Chapter 13- Send The Pain Below
Nanaku glided her way to the carriage that held Mameha, "We're ready to go, Keeper. Hiei's going to travel with me in the other carriage."
"Is it true? He still hasn't regained his full strength?" Mameha ran a finger down her chin.
"Yes, either that, or he's just lazy. But, from what I got of his memories," Nanaku smiled coyly. ", He isn't like that at all,"
"Be gentle, Warrior Nanaku," Mameha said, smiling as well.
"Oh, I will,"
* * *
"Your heavens very . . .you," Kiara looked around the grassy plain that surrounded them.
"It wasn't really what I had in mind," Amitare smiled. "But, I've grown to like it,"
"I guess the Powers That Be knew you'd be happy here," Kiara sat down on the soft dirt of the plain. She broke off a piece of tall grass and started to play with it.
"It gets lonely though. I mean, being in a big, grassy field with no one around to talk to, only the wind, sun, and the grass. I sometimes wish I could have a friend here all the time," Amitare sat down next to her. "Especially one like you," He winked.
"I missed you," Kiara laid down, using Amitomo's crossed legs as a pillow. "You were so little, so full of life. And in one blow, he took that all away." Kiara started tearing again. "You were a child! Karasu just came, and.. . and. . . took you away from us! Amitomo was so sad he almost killed himself! I could hardly stand to not do it too!"
Amitare pulled Kiara up and hugged her. "Sshh, it's okay. Really, it is. I'm here, and I'm happy. The time for crying is over,"
He held her close as he kissed her.
Kiara only had a fleeting thought about Kurama, Oh, well. You're only dead once.
* * *
The group was walking through a dense forest, nearing the center point of the spirit world, and The Temple of Sacred Spirit. Yongei walked with little Wasabi wrapped in a blanket in his tunic top. "Just a little farther little one," He whispered.
"By and by we come singing, Singing a song,
Singing a lullaby, clear and strong.
Singing a baby softly to sleep,
Singing sweetly to him in my keep.
By and by we come singing, by and by, by and by, by and by."
"Hello!" shouted a voice above Yongei's head, causing him to stop singing. He looked up.
"We should be at The Temple in half an hour," Amitomo said as he swooped down from the sky, his Phoenix Wings smoldering into ash.
"This is a quick journey," Yusuke pondered. "Too quick," He rounded on Bonai. "What's going on?"
"Quiet, you little idiot," Kurama said quietly. "You'll ruin his concentration,"
"Whose concentration? Are we being followed?" Kuwabara swung around as if a demon was right behind him.
"Shokubutsu's. He's the Keeper of the Staff. He's making it so the earth folds, allowing us to skip over large quantities of land, thus getting us to The Temple faster," Kamma wove her hair into a long braid. "He's been holding the fold for three days. He can't lose focus now,"
Donya whipped out his ronin sword, "We must be on guard. The air feels different here," He twirled the sword around slowly.
"We're being watched," Kuwabara mumbled. "I can feel a different presence here. It's dark, elusive."
"Yes, it does. It's cold, very cold," Chiyo rubbed her hands on her arms. Kongono took off his dark cloak and handed it to her.
"There's someone here," He said. "And I mean to find him," He walked off into a mass of bushes.
"Hope he lives," Yusuke muttered. "You okay, Kurama?"
"Yes," Kurama looked up at the sky. "perfectly fine,"
"You've been awfully quiet the last few days," Kuwabara said.
"Men are usually quiet when the women they love die," Kurama whispered.
Yusuke thumped him on the back, "Aw, come on. Kiara will come back, and she'll be happy to know you haven't forgotten her,"
Kurama glared at him, "How could anyone forget the person they love most is dead?" He stormed off farther ahead in the group of travelers.
"He needs to get some," Yongei stated bluntly, receiving looks from everyone. "What? What'd I say?"
* * *
Hiei awoke to being thumped, and bumped around. "Stop it," He whispered, still caught in his dreams. "Stop it! STOP IT! AAAHHHH!" He woke up and sat up straight (WHACK), where he promptly hit his head on an overhead beam. "This can't get any worse," he mumbled.
"Can't it? We are headed towards a fight against the great Karasu," Hiei turned his head and saw Nanaku seated just a few feet from him. "Things could always get worse,"
"Well, they sure aren't getting any better," Hiei mumbled, rubbing his head. "How long have I been asleep?"
"Long time, since your induction two days ago." Nanaku moved a bit closer, and pushed Hiei down again. "Rest. Your body hasn't recuperated enough yet."
"I don't need rest," Hiei sat up again.
"Yes, you do. You're body won't be able to take fighting unless you're fully rested," Nanaku made to push him down again. "Now, sleep,"
"No," Hiei stared at her hard.
Nanaku wasn't giving up. "Yes,"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"NO, I WILL NOT!"
"Yes, you will," Nanaku grabbed his shoulders and attempted to push him down again, but Hiei resisted well. "Why won't you do anything good for yourself?" She was caught off guard when Hiei suddenly kissed her on the mouth. He smiled.
"That was good for me," He chuckled. Hiei lay back down, and rested his head on a crooked arm. "Now, I'll sleep,"
"No, you won't," Nanaku giggled.
* * *
"We're here," Yongei said, looking up at the large, white wall of The Temple. The gate was dark, mahogany wood with iron hinges and large iron handles. Swirling runes were burnt into the doors, a warning to all who dared to enter.
"Thank God. My feet hurt," Yusuke complained.
"Quit your whining," Kurama said. "You might be fighting for your life before the day is done,"
"Don't you think I know that you pompous sack of crap?" Yusuke snapped.
"What did you call me?" Kurama rounded.
"Forgive Yusuke, Kurama," Hiei appeared with Nanaku. "He has a very little brain that might explode given the right amount of pressure," Hiei chuckled. "Not that that's a bad thing,"
"Why you little bastard!" Yusuke lunged at Hiei, only to be held back by Kuwabara.
"Cool it, Urameshi," He told him.
"Quiet! All of you!" Mameha glided forward, the box holding the Flame of Glory in her arms. "Warriors! Assemble!"
The Warriors gathered around their Keeper; all except Kongono. "Where is he? Where is the Dark Samurai?" Mameha asked worried.
"He left a half hour ago," Chiyo said. "He gave me his cloak before going into the forest,"
"Yes, he said something about finding a dark presence," Donya said. "He went out alone to find it,"
"Alone? Why didn't anyone go with him? You are all lazy dullards!" Mameha snapped before turning to walk towards the gates. "Warriors! Follow!"
"Don't take what she says seriously," Nanaku whispered in Hiei's ear. "It's well-known among us that Kongono and the Keeper are lovers,"
"Really?" Hiei muttered.
"Warriors!" Mameha snapped. She turned to the gates, and took a gold key from the folds of her robes. She placed it in the lock on the box and turned it to open the door. Mameha gently took out the Flame from its resting place. "I, Mameha, Keeper of the flame of Glory, and her Warriors and their companions, seek entry into your sacred walls,"
"Is she talking to the Temple?" Yusuke whispered.
"Looks like it," Kuwabara said. "YEAAH! Look at that!"
The gates of The Temple seemed to be opening by themselves. They creaked and groaned open to reveal a French garden. Roses bloomed and flourished everywhere, and the hedges formed a spiraling maze of green. White marble statues of men and women were placed artistically everywhere. A château stood on the far end of the garden: The Temple of The Sacred Spirit. Tall, pale, brunette and redheaded figures wandered through the hedges. These were the Warriors of the Staff.
"Warriors of the Flame," One female said in clipped tones.
"Do we attack?" One male near the gates asked his companions.
"No," Another male said tersely.
"Even though they are our opposites," One girl said.
"We must not attack," finished another girl.
"Warriors! What thoughts to have about your brethren!" A tall, brown haired man swept into the garden from the door of the chateau. He carried a long, emerald speckled staff. He strode through the garden to where the Warriors of the Flame were standing. "I am so ashamed of you!" He smiled at Mameha and her Warriors. "Beautiful Mameha, welcome back. Warriors, you have changed since our last meeting. Where's Amitare? I always loved that little boy,"
"He's dead," Amitomo said; looking at one of the tall, long blond haired Warriors.
Shokubutsu looked troubled, "I'm sorry to hear that, I guess this young lady replaced him?" He gestured to Chiyo. "And where's Kiara? And Kongono?"
"Kiara's dead. Kongono has went missing," Yongei muttered, trying to shush a whimpering Wasabi.
"Who's this?" Shokubutsu gestured to the lump in Yongei's tunic. He also turned to Hiei, "And this? So much has changed at the Temple of the Flame. Always changing, just like fire." He smiled and turned around. The others followed him. "Earth however, almost never changes. Just like my Temple. We haven't had a change in Warriors for nearly five hundred years."
"He likes to brag, doesn't he?" Yusuke muttered.
"Yeah," Kuwabara said. "Hey, his Warriors ain't half bad looking though," He laughed out loud.
"You're a freak," Yusuke commented.
* * *
"There it is: The Temple of Sacred Spirit. How unprotected it virtually is. Perfect," Karasu grinned as he looked at the building from a tall tree. He leaned against the trunk with his arms crossed. "Absolutely perfect. I'll call His Lordships minions to me, and together we'll tear down the walls and rip loose the gates. Without those, The Temple will fall, no matter how many Warriors and Keepers are there. And, after the battle, I'll gather my son. I'll take the Flame to His Lordship, and Kiara will be mine. I cannot fail. I cannot." Karasu laughed out loud, and took off his mask. "Kiara, I'll sleep with you tonight. You will be mine again, or so damn me to hell." He leaped off the tree branch, and fell through the air until he landed hard on the forest floor. He looked up at Kongono, whose body was hanging by his ankles in the tree. "You were so easy to beat. One taste of Death Bringer, and you went down like a ship,"
"Guess again, asshole," Kongono wiped out his katana and cut the bond that held him to the tree. "No one can kill the Dark Samurai," He threw his sword at Karasu, and successfully pinned him to a tree with his coat. "AVES CORPE!" Black, lizard-like wings grew from his shoulders. Kongono flew, spiraling upward through the trees. He burst through the upper canopy, and shot down towards the courtyard of The Temple. He had to tell the others about Karasu.
Karasu pulled the katana free from the tree trunk. "This is an excellent sword. It'll come in handy," Karasu smiled. "No Warrior will stop me," Karasu strode to a hollow grove in the woods. He removed a small, red-filled flask from his jacket. He removed its cork stopper, and poured the thick liquid within onto the ground. "Master," he began. "I call forth your followers from the ground with your blood. Send them unto me with all your anger, power, and hate, so that I may lead them to glory in your name. Demons, I summon thee!" Karasu leapt back from the grove. The earth trembled, causing the trees to shake, sending leaves falling to earth. The ground in the grove split in half, and smoke and steam shot up out of the ground. Red and orange light was being emitted into the air, which now smelled like smoke and sulfur. Then, hands appeared on the lip of the broken earth, moldy, rotting hands. They pulled the body to which they were attached up, revealing a reeking, rotting corpse of a woman with stringy, muddy hair. Her ragged kimono dangled from her thin body and was stained brown and red. She let out a banshee's shriek, which rattled the trees. But, it slowly turned into a high soprano note. The woman's flesh cleared, and became pale and supple. Her hair flew out behind her and was long, sleek and black. Her kimono burned gold before changing from a rag to deep purple with a green belt. The woman stopped singing, and stepped towards Karasu. "My name's Akiko, and I'm here to serve the Lord's servant," Her voice was melodic, yet flat and toneless.
Karasu nodded, then frowned. "Where are the others?"
Akiko smiled, "Patience, Master. The other's are coming," And, behind her, Karasu saw the rotting hands appearing on the edge of the earth. Indeed, they were coming.
"This is going better than I thought," Karasu smiled then broke out in demonic, crazed laughter.
AUTHOR'S NOTE- Suri-chan loves to write. She also loves to watch Futurama on Adult Swim (Disclaimer- I don't own adult swim or futurama, or any characters associated with either), which is what she's doing now. She also loves Fry. Bender sucks. Don't worry, I love anime more. I've recently discovered the manga series FAKE. Suri-chan loves this, and recommends you all read it and love it too. Suri-chan is tired.
Next chapter the battle begins, and Kiara might come back. Amitomo and Yongei have a conversation that will decide their future, and a major OC dies. You'll have to read to find out these excellent details in chapter 14- How the Mighty Have Fallen.
Good night n_n. Sleepy, sleepy
Suri-chan