Author's note: re-edited now! progress is slow, but i'm getting there. To be honest with you i have had more that nine chapters written on this story, but they are on pen and paper. Infact they all are on pen and paper and i had to retype it up, that's why there were so many grammar mistakes. I uploaded these during high school hours back then and never really read through what i wrote...now that i think about it, i really should of. Anyways, i need to dig out my stories and type it up...tata
Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me, they belong to naoko takeuchi and Yoshiro togashi!
Chapter 2 - Shadows
The sky rumbled like hunger, Kurama looked up as the sky piled up with huge dark tones of grey. It was going to rain soon he noted, so he quickened is pace. It had been a long time since he had seen Yuusuke. He was too busy in school and Koenma had asked him to do other things for him after Yuusuke disapeared, so the group split for a while.
He let out a breath.
"Hiei, come out. I know you're here somewhere." His light emerald green eyes looked around the park.
"Hn" He heard somewhere among the shadows, and spun around to see his small demon friend with his arms crossed with a light scowl on his face.
"Hiei! Why didn't you come and see the group at the coffee parlor? I thought I told Botan to tell you, but you ended up staying passive." He knew it wasn't like his friend to come anyway, but it was a try.
The fire demon stared back at his youko friend with a scowl but frankly blank expression. They had been partners in "Business" since. Even in the meeting in ningenkai Hiei knew that Kurama understood him the most and nothing could pass this Kyuubi's (Ninetales) green eyes due to his (ahem) sly personality and his brains.
"I heard what you said..." He finally snorted without much enthusiasm.
"Ningenkai has things lurking around, I found that they're called 'shadows'." He finally seemed to elaborate, but paused and looked in another direction. "They are destroyable, but physically...wakaranai...hn..." With a flash he disappeared.
Kurama sighed. Hiei always had to be like this, he always had to speak half of something and then for some reason, either run off or stops talking altogether and he will refuse to talk even if you attempt to try to pry his mouth open. Understanding his friend Kurama walked on, and knowing he'ed still be lurking nearby in the shadows he raised his voice to say "Hiei, find anything tell us! And go visit Yuusuke if you want." Kurama's lips curled up in a smile.
...and from amongst the shadows his demon friend grinned and within the blink of the eye, he was underway.
oOoOo
The wind started to rise again picking up the fallen leaves with them, they swirled in a dance. The park was quiet, only time-to-time there might be a person or two running for cover in case in fear of the coming rain.
Kurama kept on walking rapidly deep in thought, and just as he turned a corner he bumped into someone. The girl rebounded off him with ease and fell hard on the ground on her backside with a low Thud.
"Itai!" A voice elated. She tried to look up at whom she bumped into or maybe who bumped into her, but she couldn't as a flying can had hit her on the nose from her shopping bag which she was originally clutching in her arms.
It hurt so she had watering eyes, and she squinted at the pain behind her glasses.
"Gomen, Lady!" She said cupping her hands over the hurt area.
"Gomen!" They had apologized at the same time.
Kurama had bent down and looked quizzically at the real "lady" which had just called him a "Lady."
"Daijoubu?" He asked in concern.
When the girl regained her strength after the encounter with the can. She looked sheepishly at what who she thought was 'A Lady' to be a guy. She quickly got up and apologized again, "Gomen. Uh...sir...Mr..Gomen, I couldn't see you properly." She said fixing up her glasses.
"My eyes were watering. She bent down and started to pick up her load and Kurama helped.
Her shopping was big. She had to pile it up in her paper bag, which she held in her arms and it half rose up and covered her nose entirely. "Um do you need any help? I live nearby." The girl peered out from the side "Ummm...don't worry my friend maybe coming soon", and soon enough from the distance came a loud roaring of a car. It halted with a screech on the curb of the road in front of the part.
A young attractive guy emerged from the spectacular car, he had sunglasses on.
Kurama raised and eyebrow, Sheesh there's no sun he thought.
"Haru-chan!" The girl called out. He guessed that attractive young man was her boyfriend. The guy moved away from the driver's side and hurriedly moved towards her. He stopped and looked at Kurama.
He had short blond hair, Kurama noticed.
Haruka quickly helped the Makoto with the Shopping. "How'd you know I was here?" she asked.
"I have my ways." She replie eyeing Kurama under her sunglasses. Without speaking to Kurama she placed the things in the boot of the car. Makoto was about to leave, but she spun her head around her ponytail flying behind her, thanked Kurama and slipped into the car.
Kurama watched as the lights disappeared "Beautiful shade of mohogany" He thought. Strange he but, he felt there was something about that girl. He shrugged, looked at the sky and quickened his steps when it started to cry...
oOoOo
"So, that guy was a hunk. Does he look like your ex-boyfriend?" Haruka teased.
"Shut up or I'll make you swerve off the road." Makoto retorted, she looked out the window of Haruka's car. Big fat drops of rain was washing the car now. She became silent for a while and thought of what just happened at the park.
Yes, she had bumped into a hansome guy, but she found no emotions arousing inside her. Haruka stole a glance at her and frowned. It always happens, Yup, it was always the rainy days that Makoto had to get sentimental about herself.
Haruka shut up and kept on driving. Makoto took off her glasses; her deep green eyes framed with long lashes seem to shine at the satisfaction to get out from being hidden. She thought about the past, about being a senshi, about being a princess, her parents dieing, her old senpai, Uranus breaking up with Neptune, Uranus and their secret relationship (not Yuri).
Haruka broke into her thoughts "Stop thinking about me and Michiru OK!! Think about other things."
Makoto didn't answer her she stayed glued outside the window. Closing he eyes, more thoughts flooded her mind. She hated to be so cold to everyone, yet she had to because she hated the pain of losing someone even more. She had lost her parents, then her senpai left her and then the senshi business, already and she wasn't about to love anyone else anymore except...serenity, her friends. But at the moment she hated herself, hated herself because she never thought she was strong enough.
Haruka put her hand over hers, and squeezed it, she looked up. She had taken off her sunglasses, her attractive face was concentrating on the road straight in front of her, but Makoto could feel the reassuring gesture.
"Don't think too much, You'll always be who you always are. Love yourself for it because the people that don't. They don't belong in your heart" Haruka broke into her thoughts again.
"I'm Ok" Makoto replied within her mind...she saw Haruka's smile.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Memories Memories Memories Memories Memories Memories Memories Memories Memories Memories
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Crystal Tokyo... Jupiter looked over the balcony from her room. Another day. She put on her white robes and headed towards the food hall. The morning sun shone bright, the crystal building emitting rainbow light. She walked silently towards the hall. Every step she took towards the hallway, she felt a heavy load pile up on her back. She hated herself for that feeling.
"Makoto!" Someone from behind called out from a distance.
A bubbly girl quickly walked towards her, she felt a sudden sense of relief and became more cheerful at seeing her friend.
It was Venus, Minako, her golden hair fell pass her waist and beyond, eyes as blue as the sky, her creamy skin flawless. Yes, she was the goddess of love, the princess of Venus, Sailor Venus.
"Makoto! Wow, I called you so many times didn't you hear me?" She asked cheerfully.
Makoto looked sheepishly at her friend. She was like a second Usagi. Her bubbly personality always made herself feel some what...fulfilling.
Fullfilling as in filling up the hole in her heart.
"Mina...I'm so sorry, it's just that it's the morning, I think I'm just not awake yet. I'll get better later in the day." Makoto said with a grin.
Minako smiled at her secretly-thought-best-friend and Makoto felt the same way too. She admired her for her strength being the leader of the inner senshi. She was so much like Usagi in a different way.
When they reached the hall Ami and Rei were already there, as of Michiru, Hotaru, Setsuna and Haruka. Minako walked in with the usual smile.
"Why are you guy's so late?" Ami asked with a tut tut tut tone in her voice. Though her calm sense of personality reflected a mysterious beauty like the calmness of water. She turned her water blue eyes to Minako and Makoto both of them looked back at her in guilt.
"Gomenasai." They both replied in unison.
Ami looked back at the group leader and the inners strongest senshi, and smile emerged, she sighed "Yare yare, and Serenity's not even here yet." They all sweat dropped.
Usagi's always like this they thought, but no one really complained. Rei turned her glance to the outers. She nodded at them in greeting and sat down at their seats. Makoto stole a glance at Haruka. Their eyes met, a spark of electricity seem to connect. They quickly pulled their eyes away and she turned and walked in the opposite direction. They had never been very close friends and didn't talk to each other very much. Although secretly Makoto looked up to Neptune and Uranus.
At that tense moment the whole group seemed to look at both of them.
The silence broke as Serenity and Price Endymond walked in.
"Mina, Gomen I'm late." A soft voice trailed into the hall Serenity's grace and beauty filled the room, her readiance spread like light lighting every corner of the room.
She sat down; her hair fell well below her ankles in threads of silken silver. Her blue eye's warm like the warmth of the suns rays. Makoto looked at their queen.
This was Usagi? The girl she first knew bubbly cheerful. Has she changed? Her sensibility her strength, they have all come a long way.
Breakfast started, food served in dishes, but suddenly there was a rumble of thunder and then...
"Hhahahaha!!"
All eye's looked at where the sound had come from. To their amazement it was serenity, everyne sweat dropped and fell of their chairs.
"Hehehehehe...I think I'm hungry..."
"What?" She whined "I couldn't help it when I saw the food!! I was hungry!".
Everyone started laughing. Makoto looked at Serenity again. Yes it was their Usagi, she hadn't changed one bit, her bubbly personality never ceased to make them smile from the heart. It shined into everyone drakness. Everyone ate their breakfast with happy chatting and the voice of Usagi. It hadn't been so enthusiastic in ages; they had been too busy protecting their loved ones from their enemies, the negaverse, the outer invaders. Makoto felt tired just thinking about it.
"Gomen, minasan I have something to do. I will be going now." Makoto stood up and left the table with the heaviness of loneliness starting to take over again.
Haruka followed shortly after, although each going their different ways.
Minako was worried about them, Rei watched them from her seat, her sharp senses felt a coldness between the two.
"Minako, don't you think there's something wrong between them?" The beautiful shinto priestess said.
Hotaru nodded in agreement.
Michiru walked over to Rei, she had noticed it too. Although Michiru and Haruka were very close, sometimes she couldn't tell what Haruka was thinking about something that she didn't want her to know about.
Often Haruka would stay silent. Then Michiru started to find problems arising. Michiru watched in dispair, feeling a sense of loss, she had to look away.
Haruka walked onto the forest, it was a calm place.
No sounds of other people or other things, just the nature just the sound of other birds and insects. She closed her eyes and took in the calm surroundings. She heard a russel from the bush. To her surprise it was Makoto. Haruka stared back at her, she had never noticed before, the green knight, her eyes a deep green, the color of the rich emerald canopy with sunlight streaming through it. Her hair a mahogany color, fell down her back in locks in natural waves tipped off in curls. A gentle breeze passes by lifting her strands.
She walked over to Haruka and sat beside her. Haruka watched her but soon looked away. She suddenly seems to feel better, there seemed to be a scentl emitting from her body, a rose scent mixed with a sweetness of strawberries but not quiet. They sat in silence, but that was enough.
That was how it all started and for some reason from then on when they saw each other in the same place they would go and sit next to each other in silence.
Then it happened, a link. They felt the pain in each other, their happiness, they knew each others secrets. Like twins with joint bodies they were. They felt and understanding. Yet in people's eyes they seemed like rivals but it was not someone could understand by sight.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Memories Memories Memories Memories Memories Memories Memories Memories Memories
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
"Makoto? Makoto!" Haruka said in her ear, she snapped out of her daze.
They were home; the house was so big it towered over them in darkness. It had a nearly fifty rooms. They walked towards the doorway of the mansion. The house overlooked the sea in one side on a hill and having a huge garden around it. Someone opened the door for. It was one of their servants.
"Miss Haruka, Miss Makoto you're home" Something brushed across their legs, it was their cat and dog. The cat's eyes green like that of her owners its silken fur the color of a light brown which alters color as it chooses. On it's forehead there was a round jewel like a cat's eye stone with Smokes of colors swirling around inside. It purred at Makoto's entry. The dog however, had eyes as blue as the sky itself. Its forehead also had a jewel of golden translucent light. It leapt at Haruka and tried to lick her.
"Were home!"
oOoOo
From the darkness of the street shadows, a thing smiled to itself. Stupid humans it thought. The shadow shifted slowly choosing discretely, looking for it's choice like picking fruit. They had grown from a seed, grown on human anger and hate despair and sorrow, but hungered for their energy. The shadow quickened it's pace blending into the crowd. Un-noticed.
Human, by looks, yes. But evil by the core.
He smiled to a passerbyer. Oh how many times had he lured his victims with that smile. She smiled back. Bingo he thought my next meal. Foolish reply. Hunger built inside him. He followed the unknown woman licking his lips.
Time for lunch.
The girl turned into a lonely pathway, not a sound to be heard but the screaming of a bird. "Time for action" It said under its breath.
A shrill cry, a horrid face, she fell to her foe. So peaceful, unoticed. Still. Silenced. EMPTIED.
oOoOo
"Rei gun!" A surge of blue light shot from the boy's finger tip. Hitting its target smack bang with a sickening crack. "Yoshi!" He jumped up satisfied with his aim.
"Oi, Baka don't you know how to dodge?" Yusuke mocked the thing with a big grin plastered over his face.
Kuwabura caught up, finally, to see what had just happened. A chill ran down his back. So much about being too sensitive to spirits eh?
"Che. What was that?" He pointed. Yuusuke didn't answer. His eyes shone at the creature in front of him, he'd always felt all tingly inside every time he was about to experience a good fight. He could feel the power in him surging up.
"Che, and I thought the things that Kurama was talking about, were very hard to fight, guess he's just over worrying" He laughed.
Kuwabura looked at Yusuke and back at the shadow. Instantly a shiver swept inside him peircing down to the bone. "Yu, Yuusuke, I don't think you should take him lightly." He backed away trying to warn Yususke about his funny feeling.
Yusuke walked forward to the unmoving victim of his rei gun and Kuwabura ran to the victim of the thing. She lay there unmoving like she was in a deep sleep. Kuwabura tried waking her, but she didn't. A chill ran down his spine again when he tried to reach her spirit.
She had non...
Yusuke was halfway across to the thing now, when it shifted. He stopped and watched as it rose from its fall. It turned around to see who had just attacked it. It grinned when he saw the boy, he had not seen such power from a human before. It dusted off its clothes, stretched a bit as if nothing had happened. Kuwabura looked at it gaping; there wasn't a scratch on it.
Yuusuke's grin grew wider and admired the monster for a while.
Without warning he started rushing forward at the thing so fast that you could only see his shadow. Yuusuke threw punches at it like a machine gun.
He paused as it had blocked every punch of his! The thing suddenly laughed. It's expression grim with eyes like a dagger.
"What's the matter fly brain don't you have the guts to fight anymore?" Teased Yuusuke.
"Urameshi!" Kuwabura screamed. Yusuke turned to look at what Kuwabura was screaming at.
"What, Baka can't you see I'm fighting!" Yusuke shouted back, but Kuwabura was flapping arms about like an idiot and babbling on word that he couldn't understand.
"Yu.Sink.loo.shad.he .um." Finally with effort he bellowed at the top of his lungs "SINKING!" Yusuke looked down at his legs, he was sinking into the ground or more like a shadow of something. His feet were already devoured by the shadow that he was standing on. He tried to get out of the spot but he wouldn't budge.
He was stuck like and ant stuck in honey only this wasn't so sweet.
Zombie like sticky tar black hands emerged from the ground grabbing at his legs. He was sinking fast. In desperate-ness(don't think that's a word...) Kuwabura ran forward "Urameshi, I'll save you!"
"Rei ken!" He soulted and a ki-powered sword appeared in his hands, he lunged forward slashing his opponent.
"Interesting." The thing thought, easily shifting away from the attacks. He kicked Kuwabura in the stomach and he went flying towards Yuusuke.
Yuusuke ducked as Kuwabura few over him and landed on the ground with a loud "thud!". Kuwabura got up again, but watched in despair at his friend continued to sink.
"What the hell is this stuff. Yarou! Fuck! Fight like a man!" Yusuke shouted.
Kuwabura tried to pull Yusuke out of the shadow but it was no use. The thing pulled out a sword from nowhere with a flash of his simile he disappeared.
"Kuso! Where'd he go? Baka! Come out now!" Yusuke had already sunken in up to his waist.
Kuwabura sunk back a little relieved, but got up and tried to help Yusuke. Not aware of the danger, cold blade slid under his neck. He paused cold sweat forming on his head. A breath so close to him.
"Kuwabura!" Yuusuke's heart stoped when he turned to look at his friend. "No!"
"Yare yare, and I thought there were only those useless humans here." The thing said in a mocking tone. "...but I guess I was wrong. It will be suuuuuuuch a waste to kill you though, but you do look most tasteful." It's lips curled into a evil grin, Kuwabura could'nt move at all. He watched in horror as the blade slid closer to his throat...
Author's note: And another chapter Re-Edited! yay!!