the situation is dealt with, the jem will dissolve into the air, and will be reborn here, as another type of stone with another type of power...so mind you, only allow it to change you into Yoko Kurama when you truly need it to."
The fox studied the gem for a moment, responding with a stern, firm nod. "Very good, then," Koenma tossed the jewel for the fox, who caught it delicately in his nimble hands.
"I bid you luck, Kurama...you'll need it against your father."
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
"We've been walking for so long!" Kuwabara whined annoyingly.
"It's been twenty minutes, idiot..." Hiei seethed.
"Calm down you two," Kurama demanded softly. "We'll be getting transportation to the Kyorgin Caves once we reach a certain point."
"Did Koenma ever say where that point was?" Yusuke scanned the desolate countryside...a black sky spanned overhead, outlined with a gray horizen against the cracked, dried brown country spreading out endlessly.
"Just continue on in the south-eastern direction until we find something," Hiei snapped faintly, staring dead ahead. How he wanted to kill something...especially if that something threatened Yukina.
"Hello, boys," a familiar voice piped. It was young, sweet...and belonged to...
"Hinegeshi?!" Hiei wailed at the sight of his scarlet-haired crush. The girl responded in an awkward smile at the fire demon, red tinting both their cheeks.
"What are you doing here?" Kuwabara laughed kindly as he jogged towards the girl.
"Koenma sent me...I'm to give you all transportation to the Kyorgin Caves," she grinned in her perky, innocent manner. Kurama and Yusuke approached her delightedly, Hiei straying behind, awkwardly staring.
Hinegeshi slowly extended her arms outward into the air, and from pure nothingness wood materialized in the form of an oar. The red-head giggled slightly as she clasped the oar tightly, handing it carefully to Kuwabara. The quirked boy took it awkwardly, staring at it in confusion.
"Just kick your leg over, and push off the ground, Kuwabara," Hinegeshi explained without a glance to him as she busied herself with the formation of another oar for Yusuke.
When Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama all possessed their own oar to glide upon, the perky ferry girl turned to face Hiei. The fire demon pricked awkwardly when she turned to face him...'dammit!' he seethed at himself. 'now she must hate you for kissing her against her will and then running off...damn emotions!'
"Hiei?" she inquired softly. Hiei jerked to attention, facing the girl with a hint of dread.
"Uh...yes?" he managed to cough. 'damn human emotions!!'
"Um..." she cast her eyes to the ground. "I can only make one more oar..." she lied. "so, uh...wanna share the last one with me?"
Hiei pounced the opportunity...casually, of course. "Hn...whatever..." a singe of red stained his face as he plastered an expression of cockiness.
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
"So, Hiei..." Hinegeshi tipped her chin towards her shoulder at the demon. Hiei sat nimbly upon the oar, his back pressed against hers and himself in well balance. Kuwabara and Yusuke shot through the air violently, doing insane tricks upon their oars. Kurama stood nimbly upon his, staring calmly ahead, arms threaded tightly.
"Yeah?" the fire demon grunted.
"That kiss..."
Hiei pricked. 'uh-oh...'
"I liked it."
"Nani?!"
Hinegeshi could only laugh as Hiei side-stared at her over his shoulder in disbelief. He made little effort to face her, but simply eyed her in half-shock.
"Yeah, I...I did..."
"I see..." Hiei smirked to himself.
"Yeah...oh!" she dove her oar straight downwards, not a flinch to grace Hiei's face at the sudden change of course.
"Boys!" she hollored upward, trying to catch the others' attention. "The Kyorgin Caves!"
'Yes...' Kurama stared intently upon the deep, round-edged hole seeping inward against the cliff wall of Mount Shiverku, a calm wind stroking his bushy crimson mane. 'I remember this place well...' his emerald eyes stared viciously to the glinted, sharp crevases of the mountainside. 'I remember the cave...father...you shall not live to admire this magnificent mountain another day for what you have done to Botan.'
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
"Hinegeshi," Kurama cast soft, velvet eyes toward's the lovely girl. "You must not stay here...it is a threat to your life, and we cannot risk yet another one of our friends in there."
"I understand," Hinegeshi nodded briskly to the fox. "I should go." with one last glance at the boys, and one last eye-locking stare with Hiei, the girl fabricated another oar and kicked off into the black sky. Hiei followed her form's retreat with sharp eyes, a faint smirk tinting his lips.
Kurama stared deeply into the bowels of the cave entrance, his sharp eyes piercing into the darkness that blinded Yusuke and Kuwabara. The fox strolled calmly into the domain that was once his home, but was now the lair of his enemy...his own father.
Long strides led them deeper and deeper into the cool, damp cave, darkness engulfing them...Kurama and Hiei led the humans through the blackness with their advanced eyes. The ruby strung about Kurama's neck created a soft, red glow, but it did nothing to add to their vision...it simply singed red, but no more. Coldness racked Kurama's spine as terrifying thoughts traced his mind. 'What if they've hurt her? What if they...no...oh God, no...!'
"Kitsune," Hiei side-eyed Kurama. "It's obvious you worry about Botan's well-being."
"Huh?" the fox inquired casually.
"Kurama," Hiei halted immediately, Yusuke and Kuwabara following his example. Kurama stopped to eye them all.
"You love her, don't you?" Hiei smirked, but in a serious manner.
"What?!" Kurama coughed, his cheeks singeing red.
"Kurama...I could tell...when you saved her from the fire-escape, that's when it started...you couldn't stop thinking about her."
"Eavesdropper..." Kurama snuffed calmly.
"Perhaps..." Hiei's smirk narrowed tight. "...but ever since you had to keep her warm on her oar during that storm just several hours ago, you haven't been able to stop thinking about how it felt to hold her..."
"WHAT?!" Kurama wailed in disbelief. 'how can he know THAT much?!'
'I'm a telepath, remember?' Hiei smirked as his thoughts pricked into Kurama's head alone.
"Ah man!" Yusuke chuckled hard. "He got you SO bad, Kurama!" Kuwabara was caught in mad hysterics as well, Hiei smirking calmly at the reddening fox. Kurama, though singeing crimson in a blush, glared soft-sharp eyes at the annoying fire demon.
"Greetings, Strangers," a low voice sliced through the laughs and glares. All four boys jerked to attention at the voice...it was male, deep, and nearly threatening.
Suddenly, a flash of light crackled through the darkness of the cave, and there stood a demon with a freshly lit torch clutched in his clawed hand. Thin tufts of gray hair glossed down on the scalp shot to his shoulders. His build was taller than Kurama, but his muscle span was smaller than that of the fox-wolf. His eyes were sharp daggers of royal purple, which stung sharply against his ice blue skin. Scars painted the Japanese sign for "hatred" across his chest.
"Ew..." Kuwabara couldn't help but snarl a wince at the calligraphy- shaped scar.
"Hn," Hiei grunted at the teenager. "The hell are you?"
"I am your murderer, that is all you need to know."
"I don't have time for this..." Kurama half-seethed, extending an arm outward to signal for his friends to back away. The fox quickly combed his hand into his mane, retracting a single, scarlet rose.
"Ah, Kurama," the demon sighed, an evil grimace lacing his hideous face. "I was ordered by the Master to make sure you are alive and well...for him to kill."
Kurama growled viciously. "That's a shame...Rose Whip!" the rose's petals shot from the flower and the stem lashed longer than three yards within the blink of the eye, deadly thorns spiking viciously from it's surface. With one ruthless lash of his whip straight for the foe's skull, Kurama retracted his spirit energy from the rose, the flower taking again it's original form, and he laced it back into the bushy mane of crimson hair. Kurama calmly stepped over the blood-clotted carcus without an expression to be noted, and continued on his way into the bowels of Mount Shiverku, his eyes flashing a mad emerald in a pure rage...partly at his friends for just embarrassing him a moment prior, but mostly at his father...a demon beast who kidnapped Botan. An image of the bubbly girl laced through his head, Kurama jerking from his thoughts with a singe of red clouding his cheeks. "Botan," he uttered to himself faintly, his eyes soft in a velvet glare.
Hiei smirked after the fox, knowing that it was rare an occasion that Kurama would plant the first attack in battle. Normally, the fox studied the opponet's manueveurs first, and calculated his own tecnique from the foe's weakness. But to see the Kitsune attack anyone first...that was a Kodak moment in Hiei's view.
Blood seeped heavily from the freshly butchered demon, leaking into the nooks of the smoothly rugged stone floor. Yusuke and Kuwabara stared in utter disbelief...Kurama had been even more vicious in battle than normal...just imagine how insanely furious Kurama was with his father to literally cut a battle short. Both boys slowly stung their senses back to reality, jogging after the determined fox and the smirking dragon.
Each of the four had his own state of mind in the matter at hand. Yusuke...'Keiko...I...I, love you...don't worry...I'm, I'm coming.' Kuwabara...'Yukina...my love...I will fight for you and you alone, baby!' Hiei...'Sister...your kidnapper shall meet his fate soon enough, I swear it.' Kurama...'Botan...if you're dead, I shall slay my father with no restraint...if you're alive, I shall slay my father with no restraint, merely for taking you away and threatening your safety. I promise you this.'
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
Hiei: that wasn't violent! *whimper*
Anemone: I already told you...the more violent occurrances will start in the next chapter...this was foreshadowing the violence.
Hiei: if there isn't a battle in the next chapter, I'm gonna kill you...
Kurama: *whisper to Anemone* no he won't...I'm not leaving...
Hiei: Kitsune! It was called an empty threat! One she was supposed to fall for! *whimper, storms over to her bed and angrily turns on the music to out-sound the others*
Kurama: anywho, please review, we appreciate it very much so.
Hiei: GO GO GO!!
Kurama: c'mon Anemone! You can-*notices readers* oh, hello there...
Anemone: talking to yourself, Fox?
Hiei: lol...*smirks slightly at the readers, resuming his watch on the game...Anemone closes it down, he gapes in complaint*
Anemone: hey guys! I apologize for the story being so long running...a lot has to happen before violence...but, the fighting starts in this chapter, my loyal fans! yes, violence! not much, mind you, cuz a lot has to happen first, but I swear! Something bloody will occur by the end, and then, next chapter, PURE VIOLENCE!
Hiei: YES!!
Kurama: yay!
Anemone: and thanks again, reviewers...I got confidence from you all, and one cool idea from this one reviewer, thanks! I think I might just have our favorite little fox change into Yoko Kurama...that was a cool idea...now I just gotta figure out how to do it...
Hiei: cut the chit-chat, bring on the blood!
Kurama: Chapter 13, enjoy.
Chapter 13: The First Strike
"Hm..." Koenma studied his map intently.
"Hurry up, will ya toddler?!" Yusuke wailed at the young-looking lord. Koenma eyed him threateningly.
"What have I told you about the toddler thing?"
"Please, sir," Kurama stepped up calmly, pushing Yusuke aside. "We need to find Mount Shiverku as soon as possible!"
"Okay, okay, Kurama..." the prince rolled his eyes at the impatient fox. The four warriors, Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke, and Kuwabara had immediately after their talk with Hinegeshi traveled for the Spirit World to seek Koenma, and in turn to find the Kyorgin Caves of Mount Shiverku.
"Oh!" Koenma squealed happily. "There they are...they're located two- hundred-and-seventy-three miles south-east from here."
"WHAT?!" Kuwabara failed frantically, desperation leaking into his eyes. "That's too far! Yukina..."
Yusuke bowed his head slightly in anger. "Keiko..." he stuttered, fists clenched so tight his knuckles whitened and crimson leaked into the life-line cracks of his hands.
Hiei shifted in a soft sigh, his eyes quivering in fear. "Yukina..."
Kurama, cheeks stinging red, shook himself from his consuming thoughts about...Botan. The fox-wolf snarled viciously and walked slowly towards a wide-spanning white marble door behind Koenma's desk...the door that lead into the depths of Spirit World.
"Kitsune?" Hiei eyed him curiously.
"Hiei..." Kurama breathed softly. "when was the last time your Katana stained something?"
Hiei pricked in shock, an excited smirk staining his face. "Quite a while!" he chirped.
"We'd best get going then, ne?" Kurama tilted his head slyly towards his shoulder, a michievous smirk tainting his usually humane features.
"Let's," the fire smirked to rival Kurama's, his motivation the safety of his sister...and the thrill of killing something.
Kurama pulsed in a soft chuckle, gripping tight upon the brass handles of the massive marble door gating him from the Spirit World.
"Kurama, wait," Koenma piped in a stern, domineering tone. The fox pricked slightly, but slowly turned his head towards the little toddler.
"yes, Koenma sir?"
"I've something you may need."
"Truly?" the fox half-asked, half-stated, drawing his loose grip from the brass handle.
"Yes, follow me, Kurama."
Kurama obeyed as the prince leapt from his velvet throne to the marble floor, stepping lightly towards a room for the far left. The fox's emerald eyes flashed in confusion and wonder as his form followed the toddler's through a small, doorless frame into another room, a room of massive size and magnificence.
Gold and silver stained the walls in swirling mixes, and green marble, a shade to rival Kurama's eyes, layered the floor. The ceiling spanned high above the fox's sights, and seemed to swallow storms in it's shadowed darkness.
Set in the dead center of the room, upon a platinum podium, lay a stone. It shone a brilliant ruby, a shade that violently clashed with the fox's eyes. A silver chain coiled about the smooth-surface ruby, glints of vicious red caught in the facets of the diamond-cut chain. The chain looped outward a decent amount, enough to slip easily over one's head to sting about the neck. Kurama stared transfixed upon the gem, it was truly a marvel to spy upon.
"This," Koenma slowly coiled his swollen, child-like fingers about the delicate chain, letting the magnificent jewel dangle loosely in the air. "this can bring out anyone's most inner strengths...in your case, your strongest form is as Yoko Kurama...in the most dire of situations, and only then, will this jewel transform you into the form of your most powerful self."
Kurama drew a sharp, quick gasp, blinking shocked emerald eyes at the beautiful stone. "Mind you, Kurama," the toddler continued. "once you use this once, and the situation is dealt with, the jem will dissolve into the air, and will be reborn here, as another type of stone with another type of power...so mind you, only allow it to change you into Yoko Kurama when you truly need it to."
The fox studied the gem for a moment, responding with a stern, firm nod. "Very good, then," Koenma tossed the jewel for the fox, who caught it delicately in his nimble hands.
"I bid you luck, Kurama...you'll need it against your father."
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
"We've been walking for so long!" Kuwabara whined annoyingly.
"It's been twenty minutes, idiot..." Hiei seethed.
"Calm down you two," Kurama demanded softly. "We'll be getting transportation to the Kyorgin Caves once we reach a certain point."
"Did Koenma ever say where that point was?" Yusuke scanned the desolate countryside...a black sky spanned overhead, outlined with a gray horizen against the cracked, dried brown country spreading out endlessly.
"Just continue on in the south-eastern direction until we find something," Hiei snapped faintly, staring dead ahead. How he wanted to kill something...especially if that something threatened Yukina.
"Hello, boys," a familiar voice piped. It was young, sweet...and belonged to...
"Hinegeshi?!" Hiei wailed at the sight of his scarlet-haired crush. The girl responded in an awkward smile at the fire demon, red tinting both their cheeks.
"What are you doing here?" Kuwabara laughed kindly as he jogged towards the girl.
"Koenma sent me...I'm to give you all transportation to the Kyorgin Caves," she grinned in her perky, innocent manner. Kurama and Yusuke approached her delightedly, Hiei straying behind, awkwardly staring.
Hinegeshi slowly extended her arms outward into the air, and from pure nothingness wood materialized in the form of an oar. The red-head giggled slightly as she clasped the oar tightly, handing it carefully to Kuwabara. The quirked boy took it awkwardly, staring at it in confusion.
"Just kick your leg over, and push off the ground, Kuwabara," Hinegeshi explained without a glance to him as she busied herself with the formation of another oar for Yusuke.
When Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama all possessed their own oar to glide upon, the perky ferry girl turned to face Hiei. The fire demon pricked awkwardly when she turned to face him...'dammit!' he seethed at himself. 'now she must hate you for kissing her against her will and then running off...damn emotions!'
"Hiei?" she inquired softly. Hiei jerked to attention, facing the girl with a hint of dread.
"Uh...yes?" he managed to cough. 'damn human emotions!!'
"Um..." she cast her eyes to the ground. "I can only make one more oar..." she lied. "so, uh...wanna share the last one with me?"
Hiei pounced the opportunity...casually, of course. "Hn...whatever..." a singe of red stained his face as he plastered an expression of cockiness.
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
"So, Hiei..." Hinegeshi tipped her chin towards her shoulder at the demon. Hiei sat nimbly upon the oar, his back pressed against hers and himself in well balance. Kuwabara and Yusuke shot through the air violently, doing insane tricks upon their oars. Kurama stood nimbly upon his, staring calmly ahead, arms threaded tightly.
"Yeah?" the fire demon grunted.
"That kiss..."
Hiei pricked. 'uh-oh...'
"I liked it."
"Nani?!"
Hinegeshi could only laugh as Hiei side-stared at her over his shoulder in disbelief. He made little effort to face her, but simply eyed her in half-shock.
"Yeah, I...I did..."
"I see..." Hiei smirked to himself.
"Yeah...oh!" she dove her oar straight downwards, not a flinch to grace Hiei's face at the sudden change of course.
"Boys!" she hollored upward, trying to catch the others' attention. "The Kyorgin Caves!"
'Yes...' Kurama stared intently upon the deep, round-edged hole seeping inward against the cliff wall of Mount Shiverku, a calm wind stroking his bushy crimson mane. 'I remember this place well...' his emerald eyes stared viciously to the glinted, sharp crevases of the mountainside. 'I remember the cave...father...you shall not live to admire this magnificent mountain another day for what you have done to Botan.'
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
"Hinegeshi," Kurama cast soft, velvet eyes toward's the lovely girl. "You must not stay here...it is a threat to your life, and we cannot risk yet another one of our friends in there."
"I understand," Hinegeshi nodded briskly to the fox. "I should go." with one last glance at the boys, and one last eye-locking stare with Hiei, the girl fabricated another oar and kicked off into the black sky. Hiei followed her form's retreat with sharp eyes, a faint smirk tinting his lips.
Kurama stared deeply into the bowels of the cave entrance, his sharp eyes piercing into the darkness that blinded Yusuke and Kuwabara. The fox strolled calmly into the domain that was once his home, but was now the lair of his enemy...his own father.
Long strides led them deeper and deeper into the cool, damp cave, darkness engulfing them...Kurama and Hiei led the humans through the blackness with their advanced eyes. The ruby strung about Kurama's neck created a soft, red glow, but it did nothing to add to their vision...it simply singed red, but no more. Coldness racked Kurama's spine as terrifying thoughts traced his mind. 'What if they've hurt her? What if they...no...oh God, no...!'
"Kitsune," Hiei side-eyed Kurama. "It's obvious you worry about Botan's well-being."
"Huh?" the fox inquired casually.
"Kurama," Hiei halted immediately, Yusuke and Kuwabara following his example. Kurama stopped to eye them all.
"You love her, don't you?" Hiei smirked, but in a serious manner.
"What?!" Kurama coughed, his cheeks singeing red.
"Kurama...I could tell...when you saved her from the fire-escape, that's when it started...you couldn't stop thinking about her."
"Eavesdropper..." Kurama snuffed calmly.
"Perhaps..." Hiei's smirk narrowed tight. "...but ever since you had to keep her warm on her oar during that storm just several hours ago, you haven't been able to stop thinking about how it felt to hold her..."
"WHAT?!" Kurama wailed in disbelief. 'how can he know THAT much?!'
'I'm a telepath, remember?' Hiei smirked as his thoughts pricked into Kurama's head alone.
"Ah man!" Yusuke chuckled hard. "He got you SO bad, Kurama!" Kuwabara was caught in mad hysterics as well, Hiei smirking calmly at the reddening fox. Kurama, though singeing crimson in a blush, glared soft-sharp eyes at the annoying fire demon.
"Greetings, Strangers," a low voice sliced through the laughs and glares. All four boys jerked to attention at the voice...it was male, deep, and nearly threatening.
Suddenly, a flash of light crackled through the darkness of the cave, and there stood a demon with a freshly lit torch clutched in his clawed hand. Thin tufts of gray hair glossed down on the scalp shot to his shoulders. His build was taller than Kurama, but his muscle span was smaller than that of the fox-wolf. His eyes were sharp daggers of royal purple, which stung sharply against his ice blue skin. Scars painted the Japanese sign for "hatred" across his chest.
"Ew..." Kuwabara couldn't help but snarl a wince at the calligraphy- shaped scar.
"Hn," Hiei grunted at the teenager. "The hell are you?"
"I am your murderer, that is all you need to know."
"I don't have time for this..." Kurama half-seethed, extending an arm outward to signal for his friends to back away. The fox quickly combed his hand into his mane, retracting a single, scarlet rose.
"Ah, Kurama," the demon sighed, an evil grimace lacing his hideous face. "I was ordered by the Master to make sure you are alive and well...for him to kill."
Kurama growled viciously. "That's a shame...Rose Whip!" the rose's petals shot from the flower and the stem lashed longer than three yards within the blink of the eye, deadly thorns spiking viciously from it's surface. With one ruthless lash of his whip straight for the foe's skull, Kurama retracted his spirit energy from the rose, the flower taking again it's original form, and he laced it back into the bushy mane of crimson hair. Kurama calmly stepped over the blood-clotted carcus without an expression to be noted, and continued on his way into the bowels of Mount Shiverku, his eyes flashing a mad emerald in a pure rage...partly at his friends for just embarrassing him a moment prior, but mostly at his father...a demon beast who kidnapped Botan. An image of the bubbly girl laced through his head, Kurama jerking from his thoughts with a singe of red clouding his cheeks. "Botan," he uttered to himself faintly, his eyes soft in a velvet glare.
Hiei smirked after the fox, knowing that it was rare an occasion that Kurama would plant the first attack in battle. Normally, the fox studied the opponet's manueveurs first, and calculated his own tecnique from the foe's weakness. But to see the Kitsune attack anyone first...that was a Kodak moment in Hiei's view.
Blood seeped heavily from the freshly butchered demon, leaking into the nooks of the smoothly rugged stone floor. Yusuke and Kuwabara stared in utter disbelief...Kurama had been even more vicious in battle than normal...just imagine how insanely furious Kurama was with his father to literally cut a battle short. Both boys slowly stung their senses back to reality, jogging after the determined fox and the smirking dragon.
Each of the four had his own state of mind in the matter at hand. Yusuke...'Keiko...I...I, love you...don't worry...I'm, I'm coming.' Kuwabara...'Yukina...my love...I will fight for you and you alone, baby!' Hiei...'Sister...your kidnapper shall meet his fate soon enough, I swear it.' Kurama...'Botan...if you're dead, I shall slay my father with no restraint...if you're alive, I shall slay my father with no restraint, merely for taking you away and threatening your safety. I promise you this.'
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
Hiei: that wasn't violent! *whimper*
Anemone: I already told you...the more violent occurrances will start in the next chapter...this was foreshadowing the violence.
Hiei: if there isn't a battle in the next chapter, I'm gonna kill you...
Kurama: *whisper to Anemone* no he won't...I'm not leaving...
Hiei: Kitsune! It was called an empty threat! One she was supposed to fall for! *whimper, storms over to her bed and angrily turns on the music to out-sound the others*
Kurama: anywho, please review, we appreciate it very much so.