~High Voltage~
. . .
Chapter Two: The
Search
. . .
The Shadow was a light sleeper,
who woke up at the slightest sound or motion. Having no home to speak of, the
Shadow often slept in trees, secluded in the forest where it could not be
discovered. Being discovered was not something the Shadow could afford...
It's
eyes snapped open. Gazing at the scenery around it and recalling what had
happened the night before, the Shadow sat up and reached into its belt pouch
for the small green cube it had stolen the night before. Examining the object
carefully, the Shadow hoped that this item was the one it had been searching
for all these years. But how to activate this little cube and access the power
within?
The Shadow placed the cube on
its palm and watched it closely. Mists in various shades of green began to
swirl around inside as the cube began to glow again. Suddenly an image formed
from the swirling mists; a person. The Shadow recognized the person at once.
Behind the person was a stone wall, that of a dungeon. Two chains hung high on
the wall, and the person suddenly began to back away from an unknown threat.
But the Shadow knew what it was. The Shadow watched without flinching as the
mystical cube replayed an event from the past; as the person in the cube was
hung from the chains on the wall. Watched as the person in the cube was
tortured--burned, whipped, electrocuted, beaten--while uttering not one sound.
Teeth clenched, body tense and stiff, eyes burning with hatred and
determination, receiving every blow and acting as though it was nothing.
But it was all an act. The
Shadow knew all too well the extent of pain this person had gone through. Just
because one can endure pain better than most does not mean it will hurt any
less. The image disappeared as the Shadow looked away, not wanting to view
anymore. This cube did have incredible power, as the rumors had said.
However, this was not the
object the Shadow was after.
"Useless," the Shadow
muttered, placing it back into the belt pouch along with the numerous other
priceless items that had been stolen over the years. It would appear that the
Shadow was now back to square one.
. . .
"So what did this Shadow
guy steal, anyway?" Yusuke wondered as the group wandered through the deep
woods of Spirit World.
"What, you mean besides
the other two hundred sixty-five priceless magical objects that have
mysteriously disappeared within the past four years?" Botan
asked from behind him.
"Uh...yeah," he
answered.
"This time the Shadow
stole the Cyun Cube--an item that enables the user to
look back on moments of his or her past that have been forgotten, such as the
cause of a certain fear or trauma, or events that have been blocked from the
mind."
"So it does the same thing
as hypnosis?"
"Well...sort of." Botan sighed. Close enough.
"This is really
stupid," Kuwabara complained from the back of
the group, where he was stuck carrying the big bag Botan
had brought along. "We look like a bunch of dorks, following Shorty through the woods like this. And why do I have to
carry this stuff?"
"Just quit complaining, Kuwabara," Yusuke told him. "I mean, if that bag
is too heavy for you I would gladly take over," he said with a smirk.
"No way,
Urameshi!" Kuwabara
clutched the bag to his chest as if Yusuke was going to try to take it from
him.
"Any luck, Hiei?" Kurama asked from
ahead of Yusuke.
Hiei's
eyes narrowed; he was obviously irritated at having to play the hound dog for
the group. "No," he replied shortly.
"Well, maybe this will
help," Botan reached into her jacket pocket and
withdrew an object that looked similar to a watch. "Remember your old
demon compass, Yusuke?"
"You mean the one that
blew up? Tch. Yeah, a lot of help that was," he
answered.
"This one is an improved
version of your last one," she continued. "It was made to track
certain demons like the Shadow; if he's a demon. Here, why don't you try
it?"
"I guess it couldn't
hurt," Yusuke shrugged and took it from her.
"Hn. You think that's going to help?"
"It's worth a try."
Yusuke glanced at Hiei, remembering what had happened
with the other demon compass. He stared down at the new one. "Whoa! This
thing is going crazy, Botan. Are you sure it's
working right?"
"Either that or there are
tons of demons just like the Shadow around here," she replied. "And
somehow I doubt the latter is true."
From the front of the group, Hiei scowled. He disliked wandering the woods endlessly
when he had better things to do. If he hadn't had the rest of them here slowing
him down, he'd have located this 'Shadow' by now--probably killed him, too. A
slight smirk crossed his face as he thought of this. Koenma
wanted this person alive, but sometimes things just...happen.
. . .
The Shadow hadn't moved from
the spot in the tree all morning, contemplating what the next move should be.
The Cyun Cube had not been helpful at all, but the
Shadow had decided to keep it for future reference. Besides, what was the point
in returning it now?
The Shadow thought of a
substance it had heard rumors about--the Dein Water.
Kept inside a small vial made of saphire, it was said
that the water could release one's hidden power as well as immortalize whoever
drank it. The Shadow was not after immortal life, having no desire to live for
all eternity and eventually wish for an unattainable death. However, this was
something that could always be used as a last resort... Suddenly the Shadow
stiffened. Standing up, it gazed off in the direction the spirit energy it
sensed was coming from. Someone--no, there were more than one. They were
searching for the Shadow. This was not an uncommon occurrence, though--many
others had tried to apprehend the thief in the past. Tried and failed.
'Let them come. I'll rather enjoy killing them,' it thought. 'I could use some practice--I've become a bit
soft lately.' Letting a smirk cross its face, the Shadow decided to play a
little game with the ones fool enough to seek out a match with a formidable
adversary whose previous opponents had not lived to tell of.
. . .
Next chapter: The Hunt...The Game
AN: Sorry, I know these chapters have been short. They'll get longer as
the story progresses, I promise.
