Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, or any thing else for that matter,
so suing is kind of pointless.
Dragon Child: I AM POSSESSED! Don't ask.
Celest: Well, we all knew that.
Dragon Child: Shut Up!
Celest: No!
Dragon Child: Whatever. Anyways, I know it doesn't start out with the YYH characters, but they come in soon so don't kill me.
***
-Elspeth stared out the window and sighed. It had never been pleasant; living here, in this big, dark castle, with its cobwebs and empty rooms, but before at least it was bearable. Before she had spent most of her time outside with her horse, Black Magic. Before she was left to herself; allowed to do whatever she pleased.
-Then she had turned 16. Then everything had changed. Now her father was making her marry. He was forcing her to marry him; that big, bearded man.
-She hated them! Hated them with all her might! Hated them as she had never hated anyone!
-She sighed again and shook her head. Her father was trying to make her swear to do his bidding; he knew that once she gave her word she could not break it, no matter how much she hated him.
-He had been making her watch his torture; he knew how much she hated to see others in pain. He could not know how much it hurt her, or maybe he did. That was the worst of it. He enjoyed it.
-The latest prisoner was the hardest. He was tall and slim, with bright red hair and evergreen eyes. He had been caught in the royal treasury, apparently looking for something. All the guards had attacked him. They had all been skilled fighters, but it had taken 30 of them to bring him down.
-He was so proud! Even now, no matter how they beat him he didn't scream or cry out. He just clenched his teeth and took it. They only beat him harder.
-"I am escaping. Tonight." The thought went around in her head, as she whispered it. It sounded so solid! So final! She had prepared for weeks for this moment: the moment when she would gain her freedom, and the freedom of the red-haired stranger.
***
-Kurama lay in his cell; anger smoldering in his emerald eyes. They had taken Hiei. They had been on a mission, trying to find an artifact in the treasury of this corrupted king.
-It had belonged to the spirit world, a major source of power. It was stolen centuries ago and they had only just located it. Usually this sort of thing was left to Yusuke but he was off on a different mission, so it had been left to them.
-Hiei had been keeping watch outside the door when they came. They had captured him, somehow. Kurama had killed 30 of them before they had taken him. It would have been more, but his energy was somehow blocked.
-Now they tortured him daily. And always, she was there: the girl with the sad eyes. She cried for him.
-There was no doubting she was beautiful. Skin and hair of purest white. So white they seemed to glow. Eyes of deepest blue, and a mark, a scar perhaps, in the shape of a crescent moon upon her forehead.
***
-She had a knife. She had stolen it from one of the guards, and hidden it in her dress. The dress she had secretly sewn hidden pockets into. With it she picked the lock. Then, with the hilt, she knocked the guard unconscious.
-She was finished with playing sweet and innocent! It was time to make them pay! No. Not yet. First she had to secure her freedom.
-It would be perilous going until she got outside. Putting on her blue- black traveling cloak, she picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. It was time to go.
-Somehow she made it out. Knocking out guards left and right. Once she was spotted, but she killed the guard before he could raise the alarm. She tried to avoid that if at all possible; she hated needless killing.
-Finally she reached the stables. "Black Magic?" she called softly, listening for the answering whinny. It came, and she opened the stable door, saying, "It's me, Elspeth."
-The horse was black, like a piece of midnight, with a white star on his forehead. A stallion, never fully tamed. He looked to be Arabian, although a little on the big side.
-Leading him outside, she saddled him, and slung her bag over the saddle. The tower. It was separate from the main castle. It was where the prisoners were kept.
-Gaining the top was easy. Ivy had grown over the sides in a thick layer. As she climbed, the hood of her traveling cloak flew off, and her waist length silvery hair flew out behind her. It blew in the wind like surrender flag.
-Oh no! She couldn't stop now, but this might be a problem. Anyone who happened to look up would see her. Climbing fast, she managed to make it to a small ledge, where she could rest for a moment and put up her hood.
-Apparently nobody had seen her. If they had, they weren't making a fuss about it. "Thank the Goddess!" she murmured as she secured her hood and continued climbing.
-It took her some time to find his window. She knew what side and what level it was on, so it wasn't that hard. But it was amazing how many prison cells you could fit into one wall. There it was, finally!
***
-Kurama gasped. There was someone outside his window. He had been staring out; staring at the moon, framed by bars. Suddenly there was a dark form blotting out the light.
-But wait. The moon seemed to be shining right through it. As his eyes adjusted he could see that it was not the moon, but a face. A beautiful face. It was her. The girl with the sad eyes. But why?
"Who are you?" he asked in a loud whisper.
"My name is Elspeth, who are you?"
"Kurama. What are you doing here?
"Rescuing you."
"Rescuing me?" he could hardly believe his ears.
"Yes, of course. What else would I be doing here?"
"Oh."
-Rescuing him? Why? What had he done for her?
"I don't want you to suffer anymore." She whispered. So that was it. She hated suffering. Maybe she would help him.
"We need to free Hiei."
"Who?"
"My friend, Hiei. I'm not leaving him behind."
"All right, where is he?"
"I don't know. We have to find him."
"Okay, I guess."
-Alspeth was fiddling with the bars. Doing something to them. Suddenly they melted like butter in her hands. She climbed through the window.
"Well, I thought we would just make a quick escape through the window, but I guess not. Okay, I think I have an idea to get him out of here, but only if I go alone. What does he look like?"
"Small and slight, with spiky black hair and a white starburst above his forehead. He's wearing black and has a third eye. You can't miss him."
"Okay. Get out the window. It shouldn't be too hard for you to climb down; the entire tower is covered in ivy." She looked back at him. Tears formed, but she shook them away. He was so thin! 'I can do this.' She thought stubbornly.
-Drawing her knife, she slipped over to the door of the cell. A guard stood there. Perfect.
***
-I put the tip of the knife up to his throat. He was incredibly fat. It wasn't fair, that this undeserving pig should get so much when others got so little.
-Imitating a deep, gravelly voice, (It's better not to let them know I'm a girl) I said "Open this door before I slit your throat." I could see beads of perspiration sliding down his thick neck. He was scared. Good.
"Y-ye-yes s-s-sir!" Oh good, he was stuttering. He opened the door, albeit slowly, but good enough for me. Taking his key, I clunked him a good one right on the head. He slumped to the floor, unconscious. He would feel that one in the morning.
-Okay, now for the hard part. Checking every cell until I found him. Goodie. This was going to be so much fun.
-Then there was the problem of being seen. If I was seen by one, fine; I could kill him quickly and quietly. More, well I'd just have to hope to the Goddess that didn't happen.
***
-So much pain. He couldn't speak. He couldn't think. What had they done to him? Why couldn't they just leave him alone?
-He stared at the moon, his ruby eyes feverish with pain. The moon. To him it seemed as though they had imprisoned that too. No. they couldn't have. If they could imprison the moon, what chance did he have?
-He looked down. Down to his legs where the metal protruded. Iron hooks, stuck in his calves.
-He lay there. Suspended in barbed wire. Tears squeezed out from behind closed lids. They turned into perfect spherical diamonds. Black, like his heart.
-Yukina. He would never see her again. "I'm sorry, my sister. I could never tell you. You deserved so much better than me."
-More tears. More worthless gems. His eyes burned furiously as he shook his head. No! He would not die this way! So weak. So helpless. No.
Maya. She would want him to live. He couldn't disappoint her. She was counting on him. "I'm sorry." He murmured through half-conscious lips, "I'm so sorry."
-There was someone there. Outside the door. A girl. She was coming in. Why? Why couldn't they leave him alone? Alone with his tears.
-His pain suddenly eased. Looking down, he could see her. She had removed the hooks. What was she doing? Why was she helping him? He hadn't done anything for her.
-Now she was untangling him from the barbed wire. Blood spurted from a hundred wounds. She looked up at him. He could see tears in her eyes. Tears for him.
- No one cried for him. No one but Maya. Maya. The name echoed in his head as he spiraled down. Down into merciful darkness.
***
Celest: That sucked.
Dragon Child: Shut Up You Evil Bird-Lizard Thing! *Coughs* I hope you like it, I also hope you have more taste than this stupid-know-nothing over here.
Celest: I Heard That!
Dragon Child: Good for you. I don't really care. Right, anyways; review please, flames welcome. Bye bye.
Dragon Child: I AM POSSESSED! Don't ask.
Celest: Well, we all knew that.
Dragon Child: Shut Up!
Celest: No!
Dragon Child: Whatever. Anyways, I know it doesn't start out with the YYH characters, but they come in soon so don't kill me.
***
-Elspeth stared out the window and sighed. It had never been pleasant; living here, in this big, dark castle, with its cobwebs and empty rooms, but before at least it was bearable. Before she had spent most of her time outside with her horse, Black Magic. Before she was left to herself; allowed to do whatever she pleased.
-Then she had turned 16. Then everything had changed. Now her father was making her marry. He was forcing her to marry him; that big, bearded man.
-She hated them! Hated them with all her might! Hated them as she had never hated anyone!
-She sighed again and shook her head. Her father was trying to make her swear to do his bidding; he knew that once she gave her word she could not break it, no matter how much she hated him.
-He had been making her watch his torture; he knew how much she hated to see others in pain. He could not know how much it hurt her, or maybe he did. That was the worst of it. He enjoyed it.
-The latest prisoner was the hardest. He was tall and slim, with bright red hair and evergreen eyes. He had been caught in the royal treasury, apparently looking for something. All the guards had attacked him. They had all been skilled fighters, but it had taken 30 of them to bring him down.
-He was so proud! Even now, no matter how they beat him he didn't scream or cry out. He just clenched his teeth and took it. They only beat him harder.
-"I am escaping. Tonight." The thought went around in her head, as she whispered it. It sounded so solid! So final! She had prepared for weeks for this moment: the moment when she would gain her freedom, and the freedom of the red-haired stranger.
***
-Kurama lay in his cell; anger smoldering in his emerald eyes. They had taken Hiei. They had been on a mission, trying to find an artifact in the treasury of this corrupted king.
-It had belonged to the spirit world, a major source of power. It was stolen centuries ago and they had only just located it. Usually this sort of thing was left to Yusuke but he was off on a different mission, so it had been left to them.
-Hiei had been keeping watch outside the door when they came. They had captured him, somehow. Kurama had killed 30 of them before they had taken him. It would have been more, but his energy was somehow blocked.
-Now they tortured him daily. And always, she was there: the girl with the sad eyes. She cried for him.
-There was no doubting she was beautiful. Skin and hair of purest white. So white they seemed to glow. Eyes of deepest blue, and a mark, a scar perhaps, in the shape of a crescent moon upon her forehead.
***
-She had a knife. She had stolen it from one of the guards, and hidden it in her dress. The dress she had secretly sewn hidden pockets into. With it she picked the lock. Then, with the hilt, she knocked the guard unconscious.
-She was finished with playing sweet and innocent! It was time to make them pay! No. Not yet. First she had to secure her freedom.
-It would be perilous going until she got outside. Putting on her blue- black traveling cloak, she picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. It was time to go.
-Somehow she made it out. Knocking out guards left and right. Once she was spotted, but she killed the guard before he could raise the alarm. She tried to avoid that if at all possible; she hated needless killing.
-Finally she reached the stables. "Black Magic?" she called softly, listening for the answering whinny. It came, and she opened the stable door, saying, "It's me, Elspeth."
-The horse was black, like a piece of midnight, with a white star on his forehead. A stallion, never fully tamed. He looked to be Arabian, although a little on the big side.
-Leading him outside, she saddled him, and slung her bag over the saddle. The tower. It was separate from the main castle. It was where the prisoners were kept.
-Gaining the top was easy. Ivy had grown over the sides in a thick layer. As she climbed, the hood of her traveling cloak flew off, and her waist length silvery hair flew out behind her. It blew in the wind like surrender flag.
-Oh no! She couldn't stop now, but this might be a problem. Anyone who happened to look up would see her. Climbing fast, she managed to make it to a small ledge, where she could rest for a moment and put up her hood.
-Apparently nobody had seen her. If they had, they weren't making a fuss about it. "Thank the Goddess!" she murmured as she secured her hood and continued climbing.
-It took her some time to find his window. She knew what side and what level it was on, so it wasn't that hard. But it was amazing how many prison cells you could fit into one wall. There it was, finally!
***
-Kurama gasped. There was someone outside his window. He had been staring out; staring at the moon, framed by bars. Suddenly there was a dark form blotting out the light.
-But wait. The moon seemed to be shining right through it. As his eyes adjusted he could see that it was not the moon, but a face. A beautiful face. It was her. The girl with the sad eyes. But why?
"Who are you?" he asked in a loud whisper.
"My name is Elspeth, who are you?"
"Kurama. What are you doing here?
"Rescuing you."
"Rescuing me?" he could hardly believe his ears.
"Yes, of course. What else would I be doing here?"
"Oh."
-Rescuing him? Why? What had he done for her?
"I don't want you to suffer anymore." She whispered. So that was it. She hated suffering. Maybe she would help him.
"We need to free Hiei."
"Who?"
"My friend, Hiei. I'm not leaving him behind."
"All right, where is he?"
"I don't know. We have to find him."
"Okay, I guess."
-Alspeth was fiddling with the bars. Doing something to them. Suddenly they melted like butter in her hands. She climbed through the window.
"Well, I thought we would just make a quick escape through the window, but I guess not. Okay, I think I have an idea to get him out of here, but only if I go alone. What does he look like?"
"Small and slight, with spiky black hair and a white starburst above his forehead. He's wearing black and has a third eye. You can't miss him."
"Okay. Get out the window. It shouldn't be too hard for you to climb down; the entire tower is covered in ivy." She looked back at him. Tears formed, but she shook them away. He was so thin! 'I can do this.' She thought stubbornly.
-Drawing her knife, she slipped over to the door of the cell. A guard stood there. Perfect.
***
-I put the tip of the knife up to his throat. He was incredibly fat. It wasn't fair, that this undeserving pig should get so much when others got so little.
-Imitating a deep, gravelly voice, (It's better not to let them know I'm a girl) I said "Open this door before I slit your throat." I could see beads of perspiration sliding down his thick neck. He was scared. Good.
"Y-ye-yes s-s-sir!" Oh good, he was stuttering. He opened the door, albeit slowly, but good enough for me. Taking his key, I clunked him a good one right on the head. He slumped to the floor, unconscious. He would feel that one in the morning.
-Okay, now for the hard part. Checking every cell until I found him. Goodie. This was going to be so much fun.
-Then there was the problem of being seen. If I was seen by one, fine; I could kill him quickly and quietly. More, well I'd just have to hope to the Goddess that didn't happen.
***
-So much pain. He couldn't speak. He couldn't think. What had they done to him? Why couldn't they just leave him alone?
-He stared at the moon, his ruby eyes feverish with pain. The moon. To him it seemed as though they had imprisoned that too. No. they couldn't have. If they could imprison the moon, what chance did he have?
-He looked down. Down to his legs where the metal protruded. Iron hooks, stuck in his calves.
-He lay there. Suspended in barbed wire. Tears squeezed out from behind closed lids. They turned into perfect spherical diamonds. Black, like his heart.
-Yukina. He would never see her again. "I'm sorry, my sister. I could never tell you. You deserved so much better than me."
-More tears. More worthless gems. His eyes burned furiously as he shook his head. No! He would not die this way! So weak. So helpless. No.
Maya. She would want him to live. He couldn't disappoint her. She was counting on him. "I'm sorry." He murmured through half-conscious lips, "I'm so sorry."
-There was someone there. Outside the door. A girl. She was coming in. Why? Why couldn't they leave him alone? Alone with his tears.
-His pain suddenly eased. Looking down, he could see her. She had removed the hooks. What was she doing? Why was she helping him? He hadn't done anything for her.
-Now she was untangling him from the barbed wire. Blood spurted from a hundred wounds. She looked up at him. He could see tears in her eyes. Tears for him.
- No one cried for him. No one but Maya. Maya. The name echoed in his head as he spiraled down. Down into merciful darkness.
***
Celest: That sucked.
Dragon Child: Shut Up You Evil Bird-Lizard Thing! *Coughs* I hope you like it, I also hope you have more taste than this stupid-know-nothing over here.
Celest: I Heard That!
Dragon Child: Good for you. I don't really care. Right, anyways; review please, flames welcome. Bye bye.
