Trials of the Soul - Chapter Two
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.


"So, she's found them."

"Yes, sire. Just as you predicted, they sided with her."

"And now we'll sit back and watch the Prophecy unfold."

* * * * *

After the two demons got over their initial shock, they rushed to Evangeline and checked her conditions. She had a few cuts and gashes over her body, no doubt from her pursuers, and she was losing a fair amount of blood. Kurama quickly grew some healing herbs and applied them to the wounds, and then Hiei wrapped them up with bandages. However, the lack of color on the girl's face made both of them worry.

"Hiei, let's take her back to the apartment," suggest Kurama, "I don't think we should stay around there much longer." He turned to the corpses around him to emphasize his point. The fire demon simply nodded.

Kurama carefully picked up the girl and the three of them made their way to the apartment, careful of not attracting too much attention to themselves. Luckily, it was already quite dark and the park was relatively deserted. They entered the residence and Kurama went directly to the spare bedroom next to theirs. Hiei followed close behind.

"Hiei, I'm gonna need some cloth and a basin of cold water," Kurama said as he placed Evangeline carefully down on the soft mattress. "Her temperature is abnormally high."

"Well, of course it is," retorted Hiei, "She is part fire demon."

"No, I meant abnormally high, even for a fire demon. Her ki is also fluctuating drastically." Kurama paused and looked over at his lover, hoping he knew the reason behind it. Hiei looked away and said nothing. Then he left the room, presumably to get the cloth and water. The redhead sighed and knelt down besides Evangeline's lying form, placing a reassuring hand on her head. What's happening to you, Angel?

As if in response to the inaudible question, Angel's eyes shot open and her body began to shake violently. Kurama back away out of reflex but he kept his eyes glued on the girl before him. At first, it seemed like she was having a seizure, her body convulsing out of control. Then, the shakings abruptly stopped and Angel wrapped her arms around herself, as if she was freezing.

Simply put, she was freezing.

The temperature of the room around her dropped dramatically. Kurama backed even further away to avoid the area of ice that was radiating from Angel. Icicles started to form from the ceiling and a thin layer of frost covered everything in the room, including Angel and Kurama. The redhead finally, although reluctantly, backed out of the room completely and shut the door to keep out the cold.

"What's the matter, fox?" Hiei stood next to Kurama with a basin of water in him hands and a damp cloth hanging off his left arm.

"It's Angel," Kurama answered with a bewildered look, "Her powers are going out of control. She's probably turned the room into an icebox by now."

"Hn, proof of her Koorime heritage."

"If she continues like this, she'll die."

Hiei, not one known for his great patience, walked over to the door and pushed it open, mentally ready to be bombarded by the freezing temperature. He was not prepared, however, when an intense wave of heat blasted through the doorway.

The room was no longer layered with ice but was instead glowing red from the extreme heat. The wisps of steam that evaporated towards the ceiling were the only remains of the ice that once covered the room. In the center of it lied Angel, cloak shed and cast to the floor, revealing the simple black dress she wore beneath. Her hair was plastered to her skin from the perspiration. She tossed and turned on the bed, unaware of her surroundings but painful aware of the turmoil inside of her. Hiei and Kurama watched all of this from the doorway, unable to help her but also incapable of looking away. Kurama let out a sigh of relief when Angel's body finally stopped writhing in pain and the heat began to recede.

He relaxed too soon.

Plants suddenly sprouted from every corner of the room. Flowers from the vase next to Angel's bed began to grow and climb. Stems and leaves soon covered each and every inch of the room. They surrounded the unconscious figure of their creator, protecting her from harm. Angel, though quite peaceful in her current state, looked drained and weak.

"She's used up too much of her ki," Hiei simply stated.

"Hiei, ward her," said Kurama, "It's the only way to keep her powers under control until she regains consciousness."

"And how exactly am I supposed to get near her with those Makai plants guarding her?"

"I'll take care of the plants. You just worry about Angel."

Hiei "hned" and said nothing more. He simply stood ready with a ward in hand, waiting for Kurama to finish his task.

The redhead focused all of his attention on the plants surrounding Angel's lying form. At first the plants refused to budge but soon enough they started to inch away under the coaxing of their new master. As soon as they were far enough from the bed, Hiei ran over to the girl and placed the ward on her body. With their source of power gone, the wildlife in the room shrank back into their former state.

"What's happening to her?" Kurama asked as he looked down at his daughter's still form. The ward was doing a good job of keeping her powers in check without inflicting any pain on her.

"How should I know? She's not even supposed to be alive."

"Do you think Genkai and Yukina might know?"

No answer.

"You watch her, Hiei. I'll callm them." And Kurama swiftly left the room.

Hiei stared down at the calm and serene girl on the bed. He had never seen her so up-close before. The last time he saw her was during their battle, where the girl, their blood-born daughter, used her own body as a shield to save both himself and Kurama from Hikoku's spell. And she supposedly died because of it. But here she was, alive, though not well, right in front of him. How did you survive?

"No luck." Kurama re-entered the room with a solemn look. "I described the situation and none of them has ever heard of such an abnormal occurrence." Kurama sat down next to the bed, resting for the first time since they arrived home. "Then again, Angel is anything but normal."

"Why not ask the scientists that created her?" Hiei inquired.

"Impossible," the fox answered, "Koenma wiped all three of their minds clean of the incident as soon as they all recovered. As far as they're concerned, there was never a project."

"He missed one."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, there was one more person that was involved in Angel's creation." Hiei paused and turned towards Kurama to look at him in the eye. "And she wasn't human."

End of Chapter Two


Another chapter down. I'll be explaining some stuff in the next chapter so you'll no longer be so confused. Sorry. Also, I'm gonna be using the name Angel from now on; it's easier than spelling out Evangeline all the time. Hope it's still good and interesting to read. Please review!