Chapter 3- Back to the Temple
"Karasu!"
The name rang in the air, and was punctuated by Kiara's mournful crying. She shook like a leaf in Kurama's arms.
"It's okay," he said, rocking her gently. "Don't cry,"
Suddenly, Kiara stood up, fire dancing in her eyes, her body rigid. "Karasu!" she said again, this time full of hate. "I'LL KILL HIM! HE KILLED AMITARE! I'LL MURDER HIM WITHOUT MERCY!" Kiara's nunchaku burst into flame as she took them in her hands.
Kurama stood up, and placed his hands on Kiara's shoulders, "Kiara, think this through! Don't act irrationally!"
"Don't act irrationally?" she yelled. "MY BEST FRIEND IS DEAD! KILLED BY A MERCILESS MONSTER! BUT I'LL SHOW HIM. I'LL KILL HIM MYSELF! LET ME GO!"
"NO!" Kurama only grasped Kiara's right arm tighter. "Koenma, sir, help me!"
Koenma changed into his teenage form, and took Kiara's flailing left arm, and hugged it tight as she struggled to get free and run out of the door. "Calm down, for heaven's sake!"
Then, the door opened, and Yusuke, Hiei, and Kuwabara stepped into the room. "Well, we didn't find the fire demon, but," Yusuke stopped in the middle of his sentence, looking at the scene in front of his eyes.
"What in the hell is going on?" Hiei asked, hands in his pockets.
"I think that's the fire demon," Kuwabara said. "And she looks pretty angry."
"Nice deduction, idiot," Hiei said, looking up at Kuwabara from his low height. "I was wondering what is she so angry about."
"LET ME GO!" Kiara was still struggling to get free. "PHOENIX WINGS!" Two great wings of fire burst from Kiara's shoulder blades, which forced Kurama and Koenma to let go as Kiara flew into the air and towards the open door, causing Yusuke and Kuwabara to get out of the way. Only Hiei stayed where he was.
He narrowed his eyes as Kiara flew straight at him. "Humph!" he threw a large ball of fire at her.
Kiara took one of her nunchaku, twirled it, and knocked the fireball away with one swift swipe. "GET OUT OF MY WAY!"
"No," he said simply. Kiara stopped flying and floated in front of him. "Not until you tell me what's going on,"
"Kiara, please, don't go!" Kurama said urgently, rushing up to her. "Please," he quietly said, looking at her through his sorrowful green eyes, ", stay with me for a bit. Then go and protect the Temple."
"Alright, I'll stay," she let her Phoenix Wings die out, then floated to the ground. She hugged Kurama tightly, "It's just that . . ."
"I know," he reminded her. "I know,"
"WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Yusuke snapped.
* * *
Three hours later, Kiara, Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke, and Kuwabara were flying towards the Temple of the Flame on a flying carpet of Koenma's ("It was my great-grandfather's so you'd better not ruin it!"). As they flew, Kiara told the carpet where to go, and Kurama recounted everything that had happened so far, and what had been said (with the exception of what had gone on in the meadow).
"Poor girl," Kuwabara said after Kurama had finished his tale. "No wonder she was ticked,"
"I still don't see how Four Sacred Spirit Tools that have the power to change the cosmos could have been forgotten for so long," Yusuke said, lying down on the plush carpet, hands behind his head. "I mean, how could you forget something like that?"
"You forget their power and what their capable of," Hiei said silently.
"Hey, Hiei," Kuwabara said, ", you've been quiet this entire flight. What's eatin' yah?"
"Nothing," He said, scooting away from the edge of the carpet.
"Lyer," Kuwabara slid next to him. "Tell me what's wrong,"
"I told you nothing. Stop making me get closer to the edge!" Hiei yelled.
"Oh, I get it!" Yusuke plopped down on Hiei's other side, and started laughing hysterically. "YOU'RE AFRAID OF HEIGHTS!"
"Am not! I'm not afraid of anything!" But Hiei still kept scooting away from the edge.
Kuwabara started laughing with Yusuke. "HA HA HA! The great Hiei, afraid of heights! It's too cute!"
Hiei gritted his teeth, and threw a fireball at the two laughing boys.
Kiara turned around suddenly, and held out her hand. The fireball flew slowly towards it, in the complete opposite direction. When it got to where it was an inch away from her hand, it vanished. "There will be no unnecessary fighting from now on. For you are above holy ground," she said in a reverent, calm voice. The carpet descended sharply, and came to stop a foot above the ground, in the very glade where Kurama had found Kiara.
"We're here," she said in that same calm voice. "Oh, one minute. Hiei, do who have anything on under that black robe of yours?"
He peered at her closely. "Yes, but I don't get why,"
Kiara cut him off. "May I see it please? The robe that is."
Hiei undid his belt, and took off his robe, revealing a knee-length, pure white tunic tied around his waist with a white belt. He handed his robe to Kiara, still unsure about what she was doing.
Before anyone could stop her, she tore the sleeves of the garment off, and then tore around the hem, getting a long black strip of cloth that she tied around her head. She then tore two identical length strips, which she tied around her upper arms. The rest of the robe was used to tie a black sash around her waist. And there she stood, a Warrior in mourning.
"Let's go," she said, as if nothing had happened.
"That was my best robe," Hiei grumbled as they set off into the forest, receiving an odd look from everyone in the group.
* * *
The group trudged through the dense forest, moving rocks and branches out of the way, and Kiara stopping occasionally to do a spell that would get them through a part of booby-trapped woods safely. No one said anything, except for Yusuke's occasional complaints of 'Are we there yet?'.
About two hours into the woods, a red and gold clad figure burst from the woods, a gold monks spade crashing down near Yusuke's head.
"Halt!" said the tall, muscular man. "Who goes there?"
"Bonai, it's me, Kiara," Kiara said, stepping forward. "Along with the earth demon, Kurama, fire demon, Hiei, and human Spirit Detectives Yusuke and Kuwabara."
"Oh, I'm sorry Miss Kiara," the sheepish man said. Dressed in red and gold trousers with a red tunic top, Bonai too had four strips of black tied around his body. He noticed so did Kiara, "I guess you heard about little Amitare,"
"Yes, I received a vision about it this morning," Kiara lowered her eyes.
"That would have been Mameha," Bonai rubbed his steaming eyes, "Poor kid. Never had a chance against that Karasu. We found his body two hours after it happened. A note was lying on his chest, warning us that this would happen again if we didn't deliver the Flame,"
"We had better be going to the Temple," Kiara started to move around Bonai.
"Amitomo isn't back yet," Bonai called to the retreating group. "And Mameha wasn't able to get him a vision."
"I'll tell him myself," Kiara said. Kurama looked at her with troubled eyes.
* * *
The Temple came into view about five minutes later. It was on a tall hill, with wooden steps leading up to it. An ancient looking gate stood over the entrance to the walkway that led to the Temple. The walkway was made out of heavy stone, and the Temple building itself was made of many buildings. The side ones were housing for the Warriors, the kitchen, storage, and a training room. The main building was huge, and looked like a larger version of the littler ones: Japanese/Chinese style roofs, and support from red pillars. A small, neatly kept shrine was in the front of the main building. What was on the inside was a complete mystery to everyone except Kiara who knew it contained the Keeping Room for the Flame, and the Keepers quarters.
"Sure is big," Kuwabara said.
"That is a bit of an understatement," Hiei retorted, checking out the training room through the open door. Then, Hiei stood straight up, eyes getting bigger, arms by his sides.
"What's wrong?" Kurama asked.
"Singing," Hiei said. "Beautiful singing."
"Shortie, there is no singing," Yusuke said, hitting him over the head.
Hiei seemed not to have felt it. "Yes, there is. Beautiful singing."
"What's wrong with him?" Yusuke poked Hiei in the arm, an act that usually caused him to get hit.
"Nothing," Kiara answered, her eyes getting bigger, and stony. "I know who it is. NANAKU!"
"Yes, little Kiara?" A beautiful woman swept out of the training room, the lower half of her face hidden with a decorative fan. "Is the little man enjoying my singing?"
"Release him," Kiara ordered.
"Why must you always ruin my fun?" Begrudgingly, the woman flicked her fan, and Hiei snapped out of his trance. He stared at Nanaku fixatedly with his mouth open. "Mameha wants to see you as soon as possible." Nanaku said as she glided back to the training room, her red, black, and gold kimono gracefully rippling like ocean waves.
"Better get going," Kiara led the boys across the courtyard, Yusuke and Kuwabara's sneakers crunching the white gravel. They walked up to the small shrine at the front of the Temple. "This is where Hiei and I leave you." Kiara said.
"WHAT?" Yusuke yelled. "You mean after all that walking, three of us have to stay outside the very thing we came for?"
"If you insist on coming with us, you'll suffer a slow and painful death," Kiara warned. "Only fire demons are allowed into the actual Temple. Wards have been set up so that any other demon that tries to get in will die,"
The three boys backed up from the Temple. "We'll take your word for it," Kuwabara said.
"That's good," Kiara went to Kurama and kissed him on the lips. "I'll be back soon. Don't worry," she whispered seductively in his ear.
"You two know that that's completely disgusting," Hiei said.
"Let's go," Kiara stepped behind the shrine and Hiei followed.
"Kiara! Wait!" called a man's voice from the opposite side of the courtyard. The young man had brown hair, and liquid brown eyes, wearing a red and gold outfit of a happi coat and pants. A pair of gold sai hung at his sides. He was the only Warrior not wearing black stripes: Amitomo.
"Hey, have you seen Amitare? I went to his glade to see if he was there, but he wasn't so I assumed he was protecting the Keeper with you. Where is he? I have a new scroll for him to read on dragons from the north countryside."
Kiara stared at the man, unsure as to what to say to him.
Amitomo looked at his fellow Warrior. His face fell, "Why are you wearing those stripes? Who died? Did Nanaku? We've always said she was pure evil, but I never wanted her dead,"
Kiara opened her mouth to speak, "Amitomo . . ."
Then, realization filled Amitomo's face. He screwed up his face and steam poured from his eyes. "When did it happen? When did my brother die?" Amitomo sunk to the ground and knelt, his hands on his thighs. "And how?"
"A demon named Karasu, threw black flames at him and they ate his soul," Kiara said, walking down to Amitomo, and putting her hand on his shoulder.
"How could . . . a little kid . . . told Mameha he wasn't ready for something like this," Amitomo rambled under his breath. Then he fell over, his hands hitting the hard gravel, looking as if he was about to bow to the Keeper. "AMITARE!" he yelled, his body racked with sobs, steam floating in the air so thick it looked like fog. "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! NO! NOT MY LITTLE BABY BROTHER! AMITARE! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAH!"
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hate writing things like this. So saddening. DAY asked how I could do this to a little kid. How do you think I felt writing it? To me, my characters are like my children, I created them, and watch them develop. But, sometimes, certain characters HAVE TO DIE. That's the way it is. There is no way the story could have been the way it is if I hadn't killed off Amitare. You'll see.
I tried writing the fic last night, but my kitten kept trying to use my leg as a tree, so I had to keep going to the bathroom to control the flow of blood. Anyway, I put up the baby gate today so he can't get up the stairs to my room. But what does the little devil do? He climbs over the gate! Thank God I was wearing pants today! He finally went to sleep in my lap.
Speaking of blood, I saw Stigmata for the first time the other day. Man is that a good movie! A little gory, but still good! If you haven't seen it yet, rent it soon! It is rated R though, so you might have to have a parent rent it for you if you're underage. FYI: there's only one sex scene in it (opening credits) so it's almost free of stuff like that. DAY, you would love it!
See yah next chapter!